Chapter 32: Midterm Exam (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: Midterm Exam (2)
The midterm exam is divided into two main parts.
The first is the written test.
However, this written exam doesn't significantly affect one's grades, let alone their ranking at Gaon.
It's nothing more than a formality.
The Old Man dislikes the current educational system's neglect of theory... but what can you do?
Ultimately, all the attention is focused on the other part.
Person-to-person combat.
There are a total of three matches, and after each round, the bidding from guilds and other organizations begins.
So, are Gaon's famous midterms really that important?
No.
To be honest, the midterm exam isn't that important to me.
In the original story, the real key event was the Mine faction's attack that coincided with the midterms.
It was the first incident that made Gaon a target for the Mines.
Therefore, I just need to prepare for that event rather than the exam itself.
There is, however, one major difference from the original story... and that's the Vanquisher.
In the original, the Vanquisher didn't observe the midterms, so the two never crossed paths. But if they do meet...
One of them is guaranteed to be torn limb from limb. The Vanquisher's very essence, after all, is Demon Slaying.
"That's all for today's class."
The instructor concluded, wrapping up the lesson.
I got up from my seat as well.
My task before the midterms was simple.
The growth of the main characters.
I glanced to my left.
Cheon Yeo-wool was clutching the cross I had given her, staring up at me blankly.
Cheon Yeo-wool is taken care of.
Yu Hana. I'd decided to give her the Dongbaek Sword, so she's fine for now.
And Kang A-rin... even if I wanted to give her something, items that would suit her are incredibly tricky to handle.
That leaves... Seong Si-woo.
What should I do?
According to the plan, he was supposed to use the Fragment to start down the path of becoming a weapon that slays demons.
He would attract the attention of the guilds and, through the bidding, receive powerful support, slowly walking the path of the 'protagonist'.
But I already used up the Fragment, and this bastard is still as stubborn as a mule. I've tried talking to him a few times, but he's still ignoring me.
So, is there any reason for me to drag him along at this point?
I'd actually already made my decision.
Abandon him.
For now, I'll abandon him.
It's too much to handle during this upcoming attack.
The midterms are next week.
There's no way I can bring him up to speed by then.
I lifted my head and looked to the very front of the class.
He was staring intently at the word 'Vanquisher' written on the blackboard.
Sorry about this.
Abandoning the protagonist I had intended to create and nurture...
It wasn't an easy thing to do.
*
The sun was setting, and dusk began to creep over the land.
6 PM. I arrived at the Building B Training Ground.
As the automatic doors opened, I saw students honing their skills here and there, training for the exam period.
Fierce sounds of impact and waves of mana filled the training ground.
But in the midst of it all, Yu Hana was kneeling, quietly lost in meditation.
The daughter of a martial family.
The noise around her didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.
I carefully unslung the Dongbaek Sword from my back and slowly approached her.
As my footsteps drew near, she slowly opened her eyes.
She rose gracefully from her spot and naturally came toward me.
The training ground had a large, open communal space and individual training rooms.
"Should we go to a room? I've already reserved one."
She tried to lead me to a training room.
But I moved first.
I drew the sword from behind my back and held it out to her.
A scabbard tinged with a deep violet hue.
A heavy aura emanated faintly from within it.
Vwooooom—
The sword was trembling nonstop.
It was as if it were struggling, refusing.
I don't like you either, you punk.
"Take it," I said curtly, grumbling to myself.
Her eyes widened for a moment.
I placed the sword in her hand, which was hovering in the air, seemingly bewildered.
At that moment.
Whir.
The Dongbaek Sword's energy spread out gently.
The frantic trembling that had been shaking it moments before gradually subsided, and it soon grew calm.
It seemed to have taken a liking to Yu Hana.
I smiled lightly and continued.
"It's a really good sword. Let's use this for training today. For the time being, it'll probably..."
But then.
"...Hey."
I furrowed my brow.
A single, clear tear rolled down from the corner of Yu Hana's eye.
She seemed surprised herself.
"Ah... s-sorry. All of a sudden."
Unable to control the flood of tears, she began wiping them away frantically with her palms.
But no matter how much she wiped, the tears wouldn't stop.
"Why... why am I like this..."
Even as she cried, she was also smiling.
It was as if she had no control over her own emotions.
The gazes of those around us slowly started to gather.
"What's going on?"
"Isn't that Yu Hana?"
The sound of murmuring.
All eyes were on Yu Hana, who was shedding tears in the middle of the training ground.
This is a bit...
Problematic.
I quietly took her by the wrist.
Then I immediately opened the door to a training room and led her inside.
*
The man before her had his back turned, quietly warming up.
Yu Hana could feel his consideration, as if he were waiting for her emotions to settle.
Hae-in made not the slightest sound.
He was just as he always was, natural.
He didn't demand anything, nor did he rush her.
A silent consideration that told her to calm down on her own.
He's so kind...
Touching her forehead lightly, she tried to compose her frayed emotions.
The moment the feelings she had tried so hard to hide had burst forth.
A memory of the past had surfaced, and she hadn't been able to stop it.
She gazed at his broad, sturdy back. A back she always wanted to lean on, a back she had leaned on.
But he carried so much on that back.
She swallowed hard.
Right now—
She wanted to run to him and wrap her arms around his back.
Slowly up his back, to his firm shoulders.
She wanted to hold him tight, so she could feel him with her whole body.
And, just like that...
She wanted to slowly push him down.
To press her entire body against his and feel his warmth,
so that he could set down all his burdens, if only for a moment.
She wanted to feel his breath, the sound of his heart, his searing heat up close.
And she wanted to tell him.
That it's okay now. That she would help carry his burdens.
And also... to press her lips to his ear and...
Haa...
But she couldn't.
If she did, it would all be for nothing.
All of his efforts would be for nothing.
Yu Hana quietly curled her fingertips into a fist.
Suppressing a heated breath, she slowly averted her trembling gaze.
She stood up and carefully approached the man she loved.
He turned his head, a gentle smile on his face as always.
"Shall we begin?"
He didn't ask why she had cried.
He just offered a silent smile, as he always did.
That gentle expression made desire well up within her again, but she forced the feeling down, suppressing it.
"...Thank you. It looks like an amazing sword."
He replied with a playful smile.
"I'm just lending it to you."
Liar. You'll just end up giving it to me anyway.
He drew a sword, not his usual main weapon, the spear.
This was... that.
He swung the sword lightly and began to explain the swordsmanship.
The Butterfly Sword Dance.
A sword style where flower and butterfly become one in an elegant display.
A superior martial art where the wind danced with every swing, and offense and defense were linked in a fluid chain.
It was a style that suited the Dongbaek Sword perfectly.
He explained the merits of the Butterfly Sword Dance to Yu Hana.
After finishing his explanation, he looked at her, seeming somewhat tense.
The Yu Hana of today—
Traces of him were seeped into every corner of her being.
Not just his techniques, but his way of speaking, his habits, even the way he held his sword.
So, she had already more than learned the Butterfly Sword Dance.
But what about the Yu Hana of that time?
"Prove it. That it's better than my swordsmanship."
She would have said that, a sharp smirk on her lips, speaking so rudely.
At the sight of that rude Yu Hana, an even more vivid smile spread across his face.
It was always like this.
He tried to persuade her.
He tried to make her follow his way, his path.
And so, the moment of crossing swords came once again.
"Shall we give it a try?"
The spar began.
He unleashed the Butterfly Sword Dance, striking deep into her openings.
One step, then another.
She was so happy.
To be able to cross swords with him like this again.
To be able to face his sword, even in this way.
But, what would the past Yu Hana do?
Yu Hana's expression changed in an instant.
A look of frustration.
Eyes flashing with the refusal to lose.
And a smile returned to his face as well.
It was a familiar expression.
His way of provoking her emotions, of pushing her to greater heights.
'Aren't you frustrated?'
He didn't ask, but Yu Hana could read his thoughts.
He always...
used her frustration as fuel for her swordsmanship.
In the end, Yu Hana lost by a razor-thin margin.
And she throws the Dongbaek Sword to the floor. But she didn't toss it carelessly.
Because it was precious. She just set it down a little forcefully.
She deliberately scowled.
As if her pride were wounded, as if she felt wronged, she says to him.
"...Teach me that, too."
A faint smile spread across his lips.
He looked somewhat pleased that the situation was unfolding just as he had intended.
If you're happy, I'm happy.
And she repeated to herself, as if in a whisper.
'I'll be good.'
...For you, I can do anything.