episode_0011

Park Jeong-hyeon’s fishing rod was yanked violently.

—Whoosh!

At the same time, something thin and translucent mercilessly coiled around Serena and two of her teammates.

“Ghk!”

“Wh-what the—?”

“Oh my?”

With no chance to resist, the three of them were pressed tightly together.

For a brief moment, Serena’s expression stiffened as she struggled to move.

But her upper body was already ensnared by the translucent substance, and her feet were tangled with the other two, making it impossible to move freely.

Even the slightest shift threatened to throw her off balance and send her tumbling.

“H-hold on! Ugh… Why won’t this cut?!”

The one teammate who wasn’t bound frantically tried to slice through the material wrapped around Serena with the tip of their spear, but it was no use.

Only then did Serena realize what the translucent substance coiled around her was.

A fishing line?

The fact that it was a fishing line made an involuntary scoff escape her lips.

Since when could a fishing line be used so aggressively?

It was an application she’d never even imagined.

For something this thin to carry such force, it should’ve had a heavy weight attached—yet all she could see was the slender fishing line and hook.

He hid the fishing line in the grass.

The wooden staircase must’ve been a decoy.

Luring them into a trap by scattering fishing lines in advance, exploiting their carelessness.

Serena couldn’t help but admire Park Jeong-hyeon’s thoroughness.

However, that wasn’t the only thing that surprised her.

To manipulate something this thin with such precision and finesse… I can’t even fathom it.

Just how much experience and skill had he accumulated? She couldn’t begin to guess.

Did he spend his whole life fishing before becoming an actor?

No—even a master angler who’d fished their entire life wouldn’t be capable of such a feat.

Her waning interest in the coldly composed Park Jeong-hyeon flickered back to life, if only faintly.

But in another sense, that was all it amounted to.

His antics had stolen only a sliver of her attention—nothing more.

“I’ll admit, I’m a little surprised. I never imagined I’d be restrained by a fishing line in my life.”

The fishing line meant to reel her in was stretched taut, as if it might snap at any moment.

In short, Park Jeong-hyeon was already pulling with all his might.

“But it seems you failed to account for your own weakness.”

He must’ve planned to bind her and her teammates with the fishing line and yank them over the cliff’s edge.

Yet his physical strength wasn’t enough to execute that plan.

His pulling power was insufficient.

“Your plan’s fallen apart. What do you intend to do now?”

Serena’s voice was languid as she addressed him.

He must’ve been at a loss—

Extremely so.

Those who tried to outmaneuver her with petty tricks always reacted the same way.

And Serena would crush them indifferently with her overwhelming talent.

It wasn’t that she took pleasure in watching them despair.

It was simply a duty she had to fulfill—one she carried out with detached efficiency.

Park Jeong-hyeon had the misfortune of encountering a natural disaster named Serena—

“Miss Serena. Let me give you a piece of advice.”

Then, Park Jeong-hyeon spoke.

His grip on the fishing rod was steady, his expression unreadable as he faced her.

“In life, you’ll come to realize that to gain something, you must give something up.”

Did he still have another trick up his sleeve?

What kind of confidence allowed him to remain so composed?

For the first time in a long while, genuine curiosity bubbled up in Serena’s mind.

It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

“And remember this.”

As if answering her unspoken question, Park Jeong-hyeon rose slowly from his seat.

“The most dangerous beings in this world….”

With those words, he sharply reeled in the fishing line.

In that instant, one of the teammates bound with Serena lost their balance—

“—are those who’ve already embraced death!”

Watching them stagger, Park Jeong-hyeon—

Leapt off the cliff himself.

What in the world—?!

Why would he willingly eliminate himself? Serena couldn’t grasp his intent.

But it didn’t take long for her to understand.

“…!”

The force pulling her forward had intensified beyond comparison.

Only then did she comprehend the meaning behind his earlier advice.

He compensated for his lack of strength with his own weight—!

Flesh for bones.

To claim her and her two teammates, he had offered himself without hesitation.

An act unthinkable for someone in their right mind.

Serena’s left eye, which had remained closed until now, flew wide open.

She braced her lower body, resisting the pull with all her might.

“Ghk—ah!”

But one of the male students bound with her lost his footing and fell.

Naturally, Serena was dragged along, her balance shattered—

And just like that, the three of them—along with Park Jeong-hyeon—began their descent into the ravine.

In that fleeting moment before the fall, Serena caught sight of Park Jeong-hyeon’s triumphant grin.

“Hah.”

She’d been completely outplayed.

[ Red Team’s Park Jeong-hyeon has been eliminated due to falling. ] [ Blue Team’s Serena Eldraine has been eliminated due to falling. ] [ Blue Team’s Shurelia Michael has been eliminated due to falling. ] [ Blue Team’s Gonpiku Oumu has been eliminated due to falling. ]

That bold smile etched itself deeply into Serena’s mind.

The Providence faculty meeting room was filled with the subtle aroma of coffee.

Inside, student class assignments were underway.

“Next is No. 26, Plum Melodic.”

“Hmm, written exam score: 87. Not bad.”

“But… Ah, the mock battle is a bit concerning. Lacked combat experience—panicked and was eliminated immediately.”

“Hard to tell if it’s inexperience or just indecisiveness….”

To ensure fairness, students were evaluated based on both written exam scores and mock battle performance.

After silently reviewing the report, Jeremy Bail, Providence’s headmaster, spoke.

“Combat ability is lacking, but considering the high written score, there’s clear potential for growth. Assign this student to Professor Felix’s Class D. Any objections?”

From A to Z, students were distributed across 26 classes.

Providence claimed not to discriminate based on student ability—

At least, publicly.

In reality, the talented were placed closer to A, while the less gifted were pushed toward Z.

To nurture strong Purifiers, it was more effective to provide exceptional instruction to those with proven talent.

A genius teaching a fool, or a genius teaching a genius—

The statistics spoke for themselves.

“If there are no objections, let’s proceed. No. 27, Park Jeong-hyeon. Written exam score… 11?”

Bail’s expression twisted as he read the report.

“It’s as if he had no intention of answering at all. No matter how impressive his mock battle performance, placing him above Class G is unjustifiable.”

An elven professor nodded in agreement.

“A human student who didn’t even try. Unless he possesses Eldraine-level talent, it’s hard to justify valuing such a… Wait, his opponent in the mock battle was Eldraine.”

“A human? Then there’s no need to deliberate further. Headmaster, just assign him to one of the lower—”

A demonic male professor scoffed, but before he could finish—

“Yet his team won.”

“What?”

“Is that true?”

The professors exchanged disbelieving glances.

“…Let’s review the recorded footage of that mock battle.”

At Bail’s words, a holographic replay projected above the table.

“Tch, looks like Eldraine just slipped and fell to her doom—”

The demonic professor’s sneer died in his throat.

Watching Park Jeong-hyeon’s performance, even his conscience wouldn’t let him belittle the student further.

“An innate transformation ability? His outfit changed in an instant.”

“Using a fishing rod to reel in people… Is that even possible?”

“To leap without hesitation for the objective… That’s not an easy decision for a student.”

Most professors murmured in admiration at his unstudent-like shrewdness.

Then, Bail, who had remained silent, spoke.

“However, no matter how outstanding his combat performance, his refusal to acquire even the most basic knowledge expected of a Purifier cannot be excused. Therefore, Park Jeong-hyeon will be assigned to Professor Linray’s Class G. Any objections?”

The room fell silent.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Who would dare oppose the headmaster’s judgment?

“If there are no objections, let’s proceed to No. 28—”

“I object.”

A voice cut through the silence.

A stunning woman with platinum hair and black horns—

The being known as the Dragon Princess, Aileen, spoke.

“That child—put him in my class.”