I Became a Disaster-Class Sorcery Genius

Practical Evaluation (1)

After the weekend ended, the fourth week at the Sorcery Institute began.

By now, the students had become completely familiar with each other. During breaks, they would hang out in perfectly formed cliques, and it was the fourth week when instructors started to say they should be prepared for the practical evaluation before the midterm.

On the afternoon of the first day of this fourth week—

"Hey. Hey, hey! Don't! Stop!"

"It's fine. You won't die even if you get hit."

KWAANG!

"Kyaaaah!"

Shin Se-yeon and Kim Dojun were energetically moving their bodies on one side of the walking path.

... No, to be precise, Shin Se-yeon was desperately moving her body to dodge Kim Dojun's attacks in a struggle for survival.

"You crazy bastard! I'll die if I get hit by that! I'll really die!"

"You won't die. Have you ever seen anyone die from being hit by a toy hammer?"

"No!"

"Then what's the problem?"

"The guy swinging it is the problem!!!"

KWAANG!

Shin Se-yeon broke into a cold sweat as she watched the toy hammer dig into the ground where she had just been standing.

"This isn't even a toy hammer anymore!"

Just as she said, the toy hammer in Kim Dojun's hand no longer resembled a toy hammer.

The cute "bbyok!"-making part had long since fallen off.

Actually, it was gone from the very first swing.

Now, the only thing left of the hammer Kim Dojun was holding was the stick part.

'Why did I agree to this...?!'

Shin Se-yeon recalled the earlier conversation.

'A toy hammer?'

'Yeah, isn't it fine if it's this?'

'... It looks dangerous if you're the one holding it.'

'Think about it. Has anyone ever died from a toy hammer hit?'

'... I guess not?'

'Exactly. No one dies from being hit by a toy hammer. You kept refusing everything else, so I picked this after much consideration, so don't complain.'

Kim Dojun's voice passed through her mind, but her thoughts didn't last long.

"Kyaaaah!"

KWAANG!

Before she could collect her thoughts, the stick Kim Dojun was holding came crashing down toward her head without hesitation!

"Hey!! That was at my head just now!?"

"Yeah."

"You're insane! I'll really die!"

"I believed in you."

"In what!?"

"You're a genius, right? I believed you'd dodge it."

"What if I can't dodge?"

"..."

Kim Dojun silently stared at Shin Se-yeon.

"... Focus."

"Why do you change the subject!?"

"Focus!"

Without giving Shin Se-yeon a chance to say another word, Kim Dojun swung the stick in a way that left no room for discussion.

After about 15 minutes of this—

"Huff... Huff..."

Shin Se-yeon, feeling as if her toes had just touched the afterlife, lay sprawled out and panting heavily.

"... I can't use this anymore."

With a regretful expression, Kim Dojun tossed away the now stick-only toy hammer.

"So, any improvement?"

"Improvement, my ass!"

If she had any strength, Shin Se-yeon's glare said she would get up and beat him right now.

Even gasping for breath, she struggled up, sat on a bench, and spoke with a deeply disgruntled expression.

"... Actually, there was a little improvement."

"I knew it."

At Kim Dojun's triumphant look, Shin Se-yeon scowled even more.

"It wasn't thanks to your training method—it's just that I figured it out myself!"

"Wasn't it because you didn't want to die?"

"... Whatever!"

Momentarily speechless, Shin Se-yeon glared at Kim Dojun with an extra-annoyed expression before continuing.

"I can't say I've mastered using astrology while moving, but I do know how to do it, at least."

"That's good. That's the genius that comes from abandoning morals."

"... Are you just saying that to make me mad?"

Her words seethed with annoyance.

But Kim Dojun still spoke calmly.

"For now, using astrology while moving is the most important thing. Just focus on that first. Once you've got that down, you can move on to the next stage right away."

"... Any hints?"

"Hints?"

"You're the one who said I should use astrology while moving, right? You wouldn't have told me to do something impossible."

Shin Se-yeon's question.

"If I give you a hint and you figure it out, it's meaningless."

Of course, Kim Dojun couldn't just say, "I saw you doing it in the game," so he brushed off her words with that answer.

Looking dissatisfied at his reply, Shin Se-yeon sighed as if resigned and changed the subject.

"More importantly, what are you going to do?"

"About what?"

"The upcoming Possessed Entities Subjugation practical evaluation. You know you and I are in the same team, right?"

Kim Dojun nodded at Shin Se-yeon's words.

'It's an event arc from Sorcery Killing Technique, so of course I know.'

Of the event arcs that occurred at specific locations, the first one inside the Sorcery Institute was the Possessed Entities Subjugation practical evaluation, so he remembered it well.

'Besides, there are things I have to do during the practical, so I can't forget.'

As Kim Dojun nodded at the thought, Shin Se-yeon continued.

"Then you must know, too? That our team has Go Seung-jun and his lackey."

"Of course I know."

"Ugh, I really hate it."

Kim Dojun nodded unconsciously at Shin Se-yeon's extremely disgusted expression.

'Even in the game, he was the character I wanted to punch the most in the early chapters.'

Go Seung-jun, the second-generation chaebol.

He was the eldest son of 'Gogun Corporation', a company that produced goods for the overall sorcery industry, and his personality was the classic villain trope.

'He was an inferiority-complex-ridden guy who tried to drag down anyone better than him and enjoyed tormenting others, which made him all the more punchable.'

So right from the first arc in the Sorcery Institute, he started tangling with the player out of inferiority, and continued to harass and annoy the player until the very end.

But Kim Dojun had long since decided what he would do.

'Jackasses need to be corrected. Even if I weren't involved with him now, we'd cross paths eventually.'

Kim Dojun had no intention of being pushed around like the player character in the game, just because Go Seung-jun acted up.

'Might as well completely correct him now and get rid of one nuisance for good.'

With that decision, Kim Dojun even thought being on the same team as Go Seung-jun wasn't a bad thing.

"It's fine."

"What is?"

"We don't have to go looking for him during the practical since we're on the same team."

"...??"

Kim Dojun said, smiling wordlessly at her puzzled look.

####

Exactly three days after Kim Dojun and Shin Se-yeon's conversation—

"Everyone, gather round."

Shim Yongseok, surveying the first-year Class C students gathered at Sudeok Mountain in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, said,

"As you know, you're all here today for the Possessed Entities Subjugation practical."

He cleared his throat before slowly explaining the test rules.

"The group practical evaluation takes place here at Sudeok Mountain, which is regularly maintained by the Sorcery Institute. Your task is to roam the mountain and see how many Grade 9 'Illusion Beasts' you can subdue in three hours—"

Fwap.

"—and to bring back these talismans. As you know, these talismans come from defeating Grade 9 Illusion Beasts."

He raised the talisman for the students to see.

"Grade 9 Illusion Beasts are not particularly powerful possessed entities. Everyone's been issued a Grade 3 protection talisman, so even if you fall off a cliff, it'll hurt, but you won't die. Still, remember this."

"If you want to place first in the group evaluation, you must rely on your team's cooperation."

"Illusion Beasts put sorcerers under illusions. If your teamwork falters for a moment, and everyone gets caught, you might not catch a single Illusion Beast."

After saying that, Shim Yongseok glanced at the teams once more.

"Okay, the time is 2:55. The test will start exactly at 3. It'll end at 6. You must bring the Illusion Beast talismans here for them to be counted."

With that, Shim Yongseok began checking his watch in front of the tightly-shut gate to Sudeok Mountain.

At that moment, Kim Dojun saw—

"Wow~ this is going to be a great ride, huh? Looks like I'll have a comfy bus trip."

Go Seung-jun, busy running his mouth in front of him.

"One of us is that amazing sorcery genius, and the other is the next head of the Muryu family~ Wow, time for a real first-class bus ride. Am I right?"

"Yeah. The team assignment turned out great."

Go Seung-jun and his lackey chuckled among themselves.

Watching them, Shin Se-yeon's irritation was obvious, but Kim Dojun continued to face them with a tranquil demeanor.

"Anyway, I'll be counting on that bus ride, okay?"

"Looking forward to it?"

Go Seung-jun and his lackey provoked him right to his face.

But Kim Dojun said nothing and kept looking at them without change.

Shin Se-yeon glanced at him as if trying to guess what he was thinking.

'He'll definitely do something.'

She recalled how, when she'd brought up Go Seung-jun to him before, he'd made it sound like he was planning something.

"Hey, why aren't you responding? Don't you want to introduce yourself to your team members? You know the team also scores you, right?"

"Let's all get along, okay?"

Even now, as Kim Dojun stayed silent, Shin Se-yeon watched him in puzzlement.

"Alright, let's begin the evaluation."

As soon as Shim Yongseok announced the start, she put those thoughts aside and approached the gate which began to open.

When the gate blocking off Sudeok Mountain fully opened, Kim Dojun's team and the other students began to enter the mountain.

Exactly ten minutes after they began to climb, with no other people around,

Tap.

Kim Dojun suddenly stopped.

"Kh! I think I've fallen under an illusion...!"

"?"

"?"

"?"

He clutched his head, mumbling nonsense.

Shin Se-yeon glanced around as if looking for an Illusion Beast nearby, but she couldn't see one.

After all, it was ridiculous to think that Kim Dojun, a so-called prodigy of sorcery, would fall for the illusion of a mere Grade 9 Illusion Beast.

Before she could say anything—

Whish!

—Kim Dojun's movements became very unnatural.

And before Shin Se-yeon could voice it—

Thwack!

With no hesitation, Kim Dojun spun around, and his fist—

"Die, illusion Beast!"

SMAAACK!

—smashed right into Go Seung-jun's lackey's face.

"???"

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
All illusion beasts should die!
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】