Ch.4845 – The Red-Haired Witch (2)

I often heard that I took after my mother and was quite smart.

At first, I couldn’t believe it.

[Cephiron Academy Acceptance Notice]

But I actually got accepted.

I really benefited from my brothers teaching me with elementary school textbooks they’d collected from recycling bins, even cutting back on their sleep to help me.

I once thought to myself:

Maybe I’m a genius too.

Academy classes were difficult, but learning magic was always fun.

However, that confidence was brutally crushed after the first midterm exams.

[Class Rank: 7/20]

[School Rank: 32/80]

“Wow, Yu-na! You did great on the test! 7th in our class?”

“Is that… considered good?”

No.

That can’t be right.

32nd out of 80.

I couldn’t accept that I was just an ordinary student at the academy.

The top student in our class was a boy named Kim Han-gyeol.

He was popular, enjoyed playing with friends, and didn’t really listen to teachers.

For the first time in my life, I hated someone.

At first, I didn’t understand this feeling, but I soon realized what it was.

“Han-gyeol, how do you do so well on tests?”

“Me? I just have private tutoring at home, nothing special.”

Jealousy, anger, and hatred.

I hated these children who effortlessly enjoyed things I couldn’t have…

I bit my lip hard.

“32nd? What rank do you need for a scholarship again?”

“20th…”

“I see… You worked hard on the test, Yu-na.”

The day I showed my report card to Ma-ru oppa, I spent the entire day crying in my mother’s arms.

I’m so sorry to everyone.

I’ll do better from now on.

Please don’t hate me.

After that, for the first time, I started studying until midnight.

I felt bad for Ma-ru oppa who needed to sleep, but I thought this was the only way I could repay everyone.

Even the 45-minute walk to school seemed like a waste of time, so during exam periods, I asked the security guard for permission to secretly sleep in the break room.

No-eul oppa was right.

If you don’t become tough, you can’t grow.

I learned as much as I could from the smart students, and sometimes did their tutoring homework for them.

I didn’t even speak to students with poor grades. It was a waste of time.

Sometimes I’d steal unused workbooks from lockers and solve them, and during performance assessments, I only took roles that would stand out to get good scores.

But time was still what I lacked most.

[Class Rank: 3/20]

[School Rank: 10/80]

‘I did it…!’

My combined midterm and final rank was fortunately 20th.

This meant I could get at least a half-scholarship!

But after the final exams, no one asked about my grades like before.

Even my desk, which should have been paired with someone else’s, was separated from my partner’s.

But it couldn’t be helped.

I don’t regret it.

In the end, my methods were right, and I gained confidence.

I don’t care about compliments from my classmates.

Praise from my mom, Ma-ru oppa, and No-eul oppa is enough.

So I can endure no matter what people say about me.

Probably.

* * *

“Seo Yu-na, wake up your desk partner.”

“…”

“Seo Yu-na, can’t you hear me? The test starts in 10 minutes, so please wake up Kim Han-gyeol.”

“No, why should I?”

“Wow…”

If he chose to sleep, why should I be responsible for waking him up?

But Lee Ha-ru seemed to think differently and scolded me.

“Can we talk for a bit after the test?”

“Sure, I can spare a moment.”

In the end, Kim Han-gyeol woke up after Ha-ru smacked the back of his head.

Being half-asleep would make it hard for him to do well on the test.

Actually, isn’t that good for me?

I was really confident about this second semester midterm.

It was the perfect opportunity to beat Ha-ru and Han-gyeol, who were always competing for first and second in our class.

I’d successfully completed the tests on the first and second days.

From general subjects like “Korean,” “Math,” and “Autumn” to academy subjects like “Safety Rules” and “Records of Magic.”

I just needed to ace the most important subject, “Fundamentals of Rune Language.”

Out of the 40 minutes given, I finished all the problems in just 30 minutes.

Since memorization is my strongest area, I might even be the first first-year to score 100 points.

The teacher said no one had achieved a perfect score yet.

After the test, Ha-ru was waiting for me behind the school.

She looked very upset.

“Do you know what the class calls you, Seo Yu-na?”

“No, I don’t.”

“They call you ‘Jaewang’ – short for ‘annoying outcast.'”

“…Really?”

I had expected something, but this nickname was more shocking than I thought.

I’m not Anne of Green Gables – they’re openly calling me an outcast…

“Doesn’t that bother you at all?”

“…”

“Have you ever thought about why they call you that?”

I had gradually noticed that the other kids were avoiding me.

But why was Ha-ru telling me this?

“You weren’t like this at the beginning of the semester. You were kind to everyone, came early to bring milk for everyone, and helped with homework. Why are you acting like this now?”

“Does being kind make you better at studying?”

“What?”

“I’m going to be first in our class, no, first in the entire school. While you and Han-gyeol play during breaks, I’ll be studying to catch up.”

“You’re really funny, you know that?”

“Think whatever you want. After this test, I won’t even talk to any of you anymore.”

It didn’t seem like Ha-ru was genuinely concerned about me anyway.

She was always at the center of the girls’ group.

In the end, she’s just like everyone else.

“Do you think you can catch up to Yoon Si-hoo? You absolutely can’t.”

Ha-ru shouted.

“Who’s Yoon Si-hoo?”

“You don’t know? He’s first in the school. He’s never lost that position.”

“I’ll definitely catch up to him.”

“You fatherless outcast…”

I didn’t mind being insulted.

It was all my fault, so it made sense that I should endure it.

But how could she so easily look down on my father?

“Do you want to die?”

I was angry.

I tried using the phrase No-eul oppa often says.

“What? I’m just telling the truth, you poor kid.”

I felt like I’d regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t hit her sneering face at least once.

But strangely, at that moment, I suddenly remembered a girl I’d seen during the sports festival.

She had channeled aura throughout her body and swung at the jaw of a senior two spans taller than her.

Clearly,

The mana circuit,

Like this.

My heavy head suddenly felt lighter.

I found myself ridiculous for suffering all this time.

The reason I kept being disrespected was because I looked weak.

To make sure she couldn’t get back up, I swung my fist near Ha-ru’s precious necklace.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Children are really stupid.

Why don’t they understand that nothing is impossible with effort?

No matter how poor my family is or that I don’t have private tutors,

Time is given equally to everyone.

The high school seniors at the academy study 12 hours even on weekends.

But no one in elementary puts in that level of effort.

If they had studied 12 hours a day, I would never have been able to catch up.

So while I’m still young, I’ll stand above them all before anyone else.

[Class Rank: 1/20]

[School Rank: 2/80]

My brothers cheered when they saw my report card.

I could finally give good news to my mother, whose illness was worsening by the day.

I hope she can hold on until the day I proudly graduate from the academy and go to university.

But something about my report card bothered me.

Second place.

Someone was first.

Could it be that “Yoon Si-hoo” Ha-ru mentioned was first again?

I think I need to visit Class A next week.

* * *

“Is Yoon Si-hoo here? Can someone call him?”

“Sorry, I have to go to the snack bar with my friend! Want something?”

This kid too.

“Can you please call Yoon Si-hoo for me?”

“Why don’t you just go in and call him yourself?”

That kid too.

Not one person would help me.

Is it because I’m an outcast?

It didn’t feel good to be ignored even by students I didn’t know.

But I couldn’t just walk into another class.

I might get penalty points if other kids reported me to the teacher.

So I kept visiting Class A during every break, waiting for Yoon Si-hoo to come out.

“Are you Yoon Si-hoo?”

“Yes, why?”

He definitely looked familiar.

Since the academy doesn’t have many students, six months was enough time to remember everyone’s face, except during vacation.

He was slightly shorter than me, but his well-maintained uniform made it clear he was Yoon Si-hoo.

“You got first place, right?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“Let’s redo the ‘Records of Magic’ test together, from the beginning.”

Our other scores must have been similar.

The only subject where I scored low was “Records of Magic” with 84 points.

There was a limit to what I could learn just from school.

With magic, there’s a big difference between memorizing and actually practicing.

Even if I knew the content, my mind would go blank when asked to draw a magic circle.

This was my chance to see how the top student in school approached problems.

“When do you want to do it?”

“Can’t we do it right now?”

“Right now? I left my test at home.”

Si-hoo scratched his head.

But I couldn’t waste even a moment.

“That’s okay. I remember all the questions. You do too, right?”

I assumed Yoon Si-hoo would remember like I did.

“…Well, I do remember them all.”

My guess was right.