I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner

「𝙎𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」

Tring!

【Hwang Ji-hak】

▶Level 40

▶Ability Scores

【Stamina: A+】

【Spiritual Power: A】

【Spellcraft: A-】

【Mental Strength: S-】

▶Traits(6/10)

【Unmoving Fortress(S)】

【Iron Wall(A+)】

【Damage Resistance(B+)】

【Accelerated Growth(B)】

【Cold Reason(C+)】

【Sturdy Bones(C-)】

Truly splendid specs, he had already surpassed the level of an average graduate at this point. As expected, he had the ability scores befitting the sophomore runner-up.

「. . . 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩.」

Anyone would know by now, but Hwang Ji-hak’s specialty is his uniquely high defense.

Since he had a very solid defensive stance as a base, it wasn’t easy for just anyone to break through Hwang Ji-hak.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s one-sided in defense. Rather, he’s the type to approach battles with very flexible thinking in actual combat.

Either way, it was clear to me that he was an opponent I didn’t want to face as an enemy.

“My eyes weren’t wrong. I thought you’d definitely climb higher.”

“. . . . . . .”

I’ve thought about this since last time, but Hwang Ji-hak’s attitude towards me is very favorable. It’s probably related to the favor Han Kang-yoon had done him before I possessed him.

“At this rate, we might meet in Class A soon. Are you thinking of taking the promotion exam?”

“Well. I’m still thinking about it.”

However, my heart was leaning towards that direction. Especially when I thought about the presentation in the second semester that was coming up soon.

A public event held by the academy where many celebrities visit to scout for rough gems and recruit talented individuals.

In order to achieve what I wanted there, it would be better to obtain the title of Class A in advance.

「𝙒𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧?」

I recalled the information I had checked on my student terminal and pondered with a serious expression.

Just like that, the time when the sun would set was approaching.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

̇ȧ̇ᴡ𝚎𝐛𝘴ᴛ𝚘ʀ𝐢𝚎ṡ.ᴄȯ̇ṁ

I didn’t visit it often, but of course there were various convenient facilities within the academy grounds.

Among them, the most noticeable were the restaurants that gathered cuisines from all over the world and received rave reviews.

「𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣.」

As I headed to the place Seo Ji-an had called me to, I could see a restaurant with a moderately luxurious appearance.

I remember that it was a steakhouse that was quite popular among the students.

Creak.

Clang.

“Welcome!”

I greeted the staff at the counter as I opened the door and went straight up to the second floor.

Seo Ji-an, dressed in civilian clothes, was sitting at a table by the window at the end.

“. . . . . . .”

Seeing Seo Ji-an, who had dressed up quite neatly, I somehow felt my simple attire being compared to hers.

I wondered if I should have picked out some clothes and come.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Seo Ji-an spoke to me as if she didn’t care.

“. . . Don’t just stand there and come sit down.”

“Excuse me.”

Thud.

As I sat down across from her, questions immediately flew at me.

“What do you want?”

“I’ll have the set menu number 1.”

“Got it.”

Click.

Teek.

Seo Ji-an skillfully placed the order by operating the device on the table.

Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it much, but it felt strange to be sitting face to face with her in a private place like this.

Come to think of it, Seo Ji-an was a character who gained popularity just for her appearance despite being treated as an extra in the first part of Exorcism.

As I was searching for a topic to talk about while feeling a strange sensation rising up, Seo Ji-an spoke first.

“I got a call from the doctor in charge of Ji-ha.”

“. . . . . . .”

“He said that she can now return to her daily life without any problems.”

That was definitely good news. I nodded my head and asked Seo Ji-an.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Well. . . . . . . Ji-ha seems to want to enroll in the academy, but to be honest, I don’t know.”

Of course Seo Ji-an would be worried from her perspective. However, she didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, so I gave my opinion without hesitation.

“I think it’ll be fine. If she learns sorcery on her own, it’ll help her maintain her condition.”

“. . . Really?”

After all, half of the Imoogi Gang Cheol-i still existed inside Seo Ji-ha’s body, and if she could control it through growth, she wouldn’t be swayed by his power anymore.

Seo Ji-an nodded her head, taking my opinion seriously.

Mixed in with the scent of food filling the air, a refreshing fragrance tickled my nose for some reason.

I tried to hide my bashfulness and subtly changed the subject.

“How are things going with the succession struggle?”

“I’ve completely won against my older sister. She won’t be able to recover.”

I had expected it after seeing the articles related to Dae-jin Industries, but it seemed that this fight had ended with Seo Ji-an’s victory.

Her opponent was probably preparing for a lonely life in prison by now, paying the price for the exposed corruption.

If that happened, the eldest daughter would be eliminated from the succession race, leaving only the eldest son and the second son.

“I’ve decided to form an alliance with my older brother. Our goals are aligned. At least until then, he won’t be able to betray me.”

And Seo Ji-an revealed that common goal to me.

“. . . I’m going to take down my father and take over Dae-jin Industries.”

“Take down?”

That expression was a bit strange. After all, once the succession struggle was over, wouldn’t the remaining person become the owner of Dae-jin Industries?

When I asked about that, Seo Ji-an replied like this.

“The successor he’s talking about isn’t in the literal sense.”

Just a substitute who would fulfill his purpose instead of his children in case of an emergency.

Seo Ji-an, who had been explaining it calmly, frowned as if she was recalling past memories and continued speaking.

“I can’t tolerate that person. That’s why I plan to take everything from him with my own hands.”

It was the first time I had heard such detailed circumstances from Seo Ji-an.

When I looked at her with a slightly surprised expression at that fact, Seo Ji-an opened her mouth with a somewhat bashful look.

“. . . Anyway, since we’re getting involved in this for real, I thought I should explain it properly at least once.”

After that, we mainly had light-hearted small talk rather than serious conversations.

To be honest, since we had only talked about things we needed or conversations related to sorcery, it felt fresher than I thought.

After finishing our meal, Seo Ji-an and I left the restaurant without doing anything else in particular.

However, that was enough.

I felt a small realization that had been lingering in a corner of my heart disappear, something that I had understood with my head but not with my heart.

This was no longer a game world.

Seo Ji-an, Yoo Ha-on, and the others were not game characters, but ordinary people just like me.

As I was blankly contemplating that, Seo Ji-an bid me farewell as calmly as if she was talking to a simple friend.

“You’re paying next time.”

“. . . Sure.”

And so, we each took steps towards our goals once again.