Chapter 40
Clap, clap, clap, clap—
A wave of enthusiastic applause erupted among the students.
The focus of the applause was the first-year students stepping down from the stage after receiving their awards.
The four first-year students had boldly claimed first place in the Academic Year Tournament, surpassing their senior classmates.
With the announcement of the tournament results and the release of accompanying footage, the suspicions surrounding Ryu Yeong’s “fraudulent admission” disappeared like a washed-away stain.
Most of the Academy students’ negative views of him also faded away.
Of course, there were still a few noble students who disliked Ryu simply because he was a commoner, but the general public sentiment had shifted to favor him greatly.
A skilled individual who single-handedly defeated a special monster that even third-year students couldn’t handle.
A commoner who saved Sinclair.
A first-year student recognized by the third-year valedictorian, Garrett Iskaea.
The suspicious gazes of other nobles had transformed into ones of keen interest almost overnight.
This shift only intensified after the news spread that Ryu had no sponsors backing him.
The other first-year students also received glowing evaluations.
Elaine Sinclair, who showcased her abilities in the obstacle race, and Emily Franz, who, as later revealed, solved the entire first exam alone.
“Haah…”
“… Are you all okay?”
“I’m so nervous…”
“There were… too many people.”
Even after stepping down from the stage, Emily’s legs were still trembling.
Cynthia Surplus, who had been expressionless since earlier, was unusually rigid.
Even Ryu Yeong, pretending to be calm, couldn’t hide his nerves upon closer observation.
Elaine looked at the three of them, who seemed more uneasy now than they were inside the dungeon, and sighed with a faint smile.
At least it was all over now.
A few days after the tournament ended, the awards ceremony—which should have been held on the same day—was held separately.
Standing in front of all the Academy’s students to receive an award was nerve-wracking for Elaine too, but she still felt she handled it better than the other three.
“Everyone, good job.”
“Uh, y-yeah, right.”
“…”
Elaine barely held back her laughter as she looked at Ryu, who still appeared completely out of sorts.
He was like a completely different person compared to the one who had faced a Death Knight in the dungeon with his sword.
“Is it… finally all over now?”
“Yes, Emily. You can relax now.”
“Haaah…”
At Elaine’s words, Emily let out a long sigh and slumped forward.
The awards ceremony was naturally wrapping up, along with their first-place victory.
Elaine gripped the certificate in her hand tightly.
When Ryu had jokingly said, “We have to get first place, obviously,” she’d dismissed it as empty words meant to boost morale.
‘We really got first place.’
But the results were real. They had the first-place award certificate in their hands.
First place in the Academic Year Tournament—something that had never happened for first-years in Crescent Academy’s history.
While Elaine acknowledged that it was thanks to Ryu, she still felt proud that the record had been set by her team.
She felt so proud and delighted that she even made a proposal she would normally never consider.
“Um, if everyone’s free tonight, how about having dinner at my family’s estate?”
“Oh?”
The first to react was, unsurprisingly, Ryu.
“I’d love that. Wow. The Six Great Houses—there must be an absurd amount of fancy food, right?”
“Th-that’s not true! Our family is similar to others. In fact, when it comes to meals, we’re probably less extravagant than most…”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Emily, you’re coming too, right?”
“Uh-huh… I don’t have any plans, so I can go.”
Elaine’s fist momentarily clenched at Ryu’s casual interruption, but by the time she realized, he had already taken control of the conversation.
The same person who had been too nervous to speak earlier was now leading the discussion.
“Alright, I’ll let my family know—”
“…Sorry, I can’t make it today. See you all tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
“Uh…”
The unexpected words came from an even more unexpected person.
Elaine was too startled to stop Cynthia, who quickly walked away.
And Ryu seemed just as taken aback.
The one who declined Elaine’s invitation was Cynthia Surplus.
Elaine had never seen her like this before.
Cynthia, who was always bright, cheerful, and positive.
Elaine had assumed Cynthia’s earlier stiff expression was due to nerves, but now it seemed like it was something more.
“Cynthia!”
Elaine called after her belatedly, but Cynthia had already disappeared somewhere.
Almost simultaneously, applause marking the end of the awards ceremony rang out.
‘What… just happened?’
Elaine wasn’t the only one at a loss—both Ryu Yeong and Emily Franz wore equally puzzled expressions.
***
***
“Haaah…”
Cynthia Surplus let out a long sigh as she quickened her steps.
‘Maybe I should’ve just gone…’
She worried if she had been too harsh in rejecting Elaine Sinclair’s invitation.
But she couldn’t help it.
In her current mood, there was no way she could sit down and eat with the others while pretending to smile.
‘I didn’t do anything at all.’
Cynthia’s expression grew darker.
For some reason, the certificate in her hand felt unusually heavy.
As one of the four representatives of the Crescent Academy’s 158th freshman delegation, Cynthia had started the Academic Year Tournament full of enthusiasm and confidence.
But as the tournament progressed, her morale had been steadily worn down.
She accepted her failure in the first test.
She’d never been good at written exams, and neither Ryu nor Elaine had done much during that phase either.
The second test? She’d brushed it off as well.
She didn’t have Elaine’s ability to slice through rolling boulders or cut through walls.
So when it came to the third test in the dungeon, she thought she might finally have her moment to shine.
‘If only the three of them had gone without me, they could’ve finished faster.’
But even in the dungeon, she had accomplished nothing.
When the ghouls and Death Knight appeared, her trembling hands couldn’t even draw her bow.
The monsters were nothing like those she had encountered before with her father—these were horrifying on an entirely different level.
Cynthia thought that if Emily hadn’t been trembling even more severely than she was, she would have been paralyzed herself.
And after that? Cynthia still contributed nothing.
It wasn’t her but Ryu who forged ahead fearlessly, despite having just fought off the undead.
Ryu strode forward without hesitation, effortlessly defeating the monsters and traps that appeared.
All the way until they reached the dungeon’s end.
Even when the Death Knight on its skeletal horse appeared at the finish line, Ryu remained calm and confident.
Meanwhile, Cynthia had been paralyzed, consumed by the green flames wrapping around the skeletal horse’s body.
She knew very well that while everyone was praising the first-years, none of those compliments were for her.
The admiration was all for Emily, Elaine, and Ryu.
“Haaah…”
Another deep sigh escaped Cynthia’s lips.
She always tried to think positively, no matter the situation, but this time, it was proving impossible.
Standing on the same stage as the others, receiving the same certificate, only made her feelings worse.
Her personality wouldn’t allow her to simply blend into the background.
‘… I should apologize to Elaine and Emily later.’
Feeling regret for having so abruptly rejected there invitation, Cynthia walked wherever her feet took her.
It was one of her habits.
Whenever she was troubled or feeling complicated emotions, she would walk aimlessly to clear her mind.
“…Of course. I’ll handle it.”
“Hehe, I’m sure you will. But you should be cautious. We can’t predict what side effects might occur.”
Stop—
Cynthia halted instinctively as voices reached her ears.
She looked around, finally noticing where she was.
Somehow, she had wandered into the Academy’s Training Forest.
‘That voice…?’
She instinctively hid behind a tree, straining to listen to the conversation.
The voice sounded familiar, one she’d definitely heard before.
“I’ll take care of it. So, how much?”
“One gold per vial.”
“Ten vials. Deliver them to my dorm tonight.”
“Hehe. Of course. You won’t regret it—as long as you take the ‘recommended dosage.’”
“…I’ll contact you again once I see the effects.”
“We’re always at your service.”
‘Hover…?’
The voice belonged to none other than Kane Hover, her classmate from S-Class.
Cynthia’s brows furrowed as she listened to the suspicious exchange.
Conducting a transaction in the Training Forest?
Even without knowing the details, it looked undeniably shady.
“This is a generous deal. I’m only offering it because you’re from the ‘Hover’ family.”
“…Shut up.”
Cynthia found herself completely engrossed in their conversation.
From the tone of their exchange, the two didn’t seem to be particularly friendly.
‘What’s he buying?’
Unable to quell her curiosity, Cynthia decided to observe further.
It seemed the two hadn’t noticed her presence yet, so she cautiously leaned out from behind the tree to get a better view.
‘A potion…?’
In Kane’s hand was a glass vial containing a transparent liquid.
Though it seemed too clear to be a potion, its container matched the design typical of potions.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Make sure to inspect the goods tonight.”
“Fine.”
Pop—
With the sound of air rupturing, the other man vanished.
Even after the man disappeared, Kane remained rooted in place, staring intently at the glass vial in his hand.
‘What… was that?’
Cynthia had no idea at the time how the seemingly simple transaction she had just witnessed would later unfold into something much bigger.
—
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