Chapter 57

I quickly leaped down to the relatively intact second floor amid the half-destroyed building.

“I need to find that guy who got a perfect 100 earlier!”

The math teacher’s rage level had dropped by 10 points just from seeing the perfect test paper. If I dragged the student who actually aced the exam to her, there was a good chance her anger would fall below 100.

The problem was figuring out who that guy was.

“Hey, do you know who got 100 on the mock math exam this time?”

I grabbed one of the students murmuring on the second floor, where things had gotten noisy thanks to the chaos at school.

He wouldn’t ignore me, right?

Thankfully, the student widened his eyes at my words.

“Yeah, I know. There’s a kid in our class who got perfect scores on all the mocks this time.”

Nice!

“Where is he? No, what’s his name?”

I have a ton to discuss with him? I feel like he could save the school—no, all of us?

“You mean the genius?”

The student asked in response to my question. I nodded vigorously.

“Yeah. That genius.”

“The genius.”

The student kept nodding.

So what’s that genius’s name!

“What’s his name?”

“I told you, it’s Genius.”

Wait, his name is actually Genius?

“You don’t know Kim Cheonjae?”

No way, was he famous enough that not knowing him is a crime?

“Ohhhh, yeah, I know.”

I waved my hands frantically. Come to think of it, with a name like Kim Cheonjae, anyone would know him if he was acing exams too.

“Do you know where he is by any chance?”

“You don’t know that either?”

Is this knowledge too?! Frowning hard, I suddenly remembered one place.

“The study room, maybe?”

No way, there? The student nodded at my words. At the same time, the penalty crisis window vanished.

“That’s right.”

Wait, there’s a kid named Kim Cheonjae, perfect scorer on mocks, holed up in the study room while the school’s getting demolished?

System, aren’t you going overboard with these NPCs?

“Thanks!”

But thanks to the lazy creation, he was easy to find.

I grabbed the item I’d bought from the god’s shop earlier and dashed to the study room.

Don’t pop up, system window! Don’t block my view! I’m busy!

A list of nerve-grating debuffs flashed by, but none threatened my life.

Most silenced you, which was perfect for me.

And as expected, there was only one person inside the study room.

—KABOOM!

Who’d come to the study room while the school’s falling apart?

That guy sitting there must be Kim Cheonjae!

I need you!

I approached his row but froze in surprise.

“?”

Why does he have a paper cup on his head…?

Is studying so trivial to him that he’s balancing a water cup for challenge, like a dealer training with sandbags on their limbs?

—Thud! Boom!

The building shook like it was collapsing, rippling the water in the cup.

But Kim Cheonjae studied steadfastly, as if in another world.

“Hey—”

The moment I tried to speak, he slowly turned to me.

His gaze screamed he’d kill me if I spoke.

I stealthily lowered the hand I’d raised to knock him out. His aura was no joke. My hunter instincts screamed.

Touch this guy and you’re screwed!

“Sorry.”

Keep at it. I just needed to see your face.

I raised both hands in surrender and uncorked the potion vial I’d been holding.

SS+ rank?! I nearly added another boss mob!

30 minutes was plenty. Time to go calm the math teacher.

I walked slowly due to the study room debuffs, then bolted out the moment they ended.

—Thud! KABOOM!

The upper floors were still getting wrecked in the meantime.

Math teacher! Your beloved student is rushing to you! Calm down!

The healer-support duo wasn’t a bad combo.

Especially for pairs like Joo Yian and So Yeri, who’d synced up over long hunts—it was optimal for survival.

The issue was it only optimized for survival.

“At this rate, the whole school’s gonna be toast.”

So Yeri said with a grave expression. They were hiding behind the ruins of what used to be the gymnasium.

“Where are you, you punks!”

The ultra-enraged student affairs teacher was on a rampage to demolish the school.

“At least her rage isn’t climbing anymore.”

Joo Yian peered through a gap at the teacher and commented.

So Yeri shook her head, impressed by Joo Yian’s manners—still using polite speech for a teacher.

“But taking her down with DPS is impossible.”

Even if the backdrop was a school, this was an SS-rank dungeon.

Plus, as a boss monster who’d broken RP dungeon rules to emerge, her stats had to outstrip a regular SS-rank boss.

“We nearly died back there.”

So Yeri’s face was dead serious—no trace of a smile.

Just grazing the ‘Discipline’ skill had vaporized 90% of her HP.

If Joo Yian hadn’t followed, the HP drain penalty would’ve slowed her down to death.

“Are you alright?”

Even Joo Yian’s gentle voice carried worry. So Yeri nodded.

“I’m fine, but how do we shake off that student affairs teacher?”

DPS wouldn’t work. They’d have to RP their way out.

In school… how do you ditch an enraged student affairs teacher?

So Yeri glanced slyly at Joo Yian.

“Have you ever been chased by the student affairs teacher, Hunter Joo Yian?”

Joo Yian’s face turned serious at that.

“This is my first time.”

So Yeri’s expression darkened.

“I got chased all the time.”

Delinquent and model student party. No way they could even scale the fence.

“And the fence is tall.”

True to SS-rank, there seemed to be a barrier to breach just to climb it.

Only one option left.

Gather, stars of knowledge! ★!

Party window showed the other two were still fine—likely biding time away from the math teacher.

So Yeri was sure Shin Jae-heon and Shin Yuri would know how to evade the student affairs teacher, even if Joo Yian didn’t.

But.

“Why!?”

So Yeri let out a sharp yelp.

“Come out now and I’ll forgive you!”

Meanwhile, the student affairs teacher was using her student-catching skill.

Someone’s gonna bite on that—

“No choice.”

The model student Joo Yian stepped out from the ruins.

So Yeri’s jaw dropped.

This is why model students suck!

Hunter Shin Yuri must’ve entered some study room.

As Joo Yian concluded that, Shin Yuri’s debuffs vanished entirely.

She’d clearly exited the study room.

[……]

But Shin Yuri didn’t reply.

Joo Yian’s eyes flicked to Shin Yuri’s buff window. Still?

As Joo Yian narrowed his eyes.

“Hunter Joo Yian! Now’s not the time to go out! That’s all bait! Come back!”

Who believes a teacher’s “surrender and you’re forgiven”?!

So Yeri looked ready to snap.

She’d tried dragging Joo Yian back, but he had no intention of hiding again.

With the other two hunters handling the math teacher, they had to deal with the student affairs teacher here.

RP dungeon rules meant even clearing the math teacher wouldn’t guarantee safe fourth period if this one lingered—student affairs teachers could summon you mid-class, after all.

They needed to negotiate here.

No standout buffs, but Joo Yian trusted Shin Yuri.

Anyone would scoff at a C-rank shining in an SS-rank dungeon, but not him.

The others too, but especially him.

He knew Shin Yuri always found a way.

Even in countless hopeless crises, when everyone’s HP hit zero and they collapsed.

Bloody, back turned, she’d uncover the answer.

She would this time too.

He trusted her.

‘You’ve gotta say what needs saying to live!’

Like the first day they met, when she’d shouted that. She’d return confidently, just as boldly.

He recalled the day he first met Shin Yuri and smiled faintly.

“Have you finally lost it, Hunter Joo Yian?”

Hunter So Yeri tugged desperately at him. Joo Yian waved her off.

“I think I know the answer.”

“Model students don’t know the student affairs teacher’s answers!”

So Yeri protested. That’s when.

“There you are, you punks!”

The student affairs teacher glared fiercely and strode toward them.