I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius

I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 22

EP.22 Excitement (3)

[Activating the skill 《Charm》!]

– Swish! –

– Ping! –

As Kang Seo-Jun focused his gaze, a shimmering pink flame shot towards Jin Se-Rin.

– Pick.

–

However, before the flame could reach Jin Se-Rin, it flickered and extinguished like a candle in the wind.

‘What…!?’

“Why…?”

Jin Se-Rin remained unchanged from her previous demeanor.

There was no sign of any change.

Charm did not take effect.

Why?

In haste, Kang Seo-Jun opened the charm skill window.

《Skill》

▶Charm

◆Grade:

[Rare]

◆Description:

When used, amplifies the caster’s charm, captivating the hearts of others.

‘Ah..!’

Soon, Kang Seo-Jun found the answer within the description, and his heart sank.

‘Amplifying charm…!’

Charm, inherently, is subjective and challenging to quantify as it varies from person to person.

However, there were somewhat objective and universal criteria.

Clear skin, distinct facial features, graceful curves, and so on.

When evaluated based on such standards, Kang Seo-Jun was in a state of panic.

Decaying skin, buried facial features, distorted curves.

Considering all of these, the overall score was 0.

No, it was much lower than that.

It was on par with abyss, if not worse.

Even if you add to such charm or multiply it, there was no change.

‘This..!’

Even for the seasoned Kang Seo-Jun, enchanting with such a dismal appearance was an unexpected result.

[The Constellation, 《Queen of the Deepest Place》, shakes its head, saying it doesn’t understand human aesthetic standards.]

[The Constellation, 《Tree Guardian of the Flame Realm》, sponsors dimensional currency as an apology.]

[The Constellation, 《Golden Fox of the Sun and Moon Palace》, sponsors dimensional currency as a consolation.]

.

.

.

Despite the condolences from the Constellations of Love, it was still a heartbreaking failure.

“Ugh, ugh…!”

As Kang Seo-Jun gazed into the emptiness with a forlorn expression, Jin Se-Rin’s expression also darkened.

‘She’s mad because of the surprise….’

From Jin Se-Rin’s perspective, this morning had been quite eventful.

The reason she panicked at Kang Seo-Jun’s touch was because she had heard him mention being a ‘Bug Sorcerer’ before.

Having heard stories that under the Bug Sorcerer’s skin, insects flowed instead of blood, and they could burst out at any moment, it was a reflexive reaction based on fear.

However, it was not an action stemming from disgust towards Kang Seo-Jun himself but rather from the fear of bugs.

She tried to explain in a hurry, but not knowing how to justify, she was left speechless, and the chance for an explanation passed in an instant.

As a result, Kang Seo-Jun’s expression was visibly unpleasant now.

‘Why did it turn out like this… Hiing…..’

Jin Se-Rin’s eyebrow tails twitched like rabbit ears.

‘This way, the distance to quest success becomes even more distant!’

◆Description:

Make the heroine’s heart flutter with excitement before arriving at the academy!

The more he tried, the farther he got from quest success, rather than getting closer.

Yet, instead of succumbing to despair, he quickly began pondering his next move.

Even in the face of an extremely dire situation, his willpower, surpassing 30, forced him to think ahead.

‘If I knew it would be like this, I should have invested more in intelligence!’

With the current speed of his thought processes, no good ideas were emerging.

His steps were slow.

His thoughts were fast.

Kang Seo-Jun walked as slowly as possible, engaging his brain to the fullest.

However, no matter how much he thought, with this pitiful appearance, there weren’t many options to consider.

‘If only I were a bit less ugly…!’

If he had covered up with charm adjustments, achieving a look that surpassed celebrities, the quest would have been cleared long ago.

Even if it was late, the quest would have succeeded at the moment of trying to help her tidy up her messy hair.

In the end, both of them had serious faces and the academy was getting closer.

‘The only means left to me….’

Other than the whimsical fortune at play, there seemed to be no suitable means.

Soon, as the traffic light at the crosswalk turned green and Kang Seo-Jun and Jin Se-Rin were about to cross the deserted intersection.

– Vroom! –

Suddenly, a loud horn sounded from the left.

Both Jin Se-Rin and Kang Seo-Jun turned their heads to the left simultaneously.

Just 20 meters away, an AI dump truck was approaching at an incredible speed.

“Mi, madness!”

“Yikes!?”

Without time to think, Kang Seo-Jun immediately activated his secret skill.

[The skill 《Counter Time》 is activated.]

– Kwaaaah! –

A deafening roar engulfed Kang Seo-Jun, and the dump truck crumpled like an aluminum can.

However, it seemed that the force was applied in a narrow area.

– Squeeeak! –

Just as the dump truck seemed to be floating, its rear end lifted high as if doing a somersault.

“What, what?”

“Oops!”

– Kugugugugu! –

Then, along with the pouring cargo, it tilted as if to cover Jin Se-Rin and Kang Seo-Jun.

In an instant, a solid and hefty piece of cargo was falling directly above Kang Seo-Jun’s head.

‘I might die if it hits me?’

The thought quickly passed through Kang Seo-Jun’s mind.

Counter Time only works for close-range attacks.

Although the tilting dump truck was unavoidable, the falling debris couldn’t be stopped.

He shouted that the will must be avoided, but due to his stiff body, he couldn’t react at all.

He could only watch the approaching death with the eyes of inevitability.

And soon.

– Thud! –

Kang Seo-Jun’s world flipped.

– Rumble rumble! –

– Crash crash crash crash crash! –

The dump truck, making a chilling metal sound, slid across the asphalt.

Various things were crushed and ground on the asphalt, and a pungent smoke spread faintly.

And….

“Cough! Cough!”

“Haah…. Cough! Haah….”

Jin Se-Rin and Kang Seo-Jun were both lying on top of each other, catching their breath.

It was Jin Se-Rin who threw herself to save Kang Seo-Jun.

If Jin Se-Rin’s action had been even a little late, what would have been split wouldn’t be the asphalt but the human flesh.

In that fleeting moment when a large cargo was about to fall directly onto Kang Seo-Jun’s head.

Jin Se-Rin’s body moved involuntarily.

There was no time to think, no time to feel any emotions.

That brief moment was simply unconscious.

There was no fear of the insects flowing under Kang Seo-Jun’s skin, no hesitation.

And in that unconscious state, the ability to save others.

The reason why the Constellation ‘Illuminating One’ chose Jin Se-Rin might have been due to this side of her.

Deep scratches engraved on the asphalt stretched long, just a hand’s breadth away from where Kang Seo-Jun lay.

– Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

–

– Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

–

The overturned AI dump truck cried out with its sound, and the heartbeat followed a bit faster than that rhythm.

However, since their bodies were stacked on top of each other, it was impossible to know whose heart was beating.

Only in the lingering white smoke, Kang Seo-Jun forced his eyes open.

“Ugh….”

Jin Se-Rin, partially obscured by smoke, was faintly wriggling on top of him.

‘I’m alive… thanks to her….’

Seeing the faintly moaning woman, Kang Seo-Jun felt relieved.

But relief was fleeting.

– Zap! –

“Kuh…!!”

Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through his lower back, jolting his entire nervous system.

Falling heavily to the ground, his waist, which had been twisted grotesquely, had now straightened.

“Thud! Cough! Ugh!”

As Kang Seo-Jun coughed as if struggling to breathe, Jin Se-Rin finally realized that she had been pinning him down and hastily moved away.

“Oops! S-Sorry!”

“Cough…!”

Kang Seo-Jun, groaning, slowly looked up at her.

In his line of sight were Jin Se-Rin’s night-sky-like pupils.

Immediately, she came to his face to assess his condition.

“Cough! Hm… Are you okay?”

Jin Se-Rin asked while suppressing a cough amidst the lingering smoke.

Her pupils flickered vaguely in the white smoke covering them.

“Thanks to you….”

“Ahem! Can you get up?”

His waist was slightly strained, but it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t move at all.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll, I’ll hold your hand!”

Through the dense smoke, Jin Se-Rin’s small, white hands reached out.

For a moment, he wondered if he could hold this hand, recalling her avoidance of his touch earlier.

Still, she willingly extended her hand.

Unable to avoid grabbing it, Kang Seo-Jun cautiously reached out.

– Squish! –

This time, Jin Se-Rin didn’t step back or evade.

As he cautiously reached out his hand, Jin Se-Rin firmly grasped it with both of hers.

She also wanted to make up for the mistake that caused him harm.

“On three, I’ll pull you!”

One. Two. Three!

Jin Se-Rin pulled Kang Seo-Jun with all her strength.

“Oh, oh!”

Despite losing quite a bit of weight during the two weeks, his still robust body easily stood up.

Although everything Jin Se-Rin had shown until yesterday was far from pleasant, it was a moment where her physical prowess, surpassing the specs of an ordinary person, was keenly felt.

“Cough! Kuheuk! Let’s head towards the sidewalk for now….”

“Cough! Cough! Ugh…! Sure.”

The acridity of the smoke had become overwhelming.

If they stayed even 10 seconds longer, it felt like their prayers would explode.

“This way…!”

While still tightly holding hands, Jin Se-Rin led Kang Seo-Jun across the crosswalk to the other side.

As soon as they reached the sidewalk, Jin Se-Rin pulled out her smartphone from her pocket.

“I’ll make the report. Just a moment….”

Her eyes and lips were somewhat fierce as she looked at the smartphone.

Kang Seo-Jun turned his head to look at the overturned dump truck.

The AI unmanned transport dump truck remained completely overturned, still emitting a slow, white smoke. The whining sound persisted.

Kang Seo-Jun felt the need to organize his thoughts about what just happened.

Typically, AI unmanned transport dump trucks don’t run over people. Even looking at one year of accident statistics, their stability is considered exceptionally high.

In fact, at the Grand Hunter Academy, there had never been an accident caused by an AI dump truck unless someone was intentionally controlling it.

However, the fact that it ran toward them was probably due to his [Luck: 50].

It seemed to be the influence of luck, but such strange incidents were most likely the result of extraordinary luck, unless someone planned it.

“But why did luck work like this…? What am I supposed to do in this situation…? We almost died just now.”

◆Description:

Make the heroine’s heart flutter with excitement before arriving at the academy!

What does this dump truck accident have to do with making Jin Se-Rin’s heart flutter with excitement? Of course, his heart was pounding due to the accident, but the problem was that it wasn’t the fluttering caused by excitement; rather, it was Kang Seo-Jun’s heart, not the heroine’s, that was pounding.

Kang Seo-Jun watched as Jin Se-Rin, who was in the middle of a police call, gestured wildly about their location.

“Ye… Yes! Our location is….”

‘I must be going crazy. What on earth should I do?’

Kang Seo-Jun sighed inwardly. That’s when it happened.

[Quest 《Exciting! Heart-pounding Path to School! 》Completed!]

– Ping Pong! –

“……!?”

Suddenly, the quest completion message appeared.

[Quest Success Reward! Endurance attribute +1!]

[Quest Success Reward! Strength attribute +1!]

[Quest Success Reward! Agility attribute +1!]

[The Constellations admire your quick response.]

[The Constellations are impressed by the heroine’s momentary ingenuity.]

[Some Constellations find the flow of events interesting.]

[The Constellation 《Queen of the Deepest Place》 eases your trait 《Necrotic Dermatitis Lv. Lowest》 by one level.]

[Trait 《Necrotic Dermatitis Lv. Lowest》 is separated into conditions 《Viral Dermatitis Lv. Low》and 《Allergic Dermatitis Lv. Low》]

[The Constellation 《Tree Guardian of the Flame Realm》 sponsors you with dimensional currency.]

[The Constellation 《Illuminating One》 sponsors you with dimensional currency.]

.

.

.

Following that, the Constellations’ reactions quickly piled up. Kang Seo-Jun instinctively suppressed the nearly escaping words.

‘What is this…!? Why did the quest suddenly cleared?’

Kang Seo-Jun’s mind started spinning rapidly.

– Thump. Thump. Thump.

–

‘Could it be that I’m the heroine…?’

No. That thought was rejected in less than three seconds. The quest was received by him, and undoubtedly, it pointed to Jin Se-Rin as the heroine.

Then, perhaps…?

– Thump. Thump. Thump. –

Is it Jin Se-Rin…?

No. It doesn’t make sense. Even Kang Seo-Jun, who had an insensitivity to women on max level, could confidently deny it.

Until now, there had been absolutely no moment where Jin Se-Rin felt the fluttering excitement. However, the quest was successful, and…

“What on earth is…”

[The Constellation 《Golden Fox of the Sun and Moon Palace》 looks forward to future events.]

[The Constellation 《Tree Guardian of the Flame Realm》 looks forward to future events.]

[The Constellation 《Queen of the Deepest Place》 looks forward to future events.]

.

.

.

‘What happened and why…?’

This, too, was a complicated matter of the female heart.

To Kang Seo-Jun, it was always a perplexing problem.

====

***

====

A rooftop overlooking a busy intersection in the city center.

A woman leaned against the railing, enjoying the breeze.

The brisk wind of the upper atmosphere passed through her dense brown hair. Her name was Lim Chae-Won.

This rooftop, a garden above her penthouse, was her favorite spot to overlook the vast city. Since she would be living in the dorms after enrollment, this scenery would be a farewell for a while.

Therefore, until the last possible moment, she lingered here late into the night, capturing the scenery she loved. Observing the city from such a height made her feel like a tycoon.

She enjoyed managing and nurturing something, and her ultimate life goal was precisely that.

Someday inheriting her father’s guild and developing it into a much greater and powerful guild than it is now.

That was her ambition and goal.

She possessed the talent and passion to achieve that ambition. However, recently, she was troubled by considerable concerns.

Her father, the guild’s leader, acquired a terminal illness, stepping back from the front line. The many rights were eagerly taken over by her uncle, who had been eyeing her father’s position.

“Sigh…”

Lim Chae-Won let out a low sigh.

Her uncle was by no means fit to run the guild. He was an individual lacking ability, filled only with desires.

He couldn’t use what he had productively, always consuming it for spontaneous pleasure. The more serious problem was the council members around him.

They planned to sell the guild her father and late mother had dedicated their lives to, using her uncle.

To Lim Chae-Won, the guild was not different from her father’s life or her late mother’s legacy. She couldn’t allow those greedy hands to snatch it away.

– Whooosh.

–

Lim Chae-Won intended to find the solution to this dilemma at the academy. The academy held two keys to solve this problem.

The first was undoubtedly the Fruit of the Sun. If it came into her hands, she believed she could handle it even if the council pushed her uncle to the front.

Of course, obtaining the Fruit of the Sun would be as challenging as dealing with those greedy individuals.

However, she wouldn’t know until she tried. This time, the prominent candidate for the Fruit of the Sun was said to be Park Shin-Hoo. Even though he hadn’t consumed the Fruit of the Sun yet, his B-grade stats were already three.

“Well, that’s worth a shot.”

Comparatively, her abilities were quite high, belonging to the upper tier among students. Her specialties were magic power and senses, both rated as B-grade.

If she continues to grow, Lim Chae-Won will have specs that can compete with Park Shin-Hoo. And the second key, as important as the Fruit of the Sun.

She needed to find ‘talents’ at the academy. Even if she gains invincibility through the Fruit of the Sun, it might be a support for the guild, but it cannot change the essence of the guild.

The essence of the guild is a collective, not an individual. It’s harmony, not independence. Lim Chae-Won believed that a guild is formed by many individuals with their own personalities, coming together to achieve even greater things.

Securing talented individuals as much as possible at the academy was crucial for her, aiming to become the guild leader. It was as important as the Fruit of the Sun.

– Wheeeeeeng.

–

Lim Chae-Won, who firmly established her goal after contemplating it multiple times, slowly turned her body to depart for the academy.

– Paaaaaaaang! –

Suddenly, a new car horn echoed from the intersection below. Lim Chae-Won reflexively turned her head towards the source of the sound.

“What!?”

There, she saw a man and a woman wearing the same academy uniform as herself. And a massive dump truck rushing towards them with a menacing force. Sensing an imminent accident, Lim Chae-Won instinctively covered her mouth.

However, the surprising thing was about to happen.

– Kwaaaaaaaah! –

As the dump truck collided with the man, a sound that shook the entire downtown resonated widely. But the one that was crushed, screaming, was not the man but the dump truck. The dump truck, folded like a piece of paper, rose as if it were a paper crane.

– Kwrrrrrrrrr! –

– Kwaagagagagagaga! –

Soon, as the dump truck and the cargo collapsed, a hazy smoke covered them generously.

“What the!?”

Lim Chae-Won, with the momentum of jumping outside the railing, stretched her waist to penetrate the hazy smoke. Through the smoke, it seemed that they were supporting each other, and fortunately, they didn’t seem to be significantly injured.

“Ah….”

Her right hand, which was covering her mouth, slowly descended. However, her mouth remained open.

‘What just happened…?’

He stopped the dump truck running at full speed with his bare body. No, he destroyed it. How much ability would be needed for such a performance? Strength, magic power, stamina, agility, and most other abilities would need to be at least A-grade or higher. And the most crucial durability stat…

“At least A+, no, s or higher…!”

The man was undoubtedly wearing the same academy uniform as herself. So, he should be a fellow student, but the performance he just showed was beyond comprehension.

– Dugeun. Dugeun. Dugeun.

–

Chae-Won’s eyes flowed with a strange excitement, and a subtle thrill began to take hold of her heart. Regardless of the man’s identity, if she could recruit that strength as an ally…

“… Interesting.”

Chae-Won was confident that she had found talent sooner than expected.