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I think… I might be a game addict.

As soon as I finished filling out the club application form, I turned on my computer and jumped into the Rift.

I even skipped lunch.

Instead, the pantry of the Monster Eaters Club was completely empty, and although I managed to fill my stomach somehow…

Skipping lunch was a pretty big shock to me.

“Hayan… I think I’m obsessed with games…”

“For someone obsessed, you’re pretty bad at it.”

Lee Ha-yoon, the flamer, kept roasting me the entire time we were playing.

Roasting is a universal culture.

Even in games, it’s no exception.

While I was getting roasted by Ha-yoon, I roasted Lee Chae-song.

“Ah, Chae-song unnie, you should’ve used your ultimate there…”

“Sorry… It’s my first time in the Rift…”

“Sigh, it can’t be helped… I, a Silver, will have to guide you.”

“Where are you guiding us? To Bronze? Iron? Wherever it is, it’s probably hell.”

“…”

I got beaten up by Ha-yoon again.

But with my KDA in the 1 o’clock direction, I couldn’t argue back.

‘The enemy ADC is almost Challenger, but they don’t believe me.’

I felt like I couldn’t carry with my own strength against an ADC who seemed to be at a Challenger level.

So, with a vision uncharacteristically wide for a Silver, I provided full support to let Ha-yoon carry.

Top Chae-rini (Lee Chae-rin): 1/1/1

Jungle Taebaegging (Lee Ha-yoon): 13/1/9

Mid Il1I1lI1Il (Random): 4/1/3

ADC Military Middle Schooler (Jeong Gyeoul): 3/11/3

Support Chae-song (Lee Chae-song): 1/1/12

And the result.

We were already pushing the twin towers, and the Nexus’s health was below half.

Next to me, I could see Ha-yoon toying with the enemy in front of their fountain until the Nexus was destroyed.

Ha-yoon’s ID is Taebaegging.

I don’t know if she knew the word “teabagging” when she made it.

Or if it’s a cute nickname for her home base, the Taebaek Group.

I couldn’t tell.

Anyway… we won.

“Gyeoul, it’s so hard to carry you…”

“What are you talking about? I raised you.”

“…Huh? If you keep this up, I won’t play with you.”

“Sorry, it’s all my fault. I’ll try harder next time.”

I gave in to Ha-yoon’s threat and lowered my tail, and only then did her expression soften.

What a bad girl…

I took care of her all through elementary school.

Just because she’s good at games, she treats people like trash.

Is this why they say you shouldn’t mess with black-haired people?

“Is… is it finally over?”

“Ah, hello, Instructor.”

I didn’t notice earlier, but it seems Instructor Kim Gae-soo interrupted us in the middle of the game.

“…But why are you here?”

“Because I’m the club advisor here?”

“The Monster Eaters Club advisor is Instructor Kim Gae-soo from Introduction to Monster Studies?”

“Pfft.”

The rhyme of “Monster Eaters,” “Monster,” and “Gae-soo.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter, and everyone turned to look at me.

‘…Is this not funny?’

Did I leave all my sense of humor in the Rift? How is this not funny?

“Sorry…”

Instructor Kim Gae-soo looked like he had something to ask, but…

“It’s 1:20? I should hurry to class.”

“That’s my class anyway, so let’s walk and talk…”

“I need to go to the bathroom first! See you later!”

Everyone seemed to have the same thought.

They all rushed out after me.

“…Are you four going to the bathroom together?”

I could hear Instructor Kim Gae-soo saying something from behind.

But I couldn’t hear anything.

Really.

There’s no way the club advisor would like that we only play games in the Monster Eaters Club.

In situations like this, it’s best to make yourself scarce.

Let’s just say I cleared the way for the internal matters to be resolved internally.

“Gyeoul, aren’t you going to the bathroom?”

“Huh? I don’t need to go.”

“You said you were going earlier.”

“I was just saying that.”

“…?”

Ha-yoon really wanted to go to the bathroom together, huh.

Sorry.

It’s been 8 years since I became a girl.

But I’m still not at the point where I can share a bathroom with other girls.

***

“This is the corpse of the Red Jaguar.”

“Wow… isn’t that super expensive?”

“The Academy doesn’t spare any expense for the students.”

I sat at the very back to avoid Instructor Kim Gae-soo.

But this crazy instructor decided to teach from the back today.

He said it was because of the Red Jaguar corpse, but…

I have no idea what nonsense that is.

‘The back is even narrower.’

I feel like I’m going to die from the heat because of that burning monster skin.

It’s only been 10 minutes since class started.

I’m already drenched in sweat.

I hate the heat so much I don’t even go to saunas…

Instructor Kim Gae-soo must be holding a grudge from what happened in the club room and is doing this on purpose.

“Gyeoul, if you wrap yourself in magic power, it’ll be less hot.”

“…You should’ve told me that earlier.”

“Sorry… I just remembered that you can move magic power because I thought you’d be useless in real life too, based on your game image.”

Ha-yoon is still teabagging her own team even after the game ended.

Is she sulking because I didn’t go to the bathroom with her?

Just as I was about to show off my finely honed Demon King flick.

“Jeong Gyeoul, over there.”

“…Yes?”

I got caught by Instructor Kim Gae-soo.

“Seeing as you raised your hand, do you have a question?”

I don’t have any questions…

But Instructor Kim Gae-soo looked like he’d give me a penalty if I said I didn’t have any questions.

“…This Red Jaguar’s skin is too hot, so I’m using telekinesis to block the heat. Can I block the heat completely by applying telekinesis directly to the skin?”

“Want to give it a try?”

Why is he looking at me like that?

Something feels off.

“Is it okay if I do it?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Not too thick, just about the same thickness as the skin.

Gently, as if wrapping the entire monster corpse.

I applied telekinesis to the skin.

“To block the heat from the skin itself, you need to be at least A-Class. Otherwise, the magic power itself won’t withstand the heat. The magic power will melt and scatter into the air… but…?”

“Jeong Gyeoul is C-Class, but she can do it?”

“That shouldn’t be possible…?”

“So is Jeong Gyeoul actually A-Class?”

“Why can Jeong Gyeoul do it?”

“Can you explain, Instructor?”

“Is it because she’s in the Super Ability Category?”

Oh no.

I knew something felt off.

I tried to avoid a penalty and ended up being forced to come out as A-Class.

I’m a special admission anyway.

Special admissions can’t participate in the school ranking battles, so my skills wouldn’t be exposed.

I was just trying to live under the radar, but…

‘This is how it turned out.’

Now no one below A-Class will pick fights with me, right?

Half the kids who used to challenge me to spar will probably back off.

I’ve lost a legal way to relieve stress.

This is all Ha-yoon’s fault.

I’ll bite her cheek later.

Her soft, chewy cheek is so satisfying to munch on.

I don’t know why, but it just is.

***

In Introduction to Monster Studies, seating is free.

But… Jeong Gyeoul, Lee Ha-yoon, Lee Chae-song, and Lee Chae-rin skipped the empty middle seats and sat at the very end.

‘Are they avoiding me? Why are the Monster Eaters Club members avoiding the club advisor?!’

Wanting to get closer to the members, Instructor Kim Gae-soo decided to teach from the back today.

With the help of the administrative office staff, he moved the Red Jaguar corpse to the back.

And just as he was about to start the lesson.

Jeong Gyeoul suddenly raised her right hand.

The way her finger was positioned was a bit odd, but I could guess why she raised it.

From the first class, she answered every question, and in detail at that.

After that, she acted like the class was boring and didn’t participate at all.

The typical pattern of a genius.

That’s why I forcibly changed the curriculum and even brought in an expensive monster corpse.

If a genius like her didn’t show interest in a monster corpse, that would be even stranger.

‘As expected, she needs to ask a question right from the start.’

I decided to call Jeong Gyeoul to the front and take her question.

What kind of amazing question would come out of her mouth?

Kim Gae-soo started trembling more than he did during his thesis defense.

“Can you completely block the heat by applying telekinesis directly to the skin?”

The answer that came out of Jeong Gyeoul’s mouth wasn’t much different from the average student.

‘Even a genius is still a 14-year-old.’

But I wasn’t disappointed.

Geniuses often act in ways that don’t match their age and end up being ostracized by society.

Jeong Gyeoul was a genius, but she also had the innocence befitting her age.

I thought she was better socially adjusted than other geniuses.

“Want to give it a try?”

To completely block the heat radiating from the Red Jaguar’s skin, you need to be at least A-Class.

It was something Jeong Gyeoul, who was only C-Class, couldn’t do.

But it’s not bad to learn that not everything in the world goes your way.

I started the lesson for the genius.

But then…

‘Why is that working…?’

Not long after Jeong Gyeoul wrapped the Red Jaguar corpse, the heat was completely blocked.

‘…Is it fake?’

For a moment, I thought that… but there’s no way it’s fake.

It would mean someone caught a monster as big as the Red Jaguar, performed plastic surgery on it, and made a burning skin to cover it.

There’s no one who would do that, or even could do that.

Which means…

Jeong Gyeoul, who was only C-Class when she enrolled, has already risen to A-Class.

The number of open magic circuits is called C-Class when it’s 100~150, and A-Class when it’s 200~300.

Going from C-Class to A-Class means almost doubling that number.

For normal Awakened Ones, even 10 years would be considered fast.

But the time it took Jeong Gyeoul wasn’t 10 years, 10 months, or even 10 weeks.

“Today’s c-class is self-study!”

Kim Gae-soo rushed out of the classroom and ran to the President’s Office.

“What’s going on? Isn’t it class time?”

“It is, but there’s a more important issue. President!”

“What could be so important? Did the Satan Church invade again? I don’t see any signs of that.”

It’s rare for an instructor to come barging in like this during class.

Kim Bong-du also started to get nervous.

“A student who was measured as C-Class has become A-Class!”

“…?”

As soon as Kim Bong-du heard that, he thought of someone.

A girl he met at the shelter.

If it’s her, then Kim Bong-du already knew about the situation.

“Are you talking about Jeong Gyeoul? It’s possible for her to get stronger. What’s the big deal?”

“It’s C-Class to A-Class! How can she rise two ranks in such a short time since the semester started?”

“So what! Are you saying she should close her circuits and go back to C-Class because she became A-Class too quickly!”

“No, that’s not it…”

“Then hurry back and finish your class. Neglecting your duties over something so trivial. Do you want to get fired??”

“Sorry.”

Kim Gae-soo was dumbfounded by the President’s indifferent, almost sarcastic reaction.

‘…Is that it? Is it really not a big deal?’

Without realizing it, Kim Gae-soo had gaslit himself.

He ran back to the classroom just as he had run to the President’s Office.

He’s an instructor.

And class is class.

 

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