Chapter 91.

“…Hm . ”

Thursday, after end of classes .

Currently, I was standing in front of the Dorm 2 entrance .

Dorm 2 was the girls’ dorm, so it was the last place I expected to visit .

But I had no other choice . If I didn’t get it over with today, it would be too late . Class Competitions were starting tomorrow, and once that was over, everyone would be busy preparing for the midterms in two weeks . It wasn’t that I would be busy, but the person I was planning on meeting was .

After taking in a deep breath, I walked into Dorm 2’s pretty entrance .

Not long afterwards, I ran into someone unexpected .

Wearing comfortable clothes, she seemed to be on her way to the library . I greeted her .

“Rachel-ssi!”

When Rachel saw me, she stopped in place and swallowed hard . It didn’t look like she planned on moving from that spot, so I approached her first .

“Are you going to the library?”

“Y-Yes… what are you doing here?”

“Ah, I have something to do . ”

I replied with a smile . Then, I examined her carefully .

During exam periods, she looked a bit different . Her hair seemed more disheveled and unkempt . She seemed to be pushing herself because I was her competitor .

“Oh right, you haven’t been asking me any questions lately . ”

“…I thought I should try to solve them myself before going to seek help… Also, Hajin-ssi needs to study too . ”

“Oh really? If you’re having trouble, you can always ask me . I’m fine with it . ”

In response, Rachel nodded silently .

I wanted to go with her to the library, but I didn’t have time .

“Then you should get going . I’ll see you tomorrow . ”

“Yes…”

Rachel trotted off . She seemed to be in a haste to get to the library . Did she want to study that much?

In any case, I headed deeper into the dorm .

My destination was a pavilion near room 201 . Someone was waiting there by the time I arrived . I walked up to her . She seemed to have seen me too as she lightly waved her hand .

“You’re here . ”

Yoo Yeonha spoke with a bright smile . Just like always, her casual clothes were black . Her white skin suited her black blouse and black skirts .

“Yeah . ”

“So, why did you call me?”

Yoo Yeonha looked at me with eyes full of interest .

The reason I came to her was simple .

It was because of the ginseng I found when I went to Suwon with Kim Suho . It was a five-year-old ginseng, and I thought carefully about how to use it .

I didn’t plan on selling it as I now had more than enough money .

The best use of it would be to produce medicine, but I didn’t have the connections and equipment to do so . I tried using Stigma’s magic power just in case that was possible, but it seemed two streaks of Stigma was nowhere close to being enough .

“You made a pharmaceutical firm, right?”

“… . ”

Yoo Yeonha flinched at my straightforward question . But anyone could have found out about it . Most people in Cube already knew that Yoo Yeonha was doing business .

“…It’s been about two months . My close acquaintances all know about it . What about it?”

Yoo Yeonha’s pharmaceutical firm was destined to succeed .

I had Hosup do a quick background check, and it seemed it wasn’t going so well currently . Although she had the researchers and necessary equipment in place, she was lacking materials .

It was understandable . For the current Yoo Yeonha, finding a proper ginseng digger would be difficult . Most skilled ginseng diggers already had exclusive contracts with giant pharmaceutical companies, and these companies were true giants that wouldn’t flinch at Essence of the Strait’s name .

However, ‘pharmaceutics’ was a huge industry in this world, so Yoo Yeonha wouldn’t give up .

Eventually, her pharmaceutical firm would become one of the top three pharmaceutical companies . Thanks to the ‘connections’ Yoo Yeonha was always obsessed about, it would only take ten years .

“Here . ”

I threw her the ginseng . Yoo Yeonha received it with a confused look . Once she identified it, her jaws dropped .

With this, I hoped I could be considered one of her ‘connections’ .

“T-This… . ”

“It’s a five-year-old ginseng . Use it for research, and you can pay me back later with a high quality medicine . ”

That’s what I said .

The person in charge of Yoo Yeonha’s pharmaceutical firm… if I remembered correctly, his Gift was ‘Researcher’ .

With this Gift, he never forgot a technique he acquired . I wouldn’t have to wait long until I could receive high-intermediate rank medicines .

Yoo Yeonha looked back and forth between me and the ginseng, then put the ginseng away .

“Where did you get this? Ginsengs don’t appear often in the market these days… . ”

Immediately after saying that, Yoo Yeonha flinched . The market she was referring to was Violet Banquet, a black market . She started to sweat a little bit, and I smirked .

“It’s possible, right?”

“…Ah, yes, of course . I’ll even pay you back with interest . It will take a while though . ”

“That’s fine . ”

I gave her a thumbs up . Yoo Yeonha stared at me calmly, then made a mischievous smile .

“…By the way, have you prepared for the singing competition?”

“Yeah, I picked a song, and I went to a rehearsal this morning . ”

“This morning?”

“Yeah, that’s why I wasn’t in class for the morning announcements . ”

Cube even hired professional musicians for the Class Competitions . They were all people with Gifts related to music, and they arranged the song I chose in under an hour .

“Huhu, then can I look forward to it?”

Yoo Yeonha seemed to be laughing at the thought of me singing, but I retorted confidently .

“Yeah, look forward to it . It’ll go beyond your expectations . ”

Then suddenly, Yoo Yeonha’s smartwatch vibrated . It was a call . Yoo Yeonha glanced at her smartwatch, then looked back at me .

“I’ll take my leave now . ”

“Yes, thank you . I’ll return today’s favor two… no, threefold in the future . ”

When I tactfully turned to take my leave, Yoo Yeonha picked up the call with earphones .

But suddenly, I grew curious of its content, so I strained my ears . My Gift, Observation and Reading, activated, making me eavesdrop on Yoo Yeonha’s call .

—…Yes, I’m in Daehyun hospital . Nurses are saying that Chae Jinyoon’s finger just moved . I stopped by to check if it was true .

When I heard this voice, my feet suddenly stopped in place .

I quickly turned around and faced Yoo Yeonha .

“Really?”

—Yes, but…

“Ah, hold on a minute . ”

Yoo Yeonha put the call on hold and glanced up at me . I asked without caring about being tactful .

“…What is it for?”

“Uh, well, just networking . ”

“…I see . ”

“Um… what’s up with that face?”

I turned around without answering her .

I felt a stinging pain on my temple . I pondered as I walked in a daze .

Chae Jinyoon’s finger moved .

Of course, it might have been a mistake by the nurses, or even a simple convulsion . But regardless, this news made my heart beat harshly .

“… . ”

After walking for a while, I came across a bench . I sat down .

I fell in thought, almost soullessly .

The point the seed germinates .

I needed to know the specific time .

Now that my feet were on fire, I remembered the Book of Truth . I immediately opened it and asked .

‘When will the Devil’s Seed in Chae Jinyoon germinate?’

The Book of Truth didn’t tell me the answer, meaning Stigma’s magic power wasn’t enough .

I broadened the scope of the question and asked again .

‘Give me an approximate estimate on how much the Devil’s Seed in Chae Jinyoon has developed . ’

This time, all two streaks of Stigma were sucked away .

Then, the number 89% was engraved in the book’s page .

89% .

Assuming that the seed has a five-year incubation period, I only had half a year left .

Half a year .

Six months .

Before the end of winter and the return of spring… that was it .

I didn’t have much time .

With a stiff face, I held up my smartwatch .

‘When will you contact me again?’

Boss’ message entered my eyes .

**

—Cube’s first-year Class Competitions begins now!

The first-year cadets’ long awaited Class Competitions finally began .

The first day of Class Competitions started with a soccer tournament . Everyone from Veritas class went out to cheer for the eleven classmates who were participating . While most cadets were rejoicing at the fact that there would be no Phenomenon Realm Analysis class, the soccer match began .

“…Wow . ”

That was my reaction after observing the match for just twenty minutes .

I was glad I wasn’t participating .

That was how intense it was . Although using magic power was forbidden, cadets were existences whose physical abilities had transcended those of humans . For these monsters who could run 100 meters in 3 seconds, it was impossible to hold a normal soccer match .

The soccer ball flew back and forth, as did the players . I watched this wuxia world soccer match like I was watching a movie .

Then suddenly, Rachel, who was sitting next to me, poked my shoulder .

“Hm?”

When I turned around, Rachel looked at me and mumbled .

“Um… . ”

“Yes?”

“Today’s singing… . ”

“What about it?”

“What song… . ”

“What song am I singing?”

Rachel nodded . She seemed a bit worried, but also scared . Was she worried that I would fail? How kind .

I replied with a smile .

“Have you heard of If?”

“Yes?”

It didn’t look like she knew . I couldn’t blame her . If was a song released in 2008 .

Perhaps because I mentioned a couple real singers when I was writing this novel, ‘Taeyeon’ existed in this world as well . Naturally, her song, ‘If’, also existed .

Although it was a song from a female artist, I chose the song because I empathized with the song’s lyrics, specifically the line, ‘I’m afraid to meet because of the goodbye that would come in the future’ .

“Rachel-ssi probably hasn’t heard of it . It was released in 2008 . ”

“…2008?”

“I think so . ”

I had to lower the key, but the musicians Cube hired made all the necessary arrangements . They even praised me, calling me a great singer .

“Whooa!”

At that moment, the crowd broke out into cheers . I looked at the match and saw Kim Suho doing a goal celebration . Now that I think about it, the Class Competitions was a way to make Kim Suho shine .

“… . ”

Then, I discovered Chae Nayun sitting in the front seat, happily cheering .

A part of me immediately felt uneasy .

Did Chae Nayun hear the news? Did she know that her older brother would wake up in half a year?

At that moment, Chae Nayun turned around and met my eyes . I gave her a weak smile, then turned away .

…Time passed by, and the 90-minute-long soccer match ended .

Our class was the obvious winner .

Kim Suho and Shin Jonghak scored three goals and two goals respectively, and the opponent didn’t score a single time thanks to Yi Yeonghan’s miraculous saves and Kim Horak’s stalwart defense .

**

Outdoor competitions continued until 5 P . M . Afterwards, cadets moved to the indoor auditorium to watch today’s final event, the singing competition .

In the auditorium that had a maximum capacity of 4000 people, second and third-year cadets could also be seen .

“Oh right, Class Competitions are only for first-years . That’s why there are so many seniors here . ”

Chae Nayun, who was looking around the auditorium wondering why there were so many upperclassmen, finally came to a realization . Yoo Yeonha retorted lightly .

“Yeah, our second-year seniors can’t participate even if they wanted to, so they’re spectating instead . ”

“Is Kim Hajin really going to represent our class?”

As she said that, Chae Nayun looked around . Kim Hajin was nowhere to be seen . He was likely in the waiting room, and Chae Nayun couldn’t help but worry .

No matter how much she thought about it, Kim Hajin didn’t look like the type who could sing well . He looked like a stereotypical tone-deaf person . Wouldn’t he just embarrass their class?

“He looked confident . He told me to look forward to it, so I am . ”

Yoo Yeonha snickered and turned her gaze to the stage .

The emcee appeared at that moment .

He exchanged small talk with the audience, then started the singing competition at exactly 6 o’clock .

The first on stage was Neilee, a female American cadet from the World class .

—I… chose a song called Promise .

Neilee sang an R&B song called Promise .

“Oh, I know this song . ”

Chae Nayun got excited as it was one of the songs she liked .

Neilee met Chae Nayun’s expectations, heating up the atmosphere with her explosive voice and vibrations .

“…She’s gotta be the first place winner . ”

“Yeah, she’s a great singer . ”

Kim Suho suddenly replied to Chae Nayun’s mutter . He had approached her before she noticed .

“Kim Suho? When did you get here?”

“Just now . So when is Hajin coming up?”

“I don’t know . ”

After Neilee, a Chinese cadet from Cultivation class named Jin Harim came up . He sang a song called ‘Sad Day’, yet another song laced with high notes .

It was the same for the cadet after Jin Harim .

Cadets chosen as their representatives all chose songs with high notes and powerful climax .

The competition continued and eventually reached the ninth stage .

“Auu, my ears . ”

Chae Nayun and many of the cadets in the audience were growing tired of hearing the same kind of songs . It was then .

Tak, tak .

Kim Hajin walked up to the stage with resounding footsteps .

He was dressed nicely unlike his usual self . His black jacket and jeans suiting him well, and he seemed taller than usual as though he had shoe inserts .

“Ooh, look at Hajin~”

The corners of Kim Suho’s mouth were practically hung on his ears as he looked at Kim Hajin . Chae Nayun was dumbstruck looking at such Kim Suho .

—Please introduce yourself .

The emcee told Kim Hajin .

Until then, the audience was still noisy . Perhaps because the eighth contender sang too well, everyone was busy talking among themselves to pay attention to Kim Hajin .

However…

—I’m Kim Hajin from the Veritas class .

A single sentence by Kim Hajin silenced the crowd . The way his voice rang on the microphone was surprisingly pleasant .

—I prepared a song called If .

—If?

—Yes . I don’t think many people have heard of it . It was released in 2008 .

Then, the audience began to stir .

“2008? Is it trot?”[1]

“Is he an attention whore?”

2008 .

That was when first-year cadets were born . Hearing that the music was from almost two decades ago, most cadets seemed to think it was old-fashioned .

However, Kim Hajin remained unperturbed and began .

—Then I’ll start .

The lights went off other than the stage light shining on Kim Hajin, and monotonous piano accompaniment rang out . Soon, Kim Hajin’s breath melted into the piano sound…

—If I were to go…

And the first line of the song rang out . That was enough . That single line scattered the audience’s complaints away .

His soft vocals seemingly embraced the auditorium .

First line, second line… . As the slow song progressed, the auditorium grew quieter until only his voice filled the huge auditorium .

—Because I’m like a fool, and can only watch you from afar…

With his eyes closed, Kim Hajin recited the lyrics like he was savoring them . There wasn’t a single high note or fancy technique . However, his impossibly beautiful voice captivated the entire audience . Heavy, delicate, sweet, and temperate; everyone held their breaths as they savored this moment .

“…His voice . ”

Chae Nayun murmured in a daze . Sincere goosebumps rose up on her arms, while her eyes captured Kim Hajin’s singing figure . His voice seemed to flutter in front of her, shining brilliantly to the point that she felt like she could touch it if she reached out just a bit .

—Because I’m afraid of the sadness and hurt that comes after our meeting .

The final line of the song was the nail in the coffin . A cold falsetto perfectly melded into the heated atmosphere . Even after the song ended, the audience was in a daze as though they just woke up from a dream .

Soon, they applauded .

However, Chae Nayun stayed still without any motion .

The song no one in the audience had heard about was brilliantly perfected by Kim Hajin . Its lyrics were still lingering in her ears .

“Thank you . ”

Kim Hajin made a bashful smile as he bowed to the audience .

At that moment, his eyes met Rachel’s . For some reason, Rachel’s eyes were wet with sorrow .

‘This music is pretty sad . ’

Thinking so, Kim Hajin smiled lightly .

But behind Rachel was Chae Nayun . When he discovered Chae Nayun, the smile on his face disappeared, and he turned around feeling a bit uncomfortable .

Soon, he received an alert on his smartwatch .

[You obtain 98 SP!]

[Luck bonus activates! You obtain 15% additional SP!]

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