Episode 31: Midterm Exams (1)
An old man sat before me, resting his chin on his hand, lost in deep thought.
“You absorbed a fragment…”
His voice carried both admiration and suspicion.
“There doesn’t seem to be a problem. Even in the test that that bastard Gwang-chul conducted, there were no issues.”
I explained to him how I had absorbed the fragment—except for the part where I traveled back in time and spent seven days there.
I just made something up.
A brief silence followed.
“Who else knows?”
A face appeared in my mind.
Kang Arin.
She knew that I had absorbed the fragment.
I had no idea where she was right now, though.
“Kang Arin. Kang Arin knows.”
I spoke her name.
“Kang Arin? Glory?”
Park Gwang-chul, who had been silently listening, reacted.
I nodded at him.
— Must be exhausting~
He muttered.
The old man still had his eyes closed, as if organizing his thoughts.
The silence stretched on, filling the room with an eerie stillness.
Then, at last, he slowly opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“… It was only a matter of time before you were exposed to the world.”
His voice carried both resignation and determination.
“I suppose… it’s time to accept it.”
With that, the old man rose from his seat.
He walked heavily to the door, then turned to glance at me and said:
“Be careful.”
I silently watched his back as he left.
I could understand how he felt.
He had lost his daughter—Sion’s mother—to the Demonic Human Humans.
She had been a hero with remarkable talent.
But the Demonic Humans feared her potential and ultimately killed her.
After that day, the old man changed.
Even as he trained and nurtured Sion and me, he never let us be exposed to the outside world.
He had even been firmly against us entering Gaon Academy at first.
But in the end, he compromised and accepted it.
Even after the door closed, the heavy silence lingered in the room.
It was Park Gwang-chul who finally spoke.
“You’re going back to Gaon, right?”
I answered briefly.
“Yeah, I am.”
He showed no particular reaction to my response.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked:
“Hmm… Isn’t it almost midterm exams?”
Thinking about the timing, it probably was.
“Yeah.”
At that, Park Gwang-chul smirked slightly.
“Alright, got it.”
There was something strange about his smile.
***
I returned to Gaon.
[Sion]: Haein, Ara told me. Something happened, right?
Just as I reached my dormitory door, my watch vibrated.
I checked Sion’s message and sent a short reply while opening the door.
But the moment I stepped inside—
“Oh, for fuck’s sake…”
The day I climbed Baekdu Mountain, I had received the Dongbaek Sword from the Association and left it on my dorm room floor.
And now, that very sword had taken root in the middle of my living room.
Scarlet vines extended from its blade.
They had spread throughout the room, transforming it into a complete jungle.
The furniture was wrapped in thick vines, barely recognizable,
And the ceiling was tangled with interwoven branches, resembling the canopy of a greenhouse.
I let out a deep sigh and grabbed the spear hanging beside me.
“When am I going to clean all this up…?”
Cutting away the vines blocking my path, I made my way toward the center of the living room.
There, embedded in the middle of the room, was the Dongbaek Sword, gleaming brightly as if in a good mood.
And then—
—Swoosh!
I pulled the sword out, sheath and all.
As the roots connected to the blade snapped one by one, the vines that had been clinging to them withered away, as if their lifespans had come to an end.
“I need to return this quickly.”
This wouldn’t be an issue if it had found the right owner from the start.
I looked down at the sword, lost in thought.
I had agreed to do both morning runs and partner training with Yu Hana.
I checked the time—11 p.m.
It was too late to meet now, so I decided to set up a meeting for tomorrow instead.
I opened my watch and sent a short message.
[Jung Haein]: Hana, are you free to be my partner tomorrow?
Just as I was about to close my watch and pick up the withered vines—
—Ding!
A reply arrived in less than ten seconds.
[Yu Hana]: Partner?? What partner?? Either way, I’m in.
That was fast.
I immediately replied.
[Jung Haein]: The partner training we talked about last time. I also have something to give you.
[Yu Hana]: Oh… I remember now. How about tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the B-wing training hall?
I briefly responded, “Sounds good,” and closed my watch.
The B-wing training hall was the closest one to the dorms.
But how was I supposed to give this to her?
No matter how you looked at it, the Dongbaek Sword was not an ordinary item.
And knowing her personality, she wouldn’t just accept it without question.
“Wait.”
Was I overthinking this?
Now that I considered it, I could just shove it into her hands and be done with it.
I tied the sword to the ceiling light, letting it dangle.
At least this way, it wouldn’t take root again.
It was already 11 p.m.
“Whatever, I’ll just sleep.”
There was no point in worrying about it anymore. It had been a long day.
***
The next morning, I arrived at school exactly at 9:00 a.m. as usual.
I entered through the back door and made my way to my designated seat.
And there, sitting beside my seat, was Cheon Yeoul.
Without saying much, I sat down beside her.
“Morning.”
I greeted her casually.
But Cheon Yeoul didn’t respond.
She simply stared at me, scanning every inch of my body as if studying something intently.
Then, slowly, her expression filled with awe.
“Nothing special happened in class yesterday, right?”
I started the conversation naturally.
But she was still looking at me with that mesmerized expression.
After a few seconds of silent staring, she finally seemed to snap out of it and opened her mouth.
“Y-yeah….”
Cheon Yeoul lowered her head shyly, her hands neatly folded in her lap.
Normally, she was energetic and talkative, but today, she sat stiffly, acting unusually reserved.
“What’s with you this morning?”
I spoke casually, but she still wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Her fingers fidgeted as if she was debating something in her mind.
Then, after some hesitation, she cautiously spoke.
“Well… it’s just….”
“Just?”
“You seem… different.”
She stole a quick glance at my face, then immediately blushed and turned away.
I tapped my desk lightly.
As expected, being a candidate for saintess, she must have instinctively sensed the change in me.
After all, the energy of a Fragment and divine power were somewhat interconnected.
But before she could ask anything else, the front door of the classroom swung open.
—Clack.
It was Instructor Do Han-seong.
With his usual composed expression, he walked in and stepped onto the podium.
Then, without any change in expression, he opened the attendance book.
“Kang Arin.”
A brief silence.
She didn’t come today.
Do Han-seong completed the roll call without further comment and immediately began the lesson. It wasn’t anything special—just an in-depth theoretical class on various weapons.
The theory was necessary, of course, but considering that weapon combat relied heavily on practical skills, this wasn’t the most crucial part of the curriculum.
I half-listened, letting the information go in one ear and out the other, simply passing the time.
As the atmosphere in the classroom grew lazier and focus began to wane, Do Han-seong turned his gaze toward the students and slowly spoke.
“As I mentioned on Monday, midterms will begin next week.”
The classroom buzzed with murmurs.
Midterms.
Gaon Academy’s first midterm exams were infamous.
They weren’t just about grades.
Here, exams were value assessments.
Among students, they were often referred to as “the bidding war.”
Just like the name implied, midterm scores weren’t just numbers—they determined how guilds, organizations, and even independent teams evaluated students and placed their bids.
To secure the students they wanted, these groups would place monetary bids, essentially competing for the most promising candidates.
The students who got bid on would automatically form connections with those groups, leading to internships or special programs that provided them with real-world experience.
And naturally, the bidding price contributed to a student’s ranking in Gaon.
A system built on pure capitalism.
Students became obsessed with proving their worth, fighting for the chance to receive higher bids from prestigious guilds.
It was practically an auction for students.
“As you all know, this year’s midterms will also follow the value assessment format,” Do Han-seong continued.
After finishing his statement, he turned around and began writing on the board.
“Now, I will announce the list of major organizations participating in this year’s assessment.”
Major organizations. The ultimate goal for most students. While smaller groups would also take part, everyone set their sights on the majors.
The classroom’s attention was razor-sharp.
• Glory
An obvious choice.
The number one guild in the world, the strongest faction.
• Lotus
Another expected name.
The world’s second-largest guild, right behind Glory.
• Arcadia
“Hmm…”
It was unusual for the Arcadia Church to participate.
They were probably looking to recruit support specialists, healers.
Do Han-seong continued listing several other major organizations.
And just when it seemed like the list was complete, he added one more name at the end.
• Vanquisher
The classroom exploded with murmurs.
“Vanquisher? Seriously?”
“Wow, they’re actually participating?”
Even Sung Siwoo, sitting in the front row, shot up from his seat and stared at the board.
The whispers spread like wildfire.
It was understandable.
Vanquisher was infamous for never recruiting members.
Naturally, they also never participated in value assessments.
And yet, their name was on the list this time.
For the students, this meant only one thing—
If Vanquisher was directly taking part in the assessment, it meant they were definitely planning to recruit at least one person.
But for me…
‘Why… are they here?’
I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Vanquisher never participated in the assessment in the original story.
And then, it hit me.
“Ah.”
- “Hmm… The midterms are coming up soon, aren’t they?”
I suddenly recalled the cryptic remark Park Gwang-chul had made to me, along with that unsettling smile.
I pressed my fingers against my forehead.