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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Sigh.
Cathy, a martial arts professor at Reilan Academy and the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, the Holy Fire class, started her morning with a sigh.
Even though tomorrow was the start of the academy semester, she couldn’t muster up any energy.
“What’s wrong, Professor Cathy? You look pretty down.”
“Chairman. No, it’s nothing.”
Since it was just the two of them, she could have spoken casually, but she tried to avoid using informal language during work hours.
“Shall I guess? Is it because of Kang So-hyun?”
“Ugh.”
Yes.
Because he resembled her younger brother and because she admired his diligent efforts despite his frail body, she occasionally visited him in secret.
But every time she saw him, he would be looking at the dumbbells he couldn’t lift, then try to lift them, and almost injure himself doing so.
This morning, when he almost hurt himself trying to lift a 30kg dumbbell without even using magic, she felt dizzy and ended up entering the gym to scold him.
“That’s how boys are. There are times when they want to challenge themselves even if they know they can’t do it.”
“I know, but…”
“You know you can’t show favoritism during academy classes, right?”
“Chairman, I’m very strict about separating personal and professional matters. You know that.”
The Chairman inwardly thought that was precisely what she was worried about since Cathy wasn’t very good at it. However, she didn’t say it out loud to avoid trouble.
“Well, I understand your concern. He’s a good kid, just like you said.”
“Did you meet him in person? You didn’t do anything strange to him, did you?”
“Of course not. Anyone would think he’s your real brother.”
“No, but you tend to tease students you like, Chairman. That’s why I’m worried.”
“Oh, making excuses now, are you? Professor Cathy, the more you make excuses, the worse it gets.”
“I’m really not making excuses.”
Chairman Raylan briefly considered whether she had teased her precious friend too much, but then voiced her conclusion.
“You’re not making excuses~”
“Hey…!”
It was Cathy’s fault for being so cute.
It was a big problem that she was still so cute despite being 26, so she felt like she had to take care of her.
“Haha!”
Just a little more teasing though.
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It was frustrating.
On this precious last day before the academy semester started, I ran into Professor Cathy and was banned from the gym for a day until I fully recovered.
After defeating my sworn enemies, the dumbbells, one by one, the 30kg one that I finally challenged was a tough opponent, but I was definitely gaining the upper hand.
Just as I thought I could subdue it, my secret friend intervened and stopped our heated duel.
I felt a surge of frustration towards Professor Cathy for interrupting a passionate duel between a man and a lump of iron, but I was also grateful.
To be honest, I couldn’t win. In fact, I knew I was going to lose.
The weight was completely different from when I lifted the 25kg dumbbell.
After defeating countless other dumbbells, I knew from experience.
I wasn’t ready to lift it yet.
If Professor Cathy hadn’t intervened, I would have definitely lost.
To put it bluntly, the level I had reached before the start of the academy semester was a mere 25kg dumbbell.
Of course, this was excluding factors like Enhancement and magic.
I wasn’t a superhuman yet, but I could at least call myself relatively healthy.
I felt like my brain had half-melted from focusing too much on working out, but that was only until today.
I couldn’t just keep working out, and I shouldn’t.
For some reason, I didn’t gain any visible muscle, but I did achieve my goal of becoming a normal person, so it was time to part ways with the mindless workouts.
I shouldn’t forget that the fundamental reason I started working out wasn’t to become the strongest through exercise, but because I almost died from lack of basic physical strength after adhering to the transmigrator’s way.
“Sigh.”
I was a little nervous.
Knowing that tomorrow was the start of the academy, I knew I needed sufficient rest, but I didn’t think I would be able to sleep tonight.
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Well, I slept like a log.
Working out involved a lot of physical activity, so it led to quality sleep.
My foolish assumption that I wouldn’t be able to sleep was shattered by the power of exercise.
Anyway, the real academy life was finally beginning.
After I finished getting ready for school, Ha-ni, my roommate, naturally tagged along.
“Hey, So-hyun, what class are you in?”
Judging by the fact that she was even talking to me, it seemed like she was going to walk to school with me.
Going to school together with her on the first day was a feat even Lilac, the protagonist, couldn’t achieve.
What happened with Lilac? After the bathhouse incident, Ha-ni, who was still furious, went to school alone.
“Me? Holy Fire class.”
“Ah, we’re in different classes?”
“Really? Which one are you in?”
“Me? Holy Sword class.”
The classes were divided into Holy Fire, Holy Earth, Holy Water, Holy Wood, and Holy Sword.
Why was it Fire, Water, Wood, Sword, Earth instead of Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth? Because, according to my friend, “Holy Metal” didn’t sound cool.
He didn’t answer when I asked why the protagonist was in the Holy Fire class instead of the Holy Sword class.
He probably hadn’t even thought about it.
Anyway, Ha-ni was also originally supposed to be in the Holy Fire class, but it seemed like the minor settings had changed because everyone survived the entrance ceremony.
“But the actual classes are electives anyway.”
“That’s true.”
Except for homeroom, special events, and exams, classes didn’t really mean much.
The academy’s classes followed a university-like system where you took the subjects you wanted to take from the professors you wanted to learn from.
Putting mages, swordsmen, and clerics in the same space and giving them the same education?
That was absurd.
For that reason, classes weren’t that significant for most students, except during exam periods and competitions.
Of course, it was a bit different for me since Professor Cathy, the homeroom teacher of the Holy Fire class, was my secret friend.
I didn’t know how often I’d see my homeroom teacher, but wasn’t this better than having a secret friend who was a homeroom teacher of a different class?
We chatted as we headed to the main academy building where the classrooms were.
By the way, after spending a month together, we had become quite close, sharing snacks and ordering delivery behind the dorm supervisor’s back.
Of course, this friendship was possible because I still avoided undressing in the room or initiating any physical contact.
I was probably a comfortable roommate for her.
After parting ways to find our respective classrooms, I opened the door to the Holy Fire classroom.
As expected of the academy.
Even though it was only the first day and I thought that I arrived quite early, most of the students had already taken their seats.
Holy Fire class.
The class where important characters besides Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak belonged. It was practically the main characters’ training ground.
After checking my seat on the holographic screen, I headed towards it, but surprisingly, someone was already there.
“Seriously~?”
A girl chatting with her friends was annoyingly sitting on my desk with her butt.
Well, it was annoying, but I couldn’t get angry.
It was common for students to be inconsiderate while making memories with their friends.
I was a considerate man.
I’d ask her to move since I wasn’t going to stand during homeroom, but I would try to be as polite as possible.
“That’s my seat, could you move?”
Huh, she didn’t even react.
Was my voice too quiet? That couldn’t be. Even someone further away turned their head, so she must have heard me.
That meant she was intentionally ignoring me and was trying to pick a fight with me.
But a civilized person didn’t get angry over such things.
They said enduring three times could prevent even murder, so shouldn’t I endure at least three times?
“Excuse me, I think you didn’t hear me. That’s my seat.”
“Ah, seriously.”
Buddha, in a situation where the same result was likely even after enduring three times, did I really have to complete the count?
Two times seemed enough.
Yeah, I would endure.
Why? Because I would probably lose in a fight.
This was a world ruled by the logic of power, which meant there was no place for a civilized person here.
“Excuse me.”
But thanks to the unexpected appearance of someone, the butt, no, the girl who had illegally occupied my seat, jumped up and moved.
She spoke to the newcomer in a cloying voice, completely different from the tone she used when cursing at me, offering to give up the seat.
“This was your seat, Yoo-hak! Sorry, I didn’t know~ I would have sat on a chair if I had known! Kya~!”
Was she crazy?
Anyway, yes.
The newcomer was Cheon Yoo-hak, one of our two main protagonists.
Oh! Although he was smiling, Cheon Yoo-hak seemed to have similar thoughts to me and was openly annoyed.
“No, it’s not my seat, I just have some business with the owner of this seat.”
Huh, this guy was completely mistaken. That was my seat.
“Since I cleared it for you, why don’t you sit down?”
Huh?
He started saying that while looking in my direction.
What? Was there someone behind me?
“You’re still pretending to not know me when I’m talking to you.”
Wait, So-hyun, were you perhaps acquainted with Cheon Yoo-hak?
“It’s been about seven years since I last saw you properly. Well, there was also the entrance ceremony.”
“Oh, yeah, Yoo-hak, nice to see you.”
Cheon Yoo-hak chuckled as if he had heard something amusing.
What was his problem?
“Yes, that’s the spirit. You seem to have come to your senses.”
What? Were we really friends?
“You’ve been using formal language ever since you challenged me and got beaten up the last time we met, and it bothered me.”
Apparently not.
The butt, who had been nervously listening to Cheon Yoo-hak next to me, sighed in relief at his words.
She was probably worried I would snitch on her to Cheon Yoo-hak if we were friends.
“Anyway, getting to the point. Join my team for the semester evaluation competition. I don’t know about the others, but I know your worth. I can accept you as my teammate.”
Oh, the butt’s face turned pale again.
She seemed to think that we were very close if he was trying to recruit me as a teammate.
I was a little surprised because I hadn’t expected this kind of offer.
Wow, I knew Cheon Yoo-hak? He seemed to see me as a bit of a lackey, but we were still acquaintances.
Damn it.
Don’t worry, butt.
“No.”
I was going to refuse.
“It’s still a bit early.”
“No, I’m just saying no.”
“Right, you need time to think. You’d want to join the most prominent person.”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“But you’ll soon realize it. I’ll be the strongest in the end.”
No? You’ll start losing to Lilac seriously around the second year.
“Then think about it.”
Cheon Yoo-hak said that and returned to his seat.
And when I turned my gaze, the butt was glaring at me as if asking, “What’s your deal?”
She seemed annoyed that I, of all people, had refused Cheon Yoo-hak’s request.
What about you?
Why were you so obsessed with Cheon Yoo-hak?
Just as the butt was about to say something to me, Professor Cathy, my secret friend, entered the classroom.
“Alright, it’s homeroom time, so students from other classes, please leave. The academy is very strict about this, and you can lose points if you’re late.”
Hearing that, the butt left with an annoyed expression while glancing my way.
Ah, she was from a different class?
Then I could roughly guess who she was.
Unofficially, fan clubs of Lilac and Cheon Yoo-hak would soon form at this school, and she would be the president of Cheon Yoo-hak’s fan club.
I glared back while feeling a bit sorry for her.
As a fellow time-limited comrade, I should have given her a kinder look.
What did I mean?
Her role was so minor that it was a bit ambiguous whether she was just an extra or a victim of “Death Before Heroine Status,” but since she was the first character who showed interest in a protagonist to die in the original story, I’d call her a victim.
She was a character who was originally supposed to die at this academy.
And in a very gruesome way at that.
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T/N – Well, I can already tell that this bully girl will be quite annoying in the future. Brain-dead fans and groupies usually are. Also, I laughed at his rivalry with the dumbbells. That’s the stupid humor I’d like to see more of.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
I love how he gaves “butt” as a nickname like that, This MC is surprisingly enjoyable to watch, pretty funny.