Chapter 125
I had no interest in first-year grades.
After all, the scholarship wasn’t mine to begin with, and I wasn’t struggling for money like before.
Now that I’ve safely advanced to the third year, it’s easy to forget about past grades and move on.
…Or so I wanted to believe.
“Aaaaah!”
My precious vacation… My precious rest…
Damn this retaking of courses…
I cursed under my breath and slammed my head on the desk.
Because of that damned academic conference, I ended up registering for a class that first-year students take.
I couldn’t completely ignore Professor Ernst’s subtle persuasion, but the main reason was because of the conference.
It’s the main episode, so I can’t just send Lee Han, Adela, and Yoon Haul alone.
Azent, the dark magician, may not be strong, but he’s meticulous.
A quick and cunning looter. Without information, we can’t defeat him.
In other words, at this point, I’m the only one who can properly handle Azent.
Though I have to rely on my incomplete memories.
Sigh.
That aside…
“Why are you here?”
“Hm?”
Yoon Haul lifted his head, eyes sparkling. His bangs, messy from burying his face in the desk, were sticking out in all directions.
It’s not surprising that I’m here since my first-year grades were near failing.
But Yoon Haul, weren’t you a top student in your first year?
Despite lounging around all the time, Yoon Haul would mysteriously show up during exams and consistently place in the top ranks.
His grades couldn’t have been bad.
Yoon Haul smiled sheepishly and turned his head.
“It’s fun.”
“What is?”
“Attending classes!”
Yeah, right.
If Adela had said that, I might have believed it somewhat….
But since it was Yoon Haul who said it, it was already a ridiculous statement.
“You sleep in class.”
“…!”
“You’ve never really paid attention, have you? Am I wrong?”
“…No way. But I must have listened at least once?”
Yoon Haul’s eyes darted around quickly.
He was probably trying to figure out if he had ever really listened to a class.
After racking his brain and failing to come up with any data suggesting he had actually paid attention in class, Yoon Haul trailed off.
“No way.”
“You probably didn’t listen even once, did you?”
“Gah.”
Yoon Haul shut his mouth, apparently stung by the truth.
“I don’t have time to retake all my classes even if I wanted to. So, I have to score first in all the courses I’m taking this term. I’m going to study hard, so if you’re going to sleep, do it at the back.”
“Got it!”
Yoon Haul immediately flopped onto the desk, and I turned away, pulling out a book.
*Basic Astrology.* I had signed up for this astrology course from the Theology Department, where Han Siha had infamously ranked 297th, beating out only three others.
Given that I had even competed in a tournament before, I figured I could get good grades with just a little effort.
It might be easier for Yoon Haul, though.
To make sure I didn’t lose first place to him, I had to work even harder.
I planned to take advantage of the short time before the professor arrived to read ahead in the first chapter.
“Han Siha.”
“….”
“Han Siha, are you studying?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not doing it right.”
“I haven’t even opened the book yet.”
“Oh… okay….”
Didn’t he say he was going to sleep?
“Han Siha… are you studying?”
The supposedly sleeping Yoon Haul was now looking at me with bright eyes.
He must have napped so much… that he’s wide awake now.
Unbelievable.
I was about to force him back to sleep when he spoke in a trembling voice.
“Are you studying… to go to the academic conference?”
“Yes, so stop talking to me. I need to focus….”
“But do you really… have to go to the conference?”
I couldn’t ignore this.
I slowly turned to Yoon Haul, frowning.
“Why are you asking?”
I have to go because of the cube.
If the academic conference has appeared as a main episode, it means Azent the dark magician is going to show up there as per the original story, and it also means he’s seriously targeting the cube.
Although Yoon Haul doesn’t know the full story, he’s trying to stop me from going to the conference.
He wouldn’t do this without a reason.
Yoon Haul’s jet-black eyes met mine.
I saw an unknown fear within them.
“It’s nothing.”
But Yoon Haul just smiled lightly without saying more.
“I’ll go with you.”
* * *
Supreme Professor, who was in charge of *Basic Astrology* for first-year students, disappeared at the speed of light as soon as the lecture was over, true to his reputation for being disinterested in students.
The lecture ended in just one hour.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be a three-hour class?”
“Yes, it was.”
Yoon Haul, who had just finished a one-hour nap, nodded as he stood up.
The amazing compression power to finish a three-hour lecture in just one hour.
He’s truly impressive.
“It’s over!”
The pre-freshmen, who hadn’t even officially enrolled yet, were all excited as they jumped up from their seats.
The classroom was filled with a mix of pre-freshmen who had enrolled early for the adaptation period and first-years who hadn’t been able to advance to the second year.
Either way, they were all juniors to me.
So, I hadn’t noticed.
Apparently, there had been some sort of subtle tension between them during the previous lecture.
“Those guys acted like they owned the place. Seriously annoying.”
“Did you see them sneaking glances at us? Acting all superior just because they’re a year ahead. So what? If they fail this class again, they’ll be in the same year as us.”
The old first-years who were bullying the new freshmen.
And the freshmen who were annoyed by those senior first-years.
That seemed to be the atmosphere in the classroom.
As soon as one person started complaining while waiting for the next class, the guy next to him raised his voice.
“What’s… going on?”
Yoon Haul, rolling his eyes, poked me in the side.
Honestly, I don’t know the details either.
I just noticed that the atmosphere was off, so I was looking around cautiously.
But, whatever it was, it had nothing to do with me.
After all, I wasn’t part of either group.
I’m about to advance to the third year, so there’s no reason for me to act all territorial here. That would just be embarrassing.
I should just focus on preparing for the next class.
However…
“Hey.”
A kid with short, red hair and a less-than-pleasant expression came up to me.
“There are five of us, and we want to sit together. My friend is next to you, so could you move?”
His hands were shoved in his pockets, and his tone was annoyingly arrogant.
I was still processing his audacity when he spoke again, this time with a tone full of irritation.
“Ugh, just move already. Why are you being so difficult?”
He was clearly annoyed by my silence and turned to target Yoon Haul instead, who looked dazed, having just woken up.
“Can you move too?”
“What?”
“You can at least do that, right?”
Oh, I see how it is.
He’s speaking politely, but his words are completely rude!
I scratched my head and looked up.
“What did you say?”
I didn’t mind moving my seat since I didn’t own the place, but the way he talked… His attitude was utterly disrespectful!
The redhead sighed when he saw my face and muttered under his breath.
“Ugh, a senior.”
He didn’t seem to know who I was, but he must’ve realized I wasn’t a freshman from my unfamiliar face.
The redhead clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Whatever. I’m leaving. Seriously, these seniors are so territorial.”
With his hands back in his pockets, he turned to walk away.
Thunk.
This time, I grabbed the brat’s arm.
“What are you doing?”
The redhead’s face twisted in anger as I gripped his arm.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You don’t know who I am, do you?”
Yoon Haul, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly stood up with wide eyes.
But the redhead’s response came faster.
He glared at me, eyes narrowing.
“I know who you are. You’re a senior. It’s not the first time we’ve had to deal with second-years being a pain here.”
“….”
“If you were a decent senior, that’d be one thing, but why do you all act so entitled when you’re stuck in the same class with us because you failed?”
At that moment, some of the former first-years who recognized me started whispering among themselves.
Even if the new freshmen didn’t know me, those who had attended events like festivals, academic conferences, and other competitions should recognize me.
“Isn’t that senior… a second-year?”
“Wasn’t he third in the second year?”
“Then why is he here…?”
“Who knows…”
“Are they about to fight?”
It’s a pity that the redhead didn’t have sharper hearing. He was too consumed by anger to notice the murmurs. Instead, he glared at me even more intensely than before.
“Let’s not make a scene. It’s not something to be proud of, failing and having to take classes with juniors.”
Pat.
He dared to pat my shoulder dismissively, which felt infuriating.
The sensitivity of my senses kicked in, and I scowled.
The Sensory Cube.
Instinctively, it activated, heightening my senses even further.
Sigh.
I glanced over at Yoon Haul.
Should I fight or not?
It felt wrong to pick on juniors, even if they were acting out.
But then again, the ones I’ve beaten up so far were all younger than me.
“Hmm.”
“Let’s just move past this peacefully.”
“Hmmm….”
“Now you’re just ignoring me?”
Ignoring me, huh?
Well.
I guess this can’t be helped.
As my senses sharpened, my mood became even more volatile.
A prickly sensation surged through my veins, carried by the heightened awareness in my fingertips.
I hadn’t realized it at first, but this method of amplifying my senses was similar to manipulating mana.
Carefully control it, focus it on a single point, and then release it.
I channeled all my concentration into maximizing this sensation that kept rising.
I had never used this sensory amplification in actual combat before.
I had also never utilized this method of mana manipulation in a real fight.
Drawing out all your mana at once is an extremely dangerous method in combat.
But I was curious.
How powerful would my mana be if I fully enhanced my senses?
So, I decided to test it.
“Hey, come here for a second.”
“What?”
I grabbed the clueless kid’s finger.
A light handshake.
No, more like a handshake with death.
“Let me show you who I am, you brat.”
“What the hell are you—”
I unleashed my mana in a single burst.
And then—
“Urrgh!”
Boom.
Crash.
“Oh.”
The junior was sent flying.
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