Chapter 749: A Senior Who Cares for His Juniors

To Dang Gyu-“young,” Han Gaeul was something like a friend’s little sister.

Under normal circumstances, they would have found her cute and looked after her.

The situation is ambiguous right now, though.

Since they were disguised as a classmate, there was no choice but to keep pushing the act for now.

So Dang Gyu-“ri” answered in a listless tone.

“Why?”

“I was wondering where you went. You disappeared as soon as midterms ended.”

“Because I missed him.”

At the same time, they blatantly lifted our interlaced hands.

As if showing off that this was the kind of relationship we had.

The gazes of the first-year prospects all turned toward me at once.

“.......”

“.......”

The overall mood was wary.

But perhaps deciding it would be rude to keep staring without a word, Han Gaeul bowed first.

“Hello, Senior Kim Ho. I’m Han Gaeul.”

“Yeah. Who told you about me?”

“My sister and Senior Jeong Chongmyeong told me.”

Han Gyeoul had been an officer of the White Magic Club last year, and Jeong Chongmyeong had even been the captain.

It made sense that they would still interact after graduation.

And apparently, they had given her a few tips about me as well.

“Now I’m curious. What did they say?”

“They said you were by no means an easy opponent, and that I must never be rude to you.”

Those words seemed aimed at the prospects standing behind her.

They had at least that much tact, because they flinched and then introduced themselves one after another.

The first to step forward was a male student carrying a thick saber on his back.

“It’s an honor to meet you for the first time, Senior. I’m Pang Suhan.”

“And Pang Miryeong is...?”

“My cousin.”

“I see.”

The next one to step forward was a swordsman who looked like a half-and-half mix of Geum Johan and Mo Yongjun.

He had the refined bearing unique to a prestigious family, and a slight trace of arrogance peeked through as well.

“I’m Hwangbo Song.”

“I’ve heard plenty about the reputation of the Hwangbo Family.”

Soft and fluffy.

I endured the itch in my mouth and turned my head toward the last prospect.

He had a bow slung across his back.

“Hello. I’m Hwang, Dalsu.”

“Are you related to Senior Hwang Dambi, by any chance?”

“She’s my sister.”

The sister is a marten, and the younger brother is an otter.

Were they a whole weasel family?

When I glanced at Dang Gyu-ri, they seemed to be thinking the same thing, because their molars were clenched tight.

So I casually tossed out a remark.

“Fluffy Hwangbo, marten, otter.”

“Stop, I’m dying.”

Dang Gyu-ri lightly pinched my elbow.

Their lips were trembling, as if they had barely held back a laugh.

Anyway, I decided to cut the joke off after the first verse.

I faced Han Gaeul and asked,

“So what brings you here?”

“I know this is rude, but there’s something I’d like to say to both of you.”

“Let’s hear it.”

It seemed they had some complaint about us.

If so, it was best to resolve it early, while the board was laid out like this.

After all, emotional rifts tended to deepen or twist out of shape as time passed.

Soon, Han Gaeul looked between us and began explaining.

“My first match with Dang Gyu-ri was during the placement test.”

“I think I heard that too.”

“I won the match itself, but... there were parts that didn’t sit right with me.”

“Like what?”

“They seemed to have no sense of crisis at all. Even when I was pushing them hard.”

“.......”

“It felt less like they lost and more like they let me win. I checked their other replays too, and they were similar.”

When they won, they won easily.

When they lost, it felt like they had just casually let the other person win.

In the next moment, Han Gaeul’s eyes flashed.

As if she were saying there was only one truth.

“After watching midterms too, I reached a conclusion. They have skill, but they’re deliberately acting like that.”

Dang Gyu-ri merely shrugged as if it were no big deal.

Even if she had caught on to the fact that they were hiding their skill, nothing else had been exposed yet, so they intended to maintain the act to the end.

“So what? There are people with styles like mine.”

“That might be fine now, but I don’t think it’s a good attitude in the long term. If you settle for where you are, you’ll fall behind eventually.”

“.......”

“And...”

Han Gaeul trailed off while looking at me.

She seemed even more cautious than before.

Apparently, she was finally about to say the “rude” part.

“...I guessed that the cause might be you, Senior.”

“I see.”

“Romance is entirely a matter of personal freedom, but I don’t think it should interfere with other things.”

Then she apologized for speaking out of turn and bowed politely again.

In response, I nodded to show that I had heard her, and also because I agreed to a certain extent.

“I can see how you’d think that. What do you want us to do?”

“I’d like you to restrain yourselves somewhat.”

So that Dang Gyu-ri could focus a little more on practical evaluations.

Intending to hear her out to the end, I jerked my chin.

“And?”

“I’d like to invite Dang Gyu-ri to our group.”

In other words, she wanted everyone to push one another forward.

Since it was a group made up of prospects, she had probably calculated that they would all have something to learn from each other.

Contrary to that intention, however, the men were coughing awkwardly or glancing at Dang Gyu-ri with flushed faces.

It was obvious goodwill, even if it wasn’t the sticky kind.

So I exchanged whispers with Dang Gyu-ri.

“There’s at least fifty percent selfish interest mixed in. They know you’re pretty, at least.”

“Heh-heh-heh. If you know, treat me well.”

Dang Gyu-ri giggled quietly and hit my arm.

Of course, I had no intention of leaving even the smallest opening.

So I faced Han Gaeul and began speaking.

“I’ll start by saying I’m sorry too.”

“...I’ll listen.”

I indicated Dang Gyu-ri with my eyes.

“It’s true that they’re hiding their skill. But I’m not the cause.”

“...May I ask for more detail?”

“Sorry, but I’d like to keep it secret for a while.”

“...Understood.”

If she had misidentified the cause, then nothing would change just because Dang Gyu-ri or I restrained ourselves.

That meant the first solution had become meaningless.

Next, I looked over the prospects one by one.

“Joining your group isn’t a terrible idea. You all seem fairly skilled.”

“Then...”

“But I’m already pulling them along myself.”

“...!”

When they were already walking the most efficient path, was there any reason to turn down a side road?

With that, the second solution had become meaningless as well.

“.......”

Han Gaeul fell silent for a while, seeming lost in thought.

Then she bowed politely once more and said,

“I’m sorry. I spoke recklessly without knowing the detailed circumstances.”

“It’s possible not to know. Until someone tells you directly.”

“But... if it’s all right, I’d like you to give me certainty.”

“How?”

Soon, competitive spirit filled Han Gaeul’s composed face.

And in that state, she stared at Dang Gyu-ri.

“I want to fight them. With their real skill, hiding nothing.”

In other words, she was requesting a duel.

Then Pang Suhan and Hwangbo Soft-and-Fluffy each spoke with proper courtesy.

“If you permit it, Senior, I would also like to receive a lesson from you. The things I heard from my cousin were simply too extraordinary.”

“If the one teaching them shows his skill, then Han Gaeul and the rest of us will be able to feel more certain as well.”

At that proposal, I looked around at everyone for a moment, then answered firmly.

“I don’t want to.”

“!?”

“We’re the only ones who need to be certain. A third party’s evaluation isn’t important.”

“...!”

“I don’t see the need to go as far as a duel. It would be a waste of time.”

Dang Gyu-ri jerked their chin as if they agreed completely.

At that, Han Gaeul asked,

“What would it take for us to borrow your time?”

“Simple. Put up stakes.”

“By stakes, what exactly do you mean...?”

“It could be points, or it could be an elixir. And since you’re from the Sapphire Mage Tower—”

“...?”

“I’d like to meet your captain once.”

I had been thinking that I should visit the Sapphire Mage Tower at least once if the opportunity arose.

However, I had barely any contact with them normally, and I was even close to the Ruby Mage Tower, which was in a competitive relationship with them.

If I just showed up, they probably wouldn’t be especially happy to see me.

Using the prospect in front of me as a bridgehead would be somewhat better.

Han Gaeul then spoke in a polite but firm tone.

“If possible, I’d like to resolve this at my level. What business do you have with the captain?”

“How admirable. I want to obtain a skillbook.”

Part of my build was in the freezing line.

I had several powerful skills, including [Mutual-Destruction Eye(B)], [Frost-White Shot], and [Diamond Freeze(B)], but I still had a long way to go.

When I mentioned the general direction I wanted, a strange look appeared on Han Gaeul’s face.

Then she rummaged through her inventory and took out a skillbook.

“Would this be what you’re looking for?”

[Skillbook - Snow Wall(C)]

This showed up here?

I had been starting to feel the limits of [Ice Wall(B)], which I had kept using in my copy slot for a long time.

It also felt slightly mismatched with my build, and it was awkward to use a [Fixed Pin] on it, so I had been planning to look for a replacement soon.

By coincidence, Han Gaeul had one of those replacements.

“I think this is actually too much to wager as mere stakes.”

“If it suits you, Senior, then that’s enough.”

“Let me ask one more thing. Why go this far?”

Strictly speaking, whether Dang Gyu-ri half-assed things or worked hard was no different from someone else’s business to them.

Was it worth meddling to the point of wasting a valuable skillbook when she had nothing in particular to gain?

At that question, Han Gaeul answered in a calm tone.

“The level of the top students in a year is the level of that entire cohort.”

“That’s true.”

“If Dang Gyu-ri gives it their all with their real skill, I believe that level can be raised even further.”

“.......”

“And the more friendly rivals we have, the more everyone benefits.”

She was surprisingly hot-blooded for someone from Sapphire.

Her perspective was fairly big-picture too.

In any case, if she herself didn’t consider the skillbook a waste, I had no reason to refuse.

All that remained was persuading Dang Gyu-ri.

I whispered subtly into their ear.

“Let’s have a match. Against them.”

“I have to keep myself hidden. What are you going to do if a shadow jumps out mid-fight?”

“I want that.”

“.......”

“Sis, buy me that.”

“...Hey, that’s cheating.”

Dang Gyu-ri glared at me as if I were hopeless.

They started to tug my cheek, then realized there were eyes on us and only poked my side instead.

I naturally caught that hand and looked back at Han Gaeul.

“What kind of duel do you want?”

“Dang Gyu-ri can choose one of us to fight.”

The purpose of the duel was to show their real skill and give certainty.

It did not necessarily have to be Han Gaeul.

As long as Dang Gyu-ri defeated one of the prospects, that was enough.

“As for fighting you, Senior, I think we’ll need to adjust the rules somewhat.”

“Because there’s a spec difference.”

“We could do [2-on-1], apply [Fixed Zone], add a [Basic Equipment] rule...”

“Put in whatever you want.”

When I answered as if it were nothing, admiration appeared on the prospects’ faces.

They must have read strong confidence from my attitude.

However, there was one part I didn’t like, so I decided to change only that.

“Is there any need to go as far as two matches?”

“?”

Even if there were stakes on the line, if there was room to shorten things, then shortening them was the right move.

I looked once at Dang Gyu-ri, then evenly at the prospects.

“Let’s make it a clean two-on-four and end it there.”