episode_0065

“Now, everyone hand over the OMR card and test paper to the person sitting behind you. After each person writes down their exam number and notes…“

Inside a busy classroom.

It was March and exams were in full swing at Central Academy.

The midterm exam is divided into two tests.

Written test and practical test.

The writing section is divided into four or five subjects.

Everyone was working hard to study in order to get the best grades in each subject.

Moreover, at the same time, I do not miss training for the practical exam,

It was literally the typical bloody exam period of an elite school.

Yu-ri Lee, who was sitting behind her, was working hard on the test while making groaning noises.

Alice is tying a white band around her head and staring intently at the test paper.

Natsuki is marking the OMR card with a worried expression.

Even Lauren was flipping through the test papers with a very nervous expression.

‘Well… if I tell you everything honestly here… wouldn’t that be no different from cheating…?’

I was already confident in my memory,

Moreover, even before returning, he had read all the textbooks in order to somehow survive.

In an unawakened state, you had to be smart so you wouldn’t be treated like an outcast.

Also, in the midst of the continual arguments and fights, it was a great help to have a good understanding of the theory of combat.

So now, just by taking a quick look at this test paper,

Most of the time, I was able to solve any problem with the knowledge I had left in my head.

If you do well, you can achieve perfect scores in all subjects.

“Now~ I can hear you rolling your eyes, so don’t do anything stupid…“

Surt walked among the students holding a brown cane.

At that moment, I grabbed the jacket of a woman who was passing by me.

And then in a very small voice,

I whispered so that only she could hear.

“Hey there, Mr. Surt.“

“Huh? Why Seojin? Is there a problem with the test paper?“

I handed her the OMR card.

“Give me one automatically.“

“…“

Sigh–!

“Ako!“

“Is this crazy…!“

So I had no choice.

I worked hard on all the exams.

—-

Buzz, buzz…

“Kids, did you hear that…? That Han Seo-jin ranked first in the whole school this time…!“

“They said it was all perfect…! It’s really amazing…!“

“After all, he is the class president…! There is no real elite…!“

“I’ll have to ask you to teach me how to study later…hehe…“

“Hmm. It won’t be easy, there are a lot of girls next to the class president, and they’re also part of the student council.“

“Wow…this is absolutely ridiculous. They say nothing is perfect…“

I lay face down on the desk and closed my eyes.

“Wow…”

My physical condition was getting worse as time passed.

Yesterday, I woke up unexpectedly in the early morning, held the toilet for two hours, and then vomited.

This morning, I was lying on the floor with blood gushing from my throat.

Fortunately, my roommate Taejun was able to quickly carry me to the health room.

If he hadn’t helped me, I might have ended up in the hospital.

‘Why is my body like this… It’s not like I’m under some kind of curse… Ugh…’

Unlike my body, which is gradually breaking down.

Life at the academy really expanded my wings.

He was given the role of being a full-fledged member of the student council and even leading first-year students.

As a leader, I was beating up delinquent students who were disrupting school order.

To the extent that there is no reason for me to go out,

Alice and Yuri Lee make a pretty good duo, so they overpower them all and drag them away.

Lauren seemed to be working hard on various things since joining the accounting department.

‘But…why did they make someone like me the class president…’

Enthusiastic support from other students and overwhelming approval from Surtur.

And with so many votes flocking to me.

In the end, as the only candidate, I was given the position of class president.

Of course, after this, I will be even more busy preventing terrorist attacks by the religious order, so I will be absent from school often.

To help children walk the right path under Surt,

Tutoring students with her didn’t feel too bad.

Cholarock—-!

“Wow…why is the classroom so dark? Are you children of darkness?“

When Surtur pulled the curtain, strong sunlight filled the classroom.

I woke up groggy, straightened my hair, and opened my eyes.

“Are you awake, master?“

“Ugh…Haaam…I’ve been sleeping wrong these days…“

“You look very tired. Maybe dorm life isn’t for you…? Just say the word and I’ll be home right away…“

I smiled at Yuri and rubbed my eyes.

“No, no, it’s okay. It will be more tiring commuting from home to here. And Yuri, you’re busy studying too.“

“No…! I’m not busy at all…! Rather, I…“

Clap-clap-clap—!

Surtur drew attention by pounding the attendance register on the teacher’s table.

“Okay, everyone, turn off the local broadcast. Because there is a mid-term practical exam starting tomorrow. Disseminate that information. Class president, please come out and hand out prints of this.“

“Yes. Teacher.“

I held back my sore stomach, tried to smile, and winked at Yuri.

She nodded slightly, as if regretful.

We immediately received the printouts and began distributing them to each division.

I twirled the wad of paper around with my finger and counted them,

Now that I have some free time, I am able to pass through the printed material as many people as I can.

Click-!

PPT slides appeared on the huge TV.

Surt pointed to the screen with a pointer and explained the contents of the practical test.

“Let’s see… First of all, starting this year, supervisors from other occupations other than healer supervisors will also accompany us. Because…“

When she pressed the button, a video played on YouTube.

There, researcher Joohee Han, Minhee Park, and Catherine were seen.

Everyone showed up at the event dressed up quite nicely.

‘Ah… now that I think about it, I thought they were already delivering modified elixirs…’

I received a call from Catherine asking me to attend that day.

However, I was busy resolving the Plaga situation and had no choice but to not attend.

For no reason, I felt like it would be a hindrance for me, a young person, to attend such an important event.

Not only did it involve internationally renowned academic journals, media outlets, and even reporters,

The effects of that elixir were demonstrated at a fairly important event where hunters from all over the world gathered.

Thanks to Catherine’s hard work, the effects of the elixir became widely known in an instant, and the response was much better than expected.

Although the large production and logistics lines were operating at full capacity, production could not keep up with demand.

‘Well…if you just have that one…the chances of hunters getting hurt while clearing the gate will be significantly reduced. You don’t have to suffer abuse from healers.’

It caused a craze in all countries around the world, sending the Internet into an uproar.

Viral marketing spread like crazy as influencers left reviews on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

There was an uproar with hunters trying to buy the elixir from resellers, even at a premium.

Right now, I’m just the boss, but

The operation was handled by Catherine, and the development was handled by Joohee and Park Minhee.

After dividing the roles like this, I was just helping the company run smoothly.

Thanks to the destruction of the Vegas Company, it must have been quiet for a while.

It would have taken quite some time for Shinpoong Pharmaceutical to copy that elixir.

That alone was enough to make it work, because each and every one of them was talented.

“Well, anyway, thanks to that company providing a lot of elixirs to our academy… we don’t have to run around the neighborhood looking for healer supervisors from now on. Did everyone understand?“

Surt crossed his arms and flipped through the slides again.

“Team members will be randomly assigned from within the same grade. Supervisors will be randomly assigned by the school. It will probably be okay because the balance will be adjusted for each role group.“

“Oh…! It’s finally the practical test…! I’ve been waiting for this day so long…!“

Alice looked at Surtur brightly, filled with anticipation.

It looks like she prepared hard for something, as she barely got a score that avoided failing on the written exam.

It seemed like he was planning to make up for his mistakes by performing well during this practical exam.

“Everyone, please come to the test site at the location and time indicated on the printed material. Never be late. Everyone knows, right?“

“Yes, teacher~!“

The students looked at the printed paper they received with excitement.

There were also students taking exams on the same day and at the same location.

There were students who were close friends but split up into different groups.

“Ha…“

I took a deep sigh and unfolded the printed paper.

‘Please…please…I made the elixir, so the saintess can rest…please…a lot has changed so far…a different fate this time too…’

Cheollarak—!

“셅…“

The text I had seen before was printed exactly on the paper.

「Overseer – Saint Mary」

The first time I met the saint was during the practical exam that day.

It also healed my completely broken reason and my shattered spirit.

It was all thanks to her.

If I hadn’t met her that day.

I would be standing here right now,

Even if he was alive, he would have been able to maintain his sanity like this.

I couldn’t come to a definite conclusion.

And in that disgusting room where you had to kill one of them to get out.

I killed her with my own hands.

It was a lame excuse to save my life.

“Wow…!“

“Do…Young Master…?“

The nightmare is strangling my throat and slowly creeping up.

Sin runs down my spine,

The horrors of that day replay over and over again before my eyes.

Phew—!

The feeling of a knife stabbing her heart.

The kind of tragedy that takes someone’s life.

That unforgivable sense of guilt.

Take me very slowly into the abyss.

It was making it sink.

——-

In front of the Bukhansan Mountain hiking trail.

Many students were gathered there.

Supervisors guiding students while holding speakerphones and flags.

And I saw students waiting, each fully equipped with weapons and armor.

Today, as always, Central Academy was preparing for the practical exam to be held on Bukhansan Mountain.

Many instructors and soldiers were standing guard around the Bukhansan Mountain area, especially near the test site.

‘Let’s come to our senses… come to our senses…’

Han Seo-jin drank Americano in one go and slapped his cheek vigorously.

I was feeling sick when I took caffeine on an empty stomach.

I haven’t been able to sleep at all since yesterday, and as soon as I brought food to my mouth, I immediately vomited.

In that state, I couldn’t even swallow simple rice porridge.

‘Mari…Sister Mari is fine…Yuri…and Natsuki…you protected them all…so…’

“Wow…!“

He stumbled, holding his hand against a nearby tree, nauseating.

I tried my best to shake off the nightmare of that day that was pounding like crazy in my head.

The innate ability to remember anything,

It was once a blessing, but now it is an ability that is close to an abominable curse.

The terrible tragedy we faced at the end.

I thought we were almost there.

I thought I wouldn’t lose anyone anymore.

The tragedy I faced that day was not easily forgotten,

The nightmare was still playing over and over again hundreds of times before his eyes.

“Whoo….Whoo…Whoo…“

Han Seo-jin took a deep breath and came to his senses.

Anyway, everything had to be done.

Losing Marie wasn’t all that surprising when you look back on what he experienced in this world as a whole.

Killing someone directly was just another tragedy after Seo-Arang.

Even though I was falling apart, I am grateful to the person who comforted me and gave me a lot of mental help.

She was the one who always greeted him with a bright smile, no matter what day it was.

Even when the saint read her past, even when she faced those gray and terrible days.

She said nothing, just said she felt sorry for herself.

He just hugged me so warmly and comforted me as I wandered through hell.

The day I was trapped in a room with her that I couldn’t get out of unless I killed one of them.

That benevolent person who seemed like nothing could ever repay the warmth she gave him.

He hated the moment his disgusting greed took her life.

I’m so crazy, I’m so consumed by anger that I feel like my heart will break…

Knock knock.

“Hey, are you student Han Seojin?“

“Uh…yes…“

“Ah, that’s a relief…! You keep disappearing…“

Beautiful long blonde hair.

Scarlet eyes and a neat veil on her head.

A sacred and neat black nun’s robe,

Just by looking at her, it seems like all sins can be washed away.

And the one he had longed for all along.

Saint Marie was tapping his shoulder.

“Ah…I’m sorry…I was nervous and feeling sick…“

Han Seo-jin immediately turned his head and avoided her eyes.

“Hehe…you must be very nervous…don’t worry. If you are a Seojin student, you will be able to do well.“

That smile.

That bright, bright smile.

Wash away all his guilt,

At least it gave me hope that we could get out of this hell together.

The one who stabbed her with a knife.

The nightmare of that day when I was gradually losing my life.

To the point where I couldn’t look Marie in the eye,

I hated myself like crazy that day.

“Ahaha…I’m sorry. Let’s leave right away.“

“Yes, that’s right. Just come this way.“

But as always.

He wore a mask and hid his expression.

Only you experience such pain or nightmares,

You will bear all your sins.

Marie now.

He just hoped that he could protect him.

—-

“Ai…you know quickly? Really…“

“Wow…you’re so shameless, you don’t even apologize.“

“Ah~ Don’t be like that. Still, you arrived on time, right?“

Two bad looking girls.

And sitting between them is a male student with a smooth face.

They looked at me as if they disapproved of me as a foreigner,

I spit out the words, somehow calming my nauseated stomach.

“The test time is 9:00, and it is now 8:59.“

“Ha? Look at you now. Well, there isn’t a single piece of equipment in good condition, right? Why are there all these beggars?“

She pointed to the plain school uniform and shabby leather armor I was wearing.

As the female student said, while everyone was equipped with a full set of sturdy and expensive equipment,

I walked around casually wearing some really ordinary-looking leather armor.

Of course, he was just hiding the [A] class equipment he was wearing with the shape-shifting skill.

In order to reduce the skill gap caused by items among students,

The use of magic items of grade [C] or higher was strongly prohibited by the academy.

Of course, because of the chairman’s cover, I was able to easily avoid such restrictions.

Still, I felt like I was always indebted to her, so I just disguised myself for a while.

‘Oh… I’m going out with the kids again…’

“Ah~ Don’t be like that, let’s get along well~ Huh?“

“Ha…if that’s what our Siwon says, there’s nothing we can do.“

“Hehe, but it looks pretty even. Still, I think it’s less than Siwon…“

After extorting 5 million won from innocent female hunters with little male experience,

The legendary Kkotsnake who got into trouble and moved on to another guild.

I met Park Si-won with my own eyes like this.

Today was the day of the practical exam.

“Okay, anyway. We got to be together like this today. Do you all get along well?“

“Heung, don’t grab my ankle. Like you…“

I couldn’t hear their voices.

Just the presence of Marie standing next to me.

And in my nightmare so deep that I can’t escape.

I was barely able to breathe in and out to stay sane.

I closed my eyes and muttered to myself.

This time too,

I think we can get through it just fine.

Something throbbing deep in my heart,

I felt my body getting weaker.

It felt like the karma I had accumulated so far had come back to me.

Now, it will be my turn to sacrifice.