HLSEBT - 69

The male students watched the transfer student from G-class, their eyes darting around. Dressed in a form-fitting black combat uniform, she looked like she had just stepped out of a sensual spy movie.

“She’s fucking gorgeous.”

Flattery disguised as critique spilled out. Someone was about to cross the line but stopped after catching a friend pointing at Cheon Geon-young—someone narrowly avoided overstepping.

Cheon Geon-young sat with his long legs crossed, calmly staring straight ahead.

Even he was seeing Yoon Tae-ha using telekinesis to attack something for the first time.

She was the same girl who had only ever transported small, harmless things like candy or pens to him.

“G-class Jeong Seong-ha. Begin.”

Son In-chang called out, arms crossed.

Whirrr. The loud noise resembling an outdoor unit roared again. Some students preemptively covered their ears. Cheon Geon-young remained motionless, arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Yoon Tae-ha.

“Why doesn’t she have a weapon?”

“She’s wearing a ring on her finger.”

“Oh… But isn’t it harder to use smaller weapons?”

“That’s what I heard too.”

“Maybe she just picked it because it looked pretty.”

No sooner had the sarcastic comment ended than a hole opened in the center of the ceiling. A goblin wielding a short spear-like object charged downward fiercely.

Monsters emitting eerie sounds burst out from holes on the right and left walls.

Still, no physical entity materialized around her despite her fiddling with the ring. No golden daggers or black spheres.

“Doesn’t she know how to use her weapon?”

Someone screamed in alarm just as the fastest monster charging toward the transfer student let out a single shriek before collapsing to the floor like a drained battery-operated doll.

“What? Did she create an entity? What just passed by?”

The spectators were utterly baffled.

“I didn’t see anything either. Was it a sword? An arrow?”

“A really small sword?”

Only Son In-chang seemed impressed. He began watching the transfer student with interest.

Cheon Geon-young glanced at him once, then turned his attention back to Yoon Tae-ha.

“Kyaaahhh!”

“Kyaaaak!”

Winged demons ignored the death of their comrade and rushed toward her.

Suddenly, a cold blue glow flickered around her.

Blades or feathers.

Cheon Geon-young identified them. As Yoon Tae-ha lightly moved her right hand, the blue forms hovering protectively around her became more defined.

Feathers carved from ice, sharp and gleaming, lunged at the red monsters threatening their master.

As the number of monsters increased, so did the number of feathers floating around her.

“Should we increase the numbers a bit?”

Son In-chang taunted the transfer student. She nodded indifferently. He personally manipulated the system, increasing the number of monsters emerging from the ceiling.

“The teacher increased the numbers!”

A student read the gauge indicating how many monsters would appear next and muttered in panic.

“Thirty seconds left… One hundred of them…”

Holes opened simultaneously, and goblins poured out like volcanic ash. The erratic red masses screeched ferociously, as if eager to tear off human heads.

Yoon Tae-ha calmly counted the enemies.

“I’ll handle the aftermath. Do whatever you want to deal with them!”

Son In-chang shouted. She gave a faint smile and nodded. Until now, seven feathers had been gracefully eliminating monsters in mid-air.

No sooner had he given her free rein than the feathers multiplied to an uncountable number in an instant.

“What the hell is she?”

“Are numbers supposed to increase this absurdly?”

One became two.

Two became four.

And much, much more.

Every time they blinked, blade-like feathers densely filled the battlefield.

Everyone except the dolls designed solely for attack looked up at her, surrounded by a protective blue glow.

Under her command, the blue light surged sharply, piercing through the red monsters. Accuracy might have been slightly lacking.

But the sheer number of attackable entities outnumbered the goblins. If they couldn’t kill them precisely, they could simply keep stabbing until they did.

Without moving an inch from her spot, Yoon Tae-ha effortlessly handled all one hundred additional monsters. The grayed-out dolls lay scattered like building debris.

“…Firepower overload.”

“Who said precision was an issue? This level of precision isn’t even the point! Just overwhelming firepower wins!”

“Just stick to her back and hide. No need to shoot or bother with anything. How convenient.”

In an instant, Jeong Seong-ha’s position skyrocketed from irredeemable failure to untouchable heights.

“Her partner is so lucky… Truly reliable.”

“Wonder how the evaluations will go?”

The espers’ reactions weren’t much different from the guides’. As Yoon Tae-ha descended, avoiding the dolls, admiration and envy filled their gazes.

Cheon Geon-young watched everything without blinking.

Son In-chang showered Yoon Tae-ha with praise, offering rare critiques on her weapon handling, declaring her the kind of talent adored in real combat.

With an impassive face, she listened and returned to her spot, where she was immediately surrounded by students.

Only after the next participant took the stage was she finally freed from the crowd. Cheon Geon-young noticed her looking around as if searching for someone.

Their eyes met as she scanned the room.

A fleeting spark of recognition crossed her otherwise expressionless face. Though far away, she had excellent vision.

To confirm she was indeed looking at him, Cheon Geon-young tilted his head slightly to the side.

In response, Yoon Tae-ha tilted her head in the exact same direction.

Ensuring the espers were distracted, she mouthed a question.

Did you see?

They had trained at the academy to read lips. He nodded, realizing the usefulness of what he once thought was a useless skill.

Good, right?

It was an almost teasing question. Her eyes sparkled as if seeking validation. He nodded again. Satisfied, she adopted a slightly smug expression.

Before returning to the group of espers, she mouthed six words.

Frowning as he failed to read them clearly, she exaggerated her lip movements and enunciated twice.

I’ll give you a ride.

Finally piecing together the words, Cheon Geon-young bowed his head deeply to suppress a laugh.

She’s offering me a ride?

At that moment, someone asked with covetous curiosity,

“Who’s Jeong Seong-ha’s partner?”

A victorious smile graced the lips of the man who had just acquired the most trustworthy bus driver in the world.

________________________________________

Unintentionally, she had become the favored disciple of Son In-chang. After the practice ended, the teacher called her over. Gone was the look of low expectations he had worn earlier.

In a much gentler tone than at the start of the class, he asked,

“How did you know the core function of the ring involved amplification?”

“I watched a video in the library. It was a recent case added to the fracture penetration footage.”

“Your attitude toward gathering the latest information is commendable.”

“Thank you.”

“As for that ring…”

Son In-chang boasted about it as if it were his own treasure.

Had she met the owner before? No, she hadn’t. She had never even heard this person’s name until now.

Even the weapon’s owner herself felt perplexed.

“Whose weapon is it? Do you know the person, Teacher?”

When she asked, the teacher replied with genuine curiosity.

“Well, I don’t know. Perhaps one of the undisclosed espers?”

A non-disclosed esper. Figures.

“You’ve done well, truly. I’m very much looking forward to the next class.”

After being released by the teacher, espers from neighboring classes waited to greet her.

“Seong-ha! You were amazing today. I’ve never seen anyone summon so many entities…”

“Do you calculate the trajectory for each one when you send them flying? Where are you practicing lately? Want to do joint training?”

Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, she evaded them with vague answers.

Kang Jin-ho was nowhere to be seen. His face had turned ashen when she multiplied the feathers from seven to seventy-seven. After that, she was too focused to notice his reaction.

It seemed he had disappeared somewhere immediately after class, abandoning even his friends.

Back in the classroom, Yoon Tae-ha was cornered by Hong Eun-soo, who wanted to hear the story directly from her, despite already knowing what had happened.

“They said you demolished them?”

“Not exactly demolishing…”

“The kids are testifying like an angel descended! Tell me everything. It’s frustrating being an intelligence-type at times like this!”

Yoon Tae-ha relayed the facts as plainly as possible to Hong Eun-soo, who grew excited and muttered that she should have seen Kang Jin-ho’s expression.

________________________________________

Guides and espers were supposed to eat in their designated dining halls.

However, due to frequent requests from students wanting to eat with their partners before the evaluations, the rules had temporarily changed.

Yoon Tae-ha headed to the building where she usually ate with Hong Eun-soo. While waiting in line to scan her student ID and verify her identity, she checked the dinner menu.

“Oh, come to think of it, I had an appointment.”

“What do you mean, suddenly?”

Hong Eun-soo, who had gotten her meal, teased her as they entered the dining area.

“You don’t have appointments.”

“Oh my. Look at you talking. I’m always busy. See, my friends are calling me over.”

All their heads were buried in their trays, slurping spaghetti. Who’s calling you?

Before she could ask, Hong Eun-soo spun Yoon Tae-ha’s body sideways.

“Eat together as partners.”

Cheon Geon-young, who hadn’t yet received his meal, was still standing in line. Yoon Tae-ha blinked.

Hong Eun-soo slipped into the only remaining seat at a table crowded with guides from other classes.

So this is how it’s going to be.

Yoon Tae-ha glared at Hong Eun-soo, who seemed to misunderstand something, then went to sit alone in a corner.

We see each other often anyway. Why bother sitting together in such a public place?

She thought as she stuck a straw into her apple juice first.

“There’s an empty seat here.”

Of course, he didn’t seem to share her thoughts.

Cheon Geon-young sat down across from her without asking.