Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Midterms
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Midterms were right around the corner. Just about a week left.
Was it because I'd gotten caught up in all sorts of incidents since the semester started?
It didn't feel like much time had passed at all...
At least the group project was done and over with. That was a relief.
Otherwise, I'd have been stuck doing it right during midterms.
The presentation could wait, but leaving it unfinished would just eat away at my nerves in every way possible. Better to handle it when I could.
I studied for midterms at home.
Even if I went to the library, I'd end up bumping into other people and wasting time without realizing it.
Might as well study alone.
Truth be told... I didn't need to study that hard anyway. What was the defining trait of a dragon?
Overwhelming memory, right? Once I saw something, I rarely forgot it. So prepping for midterms was a breeze.
All I had to do was review the key points the professors emphasized from various angles and think about how to tackle the essay questions.
In our Korean Literature department, exams were usually dominated by essays... So I memorized what needed memorizing, but I also needed to have the basics figured out.
Anyway, prepping for midterms was easy. I'd just ignore the occasional screams from my sibling next door.
I might've been like that once, but not anymore. No reason to be.
Ever since becoming a dragon, things just seemed to work out smoothly no matter what.
I probably wouldn't have to stress over exams like other students anymore.
Ah, I just had to praise it again today. This blessed dragon body.
Life quality had shot up since becoming a dragon. Even my parents mentioned it lately.
With my future looking so bright now, it felt like anything was possible.
Of course, I still told them.
Do whatever you want, just please don't get roped into some shady business scheme.
It'd only lead to headaches if things went south.
My parents told me not to worry.
As if we'd ever cared about that sort of thing.
Anyway, everything was going smoothly. Midterms would probably be nothing but A+'s at this rate.
Covering my transcript entirely in A+'s might be fun in its own way.
Someone might even ask if I faked it.
Nah, no one would say that to me. And no one would check my transcript anyway. I'd already landed a job.
...If you could call it that.
* * *
Time flew by, and midterm day arrived. My sibling and everyone around looked like they were about to collapse as they headed to their classrooms.
Of course, that didn't apply to me.
I strolled into the lecture hall with a refreshed face and spotted Yoo Han-gyeol and the underclassmen looking half-dead.
"Good morning! Hope you're all doing well!"
I greeted them cheerfully, coffee in hand, and they stared at me like I was some weirdo.
"...You psycho. Studied enough?"
"No problem. Going for gold today."
"Giving up?"
"As if. It's just that studying's gotten too easy."
"What a jerk."
"Heh. The voice of the defeated is so sweet."
"But did you even have time to study? With all the interviews and government events dragging you around."
"More like studying got easier. Memorization's basically skipped entirely."
"Whoa, total cheat. Damn, I'm so jealous I could die. Wish I could mutate too."
"Don't even. What if you turn into something weird?"
"True, but still, so jealous!"
"Jealous all you want."
I strutted a bit on purpose. Better than freaking out from pre-exam nerves, right?
* * *
As expected, the exam was way easier than I'd imagined. For me, it was basically open-book. How could it be hard? All the answers were in my head, so I breezed through without a hitch.
Same for the essays.
No direct answers, but if you didn't zone out in class, you could tell what the professor wanted.
Just write accordingly.
Professors don't expect perfection from college students.
Why go to college if you're already perfect? You just need to nail what they want.
And that usually slips out during lectures, intentionally or not. That's the payoff for paying attention.
So I solved everything smoothly, reviewed once, checked for awkward phrasing... And as soon as I was done, I got up.
Submitted the exam and headed out.
...Time for some coffee.
* * *
While sipping coffee and waiting for the next class, Han-gyeol, Sihyun, and Soo-yeon burst out of their lecture hall.
"Ah, I'm screwed."
None of them looked happy. Seemed like more traps than expected.
"There were way too many tricks..."
"Not just me, then."
"Studied from past exams and it backfired?"
Han-gyeol freaked out at Soo-yeon's words.
"Didn't the upperclassmen tell you not to rely on past exams?"
"They did, but... I thought the basics would come from them at least."
Soo-yeon said, and Han-gyeol and I shook our heads.
"Nope. Our department profs hate when people cheat off past exams. They set traps targeting them. Even the multiple-choice is a bit different from before. Especially Understanding Modern Literature."
"...For real?"
"Yeah. Study based on past exams and you're toast. It gets more twisted. Essays are half the grade anyway, so past exams aren't that useful."
"Ah..."
Soo-yeon's face filled with despair. We shook our heads and said to her.
"...Gonna have to retake?"
"Ugh! Nooo!"
"How'd you do, Sihyun?"
"Not sure. But it should be okay based on what I studied... What about you, unnie? You finished first."
"Me? Nailed it."
"...Jealous."
"Like I said earlier, if you're jealous..."
"Second mutation not coming?"
"Who knows. World's gone mad, so it could happen."
"...Please, let it be me next time!"
"Then you'd have to retake the semester too."
"Oh, yeah..."
"Oh, speaking of mutations—if a second one hits, what mutant would you all want to be?"
They all gave the same answer.
""Dragon.""
"Dragon for me too."
"Why?"
"Watching you makes me jealous. Sanity intact, and the powers are broken."
"...That so? Okay, excluding dragon?"
"Elf for me."
"Elf? Why?"
"They're pretty. Elves usually get a huge looks boost. Makes you go wow..."
"Ah, true..."
Yeah, plenty of people would want elf when mutating.
Just look at Sia. Her looks were insane... Sure, super cute to me, but cuteness is part of looks.
Elves can commune with animals and plants.
Not full conversation like high elves, but friendly animals alone makes elves popular.
Pet owners probably dream of it.
"You, Han-gyeol?"
"Me? Excluding dragon... nothing specific. Just keep my sanity. Don't want minotaur or demon. Elf or something safe would be nice."
"Elves are the most popular..."
"Can't be helped."
Han-gyeol seemed to prefer safe races.
Something that blends into human society without standing out.
"...Overwhelmingly elf."
"What else is there? Dragon's top, exclude it and elf wins. Others have flaws."
"Flaws?"
"Harpy: arms gone, wings instead—more inconvenient than you'd think. Vampire: can't handle sunlight. Plenty others, but those are big ones, so elves get the nod."
"Arachne?"
I thought of Jin-ha. Could pass as human, world-famous—arachne-type mutant wasn't bad.
"Spider's a no for me..."
"Why? You could be like Jin-ha. Or dwarf?"
"Short and stocky? Pass."
"Hmm..."
Dwarves had that visual love-it-or-hate-it thing.
"Anyway, elf for me if I mutate. Or at least keep basic personality."
"Same here. Don't want to change too much."
"Just mutate like Yoon Seo-hyun and I'd be set. Lucky bastard."
Well, dragon's still top... But more like me? Hard to picture.
No guarantee of second mutations anyway.
If they did and people around mutated... Could be fun. Or rude to say.
But I'd hope they'd turn like the good mutants around me. Better than suffering unwanted changes. Hope they enjoy mutant life like me.