TRPM 295

chapter 295

After the final exams ended, the school, as expected, didn’t hold regular classes.

That didn’t mean we did nothing.

“Next problem… this one’s a bit tricky. Anyway, the solution process goes like this….”

We worked on solving and interpreting problems that had appeared on the exam—in other words, under the teachers’ direction, we created an error log.

Of course, I was no exception.

I didn’t miss a single problem, but I still had to make one anyway.

‘… What a pain.’

I knew the importance of keeping an error log, but actually making one was still troublesome.

‘The academy tournament is next week, right….’

While scribbling a half-hearted solution in my notebook, my thoughts drifted to the academy’s upcoming tournament.

The academy had students up to the 4th year, with roughly a thousand in each grade.

In other words, about four thousand cadets were participating in the tournament.

‘And the matchups aren’t divided by grade, if I remember correctly.’

Which meant that, if unlucky, a 1st year could end up fighting a 4th year right from the start.

Well… maybe not in the finals, but in the preliminaries, even losing once or twice didn’t mean immediate disqualification.

Still, with so many cadets, no matter how many arenas were available, it wasn’t the sort of event that would wrap up in a day or two.

‘Right, they said preliminaries will run from Monday to Thursday next week, narrowing it down to 128 students, and then the finals on the last day.’

For the cadets, it was going to be hell.

How did I know? Because I’d been through it myself.

Day after day of sparring, sometimes several times a day, against opponents at your own level… ugh.

‘After fighting someone on equal footing for a long stretch, you’d be completely drained.’

Honestly, it was better to fight a vastly stronger opponent and lose cleanly.

When you fought someone about the same level, you’d both get exhausted, and that fatigue carried over into the next round.

I thought back to the tournament I experienced before my regression and offered silent condolences to the cadets who would suffer next week.

“Sigh… I know no one feels like studying since finals are over, but it’s still class time, so focus.”

While I was praying for the cadets inwardly, our math teacher—our homeroom teacher, Son Ji-hye—spoke up.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one spacing out; most of the class wasn’t paying attention.

Smack!

“Ouch…!”

“I’ll let you go early once we finish these solutions, so if you’re going to sleep, wait until then.”

“… Okay….”

She lightly flicked Ryu A-min’s forehead—she’d been half-asleep at her desk.

… Judging by the look of her, she must’ve stayed up all night.

Finals were over, so she probably pulled an all-nighter gaming.

After that, I went back to filling in my error log.

Not long after—

“That’s the last problem. You all took notes properly, right?”

“Yes…”

“… Yeah….”

Some clearly missed the notes because they’d dozed off, but I ignored it.

The teacher must have noticed too, but she didn’t bother pointing it out.

“Other classes are still in session, so don’t get too noisy.”

“Oh, teacher.”

As Son Ji-hye was about to leave the room, Elena stopped her.

“What is it?”

“I have something to take care of next week, so I’ll need to be absent.”

“When exactly next week?”

“The whole week.”

“Is that so?”

Elena, who was also invited to the academy tournament, said it just like that.

The teacher nodded in understanding.

“All right. You’ll need to file a leave of absence, so let’s head to the office.”

“Oh, and I think Geon-woo needs to miss too.”

“… Geon-woo?”

Hearing my name, I looked at Elena.

‘… I was just going to send a puppet, but….’

Still, it wasn’t a bad idea to formally file the absence.

Next week, they’d probably just be making us do error logs like today anyway.

Better not to show up at all than to waste time on that tedious stuff.

“Then both of you, come with me to the office.”

After that, we followed her to the office, explained that we’d been invited to the academy tournament, and filled out the absence forms.

“… I think I should report this to the principal. Could you wait a bit?”

After receiving our forms, she headed to the principal’s office.

Since it wasn’t as regular spectators but as VIP invitees, principal approval was required.

She returned quickly—it hadn’t taken long to get permission.

“Your absences will be counted as experiential learning. The principal also said to have fun.”

“… Really?”

I wasn’t sure if watching a tournament should count as “experiential learning,” but since the principal himself approved, there wouldn’t be any issues.

The day the tournament began.

I entered the Seoul Awakened Academy alongside Elena.

“This is….”

She was speechless at the sight of the academy’s front gate.

I, too, looked at the gate and recalled memories.

‘… This brings back memories.’

Before my regression, I passed through this gate daily.

Especially the times I went out drinking with friends like Ryu A-min and Ryu A-young.

Looking back now, I couldn’t understand why I was so obsessed with alcohol back then.

‘Well, I still like drinking even now.’

These days, I refrained since I was underage, but on special occasions, I sometimes drank alone in my room.

Even so, I couldn’t quite explain my fixation on alcohol during my academy days before regression.

‘Inside that building, I once learned swordsmanship from Yeon Mi-rae before regression too.’

Gazing at the main academy building beyond the gate, I recalled those vivid training sessions with her.

‘And that building… last time, it was left unfinished during construction, but this time it seems complete.’

Unlike before regression—when Korea was overrun with criminals and suffering under the Taeguk Guild’s corruption—now it was peaceful.

“Phew….”

While I was reminiscing, Elena took a deep breath and spoke.

“Mr. Geon-woo. Do you think I’ll be able to enter this academy safely three years from now?”

“Hm?”

“Now that I’ve seen it in person, I feel a bit worried.”

… What pointless worry.

“With your skills, getting into the academy is a given. You’ll definitely rank among the top students.”

That was what I told her.

‘Although….’

Excluding Ha-eun and myself, who were in a league of our own, Elena and Elliot were both at veteran Awakened level—easily good enough for top ranks.

Lee Doo-min, weaker than Elliot but still capable of holding his own against him, would also make it in.

Kang Ga-ram, who had never lost the top rank in high school before regression, and Kim Eun-yeon, a rare ability user, were shoo-ins too.

But—

‘Ryu A-min, Ryu A-young, and Jin Cheon-ha… honestly, they don’t stand a chance.’

All three had attended Seoul Awakened Academy with me before regression, but none stood out.

Their grades were among the lowest.

And now, with not only Korean but also foreign cadets applying, the admission standards had become even stricter.

‘Most of the kids who made it into the academy before regression won’t make it this time.’

Of course, since Seoul Awakened Academy wasn’t the only one in Korea, they might get into another.

“Why do you look like that?”

“It’s nothing. Anyway… we’ve got some time before the tournament starts. Want to look around the academy?”

“That’s a good idea, but let’s greet Sister Han-ji first.”

At her words, the people nearby—who had been subtly paying attention to us—gasped in shock and stared at her.

… Well, who would dare so casually call Director Shin Han-ji “Sister”?

As far as I knew, Elena wasn’t the only one—but the others were people who had lived nearly a century or more.

And not just anyone, but notable, influential figures like Richard, president of the World Awakened Association, or Sir Sergei of Russia.

“… What’s with that look?”

“Do you not realize how much impact what you just said carries?”

“… Ah. I suppose so.”

Being royalty and educated as an elite, Elena immediately understood what I meant.

“Now that I think about it, there’s no sound barrier around us today. Last week, Sister Han-ji kept casting them for us, and I forgot about it.”

Once again, she called the director “Sister Han-ji,” and now even those who had doubted could no longer close their jaws.

Not only that, she casually revealed that she’d met with the director last week.

‘At first, it was a slip, but this time it’s deliberate. She plans to leverage her connection with the director.’

I understood, more or less, Elena’s intention.

“Director Shin is busy right now. Barging in unannounced would be difficult. Send a message first—ask if it’s okay to visit.”

“Got it.”

Elena smoothly pulled out her phone and sent Director Shin a message—deliberately in a way that others could see.

Any Awakened with good eyesight would notice that she really was messaging Director Shin.

“What did you send?”

“I said we’re at the academy now and asked if we could visit her office. Ah, she replied already.”

Her phone vibrated, and she read the reply aloud.

“Hm…? ‘Wait there’?”

“Well….”

Just then, I sensed a powerful wave of mana approaching.

So I raised my head and looked up at the sky.

“Why are you looking… ah.”

Elena didn’t sense the mana, but when she saw me look up, she followed suit.

The others around us, curious, also looked skyward.

“Welcome, Elena. It’s been four days, hasn’t it?”

Descending slowly from the sky was none other than Director Shin Han-ji.

“Sister Han-ji? Why are you coming from the sky….”

“Well, since Elena said she came to the academy, I couldn’t just wait in my office. Come on, take my hand. Let’s have tea in the director’s office. Ah, you too, Geon-woo.”

… Hearing that, I finally understood her intention.

She had taken a liking to Elena and intended to actively support her.

‘Like I thought before… she’s not seriously planning to make Elena her successor, is she?’