Episode 49. The Protagonist is Hiding His Strength?

“Hic…”

“Wait a sec, Liliana. I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

I could have handled it if you cursed and threw a fit, but I couldn’t deal with you crying like this.

What should I do? I offered the takeout chicken I brought.

“Want some?”

“Get lost! I’m not eating anything you give me! Hic!”

Didn’t work.

Crying so pitifully really made me feel like a total piece of trash.

But seriously, she was the one acting suspiciously first, and then she cries when she gets caught.

Isn’t that the mindset of a criminal?

Did I even do anything wrong in the first place?

“Why the hell! Why did you summon me and make me like this! I was living just fine until now! If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened! Why are you turning me into a pervert and looking at me like that!”

Liliana screamed while crying pitifully.

Sigh.

“You always call me a pervert too.”

“Because you ARE a perverted bastard, so it’s true! Why are you making me like this too, you perverted bastard!”

Ah, shit, what do you want me to do.

I almost said, ‘You’re the real perverted bastard, the one who’s been rubbing one out for three days straight,’ but I figured it would be impossible to fix the situation then, so I just held back.

Right. Let’s just get past the current situation for now.

“R-Right! That’s it!”

“Huh…?”

I acted like a scientist shouting Eureka, like I’d just had a brilliant idea.

Liliana also stopped crying a bit and paid attention to me.

“Maybe it’s because I, the contractor, am a pervert, so your libido suddenly surged? It’s not your fault, really!”

“…Sniff?”

And so, I started spewing bullshit to comfort Liliana.

“It makes sense, right? Why would a pure girl like you suddenly act like this? It’s all my fault.”

“…R-Right! That’s it! It’s all your fault! You perverted bastard!”

“…Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“You host of a dick! You descendant of an incubus bastard!”

Liliana thought it over, and it seemed she found it somewhat convincing.

She found an excuse and, happy about it, started scolding me, regaining her smile.

“Yeah, it’s all my fault. Just calm down with some chicken first.”

“Okay. And don’t come near me, you might catch my perversion.”

“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”

Liliana finally started tearing into the chicken with a relieved expression, her worries solved.

It’s a good thing she’s just a simple succubus.

But seriously, what happened to Liliana all of a sudden?

I can’t imagine what kind of ordeal would make a prude old maid like her get so caught up in masturbation for three days straight.

“Sigh, I know the cause, but my current situation is pretty serious.”

“What’s so serious?”

Liliana asked, tearing into her chicken.

“What do you mean? My libido keeps rising because of you! It’s definitely your fault, so you take responsibility!”

“How am I supposed to take responsibility? Should I act as a living dildo for you?”

Finally, Liliana was trying to be helpful to me, not just for money, and my heart swelled with emotion.

I summoned a succubus, this is how it should be!

“Y-You crazy bastard, again!”

Thwack! Thwack!

“Why are you hitting me! You asked for help!”

“You’re talking nonsense! We need to find a solution. How could you say something like that!”

I mean, if not by resolving my libido through sex, then what is the solution? Seriously.

“Okay. I’ll look for a solution.”

I said that because I thought she’d calm down if I at least said I’d look for one.

“Are there any folk remedies among humans for relieving libido?”

“I don’t know if you’d call it folk remedies, but people usually try to forget about it by exercising or immersing themselves in work.”

“Mmm… Right. Maybe I just can’t stop because I get caught up in my libido and end up masturbating…”

I sighed watching Liliana quietly murmur something so embarrassing.

I told you it’s just because you’re a pervert?

“Okay. Stop masturbating starting tomorrow, and try to forget your libido by working hard on exercise and broadcasting. Go, Liliana!”

“Okay! Fighting!”

Somehow, I had a feeling this ‘Fighting!’ wouldn’t last long.

I just hope it doesn’t explode to a level I can’t handle…

*

“Sigh. What a dog-like morning.”

It was Monday. The day I had to go to the Academy.

I should have rested well over the weekend, but I ran around too much, and my body was tired.

“You okay? You look down.”

“Just so-so. I’m a bit tired from running around busy all weekend.”

“Since you missed class on Friday, I’m super curious about what happened? What about the demon, and did you make up with the others?”

Since I had no way to contact Kim Yeong-han, he seemed unaware of everything that had happened so far.

But I didn’t really want to get a guy’s number. Seeing as he wasn’t bringing up exchanging numbers either, we seemed to be on the same page.

While chatting with Kim Yeong-han, we arrived at the first-year academic building.

I naturally split off towards Lucy and Lumi, while Kim Yeong-han went towards his other friends.

He was a friend who clearly separated public and private matters.

In the corner of the classroom, Do Jin-hyuk’s gang always occupied seats together. They were chuckling and laughing amongst themselves, but they looked like total losers to me.

Tsk tsk.

“Good morning.”

I naturally sat down in the seat behind Lucy and greeted her.

“Hi.”

“Good morning. Hoyeon-ssi.”

The two turned around and returned the greeting.

Lucy was wearing a cardigan over her cadet uniform, trying her best to cover her figure.

Since her chest was so large, if she didn’t cover the middle properly, it gave off a more revealing vibe, but she didn’t seem to realize it.

Lumi always wore her cadet uniform neatly.

But the most revealing outfit is usually the uniform.

In my eyes, the cadet uniform itself was like a costume, so it was always a treat for my eyes.

Plus, since we became secret friends over the weekend, just making eye contact with Lumi caused a slight reaction between my legs.

It seemed Lumi felt the same way; when our eyes met and I smiled, she returned an equally faint smile.

“What’s up? What are you two doing making eye contact?”

Lucy stretched her face forward and kept staring at mine.

‘Why is she acting like this?’

Ziiing-

She was looking at me as if lasers were shooting from her eyes, and I didn’t know how to react, so I just smiled.

Lucy saw my face, smiled contentedly, and then looked forward again.

“…”

Was she expecting me to smile back? What happened to her?

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

• [ Affection: 92 ]

• [ Libido: 40 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 25 ]

Current State: Hehehe. So handsome.

I had raised Lucy’s affection, but now it was a bit ambiguous what to do next.

Confessing and dating would mean completing the route, but I couldn’t start dating anyone right now.

Ultimately, I needed to find another way…

‘Isn’t there a way to raise her libido?’

Her affection is already high, so targeting that seems like the easiest approach.

“The professor is a bit late?”

“Isn’t it 1-on-1 sparring today? Finally, it’s my turn to get revenge for the humiliation last time!?”

Lucy was burning with fighting spirit. The way she clenched her fists showed she really wanted it.

“You want to spar with me?”

“Yeah! I lost last time, so I can win this time!”

It didn’t really matter who I sparred with anyway. Each sparring match wasn’t directly factored into the grades.

If Lucy wants to, I’ll do it.

Or maybe not? She likes bad boys.

I should play hard to get a little.

“Hmm, let me think about it?”

“Ah, whyyy!”

“I’ll just watch you two…”

Although it was class, sparring wasn’t mandatory. You could refuse if you didn’t want to.

Of course, since there weren’t many opportunities to go all out in a safe environment, students aiming to be serious hunters had no reason to refuse, but Lumi was a support type anyway and disliked participating in such spars.

“Hey guys! Gather at the sparring grounds by 10!”

A boy wearing glasses delivered the message at the door.

With not much time left until 10, the cadets were moving towards the sparring grounds.

“Let’s go wait there in advance too.”

“Okay.”

“Yes.”

The three of us also got up and followed the procession.

*

Professor Kim Jin-hyuk, our homeroom teacher, was waiting at the sparring grounds.

“Now that everyone’s here, I’ll announce the plan. Today’s class will proceed autonomously. Pair up in twos and assess each other’s skills. If you want a serious spar, you can head up to the arena. That’s all.”

Once Kim Jin-hyuk finished speaking, the cadets paired up and started sparring.

Many cadets went up to the arena. There weren’t many chances like this to use their full strength safely.

It was the perfect time to measure one’s full potential.

“Heyyy, let’s go up.”

“Mmm, what should we do…”

“Why are you acting like that! You don’t have any friends anyway, so you have no one to spar with!”

“….”

No, I’m busy trying to win over the heroines, when would I have time to make friends?

I should stop teasing her and just spar with her.

“Okay, okay. I’m going up…”

“Hey. Lee Hoyeon.”

“?”

It wasn’t Lucy’s voice. It was definitely a man’s voice, but since he called my name, I turned around.

Some skinny weakling-looking bastard was standing there.

“Spar with me?”

The weakling asked me to spar with an angry expression.

Who is this guy?

Ah, I remember now.

He’s one of Do Jin-hyuk’s lackeys.

He was the one who bumped into me during the last dungeon training, started trouble, got cursed at, and then tried to draw his sword.

I couldn’t even properly deal with him then because Nam Daeun cleared the dungeon too quickly.

It was a shame I couldn’t blast his face with magic.

“Hey, he’s supposed to spar with me. Come back later.”

Lucy issued a dismissal order to the weakling.

If Lucy doesn’t want it, then so be it. Lucy is much more important than this weakling.

“You heard her? Come back later.”

“Seriously. Aren’t you two ashamed to walk around holding your heads high, you pair of liars?”

“What?”

Judging by the glare, it seems directed at me, but what kind of rumor did I get caught up in to deserve this?

Is this the so-called destiny of a protagonist or something?

“Are you pretending not to know? I’m talking about you two, cadets pretending to have taken down a two-horned demon. It’s obvious Professor Im Sol handled the demon, and you two just watched from behind.”

“?????”

I was so flustered and dumbfounded that I couldn’t even think of a rebuttal.

No, shit, how did I take down Felix?

“…Where on earth did such a rumor spread from?”

My voice unintentionally deepened.

The weakling in front of me flinched slightly, perhaps intimidated, but his pride must have kicked in, as he glared again and said:

“Everyone who needs to know already knows. It’s called the ‘Star-Making Project’ of Victoria Academy.”

“Bullshit.”

I was so frustrated I could go crazy. Seriously.

The surrounding students’ gazes turned towards us. Seeing them all watching curiously, it seemed like such rumors were indeed circulating.

Wow. Shit. My head hurts.

Judging by the unchanging expressions of Lucy and Lumi, the twins seemed to have known about these rumors already.

‘But why are they putting up with it?’

Especially Lucy. You’re not the type to put up with this!

★ Heroine Status Window

[Lucy]

• [ Affection: 92 ]

• [ Libido: 40 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 25 ]

Current State: Let’s endure. Let’s not make another mistake by jumping in.

No… You were there too… Ah?

Come to think of it, Lucy didn’t directly witness me taking down Felix.

She was incapacitated by the lust magic back then.

Seeing as she doesn’t even remember having sex with me, it seems she has amnesia since Felix’s ambush.

She might be staying quiet because she wants to believe her friend (me), but Lucy might also be unsure of what the truth is.

“Hoyeon-ah. Let’s just ignore him and go.”

“Y-Yeah. Let’s ignore him.”

Lucy and Lumi just wanted to ignore him.

It seemed like they were trying to be considerate of me.

Because even they were half-convinced, half-doubting whether I really took down the demon.

Then again, it didn’t make sense for a cadet to take down a two-horned demon.

A two-horned demon was something even an active B-class hunter would struggle to fight evenly.

It was on a completely different level than a cadet.

Furthermore, Professor Im Sol, the only witness, was notoriously uninterested in other people’s affairs.

Even if the Academy credited someone else for Professor Im Sol handling the demon, she had the image of someone who wouldn’t care much.

That’s why these rumors spread.

But I really killed it, shit.

“It’s obviously a fabricated act to promote you, who looks like a gigolo, and those disproportionately developed twins.”

“…Enough. It’s not the first time we’ve heard something like this. Let’s just go.”

Lucy’s personality seemed significantly dulled.

She had become gentler than in the original work. It wasn’t just gentleness; she seemed like a pushover now?

This was probably my fault for making her go through the Felix incident.

Although she wasn’t showing it, she might have developed trauma.

Seeing her willing to overlook even that kind of sexual harassment suggests she wants to avoid trouble altogether.

But this isn’t right. I need to get angry when it’s appropriate.

As I glared at the weakling bastard, Lucy grabbed my arm.

“Lee Hoyeon! I told you, let’s just go!”

Why is she so worried?

I don’t think I’d lose even if we fought.

---

• [Lee Hoyeon]

▶ Strength: 40

▶ Stamina: 44

▶ Agility: 39

▶ Endurance: 38

▶ Magic Power: 48

• Unique Authority: Combat Sense

• Skill: Eye Opening

• ???: ???

---

Through consistent training and quest rewards, I’ve raised my stats to the cadet average.

On top of that, I gained the special perks [Combat Sense] and [Mana Sensitivity], the awesome unique skills Eye Opening, Cotton Guard, and Acceleration, and I even took down Felix recently…

‘Huh?’

…Wait, isn’t this something only I know?

Come to think of it, nobody else knows I’ve gotten stronger, right?

The only time I showed my strength was during a practical combat class when I took down a monster. I managed to defeat a level 7 monster then, but level 7 is the average for A-class hunters.

Moreover, since I started from level 5, others might just see it as barely reaching the average from the bottom.

Then I beat Lucy, but even then, I just dodged her magic well; I didn’t really show anything special.

During the dungeon training exercise, I participated in combat a little, but mostly I just followed Nam Daeun around.

…What is this pathetic career?

I’ve lived diligently, but I just played around with girls and was practically useless at the Academy!

Furthermore, my rapidly improving magic skills were only known to Professor Im Sol.

And then, suddenly, an article comes out saying this nobody took down a two-horned demon, and that the cadet was incredibly handsome?

And the witness is Professor Im Sol.

If it were another professor, they might have given numerous interviews or testimonies, adding more credibility, but considering how indifferent Professor Im Sol seemed back then, she likely refused any interviews.

That lowers the witness’s credibility.

‘…If I heard this, I’d suspect it was a setup too.’

The thought flowed naturally.

“Huh?”

Then everyone here…

They probably think I’m really weak, don’t they?

Is that why Lucy and Lumi kept urging me to go? Because they think I’m weak?

“….”

The twins’ expressions trembled with anxiety.

‘No, guys. I’m strong, really.’

Well, yeah. It’s understandable to be anxious.

Maybe that weakling is a higher-ranked cadet than he looks.

No, if Lucy and Lumi are this anxious, it’s highly likely.

However, this situation is actually good for me.

No matter how many times I tell the cadets I took down a demon, it won’t hit home.

Unlike that, this weakling must have felt my strength firsthand while living alongside me.

And then I beat him up like a dog? They’ll feel it deep in their bones then.

‘Ah, he’s much stronger than he looks. I shouldn’t mess with him.’

People fear a goblin threatening their backyard more than a Demon King threatening the world from across the continent.

Conclusion.

Beat the weakling like a dog, and everything will be solved.

“Hey, you. Get up on the arena.”

I glanced at the weakling bastard and walked up to the arena.