I met Ha-ryeong’s gaze.
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he was looking at me with a deep, calm expression.
“……”
What’s this? This is the first time I’ve faced Ha-ryeong as Kim Sunwoo.
That’s when I remembered that Ha-ryeong had shown interest in Kim Jinwoo.
Since I share some similarities with Kim Jinwoo, he’s probably curious because of that.
This isn’t good.
Ha-ryeong is an S-class demon.
Even within the Ten Demon Council, where only the strongest demons gather, he ranks among the top.
There’s nothing good about drawing his attention.
Naturally, I avoided Ha-ryeong’s gaze and turned to look at Lee Seo-jun.
“Lee Seo-jun. You said the rest of the day is free time, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. That’s the end of today’s schedule.”
“Really? Well, I’ve got nothing else to do, should we just head back to school?”
At my suggestion, Lee Seo-jun shook his head.
“We’ve come all this way. It’d be a waste to go back already. There’s a lot to see around here—let’s look around a bit.”
“Sightseeing sounds good.”
Shin Young-joon cut in.
“What about you, Kim Sunwoo? You’re not going to ditch us again, are you?”
“No. I’ll stick around too.”
Lee Seo-jun looked a bit surprised at my answer. So did Choi Seo-yoon beside him.
“Oh, really? That’s great.”
Honestly, I don’t have to stay here.
But since Ha-ryeong and several key villains from the original story are gathered in this place, I can’t help but worry.
If something happens while I’m not here, and it affects Lee Seo-jun or the others, it’ll be a huge headache.
That was when it happened.
A man I had never seen before appeared behind Ha-ryeong, accompanied by Liang liang.
Curious who the man was, I used Character Insight.
He was a B-rank demon I didn’t know.
Looks like he’s one of Ha-ryeong’s subordinates who didn’t appear in the original story.
“Ha-ryeong-nim, all investigations are complete.”
“Good work.”
Ha-ryeong responded and turned his gaze to Liang liang.
Liang liang avoided his eyes, looking guilty over what he had done during the match.
“We’ll talk about today’s incident once we return.”
According to the original story, Ha-ryeong planned to use Liang liang to promote his main business—underground events.
But thanks to his reckless behaviour today, all of Ha-ryeong’s plans were ruined.
He looked calm on the surface, but he was probably boiling inside.
“Oh? Found them!”
At that moment, a voice rang out from behind.
It was so loud that everyone instinctively turned to look.
It was Baek Eun-seong and Natasha, their identities hidden behind invisibility masks.
“Hey. Great match today.”
Surprised by Baek Eun-seong’s sudden approach, Liang liang looked at Ha-ryeong, asking how to respond.
In the end, Ha-ryeong stepped forward.
“Sorry, the fighter’s not feeling well. Please leave.”
Ha-ryeong reached out to push Baek Eun-seong away as he came closer.
That’s when Natasha stepped in and grabbed Ha-ryeong’s arm.
“I know you. Just forgot for a second since it’s been 21 years.”
Ha-ryeong nodded slightly, as if he recognized her too.
“I think I know who you are as well. Weren’t you the subordinate of that arrogant one who tried to gain freedom in a human body?”
“And the one you served died from the backlash of overusing his oh so great powers, didn’t he?”
Natasha responded coldly, laced with killing intent.
Listening to their conversation, I felt a sense of confusion.
I couldn’t understand what they were talking about.
It sounded like they were referring to Jin Cheonwoo and the former Demon King of Prophecy…
No, more than that—did they know each other?
There wasn’t any hint of that in the original story.
Caught between the two, Baek Eun-seong looked back and forth, then spoke.
“What? You guys know each other? Who is it?”
“Someone I had a brief connection with before you joined. Well, not exactly someone.”
“If not someone, then what? Don’t tell me—a de—”
“Shh. I’ll explain later. Let’s go.”
Natasha pulled Baek Eun-seong by the arm and backed away before disappearing somewhere.
Ha-ryeong simply stood and watched them leave, then vanished with Liang liang.
A storm had passed through, and no one noticed.
I replayed their conversation in my head, lost in thought.
Judging by the content, it seemed like Jin Cheonwoo and the Demon King of Prophecy had met. But why?
Just as I was piecing together the possible connection between Jaun and the former Demon King…
Shin Young-joon, who had gone somewhere briefly, came running back.
“Hey! There’s a virtual reality arcade on the second floor!”
After a long, fun, and tiring day, we were walking toward the main gate of the Mage Academy.
Looking up, the sky was painted with a sunset.
Time moves so slowly during training or classes, but on days like this, it flies by in the blink of an eye.
“Ah, I’m so full.”
“Same. Wasn’t that meat sauce insanely good?”
Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-joon walked side-by-side ahead of me, chatting loudly about the day’s events.
What happened at the arena, the game arcade, the restaurant, and so on.
Listening to their stories from behind, I naturally recalled the events of the day.
What stood out most was Ha-ryeong and Natasha’s encounter.
Since the original story never depicted their meeting, I watched nervously, wondering if something would explode.
Thankfully, nothing serious happened.
I was worried that the flow of the story had changed again, but it seems everything’s okay.
If Ha-ryeong and Natasha had ended up fighting…
No—on second thought, if those two clashed, it might have been a good thing. It would’ve taken out one of the major villains early.
“Hmmmm!”
Lost in thought, I heard a bright voice nearby.
Turning my head, I saw Choi Seo-yoon stretching with her arms raised high.
The motion was so big that my eyes naturally followed it.
And then, our eyes met.
Choi Seo-yoon smiled brightly and walked over to me with light steps, as if waiting for the moment.
“Wasn’t the game fun today? You looked like you were really enjoying it.”
“It was pretty fun.”
Honestly, I hadn’t had that much fun in a while without overthinking.
A survival shooting game in a mystical virtual space.
It was something I had only imagined before, and it turned out to be thrilling and exciting.
Plus, since it somewhat reflected physical abilities from the real world, I had a bit of an advantage.
The only downside was that the hourly fee was over 100,000 won. *About 72 USD
“Let’s go again next time. I know a lot of places even more fun than the one today.”
Choi Seo-yoon said happily.
“Oh, and there are tons of great restaurants around there too. Is there anything you want to eat, senpai? I’ll look it up for you.”
I looked at Choi Seo-yoon as she chattered endlessly.
She seemed so excited that her words just wouldn’t stop.
I’ve felt this before—Choi Seo-yoon’s positive energy has a way of uplifting everyone around her.
That’s probably why she’s so popular.
At that moment, our eyes met again.
Choi Seo-yoon blinked her large eyes and smiled sweetly.
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but smile back.
“What are you really planning?”
I said, with a lot of meaning and emotion into my words.
Choi Seo-yoon tilted her head, not understanding.
“Huh?”
I shook my head.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
8 p.m.
Back at the dorm, I was hiding behind her like a hyena eyeing its prey, watching Gretel.
Unaware of my gaze, Gretel was watching TV while nibbling on a sausage.
I stealthily approached her. Then, in a flash, I reached out toward the beautiful fruit above her head.
At that moment—
Whoosh!
Gretel spun around in an instant to face me. She must have sensed a murderous intent (or something similar) coming from me.
At the same time, she got up on her short legs and tried to back away.
But there was no way I was going to let her escape like that.
Fwoosh!
I activated ‘Instant Acceleration.’
Time around me seemed to slow, and my body surged forward explosively.
Gretel quickly summoned tree vines in response, but she couldn’t stop my movement with my acceleration.
I dodged all the vines reaching for me, rolled coolly across the floor, and extended my hand toward Gretel’s fruit.
Pop!
“Eung-ae!”
Gretel let out a cry of pain and dropped to her knees like a warrior pierced by a sword.
In my hand was a fully ripened yellow fruit.
━━
[Mysterious Demonic Tree Fruit (S)]
Category: Elixir
Description: Upon consumption, increases stamina and speed by 5%.
Improves physical constitution. Enhances bodily flexibility.
Eliminates bodily waste and emits a pleasant fragrance.
Makes it easier to gain other’s favour.
━━
“Hmm.”
The effect of the fruit wasn’t all that different from the last demonic tree fruit I got.
A 5% stat increase, and a physical constitution upgrade.
Since my body tends to be a bit stiff, I did like the idea of becoming more flexible.
“…But what’s with the ‘pleasant fragrance’ part?”
A pointless bonus was attached.
Should I just think of it as saving money on perfume? Though I don’t wear perfume anyway.
“Better than nothing, I guess.”
Besides, if it makes it easier to gain people’s favour, that’s not a bad thing. Better than being disliked.
I opened my mouth to swallow the fruit.
Just then, I felt a sharp gaze on the back of my head. When I turned around, Gretel was looking at me with tears brimming in her eyes.
I realized it wasn’t the time to leisurely snack on the fruit.
“Sorry, Gretel. That must’ve hurt a lot, huh? Come here.”
I pulled Gretel into a hug.
Ring! Ring!
The alarm from my smart student notebook jolted me awake.
“Damn.”
Just like last time, I must’ve blacked out after eating the fruit.
I got up, stretched wide, and activated the Outsider’s Privilege to check my accumulated messages.
[Due to the effect of the adaptive trait ‘Drug Potency Amplification,’ additional stats have been acquired.]
[+0.73 Stamina, +0.4 Speed]
Looks like the fruit’s effect had fully benefited from the Drug Potency Amplification.
I immediately checked my status window.
━━
[Stats]
Stamina: 77.59
Strength: 76.57
Magic Power: 64.1
Speed: 42.61
Agility: 73.3
Dexterity: 29.2
━━
“Oh-ho.”
That’s quite a boost in stats.
My numbers were already high lately, but now with percentage-based gains, the efficiency is insane.
Just a few more fruits and I might break 100.
Sniff sniff.
I checked my own scent.
They said it would smell nice, but I don’t really feel anything different.
Maybe the effect hasn’t fully kicked in yet.
Next, let’s check flexibility.
The method to test it is simple: do a split.
I slowly spread my legs.
Before, my legs wouldn’t go beyond a certain angle because I was stiff—but now they stretched smoothly.
“Oh. Oh. Ohhhh?”
Bit by bit, I kept stretching, and before I knew it, I was doing a full side split with ease. I felt like I could go even further if I wanted.
At this level, even a ballerina would be jealous.
“Ah, right. Time to get ready for school.”
I quickly washed up, had a light breakfast, and spoke to Gretel, who was sprawled out and fast asleep.
“I’m heading out, Gretel.”
I opened the dorm door and left for school.
When I arrived at the classroom, my classmates welcomed me warmly.
“Hey, Sunwoo! Hi!”
“Sunwoo! Did you hear? The final exam results are coming out today. Lucky you~”
So today’s the day the final exam results come out.
I’m already guaranteed to be in the top five overall, so I’m not nervous or anything.
Still, it’ll probably feel good to see the report card with my own eyes.
“Is that so?”
“Ooh, what’s with that confidence, Sunwoo?”
“Man, I’m jealous of how chill you are.”
I ignored the background characters chatting with me and sat down.
As I stared blankly out the window, I heard someone greeting me from behind.
Turning around, I saw Yoo Ara walking into class, half her face covered with a scarf over her coat.
“Ara. The exam results come out this morning.”
“…Really?”
Yoo Ara nodded. She didn’t look very happy.
She was probably estimating how her grades might turn out.
At that moment, our eyes met.
Competition, envy—a complicated mix of emotions filled her gaze as she looked at me.
Just then, a student checking their smart student notebook shouted loudly.
“Huh? The results are out!”
As if on cue, everyone pulled out their smart student notebooks.
Yoo Ara glanced around, then walked over to sit next to me.
“What is it?”
“I’m curious what rank you got. Let’s check together.”
She said it coolly as she removed her scarf.
“…Suit yourself.”
The grades will be public anyway, so I didn’t mind.
I took out my smart student notebook and accessed the information system.
Yoo Ara scooted closer, like she wanted to see with me.
Then she paused and looked up at me.
“Did you change your shampoo?”
“No?”
She tilted her head, then leaned in closer, sniffing.
“Whoa, hey! What are you doing?”
Startled, I leaned away.
But Yoo Ara, undeterred, leaned in even closer, then finally pulled back.
“…You smell nice. But it doesn’t seem like perfume.”
Is this the effect of the fruit?
I sniffed myself again. I couldn’t smell anything at all.
“Sniff sniff. I don’t notice anything.”
“Really? Your scent’s definitely changed.”
She leaned in again.
“Hey, seriously. Stop it.”
At my strong protest, she backed off.
“…Fine. Let’s just check the results.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I turned my attention back to the smart student notebook.
The comprehensive info system… ah, here it is.
━━
[Year 2 – Final Exam Results]
[Kim Sunwoo][Class 2-A]
[Practical – 1st Place]
[Theory – 1st Place]
[Overall – 5th Place]
━━
“…Huh?”
Yoo Ara beside me looked at me in shock.
I was also a little surprised to see the results with my own eyes.
[You have achieved the ‘Top 5 Overall’ accomplishment.]
[Reward: 10,000 points.]
[You have achieved the ‘1st Place in Practical’ accomplishment.]
[Reward: 5,000 points.]
[You have achieved the ‘1st Place in Both Practical and Theory’ accomplishment.]
[Reward: 5,000 points.]
I stared blankly at the report card.
I had expected to be in the top five overall, but seeing “1st Place in Practical” brought up complicated emotions deep in my chest.
Just then—clatter. The back door opened, and Lee Seo-jun entered the classroom. He didn’t seem to know the results were out yet.
Yoo Ara looked at Lee Seo-jun for a moment, then turned her gaze back to me.
“…You beat Lee Seo-jun. Congrats on being number one.”
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