The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 74

“Let’s see…”

One day left until the start of the term.

Returning to the dormitory two days early, I carefully examined the notice board in the center of the first-year hallway.

[New Dormitory Assignments for the New Semester]

Dormitory assignments were reconfigured based on first-semester grades. According to school regulations, students had to unpack their belongings in the new dormitory the day before the semester started.

“First-Year Building A, Room 208.”

I didn’t have much to bring—just some clothes and a few study guides. Having visited Shin Seo-ha a few times, I was familiar with the way.

With my access badge issued, I headed straight to the newly assigned dormitory. Upon arrival at the entrance, I noticed a scanner; without swiping the card key, entry was impossible.

‘Is this security level for real?’

The chicken coop-like dormitory I used to live in had no security features, let alone a card key. Whether this blatant disparity would boost or dampen students’ competitive spirits remained uncertain.

【Access Granted.】

Swiping the card key at the door, it automatically opened. As soon as the door was ajar, a mix of lavender and faint disinfectant scents wafted out.

“This is how people should live.”

The spacious room, over 20 pyeong, had a large twin-size bed enough to roll around on. It came fully equipped with amenities, including a washer, dryer, and even a balcony.

“Let’s see how it feels to lie down.”

[I must claim it first!]

Yomi and I simultaneously threw ourselves onto the new bed. Unlike the stone-hard mattress I had before, the plush support cradled my spine.

“This bed is calling me to sleep.”

[It’s pure bliss.]

With my face buried in the bed, sleep began to take over. Just as I was about to enjoy an impromptu nap—

Crash!

A loud noise from the hallway jolted me awake. Accompanying it were periodic thuds against the walls and the groans of laborers.

‘What’s that?’

I cautiously opened the door to peek outside, seeing four or five workers hauling various items up the stairs.

“Hey, Kim, be careful.”

“If you break anything, you’ll pay for it with years’ worth of earnings.”

The items being carried included furniture and various luxury goods.

There were paintings worth tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won and Gothic-style masks that looked like they belonged at a lavish party, all carefully placed in display cases.

‘No way.’

The first floor was the lobby, the second floor was the boys’ dormitory, and the third floor was the girls’ dormitory. The workers were moving the items into the girls’ dormitory. If my guess was correct, all these belonged to one person.

[What’s the matter?]

“It’s nothing.”

I’d find out soon enough whether I liked it or not.

After all, we’d meet from the second semester onwards.

‘For now, let’s rest.’

After exhausting myself throughout the vacation, my body was worn out. If I didn’t rest now, I’d definitely suffer once school started.

“Well, look who it is! You’re back, Ha Baek!”

However, it seems that fate has a strong aversion to me resting.

“Han Yu-seong?”

Han Yu-seong, now even bulkier than he was before the vacation, approached me cheerfully.

“Are you in room 208?”

“Uh, yeah, why?”

Please, let it not be true.

But it was.

“That’s great! I’m in 209. From now on, let’s work out together every day!”

I had forgotten that changing dorms would mean this guy was nearby.

“I’ll think about it…”

“Come on then, let’s go right away! You didn’t slack off during the break, did you?”

By the time I came to my senses, I was already being carried away like luggage by Han Yu-seong.

‘Maybe the old dorm was better.’

Thus, I spent the last day of my break rolling around in the training room with Han Yu-seong.

* * *

Early morning.

Most people were still asleep, but the air in the training room was heated.

“Hoo…”

“Great, Ha Baek! Just a bit more!”

“Don’t… talk… it’s… distracting…”

With all my strength, I lifted the barbell off my shoulders. The weight of the loaded barbell exceeded 80 kilos.

“Here’s a water bottle. Drink the water slowly.”

“Phew.”

I opened the cap of the water bottle Han Yu-seong handed me and gulped it down. He was nagging beside me, but none of it registered.

“By the way, what happened during the break?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve gained a lot of muscle. Look at your body, Ha Baek.”

Han Yu-seong pointed to the opposite side. The training room had glass-coated walls, making it easy to check one’s posture frequently.

“You’ve developed a lot of lean muscle in such a short time. Your core muscles have also come into shape.”

He examined my body like an art critic appraising a masterpiece.

“You don’t achieve this just by working out hard. You have to maintain a strict diet as well.”

As expected from a professional.

The mention of a diet reminded me of the meals prepared by Seol Baek-san and Shin Woo-taek. I had no idea they devised a meal plan perfectly balanced for optimal health.

“Besides, you used to hate working out in the early mornings.”

“It just became a habit…”

The change came after I started early morning training with Han Ga-young recently. They say habits are scary; I woke up at that time like clockwork.

Feeling restless, I ended up following Han Yu-seong to the training room voluntarily.

“I went through a lot of hardship.”

I was locked in a cave, ran day and night, and got beaten up. Thanks to that, not only did my body change, but my stats improved significantly as well.

[Seol Ha Baek]

– Strength: 12

– Agility: 14

– Magic: 0

– Intelligence: 7

– Luck: 1

– Spiritual Power: 34

An astounding boost in stats. Intelligence increased during the exam period, and Spiritual Power, which was 22 before the vacation, rose by 12 due to underground training and Shin Seo-jun’s spirit conjuration.

The remaining strength and agility stats improved steadily by training alongside Han Yu-seong and being pushed by Han Ga-young.

‘Total stat sum of 68.’

I’m finally starting to resemble a proper hunter. Although total stats aren’t the sole indicator of strength, this is still a satisfying result.

“Anyway, great job today.”

“Ow, my muscles are still sore…”

The stiffness in my dorsal muscles hadn’t fully subsided. The problem wasn’t the muscle soreness itself but the fact that I shouldn’t have mentioned it.

“Sore muscles? You have to loosen them with more exercise!”

Han Yu-seong’s eyes lit up. No matter how much my condition improved, I couldn’t compare to this muscle beast.

“I’d love to, but we need to get ready for school! We can’t be late on the first day.”

“Oh, is it that time already?”

The clock showed 7:30 AM.

Overexerting ourselves and being late on the first day of the new term wouldn’t do.

“I guess we have to stop here for today.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched Han Yu-seong’s back. But did he have eyes on the back of his head?

“Then let’s do just one more set!”

It seemed like I wasn’t the only one leveling up.

* * *

Back in the hallway, even though not all the students had returned to school yet, the once bustling corridor felt unusually calm today.

‘264 students in the entire school.’

The total number of first-year students listed on the dormitory assignment board had significantly decreased. Thirty-six students had transferred out in just one semester.

‘Survival of the fittest…’

One semester was all it took for students who thought they were geniuses to face reality.

It was common for students who felt disheartened to transfer to general high schools or hunter academies with lower hurdles.

Even in the original storyline, if Han Yu-seong repeatedly failed quests or received low clearing grades, he would be forced to transfer, essentially resulting in a game over.

However, while some students faced their limitations and left, the opposite was also true.

“Everyone, please move aside!”

Shortly before the start of the morning assembly, several Disciplinary Committee members appeared in the first-floor hallway. In a rather urgent state, they ignored school regulations and ran somewhere.

‘Should I follow them?’

Intrigued, I decided to tail the Disciplinary Committee members. I didn’t have to go far as they stopped at the first-floor school entrance.

“Unauthorized personnel are not allowed on school grounds. Please leave immediately.”

Several men in black suits were confronting the Disciplinary Committee at the entrance.

“We are the young lady’s bodyguards.”

“Do you have authorization?”

And nestled between the men—bodyguards—was a female student.

“Must I always need permission?”

Her demeanor was both high-handed and elegant.

Her neatly arranged black bob haircut was tied with a red ribbon, and though she was on the shorter side, her brown leather boots reached halfway up her legs.

“Of course, without the principal’s approval, outsiders are not allowed—”

“How much?”

“What?”

The Disciplinary Committee members’ eyes widened at the girl’s question. Her confident attitude resembled Jin So-yul, but fundamentally she was more insistent.

“Are you deaf? How much?”

Her sharp tongue reminded me of Shin Seo-ha, but unlike Seo-ha, who used curses as punctuation, this girl’s words were genuinely intended to be offensive.

“I’m asking if the school rules you’re talking about are worth upsetting me.”

Her conviction was as firm as Seo Geum-bi’s, but it served only her self-interests.

“Well…”

As the flustered Disciplinary Committee member hesitated to respond,

“Then stop wasting my time and move. Do you even understand how precious my time is?”

Just as the girl brushed past the Disciplinary Committee, about to step onto the campus.

“Being stubborn will only backfire on you.”

“Ha Baek!”

I hadn’t planned to intervene, but my body moved on its own. More than that, I was uncomfortable seeing the Disciplinary Committee members, with whom I was acquainted, unable to say a word.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Who else here would I be talking to?”

The girl glared at me with an openly displeased expression.

“A commoner like you, do you even know who I am?”

“Oh, I know exactly who you are.”

I know this girl very well. And with her, maintaining a deferential attitude won’t work. You need to meet her arrogance with equal arrogance.

“Seonjin Networks’ eldest daughter, Ise-ah.”

The eldest daughter of a multinational corporation that monopolizes the distribution of military supplies, various magical tools, and artifacts.

‘Those luxury items I saw yesterday must all belong to her.’

She’s the only person who would bring such a lavish array of items into a school dormitory.

“Knowing that, how dare you speak rudely to her.”

One of the bodyguards frowned. Ise-ah is the only transfer student in the second semester. Just as some students leave Babel feeling limited, others, like Ise-ah, come seeking opportunities.

“Oh my, someone actually recognizes me? I had high expectations for Babel, but everyone seems so ignorant.”

Ise-ah’s presence is one of the main antagonists set to shake the school in the near future. As the daughter of a major corporation, her arrogance is palpable. Her insistence on bringing bodyguards was a testament to her excessive self-importance.

Though she was extremely arrogant and haughty, her boldness and cute appearance created a large fanbase.

‘But she’s not my type.’

I pointed to one of the Disciplinary Committee members behind her.

“You’re the one who’s ignorant. Can’t you see that your antics are causing trouble for the Seniors on the first day of the new term?”

“How dare you speak like that to the young lady—”

“Are these people your lawyers? If you have something to say, say it yourself.”

“This arrogant little…!”

An incensed bodyguard swung his hand. But I wasn’t just going to take it quietly.

“Isn’t your young lady also just a kid? She and I are both the same age.”

“What, what strength…”

The bodyguard, whose arm I had grabbed, grated his teeth in frustration. Ise-ah, too, openly displayed her disdain towards me.

“How amusing. Do you really want to see what happens when you pick a fight with me?”

“Who’s picking a fight? Can’t you tell the difference between helping and picking a fight?”

As I let go of his arm, the bodyguard stumbled backward awkwardly. Ignoring him, I pointed towards the faculty room with my chin.

Chae Tae-min and even Faust, along with other homeroom teachers, were likely preparing for the morning assembly that was set to begin in a few minutes.

“I don’t know what kind of treatment you’ve been receiving so far, but it’s better to ditch that sense of privilege here. Otherwise, you’ll only be making things harder for yourself.”

In the original storyline, when Ise-ah first appeared, she didn’t have bodyguards around her. In other words, the school eventually restrained all her bodyguards.

Thus, it would be better for her to get a warning from the Disciplinary Committee than be restrained by the teachers.

“Why should I listen to someone like you—”

“Even Cheon Tae-seong, who is much more accomplished than you, doesn’t have bodyguards following him around.”

“Tae-seong?”

Upon hearing Chun Tae-seong’s name, Ise-ah’s attitude shifted. She seemed to contemplate something deeply before nodding.

“Come to think of it, a strong person like me doesn’t need bodyguards. You guys can go back.”

“But, young lady—”

“Do you want me to repeat myself?”

“…Understood. We’re sorry.”

With a single gesture from Ise-ah, her resisting bodyguards retreated.

“Do you have any other business with me? If not, get out of my way.”

I stepped aside without saying anything. Ise-ah walked past me and entered the faculty room, presumably to complete her transfer process.

“This is exhausting already.”

The fatigue made me long for the double-sized bed in the dormitory.

* * *

Until the start of the assembly, I rested my head on the desk for a quick nap.

The pleasant news is that most of the group that followed Cheon Tae-seong, including Kim In-seong, had transferred out. Thanks to that, the atmosphere in the class was much more pleasant.

“Long time no see, everyone.”

Upon hearing the door open, I slowly raised my upper body. Choi Tae-min, looking even more exhausted than me, entered the classroom with a greeting.

“Before we start the assembly, we have a new transfer student to introduce. Come in.”

An unfamiliar yet familiar face entered through the door. A few male students couldn’t help but let out gasps of admiration.

“Ah.”

I, too, let out a sigh, albeit for a different reason.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Ise-ah wasn’t in the same class as Han Yu-seong. Unfortunately, she ended up in ours. Just when I thought the annoying ones were gone, a new one showed up.

“Ise-ah.”

That was the entirety of her self-introduction.

Her arrogant attitude was apparent from the start. Most Babel students come from notable political or social backgrounds, but to Ise-ah, they were merely commoners.

And Ise-ah had an extreme aversion to interacting with commoners.

“Ugh.”

Her haughty demeanor lasted only a moment. Upon seeing my face, Ise-ah’s expression twisted as if she had bitten into something sour. I didn’t have a mirror, but my expression was probably similar. However, Ise-ah didn’t maintain that attitude for long.

“Ah.”

Her expression changed drastically as she spotted someone. Blushing, Ise-ah awkwardly waved her hand.

“It’s been a while.”

Ise-ah.

A new antagonist was introduced in the second semester of the first year, the eldest daughter of the global corporation, Seonjin Networks, and…

“Lord Tae-seong…”

Cheon Tae-seong’s fiancée.