No Dark Secrets In This Book

Episode 27

Let’s talk about real life for a moment as an escape from reality. Though it’s no brag, I had no connection with studying even in real life. My school days were about maintaining social skills while playing around, and I only studied hard at the very end of senior year. 

I was lucky enough to get into a Korean university with that, but there too, I just played without studying. Even when professors nagged that I could do anything if I just put in effort, I’d squirm away and sleep. Ah, the sleep mentioned here is not for all ages. I’m just saying.

If our eyes met while drinking, we’d immediately kiss and fumble with belts as we entered a hotel. I didn’t care who the other person was. As long as they were my type.

It’s a life asking to get beaten to death somewhere, but I had no intention of changing the pattern. Because my hyungs would take care of it if a problem arose!

‘A chaebol cheat key is the best after all!’

That’s right. The youngest son of a chaebol made good use of his background. I didn’t say anything about simply getting hit, thinking it was karma rather than a problem, but when a crazy bastard charges at me with a broken bottle saying he’ll kill me if he can’t have me, it’s hard for me to handle it alone.

At the time, I knelt down and fawned a bit to at least stop him from swinging the bottle, but before things got worse, my hyungs and bodyguards arrived in droves…

And so the crazy bastard disappeared. 

No, I’m not joking, he really disappeared somewhere. He was a college classmate but no one knows what happened to him. My hyungs won’t tell me either.

I didn’t really ask because I wasn’t curious. What does it matter to me what happened to a crazy jerk like that?

Anyway, what I want to say is this.

‘Even if the chaebol cheat key is gone, can’t I still use the prestigious family cheat key?’

So, listen without misunderstanding.

“Ah, you’re going to take all the courses~? Well, I suppose a Demillang cadet could do it!”

“What. You didn’t say anything and that’s what you were thinking? Heh. Not bad spirit.”

“Amazing, oh, beautiful! Cassice is a truly fantastic cadet!”

If the professors just disappear, I don’t have to study, right?

‘Right?’

…Of course, deleting professors doesn’t become a fundamental solution to life…!

I know that too. You think I don’t know a new professor will come if I kill one? I’m not saying this because I don’t know that.

‘But if three professors are forcing me to take their 3 classes at the same time, wouldn’t you get the urge to kill?’

I’m not kidding, I really want to delete them all. To a talent-filled person who was going to pretend to only use blood magic and be awesome, Taoist magic? Shamanism? Are you joking?

Why are you arbitrarily expanding my exam scope?!

Ha, I must have forgotten that the keyword of #academystory in the original work only shone like false advertising in the beginning and then quickly disappeared as war, devastation, and hardship rapidly took over.

The fact that Cassice Demillang received a ton of attention from professors in the original work.

‘Whether in a good sense or bad sense.’

Think about it. Cassice Demillang put mana in his dahnjon*. He created a dahnjon with mana heart training. What this means is that Cassice Demillang transplanted his heart into his dahnjon.

[T/N: Dahnjon is an energy center in the body according to Taoism.]

‘Truly a crazy bastard…’

I don’t mean his physical, real heart. I’m referring to the location of the mana heart. That doesn’t mean it’s something that should be done though. Of course. The mana heart is a structure that actively utilizes the mana circuits near the heart. The composition of mana circuits near the dahnjon is completely different from near the heart. He attached a device made of completely different facilities.

It can be compared to situations like transplanting the brain into the chest, or putting the brain in the belly and being fine… Anyway, something like that.

Meaning it’s something that shouldn’t be possible while alive.

Despite that crazy thing, Cassice Demillang’s pulse still beats. Normally you’d swell up like a balloon and explode to death just from attempting it, but since his explosive debut at 13 through a dungeon conquest, he’s still alive.

The very fact that he’s alive is proof of his dazzling talent.

Would there be not even a single professor who desires to have him by their side and observe him?

Or would there really be no professor who wants to ride on the Demillang name value? 

‘As if!’

So it’s not that strange for the professors in front of my eyes to wag their butts like beasts that spotted prey. I know. I know, but…

There was only one reason I became anxious.

‘In the original work… I think Cassice Demillang took multiple courses.’

Of course, it’s hard to be sure since the story progressed from Ryuseong’s point of view, but they definitely said Cassice took more courses than Ryuseong. 

Using that as an excuse, Cassice’ gang engaged in mental gymnastics saying Ryuseong only got high scores because he took fewer courses. No, it’s because Ryuseong is a damn OP protagonist munchkin.

But that’s not important. 

What I mean is…

‘How many courses did Cassice Demillang in the original work take as multiple courses…?’

Yeah, this is the real problem.

‘Ah, even if I can fake mimicry well, studying just doesn’t suit my constitution-!’

Huh? Did I forget about the room exploding operation at the hotel? How could I. It’s true that I even exploded the hotel and focused hard during theory classes to memorize mana circuits, 8 extraordinary meridians, 99 magic formations, and 108 formation methods to become strong.

I did that because I needed to become strong to survive. But exams were a different matter from survival.

Even if we say Ryuseong is the undisputed #1, Areah is an academy that only gathers geniuses from the start. How many capable and talented geniuses swarm in there. 

‘I’m screwed.’

Can I smoothly rank 2nd when I have to relearn from ‘Fire Ball’? Shouldn’t I at least reduce the number of courses for the sake of my smooth life?

These are the concerns tormenting my pitiful heart.

However, unlike my eventful inner thoughts, on the outside it will look like I’m gently lowering my eyes and tilting my head affectionately. Because I made it look like refined elegance is oozing from every gesture like the epitome of a noble.

Of course, my true feelings are just swearing, but isn’t what’s shown all that matters?

“My, I understand your desire to focus on me, but shall we calm down now. I do not wish to become a scoundrel who robs learning opportunities from cadets. I would not refuse an invitation to tea time, but is this not the time for you to ‘sell’ your courses?”

When I smiled narrowly, their expressions each became subtle. The word ‘sell’ probably rubbed them the wrong way. But if you think about it, it is selling.

‘Because it’s a tradition in the Magic Department for the course with the least students each year to get mocked.’

To be exact, they get roasted by the senior professors. Since most take the course they took in 1st year again in 2nd year.

In other words, 1st year professors are no different from salesmen. It means they’re the unfortunate junior professors tasked with spam processing to promote “Take our course~”.

However, even they are ‘Named Conquerors’ immensely admired in the outside world, and from the suffocating weight in the gazes directed at me, we can infer ‘what kind’ of beings the practical training professors of Areah Academy are.

“…Well, you’re not wrong~.”

“Arrogant youngster, I don’t really hate that.”

“Ah, even his speech is a talent! This is truly the academy’s good fortune.”

The professors grumbled, each leaving a word, and headed to the podium, poking each other, bickering across the cadets’ seats. And the critical decision-making tool they took out as they had to decide the order was none other than.

“If you don’t do it, you lose! Rock paper scissors!”

…

“You didn’t do it! You lost! This bastard’s a loser!”

“No I’m not! I was just a little late…”

“Are you holding back?”

“There’s a chance your hand might fly off~?”

…At this point, the cadets were wondering what this was.

Because they were showing a considerably shoddy and stupid appearance for professors of a prestigious academy that would lead geniuses from all over the world. Much less did they show any dignity as Named Conquerors.

“…”

But I did not let my guard down.

Even in the moment when everyone else had disappointed gazes, I only quietly put a trademark faint and eerie smile on the corners of my mouth. 

I ignored that there were three gazes looking at me like that, and one more.

In other words, I’m saying that Ryuseong is also eyeing me besides the professors, but I’m just ignoring it. The reason is simple. The more I ignore you, the more frustrated you’ll get.

‘I care about this so much but how can you be so indifferent?’

‘You’re going to forget about me once you meet someone else?’

-Think whatever you want. I’m never going to show a shaken appearance.

Just try tormenting me, Ryuseong.

‘S-so what courses do I have to take.’

…Because my insides are rotting enough without thinking of you! Dammiiiiit!

***

“Ah! Dammit. I’m going first again this year.”

Shamanism Professor Dohyun, who lacks self-awareness but always has a zero win rate in rock-paper-scissors because he only does paper, grumbled and climbed onto the podium, starting to fiddle his fingers with a bleak air. 

And from then, something started to change.

The sound of bells rang from somewhere and the windows darkened without the curtains being drawn, and the lights flickered and blinked with a crackling sound.

Is he trying to create a horror atmosphere? Some cadets even sneered.

‘As if we’d be scared by this.’

They didn’t say that directly, but it was implicitly revealed through their behavior. Dohyun didn’t dislike their green impudence. It would all be shattered anyway.

“Hey there, youngsters, listen.”

Whew.

When she blew wind on her fingertips, flames started rising as if the fingerprints were flint. At the same time, the lights went out with a snap.

Now the only light in the dark classroom was the radiance rising from Dohyun’s fingertips.

“Shamanism and Taoism are very different subjects. But I get really angry that they’re lumped together under the name of magic. Taoists are treated well, called divine, immortal, sage, but us shamans hear all kinds of crap. But listen carefully.”

Soon, Dohyun, who had half-turned her body, started drawing on the hanji* paper attached to the blackboard with her burning fingertips.

[T/N: Hanji is traditional Korean paper handmade from mulberry.]

Strangely, the fire only stayed on the trajectory she drew down. In other words, the flames were starting to be fixed as a drawing.

Even if it looked ugly like a loser man.

“Even with nothing, you can pray to shamanism! Shamanism is for those without a foundation, so it’s not something that can only be used if you have an innate something. Shamanism is a prayer!”

It was a very crude appearance. 

At the solemn cry that didn’t match the sight of the loser man drawing that looked like it was drawn by a kindergartener stuck on the blackboard hanji, some cadets burst into laughter without thinking.

Originally, they wouldn’t have. They would also know of Areah Academy’s notoriety and know Dohyun was a Named Conqueror. But now that Dohyun, Pungseonja, and Eipl had softened the atmosphere with absurd banter, the cadets’ ‘mistakes’ were coming out.

And Dohyun didn’t reprimand them and scribbled two characters next to the hanji. Dragon King, when it was revealed that her ugly drawing was actually a portrait of the Dragon King, ruler of the seas, almost everyone burst into laughter.

They started thinking it was okay to do this since she wasn’t scolding them.

Dohyun didn’t dislike such complacency either. A current conqueror would have smashed their heads, but these were still just cadets.

“Shamanism is divided into sympathetic magic and contagious magic according to principle. That similar things produce similar things, and the effect resembles the cause is the principle of sympathetic magic. This sympathetic magic, also called imitative magic, an example is a rain ritual where a portrait of the Dragon King is drawn wishing for rain… Boring? You all learned it already, right? Through textbooks, theory. Right?”

Amidst the children’s giggling, Dohyun also lifted the corners of her mouth and recited the explanation. At that moment.

“Aaaaahhh!”

It happened suddenly, literally.

Some cadet suddenly stood up from his seat, rolled to the floor and started flailing his arms and legs everywhere. The cadet who most actively burst into laughter was convulsing.

“Aack! Heeeelp! Save, save me, uh, uhh…”

“Hey, get a hold of yourself! Wha, what’s going…”

The cadets nearby tried to make him stand or come to his senses by grabbing his shoulders and shaking them. But the professors who should help them were laughing, and the class continued.

“The principle of contagious magic is that what has been in contact even once continues to interact across time and space even after actual contact is broken, so it’s also called infection magic. For example, believing that hair, fingernails, toenails continue to affect that person even after being separated from their body.”

In contrast to the cadet writhing on the floor and screaming, Dohyun’s serene voice continued, clear and blue without a speck. When the bright Dohyun showed the cadets between the fingers that had been on fire, there was a single thin strand of hair.

It was auburn hair the same color as the cadet screaming and yelling.

“Sometimes it’s simply called a ‘curse’. Like right now.”

With that, Dohyun gripped the classroom in terror. All the cadets except for three.

And.

“…Please stop! No matter if you’re a professor, this is unforgivable!”

The person who said this was not Cassice Demillang.

‘Of course. As if I’d act so kind.’