Contract

"I've completely transformed…"

"I don't think I can pull this off again if asked…"

Wow.

Sitting in the PR department's makeup room, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.

Honestly, hate to admit it, but I don't really see much of a difference. Is this some kind of magical makeup that only looks good to girls?

"Do you think everyone will be surprised?"

"Yes, get out quickly. Don't keep them waiting. I can already picture the President and that foreign student, totally gobsmacked. Hahaha!"

"Alright, alright."

She's building up this so much hype, so my confidence was through the roof.

Am I really that good-looking?

After fixing up my appearance in the mirror and adjusting my clothes, I walked out of the dressing room. There, sitting casually on the sofa in the PR department's lounge—a natural angel.

Wait, no, she's Alice.

Suddenly, a scene from the game flashed in my mind—the moment Alice first appeared.

If I were to portray her as she ascended the podium during the entrance ceremony…

Her neatly arranged blonde hair, gracefully flowing along the curves of her body, seemed to light up the surroundings.

With her unrealistically fair skin and finely shaped facial features.

Her lovely face combined with the school uniform exuded innocence, yet her calm expression held a touch of allure.

The image of her, seen briefly as she climbed the three steps of the podium, was deeply imprinted in my mind.

"Staring at people like that is rude."

"Oh, uh, sorry."

Unknowingly, I had been intensely staring at Alice's face.

"Do you have something to say?"

"Uh… You look really pretty."

"Thanks. But why do you look the same as when you went in?"

Wait, do I? Was the make up artist just messing with me? Or maybe Alice is just too shy to show any reaction?

"Uh, well…"

"If you're done, let's get out quickly. The President is waiting outside."

After saying that, Alice left the PR department's lounge.

If that's acting, she could easily become an actress.

Geez, it took over an hour just for makeup. What a pointless ordeal.

"…Junior, you look absolutely stunning."

However, Soorin Noona's reaction, who was waiting outside, was quite different.

"Come on. I look the same as always, what are you talking about?"

"I can't find the right words… You just look stunning! Simply amazing."

Receiving Soorin Noona's praise and seeing her eyes sparkling, I felt elated again.

"Let's start by taking a picture with the student council in the background!"

A cheerful male photographer suggested taking a photo.

I put on a slightly awkward expression and made a V sign with my left hand.

"Oh, the male student looks so tense. Such a waste of a good face."

"Sorry, sorry."

Tap tap.

Someone tapped me from the side, and when I looked, Alice was giving me a piercing stare.

"Follow my lead."

Alice crossed her arms and turned her body at about a 45-degree angle, revealing her back to me.

Ah, that pose.

I mimicked her, also turning my body about 45 degrees and pressing my back against hers.

"Wow, great pose, great! You look confident!"

Snap, snap.

"It turned out really great. Let's head to the next location!"

"…?"

***

"Alright, ready?"

Snap, snap.

"Next, we'll move to the Academy's library~"

I've lost count of how many times we've moved already.

Soorin Noona vanished, claiming she had a lot of student council work to do. I bet she ran away because she was bored too.

Alice looked a bit tired as well. Physically, she might be fine, but mentally, it must be draining.

This guy is really enthusiastic. Do you get paid a lot?!

Snap, snap.

"Now, next… Oh my, time has flown by so quickly."

Finally, it's over! The three-hour-long photo shoot has come to an end…!

"After lunch, let's meet again at the Victoria Academy central fountain by 1 pm."

Ugh, fuuuuck!

The photo shoot team left with a triumphant laugh to go have lunch.

Alice and I found ourselves left behind in the library, facing each other.

"Alice, do you have any plan?"

"Not really."

"Wanna grab lunch together?"

"…Sure, why not."

Thankfully, Alice agreed to have lunch together. She replied briefly and took the lead, walking ahead.

***

"…"

Alice walked ahead and went into what looked like a restaurant. I quickly followed behind her.

When the waiter came to take our order, I looked at Alice. She then sighed before saying, "He'll have the same as me."

I should have said the same…

After the waiter left, I quietly looked around the place. It reminded me of a steakhouse I had gone to before. It was an amazing place, but the atmosphere here is different. It's so fancy that I wouldn't be surprised if they billed me for just inhaling the air inside.

Munch munch.

Alice in front of me seemed unfazed, casually tearing at the bread.

Hmm, there's nothing much to do; should I try starting a conversation? They say flattery will get you anywhere. Let's give it a shot.

"You really nailed the makeup. I was genuinely surprised earlier."

"Why are you suddenly trying to flatter me?"

"Oh… I was just giving you my honest thoughts… Sorry."

"No need to apologize… sigh. Let's just eat in silence."

"Yeah… sure."

Why is she being so curt? Is she mad at me?

I also felt a bit awkward, so I quietly tore at the bread. Soon, our meal arrived, and we finished eating.

In between, Alice occasionally mentioned topics she liked, and we had some conversations.

Luckily, I had done my homework on Alice's preferences, just in case we ever bumped into each other. I knew all about her favorite author's new book and recent classical performances. You never know when that knowledge might come in handy.

After finishing lunch, we left the restaurant. It took quite a while to have our meal, and we were getting close to our appointment time.

"It took a long time huh. It's already 12:50. Let's hurry."

"It's because you couldn't stop blabbering about irrelevant stuff. When you're eating, you should focus on the food. Don't you know that?"

"Well, it was fun, though. Weren't you excited to talk about The Figaro and the Pirates?"

"Well, yes, but… sigh. I'm exhausted. Let's just get through the afternoon schedule quickly and be done with it."

Alice glanced around and kept walking ahead.

"Um, isn't that the opposite direction? The central fountain is on the other side."

I tried to get her attention, but Alice either didn't hear me or chose to ignore me, and she continued walking.

Can she not hear me?

***

"Alright, that's a wrap for today's shooting. Good job, everyone!"

"Great job!"

"You two did well!"

The afternoon shoot went by quite quickly. We only changed locations twice, so it was relatively smooth.

If it wasn't for Alice getting us lost, we might have finished even earlier.

"Alice, if you didn't know the way, you should have said something."

"…I suppose that's true. But people can't always be perfect."

"Oh, I actually find your imperfections kinda amusing. Who would've thought we'd end up wandering around the outer walls of the academy while trying to reach the central fountain, haha…"

"…."

"Oops."

The way Alice looked surprised when she encountered the outer walls instead of the central fountain was genuinely adorable.

She glanced at me for a moment, blushing, then changed directions and walked quickly, which was quite amusing.

"Hoyeon…"

Alice called my name in a low voice.

Oh no, is she angry with me?

Then she briskly approached and lightly flicked my chest with her index finger.

"You, there's a limit to putting up with you acting all cocky just because you've become a bit handsome."

Alice gave me a warning, or maybe it wasn't, and then quickly moved away.

"Well, I learned that from you…"

And earlier, she said there was no difference between me before and after the makeup, but I guess I did become better looking. Oh well.

***

"Ugh, I don't feel like getting up."

I spent the entire Saturday of the weekend on that damn shoot, so technically, Sunday should be my day off, but I still had things to do.

I needed to go shopping.

Of course, I wasn't going to some fancy supermarket, but the shady black market shopping.

"A chance to make some money has come, and I should seize it."

Normally, to check an item's info, you'd use Appraisal magic or an appraisal scroll. But I could just view the equipment status window, so I could easily spot the fraudulent stuff in the black market.

I made up my mind to do that this weekend, but getting up wasn't easy.

"Ugh. If I'm going anyway, might as well get it over with early and enjoy the rest of my day later."

Whatever tasks I had planned for today can wait until tomorrow. I've already been putting things off enough. But then again, tomorrow's gonna be a mess with all those classes.

Finally, after a battle with my lazy self, I forced my stubborn eyes open, got dressed, and dragged myself to the academy shopping district.

I went to the Samro Department Store's emergency exit stairway, the gateway to the underground black market.

Different guys were guarding it this time, not the ones from last time. I showed them the coin, and they quietly moved aside, allowing me to slip through.

"It's been a while since I came here again."

Might as well check the pharmacy too. Who knows, there might be some unexpected gains.

Various peddlers were doing business throughout the underground.

From monster materials to vials full of blood and even live fish, they had it all. Seeing it in person, it was quite an extraordinary sight.

Of course, among these folks, you'd occasionally find swindlers, but most of them were just losers on the lighter shade of the dark side.

Everyone knows about the black market, but they just keep quiet and move on.

The country and the association aren't idiots, and there are all sorts of powerful individuals lurking around here; who wouldn't notice the flow of money and goods?

This place is the 'weak black market' with relatively less powerful individuals. The 'strong black market' is hidden and reserved only for the VIPs.

There, you can find anything that crosses the line into illegal territory. From human trafficking to human experimentation, rape, and monster arenas.

Even if they know where it is, they turn a blind eye to it thanks to the exorbitant lobbying fees.

Anyway, this place is the 'weak black market' with a lower level. But that's exactly why there might be hidden treasures here. People in this market don't have much of an eye for real treasure.

"It should be around here."

[Boutique Antique]

A store with a cheesy sign saying, 'Antiques Gather Here~'

Well, it's not a complete dump, at least they have a proper store and not just a shabby stall.

I lifted the cloth covering the entrance and stepped into the store. The musty smell of old goods hit me right away.

Ah, the sweet smell of money.

"Welcome. I haven't seen your face before. Come in."

The old man behind the counter smiled and greeted me. He looked like he had seen better days, with his tattered clothes and a few teeth missing. Not the most impressive sight, that's for sure.

"Do you need anything? I can pick something out for you."

I didn't respond and silently wandered around, checking out the items. The old man didn't seem to expect much of a reply and simply closed his eyes, pretending to fan himself.

Trash. Trash. A beginner's potion recipe? Trash.

It was truly a feast of trash.

I wasn't looking for a needle in a haystack, but it felt like I was treasure hunting amidst garbage.

"Hmm…"

As I checked the items one by one, I noticed that the old man had opened his eyes and was looking at me.

What's with that intense stare? Has the old man gone senile?

Ignoring his weird gaze, I continued searching for items. After about 30 minutes of rummaging through the antiques, I did manage to find something.

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[Hell's Rascals Summoning Contract]

▶ Grade: Top-tier

▶ A summoning contract infused with the power of hell. The quality of the creature summoned might not be great, but the magic inscribed itself is top-notch, making it a premium-grade contract.

▶ Allows you to summon and form a contract with one of the rascals who are treated like garbage in hell.

──────────────────

What the heck is this, some weird item that's neither good nor bad?

I saw something about hell's summoning whatever and just grabbed it to check it out. And it's used to summon a rascal from hell?

"This is ridiculous."

I was so flabbergasted that I forgot the old man's presence and muttered to myself.

Fortunately, he didn't pay much attention. It seemed like he had developed mental resilience dealing with crazy people during his time running the antique store.

"Oh well, it did pique my curiosity."

Though the words "rascals" and "treated like garbage" were quite concerning, but it's supposed to be a top-tier summoning contract.

It's gotta have something that stirs a man's heart.

"No, I need to find something more certain right now."

I forcibly tore my gaze away from the contract and started checking out other items.

"…."

"Good choice. I don't know what that scroll is all about, but I bought it from a man wrapped in robes a decade ago. I hope it proves useful to you."

"Y-Yes, thank you."

Damn it. I ended up buying it. I don't exactly know what it does, but it sounds cool!

Filled with excitement to try the contract out, I rushed back to the dormitory.

Thunk!

After confirming that the dormitory door was locked, I took out the summoning contract that I had been holding close to my chest.

Placing it on the floor, I slowly infused mana into it.

Shwoooom!

Light poured out from the contract, filling the room. I closed my eyes because of the brightness, then opened them again to see something appearing in front of me.

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[Hell's Rascals Summoning Contract]

Are you the one who called forth the Hell's rascals?

Choose one of the these bastards:

1. Lucifer, the demon butcher shop owner gone insane.

2. Incubus, the hell academy's bombshell.

3. Centaurus, the F-rank mercenary for 20 years. Undefeated by anyone and a veteran in countless battles.

4. Succubus, the 50-year-old virgin spinster skilled in weaving spiderwebs.

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"What in the world is this crap?!"

A system window-like selection appeared in front of me.