I Became a Troublemaker at the Academy

But there was no point to his worries: the four cadets who had charged straight at him with a menacing aura couldn’t even get close to him.

It seemed that thanks to the dramatic increase in his physical stats from consuming Solar Ginseng and the help of his skill , he wasn’t affected by the harsh snowy environment at all.

‘At this rate, both teams will be eliminated without too much trouble.’

As the distance between him and the four cadets grew instead of shrinking, Kim Baram felt more at ease. He glanced over at Han Suyeon and Ko Jooyeon, who were speeding toward the defenses at an incredible pace.

“Why is he so fast? And he’s only wearing a dress shirt — isn’t he cold?”

“No matter what, we have to eliminate him. He’s our main enemy.”

“At this rate, we’ll be eliminated first. Isn’t there something we can do?”

“I’ll try to hold him down. Let’s use that moment to our advantage.”

Meanwhile, the four cadets also noticed the terrifying speed at which Han Suyeon and Ko Jooyeon were closing the distance. 

Feeling anxious, they stopped and huddled together, discussing something. They had to come up with a plan. Quick.

‘It’s pointless, though. With this distance, the game’s already over…’

“.”

Just as Kim Baram was observing the cadets, ready to conserve his strength, one of them suddenly pulled out a staff that looked like a weapon and chanted a spell directed at him.

Immediately, his feet were stuck to the ground as if something had grabbed them, rendering him completely immobile.

‘A mage, huh.’

Magic, a rare ability reserved for the gifted.

Magic was classified by difficulty and power. Given that these were only cadets, Kim Baram assumed the spell used on him was a 2nd-class binding spell, .

Though it was a low-class spell, since it was his first time being hit with such magic, and with his legs unable to move no matter how much force he applied, Kim Baram felt a tinge of bewilderment.

“It worked! We got him! Let’s go capture him!”

Seeing their plan succeed, the other three cadets rushed toward him with even greater speed.

‘I must stay calm… There are ways to break free from binding spells like this…’

There were several methods to break free from binding magic. The simplest was if the target’s physical stats were significantly higher than the caster’s magical ability – in that case, the spell could be broken by sheer strength. 

However, the mage who cast the spell seemed to have quite a high magical capability, and Kim Baram found he couldn’t break free from the spell using sheer physical force alone.

‘In that case, the next thing I can do is…’

Ding!

[You have activated Magic Enhancement [F].]

Kim Baram used magic enhancement, concentrating his mana on his feet.

The second method to break binding magic was to strengthen one’s body with mana and forcibly break through it.

“Ugh…”

“Hurry, grab him! He’s trying to break free from the spell!”

The mage noticed what Kim Baram was doing and shouted urgently. In response, the three cadets dashed toward him at speeds even faster than before, moving frantically.

‘Damn! It’s not working as well as I thought… At this rate, I’ll be eliminated before Han Suyeon and Ko Jooyeon even manage to capture the defense. There must be a way out of this.’

As the three cadets closed in on him, now almost at arm’s length, Kim Baram grew even more anxious, scrambling to think of a way to overcome this situation.

Whoooosh!

Just then, a stroke of luck arrived in the form of a fierce gust of wind blowing from the opposite direction of where the three cadets were charging.

The strong wind caused the cadets to hesitate, preventing them from getting any closer to Kim Baram.

“Ugh… This wind… What the…”

“Just ignore it and run! We’re almost there!”

‘Wind…?’

At that moment, as soon as he heard the word ‘wind’ muttered by one of the cadets, an idea popped up in Kim Baram’s mind. 

He glanced at the magic gathered at his feet and desperately tried to focus on a single ‘image.’

Swish.

‘It worked!’

The method he thought of right at that moment worked, and the spell was immediately dispelled. 

Without hesitation, Kim Baram quickly turned around and started to run again.

The method he came up with in that brief moment was to utilize his ‘wind attribute’ magic. Unlike neutral magic, elemental magic had unique characteristics specific to each attribute.

For example, Han Suyeon’s fire attribute magic was known for its ‘heat’ and ‘explosive power,’ while Ko Jooyeon’s lightning attribute magic was known for its ‘speed’ and ‘destructive force.’

As for Kim Baram’s wind attribute magic, its distinguishing traits were ‘sharpness’ and ‘lightness.’ By vividly imagining the sharp quality of his wind magic, he had literally ‘cut’ through the spell.

[Teams 2, 4, 5, 6, and 10 have been eliminated. Eliminated teams, please exit the simulation room.]

As he put some distance between himself and the three cadets, Kim Baram heard Baek Arin’s playful voice echo through the speakers, announcing the elimination of several teams. 

It appeared that Han Suyeon and Ko Jooyeon had captured their respective defenders.

‘Okay. Only five teams remain now.’

Kim Baram flashed a victorious smile at the four cadets, who were now eliminated, and glaring at him with frustration. Then, he turned to head toward the hill where Han Suyeon and Ko Jooyeon were.

Rustle, rustle.

“I found you! Let’s settle this one-on-one, Kim Baram!”

But before he could savor his victory, a loud voice boomed from behind him. 

Turning around with a sense of foreboding, Kim Baram saw Majin Seok, with his thick arms and red armband, emerging from the snowy forest and charging straight at him.

Not only that, but two others — Kim Byeonghoon with a red armband and Lee Hwayong with a blue one — also appeared, following closely behind Majin Seok.

“Damn it…”

“Jinseok, go break that guy’s pride!”

“You got this, Ma Jinseok! You’re the hope of all men!”

The four cadets who had just been eliminated were now cheering Ma Jinseok on, their frustration turning into support for their leader.

Ding.

[You have activated Mana Enhancement [F].]  

Understanding the situation immediately, Kim Baram wasted no time, using magic to enhance his body as he sprinted at full speed toward the hill where Han Suyeon and Ko Jooyeon were. 

Fortunately, they had noticed what was happening and were already rushing in his direction.

‘They’re really fast… I need a way to create more distance.’

While running, Kim Baram thought about how to shake off Ma Jinseok and thought back to the earlier situation. He immediately visualized the ‘lightness’ of the wind.

As he did so, his magically enhanced body began to feel much lighter and more nimble. The feeling wasn’t just in his mind — his running speed noticeably increased. 

Thanks to his wind attribute magic, the distance between him and Ma Jinseok remained steady, turning the chase into a stalemate.

Kim Baram shouted toward Han Suyeon and Ko Jooyeon, who had almost reached him.

“I’ll keep running! Take care of Lee Hwayong!”

The two of them gave him a small nod and quickly sped past him, heading toward Kim Byeonghoon and Lee Hwayong, who were further back in the forest.

Kim Baram glanced back briefly and saw that Ma Jinseok, still focused solely on him, paid no attention to the other two. 

Meanwhile, Kim Byeonghoon and Lee Hwayong, after assessing the situation, had retreated back into the forest to escape.

‘The distance between our team and Lee Hwayong is greater than the distance between me and Ma Jinseok. I need to buy as much time as I can by keeping my distance.’

With this in mind, Kim Baram turned his attention back to the hill, pushing his body to its limits as he sprinted uphill to evade Ma Jinseok. However, despite his best efforts, the gap between them was slowly closing.

[Battle Maniac.]

The reason for the shrinking distance seemed to be due to Ma Jinseok’s unique ability, [Battle Maniac].

Ma Jinseok’s ability increased his strength and agility the more his stamina decreased, making him stronger the longer a battle dragged on. 

Since Ma Jinseok’s unique ability was well-suited for long battles, it was only a matter of time before Kim Baram would be caught.

To make matters worse, Ma Jinseok had trained his stamina intensively, compensating for the weakness of his ability. This meant there was little chance of Majin Seok running out of stamina before catching up.

‘I had originally planned to use this strategy against Lee Dohyeok… but at my current level, I have no choice but to use it to shake off Ma Jinseok. Besides, we’re on a hill, which works in my favor…’

Having made up his mind to use one of the strategies he had been saving, Kim Baram continued sprinting up the hill without slowing down.

After a long chase, the distance between him and Ma Jinseok had shrunk to less than five meters. Nearing the top of the hill, Kim Baram began to gradually reduce his speed, trying to make it seem like he was tiring.

“Haha! Looks like I’ve won this time, Kim Baram!”

Seeing the gap close rapidly, Ma Jinseok shouted confidently and lunged toward Kim Baram, stretching his hand out to grab his left arm.

But —

“Are you sure about that? [Conversion].”

Ding.

[Activating the special ability of Aegis, . Strength and stamina increase by 3 each.]

Thunk.

What Ma Jinseok’s outstretched hand touched wasn’t Kim Baram’s left arm, but Aegis, which had transformed into a shield. 

At the same moment that Kim Baram used [Conversion] to transform Aegis, he twisted his body and lowered his stance, slipping into Ma Jinseok’s guard and blocking his hand with the shield.

Then, without missing a beat, Kim Baram shouted, “Goodbye, Ma Jinseok!”

Immediately after, Kim Baram took advantage of Ma Jinseok’s forward momentum, using Aegis and the force of Majin Seok’s own charge to flip him over. Unable to overcome his own speed, Majin Seok was flung backward, tumbling down the opposite side of the hill.

Thud!

However, being the grandson of the Fist King, Majin Seok wasn’t an easy opponent. In an instant, he regained his balance as he rolled down the snowy slope, managing to stop himself and stand back up almost immediately.

‘As expected of Ma Jinseok… but it’s already too late for him.’

In fact, Kim Baram’s strategy wasn’t over yet. He placed Aegis, which he had transformed, onto the ground and quickly sat down on it, using it as a sled.

Sliding down the hill, Kim Baram picked up speed, moving much faster than he could while running.

Whoosh!

As he sped downhill, Kim Baram glanced back. Majin Seok had just reached the top of the hill and was staring at him in shock and frustration as he rapidly descended on Aegis.

Ding!

[Player ‘Kim Baram’ has activated the unique ability .]

[You have gained Majin Seok’s favor. You earn 50 VP. Majin Seok’s attitude towards Kim Baram is now ‘friendly’.]

[Teams 7, 8, and 9 have been eliminated. Eliminated teams, please exit the simulation room.]

The red armband on Majin Seok’s arm bore the number ‘9’.

***

From the top floor of the central building, Baek Arin watched the cadets with a captivating smile on her face. 

She turned to Kim Sunah, who was observing beside her.

“So, what do you think? I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Ah, it’s not over yet, Guildmaster. The team I bet on, Lee Dohyeok’s team, hasn’t been eliminated. Considering the abilities of Lee Dohyeok and the defender in his team, I believe we still have the advantage.”

“Hm… well, we’ll see. But didn’t you say that Majin Seok would catch Kim Baram and eliminate him? The opposite happened, didn’t it?”

“T-That’s true, but…”

Indeed, Kim Baram’s performance had been completely different from what Kim Sunah had observed over the past three days. 

Using his shield as a sled was impressive enough, but watching him deliberately slow down at the hilltop to lure Majin Seok in, only to flip him using his own strength, had sent chills up and down her spine.

The bold and creative decision Kim Baram made in such a dangerous situation would have been impressive not only to the cadets but even to experienced players in the field. 

Although his physical stats seemed average, or perhaps a bit below average, compared to the other cadets, his clever strategy to overcome Majin Seok’s overwhelming physical advantage made it all the more remarkable.

Kim Sunah held a slightly higher opinion of Kim Baram now. She suddenly remembered the bet she had made with Baek Arin before the start of the tag event. The wager was on which team would take first place.

Baek Arin had immediately chosen Team 3, which included Kim Baram, while Kim Sunah had finally settled on Team 1, led by Lee Dohyeok. 

Team 3 had Kim Baram, Han Suyeon, who was being closely watched by the White Flower Guild, and Ko Jooyeon, who, though not much was known about her, seemed to be an archer based on the gukgung (traditional Korean bow) she carried.

Grit.

Kim Sunah clenched her teeth as she imagined Kim Baram grinning mischievously, holding the cute Ko Jooyeon and the radiant Han Suyeon in his arms. Of course, it was just an image conjured up in her mind.

In any case, although Han Suyeon, the main force of Team 3, was the only daughter of Korea’s great heroes Han Sihyuk and Jung Sebin, the guild’s assessment was that she didn’t possess extraordinary talent like her parents.

‘It still bothers me that Han Suyeon walked onto the stage before Lee Dohyuk at the entrance ceremony… but according to our information, Lee Dohyeok’s projected physical abilities are overwhelming, second only to Choi Kangho among the first-year cadets. And…’

Kim Sunah’s eyes landed on a shy-looking male cadet with messy hair from Lee Dohyeok’s team.

The defender for Lee Dohyeok’s team was a cadet named Ryu Sungmin. Earlier, he had toyed with the joint attack of Teams 7 and 8, using a ‘strange ability’ that was likely his unique power.

Seeing Ryu Sungmin’s ability, which was extremely advantageous in the rules of this hide-and-seek event, Kim Sunah was convinced that she would win the bet against Baek Arin. And she had a very important reason for wanting to win.

The bet’s stakes were a ‘wish coupon,’ granting the winner the right to ask for anything they wanted from the loser. 

Already imagining her victory, Kim Sunah smiled gleefully at the thought of using the wish to spend time alone with Baek Arin in a luxurious hotel pool villa.

‘Heh, heh… It’ll just be the two of us… The Guildmaster and me…’