Correcting the Villainess of the Academy - Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Dream’s Boundary (7)

“Is it already time? Alright, that’s it for today!”

As the bell signaling the end of the period rang from the amplifier, Professor Shin Jae-yu, still in her training gear, clapped her hands and shouted.

“Keuhk… cough…!”

“Uwaeek…!”
T h i s w a s co p ie d f ro m k in g m t l . o r g

As soon as she finished speaking, the training hall was filled with the sound of coughing. Sometimes, even the sound of students retching could be heard.

“Oh dear, that…”

The female professor frowned slightly at the sight of students vomiting. Every student’s face was pale as if they were all patients. Their hands and feet trembled, and they couldn’t control their limbs properly.

Even students who usually displayed excellent skills were not exempt. The blonde girl Jin Yeseo, the muscular monkey-like Choi Woojin, the princely Seunghun, and his haughty fiancée Moon Yeowool were all sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath.

I was the only student who was unaffected. But I wasn’t completely oblivious. I deliberately pretended to struggle for breath and collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

“Well done, everyone. This is your first experience with particle exhaustion, and it must be quite taxing, right?”

The female professor continued her lecture nonchalantly, walking among the students sprawled out around the training hall. It was a familiar scene I could picture even with my eyes closed.

“From now on, you’ll be repeating today’s particle exhaustion training three times a week.”

“Ah…”

Groans of despair echoed around the hall. The female professor was notorious among the freshmen for her particularly harsh training methods.

“Quiet! Didn’t I just explain the importance of this training? Let’s see… Yeseo? Can you explain the exact definition of Rubin and conversion rates?”

“Rubin is… huff… also known as the maximum particle amount within the body… huff… it’s the highest measurable concentration of particles gathered in a mage’s spring… Conversion rate is… the percentage of those particles… huff… that a mage can draw out in a single breath…”
T hi s w a s co pie d f r o m k in g mtl.o rg

The blonde girl finished her answer and gulped down a blue energy drink.

“Seems like you’ve been paying close attention in class! That’s a 30-point reward. Come to my office later to confirm.”

The professor’s words brought a smile to the blonde girl’s face. She glanced in my direction briefly.

“Rubin values and conversion rates are two critical factors for objectively assessing a mage’s talent. The higher these values, the more types, strengths, and frequencies of spells one can perform.”

The professor began to walk around again.

“Especially, the higher the conversion rate, the more it allows a mage to perform spells that consume a lot of particles. Coupled with a high Rubin value, a mage could even perform high-level spells like weather manipulation, which would normally require several mages.”

“Wow…”

T h i s wa s c o pi e d f r o m k in g m tl . o r g
“Of course, such extraordinary talents are rare. They appear once every few decades at best. Just being able to perform weather spells already makes one a highly exceptional mage.”

The professor wore a mischievous smile.
T his w a s c o p ie d f ro m k i n gm t l . o r g

“Typically, Rubin values and conversion rates are proportional within a certain range. However, it’s not uncommon to see cases where one value is excessively low or high, drastically reducing spell efficiency. This often happens when the Rubin value is too low or too high compared to the conversion rate. Why? Unlike the inherently fixed Rubin value, the conversion rate can be significantly improved through training.”

“Oh…”

“For instance, the particle exhaustion training you just experienced is the simplest, most effective, and safest method to increase the conversion rate.”

The students responded with positive exclamations, and the short-haired professor nodded in satisfaction.

“While it’s undeniable that people are born with different levels of talent, most of these differences can be overcome with effort. Magic is no exception. Remember, half of the heroes whose names are in the National Archives were considered average mages during their freshman year. Instead of complaining, focus on training even more.”
T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m ki n g m t l .o r g

Her motivational speech seemed to rejuvenate the students to some extent. Even I found it a decent way to boost morale.

“…?”

But instead of returning to the podium, the professor walked toward me. Her smile, which filled her face, only increased my anxiety.

“And… Yu Jinhyun? You did exceptionally well. You get 40 points. Come to my office later to confirm.”
T h i s w a s c o p ied fro m k i n g m t l. o r g

She personally approached the corner where I had deliberately seated myself.

“Particle exhaustion training is tough even for seasoned soldiers. Exhaustion is a phenomenon that cannot be overcome physically; only mental strength can be used in this training.”

Her words drew all the attention around me. Particularly from the blonde, whose hostile glare felt especially sharp.

She always treated me with particular attention. That’s why I’d chosen a corner spot.

I regretted not breathing more heavily.

“But that composed attitude… I was impressed…”

In truth, considering my reputation, her attention was quite appreciated.

However, she misunderstood something. What I did wasn’t a display of mental strength; I simply drew ambient particles into the particle detector in front of me.

I recalled what the captain had told me. He said the concept of conversion rates didn’t apply to me. If anything, he said it could be considered 100%.

Particle exhaustion was not something I could experience. The only risk was my body suffering a fatal overload.

T hi s w a s c o p ied fro m k i ngmt l .o r g
“Just standing there…”

“Guk Jaeryong? I don’t think so. Yu Jinhyun’s particle detector is almost at capacity. I’d say his conversion rate easily exceeds 22%. Why don’t we check your detector’s capacity too?”

Professor Shin Jae-yu caught someone’s muttering with uncanny precision. Her words made a sly-looking male student hurriedly cover his particle detector with his body.

Seeing this, the professor smiled and clapped her hands, looking around.

“Today’s the second assignment meeting, right? Those scheduled for mentoring group meetings can take a short break before moving to the next location. The rest will stay with me for additional training.”

“Ah, Professor…!”

“Those who didn’t pass the first assignment, be quiet! Your discipline is utterly rotten! You’ll be crawling on all fours today…!”

As the students began to leave in a hurry, the professor’s angry shout echoed behind them.

Th is w a s cop i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
***

As I walked toward the small meeting room, a large electronic board on the corridor wall caught my attention.

It was a real-time rank board easily found anywhere in the Cradle. Naturally, I checked the first-year ranks on the far left. At the top, next to the number ‘1’, was my name in large letters.

At first, it felt like being displayed as a prize, which I didn’t like. But now, I was somewhat used to it. I even felt a sense of pride.

There was a significant gap between me and Jin Yeseo, who was in second place, not to mention Choi Woojin in third. My achievements in the practical assessment and the swift, successful completion of the first assignment contributed to this lead. With the 40 points I just received, the gap would widen even more.

Despite having been here for quite some time, I had no personal interaction with them. Choi Woojin always wore a competitive expression, and Jin Yeseo glared at me as if I were her sworn enemy.

It was hard to have a good relationship with them. Unlike Seunghun, with whom I had a connection through Sehwa, Choi Woojin’s sister, Choi Ireh, clearly belonged to a different faction. Everyone knew Jin Yeseo was closely allied with a senior from the second year.
T hi s wa s co p i e d fr o m k i n g m t l.o r g

Still, I was curious about their abilities. Given that they had managed to break through to the central area during the practical, their skills were undoubtedly solid.

According to the academic schedule, the ranking matches would take place the week after the second assignment.

Ranking matches were held between students with adjacent ranks, so I might face one of them.

Victory points from ranking matches had the highest weight in comprehensive scores. A single victory in a ranking match was worth more points than completing two C-grade assignments.

I wouldn’t be able to use my power, but I didn’t plan on losing or going easy.

With these thoughts, I arrived at the annex where several small meeting rooms were located. Just as I was about to scan my student ID and enter, I heard a faint commotion from the sparsely populated area behind the building.

-So… what are you going to do about it…!

-What can I do about a duel that ended like that…

Several people were speaking in angry tones. Among them was a familiar voice.

I killed my presence and cautiously approached the source of the noise. Soon, I saw three female students surrounding one girl.

“It wasn’t a fair duel… you…!!”

“If it wasn’t fair, what would you call it? If you’re so resentful, want a rematch? I don’t mind. But next time, your other fingers might get cut off.”

That familiar, disdainful sneer.

“You…!”

The girl at the forefront couldn’t hold back her anger at Yeon Minha’s provocation. She raised her hand to slap her. Yeon Minha, too, moved to counter instinctively.

However, having Yeon Minha act directly was not what I wanted. I stepped in between them and grabbed the wrist of the girl who was about to slap Yeon Minha, twisting it firmly.

T h is w as c o p i e d f r o m k i n g mt l . o r g
End of Chapter