080

"Wow, this class is insane…"

I collapsed in my room as soon as I got back from the previous day's major class, completely exhausted.

Despite boosting my mental strength by 10% and increasing experience gain by 30%, the difficulty was still ridiculously high.

However, when I checked my status window the next morning, I had to acknowledge Baek Seolhee's class once more.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Name: Jin Yuha (☆)

Gender: Male (20)

Stats

Strength: 56 (+3)

Mental: 64 (+10%)

Magic: 59 (+3)

Endurance: 58 (+1)

Speed: 60 (+1)

Charm: 72

Specialization ─ Swordsmanship [Rank S]

Titles ─ Flower on the Cliff [Flower Cliff], Sword Master [Sword Demon]

Skills ─ [Single Strike], [Lampo], [Sword Dance], [New Moon (with Moonlight Earring equipped)]

Traits ─ [Perception], [Awakened Eye], [Intuition]

Exclusive Weapon ─ Moonlight (Legendary)

Items  ─  Bracelet of Experience (bound). Ring of Ability Enhancement (bound), Moonlight Earrings

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"Is it for real that my stats go up after every class?"

Strength and Magic increased by 3 each, while Endurance and Speed went up by 1 each. Even though I wore the Bracelet of Experience, it only provided a 30% boost, not a 300% one. Yet, my stats increased by 8.

"So, that's why it felt insanely tough even with the bound items…"

It was a good thing my Mental attribute had risen significantly thanks to the Ring of Ability Enhancement.

If it weren't for the Stamina Potion the Chairwoman gave me with a strangely pitying look, I might not have even been able to get up this morning.

─ Here, drink this and rest. I know you've been through a lot because of Seol-hee…

The class was grueling enough that it wouldn't have been surprising if I'd broken down crying and said I couldn't do it anymore. It was a constant series of schedules designed to push my limits, almost as if someone had deeply considered how to make a human suffer the most in the shortest amount of time.

'…At least I won't be late for the party's inauguration ceremony today.'

Initially, I had doubts about whether such a ceremony was necessary, but Shin Se-hee was adamant about it.

─ We're now an officially recognized party within the academy. Formal events like an inauguration ceremony are important to give our members a sense of belonging.

'Well, we also need to decide on a party name and distribute equipment to the members.'

Shin Se-hee had taken all the equipment we bought from the luxury store to set it up for the inauguration ceremony. In hindsight, hiring her as the operator was an excellent decision. She managed the party's affairs astutely, covering the areas where I was lacking or couldn't pay attention.

'Hmm, should I start getting ready? I should contact Kang Do-hee since she's in the same dorm as me, and we can head out together.'

Just as I was about to reach out to her, my phone rang.

'Hmm?'

The name 'Soup' appeared on the screen—Lee Yoo-ri was calling.

I answered the call and brought the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

─ Ahem! H-hello…?

Lee Yoo-ri cleared her throat awkwardly as she spoke.

"What's up? We still have some time before the meeting."

─ Well, I thought maybe we could go together.

"Hmm, should we? What about Kang Do-hee…?"

─ Uh, could the two of us meet up and go together?

'The two of us?'

It seemed like Lee Yoo-ri had something to say to me.

"Hmm, okay. So… should we meet up in about ten minutes?" I nodded in response.

─ Uh, yeah. I'll meet you in front of your dorm in ten minutes.

"Okay, see you in a bit."

Click.

After ending the call with Lee Yoo-ri, I headed to the bathroom to quickly freshen up and get ready.

When I emerged, Lee Yoo-ri was already waiting for me in front of the dorm, carrying her bag.

"Soup."

"Uh, hey, I'm out! Oh, You aren't late today? Phew, lucky me!"

Just by calling her name, Lee Yoo-ri seemed flustered and stumbled over her words.

'What's going on?'

"We're meeting up later… Suddenly meeting just the two of us, is there something wrong?"

I asked her directly.

"Uh, well… It's not that… I just thought it'd be nice to go together! Going alone is lonely, you know!"

She tried to raise the mood forcibly, fumbling for words and avoiding eye contact.

My suspicion grew.

'Hmm, there's definitely something going on…'

Then I noticed that Yoo-ri had been carrying something behind her back since we first met and hadn't let go of it.

'Is she hiding something behind her back?'

With my stats boosted thanks to Baek Seol-hee's class, facing off against Lee Yoo-ri in a test wouldn't be a bad idea at all.

Alright!

I quickly propelled myself towards Lee Yoo-ri.

Shaa!

"Oops!?"

Surprised, Lee Yoo-ri instinctively ducked and avoided my hand.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden!"

Ignoring her words, I swiftly backed away. But my actions made it clear to Lee Yoo-ri what I was up to.

"This is not happening!"

Lee Yuri clenched her fists tightly, pulling her hands back entirely.

'As expected, she's good at dodging. In times like these…'

I locked eyes with her for a moment, then turned my gaze to the floor beside her.

"Oh! There's a 10,000-won bill lying over there!"

"…Who falls for such provocations? Idiot."

Lee Yoo-ri replied with a cool tone, but her eyes betrayed her sincerity as they involuntarily flicked towards the ground.

'Now!'

Without missing a beat, I reached out and grabbed what Lee Yoo-ri had been holding behind her back.

Thunk!

"Ouch!"

In her moment of distraction, what she was holding was snatched away, Lee Yoo-ri extended her hands like a hamster that had its food taken away.

'Hm? A card?'

What she had in her grasp was a coated piece of paper, crumpled from being tightly clenched.

'Did she cut and coat an A4 paper?'

As I briefly examined the back, I flipped the card over and read the writing.

[☆ Once a Month, Lee Yoo-ri Free Pass ☆]

'…Huh? A free pass?'

Raising my head with a slightly bewildered expression, I saw Lee Yoo-ri standing there, her ears turning bright red.

"…Y-you. It's for your, um, birthday…"

Lee Yuri stammered with her head turned.

"…Birthday?"

'Was it Jin Yuha's birthday today?'

Seeing no birthday notification on their profile picture, it probably wasn't.

I looked at her with questioning eyes, silently demanding an explanation.

"W-well… It was just the other day… Shin Se-hee told me to choose a gift for you…"

Lee Yoo-ri spoke in a barely audible voice, her head bowed deeply.

Finally, I understood what had happened.

'Ah, She told them to bring gifts for each other since I was taking care of their equipment, didn't she…?'

Since the equipment was in place of a deposit, there was no need to return the gift. While it would have been appropriate to return it, considering the circumstances…

I chuckled as I looked at the free pass I held in my hand.

'It's even once a month, with no specified expiration date. Well, it's like she's giving me a lifetime supply or something.'

With a mischievous smile, I spoke to her.

"This seems to have no expiration date. Once a month for a lifetime?"

"…Huh?"

Lee Yuri's eyes widened, seemingly surprised she hadn't considered that.

"I was planning to do it until your next birthday…!?"

"But here, there's no specified expiration date?"

"!"

'Still, it's 12 times. Isn't that a great deal?'

"I really like this."

I told her with a voice still tinged with laughter.

"Y-yeah, if you like it, that's all that matters! Let's go then!!!"

Lee Yoo-ri blushed and quickly turned away, heading out ahead of me.

"Hmm, I'm not sure where to start with this… Can I really use it for anything?"

I asked her as I followed.

"Do whatever you want!"

Lee Yoo-ri snapped back, clearly not interested in discussing it further, and briskly walked ahead.

.

.

.

Without resolving the misunderstanding about the "birthday," Lee Yoo-ri and I headed to the meeting place together.

The venue for the inauguration ceremony was a cafe Shin Se-hee had reserved. It was located on the outskirts of the academy, close enough to be considered part of the perimeter but not quite beyond its borders. It wasn't too far, but it wasn't too close either.

It seemed like she had rented out an entire cafe just for today's party inauguration.

With a creak, we cautiously opened the door and stepped inside, revealing a fantastic space.

The refreshing scent of wood wafted from the old trees, gently brushing against our noses. It felt as if we had been transported to a forest, with giant trees, grass, and beautiful flowers covering the floor.

"Wow… What is this?"

Lee Yoo-ri exclaimed, her mouth agape as she looked around. I was equally surprised. We had clearly entered a building, yet there was a forest inside.

"Have you arrived?"

Shin Se-hee appeared from inside, greeting us.

"Hehe, I really liked the unique concept of this place, so I just bought it."

"What?"

I asked, my face filled with surprise.

"In the future, when our party is active, we need our own hideout, right? So, I thought this inconspicuous yet appealing space would be perfect. What do you think about making this our hideout from now on?"

"How do you feel about my gift, Jin Yuha?"

Shin Se-hee asked with a bright smile.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

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