Chapter 40: Ring

“In this section…”

A screen appeared at the front. It displayed a slideshow prepared by Instructor Han Ah-reum.

The content was a detailed analysis of the written exam answers I had submitted.

Although it included some of her subjective interpretations, seeing how accurately she analyzed my intentions behind each answer made me think she wasn’t an instructor for nothing.

Of course, that didn’t change the fact that she was publicly executing me by showing my answers to the entire Class A, not just me privately.

I felt mortified.

“Oh… so that’s how you’re supposed to do it there..!”

“Amazing… How could anyone think of that?”

Every time the other students expressed their admiration for my answers, my embarrassment intensified.

I thought they would be wary of me after I beat Wang Wei like a dog yesterday, but none of them showed any such signs.

“I mean, it could have been solved with a few rounds of Demonic Heavenly Reign, why make it so complicated…”

Seeing Cheon Ha-yeon still struggling to accept the answers and offering new interpretations calmed me down a little.

Just then, Instructor Han Ah-reum, having finished her explanation, looked at me.

“It was a perfect answer, as if you’d written down exactly what you experienced. Truly amazing, Kim Yu-won. Everyone, please give a round of applause for Kim Yu-won.”

Clap clap clap clap

Applause filled the classroom.

The embarrassment that had subsided thanks to Ha-yeon was welling up again.

“But how do you know the weaknesses of all these monsters? Some of the information hasn’t even been released to the public yet… Do your parents work in monster ecology by any chance?”

It seemed the instructor hadn’t yet grasped the students’ family backgrounds.

“I’m an orphan, Instructor. I don’t know what my parents did.”

I unleashed my ultimate move on the instructor who had embarrassed me.

My ultimate move, used four times in a week, always boasted tremendous power, and this time was no different.

“Uh… uh… I’m sorry..! I really didn’t know!”

Seeing her flustered appearance, a few students burst out laughing.

Honestly, I almost laughed too, but maintaining a serious expression here doubled the effect.

“I never imagined the instructor would be like that…”

“So… that…”

Seeing the instructor looking like her brain had short-circuited, I wanted to tease her a little more, but decided to stop there.

The sooner she finished the class, the more time I would have to rest before the next one.

“I’m just kidding. I don’t mind, so you can end the class now.”

I spoke to the instructor with a smile, as if nothing had happened.

But seeing that, she actually adopted a more serious expression.

–He must have been hurt so much that he doesn’t mind such things anymore…

She muttered very softly to herself.

However, with my sharpened senses from Blood Sky Dance and my Agility stat exceeding 70, I heard her clearly.

It felt like I’d been subjected to some ridiculous misunderstanding.

“Then, I’ll end today’s class early. Any students with questions can come to my personal room.”

–Kim Yu-won, you’re always welcome.

Adding a brief message through telepathy, she disappeared through the door she’d entered.

It seemed like there was a misunderstanding, but since it didn’t seem to be a disadvantageous one, I decided to leave it be.

And it was true that I was publicly executed, so if I think of it as payback, I don’t feel that sorry. It’s all karma.

“But now I have about an hour free until the next class.”

While pondering what to do during my free time, I remembered something.

‘Oh right. I need to give Ha-yeon the elixir.’

I took a wooden box out of my inventory and carefully handed it to Cheon Ha-yeon, who was sitting next to me.

“Ha-yeon, a present.”

“Hm..? What is this?”

It seemed like she didn’t know what it was since I received it when I was with the principal and Alice.

Part of the fun of a gift is for the recipient to discover it themselves, so I decided not to say anything beforehand.

“Open it. It’s something good.”

A high-grade elixir, almost top-quality.

It would be incredibly helpful to Ha-yeon right now. I have no doubt she’ll be overjoyed with this gift.

“Why are you only giving a present to her..?”

“Don’t tell me that’s…”

Liera complained, and Estelle seemed to be speculating about something.

“I’ll get you each one later, so bear with me this time.”

I’ll be able to gift them elixirs with the funds earned from clearing high-ranked Gates later.

Right now, this is all I have from the entrance exam rankings.

“Ahem… I thought you’ve been a bit negligent lately, but you know to take care of your legal wife first. As expected of my disciple.”

I simply gave it to Ha-yeon first because she could utilize the elixir’s effects most efficiently, but all sorts of conspiracy theories began to circulate.

“Legal wife…? Cut the crap, will you?”

Liera growled, and Estelle nodded in agreement.

It was a good thing I’d put up a barrier around us before those comments.

They must have said those things after sensing it.

‘Right… right?’

I could only hope.

“It’s unsightly how you refuse to admit it. Look, Yu-won gave me a ring first, didn’t he?”

“Ugh…”

A ring? I never gave her anything like that.

I hoped she hadn’t mistaken the contents of the wooden box for a ring based on its shape.

Was that really why Liera was growling and Estelle seemed to agree?

The three of them were close to C-rank, so they couldn’t sense the elixir’s energy inside the box without focusing.

With an expectant face, Ha-yeon opened the box, and her expression quickly hardened.

“What… is this?”

Inside was a small, spherical pill.

“Uh… an elixir I prepared so you can recover your strength quickly…?”

“Pfft…”

Estelle laughed.

“Keuh… You boasted so much, thinking it was a ring…”

Liera also sneered.

Ha-yeon’s face, which had been cold, now flushed with embarrassment, just like mine earlier.

“Yu-won!”

Ha-yeon shouted at me in a voice reminiscent of her Heavenly Demon days, and I almost instinctively responded with “Heavenly Demon Guard Kim Yu-won.”

Our relationship, where I always had to state my rank and name.

Considering how we developed into a married couple from there, it showed how proactive Ha-yeon was.

“What’s wrong..?”

I had to answer, so I opened my mouth.

I gave the gift with good intentions, but I felt like a criminal facing her.

“Why would you bring out an elixir as if you were about to give me a ring…?”

Well, logically speaking, since we’re hiding our marital status, I wouldn’t give her a ring in the middle of a classroom, would I? I’m the one who should be feeling wronged here.

But no matter what I said, it wouldn’t work, so I just took her verbal lashing without defending myself.

I knew from experience that making excuses at times like these only made things worse.

Having memories even without the emotions was quite helpful in these situations.

“Still, a gift is a gift, so I’ll accept it. I’ll catch up to you soon, so look forward to it.”

She was going to accept it anyway, so what was the point of ranting for almost 50 minutes…? Anyway, I was glad it worked out, and it was a win-win for me if she became strong enough to catch up.

If she reached even the Transformation Realm, it would become extremely difficult for anyone to target her.

It wasn’t a level where she could overcome everything, but she could at least evade dangerous threats.

A high-grade elixir would probably restore her strength to B-rank, the beginning of the Supernal Realm, so considering she’d fought A-ranks while at C-rank, she might even be able to handle S-ranks to some extent.

There were 10 minutes left until the next class.

Ha-yeon immediately popped the elixir into her mouth and began absorbing the immense energy contained within.

Naturally, it paled in comparison to a divine-grade elixir, but even a high-grade one could provide half a Jiazi’s worth of internal energy if fully absorbed.

Of course, completely absorbing an elixir was impossible, so usually, it ended with gaining 15 to 20 years’ worth of internal energy.

But Ha-yeon was the Heavenly Demon.

A Supernal Realm expert who had once shaken heaven and earth, firing powerful energy blasts with Jiazis’ worth of internal energy.

Absorbing a high-grade elixir in her nearly empty state was nothing to her.

She absorbed all of the elixir’s energy with a loss rate of only about 5%.

She successfully stored half of it directly in her dantian and the rest throughout her body.

She would spend time integrating that energy into her own.

The moment Ha-yeon finished absorbing the elixir and opened her eyes, glowing with a blue light, the instructor for the next class entered through the door.

A man with an impressive physique full of muscles and scars.

“I’m Oh Dong-seok, the instructor for Practical Combat Training. Nice to meet you all.”

If Han Ah-reum felt like a new instructor, he felt like a seasoned veteran.

But then, he looked at me and spoke.

“Then, top student Kim Yu-won, come forward.”

‘Why me again?’

Seeing how they called for me in every class, I wanted to quit being the top student.

Seriously.