#160: Subject Evaluation Test (2) — Starborn Cheat Character

‘…Yong-aa.’

Yong-aa…
Yong-aa…!
Yong-aaaaa…
Yong-aaaaaaa…

A slight tremor was felt.

Ju Na-young unknowingly shut her eyes tightly.

Yu Seha’s warm yet strong grip swept over the back of her hand.

Woah, originally…

‘Were his hands always this big?’

No, probably not.
Right, right. They shouldn’t be.

As far as Ju Na-young knew, during the <Mandatory Training> period, Yu Seha’s hands weren’t this manly.

It was a bit awkward to say, but…

They were rather so white and delicate that they could be described as girlish.

‘Of course, they’re still as white as jade…’

But what she felt now was a robust and strong hand.

This meant that Yu Seha had indeed been training very hard since enrollment.

Well, that was to be expected.

‘That’s probably why he showed such a sword skill.’

Even though nearly a month had passed…

Ju Na-young still vividly remembered with her two eyes.

The sight of him riding atop the <Sea Dragon> and wielding the [Overlord Sword Technique].

Like a fierce, strong, and swift storm…

Yet, a swordsmanship that drew the most graceful curves.

‘It felt like watching Sister Peng Jin-ah.’

Just thinking about it made Ju Na-young’s heart pound.

He was the man who wielded such a sword.

Having the strongest hands was only natural.

“Here, do you see page 2? The section about the <Hoofed Goat>.”
“Huh? Uh-huh… yes.”

At Yu Seha’s words, Ju Na-young came to her senses.

Listening quietly to his explanation, she glanced at Yu Seha.

A well-defined jawline without an ounce of excess flesh.
Above it appeared a visage of ultimate beauty.

‘Gulp…’

Her mouth watered.

A strange mix of sexual and hunger-driven desire stirred within Ju Na-young, igniting a sense of hunger.

Surely, the <Crimson Dragon> within was suggesting to devour everything immediately.

‘Roar!’

Each time, she clenched her fists tightly to regain control.

She smacked the snout of the <Crimson Dragon> and shouted, ‘Behave yourself!’

Hadn’t she made a vow?
Hadn’t she resolved herself?
Hadn’t she boasted confidently?

‘I will definitely make Yu Seha dazed, and…’

When the time came, she would ensnare him.
She vowed to bite at his nape so he could never escape.

For that, she’d work hard on skinship…
Frequently express her affection…
Always stay by his side to catch his eye…

That was the determination she had resolved to.

Well, of course, that was what she said.

‘Ugh…’

Lately, she had not managed to stick to any of it.
She couldn’t help it.

Every time she looked at him, her heart trembled. So what on earth was she supposed to do here?

If she carelessly touched him now, the ‘Dragon’s Greed’ might activate, and she could never return from it.

‘Haa…’

The Team Leader unnie said:

Love is… a battle for dominance.

The side that falls in love first, the side that confesses first, enters the battle at a loss.

Ju Na-young knew this well in her head, too.

‘Ugh…’

Just seeing Yu Seha’s face made her heart pound.
In reality…
Ju Na-young had already lost.

“Ju Na-young?”
“Yong-aahh?!”

Yu Seha looked at her with a puzzled face.

Tilting his head, he placed his hand on her forehead.

‘Y-y-yong-aaaah?!!!!!!’

“Is your head hurting? Should I explain it slowly?”
“N-no! Sorry! I was just lost in thought for a moment… P-please continue explaining.”
“Okay, got it. If you feel like you can’t keep up, just let me know, alright?”
“Yong-aaah…”

Yu Seha’s explanation continued.

Ju Na-young, determined not to cause any more trouble, concentrated with all her might.

Of course, she didn’t forget to glance at him from time to time.

“Professor Choi Chae-gul’s <Byproduct Harvest> involves both a written and a practical exam. Therefore, even if it’s the same type of monster, the parts you need to prioritize differ in each test.”

“Parts…?”

“For example, take the current C-grade monster <Hoofed Goat>. Unusually, its heart is located near its rear. And the heart of the <Hoofed Goat> is highly valued as it is used as an ingredient in male virility potions.”

“Oh, then… it would be best to extract from the heart area first?”

To Ju Na-young’s question, Yu Seha replied that it was only half correct.

“That’s only true for the written part. It changes in the practical part.”

“Yong-ah?”

Ju Na-young, expressing doubt, soon flinched and trembled.

Because Yu Seha pressed his body against hers to pick up the book in the corner.

“……”

She naturally fell into his arms.

Her eyes were drawn to his manly, developed Adam’s apple and collarbone.

Thump, thump, thump!

“Why is the book so far away? Here, take a look.”

“Y-yo-yong…”

“Some <Hoofed Goats> occasionally have mana stones attached to their heels. For the written exam, the premise is that the <Hunters> have already engaged, and it’s been three days since. But the practical is different. You’re butchering freshly caught monsters.”

Leaving such protruding mana stones alone, they would seep into the body and degrade the quality.

“Therefore, in the practical, you must eliminate them first. By the way, it seems that these mana stones are a weakness for <Hoofed Goats>. When attacked, their lower bodies become paralyzed, and they collapse right there. Some even bring <Archer> classes specifically for this reason… I didn’t know that.”

“……”

Yu Seha’s explanation continued enthusiastically.

Meanwhile, Ju Na-young only listened with her ears, while her eyes stole glances at his body.

Throughout his explanation, she blushed like a ripe persimmon.

“……”
“Meow? Bora?”

Additionally…

Only Moon Bora noticed this scene and looked on with a pouty expression.

Time passed quickly.
One day, two days, three days.
The time flew by in a blur of studying and eating together.

Before they knew it, a week had passed, and the awaited exam day arrived.

Essentially, it was the decisive exam that determined whether students would advance to the next grade level or be held back.

All cadets headed to the exam hall with a solemn resolve on their faces.

“Everyone, please take your seats.”

The protagonist of the first <Subject Evaluation Test by Division> was Professor Choi Chae-gul.

He wrote “Byproduct Harvest” in large letters on the blackboard.

Nodding at the full attendance, he gave a signal to the assistant next to him.

Swoosh!

At the assistant’s gesture, the exam papers flew into the air.
They reached the cadets without a single error.

“We will now begin the written exam. Remember that there is a practical test in the afternoon, so please respond accordingly. Then… start!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of pens and pencils tapping could be heard.

Soon, that sound also disappeared automatically after about ten seconds.

It was evidence that the <Sound Reduction> artifact, installed to accommodate the sensitive cadets, was in operation.

About 40 minutes later.

‘Hmm.’

I wrote down the answer to the last question and stood up.

‘I think I did my best…’

There were a few things I didn’t know, but at least I solved everything within the range of what I knew.

I briefly looked around.

There were still cadets solving problems.
Cadets roughly lying down and sleeping.
And some cadets had already left the classroom.

Ignoring all these, the first thing that caught my eye was Moon Bora.

Even though she seemed naive, she was an excellent elite by setting, and she was checking the problem book she had already finished.

‘She always goes, ‘Huh? Uhh?’ But she’s really good at studying.’

Then our eyes met.

With her jewel-like eyes blinking, she gave me a faint smile.

Then followed by a mouth movement saying, ‘Did you do well?’

I nodded slightly and looked at the girl sitting right next to me.

“Meow, meeeooow, meeeooow! Meeeoooowwww!”
“……”

Our angelic Meowi.

She made enthusiastic (?) sounds as if she were battling a workbook.

Interestingly, Meowi’s cat ears moved one forward and the other backward alternately.

It was as if they were like bicycle pedals interlocking with each other.

Additionally, her two tails were spinning like propellers.

‘A rare sight indeed.’

If this were a typical exam setup with rows of desks.

The person behind Meowi would have been quite distressed.

But it was okay.

The seating was deliberately spaced out, and there was the <Sound Reduction> artifact I mentioned earlier.

In reality, unless someone was observing like me, whatever she did didn’t affect the people in the seats in front or behind her.

‘The last one is…’

It must be Ju Na-young.

“Yong-aaah, yong-aaaaaa… Yong-aaaahhh!”

Ju Na-young was holding her head with both hands.

With steam rising and her eyes spinning…

It seemed she was fighting quite a big battle.

‘Still, it seems she’s solved almost everything she can.’

I smiled gently and closed my eyes for a moment.

I took a brief rest, anticipating the upcoming <Practical Exam>.

A few hours later.

After the written exam ended, the <Byproduct Harvest> practical evaluation exam arrived.

In groups of ten, cadets lined up and entered the outdoor practice field.

It was a place remodeled from part of a <Dungeon>, with no particular dangers, but where the flow of mana was clearly present.

In reality, it was a practice field precisely set up for <Butchery>.

Thus, ten cadets entered before Yu Seha’s group.

Upon entering their private rooms, they couldn’t hide their bewildered expressions.

―Wh-What is this?
―…This isn’t in the textbook, is it?
―No way… Did they actually include the <Monsters> mentioned during class?
―I-I was sleeping… Damn it.

And in the center of the practice field.

Choi Chae-gul watched this scene with his arms crossed, silently.

He observed the troubled cadets and then shifted his gaze.

The waiting area.

For Choi Chae-gul, seeing the four-person team naturally brought a smile as they took care of each other.

“Hana, your blade was dull. Use this new one.”
“Meow?! You’re right! Thanks, BoraBora.”
“Ju Na-young, do you remember what I taught you yesterday?”
“Yong-ah. Ah, maybe?”
“…Maybe?”
“Yong-ah! No, I remember it well!”

The appearance of the group of four, including Ma Hana.

They were the most popular figures among the first-year students.

Choi Chae-gul smiled softly at Ma Hana, who wore a cute apron as adorable as her petite figure.

As a professor, he couldn’t speak openly.
He could only cheer silently.

‘Ms. Hana, and the three of you…’

Please do your best.

‘If it’s you…’

I’m sure you will do well.

“Judging by the reactions of the cadets who went in earlier, it seems something difficult came up.”

I nodded at Moon Bora’s words.

Seeing everyone swearing here and there, it seemed more challenging than expected.

Moon Bora then started to say something to me but stopped.

Her expression clearly conveyed, ‘You will do well, so there’s no need to say more.’

Ultimately, Moon Bora’s gaze was fixed on Ju Na-young.

“…Wh-what?!”
“…Na-young, stay strong.”
“Yong-aaah…!”

Ju Na-young flared up at those words.

“Wh-why?! Why do Yu Seha and Ma Hana get a pass, while you only say that to me?”
“…You’re not really asking because you don’t know, right?”
“Yooong-ahhhh!!!”

A laugh burst out involuntarily.

I raised my hand above my head, looking at Ju Na-young, who shouted, ‘Don’t laugh!’

“Yongah!”
“It’s okay.”

Recently, I’ve seen firsthand how hard Ju Na-young has been working.

Here, Ju Na-young is a person who shows even higher potential in typical real combat.

“You can do it.”
“Mmhm…”

A moment later.
Finally, our turn arrived.

We entered as instructed.

The unique magic of the <Dungeon> swirling around.
Inside was a simple room.

I found the room labeled <Yu Seha>, and slowly opened the door to enter.

I couldn’t help but smile at the carcass of the <Monster> that suddenly appeared.

Well, well.