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Honestly, those written exams werent much of a hassle, although my hand did cramp a bit. The morning mage written exam? Smooth sailing. Its not graded yet, but unless I goofed up big time in my textbooks and research papers, I should be acing it.

Hey, lets compare answers.

Usually, folks who say lets compare answers didnt do well.

No, I totally aced it.

That test was really tough.

No kidding. It looks like most of us will be waving goodbye to high scores.

After the exam, the classroom buzzed with the lively banter of students.

Ugh, Im sure the professor explained this, but I got it wrong

Dont sweat it, Lucy. Next time, youll get it right.

The twins were also chatting about the exam.

Hey, anyone up for some grub? Im starving.

I, on the other hand, have no appetite for that.

Hoyeon, didnt you practically breeze through the last test? You look so relaxed.

Eh, more or less.

Why brag when well all see the scores when theyre out? We decided to hit the student cafeteria for lunch.

Mmm, this is tasty. Why dont more people eat the cafeterias steak?

Yeah, steaks the best.

Lucy and I were busy cutting into our steaks, while Lumi devoured her omelet rice.

Um, yeah

Lumi, why do you seem so tired?

Well, you see people are staring at us a bit too much

True

Guess this is what being famous feels like.

Everyone in the student cafeteria kept sneaking glances our way. Or maybe they were just gawking at me. Ive become quite the name lately. Fewer people are looking for a fight, which is nice, but the extra attention can be a tad awkward.

Dont sweat it. Theyre just curious.

Yeah, I know, but

Click!

I even caught the sound of a camera somewhere. I tried to look in the direction of the noise, but with so many people around, it was tough to pinpoint who it was.

This is insane. Is this what Moon Soorin deals with all the time? I can kinda understand but she probably has it worse.

Ugh, its kinda creepy.

Whats creepy?

Ah, forget it.

I wolfed down the rest of my meal to make a quick exit from the student cafeteria.

***

The afternoon written exam zipped by. The questions were seriously tough, and it felt like the students were struggling to keep up. As I was about to exit the classroom post-exam, the smartwatches of about half the students in the room chimed in.

[Victoria Academy 1v1 Duel Preliminaries Group A Team 3, Lee Hoyeon. Please report to Arena A by 4:30 PM.]

Its a prelim notification.

I got one for Arena B.

I didnt get anything

No wonder the written exam finished a bit early. Well, Ive got to hit the arena, so see you tomorrow.

Bye-bye! Lumi, lets head to Arena B!

Sure.

I waved goodbye to the twins and dashed over to Arena A. A decent-sized crowd had already gathered there. Not just Class A, but students from other classes too. It looked like a tournament where they randomly picked participants from the entire first year.

Next up! Team 2, step on up!

A professor on the arena platform was directing the fresh faces. The deal here was both duelists had to hop onto the platform to find out who their opponent was.

This is all about luck, huh? What if the heavy hitters face off right from the prelims?

Get ready, start!

I couldnt care less about the duel between those two men, so I kept an eye on my upcoming match via my smartwatch.

The winner! Jeon Yeongju!

After a few exchanges, they had a winner.

Clap, clap, clap.

People around me were applauding, so I reluctantly joined in with a few claps.

Next! Team 3, step forward!

I swiftly made my way onto the arena. My opponent on the arena was someone vaguely familiar, but I couldnt quite place them. He was just an extra, unremarkable.

No need to get worked up.

Um, there, Hoyeon.

Yes?

My opponent, a guy, seemed to struggle with his words.

Um, I wanted to apologize for last time. It wasnt my intention, but somehow

Whats this guy rambling about?

I took a moment to wrack my brain.

Where have I seen this face before? Ive seen it, but was it in Class A?

Oh

It clicked. Hes that extra who hid behind Do Jinhyuk. The guy who snickered from the sidelines when Do Jinhyuk provoked me at the beginning of the semester.

Its fine. I dont mind.

R-really? Thanks.

I gave the relieved guy a look and channeled mana into my body.

Ill finish this quickly. Dont worry.

Huh?

If he had just kept his mouth shut, I wouldnt have recognized him. This guy sure has a knack for digging his own grave.

***

I swiftly wrapped up the duel and headed to meet Professor Im Sol. Id take the opportunity to introduce her to Baek Ahyeong as well. Theres more to it; Im willing to help with research papers if needed. It had been a while since my last visit, and for some reason, I was feeling a bit nervous.

Heroine Status Window

[Im Sol]

[Affection: 50]

[Lust: 25]

[Appetite: 30]

[Fatigue: 40]

Current Status: Finished grading exams and working on a research paper. Perhaps theres some spare time left?

I should step up my game.

After checking Im Sols status screen, I felt the need to make more effort. An affection level of 50 was not low by any means. However, considering the level of physical contact wed had, I thought it might be higher. I couldnt decide if I should be impressed that it was still at 50 despite our intimacy or if I shouldnt be surprised at all.

I still have some exams to grade. Sit here and wait. You can have some snacks or coffee.

Sure. I settled onto the sofa in the research lab and started nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie.

While observing Im Sol diligently grading what appeared to be exam papers, a natural question arose, Is it okay for me to meet you during the exam period? Arent professors offices usually off-limits or something?

A slight fear crept in, pondering if there might be consequences.

Its fine. Weve taken a Mana Oath not to leak exams or anything.

A Mana Oath

They even have a Mana Oath here!

Why are you so surprised? Is this your first time hearing about a Mana Oath?

No, its not. Its just my first time witnessing it firsthand, so its fascinating.

Now that Id learned about the existence of the Mana Oath, something treated with great care in a world with mana, I had to ensure I never violated it.

If you dont have anything else to do, you can help me with my work.

Im Sol magically sent about 20 sheets from the towering pile of documents over to me. They were students exam answer sheets.

Professor, even if you say that, shouldnt grading be done by the TA?

Its okay. Just keep it between us.

In the end, once all of this was over, I could have a proper conversation with Im Sol. So, what did it matter? With a positive mindset, I began assisting with grading the exam papers.

***

Sebastian, a high ranking of the Iris Guild, found himself tailing Lee Hoyeon once again today. He had a strong feeling that something was afoot. Now, as his target entered Professor Im Sols research lab, he pondered how to uncover the mystery within. At that very moment, Sebastian sensed an unusual presencea hidden figure on the opposite side of the building.

The skill level its comparable to mine.

Until yesterday, such an individual had never been seen around Lee Hoyeon.

Ive been exposed, just as I suspected.

It was a valid assumption that Lee Hoyeon had detected his presence and hired a capable bodyguard. The fact that someone of this caliber could be recruited within a single day spoke volumes about Lee Hoyeons significance.

I dont know who the person trailing behind is, but theyre at least on par with Miss Alice.

In this situation, revealing his identity was out of the question. The Iris Guild always operated in silence, and any exposure would result in their defeat. Sebastian, swallowing hard, began to retreat.

***

The right-hand person to the director of the Korean Hunter Association had a crucial role. To uncover the connection between Baek Ahyeong and the academy, he had gathered one piece of information by personally investigating.

There is indeed an academy student who is very close to Baek Ahyeong.

Today, he had infiltrated Victoria Academy to investigate this particular student. Even in investigating the student, he had done his best. He moved cautiously to avoid detection and left no trace behind.

But then

Someone is here.

Someone was hiding on the opposite side, completely out of his view. Their actions seemed as if they were protecting Lee Hoyeon. Moreover, their level was far from ordinary.

At this level, they must be among the top A-class hunters This is a situation where contact should be avoided.

Someone was watching over Lee Hoyeon from behind. If the right-hand person noticed them, it was likely that they had also noticed the right-hand person, he thought.

As soon as he made his judgment, he quickly retreated. Simultaneously, the presence from the opposite side vanished. They probably felt it would be too much of a burden to directly confront the right-hand person.

Lee Hoyeon Who on earth is behind you? The right-hand person wiped cold sweat and began writing a report.

***

Hmm?

Whats up, Professor?

Im Sol, having wrapped up her work and now sipping coffee across from me, furrowed her brow. I had this odd feeling that something outside was making noise, but it disappeared in an instant. Must have been my imagination.

?

Why is she acting so strangely all of a sudden?

Speaking of which, did you do well on the exams?

Yes.

I could say that with confidence. After all, Im on track to be the top scorer.

Wow, even though the mages written exam wasnt a breeze this time?

Wanna bet on it? Ill wager that I aced every question.

Not interested.

Too bad. I couldve squeezed something out of her.

Heh, Im not really into betting either. Sorry.

Im Sol chuckled and took a sip of her coffee before bringing up, By the way, did Min Yeji get in touch with you?

Why is Min Yejis name suddenly popping up in our conversation? Well, she did contact me, so I cant deny it.

How did you know? She invited me to join the guild, but I declined, and she suggested we start a business together.

You turned down joining the guild? Shes from the Iron Blood Guild, you know.

Well, I dont have any particular desire to join any group right now. I still have plenty of time until I graduate from the academy.

As long as there are heroines in this world, I absolutely need to graduate from the academy. When the time comes, my market value will be even higher, and theres no rush to decide now, especially given my complicated relationships with women.

Ahem Its your choice, so I wont say much. Anyway, I wouldnt recommend getting involved in whatever business shes proposing.

Why not?

Is it some kind of pyramid scheme?

Well, I got curious once and received a business report from her before Sigh, forget it. Just steer clear if I advise against it.

Heroine Status Window

[Im Sol]

[Affection: 50]

[Lust: 25]

[Appetite: 30]

[Fatigue: 40]

Current Status: Shes so driven by money that shed even make a male student wear a bikini

Why on earth would I need to wear a bikini?

Gulp.

I found myself thinking about Min Yeji again.