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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Professor Irena’s office.
Principal Lee Deok-su scratched his thinning hair as he looked at Irena.
“Lee Seong-hyun… 0% class attendance and the first to challenge the test. He’s just like Lee Seong-yul, but male.”
“Yes. Their personalities are different, but their appearances are practically identical.”
“Hmm…”
His eyes narrowed in thought.
“Well, I trust your judgment, but I’m worried you’re projecting your deceased student onto him.”
“I’m aware of that. I changed the test format because, objectively, Lee Seong-hyun isn’t ready for E-rank.”
“Heh. I’ve known you for years; I understand that much. I’m just saying this out of concern. I just… don’t want you to carry the guilt of Seong-yul’s death forever. She wouldn’t want that too.”
“I understand.”
Irena’s demeanor remained professional.
The only time she showed emotion was when discussing Lee Seong-yul. Lee Deok-su, knowing this, didn’t press the matter.
“Do you remember what I said when you took your first disciple?”
“No parent can win against their child?”
“Exactly. I know you understand the meaning, so I won’t elaborate.”
Lee Deok-su chuckled and turned to leave.
“I’ll be going now. Don’t overexert yourself with the test, especially since you’re not feeling well.”
“I’m not quite at that extent yet, but…”
“Just take care of yourself while you’re still young. Goodbye.”
“Yes, see you next time.”
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Lee Seong-yul.
Irena’s first disciple.
A bright, cheerful child.
After an accident forced Irena to retire as a Hunter, Seong-yul had been a beacon of hope.
‘Professor! I’m here!’
The child who’d pulled her out of depression and suicidal thoughts after the accident.
Irena had thought,
‘I’ll nurture this child.’
Watching Seong-yul grow stronger would help fill the void in her heart. And Seong-yul was talented.
A genius.
Gifted with natural talent, driven by an unwavering determination and an insatiable desire to improve, she’d grown at a monstrous pace.
Irena had wanted her to build a solid foundation, but Seong-yul had been driven by an unseen force, always looking upwards.
‘Oh, Professor! I won’t die, I won’t die. This kind of reckless advancement is all the rage these days!’
She’d disregarded the fundamentals and focused solely on ranking up.
As a result, she’d disappeared in a C-rank dungeon.
When Irena, sensing her absence, rushed into the dungeon, she was met with a scene of hellish despair.
Seong-yul’s belly was grotesquely swollen, and thick, dark semen dripped from her vagina.
Impregnated by an ogre, she was chained to a wall, reduced to a breeding tool. [T/N: damn… death would have been better tbh]
Irena would never forget that moment.
‘Professor… please… kill me.’
The pain of having to kill her disciple, whose eyes held no spark of life, was unbearable.
After Seong-yul’s death, everyone expected Irena to resign. But she persevered, gritting her teeth.
She’d sworn at Seong-yul’s grave that she would never let another student suffer the same fate.
Three years later, a second Seong-yul appeared.
With similar features and a strikingly similar trajectory, he was almost a reincarnation.
‘Especially that frustrated pout.’
The way his true feelings spilled out when things didn’t go his way.
She’d even wondered if they were siblings, but such a coincidence was impossible.
Whether Lee Seong-hyun was related to Seong-yul or not, her duty remained the same.
‘Never again…’
She would never repeat the same mistake.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Irena was impressed.
Lee Seong-hyun, an F-rank, had managed to block all of her attacks.
Although there were only twenty strikes, considering he was F-rank and using a standard-issue sword…
‘He’s a genius.’
Lee Seol, Han Yuri.
They were geniuses of a generation. Lee Seong-hyun was a different kind of genius.
His Unique Skill and other skills weren’t particularly impressive.
It was everything else.
His combat sense, his judgment. He was far beyond the level of a newly admitted student.
‘If Lee Seong-hyun had Lee Seol and Han Yuri’s level of talent…’
Irena shook her head. It was too unrealistic to even imagine.
After all, Lee Seong-hyun couldn’t even control Lightning God yet. It was like giving a pig a pearl necklace.
Irena had tried to persuade him to give up. But his response had been,
[I don’t have time.]
He seemed desperate, driven by some unknown goal.
‘How can he be so similar?’
Seong-yul had been the same. Chasing after time, until she met her tragic end.
Seeing him struggle so desperately made Irena’s heart ache, but her course of action was clear.
Fifty mana hands shot forward.
Lee Seong-hyun gritted his teeth and blocked them. But he was clearly overwhelmed, his body covered in wounds.
Despite his injuries worsening, he refused to give up. He was no longer blocking, just enduring.
“That idiot… what is he doing?! Hey! Just give up!”
“Seong-hyun-ah! Just forfeit!”
Despite his teammates’ pleas, Lee Seong-hyun endured the attacks, his eyes fixed on Irena.
‘This is it.’
Looking at Lee Seong-hyun, his face contorted in pain, Irena checked the timer.
Just thirty seconds remained.
The moment when the parallel lines would converge into a single point was approaching.
As she looked at the clock…
“Huh?”
“Yuri, look…!”
Their gasps made her look up.
“…”
-Crackle!
Golden lightning.
The Lightning God that had only produced sparks moments ago…
…was now engulfing his entire body.
Just like the day he’d used the Wishing Stone, lightning surged around him.
Ready to be unleashed at any moment. Irena gulped and raised her guard.
Her instincts were screaming at her.
-Crackle.
The surging lightning subsided, and Lee Seong-hyun raised his head.
His eyes were unfocused, looking past her, as if gazing at something beyond this world.
Then, his gaze locked onto Irena. And then…
‘He’s gone?!’
A terrifying killing intent erupted from behind her.
He’d moved faster than she could perceive. She didn’t have time to turn, so she instinctively threw her hands back.
“Ugh!”
A sharp pain pierced her back. Her vision flashed white, as if a firecracker had exploded in her brain.
It was unlike any electrical attack she’d ever experienced.
She was thrown backwards, desperately trying to break her fall. She looked up and saw Lee Seong-hyun.
He was a mess.
Covered in blood, as if every blood vessel in his body had burst.
Even through the excruciating pain, he kept his trembling gaze fixed on her, desperately clinging to his sanity to avoid succumbing to the agony.
“…”
Desperation. Urgency.
The same emotions she’d seen in Lee Seong-yul washed over her. She saw Seong-yul in Seong-hyun.
‘A teacher is a parent. And a student is a child. It’s good to guide a child who’s going astray, but sometimes, a parent has to let their child win.’
The principal’s words echoed in her mind.
Irena bit her lip and sighed deeply.
“Time’s up. You failed the test.”
“…”
“You know, don’t you? The timer ran out right before you hit me.”
“…Can’t you let it slide? It was just a second.”
A hollow chuckle.
-Clang.
His broken sword clattered to the floor.
“Haa… Fuck my life.”
As Lee Seong-hyun slumped to the ground, Han Yuri and Choi Ah-hyun rushed to his side.
“Ugh, you stubborn idiot.”
“Seong-hyun-ah, here’s a potion!”
Even with their care, Lee Seong-hyun’s expression remained grim.
Irena spoke, her mind still wrestling with her decision.
“Do you really want to advance to E-rank?”
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“Wow! This dorm is amazing! It’s practically brand new!”
“Don’t overreact…”
Han Yuri scolded Choi Ah-hyun, who was excitedly exploring the new dorm.
But even Han Yuri had a pleased smile on her face.
The only one with a long face…
‘This sucks.’
…was me.
Han Yuri scoffed at my sullenness.
“Cheer up. Getting private lessons from Professor Irena is priceless.”
“Then you take them.”
“She’s offering them to you because you’re a troll who needs extra help. What good would they do me?”
She sneered, enjoying her victory.
‘Do you really want to advance to E-rank?’
Irena’s offer.
She’d promote me to E-rank immediately, on the condition that I attended the theory and practical classes I’d skipped.
Of course, not all of them, but at least the essential ones. And after each class, I’d have supplementary lessons.
‘Is it even allowed for a professor to give private tutoring?’
When I’d argued that we were at different stages of the curriculum, she’d offered to tutor me personally.
She’d even hinted at making me her disciple if I caught up.
‘She’s really got nothing better to do.’
But in the end, I’d agreed.
Being promoted to E-rank in exchange for attending Irena’s classes was a small price to pay.
The top student dorm.
Three bedrooms, a kitchen, and two bathrooms.
Compared to our previous one-room dorm, this was a luxury hotel.
“Wow, the view from the living room is amazing~”
“This is my room, so stay out.”
Han Yuri, already claiming a room, disappeared inside.
Choi Ah-hyun began arranging decorations in the living room.
Among them was the teddy bear I had given her.
I’d thought she’d thrown it away since I hadn’t seen it in the old dorm.
As I watched her, my phone rang.
[Shin Su-yeon]
‘What’s this?’
It was the first time she’d called me.
“Hello?”
-H… hello?
“Hello? Su-yeon-ssi?”
-Yes… Hyeon-ssi.
Her voice was cutting out.
I checked my phone; the signal was full.
Confused, I went to my room, and her voice became clear.
-Can you hear me now?
“Yes, I can hear you. What’s up?”
-Um… well…
She hesitated. A three-second silence followed.
Then, her trembling voice came through the receiver.
-C-could you spare some time?
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