The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 23

Inside a dorm room.

The only furniture in the room was a bed and an old wardrobe. A girl in pajamas squirmed on the bed.

“Ugh.”

Shin Seo-ha raised her arm to shield her eyes from the sunlight streaming through the window. Initially stirring in her sleep, she gradually began to open her eyes.

“Already morning…”

She ran her fingers through her tousled hair and got out of bed. Following her usual habit, she walked toward the balcony.

“Morning…”

Shin Seo-ha soon realized that the alarm hadn’t rung yet.

Usually plagued by nightmares, waking up to the sound of the alarm was a daily routine for her. But today, she woke up even before the alarm went off.

“…”

She gazed blankly outside for a moment before turning back toward the bed.

Underneath the skirt she had tossed aside the night before were the meal coupons she’d received from Seol Ha-baek, lying scattered on the bedside table.

‘No way, could it be?’

She had never had a night without nightmares. The refreshing feeling of waking up now was so unfamiliar that she wondered if she was still dreaming.

‘Did my abilities activate while I was sleeping?’

She picked up one of the meal coupons. Some of the meal coupons appeared as if they’d been singed by flames. However, the bed itself was untouched, making it unlikely that her abilities had manifested unconsciously while she slept.

“What kind of person is he?”

The thought slipped out unconsciously.

My connection with Seol Ha-baek isn’t that deep. We encountered each other a few times on the first day, but that’s pretty much it.

I had thought he was a nobody, but ever since meeting Seol Ha-baek, inexplicable things have been happening.

‘First, he appeared at just the right time on the first day, and then my nightmares suddenly stopped…’

Saying he’d stop my nightmares—it was an outrageous claim. Because I didn’t expect much, my curiosity about Seol Ha-baek only deepened.

“Time for breakfast…”

Shin Seo-ha decided to stop thinking about it. She usually skipped breakfast, but somehow, she felt hungry today.

* * *

‘Finally, the time has come.’

In the grand hall where the entrance ceremony was held, I sat and stared at the quest window that floated before me.

Main Quest No.4

– Complete the Mock Subjugation

※ Subjugate the monsters in the mock subjugation with your team.

※ Team composition and subjugation area will be randomly assigned.

※ Rewards will be given based on the assigned team and individual rank.

‘This is troubling.’

The issue is that the team composition for this mock subjugation is entirely random. When I say random, I mean it includes students from all classes, even the extras.

Each team consists of four members. If I’m unlucky, I could end up paired with three extras from other classes whom I’ve never seen before.

In the original game, Rolling Hunters, with its not-so-great AI, being stuck with three extras raised the difficulty significantly.

‘If we fail, will we die?’

Not wanting to die, I could only pray with all my might.

“Yomi.”

[Why are you calling my name?]

“Is there any spell that can grant a wish known only to a great yokai?”

[…Are you still half asleep?]

I clasped my hands together and prayed to Yomi, even though he was a great yokai.

Tap, tap, tap

Soon, the first-year combat instructors filed in from the left side of the podium. Leading them was Faust, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A.

“All right, everyone, you’ve been waiting long enough. You all know what today is, don’t you?”

Curly purple hair and pale skin. Her long hair was voluminous enough to cover her body silhouette, and she wore a white coat over it.

Overall, she had the appearance of a tired researcher.

She is in charge of the ‘Pharmacology’ course among the elective subjects and is depicted as a world-renowned authority in this field.

Currently, she’s the homeroom teacher of Han Yu-seong and Shin Seo-ha and will significantly impact the future storyline. Originally, I should also have been taking classes under Faust, not Choi Tae-min, but…

“Through today’s mock subjugation, you will learn teamwork and the fear of facing monsters in real combat.”

Faust’s voice echoed throughout the auditorium.

“The rules are simple. You wear a protector and subjugate the boss in a randomly assigned mock dungeon managed by Babel.”

A commotion arose among the students. The reason the mock subjugation garnered more interest than the mock duel was straightforward.

“As it’s a team play after the subjugation is complete, ranks will be assigned to each team and individual, which will be reflected in your grades.”

Unlike the mock duel, the mock subjugation directly impacted grades.

While the grades depend on performance, a lot also hinges on luck, making it somewhat of a gamble.

The mock dungeons managed by Babel vary greatly in difficulty, from the types of monsters that appear to the terrain.

Even with good team members, if luck isn’t on your side with the dungeon, it can be quite the ordeal.

“No matter how excellent an individual’s performance is, the personal rank can only differ by one grade from the team rank. So, you can’t disregard the team to stand out alone, can you?”

Faust smiled.

In summary, mock subjugation requires not only luck but also individual skill and teamwork—essentially a trifecta of challenges.

“God. No, Yomi, please.”

I clasped my hands together and prayed earnestly. Just average performance, nothing more, nothing less.

“Now, I’ll reveal the team assignments for the mock subjugation.”

Faust manipulated the panel on the podium, and neatly arranged tables appeared in the air.

“Just to remind you, both the team compositions and dungeon assignments are entirely random…”

As the assignment tables were unveiled, whispers spread throughout the room. Some were disheartened, while others cheered.

[So, what does it say? Did you get what you wanted?]

Since I had been on edge even before the reveal, Yomi showed interest. Soon, I found my name in the densely packed team assignment table.

“Ah…”

And the result was…

[Team E]

-Han Yu-seong

-Shin Seo-ha

-Han Sang-don

-Seol Ha-baek

I hadn’t expected it, but the game’s main character, Han Yu-seong, and the main heroine, Shin Seo-ha, were assigned to the same team. It was a dream team.

“Yomi, you really are the best!”

[Is the outcome positive? Haha, of course, I knew it would be. A great yokai like myself is also blessed with good fortune.]

“Mhm, it’s definitely thanks to the great yokai.”

I ruffled Yomi’s head roughly with my index finger. Pleased with the result, Yomi didn’t mind the petting and laughed out loud. I was so honest in my feelings that I wanted to hug Yomi and dance right there.

‘This mock subjugation is going to be a piece of cake, isn’t it?’

Han Yu-seong and Shin Seo-ha could truly be considered the best team members. With these members, failing the mock subjugation would almost be impossible.

‘All that worrying for nothing, huh?’

It felt like all my old worries were being washed away. The randomness that had made me anxious seemed like an unnecessary concern now.

“Next, we will announce the dungeon assignments for each team and the supervisors. The supervisor will not intervene in the subjugation unless it’s an emergency.”

The floating image in the air then flickered with noise, and…

“Ah?”

I stopped petting Yomi right then.

[Team E]

-Supervisor: Choi Tae-min

-Dungeon: Crystal Cave

Life truly is unpredictable.

We hit the jackpot with the worst possible dungeon.

* * *

Commonly known as the Warp Gate.

Situated in the underground warp chamber, this tool is a culmination of cutting-edge technology and magical engineering, allowing instantaneous travel to a designated opposite Warp Gate.

Its size was akin to a large electronic display, and it resembled a massive centrifuge standing upright.

“Who do we have here!”

I thought I’d be the first to arrive, but two people had gotten here before me.

“Ha-baek!”

“Yu-seong.”

The first one was Han Yu-seong.

He ran up to me in one stride and draped his arm over my shoulder. I could feel the muscles of his arm through his uniform as it brushed against the nape of my neck.

“To be paired with you even here. I guess we really are destined for each other.”

“You’re going to give people the wrong idea.”

“Are you two in that kind of relationship?”

“See? People immediately misunderstand.”

The second person was Shin Seo-ha.

Casually sitting cross-legged on the floor, Shin Seo-ha scoffed when she saw the two of us.

“Ha, I have the worst luck.”

Shin Seo-ha, resting her chin on her hand, let out a deep sigh.

“Of all people, I end up on a team with the muscle-head and the most annoying guy.”

“Training your brain isn’t possible, so muscles are all I can train!”

“…Damn it.”

Han Yu-seong, unfazed by Shin Seo-ha’s sarcasm, puffed out his chest and laughed proudly.

“Come to think of it, you two are in the same class, right?”

I asked as if unaware of their relationship. Pretending to know too much from the start might arouse suspicion.

“Of course! We even exchanged heated punches in the mock duel!”

“…The way you talk is really unique. Can I punch you?”

“You already have him by the collar.”

Shin Seo-ha grabbed Han Yu-seong by the collar and shook him violently. Despite being shaken back and forth, Han Yu-seong maintained his cheerful laugh.

“Ah, now that I think of it.”

Listening to their conversation, a question popped into my mind.

“The mock duel. Between you two, who—”

Creak

Just as I was speaking, the door to the warp chamber opened,

“I’m getting an easy task this time.”

A student with a burly frame, protruding belly, hooked nose, and buck teeth entered the warp chamber.

That’s when I remembered something I had overlooked, having been distracted by Han Yu-seong and Shin Seo-ha.

“Han Sang-don…”

One of Cheon Tae-seong’s cronies.

It was Han Sang-don, often called a professional troll.