The Returnee Wants to Live Comfortably

The Victim Is the Problem? (2)
16 to 4.
Ahn Seongwook grew increasingly anxious over the unbelievable result.

No matter the event, the idea of losing to a junior in a magic power contest just didn't make sense to him.

He didn't know about other subjects, but when it came to magic power manipulation class, he'd always gotten perfect scores.

Each time they had magic power class, the students would move to the practice grounds by grade, and there was no one better than him in his year.

For students aiming to become real Hunters, the teachers would even let them observe a captured monster.

And by around fifth grade, they could even participate in practical training where they killed one themselves.

Of course, the monsters were always exceptionally weak E-rank species, and restrained at that, but it was surprisingly difficult.

No matter how defenseless the monster, its vicious nature and thick hide remained the same.

Some would act tough, then freeze at the monster's glare and give up, while others seemed strong but couldn't break through the monster's thick hide and only ended up bruising their hands.

Even in sixth grade, killing a monster wasn't easy.

Except, of course, for Ahn Seongwook himself.

The events of that day were still vivid in his mind.

He remembered even the teacher being amazed as he punched through a monster's hide as tough as iron with his bare fist.

From that moment, he was recognized as a rising star expected to enter Hand Academy the following year.

Thanks to that, no one dared to challenge him, and even the teachers became more lenient with him.

He figured it was the adults' ambition to send off a graduate to a prestigious academy.

It felt as though he had gained absolute power, and he was happy about it... but, in truth, he'd sensed it instinctively all along.

That power was only possible so long as he continued to show outstanding grades and skill.

But what if he suffered a humiliating defeat now?

Especially in front of Choi Seung-baek, one of the magic power teachers...

.
.

Gulp—

"Hyung... are you okay?"

"... Huh?"

It was his younger brother, Ahn Jaewook, who pulled him out of his thoughts.
Forcing a smile, Ahn Seongwook tried to appear unfazed as he replied,

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Sixteen to four? Sure, it looks bad, but... I was just warming up. I'll catch up in no time!"

So just relax and wait.
Hearing that, Ahn Jaewook decided to believe in his brother for now and stayed quiet.
Still, he couldn't hide his anxiety as he watched his brother trembling.

― What if he really does lose?
― Will he really become a laughingstock, forced to bow his head to the ground in front of everyone?
― What if someone takes a photo and spreads it online?
― And what if the teachers find out?

Losing to a mere first-year. That alone could seriously jeopardize his admission to Hand Academy.

Even if he does get in, this could become a permanent stain, something for everyone to ridicule him about.

Young as he was, Ahn Jaewook didn't fully think through all that.

But instinctive fear made his hands and feet tremble, just like his brother's.

"Pfft, you must have been warming up so hard that your body's shaking like that?"

"What?"

"Why don't we just end this now, senior?"

I deliberately put on a mocking tone with polite speech.
As expected, Ahn Seongwook reacted with wild eyes and shouted angrily.

"End? End what! Don't you see I still have some cards left!"

"There's only four cards left, though."

"Shut up and keep playing!"

By now, Ahn Seongwook had lost his grip on reason.
Fueled by a runaway ego, he had a look that saw the whole world as his enemy.
As I chuckled and picked up a slap card, he slapped his as hard as he could.

Whap-!

Maybe because he'd lost his cool, his card failed to flip over.

Flip-!

Meanwhile, my own light slap easily turned the card.
Seeing this, Ahn Seongwook became even more flustered, his breathing ragged.
He was nearly out of magic power, but what unsettled him most was my appearance.

'Why... why is that kid still fine?'

He was exhausted, head drooping from lack of magic power.

They'd both played using magic power, so why was I still unaffected?

With the strength he had left, Ahn Seongwook decided to use his head instead of his remaining magic power.

As a six-grader who'd lived through more school years and was in that stage of encountering lots of media via smartphone, his imagination was pretty well developed.

Thanks to that, he managed to concoct a theory.

"Be honest! You're cheating, aren't you!"

"Huh?"

Suddenly, something seemed to click for Ahn Seongwook and he charged at me.

For a second, I was startled and wondered what he was talking about, but then I scoffed.

Cheating? Sure, I could see why he'd think that.

After all, the idea of a first-year not getting tired faster than a sixth-year seemed impossible.

But honestly, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you have any proof?"

"What?"

"I asked if you have any evidence."

I smiled and spread my arms confidently as I spoke.

In the face of my defiant attitude, Ahn Seongwook instinctively took a step back.

He no longer felt like he was facing a lower-grade student, and that realization filled him with fear.

His defense mechanism manifested in the worst possible way.

"You... you little bastard!!"

Unable to accept his disadvantage, Ahn Seongwook came charging in, fist cocked.
He was about to punch—with magic power-imbued power.

'A punch? What a piece of work.'

Magic power assault—even between Awakened—is a serious offense.

He should know better, but there was a reason.

He'd been pouring out magic power all throughout the slap match, and now he'd lost control over its flow.

Controlling magic power is like closing a faucet.

Once grown, one can use it once and shut it off completely, but for kids, even when they turn it off, the water keeps dripping.

In other words, once used, magic power can linger in your hands.

"You cheating bastard!"

Swish-!

Ahn Seongwook swung his fist threateningly, but I wasn't about to just stand there and take it.

I dodged for now, but the reactions around us were intense.

It was so unexpected that I could even see the look of shock on Teacher Choi Seung-baek's face.

"This doesn't count! It's all invalid!!"

Swish! Swish-!

Unaware that magic power still lingered in his hand, he swung his fist again.

He didn't have the clarity to distinguish that kind of thing anymore.

Of course, awakened are much hardier than regular people. Even as a first-grader, I wouldn't die from one punch.

Still, the danger of magic power assault couldn't be ignored.

Grab—

"Cut it out already."

At last, I caught Ahn Seongwook's swinging fist.

As soon as I touched him, I severed the magic power remaining in his hand.

It was a technique I often used to beat down reckless mages back in Mewzealand.

Thanks to it, I was able to safely catch his fist as if grabbing a baseball.

"H-how..."

Ahn Seongwook was shocked to have his fist caught by a measly first-grader.
Reactions around us were similar, but I paid them no mind and spoke.

"Magic power lingers in your hands after use. Even I, a first-grader, am learning that—did you seriously not know?"

Teachers talk about this all the way up to sixth grade since it's so important to master shutting off your magic power.

It would be strange for a senior not to know that.

Especially if you were aiming to become a Hunter or enter a professional Hunter academy.

"Maybe you just slept through every class?"

Hearing that, Ahn Seongwook clenched his teeth.

Harsh as it sounded, it was the truth.

No matter how you lose your temper, you can't just ignore something so basic.

Especially not as someone aiming to enter Hand Academy.

And I didn't stop there.

"A person like this is supposed to be our senior? And a Hand Academy admit? The school's reputation will echo nationwide in a bad way."

What would happen if you admitted a student who'd forgotten even the basics to Hand Academy?
If you only care about the achievement of producing a Hand admit, you'll only bring disaster.
Such a student would never be accepted at Hand anyway, and his personality was beyond hope.
The way he shielded his delinquent brother said it all.

"Hey. Shut your mouth."

Even with his fist caught, Ahn Seongwook was still baring his fangs.
But so what—

"Did I say anything wrong?"

So what?

"You son of a bitch!!"

Is that the only insult he knows?

Beside himself with rage, Ahn Seongwook swung his other fist at me.

Aimed straight for my face—again, magic power-imbued.

Again, I scoffed and went to catch it.

Whap-!

Just as I started to raise my hand, someone else grabbed his other arm.

Holding down the Awakened Ahn Seongwook's arm so he couldn't move it at all.

It was Teacher Choi Seung-baek.

"That's enough. Ahn Seongwook, you lost."

Teacher Choi's words, delivered in a monotone, shocked Ahn Seongwook.

He couldn't accept it, and his eyes shook with disbelief.

"Teacher, what did you just..."

"Didn't you hear me? I said you lost."

His teacher's voice, now ice cold, and the stern expression as he looked down at him—

This was not the Choi Seung-baek who was always kind to him.

That overwhelming sense of unfamiliarity made Ahn Seongwook's heart race wildly.

"But I... I still have some cards left..."

"You do? Then keep going."

"... Huh?"

"I said keep going. You really think you can win?"

Ahn Seongwook could only stay silent, dumbfounded.

In truth, he already knew—he could never win.

In the end, all confidence left him. He looked like a complete outsider, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

With that small, pathetic voice, he mumbled,

"He... he cheated, didn't he?"

"Cheated?"

"Like, he modified his magic power or... or maybe..."

Maybe he secretly drank an MP potion or something...

Ahn Seongwook desperately suggested any theory he could invent to save himself.

But it was just a pitiful excuse.

"Seongwook. Don't talk nonsense. I watched the whole time—there was no cheating."

"But if he didn't, then..."

"Ahn Seongwook! Just accept it. You lost."

It might have sounded like the teacher was breaking the boy's spirit, but he wasn't in a position to argue.

Above all, none of this would have happened without Ahn Seongwook's own actions.

"Do you remember what you just tried to do because you couldn't accept your loss?"

"..."

"You tried to punch a first-grader with magic power! That's not something I can just overlook."

"Ah..."

Ahn Seongwook let out a tense groan.

He'd forgotten to turn off his magic power, swung his fist, and aimed it at a much younger student.

And, worst of all, it happened in a public space with many witnesses.

"This is going to spread everywhere. Even if I try to stop it, I'm sure it's already reached the principal."

There were even kids with phones out.

It's a huge mistake to think that just because they're elementary students, they won't be on SNS.

"Do you know what other duty I have besides teaching sixth grade? I'm the one with the authority to decide who gets admitted to Hand."

"... What?"

It was apparently a staff duty the students hadn't known about.

That's why Ahn Seongwook was so shocked.

And then he realized he was finished.

"Sorry, but you're not qualified. After what you just showed me, you know what's going to happen, right?"

"T-teacher! Please, just this once, forgive me. Please?"

It seemed he'd been bragging about his Hand admission all over the neighborhood.

But this wasn't something teacher Choi Seung-baek could overlook.

Just having used magic power in a fight meant a black mark on his record, impeding any future admissions.

Yes, no blood was drawn, but there were plenty of witnesses.

"This isn't something I can fix for you."

"I lost. I admit it, so please just this once, teacher, please...!"

"And anyway, is it really me you need to beg forgiveness from?"

"... Huh?"

Teacher Choi pointed his chin at me.

And said,

"I heard you all bet on this game, right?"

"... Yes."

"And you just admitted you lost, didn't you?"

Soon, his record would be formally blacklisted, and his Hand admission would be cancelled.

Since Hand Academy isn't just any educational institution, the standards are strict.

To avoid the worst, Seongwook had no choice.

In the end, he threw away his pride just to make one last desperate appeal.

"I'm sorry! It was my fault!"

Ahn Seongwook bowed low in front of me.
Just as agreed upon, he pressed his head to the ground for all the other kids to see.
But I wasn't satisfied.

"There's still one more person who needs to bow, isn't there?"

"Ah..."

My eyes met those of Ahn Jaewook, who'd been hiding behind him. Beside him was Cho Byungchan, who'd mocked the transfer student along with them.

They flinched at my gaze and, hesitantly, trudged over.

Then, with slow, reluctant motions, they each bowed their heads to the ground, just like their leader.
The other kids watched, talking excitedly, and the brothers had to endure intense humiliation.
Of course, it was their own doing.

"Oh, and there's still someone else you need to apologize to—not me."

The two boys looked up, wondering who else I could mean.
When I called out, "Come out, now!", the kid who'd been hiding stepped forward.
She had animal ears and tail—an Awakened called a Mutamit.

"Ahn Jaewook. Cho Byungchan. You know who this is, right?"

"...."

Kang Ah-rin, class 4, grade 1.

A girl who'd just transferred in during summer break.

Rumor had it that she changed schools because she was ostracized elsewhere, but here she'd been bullied by Ahn Jaewook and Cho Byungchan.

I remembered exactly how they'd done it.

It didn't feel like someone else's problem.

"So, her ears are gross? Her tail is dirty? Then the stick between your legs must be dirty, too. Want me to scrub it with a scouring pad?"

"Eek...!"

Just one threat, and Ahn Jaewook recoiled in terror.

But there was worse.

"And what else? You called her mother a bitch? I ought to—!"

If Satan taught a college course, this would be it.

Even Teacher Choi Seung-baek was tongue-tied at my testimony.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Louder."

"I'm really sorry! I take back calling you a bitch! And..."

Thanks to me, Kang Ah-rin finally received an apology from them.

Maybe it wasn't sincere, but when I stared them down, they started sobbing as they apologized.

To a child, that probably looked like real remorse.

Because of that, the perennially gloomy girl's expression brightened a little.

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