Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

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Classroom 302.

The place where Professor Kim Kwang-bu’s <Harvesting By-product> lecture is being held.

There was an unexpectedly familiar face here.

“Moon Ga-eun?”

As soon as I entered the lecture room, I saw her blue hair.

Distinctive facial features that immediately draw attention.

“Oh, Do Jae-hyun… Hi.”

Moon Ga-eun awkwardly waved her hand as she flipped through her book.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, right?

It’s been almost a month since my last request.

Even though I was already in a bad mood after running into Kim Do-yoon, seeing a familiar face instantly lifted my spirits.

I happily went over and sat down next to her.

“I didn’t know you were taking <Harvesting By-product> too. I had no idea.”

Moon Ga-eun pouted her lips and said.

“Tsk, why wouldn’t you ask? I know your major, but how could you not even tell me about a general education class you’re taking?”

“Ah… I’m always kind of like that when taking classes.”

While I do prefer taking classes with friends, when registering, I don’t really consider that.

The reason is, I get too busy during the semester.

On top of taking 6 classes a week, I also have exclusive classes with Professor Kim Myeong-hyun and Professor Tak Won-ho…

After learning all that, I need personal training time to embody it.

Just doing that takes up most of the week, plus I have dungeons to manage.

Underground dungeons, goblin villages, stained rock piles.

I don’t own all of them, but I’m managing most of them solo.

To generate revenue, I have to consistently invest time.

‘I wish I could clone myself.’

So when registering, I mainly focus on my own schedule.

Required classes, time slots, and professors – everything revolves around me, so I almost never match schedules with friends.

Not just Moon Ga-eun, but Kim Chae-eun, Kang Juyeon, Park Jin-woo – I haven’t taken any overlapping classes with them.

“You must be so busy you don’t even tell me what you’re taking, right?”

My promotion from lower class to upper class in one semester said it all.

Moon Ga-eun knew that, yet still jokingly nagged me.

“Hey. You should know everything you need to know about someone like me. And I thought we didn’t need to say stuff like that between us anyway.”

“What do you mean between us?”

I suddenly turned my head and scanned the lecture room.

“Publicly, we’re dat…”

“Shh…!! Quiet…!”

Even before I could finish my response…

Moon Ga-eun seemed to have heard something she shouldn’t have.

Blushing, she hurriedly covered my mouth.

Then she whispered angrily into my ear.

“Are you crazy? That’s absolutely top secret at the academy, top secret…!!”

“Puhaha. That just shows how close we are. You know how busy I am.”

“Ugh, fine, I get it.”

I held in my laughter.

Somehow, teasing Moon Ga-eun after we got close was so much fun.

Whenever I poke at her, she reacts with surprise.

Especially after asking me to pretend to be her boyfriend.

“…You two seem quite close.”

Just as I was joking with Moon Ga-eun.

An unwelcome voice came from the side.

My mood instantly dropped when I turned my head.

Ah, right.

He was here too.

“Who?”

Kim Do-yoon’s sudden intrusion.

Moon Ga-eun’s face scrunched up slightly at that.

Kim Do-yoon smiled his trademark smile and reached out his hand.

“Hi there. I’m Kim Do-yoon, a 1st year Warrior. You’re Moon Ga-eun from the Royal clan, right? I’m in the upper class with you but this is my first time seeing you. Nice to meet you. You’re much prettier than the rumors say. I’m pleasantly surprised.”

This bastard, listen to his spiel.

Saying this kind of thing to someone he’s meeting for the first time in real life.

Is his skin thick as steel, or does he not understand embarrassment?

But Moon Ga-eun didn’t seem keen on shaking Kim Do-yoon’s hand.

Instead of taking it, she stared blankly at his outstretched hand, then suddenly turned to me.

“Who is he?”

“…Ah.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Ignored.

It was a perfect ignore.

She didn’t seem interested in Kim Do-yoon’s words at all.

Her gaze was fixed solely on me.

Implying her question was for me from the start.

Most girls show some affection or interest when Kim Do-yoon approaches, but Moon Ga-eun was the complete opposite.

She put up a stone wall, unusually cold compared to her usual self.

She’s not normally like this with strangers…

Looks like she really didn’t like Kim Do-yoon butting in.

“……”

Meanwhile, Kim Do-yoon, who held out his hand to empty air…

Froze up as if he had become invisible.

After what happened to him in the hallway with me…

This was another massive humiliation.

“Puh…”

In the strange silence, I desperately held in my laughter.

***

Ippotranslation

***

Despite the brief happening, class proceeded normally.

Time flew by and it was already 9 o’clock.

The professor entered, signaling the start of the first lecture on the first day of the semester.

Professor Kim Kwang-bu, from the Specialization department, was a middle-aged professor with slightly thinning hair on top.

He seemed to have taught this class for a long time, holding a worn theory book full of creases.

…Somehow, his name and appearance match perfectly.

“Hello, I’m Kim Kwang-bu.”

Professor Kim briefly greeted us, then calmly looked over the lecture room.

Then he immediately opened his book and started lecturing.

‘Jumping right into the lesson?’

My ominous premonition might not be that off after all.

Professor Kim went straight into the lecture without any small talk or orientation, and didn’t even do roll call.

He instructed students to open their theory books to the first page as he picked up the mic.

Professor Kim Kwang-bu filled lecture time fully with lessons, from the first day of the semester to the last.

“Did we choose the wrong class?”

Moon Ga-eun next to me quietly asked.

“…Let’s wait and see. I heard his evaluations were good.”

There were two professors teaching <Harvesting By-product> in the Specialization department.

Professor Kim Kwang-bu had by far the best evaluations.

That was why I chose him despite the disadvantage of a Monday 8am lecture.

And…

Professor Kim soon proved me right.

” …To summarize, the current mainstream argument is that all Holders have talent for slaughter. Like magic control runes obtained through enlightenment, slaughter runes can also be acquired postnatally as a derivative rune.”

…

…

” …As I said before, slaughter requires perseverance, patience, repetition and practice. Most combat Holders looked down on and neglected this, which is why there have been so few Holders who have gained slaughter runes… This is the conclusion reached. Of course, Holders specialized in slaughter who have slaughter runes from awakening are a separate issue.”

…

The students who sighed wearily when the lecture started had bright, shining eyes just 10 minutes in.

Interesting.

Professor Kim’s lecture was interesting.

His solidly established theories were well worth taking notes on, and his low, sonorous voice was surprisingly dynamic, keeping the somewhat dry contents from getting boring at all.

‘A middle-aged professor using a wireless presenter…’

His lecturing method was completely next-gen too.

Professor Kim provided PPT slides to students using a huge beam projector, and gave presentations rivaling office workers using a wireless clicker.

Yes, presentations.

It felt like watching presentations rather than a lecture.

That’s how absorbing it was.

” …In that regard, this lecture will focus on practical training in collaboration with the academy, unlike the theory classes. Also, excluding theory lectures, practical training classes will have students in groups of three.”

Before I realized, the lecture time approached 50 minutes as it wrapped up.

And as he concluded the class…

Professor Kim announced the start of group assignments.

Nothing too surprising.

It was described in the syllabus, and a <Harvesting By-product> lecture was bound to have a high ratio of practical components anyway.

But the group assignment method was unexpected.

“Groups were assigned at the professor’s discretion considering majors. If vacancies arise due to drops, etc I will make a separate announcement.”

I assumed random or application-based assignment, but discretionary?

While normal groupings would be preferable…

I had a bad feeling about this.

“I will now announce groups while dismissing students. Feel free to leave after confirming your group. First, Group 1. 2nd year Warrior Han Dong-hee, 1st year Archer Jeong Suk-won…”

Druek-

Drueuruk-

Professor Kim continued calling out new groups, and students who confirmed theirs began standing up and exiting the classroom.

With most of the students around us gone…

When the people near us disappeared, Professor Kim called out the last group.

The one I was in.

“Finally, Group 32. 1st year Warrior Kim Do-yoon, 1st year Assassin Do Jae-hyun, 1st year Archer Moon Ga-eun. That concludes the group announcements and today’s lecture. Thank you for your hard work.”

With that, Professor Kim left the lecture room.

Should I consider this good fortune?

Or was it just as I felt, and I got a bad draw?

It was nice being grouped with Moon Ga-eun, who I was closest with among the students, but I was also grouped with a ticking time bomb.

<Villain> spy, Kim Do-yoon.

While docile for now, he was a potential criminal who could cause issues anytime.

“We’re all in the same group. Let’s all try our best.”

After the lecture ended, we stood up from our seats…

Kim Do-yoon smiled with his mask back on and spoke.

But Moon Ga-eun didn’t respond, briefly looking at her phone instead, and I chewed on his words absentmindedly, lost in thought.

‘A head-on clash with <Villain>… could come faster than I thought.’

Kim Do-yoon taking <Harvesting By-product> implied many things.

While it may have simply been an overlapping lecture, the fact that we were in the same assigned group made it hard to write off as mere coincidence.

It was most likely <Villain> influence was involved.

Up until now, I had only vaguely thought we might clash…

But with them making this move to monitor me closely.

I should start preparing countermeasures of my own.

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