episode_0109

…Hack.

“Hmm.”

After turning Lee Hyunjin into a near invalid, Cheon Soyul got up, leaving her husband gasping desperately for breath.

She subtly turned her head to look out the window… The weather was clear, and the sky quite bright.

In other words, it was morning. It was around midnight the day before when she had completely lost her mind and grabbed Lee Hyunjin by the collar, so time had truly flown by.

Cheon Soyul gathered her clothes and covered her nakedness, and as she got up, she simultaneously slapped Lee Hyunjin’s thigh. Smack!

“…!”

“If you ever pull a stunt like this again without warning. Come prepared to wither away.”

Lee Hyunjin had no words to retort to Cheon Soyul’s chilling voice.

He simply nodded with great difficulty.

Confirming the genuine struggle in her husband’s expression, Cheon Soyul finally smiled contentedly and stretched.

“Huuuugh.”

Naturally, even for her, the cost of overnight physical labor was unavoidable.

In fact, it should have been much harder for her than for Lee Hyunjin, who had the ability to absorb energy…

The reason why Lee Hyunjin was currently exhausted while Cheon Soyul was relatively energetic, as if boasting her health, was simple.

He could continue relations without getting tired because he had energy absorption?

The solution was simple. Just forbid him from using the energy absorption ability itself.

Of course, whether Lee Hyunjin would obediently follow that command was another matter.

This time, however, was a bit different.

Since Lee Hyunjin had clearly committed a transgression, Cheon Soyul was in a position to squeeze him dry without restraint.

Cheon Soyul headed to the kitchen with a bright smile.

It was morning, and they were nominally in a (prospective) marital relationship, so she could at least prepare a simple breakfast, couldn’t she?

“Heehee.”

Humming cheerfully, as if showing she was in an unusually good mood, Cheon Soyul turned on the induction stove.

Deep down, she had been anxious the dawn before, wondering what if Lee Hyunjin refused her request not to use energy absorption.

But Lee Hyunjin, as if to show her, had floundered and acted exactly as she wished…

As a result, hadn’t they had a very pleasant night after a long time?

She hadn’t gotten much sleep, but it didn’t matter. She had satisfied other things instead.

Cheon Soyul, her face flushed, stroked her lower abdomen. She picked up a cooking utensil.

Thus, the morning at Cheongsong Academy began anew today. For Lee Hyunjin and Cheon Soyul, it was quite an unusual newlywed life.

*****

Violet began living in the room next to mine in the dormitory, with her arms bound by a special restraint device carried by the Hero.

Was it really okay to place an S-class villain near the students? There were doubts.

Conversely, it was also proof that the ‘handcuffs’ the Hero had brought out were incredibly effective. Apparently, it was a magical artifact worth billions.

I was once again amazed by the Hero’s wealth, effortlessly pulling out such items.

‘As expected of the man who saved the world.’

He was truly someone worthy of such a grand title. I hadn’t actually expected him to live a life struggling for money, though.

In any case, Hero and Academy Headmaster, Yang Chan-ho, accepted my compromise.

I had business with the Moonlight Cult Leader, and from the Hero’s perspective, he had always disliked such a cult.

Meaning, our objectives aligned.

From now on, based on Violet’s testimony, we would slowly begin to narrow down the Moonlight Cult’s stronghold… And if her location could be clearly identified.

“…”

It wouldn’t be strange for a large-scale operation with significant impact to be carried out then.

In short, it was a plan to subjugate the Cult Leader.

Of course, the time it would take to definitively locate those Moonlight Cult members wouldn’t be short. Verification work was also necessary.

After all, one couldn’t simply believe the words of Violet, a former villain, at face value.

“Tsk.”

In that sense, I was spending my academy life as usual.

The Cheongsong Festival had ended successfully, and the academy had now returned to normal.

So, what was I doing now?

Whoosh!

I was currently dodging the claws of a female student who was falling from the sky as if defying gravity.

They weren’t just sharp; they were imbued with mana, so a wrong move would result in being shredded.

What more needed to be said? It was a rank battle. The rankings had been shifting wildly over the past few days, making up for the delay during the Cheongsong Festival.

I still held the first place, but…

Cheon Soyul, ranked second, was almost caught by Kim Yijun, ranked third, and it was no different for the ranks below them.

The balance of power hadn’t particularly changed. Cheon Soyul’s skill was still a level above Kim Yijun’s.

However, rank battles weren’t always strictly determined by skill.

For instance, Baek Ayun had also spent days crushed by emptiness and self-reproach after Kanzaki snatched fourth place from her…

And as another example, the female student currently swinging her claws fiercely like a wild cat in front of me was a case who had risen to the top ranks due to a confluence of luck.

Rachel Brehelton. An exchange student from the UK, self-proclaimed and publicly recognized as the most sociable person in Class A.

Her golden hair, of a moderate length reaching her shoulder blades, swished with her large movements, and the next moment, a spinning kick came in.

Thud!

I immediately raised my arm to block the sudden attack. As the sound indicated, the impact was no small matter.

The jarring sensation was very intense… but conversely, it was bearable to some extent.

Of course, a year ago, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. Back then, I was a ‘100% pure-blooded mage,’ in both good and bad ways.

Now, well, I had experienced several unintended close-quarters battles, and somehow (?) gained close-combat abilities.

For example, first, Baek Ayun’s ability.

More specifically, her leg strength (脚力).

Thanks to that, my physical abilities had been somewhat enhanced. Honestly, the most beneficial was on par with Heavenly Thunder.

…Of course, the ability that benefited me most in another sense was energy absorption, but…

That was a fact I wanted to ignore as much as possible.

Anyway.

“Hup.”

I took a short breath and immediately executed a powerful stomp. Thump!

The ground of the virtual dungeon shook violently.

“…!”

Rachel’s expression changed instantly, and as she showed her tension and increased the mana density in her claws by another level.

Whoosh!

I kicked off the ground as if pushing myself away, reaching right in front of her in an instant.

Primarily, this was thanks to Baek Ayun.

Next, there were two more things that benefited me in close combat.

Rumble…!

Suddenly, my right arm began to vibrate.

Literally, it was trembling.

This ability was acquired during an accidental encounter with Senior Seo Harin. She was a person who handled sound and sound wave-based magic…

And I had made her ‘vibration’ my own.

Furthermore, I had realized that it would be more useful in close combat than in magic battles, so why wouldn’t I utilize it?

I approached Rachel, who was still bewildered and had not reacted properly.

Actively increasing my proficiency, I focused the power of vibration into my arm and swung it widely.

Rachel reflexively raised her claws, but—

Crack!

Mere claws whose reach was extended by mana could not stand against my mana, superior in quality, and the fist imbued with it.

All five of her extended blue claws snapped cleanly in two.

“…What?!”

Perhaps she hadn’t expected such a difference in raw strength.

Rachel gasped, her mouth wide open in astonishment.

Of course, I wasn’t entirely unscathed. My bare skin was indeed torn from clashing my fist against her sharpened claws.

However, even that didn’t matter much.

Because it regenerated instantly.

“Heh.”

I couldn’t help but let out a pleased chuckle.

This was the new ability I had just acquired.

Violet’s ability, which had reached S-class in close combat, was bound to be helpful even if I wasn’t a close-combat specialist.

It was called rapid regeneration.

Most injuries could no longer leave a significant mark on me. Even if they did, they would heal quickly.

“Huh…?”

Rachel, witnessing this regeneration, looked at me with an incredulous gaze.

I shrugged my shoulders defiantly, which was also a clear provocation.

“…Hyunjin? Do you want to fight?”

A cross-shaped vein pulsed on Rachel’s forehead, as if displeased. She channeled her energy to create claws again and charged at me.

“That wasn’t my intention.”

Thwack!

“…Ugh.”

With a single punch I swung, she was hit squarely in the side and crumpled to the ground.

She wasn’t unconscious, but the victory and defeat of the rank battle were decided.

My victory, and Rachel’s defeat. A hologram window announcing the end of the rank battle appeared in the air of the virtual dungeon…

Rachel, still sprawled on the ground, clutching her side and writhing in pain, then…

“…Hmph.”

“?”

She subtly looked up at me, revealed a fleeting, intense gaze, before dissolving into particles of light and vanishing.

She had returned to the arena.

Swish!

And when I returned to the arena a moment later…

She had already left the spot long ago.

I stood there for a while, blinking, with an unreadable expression on my face.