Chapter 8: The Angel Caught in a Test (5)

Episode 8: The Angel Caught in a Test (5)

Deep underwater.

The boy reached out his hand to the girl.

The girl with gray hair limply fell into the boy’s arms, and the boy, with all his might, pushed away the Undines and headed for the surface.

However, the Undines grabbed his ankles.

If Leffrey had been rough-looking, the Undines might have laughed and left him alone. But Undines wouldn’t let go of a beautiful boy like Leffrey so easily.

“Play with us-“

“Let’s play-“

The water spirits giggled.

But their giggling didn’t last long.

Leffrey remembered hearing this joke a long time ago. It said that Moses was actually a superhuman with incredible muscles, and parting the Red Sea was an achievement he accomplished by throwing a series of punches.

Of course, people took that expression as a joke.

‘It wasn’t a joke…!’

Yumari chopped towards the surface.

With just one blow, the water filling the hall parted, and the Undines pestering Leffrey screamed and disappeared.

As soon as the water drained from the hall,

Leffrey first checked Soya’s breathing.

‘She’s breathing.’

CPR wasn’t necessary. Leffrey activated his angelic healing and began to heal the remaining wounds on Soya.

[Saving a future hero is truly an angelic act!]

[You have gained a large amount of Angelic Power.]

Along with it, the status message popped up.

Leffrey, feeling the rising Angelic Power, looked at Yumari who is standing behind him.

Yumari was muttering as she looked at Soya coldly.

“So it’s this kind of test.”

A test where if you weren’t skilled in schemes, you would be used and die. Yumari looked at the boy who helped even those he hated and sacrificed himself to save others.

She felt a bit of anger rising at his foolishness.

Yumari, who always hid her emotions behind a mask, showed a bit of her feelings.

“You.”

“Why…?”

“If you’re going to act like that, it’s better to give up on this exam.”

However, there was someone who scoffed at that advice. It was the girl with pink hair, Hongwol.

“Who are you? Who are you to threaten Leffrey like that? Are you his acquaintance or something?”

“Hongwol.”

Leffrey was a little surprised.

Did he ever tell Hongwol his name? As far as he could remember, he hasn’t…

Of course, Leffrey hadn’t told her. Hongwol had found out information about Leffrey on her own. The Mooncat tribe was one of the powers that boasted dominance in the underworld, and naturally, they were skilled at gathering information that was traded in the underworld.

Hongwol, the next chief of the tribe, had gently escorted Leffrey home and then found out everything about him. The absence of his family, his history of mental illness, and even the fact that he had been living a hard life…

And even his search history.

Thus, from the fact that he mostly searched for things related to the Central Superhuman Academy, she could also tell that he was aiming to enter the academy.

Hongwol thought it was a good thing.

She also wanted to enter the Central Superhuman Academy. Of course, not for school life, but to steal the precious ‘treasure’ that was said to be there.

And if she could steal another treasure she found by chance…

Leffrey carefully muttered,

“Acquaintances…? We’re not.”

As soon as she heard those words, Hongwol shouted excitedly,

“See, you’re the one who doesn’t belong here. A dragon who fell from the sky and became a snake…” (She’s mocking Yumari’s mother here)

“Miss Hongwol, I would like to have a good relationship with you. Let’s talk separately later.”

Yumari smiled pleasantly again and offered Hongwol a handshake.

Hongwol muttered nervously,

“You’re so funny. I can sense your killing intent even though you’re smiling.”

Hongwol said with a straight face,

“…I apologize for my rudeness.”

“Rudeness? You call that killing intent rudeness? This is becoming hilarious.”

Hongwol’s already sturdy thighs, wrapped in white mana, started to become even more firm. Even though Hongwol only looked slightly younger than an adult, her appearance was no different from that of a seasoned fighter.

Yumari looked at Hongwol with an expressionless face.

“I find it funny too.”

There was a middle-aged man muttering while chewing on dried squid. It was Lusa, the academy professor in charge of this entrance exam. His true form was a beautiful elf, but for some reason, he was disguised in this appearance during the exam.

“Seeing these young ones who haven’t even dried their hair already trying to dominate each other is quite amusing. The human world is functioning just fine.”

However, the two girls who witnessed this were utterly shocked. Even within the Seocheon Yu, only a handful of experts could surpass Yumari, and among the Mooncat tribe, only her mother and the elders could surpass Hongwol.

But this nameless middle-aged man was surpassing them?

Both had anticipated that this man was an academy professor, but they hadn’t expected him to be this skilled.

“Don’t fight. It’s not just today.”

Lusa grinned.

It was literally an evil smile.

Behind him, Park Jin-ho scolded Lusa with a disappointed look.

“At your age… Go inside. I’ll handle this.”

“Yes, yes. The esteemed Park Jin-ho please finish this will you?”

“Then, I’ll start the lecture.”

Tsk- Lusa disappeared with a clicking sound.

He looked at the three of them in turn and said,

“If you become an active hero, there will be many times when you have to enter unknown places. In such cases, what’s necessary is to quickly grasp what threats exist in that place and to make a perfect judgment about your current location. If a place has a logical flow and is interconnected, there should naturally be traces of it left behind. If there aren’t any, it means the opponent has hidden them, and that means there’s a high chance that the opponent has done some ‘work’ there.”

Park Jin-ho praised each of them with detailed feedback.

“Miss Mari of the Seocheon Yu, as expected, your judgment was as skillful as someone who conducts operations with active heroes. It was good that you quickly judged that there were no traces in this space and that it was a structure used for other tests. And Miss Hongwol, your intuition was excellent, as expected of a Mooncat. With this level of intuition, no ordinary trap could even touch a hair on your head. And…”

Park Jin-ho looked at Leffrey.

“Leffrey.”

“Yes.”

Gulp- To think he had been observing the candidates so closely. Leffrey couldn’t help but swallow his saliva in this situation. Would his weak specs be exposed? Would the fact that he knew what kind of test was coming be exposed? And if so, would he be disqualified immediately…?

Park Jin-ho said,

“A person who only possesses strength is no different from a storm. If there’s no direction to the strength, it scatters, shattering its surroundings until it’s eventually exhausted and disappears. But if there’s conviction behind the strength… that person’s strength will be focused into one, making it much easier to achieve their goals.”

He patted Leffrey’s head with a kind expression. Even Park Jin-ho, a man known as Iron Blood, couldn’t help but find Leffrey cute as he flinched slightly like he was scared.

‘This child who jumped into that chaos to save a girl he had never met, yet he’s scared at a time like this? It’s truly strange. To think there’s a part of me that finds this side of him to not be so bad… Wait, what’s my hand doing right now? Patting his head?’

Park Jin-ho quickly withdrew his hand and,

swiftly gave his evaluation of Leffrey.

“This professor witnessed your heroism today. I evaluate you the highest.”

Evaluate him the highest? Even higher than Yumari and Hongwol?

A recommendation letter was already in Leffrey’s hand.

“There are a total of 3 professors in charge of this exam. And if you receive recommendation letters from all 3, according to our academy’s tradition… you can receive one legendary-grade artifact.”

Artifact. Special items that enhance the power of Awakeners, with even the lowest-grade artifact boasting a price comparable to a new car.

But a legendary-grade artifact… its price would probably be beyond Leffrey’s reach even if he worked his entire life.

‘If I receive a legendary-grade artifact and sell it immediately…?’

Perhaps I could enjoy all sorts of luxuries until the world ends… Leffrey had such materialistic thoughts. Of course, it was just imagination. No matter how much luxury he enjoyed, it would be meaningless if the demon king destroyed the world.

“You should be able to get it. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Thank you…!”

Leffrey bowed repeatedly.

Seeing that, Park Jin-ho couldn’t hide the corners of his mouth turning up in satisfaction. It was a look that didn’t suit his nickname, Iron Blood.

Yumari had been smiling brightly with admiration as soon as Park Jin-ho appeared, but as soon as he disappeared, she turned serious and said to Leffrey,

“Give up on the exam, Leffrey.”

“…Why are you doing this to me? Did we meet somewhere before the exam?”

Yumari smiled slightly.

Whether this smile was an act or genuine was something only Yumari knew.

“No.”

“Then mind your own business.”

Yumari organized her thoughts for a moment.

This student was outstanding enough to pass the first test as the top scorer along with her, but for some reason, he harbored hostility towards her.

Therefore, Yumari wanted to make him fail.

“If you give up on the exam, I’ll give you sufficient compensation.”

“Even if we’re competitors… isn’t that too much?”

The boy was angry.

Yumari could smell the scent of the sky from him. Along with that scent, her mother’s expression kept coming to mind.

Exploited and then dead.

Her end…

“Just listen to me for a moment.”

Yumari tried to grab Leffrey.

At that moment, Hongwol bared her teeth.

“How dare you touch him.”

Hongwol muttered as she pulled Leffrey towards her.

And so, the two girls stared at each other.

The hero industry was extremely cruel. Yumari didn’t think a kind child like Leffrey could survive. This child with the scent of the sky would die miserably like her mother.

‘No, that’s not why I’m doing this.’

Of course, it didn’t matter to her whether this boy she met for the first time in this exam died miserably or not. She had to pass this exam to survive, and the boy would surely become a risk factor in this exam.

“I understand for now.”

Leffrey bit his lip and thought,

‘She’s revealing her true colors! You traitor to humanity…!’

Naturally, Leffrey wanted to curse too, but

his racial trait prevented him.

[Angels cannot utter vulgar language!]

‘What the… this is ridiculous…’

In the end, Leffrey could only smile and say,

“…I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Without being able to curse, other words were meaningless.

And even if he put on a serious expression, for his face that looked cute, it wouldn’t be scary.

So he could only give attitude with a smile.

Seeing that, Yumari misunderstood again.

‘Such a stupid fool. He can’t even get angry properly. Like my mother…’

Yumari felt a prickling sensation in a corner of her heart.

Within her expressionless heart,

an unknown question kept arising.

‘Why did he help me, even though he hates me so much?’

Yumari’s misunderstanding deepened. Because of this misunderstanding, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for the first time in a long time.

[Helping a future hero realize their sins is a truly angelic act!]

[You have gained Angelic Power]

‘Suddenly, why am I getting Angelic Power?’

Tremble- Tremble- His hand trembled slightly. Leffrey only then realized that he had left his hand broken. He activated The Healing of the Seraphim that Heals All Creation.

As expected of the highest-ranking healing skill of the heavens, incomparable to any healing skill on earth, Leffrey’s hand was cleanly healed.

Swish- Swish-

A tail moved as if pleased.

There was a girl who was delighted to see this. The pink-haired girl quickly approached Leffrey and knelt down to his chest level as if asking to be petted.

“Boy, don’t worry. If you team up with me…”

“…Ahaha.”

Leffrey immediately avoided Hongwol.

Left alone, Hongwol thought,

‘Boy… why, why did you become so cold? You weren’t like this that night. Wait, when did I kneel down?’

Only then did Hongwol realize that she was kneeling. Why did she kneel? What exactly did she want…?

That unforgettable winter night.

The hand that had warmly stroked her.

She was longing for the touch of that hand…

‘I’m not an animal. I’m not controlled by such primal desires…!’

Blushing with embarrassment and confusion, Hongwol unconsciously looked for a place to rest. Over there, she saw a box that seemed perfect for resting.

Just as the girl was about to enter the box to rest, another girl flinched on the damp floor.

“Ugh… it hurts.”

The girl with gray hair

barely raised her body and muttered,

“A black magic-hating trap like this right from the start…”