After The Class

"Ah...ahnn..." 

'Damn it, I really tried, but Sae-jin is truly unbeatable.' 

Right now, I was pinned to the ground, my chin burning from a powerful strike. When I lifted my gaze, Sae-jin was standing above me, a surprised smile on his face. 

"Ah... damn..." 

I then lowered my head, still dazed from the blow. 

— 

Sae-jin looked at Sugil with both a smile and a surprised expression. His sword was a few meters away, embedded in the ground, while his right hand was glitching. 

"I really didn't expect that, Sugil... well played." 

Including Sae-jin, both Lim Astread and Park Ha-Joon were also knocked out. 

— 

"Hey... um, Ah-reum... who is that student?" 

Kang Sung-min asked, but Ah-reum remained silent, trying to decipher what had just happened. Then, she took out her holographic tablet and checked something on it... 

.

.

'Sigh'

Ah-reum sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

"I understand now..." 

"What?" 

Kang Sung-min asked. 

"Kim Arrietta Sugil, the younger brother of one of my former students, Kim Arrietta Eve. When I first saw him, I thought he was really weak and didn't belong here." 

"So after watching the fight, you thought—" 

"Not at all." 

Ah-reum interrupted Kang Sung-min. 

"I still think he is really weak and unremarkable because of his lung disease, but I was wrong about him not deserving to be at SERA. Despite his weaknesses and numerous shortcomings, Kim Arrietta Sugil is one of those people you can call a 'genius'—someone who takes advantage of situations to gain the upper hand despite his lack of talent..." 

"So...?" 

"That will, at best, allow him to survive in this school." 

— 

"Wow, did you see what the nerd did? He managed to disarm Sae-jin!" 

"Hey, it's nothing special. He just used Ha-Joon and Lim as test dummies—anyone could do that." 

"And he still lost!" 

"Yeah, but the ability he just used... didn't it look like a Dash?" 

Several students were discussing amongst themselves after Kim Sugil's unexpected feat. 

"Whoa, that Kim Sugil is smart, but Sae-jin is still the strongest, of course!" 

Said Sun Daehyun. Han Yeon-seo, sitting next to her, remained silent, having not said a single word since the beginning of the fight. 

'Kim Sugil... When I first saw you, I thought you were extremely weak, and my opinion hasn't changed... but...' 

She clenched her fist tightly. 

'I want to know... How do you know my sister is dead?' 

Her expression remained unchanged, but what betrayed her composure was the way she bit her lips. 

— 

"Ah... damn it..." 

I was sitting a few meters away from the zone, being treated by a healer, just like Sae-jin and Lim. But Ha-Joon, on the other hand, categorically refused any help and left immediately, biting his lips in frustration. 

Understandable—he had been humiliated and utterly defeated by a mere nobody who had missed the first day of classes, and in a 2v1 no less. 

'I feel bad for him... but that's just typical of him.' 

I thought as my chin still tingled a little. 

"Ouch..." 

'Damn, the hit Sae-jin gave me was really strong.' 

I watched the other students sparring, each using their abilities against one another, while Lee Ah-reum analyzed each of them carefully. 

Then, I recalled what had happened earlier... 

— 

While Lim was getting dominated by Sae-jin, I was just a few meters behind them, waiting for the perfect moment to use Dash and take Sae-jin by surprise. 

"Gah! Damn it!" 

Lim cried out as he started losing pace against Sae-jin, and after a while... 

"GAAHKH!" 

Lim Astread took a violent blow to the stomach from Sae-jin's blade and collapsed onto all fours, powerless. 

"Well played, Lim! You really put up a good fight!" 

Sae-jin said as he finally turned to face me. 

'This is the moment!' 

[Dash] 

"Sorry for leaving you—" 

Before he could even finish his sentence, the tip of my short sword was already inches away from his face. The element of surprise had worked perfectly, but... 

At the last moment, Sae-jin parried the strike with his sword. However, the impact was so strong that he let go of it, and with my arm raised, I was completely exposed. 

"Khuh!" 

'This is bad...' 

"Kh!" 

Taking in a deep breath, Sae-jin delivered a powerful kick to my chin, knocking me out for a few seconds. 

.

.

.

Lying on the ground, all I could see was Sae-jin's silhouette and the [Battle Zone] dissolving little by little. I won't lie—I looked a bit pathetic... 

With a slight smile on his face, Sae-jin extended his hand to me. 

"Well played, Sugil. You really got me..." 

'Damn... Now I see where I stand...' 

I had a very long way to go if I wanted to catch up to Sae-jin and the other main cast members. 

.

.

.

'Ouch... just thinking about it makes my chin hurt even more...' 

"Hey, Sugil!" 

Sae-jin's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. 

"Ah... Sae-jin?" 

"Sorry again for that strong hit, haha!" 

He said with a small bandage on his hand while wiping off the little sweat he had accumulated during the fight. 

"Oh, don't worry about it. Besides, it's nothing compared to what Lim and Ha-Joon went through..." 

"Haha! Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine!" 

Said Lim, sitting right next to us, clutching his ribs in pain. 

'Liar.' 

I was sure both Sae-jin and I thought the same thing at the same time. 

"Anyway, did you see Ha-Joon's reaction? That guy really has issues!" 

"Ahh... don't even mention it... I can already tell this year is going to be long with him around..." 

Sae-jin replied, shaking his head. 

I simply nodded, before turning my gaze back to the other students who were still training. 

"Hey, Sae-jin, why didn't you use your abilities?" 

Lim asked, intrigued. 

"I could ask you the same question. Besides, I was already winning, so what was the point?" 

Lim could only stare at him wide-eyed before awkwardly turning his head away. 

"..."

"Pff—Ahahah!" 

A smile formed on my face as I watched Sae-jin laugh. 

'In the end, having this Sae-jin around is actually pretty nice...' 

In the original novel, Sae-jin and Lim took a long time to become friends since Sae-jin tended to isolate himself. But by joining the group of the strongest students—the main cast—he gradually grew closer to Lim, and the two of them became the duo we know now. 

— 

Several hours later, the training session finally ended, and Madame Lee Ah-reum gave a speech before letting us leave. 

"Apprentices of Class A-20, I have analyzed each of you individually, identifying your strengths and weaknesses. And I have concluded... 

That 45% of the class will fail the test." 

"What?! How?!" 

"45% is insanely high..." 

Many students started talking amongst themselves, but my face remained neutral, as if I wasn't affected by the news. 

'I may or may not be part of that 45%, but it doesn't matter... Because tonight, I'm going to get stronger.' 

A small, confident smile appeared on my face.

[Quest: Reach Level 5 during the entrance exam

Rewards: New card abilities of 1 or 2 stars, gain points in STR and END.

Failure to complete the quest within the time limit will result in penalties for the next 10 days. Quest difficulty: RANK F.]