Her lustrous blonde hair that was flowing down to her back fluttered in the wind.
Her fox-like bewitching eyes were raised at the corners. Her blood-like deep red pupils drew in the gaze of anyone looking into them and pulled them into their depths like a vast ocean.
Even without making any particular expression on her face, it felt as if she was seducing him. And that caused his heart to race.
Though he had some idea of her appearance from the illustrations, he couldn’t help but be taken aback.
It’s the first time an illustration couldn’t capture the real thing.
It wasn’t the fault of the illustrator. The problem was that her sultry atmosphere, her gestures, and her tone were not things that could be conveyed through an illustration.
Is she really not a succubus?
In all his experiences, Baek Woo Jin had only encountered such an atmosphere once.
It was from a succubus queen in the fantasy world; she was a high-ranking member in the Demon King’s army. Without even trying, she could shake a man’s heart which made him wonder if the girl before him might not be human after all.
“Are you alright?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief. Really… you don’t know how worried I was.”
“Haha, really?”
It was unexpected.
For her who was preparing to switch over to Namgong Soo, his death would have been an excellent opportunity.
But still, she has some feelings left.
Looking back on Baek Woo Jin’s memories, her actions over the past period could be described as devoted.
When even his family half gave up on him and he was mockingly called “Dragon Face” at the academy, she was always the one who lifted his head from the ground.
I’m feeling dizzy.
In this body, there remained the remnants of emotions that the deceased Baek Woo Jin couldn’t take with him when he left this world.
Among the myriad of emotions, the one that occupied the most space was none other than Yoo Hwa Yeon.
As he looked at her now, he felt affection, anger, resentment, gratitude, guilt, and surprise. A whirlwind of emotions surged in his heart. It was overwhelming to think that one could harbor such diverse feelings for a single person at the same time.
His perception of her was constantly shifting. Just a moment ago, he felt love, and now, for no reason, he was starting to get angry.
Better stay away from her for a while.
He loathed being swayed by emotions that weren’t his own, especially if they belonged to someone who was already dead.
I won’t fall for it twice.
Having experienced such a feeling once, he was even more determined to avoid it.
Anyway, Yoo Hwa Yeon would try to distance herself from him anyway, so there would be plenty of time to sort out his feelings.
“Sorry, but I have to go.”
“Oh… where are you going?”
“To the conference room of the main building. The Vice Headmaster called for me. We can talk slowly later if there’s time.”
“Ah, okay.”
She stepped aside with a bewildered expression on her face.
Baek Woo Jin looked away from her and passed by.
“What was that…?”
Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she blankly watched Baek Woo Jin’s retreating figure.
It had been a long time since they last talked.
He had avoided meeting her to keep his distance a few days before he left for his lowest-rank mission, so it had been nearly two months.
“But still…”
Even though it had been a while since they last talked, she didn’t feel any warmth from Baek Woo Jin right now.
To Yoo Hwa Yeon, Baek Woo Jin was like a puppy. When he saw her, it was like a puppy who saw his master from afar; he would wag his tail and run over, and smile brightly like a child.
But now, he wasn’t like that.
“He didn’t smile even once.”
Whenever he saw her, he always smiled brightly and shared various stories just to be with her a little longer, but this time, he didn’t smile even once.
“Not even once.”
Like a child repeatedly calling for their mother and seeking affection, he would always attach the title “Yeon Mae” to his words.
“But he didn’t use it even once…”
She was confused.
Had he changed after surviving a life-threatening situation, or had he perhaps found out about her and Namgong Soo?
Various thoughts trailed one after another in her mind.
“Haa.”
A sigh or perhaps a bitter laugh escaped her lips.
“I’m really…”
She had been the one who wanted to distance herself. Yet, she felt complicated emotions because he hadn’t smiled at her and hadn’t called her “Yeon Mae.”
“Such a selfish woman.”
The main building’s conference room.
The eyes of many instructors turned to Baek Woo Jin as he opened the door and entered.
He felt their gazes filled with a mix of various emotions.
Nearby instructors sniffed the air. A smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of grass wafted from Baek Woo Jin.
“Did you drink?”
One of the instructors asked in disbelief. Baek Woo Jin nodded his head.
“Yes.”
His confident tone and the way he replied without a hint of hesitation caused the instructor’s face to contort in anger.
“How dare you come here after drinking when the Vice Headmaster summoned you?”
The voice was filled with anger.
He was furious for an unreasonable reason, and he probably knew it himself. He was just trying to intimidate Baek Woo Jin.
Baek Woo Jin easily remembered who the instructor in front of him was.
Han Bi Yeol.
The second-generation disciple of the Jongnam sect and the instructor in charge of the first-year basic swordsmanship class.
The Jongnam sect, which had a heated rivalry with the Mount Hua sect, had long considered the Baek clan with its close ties to the Mount Hua sect an eyesore.
Han Bi Yeol had brought this structure into the academy and one-sidedly hated on Baek Woo Jin.
I’ve endured many humiliations.
From the first class until now, Han Bi Yeol had used Baek Woo Jin as a punching bag.
Under the pretext of demonstrations, he swung his sword to leave bruises in concealed places of his body and made him roll on the dirt floor, using him as a negative example for the other students.
Each time this happened, the other students’ perception of Baek Woo Jin plummeted.
People like this exist everywhere.
Those who try to belittle others in such a pathetic way exist in both fantasy and reality.
They share a common trait.
They are so confident in looking down on others that they never consider the possibility of a counterattack.
“I was drinking before the Vice Headmaster called for me.”
“What, what did you say?”
Because of this, even the slightest provocation made them explode in anger without thinking.
“Is it a crime to drink a little alcohol on my first weekend after coming back from the dead?”
“You, how dare you talk back…!”
He got angry without a single logical reason, so there was no way to argue back. And in the end, he could only glare harder and get angrier.
However, this wasn’t the right place to throw a big tantrum. There were many people with higher ranks present.
“That’s enough.”
The Vice Headmaster for example.
Seeing the Vice Headmaster’s stern face, Han Bi Yeol realized his mistake, but it was already too late.
“We urgently called Baek Woo Jin while he was resting on the weekend. I don’t see an issue with him having a drink before that.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t seem right for me to receive the apology either.”
Han Bi Yeol clenched his fists tightly.
In his eagerness to seize an opportunity, he had lost his composure and gotten angry without thinking.
Damn it.
Now, he had no choice but to bow his head. Offending the Vice Headmaster who held significant power in the Academy would make his academic career incredibly difficult.
“I…I’m sorry. I briefly showed poor behavior.”
Baek Woo Jin smiled and replied,
“It’s alright.”
“Ugh…”
Han Bi Yeol suppressed his anger and lowered his head.
Once the situation had somewhat calmed down, the Vice Headmaster who had been observing everything spoke up.
“We called you here to discuss the handling of the bandits you’ve captured.”
A brief explanation followed. The main point was that the bandits were relatively weak since they were all third-rank. Additionally, because he failed the lowest-rank mission, and due to the losses incurred from dispatching investigation and search teams for him, they couldn’t award him mission contribution points.
When Baek Woo Jin was looking visibly disappointed after hearing that, there came a somewhat hopeful statement.
“However, among them, there was one first-rank bandit. We’ll acknowledge your achievement for that.”
“So…?”
“We’ve decided to award you four contribution points for that.”
It was a great comfort in a difficult situation.
Then I just need to earn a few more points?
If he were to take on low-level missions, three trips would suffice; if he took on intermediate-level missions, two trips would be enough.
“Thank you!”
When Baek Woo Jin bowed his head with a brightened expression, the Vice Headmaster stared at him with a curious gaze.
Even though numerous instructors’ eyes were on him, he showed no signs of discomfort.
Bold.
Unless a master reached the state of Returning to True Self, no matter how much they concealed their energy, they would inevitably exude a unique aura. In other words, just standing in a place filled with so many masters should make Baek Woo Jin feel some level of pressure.
Usually, the fates of such people are divided into two.
Either they recklessly charge ahead without distinguishing front from back and meet an early death, or they overcome countless trials and achieve great success.
Completely different from the report.
He had seen many people whose outlook on life changed entirely after overcoming near-death experiences.
Baek Woo Jin must be one of them.
I’m curious.
The Vice Headmaster cleared all the details about Baek Woo Jin from the reports he had received out of his mind.
Would this man, who had started a new life, wither away before he could bloom or would he flourish brilliantly and shine dazzlingly?
He was very curious.
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