"Ah! If your relationship with Instructor Cho Seo-hyun is important, would you like me to pull out her cadet records for you?"
While listening to Sung Suah's kind offer, I felt a bit worried.
Is it really okay to share cadet records so casually like that?
To an assistant instructor who's practically an outsider…
For now, I suppressed my desire to accept and declined.
"Ah, no. No matter how much I want to get closer, sharing that kind of information with an assistant instructor like me…"
"Hey! Don't say that. We're both instructors, aren't we?"
Sung Suah said she'd print them out by tomorrow morning and give them to me when we meet in the cafeteria.
But this conversation wasn't over yet. Sung Suah looked down at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"You're not… just going to take this and leave without giving anything in return, are you?"
"Haha… What would you like me to do for you?"
I laughed while sweating nervously.
Honestly, it wasn't just anyone—it was Sung Suah. There was literally nothing I could offer her.
Her wealth far surpassed mine, and her magical abilities were superior to mine.
Even if I tried to help with her classes, as an assistant instructor, there was nothing I could do in magic-focused lessons.
No matter how I thought about it, there was nothing I could realistically do for her.
Even in the game, all I could do was cling to her and flail around.
"No matter how much I think about it, there's nothing I can really do for you…"
"Hehe… Well then…"
Sung Suah didn't finish her sentence and instead picked me up and carried me to her place.
As soon as we entered her home, she sat on the bed and spoke to me.
"Lately, my body has been…"
"…"
No way… No way!
Sung Suah smiled and said:
"Could you give me a shoulder massage?"
"…"
Sung Suah ruthlessly crushed my expectations.
'…I'll get my revenge.'
[…]
I'll make her pay dearly for trampling on my innocence (?).
Hiding a bitter smile from Sung Suah's view, I replied:
"Um… Could you lie face down on the bed first?"
...
...
...
"Hng… Haah… Ahhk!"
"Does it hurt?"
"N-No! I-It's good… Hahh…"
I massaged Sung Suah's shoulders and back as she lay face down on the bed.
I made sure not to touch any of her erogenous zones.
Well, if her back or shoulders were erogenous, then there was nothing I could do about that…
'Wow, out of all the hand-skill perks I've achieved so far, this is the best.'
[…It's a miraculous level.]
-[Hand Massage Lv.98]-
Though not quite 100, it was practically indistinguishable—a true protagonist-tier level.
The hands of a god.
"Hng! Hahh!"
Sung Suah let out moans as she enjoyed my massage.
Perhaps because it was VR, there was no sweat or heat, but just imagining Sung Suah squirming in reality while wearing her VR gear was thrilling.
By now, her pajamas were probably soaked with sweat as she writhed on the bed, right?
And if her underwear was wet too, that'd be perfect.
But right now, Sung Suah's sexual excitement wasn't my top priority.
'What's important is making her desperate to receive this again tomorrow.'
I needed to make sure she couldn't forget today's massage and would crave it again tomorrow.
Ending it poorly wouldn't do, nor would satisfying her too much.
I had to leave her just satisfied enough while ensuring she'd still feel some lingering fatigue, making her want more.
I focused solely on her back and shoulders, massaging her with all my sincerity.
"Hahh! S-Sorry… f-for making weird noises… Hng!"
"If it hurts, you don't have to force yourself just because of me…"
"N-No! P-Please keep going. N-No… only if Instructor Seong Suho isn't too tired… Please. It feels too good… Hahh!"
I was careful to distribute just the right amount of pressure, sticking purely to massage techniques without any acupressure.
But judging by those moans, she must really be enjoying it.
"Hahh!"
Watching Sung Suah cry out, I thought:
'This is the way to win over Sung Suah!'
Welcome to the VR Massage Parlor!
***
The next morning, during breakfast, Sung Suah handed me a few sheets of A4 paper.
"Here you go. It's nothing too serious, but please don't go around talking about it."
"Um… Is it really okay for me to receive cadet records like this…?"
"It's not a big deal. Graduated cadets' records aren't that important."
"Huh? What about current cadets?"
"Those are under strict security."
A cadet's future at the Hero Academy is predetermined.
They become heroes.
After graduation, these heroes scramble to find a guild to join.
Their first targets are the top guilds—the Church and the Tower.
If they can't get into either, they desperately try to join other major guilds with strong reputations.
If newly graduated cadets' records were easily leaked, they could be exposed to danger before joining a guild.
Especially by dangerous villain groups.
But once they've graduated and secured their affiliation, the records aren't treated as highly confidential.
Besides, records older than ten years were nothing more than formalities.
Sung Suah handed me the documents and smiled brightly.
"Still, if Instructor Cho Seo-hyun finds out, she might get mad at me. Please keep it to yourself."
"I'll be careful. I'll only use it to deepen our friendship."
I thanked Sung Suah and finished my meal.
...
...
...
After breakfast, before heading to the faculty office, I sat alone on a bench and skimmed through Cho Seo-hyun's cadet records.
'Seriously… Can this even be called a record…?'
The first page was a properly formatted record.
There was a confident photo of Cho Seo-hyun from her cadet days, along with basic personal and academic details.
The problem started from the next page.
What followed were notes on Cho Seo-hyun's class attitude and grades.
'Not a single positive comment or decent grade in sight.'
Most entries were filled with the words "Poor Attitude" and single-digit scores.
I checked the name of the instructor in charge of Cho Seo-hyun.
'Hong Mi-seon… The more I learn, the more questions arise.'
[Just in case, let's note this down and ask Zodiac about it after today's work.]
'Yeah, just in case. Ask them for me.'
There's only so much I can dig by repeatedly asking Sung Suah.
Her help so far has been more than enough.
[Zodiac will actively assist you, Suho. They've been sending both short-term and long-term requests, showing great trust in you.]
'That's weird… The only case I've perfectly resolved was Viola's.'
[I've been reporting progress regularly. They seem very satisfied.]
Of course, I didn't disclose things like my hand-massage skills.
But I've been giving detailed updates, especially about Han Yeo-reum's situation. They were particularly pleased when I explained the regression anomaly and how we were handling it.
Zodiac kept asking for countermeasures against regression, but since only we could use them, I deliberately withheld the details.
After skimming the records, I left them in my dorm room and headed to the faculty office.
The office was still quiet when I arrived.
And, as usual, Cho Seo-hyun was asleep.
Though I was a bit late today from reviewing the records, there were still few people around.
I glanced around, sat in the chair behind Cho Seo-hyun, and communicated with Armonia.
'…I'll go in for a bit.'
[Faculty members will start arriving in about five minutes. Please be careful.]
Even though class would start soon, opportunities to enter dreams were rare, so I decided to take the risk.
Listening to Armonia's warning, I entered Cho Seo-hyun's dream.
***
The moment I entered Cho Seo-hyun's dream, I saw a classroom.
It was roughly morning, and the cadets sat stiffly with straight backs.
And beside me, a woman standing on the podium.
"Congratulations on enrolling in the Hero Academy. My name is Hong Mi-seon. Starting today, you all…"
Hearing her name, I was startled.
'Hong Mi-seon? Just like that?'
I subtly turned my head to glance at the woman named Hong Mi-seon.
I immediately recognized her.
She was the middle-aged instructor from Cho Seo-hyun's previous dream who had muttered, "Annoying."
'So she was Cho Seo-hyun's instructor.'
Her personality seemed not just sharp but downright rude.
"As cadets of the Hero Academy, you must feel a sense of responsibility…"
I tuned out Hong Mi-seon's pointless speech and looked around the classroom.
Most cadets maintained proper posture but didn't seem to be listening.
Among them, only one person was attentively listening with raised head—Cho Seo-hyun, with her long hair and bright eyes.
'…Cho Seo-hyun. I saw her in the photo earlier, but she seems to have been cheerful as a cadet. Cute.'
Unlike Instructor Cho Seo-hyun, her cadet self had a warm smile as her default expression.
Not overly bright, but refreshing—a respectful, considerate smile.
"Since it's the first day, there are no classes. Head to your assigned dorms. And…"
While I was focused on Cho Seo-hyun, the instructor's speech ended, and the scenery abruptly changed.
It was some kind of training facility.
'Whoa, that startled me. Cho Seo-hyun's mental strength is still strong, so I can't change anything.'
In dream invasion, the stronger the target's mental resilience, the more mana it costs to manipulate the dream.
Since I was only here to gather information, I didn't waste mana altering things.
The facility was about 30 pyeong (100 m²), relatively small for training.
It seemed meant for small groups rather than large-scale drills.
Inside, there were two people.
One stood arrogantly with arms crossed, while the other lay sprawled on the floor.
'Hong Mi-seon and…'
The standing one was Hong Mi-seon.
And the one struggling to breathe on the ground was…
"Pathetic… Lying down to rest during training? You think this is a joke?"
"S-Sorry! Kyah!"
Swhack!
The female cadet trembled like a leaf as she barely stood, but Hong Mi-seon's whip tore through the skin on her arm, making her collapse again.
'Cho Seo-hyun…'
Hong Mi-seon, who had just swung the whip, shouted at the fallen Cho Seo-hyun.
"To think a brat like you was the top entrant… The Hero Academy has really fallen."
"I-I'm sorry!"
Cho Seo-hyun snapped back to attention and scrambled up.
Her uniform was already in tatters, blood streaming from her body.
Though trembling violently, her eyes burned with determination as she struggled to maintain attention.
Watching her, Hong Mi-seon spoke.
"Confused? Wondering how getting whipped counts as training?"
"N-No! I would never doubt your methods, Instructor!"
Cho Seo-hyun listened with unwavering resolve.
"Good… You think I'd do this for fun? Call you here after class for no reason?"
"I-I'm truly grateful for the personal training! Kyah!"
Swhack!
The moment Cho Seo-hyun finished speaking, Hong Mi-seon lashed her again.
Could this even be called training?
Cho Seo-hyun just stood at attention while the instructor mercilessly whipped her.
"Kyah? Is that the sound a street slut makes?"
"S-Sorry! Hic!"
Swhack!
The whip struck relentlessly.
Watching this, my head began to throb.
'What the hell am I seeing…? Did she really go through this?'
This wasn't just bullying or harassment.
This was an instructor outright assaulting a cadet.
Not just crushing a promising rookie's spirit but slowly, cruelly breaking her down.
'…Damn it, this pisses me off. Let's get out of here.'
There was nothing I could do to help in a dream anyway.
I couldn't bear to watch anymore and left the dream.
***
The moment I returned, Cho Seo-hyun's back came into view.
Seeing her tremble, I quickly shook her awake.
"Instructor Cho Seo-hyun."
"Ugh… Hah… Hah…?"
Cho Seo-hyun woke up sweating, looking around dazedly.
After taking a deep breath, she spoke.
"Let's… go to class."
"Yes."
Watching her rise, I clenched my fist and contacted Armonia.
'Armonia.'
[Yes.]
'Armonia, ask them to look into Hong Mi-seon as soon as possible.'
***
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