Chapter 48 – Exam Period

Despite the Djinn incidents... or maybe due to the Djinn incidents, there was an almost eerie calm at Cube.

Classes came and went without any hassle. Lee spent the days hanging out with his friends and family (Rachel and Evandel of course).

The general student body had accepted that Evandel was a fact of life now, as well as the fact that Lee was definitely a hyper competent single father who was doing his best to ensure his cute two-year old daughter grew up without any worries.

While they hadn't quite accepted Rachel and Lee being a couple yet... the fact that Lee had practically trounced Shin Jonghak in public and that Shin Jonghak sent Evandel a box of non-toxic Play-Doh... a thoughtful gift that, coming from him, was practically a full acknowledgment of guilt...

It was getting there.

Hajin continued training... though with a certain anxiety to his actions that he refused to tell anyone. Picking up various weaponry and even investing in a full harness to carry everything on him, he quickly picked up a nickname of 'The Wannabe War Machine.'

All of it funded by Yeonha, of course, who was DEFINITELY not in love with Hajin (the student body had a running bet pool on when she'd give up the act).

Nayun had redoubled her training, studying ancient archery techniques and working them into her own style. She even started picking up swordsmanship as a backup to honor her older brother, training with Kim Suho. Not only that, she uncharacteristically started studying, delving into esoteric magical theory to search for a cure for her older brother and taking things into her own hands.

Rachel helped Nayun with that between totally not being Evandel's real mom and studying.

As for Lee...

===

[Variable Stats]

Strength: 5.25 => 5.75

Stamina: 5.25 => 5.75

Speed: 5.25 => 5.75

Perception: 10 => 10.001

Vitality: 5.25 => 5.75

Magic power: 1.4 => 2.0

===

(Wise up!) No Second Strike [Rederived] (Proficiency 0% | Low Rank) - Taking the premise of Li Shuwen's no second strike as a core combat philosophy, the principle of 'engulfing the opponent with Qi' has been applied with mana. Every other physical strike stuns the opponent. Fighting against opponents utilizing mana reinforcement or magic power inflicts Mana Backlash. Your gaze emits tangible pressure. At High Rank, mere killing intention may be fatal due to shocking the opponent's parasympathetic nervous system.

===

...He didn't let up on his training either.

The world turned. The Cube Cadets lived freely, enjoying a carefree student life.

Then at the end of March, the exam periods began.

And after a week of written exams, it was almost time for combat exams.

===

Saturday morning, March 29, 2025. The first day of the weekend after a grueling (for some) week of written exams. And the first day that Cube was open to outsiders.

Since the combat exam periods were the first chance that Cube Cadets really got to show off how much they had improved, it was a huge affair.

Guilds sent recruiters to feel out Cadets, Hero associates came to look at potential future colleagues, various family members came to cheer on Cadets, and practically everyone related to the Hero industry sent a representative.

But in Lee's eyes...

'...Isn't this just a tournament arc?'

While walking around the place with Evandel over his shoulders, he couldn't help but think that it was literally a generic tournament arc from some third rate battle manga or something.

'I forgot this happened... Is this cliche? Or was this the first? ...No, I think Hunter x Hunter did this, right? Man, I wanna fault Hajin for being unoriginal, but isn't the author of The Novel's Extra at fault here...?'

Either way, it was definitely Lee's life at the moment. So he would just have to deal with it.

Because of the fact that there would absolutely be members of Rachel's fanclub on-site, and because Lee was not in the mood to deal with assassination attempts and ruin the festivity, Rachel had holed herself up with Yeonha to handle various administrative tasks, with Hajin on hand as protection detail.

Meanwhile, Lee was out and about with Evandel and Nayun.

Nayun took a look around and said, "...You know, I never thought about it until now. But isn't it like, super weird that all these adults are here to watch teenagers fight each other?"

Lee casually dodged a few paparazzi and said, "Try not to think about the implications. Like the fact that there are absolutely some creeps here taking pictures of female Cube Cadets to sell later when they get famous."

"...Okay. I did NOT need to have that thought, Lee."

"You're welcome."

Nayun rolled her eyes and walked around, her bow on her back as well as a sword at her left side.

Lee noticed and said, "You're still carrying that around, huh?"

Nayun paused and said, "It's habit now. It feels a bit weird not having it on me..." She paused and looked at Lee. "...How are you comfortable not having any weapons on you? Especially when Evandel is nearby?"

"I AM the weapon, Nayun. Look at these muscles." Lee tapped his biceps and said, "I'm as strong as everyone without magic power. Let that sink in."

Nayun slowly blinked. Then she said, "...Okay. So you shrugged off that bullet from that Lancaster guy, but it was a flintlock, so I didn't think too much about it. But... are you telling me that you're literally as strong as the average Cube Cadet WITH magic power reinforcement?"

"Yep. Did you forget the whole not dying thing in the gravitation training room?"

"Yes. Most people tend to try and forget the traumatic experience of almost seeing a guy turn into a pancake in front of them, Lee."

Evandel squished Aether into a flat circle and smiled, holding it out. "Pamcake!"

Lee laughed and shifted Evandel down into his arms. "That's right, Eva. Pancakes."

Evandel giggled and leaned against Lee's chest, squishing Aether again.

Nayun watched them for a bit and let out a soft smile. "You really are a natural father, huh?"

"Well, Eva's my baby girl. I've always wanted a daughter, you know?" Lee smiled and kissed Evandel's forehead, making her giggle. "Didn't expect this one to show up the way she did, but I triple downed on it, obviously."

"Obviously." Nayun laughed. "You dote on her more than my own dad does on me. And that's saying something."

Evandel smiled and said, "Yes! Daddy is bestest Daddy!"

Lee chuckled and nuzzled his cheek against Evandel's. "That's right, Eva. Praise Daddy more!"

"Bestest Daddy!" Evandel giggled and hugged Lee's face.

Nayun looked amused and said, "She's already got you wrapped around her little fingers, huh?"

"Yep." Lee nodded. "And no regrets."

"Clearly." Nayun chuckled.

Lee walked alongside Nayun, roaming around the central plaza in Cube's campus. During that walk, Evandel squirmed around in Lee's arms, looking at everything with wide eyes, clearly enamored with the bustling activity.

Nayun watched as a mother and son pair went up to one of their classmates and asked for a photo. Then she glanced over at Lee and said, "I'm surprised no one's coming up to ask you for a photo. Even though you're the second from the bottom, you're still pretty infamous, aren't you?"

Lee chuckled and said, "Isn't it obvious why? I'm walking with you right now. Considering you're Rank 2 overall, we're literally on the opposite sides of the rankings. They're probably just trying to puzzle out what we're doing together."

Nayun blinked. Then she laughed. "You're right. I didn't think about it, but we're literally the opposite ends of the ranking. Second from the top and second from the last."

Evandel squished Aether into a '2' and said, "Second!"

Nayun smiled and tugged at Evandel's cheek. "You're a smartie, aren't you? Got all the brains from both your mommy and your daddy."

Evandel giggled and batted Nayun's hand. "Auntie! Nooo!"

Nayun chuckled and pulled her hand back. After that, she looked around the surroundings with a wistful smile. "You know, if Oppa was healthy, he'd definitely be here right now. Dad too."

"Right." Lee hummed. "He would, wouldn't he? ...Well, I guess we just have to wake him up before next year, right?"

Nayun's breath hitched. Then she chuckled, her eyes a bit wet. "Careful, Lee." She nudged Lee's arm and said, "You can't make promises you can't keep."

"Oh, please. A year is plenty of prep time. Give Batman that much time and he could even kill Superman. Probably."

Nayun snorted. "You and prep time... By that logic, wouldn't Hajin be able to beat all of us if he had enough prep time?"

"Unironically, yes. Hajin isn't the smartest, but he is ridiculously lucky. Didn't you hear from Yeonha how he walked into a gas station, cleared out the lottery tickets, and invested it into SH Agency or something?"

Nayun blinked. "Wait, Yeonha wasn't joking about that?"

"Nope. Honestly, he's the exact opposite of me in luck. Things just happen around him. For me, things have to have a reason. Like, I was chatting with Suho and it turns out that at the museum, he arrived in the nick of time. Although the video made it look like Hajin killed the Djinn, it was actually Suho slicing the barrier that did it."

Nayun laughed and said, "Seriously? No, that makes sense. I was wondering how that guy killed a Djinn. I mean, Suho I get being able to do that. But Hajin? Unless he has proper gear, not happening."

"Right?" Lee laughed and casually looked through the crowd.

And then he saw someone looking right back at him.

A woman with long black hair, drifting behind her like shadows. Obsidian eyes that were half-lidded from clear fatigue. And an all black outfit that hugged her curves.

Lee tilted his head to look at her.

She did the same. But when her eyes flitted to Evandel she averted her gaze and kept walking.

Nayun noticed and said, "Hm? Did you see someone you recognize, Lee?"

"Hm... Not sure." Lee shrugged. "Must be the single dad halo effect again. More women checking me out."

Nayun laughed. "Gotta be careful on that. We don't want our princess flipping out on some poor unsuspecting women."

"...I think that's pretty hot though?"

"...You're hopeless."

Evandel giggled and copied Nayun. "'Opeless!"

Lee rolled his eyes. "Come on. They're selling Japanese snacks over there for some reason next to smashburgers. I haven't had a proper burger since I got here, so we're doing that. And absolutely taking a picture to send to Yeonha."

Nayun's hazel eyes sparkled. "You're evil."

Lee paused and looked into Nayun's eyes. "Huh. Have your eyes always been hazel?"

Nayun blinked. "Huh? Oh, well they're brown, but when I use magic power, since my mana's green they turn green. These days since I'm training so much they're hazel... Wait, why are you even looking at my eyes anyway? You know Rachel's going to be jealous because of that, right?"

"You're practically my adopted sister at this point, so it doesn't matter. Eva calls you Auntie, remember?"

"...I hate that you're right."