The Devil of the In-Seoul Retake Academy

After entering the devil's mansion of the In-Seoul class at the retake academy, I took the elevator on the wall. It felt odd for a house to have an elevator, but I let it slide. She was a chaebol, after all.

When we descended to the basement, a massive training hall awaited. The space stretched at least fifty meters in both length and width. Facilities inside were varied—high-pressure mana environment capsules that people could enter, along with basic treadmills.

"This way."

Ah-rang walked toward the center. A square ring stood there, encircled by twenty medical staff and maids.

"Quite luxurious."

"Grandma installed it on a whim. It's inconvenient, though."

"I see."

When Ah-rang approached the group, they injected a body-enhancement drug into her arm as if it were routine. She accepted it without complaint, then popped a green pill into her mouth. Picking up another, she handed it to me.

'Free medicine, huh. Not bad.'

After taking the Nokjeonghwan, I followed Ah-rang up onto the ring. I watched her stretch.

'...She's gotten considerably stronger.'

It was clearly different from the last time I'd seen her. Her entire body seemed lighter. I recalled the terms of the match Seon-hee had set. If Ah-rang achieved better scores than me on the university entrance exam, I would marry her. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠This sparring match would likely reveal which way the contest was heading. If I won, I could still breathe easy for now. But if I lost or it ended in a draw, that would be a serious emergency.

What mattered wasn't who was stronger right now, but the rate of growth. I'd been training for some time, yet Ah-rang had only started a week ago. If I struggled against her, I had no chance of winning.

I pictured Ah-rang defeating the Six-Armed Witch. "I see."

"Huh? What do you see?"

"...Nothing."

I looked at Ah-rang loosening up. Even though she was smaller than me, watching her suddenly brought to mind a silver lion, and I felt a sense of pressure. I'd been laboring under a major misconception. I'd thought I needed to defeat competitors at the academy—the top students in the In-Seoul class, or those in the elite university-track classes. But those people were nothing more than passing extras. They were merely waypoints along the way.

My real enemy was right here.

Honestly, I'd never once thought I would lose. With the power of Hephaestus, I believed I could take down someone like Ah-rang. In my memories, she had been frail, pitiful, quick to cry and fuss.

Thud. When Ah-rang stamped her foot, the entire ring—and beyond it, the floor of the vast training hall—shook. For the first time, a chill ran down my spine. I hadn't accepted the match thinking "I'll figure something out." I'd done it in a fit of anger.

'If I'd known it would be like this, maybe I should've refused the match....'

I genuinely regretted it.

Still, I had to do the job I'd taken on. Ah-rang stood on the opposite side of the ring while I spread my legs into a stance. She scratched her cheek as she looked at me, then raised her hand.

"Um, so how should we do this match?"

"What do you mean, how?"

"You did wrestling with Se-rin, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why wrestling?"

"Because that's what Se-rin suggested."

For a moment, the entire training hall—filled with the usual bustle of noise—fell silent. I glanced around to find the maids and medical staff, who had been analyzing and chatting, now staring at me blankly. Ah-rang stood on one leg, scratching her calf with the toes of her other foot. Her sense of balance was impressive.

"Ji-tae-ya. Are you close with Lee Se-rin?"

"Yeah. She's someone I can trust. She handles the kitchen when I'm not around."

"Oh. So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she's an employee?"

"Not just a regular employee."

"Huh?"

That was true. I'd entrusted the restaurant to Se-rin. I couldn't manage the store while attending the academy or training with Ah-rang. Even if Se-rin's magic cooking skills were excellent, I wouldn't hand the restaurant over to just anyone.

'Of course, I still handle the core processes myself, but without Se-rin now, the store wouldn't run.'

"Honestly, even on the way here I felt a bit sorry toward Se-rin. I should be staying with her."

It didn't sit right for the owner to abandon the store and wander around elsewhere. Plus, running a restaurant with eight hundred million won in monthly net profit on autopilot while only paying her two thousand a month felt wrong. I didn't have the face to look Se-rin in the eye.

"Mmm. Still, once the entrance exams are over, we can be together every day."

Ah-rang looked up at the ceiling.

"Hey, Ji-tae-ya. Isn't that too much for a regular employee? Just give her work, pay her, and be done with it. Wouldn't it be better that way? If she gets unnecessarily attached to you, it'll be annoying."

"Not really."

I was afraid of women. I didn't want to treat a wife like a breeding mare either. That was why I'd set the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠goal of reaching the Deity Realm as a Transcendent and living alone. But I had no intention of neglecting the people who helped me.

'Of course, once I reach the Deity Realm, I'll cut all ties, but until then I want to treat them well in my own way.'

"Se-rin is quite strong, so she's helpful for training."

"Ji-tae, do you like strong women?"

"I suppose so? Obviously."

'Sparring with weak women won't improve my skills at all.'

Ah-rang scratched her head, then began stretching again.

"So what should we do? Wrestling?"

"Hmm. Wouldn't it be better to fight like a real battle? That's what everyone seems to do during the university entrance exams."

"Mm."

"Why?"

"Does it not matter if it's something else? Like hair length, height, that kind of thing."

"Not really? As long as she's stronger than me, anything's fine. If I'm going to choose a partner, I want a woman stronger than myself. Honestly, I don't see any reason to pair up with a woman weaker than me. I don't even want to face a weak woman."

"I see."

Ah-rang, who had been biting her nails, smiled.

"Then here I come."

Ah-rang took her stance and sprang forward. The skill she used was Seochopaewang. With the same ultra-high-speed movement as before, she closed the distance in an instant. I immediately threw a punch straight ahead—the fist strike from the Mantra Breaking Fist Technique. It was the fastest and most powerful attack among the techniques I could use.

At that moment, Ah-rang's movements turned fluid like water. Like a stream poured into a smooth vessel, her body traced a gentle curve and brushed past my arm. The skill she possessed appeared before my eyes.

I immediately leaped backward.

Bang! With a kick that seemed capable of shattering the floor, I created over ten meters of distance in one go. Ah-rang smiled and extended her leg.

Tap, tap, tap. Her steps were as innocent as a child playing, yet the intervals were abnormal. Without properly kicking off the ground, she shot forward over twenty meters in an instant and passed me. My rear was exposed.

Every cell in my body screamed a danger signal.

Bang! I planted my foot to stabilize my body, then spun like a windmill to channel that power into my fist. But the swung fist only cut through empty air.

In that gap, Ah-rang ducked low and drove into my side. It wasn't just speed. She had clearly learned through theory what judgment to make in any situation and executed it with her body.

Ah-rang, who had burrowed into my flank, wrapped both arms around my waist. My center of gravity was caught.

'I'm going to be thrown.'

My body moved before I could think.

Bang!!! My left foot, driven rapidly toward the floor, unleashed a shockwave. Ah-rang's hand reaching for my side was repelled. Between us falling apart, a strange sound came from below the ring.

Crack! It was the sound of the entire frame supporting the underside of the ring being crushed. As a result, the upper part of the ring collapsed, and Ah-rang and I fell downward.

"Uwah?!"

Ah-rang let out a high-pitched cry and tumbled beside me. Standing up on the uneven ring, she smiled brightly.

"Ow ow ow. Sorry. Guess the ring wasn't very good."

"...No."

Ah-rang was strong. Honestly, I didn't think I could win. I understood now. In the realm of combat, the Taeguk Four Divine Arts surpassed the Mantra Breaking Fist Technique. If my magic was a hexagonal type that distributed everything into growth potential, power, and speed, then Ah-rang's Taeguk Four Divine Arts was a specialized magic that concentrated everything into evasion and movement.

'And on top of that, the speed boost from Seochopaewang.'

I'd been able to shake her off with power and shockwaves for now, but I had no idea what would happen if she grew even a little more.

"How!! Was I?"

"Strong. The strongest person I've fought so far."

"...Heh."

Ah-rang grinned.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well."

The door opened in the distance, and Seon-hee walked in. There was a rather smug feeling in her gaze.

"How about doing it properly this time, baby?"

"Yes?"

A smile formed on Seon-hee's lips.

"If you're going to do it, you might as well do it properly. Hmm. If you pin Ah-rang down and subdue her today, I'll give you ten Nokjeonghwan as a reward."

When I looked at the medicine on the table, Seon-hee added,

"I hear it's a drug they only sell to top-ranking students in the In-Seoul class at Hyeseong Academy. Of course, they'll sell it cheaper at that academy."

'Ah. So that's how it is.'

Even just being in the upper ranks of the In-Seoul ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠class meant you could eat medicine like this for free.

My gaze turned toward the window before my eyes.

"...Yes. I'll give it a try."