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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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What turned my suspicion into near certainty was the recent attack.
Extrasensory Perception, as the name suggested, allowed the user to sense things that would have a positive or negative impact on them.
During the Demonic Cult attack, Lee Seol had shown meticulous preparation, even going so far as to prepare a locker with a defensive artifact inside.
‘Strange.’
It was even stranger considering she’d only recently awakened Extrasensory Perception.
So, I decided to test her today.
“Is this the first time you’ve asked me out to eat?”
“Is it? I think we ate together once before.”
“That was a team dinner.”
As I walked through the Academy with Lee Seol, making small talk, I could feel the stares of other students.
‘It’s not what you think, you bastards.’
But of course, they couldn’t hear my thoughts. I took Lee Seol to a bar.
It was a quiet, elegant place with private rooms, clearly a high-class establishment.
Lee Seol whispered in my ear,
“Hyeon-ah, are you sure about this place? It seems expensive… You don’t have to go overboard…”
“You protected me during the Cult attack. Let me at least do this much for you.”
“Hehe. I’m glad I protected you, then.”
We entered the private room I’d reserved and started our meal.
The first dish was Korean beef.
“Hyeon-ah, try this. It’s cooked perfectly.”
“You eat it.”
“Come on. Here, say ah~”
Fuck.
I forced a smile and ate the meat she offered.
“Good boy! You’re eating well!”
Lee Seol beamed at me, and I forced another smile.
Fuck.
One piece of meat, one sip of alcohol.
As time passed, the atmosphere grew more relaxed.
Lee Seol was getting increasingly drunk, while I, thanks to Super Recovery, remained perfectly sober.
“Hehe. Hyeon-ah, want to see something cool?”
“What is it?”
“Ta-da! Frozen sooju snack! You can eat it in one bitee!”
Her words were slurred. She was getting drunk much faster than I’d anticipated.
‘Was she always this weak to alcohol?’
I remembered her having a higher tolerance than Han Yuri… Well, that wasn’t important right now.
What mattered was that the usually pure and innocent Lee Seol was starting to reveal her true self.
‘Regression to childhood.’
Pure evil.
That was the essence of the Pure White Witch.
“Hic!”
She hiccuped.
“Ugh… I’m hot…”
She unconsciously activated her skill, and the temperature in the room plummeted.
‘Here we go.’
Confident that Lee Seol was sufficiently drunk, I took a chocolate bar out of my bag and offered it to her.
“Seol-ah, I bought you some chocolate. Want to try it?”
“Chocolate? Yes! I want some!”
Her eyes sparkled like a child’s. I handed her the small chocolate.
100% lethal dose of poison.
If she had Extrasensory Perception, alarms would be going off in her head.
And in her current drunken state, Lee Seol wouldn’t be able to fake a reaction.
I could see her true self, more honest than ever.
“Wow, it’s pretty!”
She took the chocolate from me and examined it closely.
-Gulp.
Her throat bobbed and she swallowed it.
I watched her intently, every nerve on high alert.
‘Her pupils are shaking!’
Her pupils constricted slightly.
“Thank you.”
But she popped the chocolate into her mouth as if nothing was wrong.
“Mmm~ This is delicious!”
“Try this one too. It’s white chocolate, so it’ll be even tastier.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Seol, after eating the antidote chocolate, held her cheeks and made a face like she was melting with happiness.
Meanwhile, my mind was racing.
‘It seems like she does have Extrasensory Perception…’
But if she had it, why would she eat the poisoned chocolate?
‘Damn it. It would be so much easier if I could just use the Truth-Telling Alcohol.’
But if I used that, it would ruin our relationship. Or worse…
‘The Association would arrest me.’
It would be like forcing the Association President’s daughter to take a truth serum.
I might end up in jail. So, this was the best I could do.
‘At least I have a clearer direction now.’
The existence of her Extrasensory Perception was still uncertain. But…
[Somewhat Strange Phantom’s Sense of Smell C / F]
‘I have to rank this up.’
Top priority.
If I could rank this up to the point where I could see a Witch’s status window, everything would be resolved.
With my goal set, I decided to end our meeting.
“Let’s get going.”
“Mmm… Already?”
“If you drink any more, you’ll regret it tomorrow. We can do this again next time, okay?”
“Hehe. Okay!”
She stood up unsteadily and almost stumbled into the table. I caught her arm.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes…”
She nodded, but she was clearly drunk.
‘She has gotten really weak with alcohol.’
She hadn’t been this easy to intoxicate before.
I had no choice but to carry her back to the Academy. I prayed she wouldn’t throw up on my back.
As we neared the dorm, Lee Seol tightened her grip on my neck.
“Seol-ah?”
“Hyeon-ah…”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to be my pocket boyfriend?”
“What? A pocket what?”
“A pocket boyfriend. Hehe…”
She buried her face in my neck.
The ticklish sensation was quickly replaced by a chilling dread as she continued,
“Hyeon-ee, I want to keep you in my pocket…”
“…”
“It would be so cute… I’d play with you all day long, hehe…”
A shiver ran down my spine.
Whining. Acting childish. Typical behavior for a child. This meant…
‘She’s halfway there.’
Between Witch and human.
“That’s a funny joke.”
“Hehe. It’s not a joke…”
‘Ugh!’
Lee Seol’s arms tightened around my neck, choking me. I couldn’t breathe.
Goosebumps erupted all over my body. I was about to use force when…
“…”
Her arms went limp.
‘What?’
Her breathing was slow and steady. She’d fallen asleep.
“Haa…”
That was exhausting.
By the time I got back to the dorm, my mind was even more confused.
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Phantom’s Sense of Smell.
A Witch-specific skill, and one that was notoriously difficult to level up.
Even with Shin Su-yeon’s help, there was a limit, so I had to find another way.
‘I’ll use a Skill Stone to rank it up in one go.’
The Phantom’s Sense of Smell skill was hidden within a C-rank assignment called “Blue Hill.” We were currently E-rank.
To access a C-rank assignment, we needed to be at least D-rank.
[Clear D-rank assignment – 5]
That was the condition I’d negotiated with Irena for taking the rank-up test.
And now, we were just one clear away from fulfilling it.
D-rank assignment: Iron Golem’s Pyramid.
“Two in front, three in back! Coming!”
“Lee Seong-hyun!”
“I’ll take care of the back! You two take out the front two!”
I gave my orders and ran towards the golems in the back.
Four meters tall, with bodies so dense that ordinary weapons couldn’t even scratch them.
It was a hunt that would have been impossible for me and Choi Ah-hyun without Han Yuri.
[Lightning God (Lower) S / F]
A derivative skill of the Unique Skill I’d acquired after unleashing the lightning during the Cult attack.
It reduced the pain and made it easier to control Lightning God.
Crackle – !!
Lightning coursed through my body.
My enhanced speed made the golems’ attacks seem slow.
‘Aggro.’
The three golems focused their attention on me.
Thanks to the “Well Done!” skill, my now D-rank Aggro skill was working wonders.
“Groooan.”
As I held their attention, a meteor crashed down.
BOOM – !!
“Groooan!”
Even with a quarter of its body blown off, it kept moving.
‘The elemental disadvantage is too much.’
Most D-rank monsters were earth-attribute, a bad match-up for Han Yuri.
This meant Choi Ah-hyun and I had to work even harder.
“Ah-hyun, did you use it?”
“Yes! I used it earlier!”
Choi Ah-hyun’s ultimate skill, usable only once a day, was gone. In that case…
“Hup!”
I channeled lightning into my sword, pushing it to its limits.
The cheap, standard-issue sword started to crack. Once I was ready, I threw it towards the ground where the golems stood.
“Ha!”
BOOM – !!
The three golems were momentarily paralyzed. Seizing the opportunity…
“Hiya!”
…Choi Ah-hyun attacked.
I’d expected her to slice through the golems with her upgraded daggers, but…
-Clang!
Her attack bounced off.
“Ugh!”
“Fall back! I’ll cover you!”
“O-okay!”
I drew their attention again, buying time.
Han Yuri’s meteors rained down.
We repeated this process twice before finally bringing them down.
But the mood was somber.
“Phew… We managed to kill them. Is everyone okay?”
“Yes… but I’m sorry! I should have been more aggressive…”
It wasn’t about being aggressive. She simply lacked the power.
It was too much to ask her to fight D-rank monsters with just a weapon and no skills.
“It’s okay. You’ll do better next time. Don’t be discouraged, okay?”
“Okay…”
But her shoulders remained slumped.
‘I’ll have to use the Orb now.’
I couldn’t postpone it any longer.
I approached Han Yuri, who was staring at the fallen golems with a slight frown.
“Good work.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s definitely harder to deal damage because they’re D-rank earth-attribute.”
“Is it really because they’re earth-attribute?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Han Yuri turned and walked away.
‘What was that about?’
Why was she acting so strangely?
Han Yuri’s behavior was odd, but it wasn’t unusual for her. She’d probably be back to normal tomorrow.
After completing the assignment, we left the Hall of Challenges.
We were met with hostile stares.
This was where students selected D-rank assignments. We were the only first-years here.
“Tsk. Those bastards are treating this place like their personal playground.”
“Hey, watch your mouth. Han Yuri’s right there.”
“What? Am I wrong? Just because they have the top student benefits… Seriously, this world… Ugh, I could just…”
“Just calm down!”
Ah-hyun forced a smile and led us away, their words clearly audible.
“Haha… Let’s just go.”
“Okay.”
We left, under the scornful gazes of the second-years. We sat down on a bench, and Ah-hyun sighed deeply.
“Ugh, that was awkward.”
“Just ignore them. They’re just trashy second-years stuck at D-rank.”
Nice one, Han Yuri.
It was better to focus on something more productive than worrying about those losers. I changed the subject.
“So, what’s next? Want to take the D-rank test right away?”
“Hmm… I’m fine with it… What about you, Yuri?”
“…I don’t mind. But can we really do it with our current strength? Isn’t this too rushed?”
A valid point.
Honestly, even clearing the D-rank dungeons had felt like a stretch. It was more like Han Yuri dragging us along by the hair.
Even Han Yuri must have felt the pressure. But that was a problem that could be solved by increasing our strength.
“Don’t worry about that. I have a plan.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. I’ll apply for the test today, and starting tomorrow, Ah-hyun and I will be doing some special training. Is that okay with you?”
“Do whatever you want. You’re not going to listen to me anyway.”
Han Yuri knew me too well from past experience.
“Let’s call it a day and head back.”
“Seong-hyun-ah! Drinks! Let’s get drinks! We’re going to be working hard starting tomorrow… Just a little… a tiny bit, please?”
“Ugh, fine. Just a little, okay?”
“Okay!”
As we walked back to the dorm, making idle chatter, we saw someone standing in front of our door.
Tan skin, shoulder-length red hair.
It was Yeon Hyo-joo.
She smiled brightly, like someone who’d just found an oasis in the desert.
“Seong-hyun-ah, you’re back?”
“…”
Fuck.
This day just kept getting worse.
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