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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The chirping of birds woke me.
“Ugh… My whole body aches.”
I didn’t know how many times I’d been hit yesterday.
From paralysis to fire punches, it was a sweet, sweet symphony of pain.
I’d almost unleashed Lightning God, but I changed my mind after seeing the message.
[Pain Points +3]
[Pain Points: 50%]
‘Hell yeah! Sweet, sweet pain!’
When I was being eaten alive by D-rank worms, 40 was the limit.
But a few hits from B-rank thugs got me this far.
Although the rate of increase slowed down after 50, it was enough to create a decent skill.
‘Maybe I should ask Irena next time.’
But knowing her, she wouldn’t hit me even if I begged.
I sat up and brushed the dirt off my clothes.
‘I didn’t expect things to escalate this quickly.’
Yeon Hyo-joo had made her move sooner than I anticipated.
This meant…
‘I need to hurry.’
The first step was…
‘Kim Ho-young, was it?’
I’d gotten enough out of them yesterday.
It was time to start with those two.
I thought about how to deal with them as I headed back to the dorm.
It was 10 a.m.
Everyone would be at the training room by now.
I had to hurry back before the others saw me in this state.
-Beep.
I entered the passcode and opened the door.
“…”
“…”
Han Yuri was there.
Right, she had theory classes today.
She glanced at me from the sofa, her expression slowly turning blank as she took in my appearance.
“Did you get beat up?”
“Why? Going to avenge me?”
“Idiot. You’re the idiot for getting beat up.”
She turned her attention back to her book.
A typical Han Yuri response.
I changed my clothes and came back out.
She hadn’t turned the page.
I grabbed a water bottle and towel, putting them in my bag, and headed out.
I heard shuffling behind me.
Han Yuri was following me, her own bag slung over her shoulder.
“Let’s go together.”
“I thought you had theory classes today.”
“Changed my mind.”
“Oh. Okay.”
We walked towards the training room.
Spring was in full bloom, the plaza filled with flowers.
As we admired the scenery, Han Yuri asked in a monotone,
“Who was it?”
“Who was what?”
“Your fan.”
“Why do you care? Mind your own business.”
Han Yuri stopped walking.
I glanced back. Her expression was chilling.
Somewhere between Witch and human.
“Was it those second-year bastards?”
“Maybe.”
“It was, wasn’t it? Who was it? Choi Min-hyuk? Park Hyun-soo?”
Her persistent questioning annoyed me.
My voice turned cold.
“Mind your own business.”
“…”
Han Yuri bit her lip.
She strode towards me and lifted my shirt.
Bruises and welts covered my torso, some areas so swollen it looked like my ribs were broken.
“And you’re just going to walk around like this? What about potions? Are you calling these ‘battle scars’ or something?”
“I need to level up my Self-Recovery skill.”
“…”
Han Yuri’s face was a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.
She let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re insane.”
“That’s high praise in this industry.”
“Whatever. I’m not worried about you. I’m just interfering because it’ll make me look bad if you do something stupid.”
“As if you have a reputation to protect.”
“Shut up and tell me.”
She wasn’t backing down.
I told her everything.
How I’d had a falling out with Yeon Hyo-joo and gotten beaten up as a result.
Han Yuri’s face turned red with anger.
“Those bastards…! And you’re just okay with this?!”
“Not really.”
I’d been through worse.
At your hands.
A few punches were nothing.
“Anyway, I have a plan, so don’t worry about it.”
“Haa… That stubbornness… Fine, do what you want.”
‘I’ll take care of this myself.’
A voice so quiet it was barely audible. But in that small voice, a sticky sense of hostility lingered.
After somehow appeasing Han Yuri, we headed to the training room.
A shocking notice greeted us in the lobby.
[Due to urgent maintenance, the Hall of Challenges will be closed until further notice.]
Yeon Hyo-joo and her group were dead.
They’d died during an assignment.
The first-years were buzzing.
“What? Does that mean the safety devices malfunctioned?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they panicked and couldn’t escape.”
“No way. Third-years wouldn’t make that kind of mistake.”
Han Yuri nudged me, a smirk on her face.
“Got what you wanted without lifting a finger, huh?”
“You could say that.”
It was good news, but something felt off.
‘The timing is too perfect.’
I needed to ask Irena about the details.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll stop by and talk to the professor.”
“Okay.”
Han Yuri hummed cheerfully as I left.
[Irena]
I opened the door to Irena’s office.
She was typing away at her computer.
Normally, she would have looked up as soon as I entered, but she was completely absorbed in her work.
“Professor?”
“Ah… You’re here. Come in.”
“No, I’m not here for tutoring. I just wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
She rubbed her temples as she stood up, looking exhausted.
With the recent deaths, she must have been swamped with work.
I needed to make this quick.
“Do you know the cause of death in the recent incident?”
“…Why do you ask?”
“They were… acquaintances of mine. I need to know how they died for my peace of mind.”
My acting was on point.
Irena sighed at my melancholic expression.
“Explosion.”
“Explosion?”
“Yes.”
She closed her lips tightly, refusing to elaborate.
‘That’s all I’m getting.’
I was lucky to get even this much.
“I understand. Thank you, Professor.”
“You’re welcome.”
She went back to typing without another word.
She was really busy.
I quietly closed the door and left, lost in thought.
‘What the hell?’
Crushed. Suffocated. Asphyxiated.
If, and it was a big if, a Witch had been involved, the cause of death would have been one of these three.
But an explosion? That didn’t fit.
Even though it was confirmed that a Witch wasn’t involved, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
‘I need to focus on the rank-up test for now.’
As I left the faculty building and headed towards the training room…
“Oh? Seong-hyun-ah?”
…I ran into Lee Seol.
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Anxious.
That was the first thing I noticed about Lee Seol.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
She wouldn’t meet my eyes, her gaze darting around nervously.
I was about to speak when…
“I’m sorry!”
She bowed deeply, her head almost touching her knees.
‘What the…?’
Her sudden apology confused me.
“Seol-ah, look up. What are you suddenly sorry for…?”
“Did I… do something wrong that night we were drinking…?”
Something wrong?
‘Hyeon-ee… I want to keep you in my pocket…’
Ah…
Now I understood.
“I-I’m sorry! I don’t usually act like that when I’m drunk… I was just… so drunk…”
“It’s okay. I was the one who suggested we drink. Don’t worry about it.”
“No, it’s not okay.”
Lee Seol shook her head and pulled something out of her bag, offering it to me.
[VIP Tickets to the Cheongah Fireworks Festival]
World-renowned fireworks.
VIP tickets that were only available to the upper class.
The date was two days after our test.
‘Come to think of it, that day…’
I tried to recall my memories from the previous timeline, but Lee Seol interrupted my thoughts.
“I’ve reserved seats for all six of us, your team and mine. I don’t know if this will make up for it, but… please accept it as a token of my apology.”
“…”
Checkmate.
I sighed and took the tickets.
“Alright. I accept your apology. Don’t worry about it. Anyone can make mistakes when they’re drunk.”
Lee Seol’s expression darkened slightly.
“…I don’t think so.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
Her voice was so quiet I missed it.
“Anyway, you’re coming, right?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
“Pinky promise?”
Lee Seol held out her pinky finger.
A childish gesture.
‘What are we, five years old?’
I suppressed my annoyance and linked my pinky with hers.
Lee Seol’s smile widened.
“Promise?”
A childish, innocent smile.
An uncharacteristic smile for the usually pure and elegant Lee Seol.
I closed my eyes.
I hoped I was just imagining the cracks in her mask.
I desperately hoped so.
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The day of the rank-up test had finally arrived.
‘I’m perfectly prepared.’
After rigorous training, Choi Ah-hyun had gained some control over Wind God, and I’d drilled the weaknesses and strategies for the test monsters into my head.
D-rank was practically in the bag. I looked at the screen nervously.
[Snow Golem]
The weakest D-rank monster, known for its fragile defense.
The test monsters were assigned based on role and skill level.
That’s why I was facing the weakest one.
“Lightning God.”
Lightning crackled around my body.
I dashed forward, my enhanced speed allowing me to slice through the golem in an instant.
“Groooan!”
But the golem barely registered the hit and swung its fist at me.
“Tsk.”
I easily dodged and continued my attack.
‘Definitely an easy opponent.’
Slow and sluggish.
The only problem was my pathetic attack power.
After about 10 minutes of fighting…
…the golem collapsed.
“Phew… That was tough.”
[Pass]
I checked the message on the screen and walked over to Choi Ah-hyun’s testing area.
BOOM!
A deafening roar.
I ran over to see what had happened.
“Haa… Haa…”
Choi Ah-hyun, covered in blood, was gasping for breath.
In front of her lay the shattered remains of an Ice Golem.
One rank higher than the Snow Golem.
[Pass]
Yes!
“Seong-hyun-ah…!”
Choi Ah-hyun spotted me and threw herself into my arms.
Despite the pungent smell of blood, I didn’t push her away.
“I… I did it! I…!”
“Yes, you did well.”
Choi Ah-hyun was on the verge of tears, unable to speak properly.
I gently stroked her hair.
Overcome with emotion at reaching D-rank, she continued to cry.
I felt a lump forming in my throat, but then…
“I can… I can finally drink…! I’ve been holding back for days because of training… Waaah…!”
“…”
Ruined the moment, didn’t you?
“Let’s go. Han Yuri’s waiting.”
“Okay…”
We had to hurry back to the lobby.
And what we saw there…
[Team 2: Fail]
“…”
Why?
Why?!
My mind refused to comprehend.
Then I saw Han Yuri, standing there listlessly.
She looked at us and asked in a trembling voice,
“Did you… pass?”
“Yeah… but you…?”
Han Yuri bit her lip until it bled, then turned and ran away.
“Yuri!”
What the hell just happened?
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[T/N: bro think witches number are fixed lolol]
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