How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 13. Cooperation

“kkya!”

Karla Arlen screamed in fear, her eyes tightly shut.

But just then.

– Thud!

Someone grabbed her wrist, halting her fall.

“……!”

As she slowly opened her eyes, she was met with the unexpectedly pale face of Kim Do-jin.

“Are you okay!?”

Karla Arlen exhaled deeply, relief flooding her as she realized she had narrowly escaped death.

And yet, at the same time.

“…….”

She felt a flicker of surprise at the unfamiliar expression on Kim Do-jin’s face.

‘Did he ever make such a face?’

As she adjusted her position, securing herself against the rock face once more, Kim Do-jin sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness.”

His genuine surprise and concern made Karla Arlen’s eyes widen.

“…….”

Of course, Kim Do-jin, unaware of her expression, turned away casually and continued speaking.

“Be careful. There are some safety measures in place, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt.”

“Yes. I understand.”

She replied, promising to do well, but honestly, she felt uncertain.

Though she possessed the unyielding ‘Mana Heart,’ her actual mana capacity was not particularly high, and her reflexes were below average for an awakened one.

“…….”

As she hesitated for a moment, Kim Do-jin seemed to read her thoughts.

“How about you just ride on my back?”

He suggested, as if he could see right through her mind. “I don’t know when you might make another mistake, and honestly, it might be faster than trying to match your pace.”

Karla Arlen pondered.

Riding on Kim Do-jin’s back was certainly a viable option.

It wasn’t just about being carried; she could continuously channel mana while in that position, so she wouldn’t be a burden at all.

But there was one thing that weighed on my mind: the fact that I was pressing my body against a stranger.

So, I stared intently at Kim Do-jin’s face, but I felt no ill intent, and in the end, I accepted the proposal.

“Alright.”

As soon as Kim Do-jin heard my response, he adjusted his posture to make it easier for Carla Arlen to climb onto his back.

“…….”

Carla Arlen gazed at Kim Do-jin’s broad back for a moment before snugly settling on it.

Thus began Kim Do-jin’s ascent, carrying Carla Arlen like a burden.

“Ugh!”

Though my body felt heavier than before, the abundance of magic I could freely wield made the climb feel even easier.

– Crack! Thud! Crack! Thud!

With his supernatural abilities, Kim Do-jin created cracks at just the right spots, climbing relentlessly until, after about thirty more minutes, he finally reached the summit.

“Ha!”

As he set Carla Arlen down beside him, Kim Do-jin exhaled, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

He glanced around, wondering if they might be in the rankings, and indeed, only five students had arrived before them, resting nearby.

“What’s that combination?”

The five students seemed intrigued by the sight of Kim Do-jin and Carla Arlen appearing together, their eyes glued to the pair as they sat far off.

In the midst of this, Carla Arlen brushed off her clothes and spoke.

“How’s your MP?”

‘MP’ was a term borrowed from games for the ease of awakened ones, typically meaning ‘current mana amount / maximum mana capacity.’

“I think… I have about 60% left.”

After a moment of thought, Carla Arlen replied, “Shall I recharge you?”

Kim Do-jin looked around again.

It seemed they had only just reached the summit and would need to rest for a while longer.

In that case, taking a short break wouldn’t be a bad idea.

However, there was no real need for it.

“No, let’s just go.”

Ultimately, Kim Do-jin stood up, determined to secure his second-place position, and Carla Arlen, having been carried, was ready to set off immediately.

Thus, the two of them began to run again, smoothly overcoming numerous obstacles until they were nearing the finish line.

But just as they were left with only one final obstacle to conquer.

“This might be a stretch, but with my magic nearly depleted now…”

Kim Do-jin spoke to Carla Arlen, expressing his need for mana replenishment.

“Then let me recharge you here.”

Carla Arlen instructed Kim Do-jin to sit cross-legged, and began the transfer of energy.

Typically, the more points of physical contact, the faster the transfer would occur; a close embrace would have significantly shortened the time, but of course, that was out of the question.

– Hmm…

Carla Arlen knelt opposite Kim Do-jin, placing her hands over his heart.

The mana heart resided within the chest, and injecting energy directly there was the most efficient method.

And so, they were in the midst of this energy exchange.

“……”

Carla Arlen found herself staring intently at Kim Do-jin’s handsome face.

Until now, she had only seen his good looks, assuming he was nothing more than a reckless fool, but perhaps there was more to him than she had thought.

“……?”

Meanwhile, Kim Do-jin, uncertain, subtly glanced at Carla Arlen’s face—or rather, the space where her face should be.

‘Is she looking up at me?’

Of course, he couldn’t tell, so he remained stiff and unmoving.

But just then…

“Eh?”

A sudden loud noise from behind made him turn, and he saw five students sprinting toward them from a distance.

Those five were the same ones he had seen at the cliff’s edge, having formed an alliance among themselves to secure the second place.

“Oh no!”

Kim Do-jin assessed their speed against his own mana recharge rate and realized they were in danger if things continued this way.

He quickly turned to Carla Arlen and proposed, “If we keep this up, we might get overtaken. How about we move while recharging faster?”

Carla Arlen flinched in surprise and asked, “What method do you have in mind?”

Kim Do-jin immediately stood up, turning his back to her. “Just like before, hop on.”

Carla Arlen reacted with a startled expression, but soon stammered her response. “If you think that’s best, then… well…”

Thus, Karla Arlen leapt onto Kim Do-jin’s back, charging his mana more swiftly, and he launched himself forward, breaking through the final obstacle.

– Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Kim Do-jin, nimbly stepping on the stones suspended in the air, ascended.

“Don’t!”

Yet, he crossed the finish line without being overtaken by the five-member alliance.

– Beep!

The mechanical sound announcing his passage rang out.

[2nd Place – Kim Do-jin]

[3rd Place – Karla Arlen]

Only after confirming the rankings displayed on the screen did he set Karla Arlen down, a sigh of relief escaping him.

“Phew… We did it…”

With his hands resting on his hips, Kim Do-jin naturally turned to survey his surroundings.

“Hmm?”

His gaze suddenly met that of David Yelinek, who had already passed and was resting.

“……”

David Yelinek simply stared silently, and after a moment of eye contact, Kim Do-jin turned away, dismissing him.

‘Is this an unexpected rival?’

To avoid the awkwardness of the gaze, Kim Do-jin glanced back at Karla Arlen, whom he had set down beside him.

Yet, for some reason, she too was silently watching him.

“……”

Due to her ability to become transparent, Kim Do-jin remained oblivious to the fact that Karla Arlen’s gaze was strikingly different from when she first looked at him.

And he never realized that her face was flushed, just as it had been when she was perched on his back.

* * *

Time passed, and at last, the “Obstacle Breakthrough Race” exam came to an end.

‘With this, that reckless fool must have somewhat redeemed the scores he was ruining.’

Second place among a thousand students.

Kim Do-jin checked the satisfying ranking once more and followed the instructions of the event staff.

– Rumble.

The students gathered beyond the finish line moved back to the starting point, waiting for the instructor to arrive.

However, for some reason, the venue was unusually noisy.

‘What is this?’

Kim Do-jin tilted his head, straining to catch the conversation of the students beside him.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m serious!”

“Ah, that’s a big deal… But how did that happen?”

“I don’t know. I just heard about it too. Anyway, it’s a relief that the evacuation went smoothly.”

“Right. It shouldn’t be too serious… Oh, and isn’t Renya a petrification user? If he played it right, he might have lessened the impact when he fell…”

The topic of conversation among other students was the same.

Naska and Renya had fallen while rock climbing and sustained serious injuries.

‘This is…’

Hearing that someone he had teamed up with just yesterday had met with an accident stirred a pang of sympathy within him.

Yet, at the same time, a sense of confusion crept in.

‘How did that happen?’

Naska and Renya, while hovering at the lower ranks in terms of their abilities related to superpowers, were at the top tier when it came to physical prowess.

‘They didn’t seem like the type to make a mistake and fall from a cliff… Besides, the chances of getting injured badly enough to require evacuation due to safety measures are low…’

Kim Do-jin felt a twinge of unease, but ultimately concluded that it was just a matter of bad luck, shaking his head.