Chapter 160
Chapter 160
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Supporter's Magic Wand
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In one corner of the guild hall, inside the Silver Wings vice-leader's office, Yoo Bit-na was poring over some documents.
Clunk!
Seeing her short-haired subordinate barge in without even knocking, Yoo Bit-na's brow furrowed slightly.
"Vice-Leader Bit-na!"
"What."
"You know that person you were interested in earlier today."
A subordinate who always came running to her with nonsense whenever he caught wind of something.
Yoo Bit-na, who hadn't been paying him any mind, finally set down the documents she was reading.
"Han Ga-eul?"
"Something like that?"
Yoo Bit-na's brow furrowed again.
"You actually came here to report?"
"Haha. Not exactly a report. Just something I overheard."
"Why'd Jong-gil send you instead of coming himself?"
She already had a cold impression that led to lots of misunderstandings, and with her icy tone on top, she was a walking ice block.
Bong Sang-hoon, who had heard about it from the scout and insisted on reporting it himself before charging into the vice-leader's office, was suddenly hit with a wave of regret.
"Well... haha."
Seeing Bong Sang-hoon try to brush it off with his usual awkward laugh, Yoo Bit-na let out an involuntary sigh.
"Sigh. So?"
"That friend of yours enrolled today and had her awakening ceremony, but all her stats came out F."
"What?"
"Not just F, but F-minus."
"Haha."
Bong Sang-hoon's eyes went wide.
It was the first time he'd ever seen Yoo Bit-na laugh like that, even after years in the guild.
"Uh... why?"
"Jong-gil saw it too?"
"Yeah... I think so?"
It was straight from Silver Wings' scout Jong-gil, so the info had to be solid.
While Bong Sang-hoon stood there dumbfounded, Yoo Bit-na burst into loud laughter again.
"How stupid do you have to be to say something like that? You saw the ogre Han Ga-eul took down yourself."
"I did see it."
Even though Bong Sang-hoon had witnessed it firsthand, he couldn't believe it. He figured she must have used some one-time family heirloom artifact.
There were families like that sometimes. The kind that passed down old, worn-out artifacts as "family treasures."
Bong Sang-hoon assumed Han Ga-eul had used something like that.
Anything else, and it didn't make sense for a single person to take down an ogre that would require a mid-tier guild's main force to handle so easily.
And an ordinary person who hadn't even awakened yet? The premise itself was absurd.
"Sang-hoon, were there any wounds on the ogre's body?"
"Hmm."
Her voice suddenly softened, sending a chill down Bong Sang-hoon's spine.
He'd personally handed the ogre's corpse over to the dismantlers, but aside from its crushed wrist and snapped neck, there weren't any cuts or slashes to be found.
"She just overpowered it with raw strength and snapped its neck."
"No way, that doesn't make any sense..."
"Cut the nonsense and tell Jong-gil to bump Han Ga-eul up to top recruitment priority."
Top priority meant the guild had to recruit her no matter the cost, even if it meant massive losses.
There were such things as common sense in this world.
Even dismantlers grumbled about how the ogre's thick bones wrecked their gear just from working on a stationary corpse. Overpowering a live one with brute force and breaking its neck? Anyone would dismiss it as bullshit.
In front of Bong Sang-hoon sat a woman who habitually twirled her beautiful purple hair around her finger.
Someone who stayed cool-headed in any situation, the kind of person he could trust to have his back on the battlefield without a second thought.
If even she was speaking so decisively, there must be something to it.
That's what Bong Sang-hoon had to believe.
Otherwise, it meant the vice-leader—the one light in his dark world—was wrong.
And that could never happen.
The vice-leader was always right.
He'd make sure of it, even if the whole world was against her.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "What the? Why's there suddenly all this noise?"
The senior instructor's voice carried a hint of panic.
I assessed the situation in an instant.
"Is it broken?"
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
"What's going on here?"
"Eh, looks like it's busted. Seeing how the stats are glitching out now, maybe what we saw at first were my real ones?"
"Now? It's all noise; I can't see a thing."
I'm saved.
No matter how much I lived life on my own terms, I still had street smarts.
Besides, flashing a freakish report card right after enrolling would ruin my school life for sure.
"Hmm. A status projector made by the academy professors is broken?"
The senior instructor muttered to himself while stroking the orb in his hand. It really seemed like a first for him.
"Well, whatever. Don't get discouraged. People grow anywhere, anytime. Put in the effort, and you'll close the gap in no time."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
So that long receipt-like printout was only visible to me?
Even without that, seeing Baeksul dozing off in my status window made me chuckle.
The little guy always carved out his spot wherever he went.
"Alright. Head back in."
"Oh, Instructor? Aside from basics like strength and agility, are there other stats?"
"Hmm, rare ones exist. You'll learn in class, but this is a good chance too."
The strict-as-nails senior instructor suddenly pulled out glasses from his pocket.
Then came his lullaby-like lecture, overlaid with the students' sighs.
I'd accidentally turned into the kid asking questions right at the end of a winding-down class.
"Take Hwang Hyuk, guild master of Peerless Guild. Rumor has it he has a Herculean Strength stat. Studies show these special stats are way more efficient than regular ones—can't even compare."
"Fascinating."
"That's why they're so hard to raise or acquire. No need to worry about them right now."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
"Sure."
As I bowed and headed to my seat, the instructor nodded in satisfaction.
Moving back to my spot, every eye in the room followed me.
Sneers twisted their faces.
From what I'd gathered, this was a world where martial prowess ruled all. Their reaction made sense.
I got it.
"Look at those little shits staring like retards. Did they all get their genes from the same guy?"
"Eek! Ga-eul!"
"Your dad's special stat is stamina!"
Noah shot up from his seat, clamping a hand over my mouth while shaking his head with teary eyes.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"Please, shh."
I tried to lunge forward to bash some heads, but he went from covering my mouth to hugging me tight.
"Mmmph!"
I nodded, and Noah reluctantly peeled his hands away slowly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Noah, who had defied his family and set foot alone on foreign soil far from home.
Now, his new friend was wrapped in his arms.
To stop her from charging ahead in a fit, he'd had no choice but to grab her from behind with all his strength.
A petite frame that might reach 160cm, stunningly beautiful enough to leave anyone dazed.
Her status projection had shown all F's, plain as day.
But something was off.
Her strength was insane—every time she shrugged him off lightly, it choked the air out of him.
At least she was holding back in this mess; otherwise, it'd be a disaster.
After a long struggle, Ga-eul finally gave a small nod.
Guess that meant she was done.
As he slowly removed his hand from her mouth, Ga-eul spoke quietly.
"I'm gonna crack their skulls, those motherfuc—mmph!"
Noah wanted to cry right now.
"Mmph! Mmph!!"
His first cute friend at Wisdom Academy was totally nuts.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "We'll now distribute temporary weapons for early semester use."
I'd wondered where the other instructors went—they rolled in en masse, pushing wheeled metal crates.
Inside were packed with bladed weapons.
I'd expected wooden training dummies, but these had razor-sharp edges gleaming blue.
This place really wasn't your average school.
"Noah, let's go grab one."
"I've got a weapon from my family."
Noah patted the one he was wearing.
"What, you from a rich family?"
"Haha."
"You do look the type."
"Sh-should I come with?"
"Sure."
Cadets swarmed ahead, each picking weapons suited to them.
Some swung swords experimentally, others drew bowstrings.
Swords dominated one crate overwhelmingly—the king of weapons, indeed.
After a bit, the weapon racks cleared out as everyone claimed theirs.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
I approached the crate I'd eyed earlier; sharp blades gave off an eerie vibe.
"Huh? Cadet Han Ga-eul. Magic division weapons are over there."
The instructor pointed—the vibe was night and day.
This side reeked of sweat; that one was all calm smiles and blooming grins.
"I like this one."
A particularly standout weapon caught my eye repeatedly. Gripping the handle, it felt perfectly hefty for me.
"Ooh, nice choice."
"Um... Ga-eul?"
"Yeah?"
"That looks too heavy to lift. If you wanna check it out, I can pull it for you."
Ting!
I gripped the handle and pulled—the tangled weapons parted as it slid free effortlessly.
Noah froze mid-reach at the sight of the massive axe.
"Nice."
"Cadet Han Ga-eul?"
"Yes?"
"Picking the right weapon for yourself is a skill too. But aren't you a supporter?"
"Can't I just heal with this and do whatever?"
"Looks like someone trained with it and left it. It's not for swinging—it's heavy and sturdy for strength training..."
"Instructor, can I test a heal on you with this? Heal!"
Whoosh—!
"Eek!"
"Ahaha. Gonna heal your skull with my magic wand♡"