Chapter 26 : Snowball

“That means…”

“Yeah. Yang Woobin, I’m saying I’ll promote you to the real top class of Daecheon Academy — the Jincheon Class.”

Jincheon (True Heaven) Class.

The main stage of Reversal Hero Chronicles during the early and mid-stages, and the group to which key characters who shine until the very end belong — a treasure trove of unpolished gems.

Especially the protagonist, and our proud little one, who’s now the successor of the Jin family and a highly promising rising star.

That’s the place I absolutely had to enter.

Normally, for a student in the Beom (standard) class to get promoted to Jincheon Class, they had to score high on the official evaluations held twice a semester, earn a challenge ticket, and then defeat a current Jincheon student using that ticket.

That process was such a hassle — tedious, strict, and difficult — that even in the Reversal Hero Chronicles story, only one student ever got promoted.

And even then, it wasn’t someone in the protagonist’s year, but a junior who entered a year later.

That says it all.

“You do realize this is a pretty exceptional offer, right? You are still a student of Daecheon, after all.”

But now, Go Yeoryeong was telling me that she’d skip all those steps and put me straight into Jincheon Class.

An offer no student in the Beom Class could refuse — a direct promotion without even attaching any conditions.

Common sense said refusing this would be something only a fool would do.

“So, you’ll take it, right? I’ll inform personnel, so from tomorrow you’ll be in Jincheon Cla—”

“Nope. I’m not going.”

But I coolly rejected her offer.

“…What?”

“I said I’m not going. Actually, let me rephrase that — I’ll take the proper test later and challenge my way in. I don’t want to use some shortcut like this.”

Because I had something I needed to do in the Beom Class.

“…Is there a particular reason you have to do that?”

Go Yeoryeong wiped away the slightly casual atmosphere she’d had until a moment ago and unleashed the heavy, commanding presence she’d shown back at the entrance ceremony.

So she was just acting earlier to test me, huh.

Just like in the game — she’s no joke.

Facing that overwhelming pressure from Go Yeoryeong, I met it head-on with a confident smirk.

“There’s someone I can’t leave behind.”

If I hadn’t met Fuyuno Tsubaki in the Beom Class, I probably would’ve accepted Go Yeoryeong’s offer without hesitation.

Like she said, the Beom Class is a pit of bugs — staying there wouldn’t benefit me at all.

But I did meet Fuyuno Tsubaki, and I realized the talent she has.

“In the midterm evaluations, I’ll take the test fair and square, crush those Jincheon students with ease, and the two of us will rise together.”

I planned to train Fuyuno Tsubaki and rise to the Jincheon Class together with her once she had grown.

“So, I can’t move up just yet.”

That was why I had turned down Go Yeoryeong’s offer.

“…Oh?”

At my answer, Go Yeoryeong showed a spark of interest in her eyes — something she had never revealed before.

She nodded a few times, then let out a faint scoff and said:

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

With that, Go Yeoryeong stood up and left the office.

The sudden meeting ended there.

***

Click.

Step.

Step.

Flop.

[You’re back?]

As Go Yeoryeong entered the principal’s office and sat in her chair, a glass orb-shaped communication artifact lit up and greeted her.

“Yes, I’m back, Velita.”

It was her secretary and longtime comrade, Velita.

[How was it? That student you encountered — the one believed to have faced off with a mid-tier demon.]

Velita got straight to the point, knowing Go Yeoryeong’s personality well.

Having spent many years at her side, she understood Yeoryeong’s dislike for small talk and her preference for directness.

“Well, he’s a punk. A full-on, raw punk.”

[Excuse me?]

“He didn’t even uncross his legs in front of me. His tone was ridiculously arrogant.”

[Then he deserves punishment. How dare he show such disrespectful behavior to the war hero ‘Flying Dragon,’ the principal of Daecheon Academy—!]

“As I always say, you’re being too dramatic, Velita. Since when do we punish people just for having no manners? That’s just something you keep in your heart.”

[Honestly, being hated by the ‘Flying Dragon’ might be worse than any punishment…]

“Heh.”

Yeoryeong let out a small laugh at Velita’s sincere comment.

“Well, still… he was kind of interesting. He acted all defiant just like you’d expect from a punk, but it didn’t feel like it was out of pride. More like… he had a reason for acting that way.”

[What do you mean…?]

“Anyway, I asked him what he did on entrance exam day, and he said he took down a mid-tier demon. So, I offered to promote him to Jincheon Class.”

[Ah, I see… Wait, what? Excuse me?! Did you say to promote him to the Jincheon Class?! You made a promotion offer based only on the word of that student named Yang Woobin, without a shred of evidence?!]

Velita couldn’t believe what she was hearing from Go Yeoryeong, who had tossed out her words as if they were nothing.

At Daecheon Academy, where skill defined a person’s value, the class one belonged to wasn’t just a label — it was proof of ability and a source of pride.

The Jincheon Class was sacred to the students, and that was exactly why the promotion process was so demanding.

And now, to promote someone without any proof — just based on his word? Velita was ready to stop Yeoryeong then and there.

[Cancel it immediately. I know taking back the words of Daecheon’s principal is no small matter, but this kind of promotion shakes the very foundation of Daecheon’s order! Even if it hurts your dignity, this is not something that can be allowed—!]

“No need to make a fuss, Velita. He didn’t accept it anyway.”

[What?]

“He turned me down.”

[Why?!]

A promotion to Jincheon Class was a dream for every student in the Beom Class — a once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn their life around.

Even if they dropped back down later, just having been in Jincheon once would make them stand out after graduation.

That’s how much prestige the class held.

So, for someone to refuse such a golden opportunity — and with no strings attached — it was only natural that Velita asked why.

“Well, he said he couldn’t go up alone. He plans to go through the proper procedures later and get promoted fairly. With someone else. Apparently, there’s someone in the Beom Class he can’t leave behind.”

[With someone else…]

“He had such a rotten attitude, I was going to promote him and make sure he learned his place once he got there… What a shame.”

The reason Go Yeoryeong tried to promote Yang Woobin to the Jincheon Class was because she was angry at his insolent attitude.

The Jincheon Class was a place for geniuses — anyone unprepared or average who climbed up prematurely would only be crushed under the weight of that brilliance.

If he managed to survive there, he’d be a true genius.

If he couldn’t, then she could just laugh to herself, thinking, “Serves that bastard right.”

That was why she lightly extended the promotion offer.

But he turned her down, and all Go Yeoryeong got in return was Velita’s scolding.

All she could do now was sigh with regret.

[If… if he said “together,” does that mean they’re lovers?]

“Huh?”

Just as Yeoryeong was feeling disappointed that she couldn’t put Woobin through the wringer, she suddenly heard a completely unexpected comment.

[I mean, think about it! It was an offer to move up to Jincheon Class, and he turned it down just to stay with someone else? That kind of bond can only mean a romantic relationship!]

“…Or it could be friendship.”

[Friendship? Friendship can survive distance, but love fades when people grow apart! Ugh, you really don’t know anything, Yeoryeong — guess it’s because you’re still a maiden!]

“…”

Since Velita was a married woman with a child and older than her, Go Yeoryeong had no way to refute her.

“It’s working hours, Velita. Mind your language.”

All she could do was mutter timidly and try to steer the conversation back to business.

[Ah! Sorry, Principal! It’s just that I get so excited when I hear about the romantic lives of these fresh, young students… Anyway, I’m guessing it’s a relationship that started as childhood friends?]

“What? Why would you assume that?”

[Well, it’s just… that student, Yang Woobin, only woke up today, right? So it’s unlikely he met this person at Daecheon. The time’s too short.]

“That’s true, but… isn’t it a stretch to jump straight to childhood friends?”

[Our dear principal just doesn’t pay attention to the noble families, huh? I heard about this — about ten years ago, the Yang family took care of a young lady from a prestigious house for about three years. Since Yang Woobin is the heir of the Yang family, it would make sense if that’s when the connection formed.]

“That really happened…? Well, ten years ago, we were still clearing out remnants from the war. No wonder I didn’t hear about it. You knowing it is the weird part.”

[Ahaha… Anyway, a childhood friendship that blossomed into romance — just imagining it makes my heart flutter.]

“…I don’t really get it.”

Their talk about Yang Woobin’s possible childhood friend-turned-lover ended up completely sidetracking them from the original topic — the whereabouts of the mid-tier demon.

Neither of them realized just how much disaster this lighthearted gossip would bring.