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······The morning after wrapping up the black market business. When I entered the classroom, Han Seyeon was back.
Surrounded by numerous students, she smiled kindly, nodding to each one.
As students from other classes came over, worried, she reassured them and bid them farewell. She was quite popular.
Well, she was the one who took
After a while, as the assembly time approached, the students scattered in all directions.
Han Seyeon, who had been hidden behind the kindness curtain, was finally able to strike up a conversation alone with the man.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yeah, I drank the potion Hyesol gave me and recovered quickly.”
I couldn’t understand why Han Seyeon seemed so pleased with my casual question, but she smiled broadly and nodded.
Her smile, devoid of shadows, was no different from usual, which put me at ease.
“I’m glad it worked well for you.”
Thinking back to when I visited her during her illness, I forced a bitter smile.
That day, when Han Seyeon fell asleep on my lap, I had to act as a human pillow for a whopping 20 minutes.
I tried to be careful when waking her up to move her, but she ended up clinging to me even more tightly, making it inevitable.
Perhaps her habit of clinging on, even while sleeping, stemmed from her childhood habit of never letting go of her doll.
That too seemed to be a behavior rooted in the keyword “possessiveness.”
What was truly bitter was that this possessiveness was a kind of trauma resulting from losing people around her due to the “miasma phenomenon.”
It must have been quite a shock for her when the caregiver who had taken care of her since childhood died due to the miasma.
Maybe even my small requests were a burden because of that influence.
Lost in these thoughts, Nikolai confidently approached Han Seyeon and slyly handed her a note.
Accepting it with a smile and gratitude, Han Seyeon made Nikolai beam like a child receiving praise.
His unwarranted pride left me dumbfounded, and as I let out a hollow laugh, Nikolai furrowed his eyebrows.
“What’s wrong, Yi Hae-sol?”
“You lent me your notes; you’re kind.”
“…Hmph, it’s natural between classmates.”
Not expecting the return of the kindness comment, Nikolai flinched, then relaxed and returned to his seat.
“He’s quite persistent.”
What Nikolai handed over was a summary note of the lessons Han Seyeon had missed for the past two days due to her illness.
Seeing the student who usually only focused on taking notes willingly share them with the top student, it seemed like becoming the top student was out of the question.
Just then, the classroom door suddenly swung open, and Eungaye rushed in, claiming she had overslept.
Seeing her disheveled appearance, I glanced at the clock.
[8:01 AM]
“She’s late.”
Assembly starts at 8 AM.
Sure enough, standing at the lectern, Ha Jinwoo stated calmly,
“Eungaye, you’re late. Minus one point for tardiness.”
“Ugh!”
Eungaye buried her head in her hands, a look of defeat on her face.
Ha Jinwoo roared sternly,
“Everyone, pay attention!”
During assembly time, Ha Jinwoo, with a screen displayed on the blackboard, spoke up,
“This afternoon, we will be conducting a lesson on ‘Guarding and Retrieving Magical Stones.'”
The words “Mana” and “Giant” appeared on the screen.
“The essence of the lesson is to retrieve the magical stones stolen by the Giants.”
In the world of superhumans, the Minds who manipulate magic often plunder precious treasures and magic stones just like they did during the Hae Shin Yeon era.
To reclaim the plundered items, an exceptional superhuman is required.
And most of these exceptional superhumans were funded by the Eternity Academy.
“We will divide the students into Mind and superhuman teams for classes. I have already assigned the team members, so please check your respective teams.”
As Hajinwoo finished speaking, the team members were displayed on the screen. And as I checked, my mouth fell slightly open.
“We’re screwed.”
***
“Right.”
Lunchtime. I stabbed at the pork cutlet with my fork, thinking about the upcoming class in the afternoon.
＜Guardian of Magic Stones – Retrieval＞
It was a fairly high-scoring class, and this time, I was assigned to the ‘Mind’ team responsible for thwarting the retrieval of magic stones.
Among our team members, only Han Seyeon, Nicolaï, and I stood out.
On the other hand, the members of the opposing superhuman team were dazzling.
Cheon Woojin, Eun Ga-ye Amelia, Elaine, Oh Jinhyuk, Kim Hayoon, and so on…
Even though the balance was already being disrupted, it didn’t seem to pose any issues academically.
“If there’s a problem, it’s me.”
I was an ‘Irregular’ focused on asymmetric abilities.
A character specialized in countering Minds, but struggling to exert much power against strong superhumans.
While I might cause a stir, my actual strength wasn’t that impressive.
I’m just someone with high grades and low cost-effectiveness, as the saying goes.
Contrary to my concerns, my peers looked at me with full trust.
“I believe in you, Haesol.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Let’s crush them.”
“Sure, let’s do it.”
A very spirited atmosphere.
Nicolaï, exuding confidence, left his meal to challenge Cheon Woojin.
Meanwhile, Han Seyeon, seemingly indifferent, gave me a small smile.
“Haesol, we’re on the same team.”
“That’s right.”
“Let’s do well.”
“Sure, let’s.”
Maybe it was just my mood, but Han Seyeon didn’t seem very interested in the class. Then what does she mean by ‘let’s do well’?
Anyway, the atmosphere within our team was generally positive.
“It’s a good atmosphere, and I’m happy too.”
The issue is that, unfortunately, the superhuman team had a ‘nuclear cost-effectiveness card’ that contrasted with me.
“Why is that?”
As I stared blankly, the ‘nuclear cost-effectiveness card’ across from me, who was nibbling on apple pie, blinked.
“Because you’re on the opposing team, it’s intimidating.”
Surprisingly, my overestimation made Amelia initially flustered, but she then happily raised the corners of her mouth.
“Hoho, only now, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I understood very well.”
“Just because of that, don’t take it lightly. This class is reflected in grades.”
Watching Amelia smile happily, I felt genuinely burdened.
She might not know why, but her grades were consistently ‘low’ compared to her abilities.
It’s not like she’s hiding her strength or neglecting her grades, yet she always remains ‘outside the top 5.’
But it’s not like her skills are below the top 5 either; in team matches, she always shows incredible performance.
To the extent that she effortlessly outplays around two students with similar grades.
She focused on broad magic or buff spells, making her incredibly strong in team matches.
‘Truly cost-effective.’
While Amelia, unaware of my thoughts, sipped her tea happily.
***
······In the main building of the Hufmi branch, where the ＜Magic Stone Protection – Extraction＞ class was taking place, known as the ‘Training Hall.’
“The class content is simple.”
In front of the ‘Magician-side’ students, Hajinwoo explained the class content.
“On the 4th floor, the highest floor of the Training Hall, magic stones are placed. In the location where these magic stones are placed, there exists a ‘Barrier Room’ where you can activate a ‘barrier.’ You will need to prevent the earthling-side students from breaking through on each floor.”
Hajinwoo paused and raised what looked like a magical device.
“You have 30 minutes of preparation time. After that, you will engage in Extraction Battles for 1 hour. The sound of this timer will ring out at intervals. Any questions?”
Hajinwoo, testing the timer sound, glanced around at the students.
“Seems like there are none; then let’s begin.”
Beep-beep─!
The noise from the magical device signaled the start of the class.
***
“On the 1st and 2nd floors, there are trap spells. Let’s start placing personnel from the 2nd floor.”
Our ‘Commander’ was Nikolai.
Nikolai, always enthusiastic about leading such groups, smoothly progressed with the preparations even when left to his own devices.
The 1st and 2nd floors were covered in trap spells.
And personnel were arranged from the 2nd floor, with 15 individuals on each floor, except for the last 4th floor where the Barrier Room was, which had one person stationed.
‘Looks like they intend to block us entirely from the 2nd floor.’
If the 2nd floor was breached, trap spells would activate, and they would move to the 3rd floor. If the 3rd floor was breached, they would evacuate to the 4th floor.
“Understand the Barrier Room on the 4th floor, Ihaesol, it’s your responsibility.”
“···Me?”
“Yes, because you handle magic power the best among us.”
The durability of a barrier varies depending on who casts it, even if it’s the same barrier.
That’s why Nikolai assigned me, who supposedly handles magic power the best, to the Barrier Room.
The issue is, I have no magic power at all.
‘You need magic power to cast a barrier or not.’
If I messed up even slightly, not only would I fail to cast the barrier, but I might end up trapped on the 4th floor, facing the attackers alone.
‘That’s not an option.’
It might be fine if I didn’t care, but the opposite was out of the question.
“I want to switch with someone else.”
“Why?”
“If what you said is true, once the 2nd floor is breached, it’s over. It’s like staking everything on the 2nd floor.”
“Right.”
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better for me to be on the 2nd floor as well?”
“Hmph, the time limit is one hour. That should be enough to endure. Or do you not trust me?”
I paused as I was about to come up with a plausible excuse, thinking, ‘No, I do trust you.’
Upon quiet contemplation, I realized this place was the ‘Eternity Academy.’
And because this was the Eternity Academy, there were methods at our disposal.
Although a fleeting thought crossed my mind wondering if it was really okay…
‘Perhaps it doesn’t matter.’
Hajinwoo had said not to be picky about means and methods. So, whatever deed I commit must be fine, right? …Probably?
Let’s set aside the complex thoughts for now.
“Got it, I’ll go to the barrier room.”
“Good thinking. Well, pray for my turn to come soon.”
Nikolai, with a smug smile, roamed around each floor, personally engaging in the preparations.
He talked big, but in reality, he was just a laborer running around.
That’s why the newcomers probably wouldn’t resist at all.
Anyway, he was a person with a divided mind and body.
“Haesol, stop fooling around and help with the preparations.”
“To maintain the barrier, we need to conserve our magical power.”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
Having easily persuaded Nikolai, I ascended to the 4th floor.
Meanwhile, as the newcomers set traps, Han Seyeon was resting alone in a corner of the 4th floor.
The newcomers forcibly prevented her from working and confined her to the 4th floor (?).
The atmosphere was so intense that they almost tore her apart when she tried to work after suffering from a fever the day before.
And now, during snack time, she was chatting earnestly with Parangi, who had been released.
“Huh?”
Chatting?
I tilted my head in confusion.
As Parangi chattered away, Han Seyeon would either laugh or nod her head.
It was mainly Parangi talking while Han Seyeon listened.
As if receiving some delayed report.
Still puzzled, I walked towards the center where the magical stones were.
Although Nikolai claimed he would block the 2nd floor, I didn’t particularly believe him.
From the start, there were differences among the members, and on the opposing side was Elaine, whose specialty was trap magic.
So, before the breach, there was something I needed to prepare in the barrier room.
“Thank goodness there’s a spare enemy magical stone.”
After giving Parangi a snack and retrieving the spare enemy magical stone, I placed it on the barrier stone.
And.
Beep─
The sound signaling the beginning of the class echoed around.