As I stepped out of the gate, a woman in a suit was waiting for me.
She had the look of someone who would be strict even with herself.
She handed me a business card and greeted me.
“Excuse me, but are you examinee Do Gyeonu? My name is Oh Seunga, secretary to the chairwoman. I imagine you’ve already heard at the gate, but could you spare us a little of your time?”
Oh Seunga, the chairwoman’s chief secretary.
She had never appeared directly in the game, but she had been mentioned a few times.
Mostly through So Hyeyul.
「So Hyeyul」
—Seunga, there’s something I’d like to ask you to do…
「So Hyeyul」
—Chief Secretary Oh Seunga will take care of that somehow, so don’t worry.
「So Hyeyul」
—If you need guidance, leave it to Chief Secretary Oh Seunga.
As could be gathered from So Hyeyul’s lines, Oh Seunga was her trusted confidante, the one who handled all her miscellaneous affairs and faithfully followed her orders.
‘I’ll probably be seeing her often from now on, so I should remember her face.’
Black hair that fell to her shoulders and slender, delicate features.
There hadn’t been a separate illustration design for her in the game, but she was quite beautiful.
It didn’t seem like it would be hard to remember her.
I answered her.
“Yes, I’m free right now.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll escort you to the chairwoman’s office.”
I was going to meet So Hyeyul now.
I decided to follow Oh Seunga.
Which meant I would have to part ways here with the people who had come out of the gate with me.
“Good work on the exam, everyone. I think I have to go give a statement now. The results aren’t out yet, but I’m sure you all passed, so I’ll see you at the academy.”
“Yeah, you worked hard! See you next time!”
“You worked hard on the exam too, Gyeonu! Good luck with the questioning! I’ll contact you soon!”
“Yes, let’s meet at the academy.”
Yong Haerang, Go Eunbi, Lisa, and the triplets each promised we would meet again.
Yeon Haneul seemed as though she wanted to follow me.
“Gyeonu, I’ll come with…”
“Haneul, don’t wait around for no reason. Go back to the hotel. I’m going to be meeting the chairwoman one-on-one anyway, so even if you come along, you won’t be able to stay with me. Right?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, but the only person the chairwoman summoned is examinee Do Gyeonu.”
“You heard her. You must be tired, so go ahead and rest first.”
“But… All right, I will.”
“I’ll be back soon. See you later.”
“Tch, don’t put your hand on my head. You’ll mess up my hair.”
Yeon Haneul, who had seemed reluctant to part from me, nodded unwillingly.
I plopped my hand on her head.
She pouted in dissatisfaction, but she did not swat my hand away.
Only after patting her like that did I follow Oh Seunga.
And so we arrived at the faculty building.
“Chairwoman, it’s Oh Seunga. I’ve brought examinee Do Gyeonu.”
“Yes, come in.”
The chairwoman’s office was located on the top floor of the faculty building, beyond Oh Seunga’s secretary office.
When Oh Seunga knocked on the door, So Hyeyul’s voice came from inside.
“You may go in.”
“Yes.”
Oh Seunga opened the door to the chairwoman’s office.
I stepped through the door she had opened for me.
“Welcome, examinee Do Gyeonu. No, since your acceptance is as good as confirmed, should I call you student Do Gyeonu?”
“…Hello, Chairwoman.”
The Star Witch, So Hyeyul.
She had been sitting on the sofa drinking coffee, and she welcomed me warmly.
Her eyes curved into a bright smile.
“Come over and sit. Chief Secretary Oh Seunga, bring out some refreshments and drinks so I can chat with student Do Gyeonu over a bite.”
“Understood, Chairwoman. Student Do Gyeonu, what would you like to drink?”
So Hyeyul was sitting in the seat of honor.
She indicated the seat right beside her.
As I sat down where she had pointed, I made my request to Oh Seunga.
“Cola.”
* * *
A cola with ice floating in it was brought out.
So Hyeyul told me not to be shy and to eat the refreshments on the table.
I happened to be hungry, so I accepted her offer and reached for the sweets.
Perhaps befitting the dignity of a chairwoman, they were fine confections not easily found on the market.
Of course, to me, a member of the Divine Sword Do Family, they were not all that rare.
‘It’s good.’
Unlike snacks bought at a convenience store, they had less of that harsh seasoning flavor and a deeper taste.
Enjoying the texture as it gently melted in my mouth, I ate whatever my hand reached for.
When I drank the cold cola, the sharp, refreshing fizz cooled me from the inside.
So Hyeyul laughed as she watched me, then began chattering away.
“I had actually known for some time about the performance you showed in the exams through reports from the evaluators, student Do Gyeonu. In the first exam, you opened five iron doors by using the conflict between mana of opposing attributes. In the second exam, you turned an explosive trap to your advantage and reached the summit of Fog Mountain within the time limit. In the third exam, you and two others devised a strategy and gathered chips. And in the fourth exam I planned, you realized the contents of the exam in advance and prepared for it, didn’t you?”
So Hyeyul sat with her legs crossed, wearing a tight-fitting suit.
She was short, narrow-shouldered, and youthful-looking; there was no sign of the dignity one might expect of a chairwoman.
Even so, she exuded an atmosphere that made it impossible to treat her carelessly.
From her mouth came the record of my performances in the exams thus far.
Hearing my own story directly from her felt a little embarrassing.
At the same time, I could tell that she had been keeping an eye on me, and that she had been the one who planned the fourth practical exam.
‘I expected I’d catch the chairwoman’s eye after showing that much. She was probably watching not just me, but Haneul, Yong Haerang, Min Arin, Nam Yuri, Cha Eunsol, and Lisa too. As for Eunbi… did she notice her? Since she acted with me in the third practical exam, she might have. Anyway, to think So Hyeyul planned the fourth practical exam…’
No wonder it had been unusually tricky.
Only then could I understand.
At that moment, after rambling on by herself, she took a long sip of iced Americano through her straw and set the cup down.
Her tone remained calm as ever.
However, the content of her words was sharp.
“And when I heard that in the final fifth exam, you not only found the demon who had infiltrated the testing site, but defeated her as well, I was truly surprised. And to think you defeated one of the Six Demons of the Demon Society, the Puppet Ghost Lady Lee Gahyeon—it was very intriguing.”
“She was a clone, not the main body, and the others helped me too. That’s why we were able to defeat her.”
“Even if it was a clone, no one has ever defeated one of the Puppet Ghost Lady’s clones before, you know? The Puppet Ghost Lady is skilled at concealing her identity, and she was an extremely meticulous demon. Yet an examinee who isn’t even a student yet defeated her and even secured her soul stone… Student Do Gyeonu, you may straighten your shoulders and have confidence. Your skills would not be out of place even if you began working as an active hunter right away.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
“However.”
“…”
“It’s truly strange. How exactly were you able to identify the Puppet Ghost Lady, who had taken over an examinee’s body? When I checked the footage in your screen choker, you seemed to know even before the Puppet Ghost Lady transformed into a demon…”
I’m really curious, so won’t you tell me?
So Hyeyul trailed off without finishing the sentence, but her smiling gaze seemed to be saying exactly that.
Unlike what she appeared to be on the surface, she was trying to gauge my thoughts.
‘I expected it would come to this.’
I was not flustered.
It was a situation I had kept in mind from the start.
There was no way she or the evaluators would not know about me finding and defeating Lee Gahyeon.
Even though I knew it would draw their suspicion, I had not hesitated.
In order to weaken the real Lee Gahyeon, and to instill vigilance toward demons in the instructors of Geumgang Academy, where many incidents would occur in the future.
‘How should I put this?’
Even so, I could not tell her the truth.
It would be foolish to say that this world was based on a game I had enjoyed in my previous life, and that because of that, I knew the future events that would unfold.
Even if I were ever to say it, it would have to be premised on absolute trust.
There was no way I could trust her that much when her position as villain or supporting character was so ambiguous.
I brought out the answer I had prepared.
“I just said it as a bluff, and the Puppet Ghost Lady fell for it.”
“It was a bluff?”
“Yes. The situation felt strangely off back then. Monsters of different species were moving without clashing with each other, as if they were all following someone’s orders. Then, while Lee Gahyeon was fighting me, I saw her controlling the monsters, and I got the feeling she might be a demon.”
“…”
“But she looked like an examinee on the outside? From there, I thought about which demon I knew of who could disguise herself as someone else…”
“And the Puppet Ghost Lady came to mind.”
“Yes, that’s right. So I probed just in case, and the Puppet Ghost Lady took the bait.”
“Hmm…”
I acted as nonchalant as I could.
So Hyeyul narrowed her eyes and stared at me intently.
“How fortunate that it just happened to work out. No, in this case, should I say you were unlucky?”
So Hyeyul opened her mouth in a faintly sarcastic tone.
She had reigned as chairwoman for a long time and had lived for several decades.
There was no way someone like her would take my words at face value.
She was clearly suspicious of me.
Even so, I feigned shamelessness.
“I suppose so. I’m somewhat unlucky.”
“Hmm…”
As far as I knew.
So Hyeyul was a character who would not hesitate to use any means necessary to achieve her goals, and at times would even accept the sacrifice of others.
She used both good and evil without hesitation.
That was why in the game, while supporting Kang Hanbyeol, she also imposed trials on him.
That was the kind of person she was.
Therefore, what mattered to her right now was not how I had known Lee Gahyeon’s identity.
‘It’s whether I’ll be useful to her plan or not.’
I could read So Hyeyul’s thoughts.
Sure enough, she did not deviate from my expectations.
“If that’s what happened, then that must be it.”
As if she had never been suspicious in the first place, So Hyeyul withdrew her doubtful gaze.
She had judged that I would be useful and decided to make use of me.
For me, that was a good thing.
As long as she considered me worth using, she would clean up after the incidents I caused in the future, just as she had done for Kang Hanbyeol in the game.
‘Looks like I can go around causing trouble without worry from now on.’
Of course, she would try to work me just as hard in return.
It didn’t matter. It was fine.
In order to make my way through the game’s story, I could handle that much.
Soon, So Hyeyul changed the subject.
“As you’ve likely already heard, student Do Gyeonu, this incident will not be made public. It’s not that I don’t want to preserve Geumgang Academy’s honor, but above all, it’s to protect the students. If this incident were to leak outside, then not only you, student Do Gyeonu, but everyone involved in this matter, and furthermore the academy students as a whole, would draw excessive attention. There might be some benefits, but there would be far more drawbacks.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“I’m glad you do. However, that does not mean we intend to ignore your efforts and simply keep our mouths shut. We plan to provide student Do Gyeonu and the students involved in this matter with a certain amount of Geumgang Coins as compensation. We’ll only know how much after a meeting, but you won’t be disappointed. And…”
So Hyeyul took something from inside her jacket and placed it on the table.
It was a soul stone.
“This is the Puppet Ghost Lady’s soul stone, appraised through Instructor Hong Yena. They say its condition isn’t particularly good, but a soul stone is still a soul stone. As a rule, all spoils obtained during an exam belong to Geumgang Academy, and the corresponding value is paid out in cash. Soul stones are no exception. But since this situation is not one where we can force the rules from the outset, we plan to be flexible and pay you in whichever form you prefer, either money or Geumgang Coins. Which would you prefer, student Do Gyeonu?”
“Is there no way I can receive the Soul Stone?”
“As I just said, I’d like to say you can’t because it goes against the rules… but in truth, the fundamental reason is that this, too, is for your sake, Student Do Gyeonu. The Doll Ghost Woman can share consciousness with her avatars. She can also share consciousness through the Soul Stone. For now, we’re blocking it with magic, but if you were to possess it, the Doll Ghost Woman would become aware of your existence and try to target you. So I think it would be better for me to handle this appropriately.”
So Hyeyul persuaded me as if admonishing me.
It was a fairly reasonable argument.
If I had Lee Gahyeon’s Soul Stone, I would undoubtedly become her target.
In a way, her Soul Stone was no different from a future misfortune waiting to happen to me.
‘Still, I’m not really tempted by receiving money or coins in exchange for the Soul Stone….’
It would be nice to have enough Geumgang Coins to live comfortably at Geumgang Academy.
But since I was already going to receive coins separately as a reward for defeating Lee Gahyeon, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
So I decided to try negotiating.
“Then could I receive something in another form, not the Soul Stone, money, or coins?”
“Another form?”
“Something like a magic stone or an artifact.”
“You want a reward that can practically strengthen you. Hmm….”
Receiving a reward from So Hyeyul was not something that happened often.
I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
She did not seem offended by my request and fell into deep thought.
At length, she spoke.
“Student Do Gyeonu, you’re in the swordsmanship line, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then how about this? I think this might suit your tastes.”
So Hyeyul suddenly took off the ring she had been wearing on her finger.
It was a silver ring set with a blue jewel.
“This is….”
“It’s an artifact that helped me a great deal until I reached this position. Now that I’ve reached a certain level, I no longer need it, though. As for its effects….”
So Hyeyul explained the artifact.
While listening to her, I checked the information through the status window.
[Ring of Clear Light]
◆ Equipment Classification
―Accessory (Ring)
◆ Detailed Description
―The ring of So Hyeyul, the Witch of the Stars
―It contains the power to purify impurities in the mana within the body, increasing mana efficiency.
◆ Detailed Effects
―Only when Magic Power is 80 or below, Magic Power +4
―When equipped, increases the power of all skills level 8 or below that consume mana by 20%.
―When equipped, reduces the mana consumption of all skills level 8 or below by 20%.
“Oh….”
It was an artifact that had never been mentioned in the game.
The other effects were impressive too, but above all, it raised my Magic Power stat by 4.
For me, who had been troubled by my low Magic Power stat, there was no better artifact.
It was a shame that it came with restrictions, though.
“What do you think? Do you like it?”
“Yes. A lot.”
There was no need to weigh anything else.
I was captivated by the Ring of Clear Light.
So Hyeyul observed my reaction and curved her lips into a smile.
“I’ll be watching to see how well you do from now on, too. I’ll be looking forward to it, Student Do Gyeonu.”
* * *
When I put on the Ring of Clear Light, my Magic Power stat rose to 54.
After opening my status window, I couldn’t do anything about the corners of my mouth turning upward.
In that state, I left the chairwoman’s office.
After being seen off by Secretary O Seung-a and coming out as far as the secretarial office, I found Yeon Haneul standing beside the door.
“Did something good happen? You’re grinning like that.”
“Ah, Haneul. Were you waiting for me? You could’ve gone back first.”
“I was going to at first… but I just felt like waiting.”
Yeon Haneul pulled her back away from the wall and came over beside me.
I felt grateful to her for waiting for me.
“So why were you smiling?”
“I got this from the chairwoman.”
“A ring? Ah, it’s an artifact.”
“She said it’s a ring that increases mana efficiency.”
“You got something good. That’s great. You were always grumbling that you ran out of mana in your body at the drop of a hat anyway. From what I saw, it didn’t seem like you were that lacking, though….”
“You’re not one to talk, are you?”
“I’m a mage, but you’re a swordsman. Anyway, congratulations on your loot.”
She took my left hand and carefully examined the Ring of Clear Light on my index finger.
Then she was purely happy for me.
“The chairwoman said she’d do something for you guys too. She said she won’t be giving artifacts, but she’ll give Geumgang Coins.”
“Ah, really? The others will be happy. How many Geumgang Coins did she say she’d give?”
“She said she’d tell us later… But apparently we’ll get plenty.”
“At least all that effort was worth it. Anyway, let’s hurry back to the hotel. I’m tired. I want to wash up too.”
“Yeah, let’s go. I’m tired too.”
“I waited for you, so I’m washing first. I’m using the bathtub too.”
“Go ahead. You can go first. Aren’t you hungry? I brought this from the chairwoman’s office. Want some?”
“Wow, cookies? Thanks, I’ll enjoy them.”
“I have a few more, so you can eat them all. It’s thanks for waiting for me.”
Yeon Haneul ate the cookies I gave her, her rabbit ears twitching repeatedly.
The way she accepted them whenever I opened a packet for her was simply cute and pretty.
It really felt like I was feeding a rabbit.
“Ah, right. Earlier, Eunbi asked if we were free this evening.”
“This evening? Why?”
“She said the people who took the exam together should have an after-party tonight. It sounded like she was going to invite quite a lot of people…. What do you want to do? Are you going?”
“Who’s going?”
“Among the people we know, for now, there are the twins, Lisa, and Yong Haerang.”
To think she’d plan an after-party—she really was Go Eunbi, the ultimate social butterfly character.
After hearing Yeon Haneul’s story, I nodded.
“Yeah, let’s go. It’s a chance to get closer to the others, so we can’t not go.”
“Then I’ll tell Eunbi.”
“But how are you going to tell her?”
“After you left earlier, the kids who stayed behind exchanged numbers. We also made a group chat.”
“Haneul, you… made a lot of friends while I wasn’t there.”
“What are you talking about? You’re closer to them than I am. I’ll invite you to the group chat now.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
And so, the entrance exam ended, and we returned to the hotel.
In the evening, we had a good time with the people we had met during the exam at the after-party led by Go Eunbi.
“Wow… There are way too many people.”
“She really is a social butterfly. Everyone here must be Eunbi’s friend, right?”
“Haneul! Gyeonu! Over here!”
“Oh, Do Gyeonu! I saved you a seat!”
“Welcome, both of you. It feels fresh meeting you here. Haneul, what would you like to drink?”
“Hey! Why are you so late!?”
“You didn’t even answer when we contacted you!”
“You can’t be late, you know?”
Like that, we rested in the Academy City for as long as our stay allowed.
And the day we returned home dawned.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss