I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 29

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“What the hell are you talking about, you nerd?”

“…Nerd?”

“Is that some light novel title?”

His unexpected question about transmigration made my heart skip a beat, but I masked my surprise with an aggressive tone.

Fortunately, he just sighed, seemingly without suspicion.

“…I guess not. It was a meaningless question, so forget about it.”

It seemed he was testing the waters to see if I was another transmigrator. But I had no intention of revealing myself, nor did I want to team up with him.

I certainly wasn’t going to share my Hidden Pieces.

“How anticlimactic.”

In most extra transmigration novels, the transmigrator becomes friends or allies with the original protagonist. But every encounter with this guy just increased the tension between us.
[T/N: I fucking hate those stories]

I felt like our next conversation would start with a punch to the face.

A massive rift in the original storyline had opened after Han Tae-jin’s sudden growth, so he must be going crazy.

On top of that, he hadn’t acquired the Hidden Piece he needed for the Illusion terrorist incident.

He must be quite anxious.

Without the Mandrake’s Rune, he would lose to the villain executive.

Of course, as the protagonist, he might find another way to win.

But before he was a protagonist, he was human.

And humans naturally feared uncharted territory.

The fear of the unknown was difficult for anyone to hide.

Therefore, Choi Do-han would undoubtedly strive to steer the deviated storyline back on course.

And I was the obstacle in his path.

Anyway, he came to confirm if I was a transmigrator, and he likely had a backup plan in case I wasn’t.

He was too desperate to waste his time on a fruitless endeavor.

“So, are you done?”

“No.”

“What is it, then?”

“You completely ignored my warning. I heard from Mi-jin. You even made plans with her for Saturday. I assume you’ll ignore me again even if I warn you again, Han Tae-jin?”

“Oh, you mean that time you threatened me and got sent flying across the training grounds with a gut punch? That was a warning?”

I hadn’t expected him to be friendly.

But I wished he would at least fix his arrogant tone. I had no desire to engage in this childish bickering.

I’d rather spend my time practicing archery.

But his condescending remarks made it impossible for me to hold back.

When I read the novel, all descriptions were from the protagonist’s perspective, making him seem cool and collected.

But experiencing it firsthand, from a third-person perspective, he was just a crazy bastard.

From his point of view, I was probably just a “filthy NTR villain bastard messing with the protagonist.”

The comments section would be filled with -Just kill that arrogant bastard already-.

‘As they say, you can’t understand someone’s situation until you walk a mile in their shoes.’

The wisdom of our ancestors was truly timeless.

His eyes twitched nervously.

“…Don’t push it.”

“You’re the one pushing it. Just get to the point. You must have a reason for coming all the way here.”

“I’m here to challenge you to a duel.”

“What?”

“A formal duel. Next Monday. I’ll talk to our homeroom professor. You’d better not refuse. The rumor has already spread throughout the class.”

Seriously…

If asking nicely didn’t work, the next step was persuasion. If persuasion didn’t work, then a warning. If a warning didn’t work, *then* you resorted to force.

‘How many steps is this guy skipping?’

It was baffling.

Had the morally gray protagonist evolved into a psychopath due to his villainous turn?

Anyway,

“Fine. A duel ? I accept.”

I no longer had any reason to be intimidated, so I readily accepted his challenge.

He had no idea what kind of potion I had acquired from the Hidden Piece.

Even if he suspected I was another transmigrator, he would assume I had obtained the [Mandrake’s Rune].

His 2D transmigrator information network was pathetic compared to mine.

His challenge wasn’t just because he disliked me. It was also a tactic to get the original storyline back on track.

By defeating and humiliating me, he would reassert his dominance and regain the attention of the main heroines.

All for the sake of acquiring the Hidden Information [Level Up as a Harem!] during the Illusion terrorist incident.

Although that was now uncertain since he hadn’t acquired the [Mandrake’s Rune].

Anyway, this was his best strategy in a situation where he couldn’t freely use his magic power.

To beat me half to death through legitimate means.

Of course, the best option would have been to apologize and ask politely, “I’m sorry for being rude. Please be my ally,” but what could I expect from a crazy protagonist?

He would eventually realize his mistake.

This duel might draw the ire of Illusion, but I’d rather take matters into my own hands than entrust the safety of Korea to a psychopath like him.

‘Come to think of it… right before I transmigrated, I said, “If I transmigrate, I’ll crush the protagonist.”’

I transmigrated the day after I said that.

Was the original protagonist taking the villain route so I could “crush” him, as I’d said?

I didn’t know. Time would tell.

In any case, I had no reason to refuse his challenge like a coward.

He seemed slightly surprised by my ready acceptance before nodding.

“Good. I like your confidence. Not that it would have changed anything if you refused.”

“Whatever. I’m leaving.”

With that, I ended the conversation and walked past him, heading home.

The showdown between transmigrators was set.

Six days remained.

I needed to gather some Hidden Pieces useful for one-on-one combat.

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-Hey, hey. Did you hear? Choi Do-han and Han Tae-jin are going to duel!

-What? Holy shit, are you serious? But why suddenly?

-I don’t know. I heard Choi Do-han challenged him.

-I can’t wait. Who do you think will win?

-Even though Han Tae-jin got stronger, he’s still no match for Choi Do-han.

-But he defeated a Hobgoblin, didn’t he?

-That was his bodyguard. Han Tae-jin didn’t do anything.

-Really? Hmm, then what will happen? I’m so curious.

-I’m betting on Choi Do-han.

-But Han Tae-jin won’t get completely destroyed, right? I’m betting on a draw.

The next day, the Academy was buzzing with news of my duel with Choi Do-han.

Choi Do-han had intentionally spread the rumor.

He probably thought that the larger the audience, the greater my downfall and the harder it would be for me to recover.

‘…A protagonist digging his own grave. How interesting.’

Of course, I wasn’t completely confident in my victory.

There were always variables.

And he was the protagonist of the original story.

Even without a few Hidden Pieces, his growth rate was still twice as fast as others.

He was probably training constantly, even now.

In fact, since he missed out on the Hidden Piece, he would be training twice as hard.

That’s why most cadets were betting on Choi Do-han’s victory, and understandably so.

– *Kwang!*

“Your destructive power has increased significantly in just a few days, Cadet Choi Do-han. Good work.”

“Thank you.”

– *Thud!*

“…Have you been neglecting your training, Cadet Han Tae-jin? Your growth seems to have plateaued. Don’t get complacent and work harder.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

I was hiding my power.

Partly in preparation for the duel with Choi Do-han, but also because my stats had doubled in a single day during the group project.

My left arm occasionally ached, perhaps a lingering side effect, but it didn’t hinder my movements. It was as if there were no side effects or penalties at all.

Anyway, this was unprecedented, practically unbelievable, so I kept it hidden.

I was already attracting attention, even suspicion, with my explosive growth. If my power and speed suddenly doubled again, it would cause even more commotion.

The media would be all over it.

So, I hid my power during the mana measurement as well.

Making it seem like my growth had slowed down.

Fortunately, the rumor had spread that Reina was the one who defeated the Hobgoblin, and the magical surge from consuming the potion was dismissed as a temporary phenomenon.

So…

“You’re saying your training has been lacking lately?”

Professor Park Na-yeon, my personal master, asked.

“Yes. I’ve been busy.”

“Well, your growth so far has been unbelievable, so it’s not a bad idea to take a break. Too much of anything is bad.”

“Yes.”

“But…”

The atmosphere in the professor’s office suddenly turned serious.

She already had an imposing presence, but with her sharp gaze, I understood what it meant to kill someone with a look.

“I don’t want to hear that my first personal disciple lost a duel.”

“I’ll win.”

“How?”

“By trying my best?”

“…Are you joking?”

“I’m sorry.”

I bowed playfully and apologized.

Other cadets were terrified of Professor Park Na-yeon, but I felt strangely comfortable around her.

As if we had been close friends in the past and reunited after ten years.

It was an absurd notion, of course, but we often heard that we resembled each other, and we got along surprisingly well. We even exchanged jokes occasionally, like now.

Although I usually ended up getting scolded.

And the sense of familiarity was probably because I was her personal disciple.

The bond between master and disciple was special.

She handed me a piece of paper.

I took it and saw an address written on it.

“Come here after class today.”

“Where is this?”

“My house.”

“Oh, an S-rank Hunter’s house.”

“Bring your training daggers. If you don’t want to die.”

“…That’s ominous, Master.”

“Tsk.”

Park Na-yeon clicked her tongue, and I quickly corrected my address.

I occasionally called her “Master” because it felt like a more accurate representation of our special relationship, but I always got scolded for it.

“…Professor.”

“You can go now.”

“But why the training daggers?”

“What’s an archer’s biggest weakness?”

“The opening created when they miss a shot?”

Park Na-yeon nodded.

It was something constantly emphasized during specialized training classes.

It was especially important for archers and mages with long casting times.

“Right. What are you going to do when an enemy rushes you during that opening? Hit them with your bow?”

“I’d have to defend myself somehow.”

“The higher your rank, the more variables there are in combat. Especially in duels.”

“Are you going to teach me dagger techniques?”

Park Na-yeon smirked at my question, which hit the nail on the head. It looked more like a mocking smile, though, since only one corner of her mouth lifted.

“Dagger techniques were the first thing I learned to become an All-Rounder.”

“Aha, come to think of it, what was your first class, Professor?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

A brief silence followed, and I started to worry that I had asked an inappropriate question.

“Archer.”

Her answer surprised me.

She was known for her melee combat prowess.

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