I Became a Troublemaker at the Academy

“Alright, I’ll be seeing one person at a time. Who wants to go first?”

“Oh, then I’ll go first…”

Joo Jinyong, eager to go first, quickly raised his hand in response to the witch’s question. He seemed so excited, with such child-like glee that Kim Baram couldn’t help but chuckle and take a step back.

“Hehe… You seem excited. Please, sit here and wait for a moment. It’ll probably take about 20 to 30 minutes per person.”

“Alright. Good luck, Jinyong.”

“Yeah, when I come back, call me ‘Great Mage Joo Jinyong,’ haha.”

‘This guy. He’s really enjoying himself.’

Ignoring Joo Jinyong’s silly joke, Kim Baram sat down in the chair the witch had pointed to, waiting patiently.

Meanwhile, Jinyong and the witch walked off, pulling aside the thick curtain that led to the inner room.

“…”

But now that he was just sitting here, Kim Baram found himself getting a bit bored. There was no Internet here, after all.

Even though this place felt like a tourist spot, they were still inside a dungeon.

Kim Baram’s smartwatch wasn’t working at all, so using it was out of the question.

With nothing better to do, Kim Baram naturally started thinking about the future.

The first thing on his mind was, of course, Han Suyeon, the protagonist. Fortunately, it seemed that Han Suyeon was still accepting the changes in him, Kim Baram, positively.

‘But I have to be careful. Knowing her personality from the story, if she notices anything strange, she might start suspecting me — or worse, consider me an enemy and become hostile.’

Kim Baram had seriously debated whether or not to tell Han Suyeon that he was an ‘Possessor’ of this body. After much thought, he decided not to reveal it.

‘Of course, if I told her that I’m an “inhabitant” and things went perfectly, it could lead to a positive outcome, but there’s also the chance it wouldn’t…’

In the worst-case scenario, she could kill him or even choose to commit suicide to move on to the next timeline.

If that happened, both this world and Kim Baram’s existence would be over. In Han Suyeon’s next timeline, “he” wouldn’t even exist.

That was why Kim Baram thought that maintaining his current relationship with Han Suyeon was just right. Not too close, but not too distant either.

Kim Baram planned to keep that distance while helping her prevent the end of the world.

The second thing on his mind was the major upcoming events. Now that Kim Baram knew Han Suyeon had gone through at least 900 timelines, this problem seemed a little easier to deal with.

Since she would take care of most incidents herself, Kim Baram could focus on those events she couldn’t handle or had given up on.

Some of those incidents were so difficult that even Han Suyeon, with all her experience as a regressor, had tried and failed to solve them multiple times.

That meant Kim Baram couldn’t neglect his own growth if he wanted to use his unique abilities to tackle those challenges.

‘I’ll deal with various smaller incidents to earn VP, but the most urgent one I “must” solve is likely the one coming this fall, involving Baek Yuseong and Jin Sua…’

While Kim Baram was lost in thoughts about the future, Joo Jinyong’s disappointed voice suddenly interrupted him.

“Baram, I’m done…”

Kim Baram turned toward him, surprised to see he was already finished. It had taken less time than Kim Baram expected, and he was curious about what had happened inside.

“Done already?”

“Yeah. The conversation’s over, and so is my dream of becoming a mage…”

Oh, so that ‘done’ was meant to be taken in both senses.

Joo Jinyong’s gloomy tone and the bitter smile on his face told Kim Baram all he needed to know about the outcome.

“She said I have no talent for magic at all… But the witch did say that if I go without dating until I’m 25, I might become a mage. She laughed when she said it, though… Now I’m wondering if I should just give up on my dream of becoming a mage…”

‘That’s clearly a joke. You don’t actually believe that, do you, Jinyong?’

Seeing Jinyong looking so down, Kim Baram thought he needed to change the subject quickly.

“Oh, by the way, what did she say about your destiny?”

“She told me not to believe in it.”

“Uh… What?”

“She told me not to believe in my destiny since everything I think is real could actually be fake. Isn’t that super vague? What kind of destiny is that?”

Joo Jinyong didn’t seem particularly moved by the witch’s words about his destiny and dismissed it as no big deal.

But for Kim Baram, knowing Joo Jinyong’s fate from the novel, it was a completely different story altogether.

Of course, the witch’s prediction could have just been a coincidence, but Kim Baram instinctively felt it wasn’t.

In fact, it was eerily accurate, so much so that it gave Kim Baram chills.

The destiny she described for Joo Jinyong matched perfectly with how he blindly believed the lie from the Chinese intelligence agency that his mother was living happily.

Perhaps because of this, Kim Baram found myself growing even more curious about what the witch would say about his own destiny.

“Anyway, it’s your turn now, Baram. She said you can go in whenever you’re ready.”

“Got it. You know, just sitting here waiting got kind of boring. Jinyong, don’t bother waiting for me. Why don’t you explore the area a bit? We’ll meet up at the spot we agreed on later.”

“Alright, sounds good. Tell me how it goes when you’re done. See you later.”

Joo Jinyong easily accepted Kim Baram’s suggestion and promptly left the room.

After watching him leave, Kim Baram turned and pulled aside the heavy curtain to head into the room where the witch was waiting.

***

“Welcome.”

“Hello.”

As soon as he stepped inside, Kim Baram noticed a medium-sized round table with an atmospheric crystal ball on top and an empty chair in front of it.

Across from the chair sat the witch and her striking red hair and eyes immediately caught his attention.

“Please have a seat.”

“Alright.”

Following her gesture, Kim Baram sat down in the empty chair.

‘So, from here on out, this is uncharted territory for Kim Baram, a part of the story not covered in the novel. What did he do that made the witch play tricks on him? I’m curious to find out.’

The witch leaned her chin on her hand and looked at him with a playful smile, and spoke with a calm, confident air.

“Before we start, shall we introduce ourselves? My name is Aurora. If you noticed the name of the shop, you might have guessed it already. The meaning of my name is ‘the one who awaits destiny.’”

“That’s a beautiful name.”

“Hehe, thank you. Now, what’s the name of my ordinary-looking friend?”

‘She didn’t even throw out a polite compliment like calling me handsome — not even out of courtesy. Damn it.’

“My name is Kim Baram.”

Thud.

The moment Aurora heard his name, she placed her hand, which had been supporting her chin, down on the table.

At the same time, her relaxed expression turned into one of disbelief, her eyes wide with shock.

In the next instant, the previously warm and soft atmosphere around her shifted into something cold and sharp as if the room had suddenly turned into a frozen battlefield.

“Why are you acting so suddenly…?”

“Did you just say your name is Kim Baram?”

“Yes. But why are you…?”

Screech.

Before Kim Baram could finish speaking, Aurora stood up abruptly and approached him, asking in a serious tone,

“Do you know someone named Kim Suho?”

Gasp.

At the mention of ‘Kim Suho,’ chills ran up and down Kim Baram’s spine. He instinctively leaped to his feet, knocking over the chair as he backed away from Aurora, his guard raised.

“How do you know that name…?”

Seeing Kim Baram’s bewildered reaction, Aurora’s expression shifted, a mix of surprise and joy washing over her face.

Then, with a dazzling smile, she murmured softly, “So, you’re the ‘man of destiny’ my sister Lumina spoke of… The one who will change our miserable fate…”

But Kim Baram didn’t even hear her murmuring.

No. He was so flustered that his head spun with a million thoughts. He couldn’t even think of listening to her.

Because the ‘Kim Suho’ that Aurora mentioned wasn’t the name of Kim Baram, but his real name — the real person inhabiting this body.

“You! Who are you?!”

Sreung—

In his panic, Kim Baram drew the black blade at his waist and pointed it straight at Aurora.

But despite Kim Baram’s threat, Aurora didn’t seem concerned at all.

In fact, she looked at him with eyes full of warmth, almost as if she was admiring him.

“That sword is magnificent. But I can’t tell you everything right now. I’m sorry. Just rest for a bit, and we’ll talk later.”

Murmuring some cryptic words, Aurora stretched out her finger toward Kim Baram.

“What are you…?”

Ding!

[Aegis’s special ability has been activated. Remaining uses: 2]

At that moment, a message appeared before Kim Baram’s eyes, and he realized immediately: the witch was using some kind of magic on him.

Not knowing what to do, Kim Baram quickly concluded that he needed to defeat the witch before Aegis’s [Protection] wore off.

As soon as he came to that decision, Kim Baram swung the black blade at her without any hesitation on his part.

Whoosh!

For a moment, Aurora seemed surprised that her magic hadn’t worked on him, but soon she smiled brightly, with an even more joyful expression than before.

“You already had a hidden power… How intriguing. You, of all people…”

Ding!

[Aegis’s special ability has been activated. Remaining uses: 1]

Ding!

[Aegis’s special ability has been activated. Remaining uses: 0]

Just as her words ended, the protective power of Aegis quickly faded away, and the moment his black blade was about to touch her slender neck —

Thud!

Kim Baram collapsed to the ground, unable to overcome the overwhelming wave of drowsiness that overtook him.

As his vision faded, Kim Baram barely made out the sound of her sweet whisper.

“Sleep well, my little hero.”

Ding!

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

[You have gained affection from the character ‘Aurora’. You have earned 100 VP. Aurora’s current affection for Kim Baram: “Interested.”]

***

“Welcome.”

“Oh, hello.”

As soon as Kim Baram stepped into the room, he was immediately struck by the sight of a stunningly mature and captivating witch with flaming red hair and eyes.

“Please have a seat.”

“Y-Yes!”

Nervously, Kim Baram quickly plopped down into the empty chair in front of her and nervously rubbed his knees with both hands.

‘Wow! She’s really beautiful. The witches in the City of Witches were pretty too, but this lady is especially gorgeous. Haha, I’m so glad I joined this dungeon-clearing clan.’

Aurora leaned on her chin with a seductive smile and looked at Kim Baram with playful eyes.

The intensity of her gaze made Kim Baram clutch his chest as if trying to calm his racing heart.

“Before we begin, how about we introduce ourselves? My name is Aurora. You might have guessed it from the name of the shop. The meaning of my name is ‘the one who awaits destiny.’”

“Y-Your name is truly beautiful!”

“Hehe, thank you. So, what’s the name of my not-so-handsome friend?”

‘Not handsome? Did she just say that?’

‘Maybe I heard it wrong…’

“My name is Kim Baram!”

Thud.

The moment Aurora heard Kim Baram’s name, she lowered the hand she had been resting her chin on.

Her previously seductive expression quickly shifted to something colder, her playful smile fading as her face stiffened.

“Your name is Kim Baram?”

“Yes… Is there a problem?”

Screech —

Aurora abruptly cut off Kim Baram’s words. She stood up suddenly and moved closer to him.

“Do you know someone named Kim Suho?”

“Huh? Is that a person’s name? I don’t really know…”

As Kim Baram responded with a puzzled expression, Aurora’s face began to harden, and soon a chilling atmosphere filled the room. Her tone turned cold as she asked again.

“… You really don’t know?”

“Yes, really… I don’t know. But I heard that if you come here, you can find out if you have a talent for magic. Do I have any magic talent?”

“No.”

“What…? What did you just say?”

“I said no. Why do you keep asking? You’re being really annoying.”

“Uh, you’re being a little harsh…”

“Ugh, you’re getting in the way. Just shut up and stay quiet.”

Flick.

Annoyed by Kim Baram’s persistent questions, Aurora waved her hand, casting both a sleep spell and a memory-erasing spell at the same time.

In an instant, Kim Baram collapsed onto the table, unconscious.

Aurora confirmed that he was knocked out. She sighed deeply and swept her crimson hair back.

“Hah… It wasn’t him. Ugh! This is so frustrating! I got my hopes up for nothing!”

Irritated that things hadn’t gone as she’d hoped, Aurora shot a glare at the now sleeping and drooling Kim Baram.

“Ugly fool. I’m too mad. I need to throw him out somewhere.”

With those words, a blue magic circle appeared beneath both Aurora and Kim Baram, and in an instant, the two vanished.

A moment later, the magic circle reappeared in midair, and this time, only Aurora returned to the room.

Even though she had unceremoniously dumped Kim Baram on a random forest path, her frustration still hadn’t subsided.

Fuming, Aurora stomped upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door, the loud bang reflecting her mood.

Bang!