Ch.4343. Mutual Aid

The lower class has always had many students who excel in theory.

While the middle and upper classes emphasize practical combat against monsters, the relatively disadvantaged lower class focuses on theory.

That’s why, historically, students from the lower class often ranked first in ‘theory only.’

Such cases were rare in the upper and middle classes.

Chae-rin Lee from the White Dragon Guild was an exception who excelled in both academics and combat skills, graduating as valedictorian, but she was precisely that—an exception.

Neither Ariel nor Yuhwa Seol were top-tier in theoretical classes.

Yuhwa ranked within the top 30 in the school, while Ariel hovered around the top 100.

Most guilds prioritized practical skills anyway, so they didn’t care much about theory, and neither did Ariel.

But now she’s asking me for help with theory? This was another unexpected development.

“Fine, just make my grades higher than that damn Yuhwa Seol.”

Ariel’s statement gets right to the point.

Ariel is proud and arrogant. That’s what made her a target for fragging, and her attitude generally showed she was well aware of her own excellence.

But with the recent changes to the future and Yuhwa Seol’s official recruitment into the White Dragon Guild, she couldn’t stand it.

So she wants to strengthen her theoretical knowledge to surpass Yuhwa.

After all, Ariel was already rated higher in practical skills.

“But why call me specifically? There must be others you could ask?”

“I’ve already checked everyone out. I heard you do the best on pop quizzes and in theory classes?”

Well, I did get all first places. But how did she know about the lower class news?

“Alright, shall we start by checking your fundamentals?”

Having been semi-forcibly appointed as her teacher, I began by assessing her basic knowledge.

“Tell me all the phenomena that occur in gates, their countermeasures, and write an essay based on your abilities.”

“Aren’t we going to use workbooks?”

“Do you think just memorizing workbooks will work these days without basic knowledge? You need to have the fundamentals in your head.”

“That’s for weak kids like you. There’s no need to use your brain against F-rank opponents, right?”

She’s stubborn too. The only way to get her to do this is to provoke her.

“Oh really? But Yuhwa Seol is ranked 30th because she’s thorough with these basics. Do you actually plan to beat her? You’re basically admitting you’re ignorant.”

“…”

Ariel glared at me with slightly reddening cheeks.

“If you won’t listen to me, I’ll just leave.”

“No, don’t go. I’ll listen.”

In the end, she swallowed her pride and showed embarrassment. Well, looking at her like this, she’s actually quite cute.

And so I began teaching Ariel in earnest.

What’s in it for me, you ask? Ariel comes from a wealthy family, has high social status, and is one of the academy’s top students.

I’m making her recognize my value to her.

In other words, I want her to use her influence for me. That’s why I bothered to come help with this troublesome studying.

“There, I finished.”

“Good. Let’s take a look.”

[Phenomena in Gates]

-Monster Break

[Countermeasures]

-Fight and win.

[Essay Section]

-Cut them down with Gram.

“How is it? Pretty good, right?”

“Good? Are you kidding me?”

I shouted in disbelief.

“Just Monster Break? Are you stupid? In higher-level gates, there’s the ‘Resonance Phenomenon’ where gates merge, and the ‘King’s Emergence’ when a king appears from a gate. And what about ‘Gate Out’ when gates disappear?”

“Gate Out? King’s Emergence? Ah! Right. I think I’ve heard of those.”

My head is spinning. Now I understand why she’s been stuck in the top 100.

“We need to start with the basics. Your Gram simply uses magical power for enhancement, right?”

“Simple but powerful.”

“Yes, yes, if it’s simple yet powerful, your development should focus on increasing your basic magical power. Since your sword changes based on magical power rather than physical training. Not that you shouldn’t train physically, but the ratio should favor magical power.”

“You sound like a trainer.”

Of course. I know you’ll struggle with controlling Gram throughout your third year.

Gram is powerful, but when used extensively, it can torment its user.

Even if it’s not completely uncontrollable like mine, it’s still a difficult sword to master.

If I teach her this from the beginning, Ariel’s skills will improve significantly compared to her struggles in third year.

After training Ariel from the basics, I declared that we would test what she learned with a pop quiz the next day.

“Ugh… this is annoying. What’s all this for?”

At 6 PM, our first tutoring session finally ended.

If I can tolerate her occasional chattering, she actually concentrates quite well.

The problem is the timeframe. The exam is less than a week away—can we make it?

“The exam is less than a week away. Will cramming work?”

“Who do you think I am? I’m different from ordinary people. Got it?”

“That’s good to hear. Then tomorrow we’ll review with a pop quiz.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Ariel grabbed my wrist. What now? Does she want training too?

Ariel held my wrist and pulled.

“Want to get some ramen before you go?”

“…?”

What did she just say?

What does that mean? I stared at Ariel in confusion.

*

I already knew Ariel was rich and from a wealthy family.

Of course, I never expected to see this level of wealth firsthand.

I’m currently in Ariel’s “personal space” that she was permitted to create.

It has not only dining facilities but also a separate training room. I can’t believe she has this all to herself at the academy.

Soon, a butler who seemed to care about propriety was serving the food.

“Here is the foie gras course.”

After several dishes, we’ve reached the main course.

I looked at Ariel, whose face was red to her ears.

“Shouldn’t we at least look at each other while eating?”

“Shut up.”

Ariel didn’t even look at me as she cut the foie gras into small pieces and put it in her mouth.

She was nibbling on the green vegetable soup and grilled salmon she had eaten earlier.

Me? I had already cleaned my plate, of course.

As expected, “want to get some ramen” was something she had heard somewhere.

While Ariel had taken it literally as a casual invitation to eat with a guy, I explained the real meaning, which is why she’s been like this the whole time.

“Yujia. Why would you play such a prank?”

“Yujia?”

Yujia must be another academy student who fought during the destruction, a good candidate for an ally. She’s also in the upper class, so they must be close.

“Yes, she’s the one who taught me that. Don’t misunderstand unnecessarily. Got it?”

“I know, I know. It would be strange if you suddenly did something like that.”

Finally, Ariel raised her head.

She’s still embarrassed, but at least she’s looking at me now.

“So, Do Jonghyun? You probably never imagined this, right?”

“It’s amazing. How did you build it?”

“Of course, with Mama’s power. My parents are extraordinary.”

She has a happy expression when talking about her parents.

They must have a good family relationship.

“What about you, Do Jonghyun? You know about me, but I don’t know much about ordinary people like you.”

“Are you that curious about me?”

“It’s interesting. A lower class kid with no abilities hanging on just because he’s a bit smart. Usually, students without talent are advised to leave quickly.”

I just received that advice today. Though Ariel wouldn’t know that.

“Well, I’m ordinary. Compared to you, most people would seem ordinary.”

“Don’t say that.”

Ariel was looking at me with a serious face.

“I know I’m special, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in others. Jonghyun, I want to hear your story. Understand?”

“If you insist.”

To be honest, there wasn’t anything special to tell. I just told her how I got here and how I studied.

“So you studied incredibly hard before entering? You know quite a lot for that.”

“My eyes are innate, so there’s not much more to say about that, and the rest of my knowledge is the product of effort.”

“How’s your relationship with your parents? Is that too personal?”

“It’s good. My parents were naturally happy when I got in. I’m trying to live up to their expectations and working hard. Since I don’t have a summoning spirit, I need to excel in other areas.”

That was my honest feeling before regression. It’s a bit different now, though.

“There’s some lies mixed in.”

But somehow, she saw through my deception.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“You know, your tone changed between when you talked about your parents and now? You were excited like a child about your parents, but now you’re reciting like it’s rehearsed? That’s a typical response when lies are mixed in. Are you hiding something?”

Wait, Ariel is being like this? My heart skipped a beat.

I expected Ariel to show disinterest or dismiss it as nothing important.

“Don’t hide it, just tell me. I’m not that harsh, am I?”

Ariel smoothed down one side of her long hair.

“You know, even though I think my talent is special, I’m not incapable of empathizing with others. Everyone treats me specially, but my emotions are the same. I need to know more about you.”

“…”

Once again, her sharp gaze was scanning me from head to toe. I was a bit flustered, but it’s not like I was caught in anything.

The best move for me here is to counter.

“Of course it’s true. Everyone has secrets.”

“You’re trying to escape? I don’t particularly have secrets. If I did, I could tell you. What you’re hiding must be quite significant?”

“Ah, maybe. But as you said, you don’t know me either, right? If you give me your trust, then maybe I’ll talk openly.”

“Trust…”

“Do you realize? This is the first time we’ve met alone after school like this.”

We’re not friends. We got entangled somehow, but it’s an awkward relationship to call friendship.

I was just confirming the obvious.

“Hmm. You’re saying we should get closer… but I don’t want to cause more misunderstandings.”

“It might be too late for that? The newspaper club passed by when we were entering earlier.”

“What?”

Ariel’s expression froze.

And the next day, a picture of us dining together appeared in the school newspaper.

“Why does everything go wrong when I’m with you…”

Ariel lamented to me during the pop quiz and failed it.

*

The midterm exams ended without major issues. With the White Dragon Guild observing, what could happen? Any attacks would probably come in the second semester.

The midterms lasted five days, with three days of written assessments and two days of practical evaluations.

The results? See for yourself.

[Midterm Written Exam Results]

-School Rank 1: Do Jonghyun

-School Rank 2: Yu Deokmin

I maintained first place as expected, and Yu Deokmin was second.

This wasn’t really the issue. My attention was on the school entrance.

The real competition was between Ariel and Yuhwa Seol.

Even for a genius, it might be impossible to match Yuhwa with just a week of preparation, but I taught her as much as I could.

After all, I already knew what topics would be covered in the exam.

Eventually, after class, Ariel burst through the door.

I couldn’t read her expression.

But one thing was certain—I needed to leave.

Ariel called me into the hallway and thrust her grade report in front of me.

Written: 33rd place

Practical: 1st place

“33rd place? You improved a lot!”

“I told you I’d rise quickly. I even beat Yuhwa Seol. She’s 34th, and 3rd in practical.”

Ariel, intoxicated with her victory, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Anyway, good job. I’m counting on you for the finals too.”

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Isn’t it a bit much to leave without any compensation?”

“What? That’s absurd. Isn’t my good performance compensation enough?”

She’s really shameless, isn’t she?

“Let me borrow your influence.”

I grabbed Ariel and dragged her straight to the department head’s office.