The Demon of the In-Seoul Class

EP 5 The Demon of the In-Seoul Class at the Retake Academy. I entered the academy building and headed straight for the physical fitness testing area. The stares from the managers and students I passed were sharp. Well, the long persecution ends today. If I beat Baek Seol, no one will have anything to say.

The testing area looked much like last week, with women warming up. Baek Seol stood in one corner. Her outfit was different from before. She wore a long-sleeved, long-legged jersey that covered her body completely. Only her face was visible. The high zipper pulled up to her neck gave her an oddly calm air.

Her condition was strange. She was sweating profusely even though it wasn't hot. "Alright. We'll begin the physical fitness test. Please take your positions on your respective tracks!" The academy instructors had come to conduct the test. Chun Hui-ah must be busy, so these people were filling in.

I stood on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the track and loosened up. Baek Seol suddenly pulled down her jersey zipper and tossed the top aside. Her gray sports bra was soaked with sweat, darkened to a deep gray. The fabric between her breasts was especially drenched.

Then she stripped off her pants as well. Only her panties remained. They matched the sports bra—gray underwear also soaked dark with sweat. She stood there in nothing but sweat-drenched undergarments, her entire body glistening as if boiled in perspiration.

"Hoo." Baek Seol took a deep breath, and glowing patterns appeared on her limbs. Golden cross-shaped marks. Hephaestus identified them.

Baek Seol grimaced. Driving stakes into her own limbs couldn't possibly be painless. But the test was separate from that pain.

The race began. The moment the signal sounded, Baek Seol and I shot forward, quickly leaving the other runners far behind.

I ran beside her, watching her limbs. Every time the stakes embedded in her arms and legs glowed golden, Baek Seol let out pained moans.

"Eut. Haak. Keuk. Keugeuk. Euuuk."

The fact that she was running in just her underwear wasn't merely for attention. She genuinely felt the testing area was unbearably hot. Her body's homeostasis and nervous system were completely broken, like a drug addict's, so she sweated buckets even in this temperature. She had stripped down to her underwear simply to cope with the heat. Because her brain and nerves were convinced it was sweltering, removing her clothes was the only way she could stay sane.

The faster the golden stakes shone, the harder she kicked off the ground. Even using the footwork applications of the Ten Thousand Forms Breaking Fist and the Taiji Four Divine Dance, I could barely keep up.

"...Are you okay?" I was worried about Baek Seol. I knew she hated me, but seeing her in this state made concern come first.

Baek Seol smirked. "Shut up."

Golden light burst from her limbs. Her body accelerated even more, as if something had struck her from behind. In an instant, she overtook me. Even my final sprint couldn't match her speed.

Baek Seol crossed the finish line and collapsed to the ground, clutching her limbs.

"...Euk. Euut. Aaa... Keueuk...."

I stood beside her, looking down. My breathing was steady, and I hadn't even broken a sweat.

1st Place: Baek Seol — 3000m run, 3 minutes 56 seconds

2nd Place: Lee Se-rin — 3000m run, 3 minutes 59 seconds

My time was one second slower than last time. It wasn't because my skills had dulled, but because I hadn't been fully focused on the test.

"...You look like you're in a lot of pain. You should pull them out and get treatment quickly."

"Shut up."

She really did look like she was suffering. Her attendants massaged her limbs, trying to comfort her.

"Unni, are your arms and legs okay? You look like you're in so much pain...."

"You pushed yourself way too hard.... Unni."

But Baek Seol's limbs showed no basic reflex responses. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠proof that her sense of pain had been numbed.

I didn't understand. Why go this far? Baek Seol's grades were already excellent. Was first place really worth this? No. In the end, whatever circumstances Baek Seol had didn't matter. I simply hated seeing her like this. Even if she was someone I disliked, even if she was an enemy, watching her crawl on the ground in agony hurt me too.

"...Wouldn't it be better to stop?"

"...What?"

"You can take it easy, can't you? Why push your body to the breaking point like this?"

"...What are you talking about?"

"If you ruin your body, you won't even get your investment back. Think about your health first, then your grades."

Baek Seol stared at me like she wanted to kill me, then let out a chuckle.

"That tone... like you're looking down on me."

"What?"

Baek Seol's voice trembled between laughter and tears.

"Must be nice. Born with money, talent, and a solid background behind you. I wish I'd been born like you. But I was born this way and grew up like this. No money, mediocre talent. You probably see me as trash, but this is the best I could do."

"I'm telling you to stop because it's dangerous. You could end up disabled or dead."

"...Let me ask you the opposite. If a woman with nothing doesn't even sacrifice her body, how the hell is she supposed to become a devoted wife and wise mother?"

Baek Seol grabbed her own breasts with both hands.

"Don't tell me you're bragging just because your grades are higher than mine? With those tiny breasts and that ugly face. Look. This is what a woman's chest looks like. What's on your body is just garbage."

"...Mmm."

"Get it? A woman who's sexy, pretty, and works hard like me is the one who gets chosen by a man to become his wife. Know your place, Lee Se-rin."

The "man" Baek Seol referred to was probably the special scholarship student at Hyeseong Academy.

"...Is that why you want to get married?"

"Ha? Marriage? That's something the man decides. Don't say such rude things."

"Then what do you want?"

Baek Seol's eyes widened as if I were an idiot.

"Of course I want to be loved."

"...You turned your limbs into that mess just to get a little attention? Is it really worth it?"

"What did you just say?"

The special scholarship student at Hyeseong Academy was me. Baek Seol was enduring this, even accepting physical impairment, just to be loved by me. Did I really hold that much value to her? No. I never had. And even after risking her life like this, what she wanted wasn't even marriage. She just wanted a single word of praise or kindness from me. She was acting like a child starved for parental love, all for the sake of hearing one sweet word from me.

I wanted to tell her to stop. But I didn't want to reveal my identity.

"...Stop. You might die."

"You... Are you pitying me? Wow... Don't tell me you think you're above me just because your grades are a little higher?"

Baek Seol smiled brightly. Her pale hands slid up her own hips and chest. One hand firmly squeezed the wide hips that flowed from her slim waist, while the other tightly gripped her sweat-soaked C-cup breasts.

"Sorry, but men like sexy, pretty women like me. Grades are just for showing off ability."

"And if they like you, then what?"

"Obviously, I become their wife."

Baek Seol's eyes grew tender. She seemed lost in happiness, dreaming of a newlywed life with a man she'd never even met.

"Is that all?"

"...What?"

"I don't think that's worth risking your life for."

If the special scholarship student had been someone else, I wouldn't have dismissed it so harshly. But the man Baek Seol was willing to go this far for was me. That was why the words came out.

"I hope you'll cherish your body."

That must have been a devastating blow. Baek Seol's face flushed red. A cracking sound came from her clenched fists. She let out a small laugh and crossed her arms in front of me, pretending to look down on me while barely maintaining her composure.

"Ah. I get it. You're saying that because you're scared you'll lose to me, right? Because you're also aiming for the special scholarship student? Don't tell me you think that's some kind of check? How ridiculous."

"...That's not it."

"Sorry, but... the one who'll end up with the special scholarship student is me. You'll be expelled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the academy before that happens. Don't tell me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you actually thought you'd be the one to marry him? Ahahaha!? With that plain face? With that body, standing in front of the special scholarship student? Ugh. Disgusting."

"......."

"Even a dog wouldn't look twice at a body like that."

Baek Seol narrowed her eyes and glared at me.

"So don't get any ideas. Just the fact that trash like you is running your mouth about competing with me makes me want to kill you for real."

"...Yeah. Got it."

The next test was the strength test. I recorded 6.7 against the Steel Witch statue, 0.2 higher than before. Baek Seol scored 7.2. An enormous improvement. Afterward, she collapsed clutching her limbs and groaning again.

In the mana test, I took first place and Baek Seol second. The Level 4 Taiji Heaven and Earth Heart Technique was indeed excellent. In the end, Baek Seol reclaimed first place overall.

Baek Seol's stats on the ranking board were as follows:

Stamina: 8.31

Strength: 8.85

Mana: 4.88

Originally, all of Baek Seol's stats had been in the mid-7 range. Now her stamina had reached the low 8s and her strength the high 8s. Meanwhile, her mana had dropped significantly. The stakes had taken their toll.

After the tests ended, I locked myself alone in the bathroom. I asked the other girls not to let anyone in. I kept thinking. What should I do? I thought it over again and again, and reached a conclusion.

Since I'd accepted the duel, I had no choice but to fight. I opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

I left the bathroom and headed for the arena. My bad blood with Baek Seol ends here. I'll defeat Baek Seol and apply for promotion to the prestigious university class.