Chapter 49
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Grades (1)
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Yoon Soo-ah.
She was sitting on the sofa, waiting for me.
"Sit down. We need to talk."
The terrorist attack during CDT.
When I escaped the barrier, Yoon Soo-ah had looked at me with suspicion.
I was the only one who hadn't been targeted by their attacks.
It was a situation where she had no choice but to suspect me.
"…"
I walked over and sat beside her.
Yoon Soo-ah didn't hesitate.
She cut straight to the chase.
It was clear she had no intention of wasting time on small talk.
"…They didn't attack you. Do you know anything about that?"
I didn't want to drag things out either.
"…The 'Black Masks' were probably after the ability I possess."
"What ability?"
Yoon Soo-ah looked at me and asked.
Lying to her wouldn't work.
I told her the truth.
"It's an awakening ability that doubles everything. I awakened this year."
"…"
"They seemed to be recruiting comrades. That's why they asked me to join them."
Yoon Soo-ah rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought after hearing me out.
The ability itself wasn't superior to other S-Rank ones.
Awakening abilities varied from person to person.
S-Rank awakenings were called divine powers.
But there was no saying which was better in terms of utilization.
In fact, an awakening that was poorly rated normally could score high if the user was a high-rank hunter.
Transcendent awakening.
It was a privilege only the chosen among awakenings could enjoy.
It was well-known that most top rankers had transcendent awakenings.
"…I see. It's just hard to believe they'd target your ability specifically."
"I don't know much either. But they definitely called me 'The One Who Will Become King.'"
"The One Who Will Become King…?"
Her interest piqued, Yoon Soo-ah tilted her head.
"…Yes. I still don't fully understand it. There's definitely something unusual about me, but I don't know what power they want or what mine can do yet…"
They said I had the key, but I'd never seen or felt it.
I knew of its existence, but it had no physical form.
Yoon Soo-ah schooled her expression after hearing me.
"Hm… Doesn't seem like you're lying."
The highest mages could supposedly detect lies.
There was no benefit to lying to Yoon Soo-ah anyway.
She pondered for a moment, then pulled a nameplate from her inner pocket.
It bore the Yoon Family crest.
"…During this break, come to the Yoon Family whenever you have time."
"The Yoon Family…?"
"There's something I want to check. You have to come. My siblings will guide you."
With that, Yoon Soo-ah stood up.
I was puzzled.
Did she really come all this way just for this answer?
No, absolutely not.
An S-Rank hunter had died in this incident.
The Black Masks' existence impacted not just S-Ranks but other factions too.
If I had a close connection to the Black Masks… Yoon Soo-ah wouldn't let me off this easily.
Illusion.
The Yoon Soo-ah before me began to fade away.
Startled, I checked my body.
A spell circle from Yoon Soo-ah was etched on my left arm.
And it was a complex one that would be hard to dispel.
A first-year cadet wouldn't even attempt it—it was that difficult.
'When did she…?'
Yoon Soo-ah said,
"Don't take it too badly. It's for your protection."
"…"
A blatant lie.
She was lying.
She was hiding her true intent of surveillance behind the pretty packaging of protection.
"…See you at the Yoon Family."
The image of Yoon Soo-ah slowly vanished.
Heavy silence filled the room in her wake.
I swallowed dryly.
'…Damn it.'
A nagging, unpleasant feeling lingered.
"Lady Aphren. A moment, please."
"…Captain of the Holy Knights."
The grand assembly ended after Aphren's declaration.
The captain of the White Holy Knights called out to Aphren as she boarded the transport.
Gainshtain, at her side, growled warily at him.
But the knight captain ignored him completely.
"Call on me anytime if there's anything I can do to help. Though bound to the Church, I'll do everything in my power."
"…"
The White Holy Knight Captain.
Arnold Schneegerald.
He extended his hand.
Aphren hesitated briefly before gripping it firmly.
Aphren smiled faintly and said,
"…It'll be soon."
"I wish you luck."
The two parted after their brief exchange.
Gainshtain, aboard the transport, tore open a snack bag with practiced ease.
"Damn it. That X guy rubs me the wrong way. Especially the Chinese Chairman. Why does he keep treating people like subordinates? Geez."
Crunch. Crunch.
Gainshtain had a habit of eating snacks when stressed.
His surroundings were always littered with empty bags.
Aphren buckled her seatbelt and stared at her hand, which had gripped Arnold's.
'The Holy Knights…'
A group shrouded in mystery.
Nothing about them was trustworthy.
They moved solely on the Pope's orders.
As a group driven by individuals, their true motives were unknowable.
"…What's wrong?"
Gainshtain asked. He'd somehow bulked up even more in those few minutes.
Cracker crumbs dusted his mouth.
Aphren clenched her fist.
"Nothing."
Whatever it was, Aphren had no intention of letting them slide.
She would crush any group that harmed humanity.
…No matter who they were.
That was all there was to it.
The next day.
Cadets gathered in their classes early in the morning for grade checks.
Even though it was morning, the classroom buzzed with excitement.
Today was the day first-semester grades were revealed.
Any group got hyped on announcement day.
"Ah… Please, just let me crack the top 100… Please…!"
"You? Dream on."
Lucy and Mitsuda were chattering in the corner.
Grade reveals built anticipation for everyone.
They summed up six months of effort on a single sheet.
I was looking forward to it too.
Of course, it only mattered if I hit the top 10, but even outside that was fine.
I sat fiddling with the Yoon Family nameplate.
The Yoon estate in central Seoul.
It was also a magic holy site where mages from around the world gathered.
Honestly, this was an opportunity.
Training at the Yoon Family during break would be the ultimate boot camp.
But it was also incredibly dangerous.
'My life hangs on how she sees me…'
If she viewed me as a harbinger of evil, Yoon Soo-ah would kill me.
An S-Rank hunter who brutally slew one of the Black Masks.
She'd squash me like a bug.
"Hoo…"
I touched the spell mark.
Yoon Soo-ah's mark.
No escaping it.
…But I didn't want to run anyway.
My goal was clear.
Become an S-Rank hunter and slaughter monsters.
Nothing else mattered.
Creak-.
As the noisy class atmosphere continued, the classroom door opened.
The instructor everyone awaited arrived.
Ha Dong-hwan, bandages wrapped around him, ascended the podium with grade sheets under his arm.
He appeared injured from the CDT battle.
Yet Ha Dong-hwan remained composed.
As if it were nothing, he called roll.
Academy attendance was 100%.
Instructors called it as formality.
"Ah… Whatever happened, CDT is over. Break starts soon… You can go home or stay on campus."
"Yes, sir!"
The cadets responded with crisp discipline.
After that incident, their discipline was ironclad.
Ha Dong-hwan massaged his stiff shoulders and continued.
"…Haa… Honestly, even I've never dealt with something like this. You must've been shocked… But it's fine now. Defenses are nearly doubled, systems overhauled. The Academy's doing everything for your safety. Don't forget. Our purpose is singular."
All cadets focused on his words.
"Humanity's survival and the enemy's annihilation. Live for that purpose alone."
"Yes, sir!"
Ha Dong-hwan smiled at their spirited reply.
Thwack!
He slapped the grade sheets on the desk.
"Alright. Let's see those grades you've been waiting for. Liu Tian, front and center."
"No. 573!! Liu Tian…!!"
Liu Tian, pale-faced, took his grades with trembling hands.
Cadets went up row by row, receiving sheets.
Sighs erupted here and there upon seeing results.
527 cadets remained after 23 expulsions from 550.
Top 50 in class made you an ace.
Top 10 were dubbed 'Top Ten,' future legends dominating the hunter world in and out of Academy.
All world-famous hunters had been Top Ten.
Whether a class had Top Ten separated elites from the rest.
Prior rankings were just shells.
Post-CDT, these were core.
"Yoon Ah-young."
"…No. 878, Yoon Ah-young."
Yoon Ah-young took her sheet with bated breath.
Sealed until the recipient opened it.
Ah-young pressed her fingerprint to the magic seal.
Red light flashed, revealing the contents.
Thump, thump.
Sitting beside her, Yoon Ah-young pulled out the paper with shaking hands.
Ah-young covered her mouth.
"Oh…! Top 50. Wow…"
"Insane, Ah-young."
"Congrats for real. Whoa…"
Nearby cadets peeked at her sheet.
Ah-young checked it repeatedly, hand over mouth.
Her chest swelled so much tears welled up.
Yoon Ah-young, Yoon Family scion once on expulsion's edge, now top 50 academy-wide.
"Congrats."
I offered my congratulations.
If she'd been expelled after the first tournament, she never would've smiled like this.
Not sky-high for a prestigious heir, but it meant the world to her.
Top 50 was elite even academy-wide.
Ah-young turned to me, eyes misty.
"Ah… Really… Thank you… Tae-hyun, it's all thanks to you."
"I didn't do much."
She'd done the work.
I'd just helped from the sidelines.
"Okay, okay! Quiet down. Next, Mitsuda Yoshiro."
"Mitsuda! Yoshiro! No. 2001!"
Mitsuda stepped forward, tense.
He bit his lower lip—odd for his build—and took his sheet.
"…Oh! Not bad."
"Ooh~ Mitsuda."
Mitsuda's rank was solid too.
He could hit top 50 soon.
Next, Class C President Lee Jae-yeol.
"…Urgh."
"Pfft! 400s? As class pres?"
"…Shut it, punk."
Mitsuda waved his sheet, teasing Lee Jae-yeol.
Jae-yeol scratched his head sheepishly and returned to his seat.
Next, new recruit Irina Delebayne.
Ha Dong-hwan sighed shortly and said,
"Irina. You're skilled with bows, but train your other abilities. You barely passed again."
"Ah… Yes… Sorry."
Irina bowed her head and returned.
She'd joined after Liu training.
Prior grades likely suffered from class bullying.
Irina Delebayne had nothing but growth ahead.
Her future scores were promising.
"…Alright. Now, Kang Tae-hyun."
My name was finally called.
I stood up.
All eyes in Class C turned to me.
I'd topped Class C at around 30th in the first tournament.
But overall, I was surely lower.
This score mattered a lot to me.
"No. 2341, Kang Tae-hyun."
"…"
I took the sheet and returned to my seat.
Everyone swarmed me instantly.
"Ah… Why am I more nervous?"
"Shh. Quiet, quiet."
Kids even tenser than me crowded in.
Their eyes fixed on one thing.
My grade sheet.
I stayed silent and tore it open.
Rip-.
(To be continued next time)