The Devil of the In-Seoul Retake Academy Class
After the strength test at the In-Seoul class of the retake academy, Yoo Ji-tae found himself surrounded by female students showering him with flattery. Without Cheon Hee-ah, he would have collapsed on the spot. If it had only been simple goodwill, it might have been bearable, but the gazes from the top-ranked female students watching from afar carried unmistakable hostility. They’re worried I’ll steal their spots. The malice made his spine tingle. On top of that, the sheer number of women around him left his mind in a haze. Reaching the mana test hall felt like a miracle.
The mana test hall was just as vast as the previous testing areas. The only furniture consisted of chairs fitted with various devices, arranged in a grid pattern. As Yoo Ji-tae took a seat following the other female students, Cheon Hee-ah spoke.
“The chair you’re sitting on allows you to use telekinesis through mana. When the signal is given, iron beads will begin falling in front of you. Use your psychokinetic ability to catch them and prevent them from dropping.”
Lee To-ha continued the explanation. “Mana is the fuel for casting magic, but even within that, abilities are divided. The output you can release at once, your total mana capacity, and your precision in manipulating fine amounts of mana. This test will evaluate all of those comprehensively.”
Yoo Ji-tae was technically an ability user as well. He managed to catch the first iron bead with ease. But as time passed and the count climbed past ten, then twenty, his body began to reach its limit.
“Ugh.”
The iron beads hovering in midair crashed down all at once. Sweat poured from his body like rain. It felt as though he were forcing muscles he had never used before. Moreover, he hadn’t even exhausted all his mana. Controlling more than twenty beads simultaneously was simply beyond what his mental stamina could handle. It was like trying to look left and right at the same time—an impossible task.
Mana Test Result — Lee Se-rin: 32 beads
Because he had been the first to drop out, only that single line appeared on the display board. After a long wait, the other students began failing around the forty-bead mark. Mid-tier students lasted until roughly eighty, while upper-tier students reached about one hundred. Someone let out an impressed gasp.
The top ranks were overwhelming. It looked as though a cloud of iron beads had formed above their heads, the sheer quantity piling up relentlessly. Only around the one-hundred-thirty mark did they begin to drop beads one by one. The highest score was one hundred fifty-one.
To summarize:
Lower tier: 40–80
Mid tier: 80–100
Upper tier: 100–130
Top tier: 130–150
Yoo Ji-tae was, without question, dead last.
…This is insane.
Still, there was one small mercy. The earlier fervor had cooled slightly, and the stares had softened. Most now seemed to wonder whether his earlier feat had been a fluke. Once the tests concluded, the female students dispersed toward their respective classrooms.
“From now on, Lee Se-rin will be attending classes here.”
It was an ordinary classroom. Thirty students sat in their seats. The ranking list was revealed.
174th place — Lee Se-rin
Out of 211 students, she ranked 174th. A clear bottom-tier placement. The gap in basic physical capabilities was equally stark.
The combined total of stamina, strength, and mana among the In-Seoul class female students is over 21. Mine is barely around 7.
Yoo Ji-tae let out a heavy sigh.
When am I ever going to raise these numbers?
“…That concludes today’s lesson. Please make sure not to be late for tomorrow morning’s class. Are there any students who would like to apply for additional tutoring?”
Cheon Hee-ah looked around at the students with desperate eyes. No one raised a hand. Moisture gathered at the corners of her eyes.
“…Understood. Then class is dismissed for today…”
The moment the lesson ended—
“Unni, where did you learn that kind of magic?”
“It was so cool when you launched the Steel Witch statue earlier. I think I fell for you a little.”
“Could I possibly learn that magic too? If I don’t get into university this year, I’m seriously going to die… right?”
The female students swarmed him. After finally shaking them off and stepping outside the classroom, he was immediately surrounded by dozens of staff members wearing ID badges. They blocked him from both front and back. At that moment, an announcement echoed through the academy speakers.
“Lee Se-rin. Please report to the director’s office immediately. This is an order from the academy director.”
Yoo Ji-tae let out a sigh of relief.
Come to think of it, Lee Seon-hee did introduce me to the academy. Times like this, I’m actually grateful. Even if forcing a competition on me was annoying.
But that was only from his perspective, knowing the full story. The staff and female students froze at the announcement that had just played over the speakers. The director of Hyesung Academy—the de facto highest-ranking staff member who oversaw the academy’s operations in place of the founder and president.
The complexion of a lower-tier female student who had been stealthily approaching through the crowd changed.
…A student personally managed by the director?
The female student glanced at her phone again. It was a message she had received from a staff member after the mana test.
The female student deleted the message.
Trash.
She looked at Yoo Ji-tae with a fond gaze. An elite among elites personally managed by the academy director. A noble among nobles. It almost seemed as though a halo was shining behind his head.
More messages kept arriving.
The lower-tier female student replied.
I want to get close to someone like Unni too, not trash like that.
High-ranking people only associate with other high-ranking people, but getting to share a classroom with someone like her is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…
If I could somehow become her subordinate, that would be amazing.
The female student watched Yoo Ji-tae head toward the director’s office with a steady gaze.
EP 5 The Devil of the In-Seoul Retake Academy Class
Lee Ah-rang stared at her reflection in the mirror. A silver-haired girl in a school uniform gazed forward with a prim expression.
My height is a bit short, but my proportions are good, so it’s fine.
My chest is small, but that just means clothes suit me better, so I like it.
Even as she accepted these facts, Lee Ah-rang found herself at a loss for words when she took in her current appearance.
“…But a school uniform at this point?”
At twenty years old, she was only one year older than the third-year high school students, yet the gap felt enormous to someone who had always considered herself an adult. The design itself was nice—an impressive white blazer uniform with red lines. The skirt was short, stopping near her thighs. It was the uniform of Daejeon Hyeon-go, the most prestigious school in Daejeon Metropolitan City. The design had reportedly been commissioned from a world-renowned designer.
“A school uniform… it’s been almost five years.”
Having fallen ill at fifteen and been confined to a white room ever since, her memories of school had grown hazy. Those memories were blurred—partly because the strong medication she took daily left her mind foggy, and partly because her daily life had been so monotonous.
Lee Ah-rang slumped.
“They want me to go to school. And how am I supposed to get first place…?”
Back when she attended school, she had always fought for first or second place from the bottom. Of course, when she defeated Lee Ji-eun, she had been driven by the single-minded desire to save her boyfriend and the excitement of awakening. Seeing that she had managed to defeat a Condensing Realm user while still in the Refined Realm, she knew she possessed some talent. But the idea of defeating students who had trained for three years straight and taking first place was daunting.
And within seventy days…?
It was an absurd task.
“…My stomach hurts. I want to see Ji-tae.”
Sniffling, she sat down and opened her phone to message Yoo Ji-tae. Originally, her messages had to pass through the maids’ inspection, but at some point, she had started to enjoy secretly expressing her feelings through text.
She hesitated before sending.
Adding “lol” feels a bit off, doesn’t it?
Plus, it makes me look like a girl with nothing better to do.
And like an unemployed person with no life.
After deep consideration, Lee Ah-rang rewrote the message.
“Ah… this makes me look lazy, doesn’t it?”
What came to mind was her grandmother’s scolding.
“…She doesn’t like lazy women, does she?”
Uneasy, Lee Ah-rang collapsed onto her bed. Then she retrieved her number-one treasure hidden in the drawer—the white shirt Yoo Ji-tae had left behind when he stayed at Samjin Hotel. She laid it over herself and hugged it tightly. Slipping one hand inside the shirt while using the other to clutch it close, she pressed it against every part of her body.
It was washed, so the scent is gone, but doing this still calms me down.
After pressing the shirt firmly against herself, Lee Ah-rang bit down on the collar area. Like a lion tearing into prey, she clamped her teeth around it. Saliva soaked the fabric near the neck. She gazed in rapture at the white shirt stained with her spit. In her vision appeared an imaginary Yoo Ji-tae wearing that shirt. She laid the shirt on the bed and stared down at the imaginary figure as though pouncing on it.
“You’re mine. All of you is mine.”
Smiling with possessive delight, Lee Ah-rang poked the shirt repeatedly with her finger, fantasizing about one day laying the real him on this bed.
Knock knock.
Startled, Lee Ah-rang rolled off the bed.
“Young miss. The madam is calling for you.”
“…Yeah.”
Lee Ah-rang sighed.
Another lecture, I bet.
Descending to the living room, Lee Ah-rang sat on the sofa. Across from her sat her grandmother, Lady Lee Seon-hee.
“Are you getting along well with Yoo Ji-tae?”
“Huh? Ah. Yes, we’re getting along fine.”
When she answered while scratching her head, the corner of Lee Seon-hee’s mouth curved into a smile.
“Is that really the case?”
Lee Seon-hee placed a photograph on the table. The first photo showed Lee Se-rin and Yoo Ji-tae tangled together during wrestling training.
“…Huh?”
“That child seems to be getting along even better.”
“…W-what is this?”
Lee Ah-rang trembled as though struck by a hammer, clutching the photo.
“Huh? Huh? Huh? W-what on earth is this?”
Was it edited? Photoshop? Or deepfake? After staring at it for a while, Lee Ah-rang finally accepted reality.
“…I-is this real? Really?”
“You think that’s the only one?”
Lee Seon-hee placed another photograph on the table.
“Yoo Ji-tae has started attending an academy to prepare for university entrance. This is a photo of the students in his class.”
Lee Ah-rang looked at the photo on the table. It was filled with beautiful women.
“It’s not just their appearances that are beautiful. Their personalities are also those of ideal wives, and their abilities surpass yours as well.”
“……Huh.”
Lee Ah-rang was at a loss for words. To her, who had only fantasized about marrying Yoo Ji-tae, having two children, and going on family trips, the existence of other women was unimaginable.
“W-wait a second.”
“If things continue like this, you’re finished. Yoo Ji-tae has disguised his identity to enter the academy, so it’ll be fine for now, but getting discovered is only a matter of time.”
Lee Ah-rang felt her brain cells being destroyed by the shock.
“Huh. What do I do? No, this can’t happen. Yoo Ji-tae has to marry me.”
“You have to win. If you enter Korea University as the top student, you can deal with the women here first and then go in.”
“What? Me?”
“You can do it. This grandmother believes in you, Ah-rang.”
Lee Ah-rang looked at the photo on the table. A refined, literature-girl type was wearing skin-tight clothing and overlapping bodies with her Yoo Ji-tae. And once the women at the academy learned Yoo Ji-tae’s true identity, they would obviously make moves on him.
Of course they would. Ji-tae is cute and cool and lovely.
There’s no way they’d leave him alone.
“Ah-rang-ah. You seem to be misunderstanding something, so let me tell you. Your competitors aren’t these girls.”
“What?”
“There are women in this world who are even more beautiful and capable than these. Wouldn’t those women also target Yoo Ji-tae?”
Lee Seon-hee placed a photo of the Taheo Singun on the table.
“You know who the Taheo Singun is, right?”
“…Ah. Yes. I’ve seen her on the news a bit. But why?”
Lee Ah-rang recalled the recent BBC broadcast. There had been two women fawning over the cross-dressed Yoo Ji-tae. One was Llywelyn at the peak of the Heaven and Earth Realm, and the other was the Taheo Singun.
“After investigating personally, it seems the Taheo Singun is also after Yoo Ji-tae. She’s been contacting him daily, calling him ‘my husband.’”
“Whaaat?!”
Lee Ah-rang’s face turned pale. She had never even imagined it. The thought of someone stealing her boyfriend was simply unpleasant. Moreover, she had thought there was no need to worry because Yoo Ji-tae was hiding his identity while active.
“Don’t worry. There’s still time.”
Lee Seon-hee smiled brightly and placed a blue-rooted ginseng on the table.
“Cheonryong Cheongung. It’s the finest among spirit herbs grown by planting roots in dragon scales. It’s worth two billion won.”
“……This?”
“Eat it.”
Lee Ah-rang picked up the Cheonryong Cheongung.
“Just eat it like this?”
“Yes.”
“Can I swallow it?”
“Of course.”
Lee Ah-rang put the Cheonryong Cheongung in her mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed. At that moment, a searing pain erupted inside her stomach as though it were burning.
“Ah! Aaaagh!”
“It’s fine. The mana of the Cheonryong Cheongung is rampaging inside your body. Don’t try to suppress it—shatter it into pieces and spread it throughout your entire body to control it.”
“…T-that’s…”
“If you’re Yoo Ji-tae’s wife, you can definitely do it.”
Lee Ah-rang clutched her stomach and lay down on the sofa. Tears streamed down her cheeks. It felt as though a dragon was rampaging inside her organs.
“…I can’t. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“What’s important is visualization. Give the mana inside your body a virtual personality in your mind, then crush it with your own mental image.”
“…Okay.”
Lee Ah-rang closed her eyes. She gave an image to the rampaging mana inside her body. A dragon. A blue-scaled dragon was rampaging in the darkness, destroying everything around it.
“It would be difficult to subdue it in human form. What do you think is the strongest creature?”
“…A lion.”
The lioness was also popular as an ideal wife figure. In the dark mental space, Lee Ah-rang’s body transformed into a silver lioness. Lee Ah-rang broke into a sweat.
“But the size difference is too big.”
“It’s fine. You just need to chip away at it little by little and kill it. In your mental space, you’re invincible. You’ll never die.”
“……Okay.”
Lee Ah-rang charged repeatedly, tearing off the dragon’s scales and biting into its limbs. In the process, the silver lioness died multiple times, but each time Lee Ah-rang revived it. She hunted the dragon through countless deaths. The more she killed the dragon, the more the rampaging energy inside her body gradually weakened. Lee Ah-rang’s breathing gradually steadied.
Watching this, Lee Seon-hee inwardly marveled.
As expected, she’s a genius.
Poison and medicine were not separate things. No matter how good a medicine was, if the body couldn’t withstand it, it was nothing more than poison. While the Cheonryong Cheongung was a delicious spirit herb for those of high realm, it was no different from a poisonous herb for someone in the Refined Realm. The rampaging dragon’s mana destroyed the inside and caused pain.
Most Refined Realm users would have fainted from this pain long ago. Yet she’s enduring and adapting.
Lee Seon-hee stroked Lee Ah-rang’s forehead.
Five years. That long period of fighting illness must have built up her tolerance to pain.
Four hours later, Lee Ah-rang opened her eyes, drenched in sweat. Her entire body felt powerless, but she could clearly sense her mana. Lee Seon-hee touched Lee Ah-rang’s arm.
“…Excellent. As expected of my granddaughter.”
A Deity Realm user’s mana perception could easily quantify even Refined Realm mana.
She’s almost fully absorbed the Cheonryong Cheongung’s mana. Ah-rang’s mana was originally 1.0, but now it’s risen to approximately 1.7.
At that moment, Lee Ah-rang’s silver hair emitted a blue light. After shining brightly for a few seconds, the hair returned to normal.
…No. It’s 1.9. It rose even more.
Silver hair. It was a rare trait called an awakening mark. Lee Seon-hee smiled contentedly.
“…Excellent. It was worth spending two billion won. Rest for today. Start school tomorrow. And… this is an elixir.”
Lee Seon-hee took out a wooden box.
“It’s a strengthening pill worth about one hundred million won each. It helps improve stamina and strength, so take five a day.”
While eating the pills, Lee Ah-rang muttered.
“…Come to think of it, since my Ji-tae tends to hide his identity, it might be okay.”
“Hohoho. Is that really the case?”
“What?”
*****
Hyesung Academy Director’s Office.
The director spoke.
“How was today?”
“…Ah. Yes. It was fine, I think.”
“…The staff weren’t rude, were they?”
“…No. Not really.”
Kim Su-jin, the director, stared at him in silence before tapping her desk.
“The reason I called you is because of a separate clause ordered by the Taeguk Singun.”
“Yes?”
“The Taeguk Singun ordered that Yoo Ji-tae be promoted to Korea University’s special class within a month. However, there are regulations.”
Director Kim Su-jin scratched her head as though troubled.
“If your grades aren’t sufficient, it’s difficult to place you there.”
“…Ah. Right. Then—”
He was about to say that he would handle it himself.
“Yes.”
Director Kim Su-jin opened her mouth.
“If Yoo Ji-tae does not achieve the grades required to enter Korea University’s special class within a month, I will publicly reveal Yoo Ji-tae’s gender to the entire academy and place him in the special class under the pretext of being a special student for dual cultivation studies.”
Yoo Ji-tae thought he had misheard.
“…What?”
“Yes. That means from now on, when a male enters the academy, he can be assigned to the Korea University class under the label of a dual cultivation studies special student. That’s the plan.”
“.......”
Yoo Ji-tae felt dizzy.
*****
“Aaaaaagh!!!”
Two in the morning. The garden of the Lee Seon-hee residence.
Lee Ah-rang was running madly through the garden with a total of eighty kilograms of weights attached to her entire body. Whenever she grew exhausted, she would immediately take out strengthening pills and recovery potions from the wooden box, consume them, and force herself to run again.
Watching this, a newly hired maid called out to her senior.
“Um. Senior. The young miss is acting strange. Hasn’t it been almost eight hours…?”
“Hmm. Well. Earlier in the living room, she was muttering something about dual cultivation studies.”
“What? Dual cultivation studies?”
The senior maid shrugged.
“I don’t know either. The Singun said to just observe for now. Check on her when it really looks dangerous.”
The new maid tilted her head and looked at the garden.
Thud.
“Ah. She fell again.”
Boom.
“She’s running again.”