Chapter 4
After finishing her evening exercise and returning home, Choi Mari sank straight into the bathtub.
As she enjoyed the feeling of washing away the day’s fatigue, she quietly recalled the face of the prospective academy junior she had met earlier.
“…He seems pretty decent, more than I expected.”
As for his diligence, she already knew about it, since she had happened to watch him exercise every single day for two weeks.
She had also rather liked the way he had politely addressed her as Senior from the very first meeting.
He listened well, was polite, and didn’t inconveniently refuse her kindness or anything.
What she liked most of all was Seonho’s admirable attitude of saying that he needed to build up his stamina despite applying to the Combat Support Department.
‘I just don’t want to cause trouble for my teammates later on. If my lack of stamina keeps me from keeping up with the other combat specialists, that would be a nuisance.’
As a shieldbearer, Choi Mari’s abilities were so solid that none of her classmates could compare with her, but the team assignments she had to carry out in squads with students from other departments were always what held her back.
The students in the Swordsmanship and Spearmanship Departments, whose physical abilities were at least similar to hers, were better, but the real problem was always the students from the Magic and Combat Support Departments.
Whenever she thought about people who, despite being Hunters, failed to properly build even basic stamina simply because they were assigned to the rear—or who didn’t even bother making that effort—Choi Mari would always grind her teeth.
Choi Mari was the type to find that so frustrating that she would charge ahead, thinking she might as well do everything herself, so her team mock-battle training grades were always near the bottom.
And after her habit became known, hardly any students were willing to form a proper team with her, so she didn’t have a particularly good relationship with students from the other departments.
‘They’re the ones holding me back. Why do they always blame me?’
In that respect, what was this junior named Lee Seonho like? She liked his attitude immensely; despite still only aspiring to join the Combat Support Department, he was already determined to build up his stamina.
She still hadn’t heard what his ability was, but if he was going into the Combat Support Department, there was a chance they might end up doing team assignments together in the future.
In truth, it didn’t particularly matter even if his combat-support ability was lacking. All he needed was enough stamina not to hold her back.
If he was at least much less frustrating than the other support-department students, she might even be able to pass the team mock-battle training class she had failed.
“He’ll get in…right?”
A junior who trained so diligently, even working on his stamina, surely wasn’t neglecting his entrance-exam preparations. He would definitely get in.
If so, they might be able to take the same classes around this time next year, so reserving him as a party member in advance wouldn’t be a bad idea.
…Her reputation was already poor among students from the other departments, so starting this year, she would have no choice but to take classes alongside the freshmen.
-Splash!
“…As expected, I need to turn him into a proper human being as quickly as possible.”
With that resolve, Choi Mari rose from the bathtub and got ready to meet Lee Seonho the next morning.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
The next morning, after I agreed to accept a protein shake from Choi Mari.
“Good morning, Senior Choi Mari.”
“Oh, the junior’s here? Here, take this and drink it first.”
“Huh?”
“I figured it would be better for you to start drinking it today, so I mixed up one serving. Drink this before you start.”
“Ah, yes.”
…I hadn’t expected this.
Choi Mari had shared a protein shake with Seo Woojin in the original story, but she had never mixed one herself and brought it to him like this.
Had spending two weeks hovering around in front of her worked better than expected? Regardless, there was no reason to refuse her kindness.
“…This is delicious. I thought protein shakes were supposed to taste really strange.”
“They all come in flavors like this these days. Oh, but when you buy your own from now on, don’t get some weird flavor. Just buy chocolate if you can. I’ve tried all sorts of them, and chocolate is still the best.”
“Yes. I’ll buy chocolate flavor, as you advised, Senior.”
“You can just keep that tumbler. They give you one for free every time you order protein powder, so I have more than I need. And this is one of the extra shake containers, so take it home later.”
“Understood, Senior.”
…She really did seem to be taking better care of me than she had the original protagonist.
Her claim that she had tumblers left over because one came free with every protein order was probably true, but even taking that into account, I was receiving better treatment than the original protagonist.
Had the conversation I started in hopes of gaining a little of her goodwill worked? Either way, things were going quite well.
From the way she looked at me, she wasn’t seeing me as a potential romantic interest so much as a useful junior from the Combat Support Department…but that would change again before long anyway.
“Starting today, I’ll run alongside you and keep an eye on your form. The written exam is in two weeks, right? When’s the practical exam?”
“It’s the week right after the written exam.”
“Then let’s make it our goal to gain ten kilograms within three weeks. As much of it as possible should be muscle.”
“…Is that possible just by running?”
“With your willpower, it’s definitely possible. And if I keep supervising you, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
“Ah, yes….”
…She seemed to have become more excessively kind than necessary, but if I wanted to sleep with Choi Mari, I had to put up with at least this much.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
Two weeks passed after I was more or less forced to join Choi Mari’s intensive short-term training.
For the past two weeks, I had been dragged around by Choi Mari and forced to train. We ran until I was out of breath, of course, while also doing bodyweight strength training with the pull-up bar and balance beam at one side of the trail.
Since it was the same muscle training the original Seo Woojin had undergone, I obediently followed along. I somehow maintained my willpower by alternating the self-suggestions I used on myself, switching between Runner’s High and other suggestions.
-Sway, sway.
“All right, junior! Run exactly ten more laps, then you can rest! After that, one hundred squats!”
“Haa, haa, haaah…!!”
Whenever I saw Choi Mari’s breasts swaying subtly beside me as we ran, or caught sight of her hips when exhaustion made me collapse, my lust kept welling up.
That lust also became the willpower that helped me endure this hellish training.
‘No matter what, I’m going to sleep with you, Choi Mari.’
When that time came, I would keep pounding into you no matter how much you begged me to stop.
Imagining Choi Mari begging in a lewd voice on the bed, I somehow completed as much of her grueling schedule as possible, and the results of that hellish one-on-one training naturally became etched into my body.
“It definitely is having an effect.”
After finishing the second week of muscle training with Choi Mari, I stood in front of the mirror and saw that my arms and legs had developed a decent amount of muscle.
It wasn’t yet the body I was aiming for, but it was considerable growth for just two weeks. I could feel that my strength had increased significantly compared to before I met Choi Mari.
That was probably because I was combining highly efficient exercise with protein shakes.
I quietly expressed my gratitude to Choi Mari in my heart. At least with a physique like this, I wouldn’t have to worry about other heroines at the academy calling me a ‘skeleton’ or a ‘walking corpse’ and growing wary of me.
…Of course, gratitude aside, I was still going to sleep with Choi Mari.
A month had passed since I transmigrated into this body, and now it was finally the day of the written examination for Cheonmu Hunter Academy.
I had already told Choi Mari yesterday that I couldn’t go out for my morning exercise because of the exam, so I headed straight to Cheonmu Hunter Academy as soon as I left home.
For the next four years—to the place filled with all the heroines I was going to sleep with.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
The atmosphere at Cheonmu Hunter Academy was quite chaotic when I arrived early that morning. That was only natural, considering that nearly a thousand aspiring Hunters had gathered to take the written examination.
Even this wasn’t all the applicants to Cheonmu Hunter Academy. As the top Hunter academy in South Korea, it was customary for anyone with even a little promise to submit an application at least once.
The examinations were divided by department and held over three days, as far as I knew. Today was the third day, and the written examination for the Combat Support Department I had applied to would be held today.
According to the notice in the text message, the written examination for the Magic Department was also being held today.
‘If I’m lucky, I might run into Cha Eun-joo.’
Even a hardcore loner shut-in wouldn’t stay cooped up at home on the day of the academy’s written examination.
If I was going to build a connection with Cha Eun-joo anyway, starting today would be best. Unless it was a day like this, she would never come outside on her own.
I was even planning to pair up with Cha Eun-joo for the practical examination, so this would serve as preparation for that as well.
I was confident I could pass the practical examination even if Cha Eun-joo wasn’t my partner, simply by making good use of my Suggestion ability…but Cha Eun-joo had a fairly high chance of failing if she wasn’t paired with me.
‘There’s no way I’m going to watch my woman fail to even get into the academy.’
Even the idiot Lee Seonho from the original story had managed to get her accepted. There was no way I couldn’t do the same.
Since I had arrived early, I had already checked the location of my own examination room. While waiting for Cha Eun-joo to appear, I also took the opportunity to find her examination room.
I had to cast my line the moment I found even the slightest excuse to speak to her. Unlike Choi Mari, with whom I had already begun building a connection, Cha Eun-joo was a character for whom starting that connection was especially difficult.
‘My examination room is Room 305 in Hyesung Hall, and Cha Eun-joo’s is….’
…the same room as mine: Room 305 in Hyesung Hall.
I smiled faintly to myself as soon as I confirmed the location of Cha Eun-joo’s examination room.
I had hoped it would at least be in a nearby building, but I hadn’t expected things to work out this well.
She had probably been assigned to the same examination room as Lee Seonho in the original story too, right? Perhaps this was where it all began, eventually leading to Lee Seonho participating in the practical examination as Cha Eun-joo’s partner.
One thing was certain: winning over Cha Eun-joo had suddenly become much easier than expected.
‘I’ve found out that Cha Eun-joo’s examination room is the same as mine, but let’s wait just a little longer.’
It would be better to build a connection before entering the examination room if possible.
If we started talking outside the examination room and then happened to discover that we were assigned to the same room, she might even feel as though it were fate.
Of course, she might have arrived before me and already entered the examination room, but considering her personality, the possibility was practically zero.
‘Found her.’
Speak of the devil—a purple head struggling through the crowd caught my eye.
She was short enough to be slightly lost among the other women, yet had absurdly large breasts that were the complete opposite of her height.
With her dazed, half-lidded eyes and golden irises, she looked as though she were already hypnotized, and the shabby tracksuit covering her entire body made her unmistakably the Cha Eun-joo I remembered from the novel.
“W-wait….”
“Excuse me!”
“Once you’ve found your examination room, move along!”
“W-wait a moment… Over there….”
Cha Eun-joo was flustered as she struggled to locate her examination room on the bulletin board amid the crowd.
…It was an absolutely perfect opportunity to approach her with a suitable excuse.