Chapter 18. A Secret Meeting with Professor Im Sol
『Sexual contact with the heroine has been confirmed. The Heroine Conquest System rewards will be given!』
『Open Equipment Status Window!』
What is this? I tried to understand the sentences that appeared before my eyes, but it was too sudden.
So there was a reward system in the Heroine Conquest System, why didn't it tell me?
What an unfriendly game.
"What's this Equipment Status Window?"
I looked around to see if there was anything in the room that could be considered equipment.
Just in time, there was a security stone attached to the window.
Staring at the security stone attached to the window, I muttered 'Equipment Status Window.'
────[ Security Stone ]────
▶ Grade: Low
▶ A stone made by adding a slight mana formula to a magic stone.
▶ If someone not registered with the body information approaches, an alarm will sound.
────────────
"Oh wow, that's nice."
It seems to be an ability that shows the equipment's capabilities in real time.
I had only seen this in games, but I assumed I wouldn't be able to see it in real life, so I felt oddly pleased.
Just from doing the 69 position once, I suddenly get such a great ability. Forget training, isn't the fastest way to get stronger just having sex with heroines?
Anyway, now that I know this exists, I should act more proactively from now on.
In this harsh world, I have to take advantage of every bit of honey I can suck out.
*
Monday morning. Today was especially busy.
I slipped into the dormitory in the morning, washed up, and put on my cadet uniform before heading out. Fortunately, it seemed like no one caught me.
"Good morning\~!"
As I was walking out of the men's dormitory, Kim Younghan approached and spoke to me.
"You look tired. It's not an aftereffect from the accident on Friday, is it?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
For a blonde delinquent to be worried about me… I couldn't exactly say I was tired from sucking and getting sucked by Lumi, so I just brushed it off.
As we exchanged meaningless chatter, we arrived at the first-year lecture hall.
As soon as we entered the classroom, Kim Younghan went to greet the other cadets, while I looked around to see if Lumi had arrived safely.
"Lumi, what's wrong? You seem dazed today."
"Huh? Oh, no, nothing? Hehe."
"Your face is a little red too. Do you have a fever? Or is it that time of the month?"
"Umm… Shh."
Seeing her talk with Lucy, she seemed fine. Her face was flushed as if she had a fever, but she didn't look like she had any serious issues.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lumi]
- [ Affection: 65 ]
- [ Lust: 57 ]
- [ Appetite: 30 ]
- [ Fatigue: 45 ]
"What the hell,"
Affection and libido skyrocketed. Affection is one thing, but why did her libido increase?
If she doesn't remember sucking and getting sucked, then her libido shouldn't have risen, right? Or is it just that her body remembers?
Not that it's a problem. If it goes up, that's only good for me.
Clatter-
"Hello, everyone\~"
A female professor wearing a bright pink blouse and a miniskirt entered the classroom.
"Wow, Kang Hyorin is our theory professor?"
"Who's Kang Hyorin?"
"You don't know Dr. Kang Hyorin?"
Honestly, I didn't know much about Kang Hyorin either.
Dr. Kang Hyorin, a theory professor. Well, I knew she was quite famous in the field of dungeon and monster research, as well as hunter studies, but she wasn't that significant of a figure.
"I heard this year's freshmen are on another level. Your eyes look intense\~."
Kang Hyorin, seeming excited, handed out prints while continuing to speak.
"Since this is the first modern hunter studies class, I've prepared a simple test to assess your level. It will count toward your evaluation, so do your best\~."
The test paper was divided into a question sheet and an answer sheet, where answers were written using mana.
'So there's a method like this too.'
Since I had never written an answer in a game, there was no way I would have known.
Contrary to the professor's flippant demeanor, the test questions were very difficult. No, rather than difficult, they were annoyingly hard.
It was like someone had taken only the tiny [Refer to this] notes in the top right corner of the reference book and turned them into questions.
[1. Discovered on January 16, 2032, in Tokyo, featuring a humanoid form with four horns protruding from its head. What is this monster?]
'Fumitake Oni'
Of course, the difficulty of the questions had nothing to do with me. Using my perk [Memory Reinforcement], I had already read through all the textbooks, references, and related papers on modern hunter studies.
Since I didn't need to understand them and only had to read them, it didn't take too long.
After finishing my answers, I glanced around to gauge the atmosphere.
Elise, the top student, was answering smoothly, but the other students all looked miserable. Since these questions were part of a level assessment and would count toward their evaluation, they must have been panicking.
Nam Daeun had her head down as if she wasn't even trying, while Lucy and Lumi were groaning and staring intently at the first question.
'How many should I get wrong?'
I thought about intentionally getting some wrong, but I decided to just do my best. I had to get the scholarship anyway.
After the test, Kang Hyorin, who was enjoying the students' suffering, suddenly received an urgent phone call and postponed the afternoon class due to personal matters.
With the sudden free time, I wondered what to do. I decided to go to the training room.
I needed to check [Clairvoyance]. I was supposed to do it over the weekend, but I ended up sleeping with Lumi instead.
I arrived at the training hall.
The third-floor mana training room. Instead of the private room I had used before, I entered a training room.
The training room allowed for various practical training programs.
[Please select a training.]
"Magic Evasion Maneuver Training, Level 1."
Evasion maneuver training is usually done by melee-type Awakeners rather than mages. But what I wanted to test was my evasion ability using Clairvoyance.
[100%]
My remaining health percentage was displayed on the ceiling hologram. If I failed to dodge an incoming spell and got hit, my health points would drop. If my HP reached zero, the training would end.
[Magic Evasion Maneuver Training, Level 1. Starting.]
Multicolored spells rushed toward me from the front.
'Clairvoyance.'
Buzz-
As I activated [Clairvoyance], my field of vision expanded. I could see the 'paths' of the spells flying at me.
"This is doable."
Level 1 was easier than my spar with Lucy. The incoming spells were simple elemental spells, fast but traveling in straight lines.
[Level 2. Starting.]
*
[Congratulations! 5th level, 72 seconds. Personal record! Please enter a name for the ranking.]
"Damn. That was rough."
Level 2 was manageable. The only difference from level 1 was an increase in speed.
But from level 3, spells causing status effects like binds, charms, and paralysis started appearing. In level 4, the number of spells more than doubled.
In level 5, the quantity, speed, and variety of spells increased. Eventually, I ran out of health points in just 72 seconds.
"What's this ranking thing?"
There are so many systems in real life that weren't in the game.
[HYL]
I entered Lee Hoyeon's initials and registered.
[From now on, your ranking will be recorded under the name HYL!]
[You are ranked 22nd in Evasion Maneuver Training. Let's strive for a higher rank!]
"Show me the evasion maneuver ranking."
--------------------------------
Evasion Maneuver Training RANK 1. Vice President
2. Seo Doil
:
:
:
22. HYL
'22nd place? Not bad.'
Achieving 22nd place on my first attempt wasn't bad at all. With repeated training, I could climb the ranks anytime.
It only occurred to me after leaving my initials that if I had ranked first right away, I might have drawn unnecessary attention. Luckily, that didn't happen.
"Ah, but something feels lacking."
I had a feeling that [Clairvoyance] had limitless applications beyond just evasion maneuvers.
However, I couldn't come up with a groundbreaking idea.
Was there anywhere I could gather information…?
"Oh?"
Come to think of it, I knew an expert in this field, so there was no need to struggle alone.
I could just ask Professor Im Sol. She might give me some hints.
From personal experience, she wasn't the most reliable person, but she was still an expert in magic.
I ended the training and left the facility.
Since I had sweated a lot during the evasion maneuver training, I decided to take a shower first and change into a fresh cadet uniform before heading to Im Sol's office.
Most of the magic professors at Victoria Academy had private research offices.
The Magic Tower was the building where magic professors gathered. The entire second floor of that massive structure belonged to Professor Im Sol.
After walking for about 20 minutes past the first-year lecture hall from the dormitory, the Magic Tower came into view.
Seeing the building in person after only encountering it in the game made me surprisingly nervous.
I had never visited a professor's office in reality, and yet, here I was.
The Magic Tower was 17 stories tall. True to Victoria Academy's reputation, it was grand and luxurious.
Over 50 magic-related professors conducted their research in this building.
The first floor housed a lobby.
That meant that more than 50 professors were spread across 16 floors, and Im Sol occupied an entire floor by herself.
This indicated her status in the magic world.
As I entered the Magic Tower, I saw a large convenience store, a café, and a bakery. In the center was the lobby, flanked by elevators on both sides.
I approached the receptionist at the lobby desk.
"Hello. I have business with Professor Im Sol on the second floor."
"Professor Im Sol has strictly prohibited entry to anyone not on the approved list. Do you have an appointment?"
"No, I don't…"
I would have liked to schedule an appointment, but despite her offering to let me assist her research, I never got her contact information. That was entirely my fault for being distracted by her beauty.
In my dazed state, I had returned to the dormitory without getting her number.
"Did she by any chance mention letting 'Lee Hoyeon' in?"
"She didn't say anything about that. The only registered names are the Dean and the Chairman."
"Still, doesn't the professor have a communication line? Could you contact Professor Im Sol and tell her that Cadet Lee Hoyeon is here?"
"Well… The professor specifically instructed us not to contact her even if someone suspicious came by…"
"I'm not suspicious. Look, I'll take responsibility. Just let her know that Lee Hoyeon is here."
This situation was frustrating. Why was that professor living such a secluded life? Did she have a stalker or something? Stalkers should be targeting Moon Surin, not her.
"Tsk tsk, does he really think he can just barge in and meet the professor?"
"He'll probably get expelled before he even realizes it."
As I argued with the receptionist, I heard mocking voices from behind.
I glanced toward the source and saw over a dozen male students sitting on benches near the convenience store, each holding a bag of snacks. The big guy in the center held a cake box in both hands. He seemed to be the leader of the group.
Their appearance was so ridiculous that I turned to the receptionist.
"Who are those people?"
"They're students from the Magic Research Club."
"Magic Research Club? Okay, but why are they gathered here holding snacks? Are they having a snack party?"
"Well… Professor Im Sol buys a ton of chocolate cakes and chocolate snacks from the convenience store and café about once a week."
"…Chocolate cakes and chocolate snacks?"
"Yes. At some point, those students found out about it and started waiting here. When the professor comes to buy chocolates, they offer her prepared snacks and ask her to review their club's research."
"…"
"The professor usually glances at their research, gives a brief comment, and takes the snacks before leaving."
I had just received a lot of information, but my brain struggled to process it.
Stop revealing weird background details.
"But how do they know when she's coming?"
"I heard they take shifts, standing guard in four six-hour rotations."
What? Is this really the Magic Research Club or just a bunch of jobless weirdos? Why are academy students taking turns guarding the Magic Tower?
There was a setting where Professor Im Sol used teleportation magic to avoid walking to class, but I didn't expect them to exploit it like this.
"And what's this talk about expulsion?"
"Last year, around this time, a bunch of freshmen kept coming daily just to see Professor Im Sol in person. She warned that continued visits would lead to expulsion, and one student who ignored the warning was actually expelled."
"…She's scarier than I thought."
"Do you still want me to contact her?"
"Yes. I'll take responsibility, so please contact her."
The receptionist reluctantly made an emergency call, looking anxious.
Finally, contact was made. She wouldn't just reject me outright now, would she? I suddenly felt nervous.
"Hey, you. What do you think you're doing?"
The large guy at the center of the group from earlier spoke up.
"What's your problem?"
I didn't expect a meaningful conversation from these jobless idiots, but since he had a senior badge, I used polite speech.
"Rookies never know their place."
The large guy looked down at me with an intimidating expression, but surprisingly, I wasn't scared at all.
"You're a freshman. I don't recognize your face, so you're not from a prestigious family. Are you just trying to cozy up to Professor Im Sol?"
"…"
"Oh, I guess you don't know my name. I'm Kim Hyundo, the leader of the Magic Research Club. Surely you've heard of our club? It's the most famous club in Victoria Academy."
Kim Hyundo confidently turned around, revealing his robe, which had 'Magic Research Club' written in large letters.
His smug expression was priceless.
'So he's not just jobless—he's an actual idiot.'
Now I was curious to see just how far this nonsense would go.
"Basically, I'm telling you to stop pestering Professor Im Sol. She's the advisor for our Magic Research Club. What if you distract her from reviewing our research?"
Ding-
At that moment, a woman in a robe stepped out of the elevator.
Kim Hyundo's eyes widened in shock when he saw the robed figure.
That blue robe was unmistakably the same one Professor Im Sol had worn before.
Professor Im Sol stepped out of the elevator and began walking toward us.