Mistaken for a Geniu Chapter 18 : Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Which Club Is Yours? (2)

[Ryu Jinwoo, co to the instructor's office for a mont before class.]

A ssage from Hojin had arrived.

‘I’d forgotten.’

After the spar the other day, the dical staff had told

to stop by the instructor's office once my body was okay, but I had completely forgotten about it with one thing and another.

And so, I arrived at the instructor's office and was just stepping through the slightly open door.

A black trajectory cutting through the air grazed past my eyes.

A swift and fierce surprise attack.

Sothing sliced violently through the air, flying toward the space between my eyebrows.

“……”

But there was no need to dodge.

Because my ‘body’ didn't react at all.

Sothing stopped right before my eyes, settling in the center of my vision.

It was a dagger.

A silver dagger with a gleaming, sharp blade.

The person holding that dagger was Hojin.

“You asked

to co, so I’m here.”

I spoke as calmly as possible, but my heart was pounding fiercely.

‘What kind of crazy stunt is this…….’

Is there really a crazy person who brandishes a knife out of the blue at school?

“You’re calm. Did you know I wouldn’t stab you?”

How would I have known? There’s no way I could have known.

What kind of cadet opens the instructor’s office door thinking they might get stabbed in the first place?

“I just couldn’t react in ti.”

As I barely managed to rein in my racing heart and answered without showing any emotion, the tip of the dagger before my eyes slowly lowered.

“Well, for soone who couldn’t react, your eyes followed it precisely.”

Hojin returned the knife to his breast pocket and walked toward the table.

I stared at the back of his head, dumbfounded.

If this were the real Republic of Korea, I would’ve already been grabbing my smartphone and dialing the Ministry of Education's report hotline.

Hojin should be thankful that the Ministry of Education, that sturdy backer of scoundrels who undermine teachers' authority, doesn't exist in this world.

Grumbling inwardly with harsh words Hojin couldn't even imagine, I stepped inside.

Just like the neat impression Instructor Hojin gave, his desk was also tidily organized.

On one side was a neatly aligned stack of docunts, and on the opposite side, a chair was placed for .

“Sit.”

Hojin poured tea into a cup and passed it to .

I eyed the chair suspiciously, wondering if it was rigged with sothing, as I gently placed my bottom on it.

The faint scent of Earl Grey tea tickled my nose.

Hojin slowly began to speak.

“I heard you took down a Cotras in the Rank Test. With a single thrust, no less.”

“I did.”

Honestly, I was surprised too.

I didn’t know the skill ‘Crimson Wolf: Blood Fang’ would be that powerful.

And the origin of that skill was right in front of

now.

Suddenly, Hojin's gaze sharpened.

“That skill, who taught it to you?”

It was finally here.

It was a question I was bound to be asked soday.

I had already been through this with Baekseok.

It was only natural for him to be suspicious when soone else used his technique.

The best answer in a situation like this was already set.

“You were the one who taught , Instructor Hojin.”

Just go straight for it.

At that, Hojin’s brow shot up.

“?”

“You taught

directly. During our last spar.”

I couldn’t get flustered.

I had to be shaless, even.

If I used this situation well, I could even gain Instructor Hojin’s favor.

“So you’re saying, you saw the technique I demonstrated right before you fainted and sublimated it into your own style?”

“Precisely.”

The die was cast.

Recalling my fate that was thrown into the air, I imagined the conversation that would follow.

‘That’s impossible.’

Hojin, firmly denying it and shaking his head.

Because the martial arts Hojin displayed could never be learned without first mastering the preceding techniques.

‘Was it a martial art called Amgi?’

He would probably say it's impossible to learn because I haven't mastered Amgi.

Then I would answer like this.

‘I don’t know much about sothing called Amgi. But when you lunged at

with your sword, I read its flow. The sword's operation, the way the martial arts unfolded.’

And then, I would quietly draw my sword.

And quietly, just as I had displayed it then.

[Crimson Wolf: Blood Fang]

I would use the skill, and that would be the end of it.

Then my body would move on its own, the tip of my sword coming to a point in the air.

The scene from that ti would be recreated exactly.

Wouldn’t that be the end of it?

Because it was a fact that I had been able to use his technique since the spar.

I prepared to demonstrate the technique, quietly bringing my hand to my waist.

And after a long silence, Hojin finally broke it and opened his mouth.

“I see.”

Hojin took a sip of his tea and calmly nodded.

I couldn’t read any emotion from his expression, but the gaze directed at

was intense.

‘……Is that all?’

Was it always this easy?

Aren’t you going to say sothing about

stealing your technique?

Aren’t you going to grab

by the collar and say it’s a dangerous technique?

Baekseok did.

It was I who was flustered by Hojin's unexpectedly cool response.

In any case, is it a relief that he let it go?

I did my best to hide my awkward fingertips, running a hand over my waist once before bringing it to my teacup.

For a while after that, only the quiet sound of sipping tea echoed inside the instructor’s office.

A mont later, Hojin set his teacup aside, shuffled through so docunts, and then spoke again.

“Ryu Jinwoo, have you decided on a club to join?”

“A club?”

“If you haven't decided yet, how about joining the club I’m in charge of?”

Hojin made an unexpected offer.

And if it was the club Hojin was in charge of…….

‘Crown.’

One of Zero's four major clubs, and a place where the children of society's influential figures gathered.

So even said that getting into ‘Crown’ was harder than becoming a hero.

Hojin was inviting

to a place like that?

For so reason, Hojin's intense gaze felt a little burdenso.

But I needed to be clear about things.

“Unfortunately, I’m considering another place.”

At my words, Hojin showed a surprised reaction.

It was natural. The prestige of the four major clubs was enduring.

Its influence continued not only during one’s cadet days but even after graduation.

In Hojin’s eyes right now, I was refusing the gold being placed in my hand.

However, looking at it coolly, it was worth refusing.

First, because I knew the true face of ‘Crown’, and second, because even if I got in through an instructor's recomndation like a paratrooper, I would only end up being ostracized, whether I knew it or not.

‘There’s no point in an ugly duckling entering a place full of swans.’

Even if Hojin was the club's advisor, the actual managent was done by the cadets.

If I could be satisfied with the scraps, staying on while being ignored wouldn't be so bad, but that at least wasn’t the path I wanted.

“If you an another place, where are you talking about?”

Hojin lifted his pen and continued.

“I’ll write you a letter of recomndation.”

Hojin? A letter of recomndation?

Did the sun rise in the east today?

……No, did it rise in the west?

I glanced out the window, but the sun was fine.

All sorts of things happen.

After a mont of thought, I ntioned a certain club.

Hojin’s eyebrows shot up.

“That place doesn’t accept instructor recomndations at all. Is there nowhere else?”

“For now, that’s it.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s a sha. If you need help later on, feel free to talk to

anyti. It doesn’t have to be help as an instructor.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

It was a pity, but it was fine. I had other plans from the beginning.

For now, I should be satisfied with having given Hojin a good impression.

Furthermore, the words ‘It doesn’t have to be help as an instructor’ were particularly aningful.

It ant he would accept personal requests as well.

‘If it’s Hojin, there will definitely be sothing I’ll need help with later.’

Therefore, it was a satisfactory eting for .

***

A few days after the eting with Hojin, I woke up at dawn and went to the training grounds.

[Cadet Ryu Jinwoo, verification complete. Entry to the training grounds is permitted.]

As I stood in front of the entrance, a dry female voice echoed.

The door opened, and a rather familiar scene ca into view.

‘I’m not late.’

There were two main reasons I ca to the training grounds this early in the morning.

The first was the Tactical Manual’s customized training.

[Tactical Manual]

- Daily Customized Task: Conducts training tailored to the learner.

- Penalty for Failure: Hearing Loss

Just like before, it was consistently coming up with a penalty called ‘loss’.

Last ti it was testicles, this ti it’s hearing.

Whatever it was, they were things that would be troubleso to lose.

So for now, I had no choice but to complete it.

[Heeheeheek! Pant-pant-pant- pant- so hoooot! Haaak pant-pant- haaaak!]

Unsuited for the quiet dawn, the Mimic was as noisy as ever.

This ti, it was panting with its tongue out like a dog.

“Just shut up already……”

Tossing physical training at

while making a fuss on its own, it was as absurd as always.

At my words, far from quieting down, the thing started thrashing around even more, twisting its body this way and that.

“Sigh.”

I tore my gaze away from the Mimic and decided to just do what I had to do.

Well, whatever. The reason I ca to the training grounds today wasn’t just because of that thing.

Another reason I ca to the training grounds at this hour, long before the sun would rise.

It was because there was soone I absolutely had to et today.

This dawn training was the most optimal way to run into that person naturally.

I started to check off the training list one by one, occasionally glancing toward the training ground entrance.

How much ti had passed like that?

Swish-!

The tal scarecrow was split in a cross shape.

[Tactical Manual]

- Cross Slash (Grade 7): Quickly slashes the enemy in front twice.

Before I knew it, I had pushed the training to the back of my mind and was checking the performance of the skills I had recently learned.

Its power was lower than Hojin’s or Baekseok’s techniques, but the effect of ‘Settlent’ was overwhelmingly small.

‘This is quite useful.’

It was a simple technique, but it was perfect for consistent use.

Just as I was checking the power of the skills one by one.

Clap, clap, clap—

I turned my head at the sudden sound of applause.

“That was cool.”

A blue-haired girl was standing there.

Jin Cheongha.

A powerhouse who ruled the Felix second years, and a mber of the ‘Cheongryu Family’, one of the four great swordsmanship houses that had produced nurous heroes.

Ocean-blue eyes and blue, bobbed hair that looked like it had been lightly combed over.

With a boyish impression, she wore a refreshing smile despite the early hour.

“I’m Cheongha. Jin Cheongha. You’re a freshman, right?”

“Yes, I’m Ryu Jinwoo.”

I faced her calmly.

For , this wasn't exactly a sudden eting.

I knew from the start that Jin Cheongha would be here at this ti.

Dding-!

[Mandatory Task: Which Club Is Yours?]

A ssage popped up as if it had read my thoughts.

The second reason I went out of my way to co to the training grounds at the crack of dawn was Jin Cheongha.

“Ryu Jinwoo? I feel like I’ve heard that na sowhere. Hmmm-.”

Jin Cheongha looked up and scratched her head as if trying to recall sothing.

“Well, whatever! It doesn’t matter if you’re famous or not.”

She smiled lightly and continued.

“Hey, you wanna join the Student Council?”

The offer to join the Student Council ca in a casual tone, like ‘Can you pick up my eraser?’

The Student Council wasn’t classified as a club, but in terms of power within the academy, it held a strength that wasn't inferior to the four major clubs.

So this casual offer was truly a surprising thing.

In response, I pretended to be surprised and let out a ‘Huh?’.

“The president is always nagging , you know~. She’s going crazy telling

to find so useful kids, totally crazy.”

Jin Cheongha shook her head as if she was fed up, then her eyes sparkled as she looked at .

“So I ca up with an idea. That I should recomnd joining the Student Council to the first person who cos to the training grounds today. But I didn’t think there’d be soone who ca even earlier than . I was surprised, you know?”

And that person ended up being .

Dding-!

[Task: Which Club Is Yours?]

- Joining the Student Council will be recognized as joining a club.

- Beco a mber of the student self-governing body! Various events related to the Student Council's duties will beco available.

-Acceptance Reward: 5,000 SP

A ssage followed Jin Cheongha’s words.

An event to easily join the Student Council, sothing I had experienced several tis when playing the original ga.

I could get into the ‘Student Council’, which normally required all sorts of shenanigans to barely get into, just for coming to the training grounds early.

What a sweet deal.

Looking at Jin Cheongha, I opened my mouth.

“I don’t think that will be possible.”

My answer was ‘rejection’.

The place I wanted wasn’t the Student Council.

The Student Council might seem like no big deal, but once you start, there are more than a few annoying things to deal with.

It’s the sa as a real-life student council. Annoying and tiring.

Being summoned first in a crisis is a given, and there are many things to worry about, like academy events.

Of course, the special privileges of the Student Council are tempting, but I refuse to take on the duties that co with those privileges.

In fact, I had to refuse Jin Cheongha’s offer to be able to knock on the door of the club I wanted.

The title ‘Refused Jin Cheongha’s offer to join the Student Council’ was quite useful.

“Huh? You’re refusing? But it’s the Student Council.”

When Jin Cheongha asked back as if surprised, I nodded.

“Can I ask why?”

“There’s no particular reason. I’m just not interested.”

When I spoke indifferently, her eyes sparkled with even more interest.

“Then I guess it can’t be helped. I was forcing it on you in the first place. It was sudden, wasn’t it? Sorry!”

Jin Cheongha readily backed down.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it.

Because no matter what, if Jin Cheongha started a conversation, an event was bound to follow.

“Then, you know—.”

Jin Cheongha’s eyes sparkled again as she approached.

“Wanna spar with

just once? This is totally separate from the Student Council! I’m just curious.”

Her blue eyes filled with interest.

This was the main part of the encounter event with Jin Cheongha.

I heard that for whatever reason, she couldn't be satisfied until she had a fight with soone she took a liking to.

But it couldn’t be helped.

Since I had allowed Jin Cheongha to approach , refusal wasn't an option.

It was sothing I had prepared myself for, anyway.

“If it’s a simple one, then I accept.”

“Oh! This is the first ti soone’s accepted right away. You’re interesting, you know?”

Grin—

Jin Cheongha’s lips curved into a crescent moon.