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Chapter 10 – A Failure In S Class (3)
{Read from Fuleim’s PoV }
Stella Academy’s campus was buzzing with only one topic of discussion.
“Did you hear what I said? I heard that two students this year resonated with an upper-intermediate cane?”
“Crazy. There have only been five users in the past. “Are there two more this time?”
“I heard the five of them went on to become archmages…”
The subjects of discussion were none other than Mayuseong and Baek Yu-seol.
“Have you already heard the story of Baek Yu-seol?”
“He was said to have used Blink in the magic implementation test. Isn’t that basic magic?”
“I didn’t even learn how to blink.” It’s as if my parents never learned how to blink. It is said to be rare rubbish magic with a 99.99 percent chance of killing the wizard.”
“I, too, did not learn. Isn’t it true that none of the professors teach that magic anymore? All uncontrollable magic has recently been labeled as forbidden magic.”
“…… ”
Hearing such rumors, Fuleim walked wildly down the hallway.
After school, the ‘Self-study Hall’ building was crowded with students heading to the training center and reading room, and I was very nervous because all of them were only talking about Mayuseong and Baek Yu-seol.
“Fuleim! Are you going to study too?”
Hearing a familiar voice, I hastily took care of my expression. When I turned my head, several girls were approaching me with bright smiles.
I said with a mischievous laugh.
“You little kids, do I look like I am addicted to studying?”
“Isn’t it? You always study because you have nothing to do.”
“I can’t believe it. This little kid is talking back.”
“You got it, right?”
“Ahaha! But why do you always look at us and call us kids? We are the same age.”
Sting. I felt slightly stabbed, but somehow I struggled and smiled softly.
“Well, I guess it’s because I’ve been living like my sister in the same place I used to be.”
After realizing that I used to live in the ‘modern’ world and transmigrated into a novel, I could hardly act like a child.
“Then are you going to study alone today?”
A tall girl asked.
I locked my gaze on her. She was a girl named ‘Jecky,’ whom I had known briefly in middle school, and when we both entered Stella, we quickly became friends because she, too, was a commoner.
‘Well. But how come your style is similar to mine?’
I remember the old Jecky as a timid kid with chubby hair and glasses on, but one day after entering high school, she started imitating my hair, tone, and fashion.
I was a little concerned, but I thought it could be because she was a teenager and moved on.
“Well, there is no end to studying. I’m not alone,” I said, “There’s a special supplementary meeting, so I’m going to attend.”
“See, supplement meeting? You work so hard…”
“Anyway, shall I go?”
“Yes. Let’s go to a cafe together next time!”
After sending the girls away, I quickly turned around and tried to walk, but met someone’s eyes.
It was Hae Won-ryang, a boy with a sharp impression and reddish-black hair with purple eyes.
Heir to the 9th-class Master Meiji Manwol, the Tower Master, and an excellent wizard on par with Mayuseong.
As soon as he found me, he approached me right away.
“Are you going to study?”
“uh.”
“You don’t look good. What’s going on?”
And, perhaps, it is rare for him to be so genuinely concerned.
“Well, not really, nothing.”
Sullenly, I nodded my head. Then, by chance, as I turned my head, I met a girl who had not yet left and was staring at me from behind the wall.
It was Jecky.
‘Well? Why is she still……’
Jecky vanished so quickly that the meeting of our eyes felt like a figment of imagination. I put my hands in the air and stroked the back of my own head as I was about to call her.
I had no choice but to walk in the hallway chatting with Hae won-ryang about little things.
This hallway we were walking on was called the ‘S-Class area’ by the students as a joke because there was a dedicated S-Class self-study room and an S-Class training ground.
“You’re going to the training ground, right?”
“You should not neglect your daily training.”
“You’re uselessly diligent. If you live so hard, you will be short-lived.”
“I don’t intend to live long.”
“Yes, if you die, don’t call me to the funeral.”
“…How come?”
“I don’t like Yukgaejang. Prepare beef and rice soup instead.”
“Well, I’ll do just that.”
After responding, Hae Won-ryang vanished into the training grounds. Students who want to practice practical training typically do not attend supplementary meetings because it was a gathering place for students with poor grades or who are more passionate about their studies.
Of course, I didn’t go to the special supplementary meeting just to study.
Princess Hong Bi-yeon and Eisel were scheduled to attend the supplementary meeting, according to ‘Original Romance Fantasy.’
Perhaps there will be a nervous battle between the heroine and the villain. It was to watch it, but there was one more reason.
This is because a new character called ‘Baek Yu-seol’, who did not even appear in the original was scheduled to appear.
‘Baek Yuseol…….’
A boy who became a hot topic while holding an upper-intermediate Terifon this time, a character that did not exist at all in the ‘original novel’.
‘Who the hell is that kid?’
She had read the original story three times and knew the setting in detail.
However, the name Baek Yu-seol does not appear even once in the novel.
Even that Terifon was said to have caught no one in the original story.
Not only that, the boy got the so-called ‘three questions of the devil’ right too easily.
As if trying to show it to someone, ‘…maybe it’s meant to be shown to me.’
At the cane succession ceremony, why did he talk to her? What on earth was he thinking behind his characteristic relaxed and sly expression?
With that in mind, when I arrived at the lecture hall where the special supplementary meeting was held, there were already more than fifty students gathered.
I looked around the students slowly.
The supplementary meeting was organised by Kyle, a 17th-ranked boy who was theoretically among the top students in the school.
Kyle, who got into class A this time, had held a supplementary meeting for his classmates who lacked grades for a certain purpose, but since many students from class S were attending the meeting, he had a difficult expression.
A cold sweat could be seen through Kyle’s signature glasses that were so white that I couldn’t see his eyes.
‘…Is Mayu-seong also attending?’
Mayu-seong, with his twinkling eyes, sat next to Baek Yoo-seol, who had a bored expression. Eisel was sitting in the far corner, and Princess Hong Bi-yeon was sitting on the other side, maintaining her lofty figure.
Perhaps Hong Bi-goal yeon’s came here to learn about the ‘three questions of the devil,’ and Eisel came solely to study.
‘You must have come to Mayuseong…’
If there was a male lead in this setting, it should be a person blessed by the world to the extent that fans would naturally think of ‘Mayu-seong’.
Such Mayu-seong was taking a deep interest in Baek Yu-seol.
‘It’s never a coincidence.’
Clearly, Baek Yu-seol was moving deliberately. Very thoroughly.
Even to the extent of coming to show a scene that resonates with Terifon, it was clear that he was aware of himself.
‘Besides, you said that you did not touch any other questions except for the 3 questions in the class placement test…….?’
That being said, how did you know that you could enter S-Class by solving only the 3 questions of the devil?
‘Dangerous..’
With that thought in mind, I also took a seat, and Kyle, who hosted the event, slowly put on his glasses.
‘Damn, why are these monstrous bastards at the special supplementary meeting?”
Although Kyle was a commoner, he was able to get a very high rank. He thought that he would use his position to eat properly, so he tried to seize power by teaching the nobles of F ~ D class who had poor grades.
But five students from Class S are attending the meeting.
‘…No, not bad. Rather, it is an opportunity.’
Among the five S class, that young boy, Baek Yu-seol, who stands out especially, was known to have received the worst score in this class placement test.
His grades were so poor that he couldn’t understand why he got into S-Class.
What if he proves that he can teach the S class students in this position? Other students will have no choice but to admit themselves.
He got those eyes.
* * *
{Baek Yu-seol’s PoV}
‘Phew..’
I exhaled a sigh. Next to me, a guy named Mayu-seong pretended to be friendly and spoke in his usual friendly tone.
“Yu-seol, why are you here?”
I didn’t want to come here either.
“You don’t have to listen to this. There’s a reason, right?
There is no such thing.
I was compelled to attend because I was advised to participate in these learning activities as a “warning” to lower-ranked students who performed poorly on the class placement test. ‘It’s not the right time to do this…’
[Episode 3 ‘Cane Succession Ceremony,’] which I had no idea started, was completed in a very special way, and it could be said that receiving a lot of experience points was good news.
However, the worst thing was that it attracted unnecessary attention from the people around it.
My peaceful school life had been ruined. What was even more annoying was that this damn Terifon, which had gotten all the attention at best, was now completely useless. ‘What brought you to me?’
I’ve never seen a case where someone other than Fuleim was in charge of the Terifon, so I’m not sure what this wand means right now.
“Come on. Let’s end the chatter and start the replenishment meeting from now on.”
As Kyle patted on the blackboard, some commoner students raised their heads, and the nobles pouted their lips as if they were displeased.
However, since his position was supported by professors, there were no students who could stand up to Kyle.
“Today, we are going to check the problems of the placement test. As you know, in this placement test, there were ‘3 questions of the devil’. The infamous problem that has already been nicknamed and I solved one of them.”
Hong Bi-yeon’s eyes twinkled at those words. It was the only reason she came to this place.
How the hell do you interpret those three questions?
A student who succeeded in solving would tell her directly as there was no one to ask, so she just came to this place.
The other students were also quite interested in the matter, so they too focused on Kyle. He was very satisfied with the gaze that began to gravitate and raised his glasses.
“Then, I will show you how to solve the problem first. This problem is actually close to a trap. It was created to induce incorrect answers by accident, but first of all…”
Some students took out their notebooks and started taking notes, and Kyle’s solution itself was very plausible.
However, it was only plausible and not a proper solution. Mayu-seong, who caught that point, blinked his eyes and said, gently tapping my side.
“What do you think? Do you think that’s right?”
I couldn’t tell if that explanation was correct or not because I wasn’t wearing glasses. ‘The devil’s three questions? ‘What are you on about?’
I didn’t come here to study in the first place, so keeping up with the conversation was difficult.
As a result, I provided a cursory response.
“I’m not sure.”
I must admit that I was speaking softly, but the room was so quiet that most of the students heard me.
“Who is he?’
“It’s Baek Yu-Seol.”
“Ah…him?”
The strange student who got all the other questions wrong but only got the three questions of devil right.
That Baek Yu-seol said, “I am not sure….”
‘That thing right now…’
… Are you saying that Kyle’s interpretation is wrong?’
That’s what it means.
In fact, Baek Yu-seol got all three questions right, and although Kyle entered the school with a perfect score in theory, didn’t he get only one question correct out of the 3 questions of the devil?
Ttagak!
Kyle broke the chalk he was holding. He gave it too much strength.
I looked at Mayu-seong with complicated eyes. Although he was the one who created this atmosphere, Mayu-seong was smiling with his eyes as if he didn’t know anything.
‘You bastard, did you do that on purpose?’
The character Mayu-seong was originally like that. Kyle just didn’t like it.
That’s why he intentionally created this atmosphere and said, “Is my interpretation wrong? Baek Yu-seol, then why don’t you explain it yourself?”
“Ehhh…”
I thought it would be like this. I looked at Mayu-seong for a moment with resentful eyes and then put on my glasses.
The ‘3 questions of the devil.’
The words were ‘three questions of the devil,’ but in fact, it was close to a nonsense quiz.
To explain the problem in a mild way, [the wizard says, ‘Great Earth, shed tears! When I memorized the incantation, the land doubled. What is the reason?] It would feel like that.
The answer to this question was simple.
What if the soil cries? Dirty Muddy Soil {T/N: This part is really the hardest. It’s more like your local slangs/idioms, difficult to interpret. A few will repeat in next chapter too.}
So the land was doubled.
… It’s absurd, but it was really a matter of feeling. Really.
But Kyle analyzed the problem very mathematically.
When the earth cries, the soil scatters and melts, the spirits rages, the volcano explodes, and so on, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, so the earth has doubled as a result…
This was the conclusion he arrived at.
Okay. Whatever the solution, it doesn’t matter as long as the answer was correct.
It was a solution that would definitely be helpful for correcting that one problem right away… but the issue was that it was a solution that would get stuck again when an ‘application problem’ with a similar feeling came up next time.
“I can’t show you how to solve it. I can only point out the mistakes.”
“…what?”
With the help of copper glasses, I pinpointed the mistakes in Kyle’s solution.
“The problem was presented with soil, but what if it was water or wind? Do you think your formula will apply then?”
“That’s… when that time comes, you can apply a different formula.”
“That’s the problem. Why do we have to apply different formulas for problems of the same nature? Before the problem of applying a different formula in the first place, would you overthrow the solution itself?”
“Your solution was pure fluke. To be honest, it’s an interpretation that doesn’t fit the author’s intentions at all. No formulas or runes are needed to solve this problem. But you forced your knowledge into it.”
I didn’t know much about magic. So, I pointed out only the ‘core’ part marked on the copper glasses.
“If you change this part here, your solution is complete nonsense. How would you explain it?”
Right now, I don’t know if he succeeded in solving this problem by coincidence, but he will not be able to solve it when another similar problem arises…
There was no need for complicated explanations. Because I just had to prove that Kyle’s solution was wrong.
“ah…!”
“That’s true…”
The smart students understood Baek Yu-seol’s words and began to dictate his words. Fuleim was also quite surprised, but she was as calm as possible. Rather, she looked at Eisel and Hong Bi-yeon.
…Shouldn’t there be a nerve war?’
Originally, there was going to be a fierce quarrel between them in this place. However, since neither Eisel nor Hong Bi-yeon could solve the problem that Baek Yu-seol had just solved, they were distracted by the solution.
Is it really good to think positively about this situation in which the villain and the female lead do not fight?
‘…No, let’s think positively.
Kyle stood there, stunned, with his mouth wide open.
‘Am I wrong…….?’
Before that, Kyle, who had just realized that his explanation was wrong, bowed his head.
And he honestly admitted it.
“Your words… you’re right… it’s all.”
“Is that so?”
Even though his explanation had been completely debunked, Kyle, rather than being angry, seemed to be overcome with a sense of shame.
“Maybe I was lucky enough to solve this problem……”
Not long after that, the special supplementary meeting was over, and I left the classroom faster than anyone else.
Not only did I not want to be in this stuffy and damp space of study anymore, but it was also because of being too burdensome to be with Mayu-seong.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Leaving behind Mayu-seong’s energetic greeting, I walked down the tattered hallway.
‘Oh really, if I get caught by a guy like Mayo-seong by mistake…’
I don’t know how it came to this by holding a wand like a Terifon.
As people slowly became scarce, I was about to go back to the dormitory, but in the corner of the hallway leading to the men’s dormitory, someone was standing with her back leaning.
… Princess Hong Bi-yeon Adolevit.
‘what?’
I tried to pass by pretending to not know her, but she stopped in front of me.
“…….What.”
“Before, why didn’t you explain the solution?”
It’s not that I didn’t want to explain it, it’s just that I couldn’t do it.. How on earth do you logically explain such a nonsense quiz question? In fact, there was one thing that I showed them the ‘solution method’ cannot be applied to other problems.
“I just don’t have anything to say……”
“I see. I understand. You didn’t want to reveal your solution in such a place, did you?”
Eh. It’s not like that. However, Hong Bi-yeon nodded her head as if she had misunderstood it.
“Okay. You need a price, don’t you?”
“What? Price?”
“Yes, the price.”
She said so and tapped herself on the head.
“I’ll pay you a fair price, so show me what’s in your mind.” {T/N: She really is the best girl.}