บท 110: 110
A first-year male student had defeated an Academy instructor in a spar.
Despite the shocking nature of the incident, the world remained surprisingly quiet.
While the news of a male student, admitted through the male quota, defeating the "Fighting Dog" would have been an interesting and entertaining topic, the claim that he had defeated an Academy instructor as well was simply too outrageous and unbelievable for the public to accept.
Even among the students who had witnessed the event, the prevailing opinion was that "Instructor Hong Jinada went easy on them." With the limited information available to the public about the Academy, it was only natural that such rumors would be dismissed.
Two months passed since that eventful day.
In a game, this period would have been a mere blink of an eye, easily skipped over. But in this reality-turned-game, two months meant sixty repetitions of twenty-four-hour days, a truly honest and grueling stretch of time.
'Hmm, if things had gone according to plan, I'd be sparring with the Hunter Management Bureau right about now…'
I was drenched in sweat, struggling to maintain the Horse Stance while carrying a house-sized chunk of metal on my back.
"That's enough, get up," a dispassionate voice said from the front.
I straightened my legs, regulating my breath, while still bearing the weight on my back.
"Now, take a step forward," Instructor Baek Seol-hee instructed, her expression unreadable.
"Yes."
In response to her command, I focused all my attention on the tips of my toes.
The Dark Stride, the prerequisite to what I was currently learning, required me to walk without leaving any traces or sounds on the floor, even while carrying a house-sized chunk of metal on my back.
'This doesn't really feel like basic swordsmanship, does it?' I thought to myself, belatedly questioning the nature of what I was being taught.
As I poured mana into my lower body, ready to take a single step, I silently acknowledged that it was probably too late to change my mind now.
The training I had undergone wasn't for nothing—I had successfully managed to walk with the heavy weight on my back without leaving any visible traces, which was the first step. But I had yet to achieve Instructor Baek's standard of "walking without leaving any traces at all."
This training, which instructed me in the fundamentals of swordsmanship while also teaching me a walking technique, seemed to defy the laws of physics. However, since she had already demonstrated its possibility by performing it herself, I kept my doubts to myself.
'Focus.'
Swoosh!
I sharpened the sword of my consciousness and slowly extended my right foot.
'Distribute my weight evenly across the sole of my foot…'
I couldn't quite grasp the complicated explanation about finding the intersection where the sole of my foot and the ground pushed against each other.
I somehow managed to time my steps correctly.
And as I shifted my center of gravity to my right foot…
Flap!
My left foot sank deep into the soft ground.
'Ah, darn it.'
"You succeeded," Instructor Baek said, nodding.
"Huh?"
I looked up, my face confused.
Didn't she just see my left foot sink into the ground? It was still happening right now; my sole was squishing into the soft ground.
Instructor Baek nodded, indicating my right foot.
I slowly lifted my right foot, and…
I looked at the spot where I had stepped, surprised to see no trace of my movement. Despite shifting my center of gravity and taking a heavy step, there was no mark left behind.
"Wow, it worked," I murmured, impressed.
"The Dark Stride is a movement technique that embodies the shadow's form. Even a single mark left behind is considered a failure of this walking technique. But you've only succeeded in taking a single step, so don't get ahead of yourself," Instructor Baek warned, her tone stern.
However, the slight twitch of her lips betrayed her satisfaction. 'Even with a blank expression, I can read her emotions now,' I thought.
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind," I said, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of my lips as I bowed my head.
"Well, it's nothing much, but I guess I'll give you a gift."
"A gift?"
"Yeah, it's not really something I should be giving you, but…"
Instructor Baek turned her head slightly, her tone trailing off. Despite her blank expression, the slight gesture indicated that she was feeling a bit embarrassed.
'What's this about?' I wondered.
Whoooooosh!
Instructor Baek pulled out a blue pill from her spatial tattoo and offered it to me.
'What the…?!'
My eyes widened as I recognized the item.
'A mana-boosting pill?!'
Another gacha item had suddenly appeared here? And it wasn't just any ordinary item—it was an extremely rare SSS-grade treasure with an abysmally low drop rate.
I stared at Instructor Baek, my eyes wide with surprise.
"Well, I appreciate the offer, but why are you giving me this all of a sudden…?"
"The mid-term evaluation period is coming up, isn't it?"
Mid-term evaluation.
Hearing those words, my eyes narrowed.
'Well, I guess I've been living the sweet life.'
The early part of the story right after the tutorial usually unfolds with conflicts between Ryu Jinju, who has taken over the Hunter Management Bureau, and the protagonist.
The corrupt director is ousted, and Ryu Jinju, who takes her place, picks a fight with Velvet Academy, leading to various incidents.
However, thanks to the quick actions of Instructor Baek Seol-hee and the senior members of the Demon Slayer Corps, the replacement of the director was called off.
The Hunter Management Bureau was currently more focused on strengthening its internal affairs rather than dealing with external matters.
That's why the early part of the story was completely skipped!
And that time was spent entirely on training.
"The mid-term evaluation is right after the Hunter Management Bureau story."
With these magic-boosting pills, he would have a significant advantage during the mid-term evaluation.
"But these magic-boosting pills… they're too much, aren't they?"
They were extremely rare and difficult to obtain even in gacha games, so one could only imagine how valuable they were in this world without gacha.
Instructor Seol-hee herself might not have even had the opportunity to consume such a precious elixir.
And she was offering it to him without hesitation?
Well, as the recipient, all he had to do was accept it and keep his mouth shut.
Seol-hee could tell what he was thinking from his expression, and she spoke in a calm voice.
"This was originally yours. I got it from Kim Jiwon as repayment for the debt you placed on her."
Ah, the current director of the Hunter Management Bureau?
"I forgot about that."
To be honest, although he had personally placed a debt on her, he hadn't really expected to gain anything from it.
"How would I know? She didn't even appear in the game."
He had only done it because she was the director of the Hunter Management Bureau, thinking it might come in handy later.
Instructor Seol-hee really had thought of everything.
"I called it a gift, but now that I think about it, it's not really a gift. I'm sorry, I took it upon myself to use your right. I should have waited for you to claim it yourself later…"
"No, it's fine! If it's something this valuable, I should definitely accept it!"
I quickly waved my hand.
'What are you talking about, Master!'
If she could get these magic-boosting pills as repayment for that personal debt, it was a huge profit. No, it was more like she had flipped the entire trading board.
Even if I had known she had these pills, I doubted Kim Jiwon would have given them to me if I had asked.
I was certain she wouldn't have. It was only because it was Instructor Seol-hee that she handed them over without a fuss.
Even Lina, the Chairman of the academy, was wary of Instructor Seol-hee, so how could the director of the Hunter Management Bureau refuse?
Everyone was equal before the sword of the Slaughter Maniac.
'I bet the director is crying bloody tears right now.'
I silently apologized to Kim Jiwon for taking away this precious resource, though I had no intention of giving it back.
At the same time, I looked at Seol-hee with admiration.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that."
Seol-hee averted her gaze, feeling a little embarrassed, and held out the blue pill to me.
"Sit in a meditative pose and consume the pill."
"Yes!"
I sat in a meditative pose and took the blue pill she offered.
As soon as it touched my tongue, the pill melted, filling my mouth with a clear, refreshing sensation.
.
.
.
Behind the scenes.
The day before,
In the Chairman's office of the Velvet Hunter Academy.
"…since there's an upcoming mid-term evaluation, you're worried about Jin Yuha, so you came to see me?"
A nod.
Seol-hee nodded calmly.
Director Lina opened her mouth, not knowing what to do with this doting master.
'You want to give him something because you're worried about that brat…?'
It was absurd.
Jin Yuha, what kind of guy was he!
He was a first-year student who had entered through the male quota system, and he caused all sorts of uproar wherever he went.
He suddenly appeared and won the entrance duel tournament, then incorporated the two notable students, Shin Se-hee and Kang Do-hee, into his party. He even dealt with a mutated Demon in the academy and defeated an instructor!
Every time he encountered her, he had that insolent look in his eyes, as if he was always looking for something to take advantage of!
The memory of it was still vivid in Chairman Lina's mind.
She remembered the scene where Seol-hee and Jin Yuha glared at each other with murderous intent.
'That monster.'
Lina, herself hailed as a mage and known for her exceptional talent, rarely gave such an evaluation to any student.
'And you're worried about him?'
Seeing Seol-hee treating that monster like a delicate, fragile child made Lina's blood boil.
Instead of worrying about him, she should have been concerned about the other students who had to take the test with him!
Lina pressed her fingers to her temples.
"Seol-hee, I know you care about him, but this is overstepping your bounds."
"Overstepping my bounds?"
Seol-hee furrowed her brows, confused.
"Yes, you're proposing to give a student special treatment during the mid-term evaluation! And if the chairman of the academy gives such preferential treatment, what will the world think of us?"
"As far as I know, the principle of Velvet Academy has always been to support and promote students with exceptional potential. The world will praise us for producing outstanding students."
Lina clenched her teeth, feeling frustrated.
"No! That brat will do just fine no matter where you drop him, so don't worry about him!"
Chairman Lina's vehement refusal caused Seol-hee to frown.
'If the chairman says no…'
The next place she went to was the Hunter Management Bureau.
"What? What are you talking about all of a sudden? You want me to hand over an elixir?"
The director of the Hunter Management Bureau, Kim Jiwon, was busy with work when Seol-hee, a sudden thief, appeared. She gave Jiwon the same look that Chairman Lina had given her.
"You owe Jin Yuha a personal debt."
"Yeah, that's right. But He didn't ask for anything at the time because he considered your situation."
Even though Jiwon owed Jin Yuha a personal debt, he hadn't asked for anything in return.
Seol-hee thought that he was considering Jiwon's situation as she struggled to get the Hunter Management Bureau under control.
It was only natural for him to be so thoughtful and always willing to take a loss, but it still annoyed her.
"My disciple considered you. He probably wanted to give you time to get your affairs in order and stabilize the Hunter Management Bureau. But even now, after things have settled down, you haven't contacted him."
Seol-hee spoke in a cold voice. Yes, these selfish hunters were all the same.
Jiwon's face paled at the direct jab at her sore spot.
"Y-You want an elixir?"
"Yes, an elixir that boosts magic power. S-grade."
"Ma, magic!? S-grade?"
Jiwon's expression turned incredulous.
An S-grade magic-boosting elixir…!
Did she even realize the value of what she was asking for?
Even though she owed Jin Yuha a debt!!!
"I know you have it."
As the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Seol-hee had her fingers in many pies.
Among them was information about an elixir that Jiwon had acquired a long time ago.
"So it would be wise to hand it over quietly. If you're thinking of going back on your word to my disciple…"
Slling-
Seol-hee drew her sword and glared at Jiwon. Jiwon's face turned as white as a sheet.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
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