How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 7. The Scores

At the moment when Kim Do-jin and his companions had just finished their exam and were leaving the testing grounds.

“…….”

Astrid Lindel, seated in the observation seat with an evaluation sheet in hand, bore a gaze that shimmered with intrigue.

‘Was that earlier display of magical control merely a coincidence?’

The leap shown by Nasca and Renya just moments ago.

There was no doubt that it had been aided by Kim Do-jin, the telekinetic with the power of ‘rock manipulation.’

Yet, what was astonishing was how difficult it was to discern Kim Do-jin’s assistance at a glance.

‘It could have been a fortunate happenstance. But…’

It was no simple task to push someone forward while they were already advancing, yet it wasn’t insurmountably difficult either.

However, to add momentum without altering the existing trajectory required a truly refined control and instinct.

And yet, Kim Do-jin had achieved that, leaving the question of whether it was mere chance or something more.

‘If it’s not chance… why reveal his true abilities now?’

In the past month of personal training and aptitude tests, Kim Do-jin’s displayed abilities had not been particularly impressive.

Though he belonged to a wealthy family, having consumed various elixirs since childhood, his magical power was relatively strong; his control, however, was woefully lacking.

Thus, he had been dismissed from her considerations, but it seemed that what she had witnessed then was not his true potential.

‘So, the cub of a tiger is still a tiger cub, after all?’

She couldn’t fathom why he had concealed his original strength, but it was undeniably an intriguing development.

‘I must observe more closely.’

As Astrid Lindel pondered this, she glanced down once more at the photograph of Kim Do-jin affixed to one side of the evaluation sheet.

But then, at that moment.

“…….”

A shadow suddenly crossed Astrid Lindel’s face.

Coincidentally, this Kim Do-jin shared a name with someone she had once called captain, a person she had followed with genuine devotion, and he bore a striking resemblance to him.

‘Captain…’

In truth, it had already been seven years since Astrid Lindel had heard the news of Kim Do-jin’s death, yet she still could not accept that reality.

After all, no body had been found, and she could not bring herself to believe the tale of a rebellion to seize the power of Cheonsangseok that had been quashed.

—

—

“If the captain truly had his mind set on it, Cheon Sang-seok would have been a dead man long ago. Surely, that wretched Cheon must have employed some foul trickery to bring harm upon the captain.”

Such doubts lingered in Astrid Lindell’s mind, yet regrettably, she lacked the means to unearth the truth.

She had tried several times before, each attempt ending in failure, and now she found herself in the current predicament, serving as an instructor at ‘Ark’ for the sake of ‘Kate Lawrence,’ the one person she owed the most after Kim Do-jin.

“Ha…”

Astrid Lindell understood, in her mind, that it was time to let go of the fragile hope that Kim Do-jin might still be alive somewhere.

But why, then?

Why did the nagging feeling that he might still be alive persist?

“…”

She absentmindedly fiddled with the pendant that hung around her neck, then shook her head.

Now was not the time for sentimentality.

“Ready, Instructor.”

Just then, a staff member returned after disposing of the beast’s carcass.

“Shall we proceed with the next test?”

Astrid Lindell lifted the evaluation sheet once more and replied.

“Proceed.”

* * *

“Damn it!”

Louis Ferrand suddenly kicked the floor in frustration.

The results of the test they had just completed were far from what he had anticipated.

“What do you think you’re doing over there?”

In his dissatisfaction, he began to berate his teammate for the mistake, but the sentiment was mutual.

“What? No, why can’t you just break the damn head? Didn’t you realize it was a test that ended as soon as you smashed the head?”

“Shit, what? Hey! Do you think it’s easy to attack a head moving from that height? I thought we were forming a team because you were supposed to be top-tier, but you’re not helping at all. Were you even supposed to take this test?”

“Ha, you little…”

As the tension between Louis Ferrand and his teammate escalated,

“Hey!”

A more affable member of their group intervened.

“Enough already. It’s too late to turn back, right? Let’s not get our faces red and just agree to not team up next time. Oh! But Louis, you speak Korean well.”

With that, the boy, ‘Dokgo Su,’ flashed a grin, preventing the situation from escalating into a brawl.

—

“Thwack!”

In the end, Louis Ferrand spat on the ground as his final act of frustration and stormed away.

“Those b*stards ruined everything. Damn it.”

Muttering to himself, he glanced back and caught sight of Jinryul Lee, who was resting in a corner, having already finished the exam with his group.

“……”

Louis Ferrand suddenly fixed his gaze on Jinryul, his expression shifting, and strode over with purpose.

“……?”

Jinryul and his teammates looked at him with puzzled expressions, wondering what he wanted. Yet, as if the anger had evaporated, Louis approached them with a calm demeanor.

“Did you all do well on the exam?”

Jinryul glanced around at his teammates before responding.

“Yeah, luckily the matchups weren’t too bad. How about you?”

In that moment, Louis Ferrand sighed dramatically, as if he had been waiting to vent.

“Ha… don’t even get me started. The moment I saw that bald-headed idiot, I laid out a strategy, but none of the kids could follow through properly…”

His lengthy tirade was anything but objective.

Even someone who had no idea how things had unfolded could easily tell he was exaggerating his own contributions while belittling those of his teammates.

“Anyway, that’s how it went. Hah… I’m never teaming up with them again.”

As his explanation came to an end, Jinryul wore a peculiar smile.

“Oh, really?”

Louis Ferrand seemed to take Jinryul’s reaction positively, his face slightly brightening.

“Yeah, but how about teaming up with me for the next exam? Doesn’t that sound good? There aren’t many tanks like me, and I think our powers would complement each other well… right?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jinryul replied.

“Uh, no.”

“…Huh?”

“I said no.”

“……”

For a moment, Louis Ferrand was left speechless, his face flushing with embarrassment. Yet, knowing that a rift with Jinryul, who was vying for the top spot in their year, would do him no good, he refrained from lashing out.

“Well, you might think that way… but think it over again later.”

With that, Louis Ferrand forced himself to suppress his anger and walked away.

Then, he plopped down alone in a corner, gnawing at his lips to suppress his anger.

But then it happened.

– Click!

Though it was still too early for the next group’s exam to be over, suddenly the door to the testing room swung open, and a group of students emerged.

“…Huh?”

The students were none other than Kim Do-jin and his team members.

They had shattered the record of Lee Jin-ryul’s group, who had been in first place until now, emerging with the fastest grasp of the task.

“W-How could those kids…?”

Louis Ferrand found himself staring blankly at the face of Kim Do-jin, who had suggested they team up.

“Eh? What’s going on?”

Of course, Louis Ferrand wasn’t the only one shocked by Kim Do-jin’s group’s record.

All the students gathered in the waiting room looked at Kim Do-jin’s group with expressions of surprise, among them was Yoon Yoo-na, the daughter of Kim Do-jin’s benefactor.

“…”

In truth, Yoon Yoo-na, who had been in a group with Lee Jin-ryul, was staring intently at Kim Do-jin’s languid face, which seemed somehow changed.

But then.

“…?”

Suddenly, Kim Do-jin and Yoon Yoo-na’s eyes met as they turned their heads.

“Eep!”

In that moment, Yoon Yoo-na flinched, furrowing her brow and averting her gaze, but Kim Do-jin did not.

“…”

Kim Do-jin continued to stare at Yoon Yoo-na’s pretty face, awkwardly turned to the side, and thought to himself.

‘Seems like she really doesn’t want to be near me.’

This vessel of his had been clinging on for too long; perhaps it was indeed time to create some distance.

‘Help can be given from behind the scenes, after all.’

With that thought settled, Kim Do-jin finally tore his gaze away from Yoon Yoo-na.

Unbeknownst to him, Misaki Ai and Lee Jin-ryul were observing this side of him with peculiar expressions.

* * *

Time passed, and the “Team Combat Against Monsters” exam came to an end.

The students soon began to tidy up their gear and moved en masse to the showers provided next to the testing area.

However, one among them, Kim Do-jin, was different.

Because he had been far from the battle, not a drop of the beast’s blood or flesh clung to him.

Thus, Kim Do-jin stepped outside, seeking to explore the campus alone.

“Hmm…”

Glancing at his watch, he noted that there was still quite a bit of time before the next class.

*Should I grab a soda?*

With that thought, he began searching for a vending machine or a snack bar.

“Kim Do-jin.”

Suddenly, a girl’s voice called out from behind him.

“…?”

For some reason, the girl’s cold voice and piercing gaze sent a shiver down his spine. As he turned to face her, she continued without hesitation.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

The struggle of Kim Do-jin, who bore no memories of this possessed body, was palpable.

Who was this girl, and why was she acting this way? As he pondered, he finally caught sight of the name tag on her chest and recognized her identity.

Lee Ji-an from Class 1-2.

She was his fiancée.