HLSEBT - 68

T-class, to which Cheon Geon-young belonged, had just finished one class and entered an official free period. With the evaluations approaching, most students either studied casebooks or headed to the shooting range.

He remained in the classroom, organizing materials on his laptop. The only sounds were the rhythmic tapping of keys, the clicking of a ballpoint pen switching colors, and the occasional flipping of pages.

The peaceful quiet of the classroom, now missing a third of its students, was disrupted when Woo Joo-han burst through the front door.

With a slightly urgent tone, he asked the entire class,

“Anyone want to observe G-class’s practice session?”

A student who had been dozing off sat up groggily, curious about what was happening. Cheon Geon-young’s fingers, which had been flying steadily over the keyboard, paused.

“You can watch them practice before the evaluations, right? Our homeroom teacher asked if anyone’s interested.”

“Now?”

“Yeah. G-class and two other classes are training at P-1 Hall right now.”

“What about the students who went to the shooting range?”

“A general announcement has been posted. Only those who want to go need to attend.”

“What are we supposed to do there? Cheer from behind?”

“Clap shuttle?”

At the mention of “clap shuttle,” Woo Joo-han frowned.

“We’ll be training together starting the day after tomorrow. Isn’t it worth observing their abilities beforehand? It’s not like it’ll hurt to learn something.”

“I’m dying from all this hassle.”

Woo Joo-han sharply pointed out the student who complained about being tired while twisting his body in annoyance.

“Then you can just watch your partner transform into a bat for the first time there.”

“Why did I end up with an animal-type esper… I wanted a human partner. This is too creepy.”

Cheon Geon-young shut down his laptop and stood up.

________________________________________

Twenty squirrel goblins in one minute.

It wasn’t particularly difficult, but perhaps due to the unfamiliar environment, the students struggled to perform at their best.

The presence of Son In-chang, fiercer than the flying goblins, likely contributed to their tension.

“Ah! Ah! Get away from me!”

“Teacher, please get this thing off me! It’s eating my hair!”

Unlike other training facilities where monsters appeared directly ahead, this place allowed enemies to emerge from all directions—except the central floor where they stood.

Standing in the middle of the sphere and fending off aggressive red creatures screaming from every angle caused significant stress for the students.

One male student, whose turn came five spots ahead of her, somehow managed to blow up his gun during the exercise.

“H-Help! Please get me down!”

“Coach. End the simulation and bring him back down.”

“Understood.”

He had been lifted toward the ceiling like a balloon cut loose by the goblins. After being rescued by the instructors, the shaken student turned away, wiping tears.

“Do you have confidence?”

Yoon Tae-ha, who had briefly left to fetch a blanket for the fallen student, was approached by Kang Jin-ho.

Looking at his face, a mix of arrogance and fear, Yoon Tae-ha answered calmly,

“No confidence, but no fear either.”

“So you lied about knowing how to use that thing?”

He glanced at the crude golden ring on her index finger, as if wishing it would explode like the previous student’s weapon.

“I’ve used it in the East Sector. It suits me best.”

“Such strange bravado?”

Ever since they exchanged dirty books in their lockers, relations between Kang Jin-ho and her had deteriorated uncontrollably. Kang Jin-ho leaned close, as if ready to grab her collar, but glanced at the teacher.

Confirming that Son In-chang was busy lecturing another student, his voice dropped conspiratorially.

“Rumors say you’re claiming first place already?”

I never said that.

Of course she didn’t remember—it never happened. Yoon Tae-ha hadn’t made such claims. The rumor spread because she and Cheon Geon-young had been frequently seen studying in the library and training grounds. She saw no need to correct it, so she let it slide.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t want to be first?”

Her calm response angered Kang Jin-ho.

“So you’re pulling tricks right after transferring? How sad our teachers in the East Sector must feel. Jeong Seong-ha. Imagine their disappointment seeing their disciple dabbling in filthy enhancers.”

Yoon Tae-ha looked at him with pity, as if erasing empathy from her mind.

“Did you hear that somewhere new?”

“Nobody else could handle that position but me.”

His clenched teeth whispered venomously. Kang Jin-ho’s turn was fast approaching. A student from E-class, limping after failing to neutralize a goblin doll, returned to his spot.

“Where did you hear about getting something extra for coming first? Was it Kim Su-chan? Or Hwang Seong-bin?”

“Coming first gives you something extra? I didn’t know that.”

“Keep your voice down!”

After checking that Son In-chang and the instructors were far enough away, Kang Jin-ho leaned closer again.

Yoon Tae-ha knew that everyone working here, except Son In-chang, had ties to the principal.

Of course, Kang Jin-ho wouldn’t know that. Whispering so closely was unnecessary.

“You hoard pens despite being scared of things like this?”

Her words widened Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.

“You? You bought up the highest-grade pens. Everyone’s saying the most expensive pens are out of stock because of you.”

“...”

“Not stupid enough to consume them all at once. You’re doing it to keep others from buying.”

“Shut up.”

“Quite a few people are angry about that. They call you conscienceless and unethical. How did you even get the money? Did you beat kids for it?”

“Are you pretending to sponsor my purchases?”

Threatening him with shady extortion, she smiled brightly and reminded him.

“Did you forget what happens if you touch my stuff?”

Kang Jin-ho grimaced, recalling the foul smell emanating from her locker.

“I gave you some slack at first because of your looks. Want me to make sure you don’t graduate properly? Even after returning from volunteer work, you still don’t know your place…”

An esper standing nearby, seeing Kang Jin-ho’s increasingly menacing expression, hesitated and fled.

“You could disappear without a trace. Erasing someone like you from the list? That’s nothing here.”

“You sent friends that way before, huh?”

“What about Kwon Min-gi?”

Kang Jin-ho’s voice, threatening others with what he feared, was relentless.

“Making someone vanish permanently? That’s nothing to us. Maybe you’re clueless because of your late manifestation.”

Yoon Tae-ha retorted with a mocking tone.

“Wasn’t the Korean office director also a late bloomer?”

“Do you dare compare yourself to Lee Hae-kyung?”

“He hates this kind of thing the most—hostility toward espers who aren’t enemies.”

Kang Jin-ho’s expression showed he no longer cared about caution. If Son In-chang hadn’t called his name, he might have thrown a punch at her.

“G-class Kang Jin-ho! Step onto the stage!”

Before leaving, he leaned close to whisper in her ear.

“Know your place.”

More than half the people here are accomplices or sympathizers anyway. Shouting loudly wouldn’t matter.

Finding close contact repulsive, Yoon Tae-ha suppressed the urge to say that.

“Entering a perfect setup and acting arrogantly. No one will like it.”

After delivering his warning, Kang Jin-ho moved to the center, gripping his pistol.

________________________________________

T-class students arrived at P-1 Hall after the practice had already begun.

Once inside the space where goblins couldn’t approach, they instinctively searched for their espers.

“We should’ve come earlier. My partner’s turn seems over already.”

“Isn’t that guy with the doll attached to his ankle your partner? His soul disappeared though.”

“What’s wrong with him again… How am I supposed to trust my back to someone like that? So frustrating.”

The control room had foldable chairs lined along the walls. Students unfolded them and took their seats.

The front wall was made of large glass windows, while screens on both side walls provided views of the right and left areas.

“Oh? It’s Kang Jin-ho’s turn?”

“Let’s watch Ye Pil-joon’s bus!”

“Crazy bastard! Who’s riding whose bus? I’m the one giving him a ride.”

Through the screens, the training overview and objectives appeared, along with the list of participating students.

Cheon Geon-young only confirmed the name “Jeong Seong-ha.” His partner was warming up lightly in the corner of the training area.

“Jeong Seong-ha, right? Let’s see her skills today.”

“Telekinetic B-rank?”

“Yeah. And a point-five. Heard she beat Kim Su-chan in a duel.”

“She beat Kim Su-chan? Are you lying?”

“Who beat whom… Seo Do-jin adjusted the attack power, remember? Of course, in a one-on-one unarmed fight, her face would be smeared with blood.”

“Her face is too pretty for that.”

As Kang Jin-ho stood in the center and shouted, “I’m starting!” Son In-chang nodded. Black holes appeared consecutively in the curved walls, and goblins flew out like insects.

A disoriented red creature flew toward the control room’s glass window, slamming its face with a thud.

“It’s ugly...”

“Are they ripping apart goblin eyes, noses, and mouths because there’s nothing else to evaluate?”

The monster, having slammed its face against the glass, regained its senses and charged toward Kang Jin-ho.

When Kang Jin-ho fired his gun, a black sphere shot out of the barrel. It split into multiple smaller spheres mid-air and pierced through the goblin.

“The weapon’s impressive. Nothing else about him is enviable.”

“I’m a bit jealous of his regeneration ability. Some espers heal instantly when injured, you know.”

“That’s nice too, but the weapon’s better. Doesn’t it look magical, something like that?”

The guide students scrutinized Kang Jin-ho’s every move.

“Kang Jin-ho’s still the best.”

“Too aggressive, isn’t he? He’s perfect for solo play. In team battles, the guide always gets hurt.”

“Still, ending the situation quickly is better than falling behind in attack power...”

Within a minute, Kang Jin-ho eliminated 15 goblins—the best performance among the students. Considering that the highest achievement by other B-rank telekinetics was 10, his feat was even more remarkable.

Satisfied, Kang Jin-ho lowered his gun and returned to his spot.

The instructor praised him, making him even more smug. Yoon Tae-ha silently listened.

“Kwon Hee-sung. Isn’t that your partner?”

Finally, Yoon Tae-ha stepped into the center of the stage.