Chapter 17
My head spun as I slowly opened my eyes.
The overload from overusing the Asura Divine Art made my brain scream in agony.
“Ugh.”
“Ah, he’s awake.”
“Sung-woo! You’re conscious?”
“Looks like the potion worked after all.”
Three pairs of eyes were staring at me.
Park Siwoo, who was helping me sit up, spoke sharply.
“If you couldn’t handle it, you should’ve said so! Is the exam worth dying over?”
“...Keep your voice down. My head’s ringing.”
I knew I had overdone it.
With Park Siwoo’s support, I stood up and saw Yoo Iseo sitting half-perched on the Student Council President’s desk.
She looked at me with her usual cold, expressionless gaze.
Standing beside her, Seo Da-hee glared at her.
“President, don’t you have something to say?”
“...I’m sorry. I went too far. You were holding out so well that I foolishly assumed you’d be fine. You’ll be compensated properly for this. But I also want to remind you that if you become a Student Council officer, you’ll face far greater dangers than this.”
At Yoo Iseo’s firm response, Seo Da-hee gave an awkward smile and came over to me.
“Sorry. Iseo didn’t mean it in a bad way. She’s just… not very good at dealing with people.”
“It’s fine.”
I already knew what kind of person Yoo Iseo was.
She was someone burdened with far too much.
There was hardly any room in her heart to let others in.
Feeling that my body had mostly recovered, I asked her,
“So, did I pass? Or fail?”
She stared at me for a moment, as if lost in thought.
Why is she hesitating?
Honestly, after all that, if she had even a shred of conscience, the answer should clearly be “pass.”
But a worrisome thought began creeping up.
Then, Yoo Iseo’s lips parted.
“Surprising. Even after all that, you’re asking whether you passed or not. To be honest, I thought you’d just quit right then.”
“As you said, President, we’ll be facing Demons who’ll give us much tougher times than this. I can’t afford to start whining already. Besides, I was at least somewhat helpful.”
“...I see.”
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
For a second, I’d thought she was about to tell me I failed.
If that happened, all my plans would’ve fallen apart.
After a short response, she gestured toward Ha Yoon.
Ha Yoon brought over two black name tags, both blank with no writing on them.
Yoo Iseo took them and stood us—me and Park Siwoo—side by side, then personally pinned the tags to our uniforms.
As soon as mine was fastened, golden letters engraved themselves onto the black tag, forming my name.
I had seen this effect once in the game, but the subtle detail still looked impressive in real life.
“Welcome, both of you, to the Student Council.”
“Thank you.”
I stared intently at the black name tag.
It gave off a faint magical aura—it clearly wasn’t an ordinary tag.
“That tag will serve as proof of your position in the Student Council. It can also be used for simple communication between members, as a cash card, a pass for restricted areas… and even to monitor your life or death.”
Life or death, huh.
A suitably terrifying line for the Student Council—but the sparkle in Park Siwoo’s eyes beside me said otherwise.
Well, fine. Feeling happy about passing isn’t so bad.
So, I’d cleared the first hurdle.
Being part of the Student Council meant having access to most of the Academy’s internal affairs.
This position would be immensely useful.
More importantly, it was essential to stop Yoo Iseo’s corruption.
Time to prepare for the next step.
After giving us a basic explanation of our duties as new officers, Yoo Iseo wrapped up the interview.
After sending off the newly appointed Student Council officers, the three existing members slumped onto the office sofa, looking exhausted.
“Everyone, good work these past three days.”
“You did the most work, President.”
“I wonder if Sung-woo’s okay. He looked like he took some internal damage.”
At Seo Da-hee’s worried remark, Ha Yoon teased her playfully.
“First time meeting him today, and you’re already that smitten?”
“W-what are you talking about! I’m just worried, that’s all!”
Flustered, Seo Da-hee turned her attention toward Yoo Iseo.
“Come to think of it, you didn’t go that hard on Siwoo. Why’d you go so overboard with him? I know it was an interview test, but that was too much. Do you have some special reason?”
It was true that the Student Council’s tests were tougher than those of other clubs—but an exam violent enough to nearly wreck the council room, like with Sung-woo, was unheard of.
If Yoo Iseo had used about 50% of her power when testing Park Siwoo yesterday, then against Sung-woo, she had released close to 80%.
To Seo Da-hee’s question, Yoo Iseo answered curtly.
“The exam has to be fair.”
“You thought Siwoo might’ve told him the test details in advance?”
“No.”
No? Seo Da-hee blinked, trying to process her words.
“Wait… are you saying Sung-woo’s stronger than Siwoo, the top student?”
Yoo Iseo nodded.
Park Siwoo was undoubtedly gifted.
Even without formal martial arts or combat training, he had built up a solid foundation and forged his own fighting style upon it.
Not to mention, he possessed the stellar mana that made even his smallest strikes overwhelmingly powerful.
Combined, those two strengths turned even a simple spear thrust into a deadly finishing blow.
But even he, in Yoo Iseo’s eyes, was no match for Sung-woo.
A young monster could never defeat one fully grown.
“...I thought he’d be fine.”
“Fine? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Based on what I sensed, he should’ve been able to withstand that strike.”
“If that were true, he wouldn’t have suffered internal injuries.”
Yoo Iseo couldn’t understand it.
She was certain he could handle that much.
Her instincts weren’t something she doubted—they had saved her life countless times.
And yet, Yoo Sung-woo had collapsed with internal injuries…
Then… did that mean her instincts, which had never once been wrong, had failed her this time?
She couldn’t be sure.
But that strange sense of cognitive dissonance weighed on her mind, and so she decided to keep him close—to observe and understand him better.
If he turned out to be a Demon, she would simply cut him down.
But if not—if that ability of his truly surpassed her intuition—then he would shine brilliantly within the Student Council.
That was the true reason Yoo Iseo accepted Sung-woo into the Council.
As Yoo Iseo pondered over Yoo Sung-woo for a long moment, Seo Da-hee carefully called out to her.
“Iseo, can I ask you a favor?”
“A favor?”
Yoo Iseo looked at her in mild surprise.
Seo Da-hee rarely asked for favors—never wanting to burden her.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Um, could I handle the training for the new Student Council officers this time?”
“...Because of Sung-woo?”
Yoo Iseo narrowed her eyes at her.
“Ehehe…”
Scratching her head awkwardly, Seo Da-hee suddenly threw herself into Yoo Iseo’s arms, acting cute.
“Haa, so it’s true what they say—raising a daughter’s no use in the end.”
“Come on, say yes! Please? I’ll buy you something delicious in return.”
Yoo Iseo sighed, but a faint smile touched her lips as she gently stroked Seo Da-hee’s hair.
“But the orientation for new members is normally the vice president’s job. Why ask me instead?”
“Because Ha Yoon’s got such an attitude—she never listens to anything I say.”
“You and Ha Yoon have never gotten along since forever. When are you two finally going to start being nice to each other?”
At that, Seo Da-hee shot Ha Yoon a glare.
“Ask him, not me. I try to be nice, but he’s always rude.”
“Funny hearing that from someone asking me for a favor. I suddenly feel no obligation to help you.”
“See! He’s doing it again—threatening me like that!”
“Ha Yoon, don’t be too harsh. Besides, this is good news for you, isn’t it?”
At those words, Ha Yoon sighed as if admitting defeat.
“Tch, if the President says so.”
“Yesss!”
“But if you spend the training flirting instead of teaching properly, you’d better be prepared for the consequences.”
“Hey! Who do you think I am? I’ll train them hard—don’t you worry!”
Watching her, Berid asked dryly,
“I’ve seen you act like this more than once, but I have to ask—what exactly do you see in him?”
“That’s what I’d like to know, too.”
Both of their gazes turned toward Seo Da-hee.
Feeling embarrassed under their sudden stares, her cheeks turned red.
“Why are you asking me that out of nowhere?”
“When I saw his file, I didn’t think much of it. But seeing you so eager to take charge now—it’s strange. You only met him for the first time today, right? Don’t tell me you really did all this because his face is your type?”
“Ugh…”
Seo Da-hee mumbled awkwardly, looking troubled.
It wasn’t just because his face was her type.
Sure, that was what had caught her interest at first—but the more she learned about him, the more she realized he was genuinely a good person.
Her first time hearing about him wasn’t even from the Student Council recruitment—it was from Instructor Kang Jae-seok’s personal request.
He’d asked her to investigate the background of a certain cadet.
Since one of the ways Demons infiltrated the Academy was by disguising themselves as new students, Seo Da-hee hadn’t thought much of the request.
But as she began investigating his background both inside and outside the Academy, she found herself increasingly drawn to Yoo Sung-woo.
Not because of his records or his history—but because of the man himself.
He was a remarkably unique person.
Someone who neither flaunted nor hid his painful past.
Though his classroom attitude left much to be desired, he had unwavering conviction when it came to what he believed was right.
Even today was proof of that.
He had stood his ground against Yoo Iseo’s strike without a single word of surrender.
Watching him block that attack before her eyes—he had looked so reliable, so strong.
Remembering that moment, Seo Da-hee’s face flushed red.
Ha Yoon looked at her in disbelief.
“You really have fallen for him, haven’t you.”
This was the same woman who constantly interfered with her plans—who was always by Yoo Iseo’s side, hindering her grand designs.
And now, seeing her like this—it was the first time Ha Yoon had ever seen such an expression on her face.
She looked… like someone truly in love.
‘If only I could make use of this.’
Ha Yoon clicked his tongue, while the mind behind his—Berid—began scheming how best to use the situation to his advantage.
That woman had always been a thorn in his side.
But now, he was convinced—perhaps she could be eliminated more easily than he’d thought.
Berid’s eyes glinted ominously.