Page 21

Second time passing out after the Steel Forest incident.

At this point, I might as well have a passive skill for fainting.

‘Considering how much I pushed myself.’

Fainting was a natural consequence.

"Hey, Wangnon, it’s dinner time."

At that moment, a voice reached my ears.

It was my roommate, Card Velique.

After being sent to the infirmary, I quickly received treatment.

Wounds inflicted by sword aura are slow to heal.

As a result, my treatment took longer than expected, and I was eventually transported straight to my room by the healer.

Between the previous battle and the final match of the mock combat,

even my endurance was pushed to its limit—it had been a gruelling exercise.

Thus, I was focusing solely on recovering my body today.

I could sense Card approaching and standing over me, staring intently.

What a bother.

I wished he'd go away.

“If you don’t get up right now, darling, I’ll give you a kiss.”

“Damn it!”

His sultry voice made me curse aloud.

Card laughed heartily, placing both hands on his hips.

What a lunatic thug.

“Yo, congrats on being ranked 14th.”

14th place—my rank from the mock battle.

Although I didn’t achieve my original goal of breaking into the top 10,

I did manage to knock out Ban, the so-called Lazy Genius, which was a significant achievement.

Surely, I had left a stronger impression in everyone's minds than the ten students in the higher ranks.

‘And that includes Isabel, too.’

As for Isabel, she didn’t get to participate in the fight she’d been eagerly anticipating.

She must’ve been fuming.

“Card, what rank are you?”

“Me? Heh, I’m 11th, higher than you.”

Card smirked and boasted.

But knowing his secret, I scoffed.

Just like Ban, he could’ve ranked much higher if he wanted to.

He was simply holding back his hidden cards, waiting for the right moment.

“And first place?”

“Still Sharin, of course.”

No surprise there.

Still, I felt a pang of regret.

I had prepared a secret weapon to take on Sharin and surpass Ban.

But I never even got the chance to use it.

‘The fight was tougher than I anticipated.’

This world isn’t a game.

It was harsher than the game knowledge I brought with me had prepared me for.

‘Especially…’

The battles involving extras, who weren’t even supposed to matter,

turned out to be far more challenging than expected.

Extras, too, were living people now,

desperately fighting to raise their ranks.

‘I need to broaden my perspective.’

Plans can be revised, but setbacks are unacceptable.

This mock battle taught me a lot.

“So, Wangnon, are you eating dinner or not? Marie herself is cooking tonight since it’s a mock battle day.”

“Why didn’t you wake me sooner? You should’ve woken me right away. So irresponsible.”

“Wow, the audacity.”

The head maid, Marie, was an exceptional cook, good enough to be scouted by the imperial palace.

If I arrived late, the other students might take all the food.

I bickered with Card as we left the room and descended the stairs.

My body still felt stiff, likely from the intense battles.

“Ah.”

As I came down the stairs, I ran into someone walking in the corridor.

The light reflected off their forehead, momentarily blinding me.

I rubbed my eyes instinctively.

Noticing my reaction, the person’s pupils widened in realization.

“You, you!”

Their ponytail swayed with their growing anger.

The shiny forehead belonged to none other than Seron Parmia, one of the four who constantly bad-mouthed me.

Of the four, she was the first I fought.

“Hello, 30th place.”

“Don’t call me 30th! And I wasn’t even 30th in the first place!”

Wasn’t she ranked 30th because I beat her?

“Seron is 19th now,”

Card explained from the side.

How does he even know that?

It seemed Seron clawed her way up using the remaining opportunities after losing to me.

Well, she never belonged as low as 30th to begin with.

“Last time, didn’t you have a stomachache during the mock battle?”

Card grinned mischievously at her, and Seron glared at him with a scowl.

“How does someone from the Magic Department even know that?”

“I make sure to remember all the pretty ones.”

“Say that one more time, and I’ll tear that mouth of yours wide open, you butter potato.”

Why does she compare everyone in this world to food?

When Seron made eye contact with me, her face twisted into a grimace.

“What are you looking at, you burnt sweet potato?”

She’s got quite the attitude.

I stared at her silently, and she didn’t back down, glaring at me in return.

Despite how badly I beat her, her spirit remained unshaken.

My neck started to ache from staring.

When I raised my hand, Seron flinched noticeably,

her foot stepping back and her body instinctively lowering.

Her reaction was pure reflex, ingrained into her by her earlier defeat.

No matter how tough she acted, she couldn’t forget what happened today.

Watching her, I briefly rubbed the back of my neck.

“Ugh!”

Realizing her involuntary reaction, Seron’s face turned bright red.

Steam practically rose from her forehead.

“You’re a tomato now. A bruised tomato.”

I decided to give her a nickname in return.

“Y-you—!”

Seron trembled, then turned her head sharply away and ran off in a huff.

Card watched her retreat with a curious expression, lowering his head slightly.

“What exactly did you do to her?”

“Threw her to the ground and punched her in the face.”

“Wow, she got wrecked. Tough girls acting all meek can be pretty cute, don’t you think?”

I grimaced at him.

“You’ve got terrible taste.”

“It’s a fine taste. Seron’s the type to be feisty with others but melt completely for her guy. You should give it a try; it’ll be fun.”

I let his words go in one ear and out the other.

When we reached the dining hall, it was just as crowded as expected.

Everyone seemed to be refueling after the grueling mock battles.

I joined the line and quickly grabbed my food.

“Well done today, Young Master Hannon,”

Marie, the head maid, greeted me as I received my meal.

She appeared to be greeting every student one by one.

For someone handling so many students, her dedication was impressive.

That’s the kind of commitment it takes to be the head maid, I suppose.

“Oh, Wangnon, it looks like there aren’t any seats left,”

Card noted as we looked around.

“If we must, we’ll eat outside.”

The outdoor tables were also an option, though it would be inconvenient.

Just then, I spotted an open seat.

“There’s one over there.”

“Wow, sharp eyes.”

I headed towards the table, Card following close behind.

Setting down my tray and sitting, I belatedly noticed who was sitting across from me.

Golden blonde hair tied into a bob and brilliant crimson eyes stared back at me.

“…You.”

It was Isabel Luna.

Next to her sat Sharin, munching on the whipped cream churros served as dessert.

She greeted me with her spoon, utterly ignoring any dining etiquette.

It was so characteristic of her.

“Yo, Isabel.”

Card greeted Isabel first.

She glanced at him briefly as if to acknowledge the greeting and then fixed her gaze on me.

Her stare could bore a hole through me.

I ignored her persistent gaze and took my seat.

Picking up my fork, I speared a piece of steak.

Still, Isabel's sharp eyes bore down on me.

“Even dogs don’t bother others while eating.”

“Don’t treat me like a dog.”

“I thought you were a Labrador Retriever.”

“Pfft.”

Sharin, sitting nearby, covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

When Isabel glared at her, Sharin quickly lowered her head and focused on finishing her churro.

“You know the results of the mock battle,”

Isabel said, as expected, steering the conversation there.

“If this is your way of demanding an apology—”

“I can’t accept this result.”

Her crimson eyes locked onto me, brimming with determination.

It was a firm, undeniable desire: she wanted to end this herself.

“I’ll bring you down myself and take that apology. So next time, climb back up.”

I see.

I understand it now.

‘Isabel is changing, little by little.’

For the first time, I noticed that the dark circles under her eyes were fainter than before.

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Her once scraggly hair showed signs of care, and she seemed healthier, as if she had been eating properly.

Even her perpetually chapped lips had gained a slight sheen.

Isabel had been relentlessly training since losing to me in the mock battle.

Proper meals, rest, and sleep were necessary to sustain such effort.

Results don’t appear overnight.

She must have forced herself to eat and rest since the day we met.

Now, the fruits of that effort were evident.

“…Why are you smiling?”

I hadn’t realized it—I was smiling.

“You’re mocking me, aren’t you? Forget it.”

Until the day you can live your life without me,

Isabel, I won’t go easy on you.

Perhaps hearing my grumble, Isabel pouted slightly and stood up.

Her tray was already empty.

She hesitated, as if she had one last thing to say, and then glared at me.

“…And for the record, I’m not doing this because of you. It’s for Lucas.”

There was a warning in her voice.

‘She overheard.’

That day, when some girls picked a fight with her, I had said something to them while standing up for Isabel.

She must have heard those words.

And it seemed to fuel her defiance even more.

“Sharin, let’s go.”

“O-okay.”

Sharin stood up, sticking a straw into her juice bottle.

As she passed me, she glanced my way and smiled faintly.

We had made a deal for me to play the villain for Isabel’s sake.

That smile was her way of saying I was doing well.

“Here, take this.”

Sharin handed me her churro.

I frowned.

“You already ate from this.”

“It’s tasty.”

“I have my own.”

Sharin tilted her head, muttering to herself about how delicious it was, and then left.

What a peculiar woman.

“Junior, the seat across from you seems to be free. May I sit?”

Just as I was about to sip my soup, someone else approached.

Looking up, I saw flowing silver hair.

Nikita Cynthia.

The vice president of our student council.

“Of course. I thought you might come, so I saved it for you.”

I gladly offered the seat.

“Thank you. The cafeteria is crowded today, and it wasn’t easy to find a spot.”

She sat across from me with a smile.

“You worked hard in the mock battle, junior. It was impressive.”

“Embarrassingly so. Did you see it?”

“As a senior, it’s only natural to watch my student council members give it their all.”

Nikita seemed to have a particular fondness for me.

“Climbing from 48th to 14th isn’t easy. Well done.”

Normally, I’m the one handing out compliments.

Hearing them from her was... strange.

“And now, about the reward.”

Here came the important part.

“Unfortunately, you didn’t make it into the top ranks.”

The top ranks referred to the top 10.

Nikita had promised a reward for placing in the top ranks, so it was a shame.

“I even thought of a honeymoon, but alas, how disappointing.”

“Sorry, but I can’t marry just anyone. My family decides my matches.”

Rejected.

That’s my second proposal and my second rejection.

What’s worse, Nikita was starting to become immune to my jokes.

It seemed my humor no longer worked on her.

Time to escalate.

Shall I get serious?

“Well, if you achieve something great enough for my family to notice, who knows?”

“Starting today, I’ll become a hero.”

“Ha! That’s a joke.”

“The Cynthia family is now my goal.”

“J-Junior, it was just a joke.”

“I’ll seal the Abyss and rise to the heavens.”

“J-Junior?!”

I mentally adjusted my plans.

Seeing my serious face, Nikita was visibly flustered.

“...Sometimes, I can’t tell if your jokes are serious or not.”

“I’m always serious.”

“Junior, as I’ve mentioned, my ideal partner is tall. If you grow taller, maybe I’d consider it.”

Rejected again.

That’s three proposals, three rejections.

“Hm, but something else about me is big,”

Card chimed in.

I shot him a glare, signaling him to shut up, but he shrugged nonchalantly.

“Wangnon, why does it feel like you’re only talking to famous people today? Am I imagining things? Or are you secretly irresistible?”

“I wish I had the power to shut you up.”

“That would take a lot of power. My mouth doesn’t stop.”

“I’m sewing it shut while you sleep.”

“Then I’ll sleep elsewhere tonight.”

What a clown.

“By the way, junior,”

Nikita called out, subtly pushing aside a piece of carrot.

She had a childlike palate and couldn’t eat carrots.

“What are your plans for the dungeon team?”

Dungeon teams were groups formed to explore underground labyrinths.

I had achieved decent results in the mock battle, which meant requests to join teams would surely come my way.

“Hmm, I haven’t thought much about it yet.”

Of course, I already had a plan.

But it wasn’t solely up to me.

“Could you include Foara in your team?”

“Foara?”

Foara Silin, a first-year who had contracted a Spirit Lord.

Thanks to this, he’d been promoted to the special class.

“Foara is in high demand. Other students will want him.”

“That’s exactly the problem. People expect too much from him, and excessive expectations often lead to disappointment.”

There’s a saying: "The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

If Foara failed to meet those expectations, it would harm both him and those who had placed their faith in him.

Nikita likely wanted to mentor him herself but couldn’t, as third-years ventured into much deeper floors.

“But I trust you won’t make that mistake.”

True enough, I had no expectations of Foara.

“What’s his opinion on the matter?”

“I subtly asked him today, and he requested to be on your team.”

A Spirit Lord contractor like Foara.

I pondered briefly before nodding.

“Sure.”

There was no reason to refuse.

This was a good chance to strengthen our rapport.

‘Now, which team will extend an offer?’

Hopefully, it’s the one I’ve been eyeing.

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