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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 46: Because it’s a surprise.
Wednesday.
The final day of the academy’s midterm exams.
To be precise, only the written exams end today; the practical tests will be held at different times depending on the class.
Since it was exam period, many students were desperate to do well, though some clearly weren’t.
One person, in particular, had been lost in distracting thoughts until the day before.
“…So, seriously, what’s the difference between them?”
Sephine stood with her arms crossed, staring at the game console display for a long time.
Beside her, a store clerk was smiling and explaining the features, but his words went in one ear and out the other.
“This one has better graphics, this one has more exclusive titles, and this one is super portable… Ugh, you’re saying they’re all good!”
Just earlier, she’d chosen a smart watch with a fancy bezel without a moment’s hesitation.
But now, she’d been stuck at this game console corner for 15 minutes.
Honestly, it had been more than 40 minutes since she came up to the third floor.
“He said he liked stuff like this…”
Sephine Alavad sighed and carefully pulled out a folded piece of paper from her bag.
A note written by an aunt known among her acquaintances as a game enthusiast.
It listed several game consoles, taking into account their specific specs and public image.
Even in tiny handwriting at the bottom, it said:
- If possible, buy a 2-player game (console games are the trend now!)
No idea who the other person is, but if you hesitate, you’ll never get together with them! (ㅎ=ㅎ)
That overly meddling message had clearly been added.
Clenching her fist, Sephine muttered:
“…Whether it’s a hint or a curse, I’ve got to choose wisely.”
Three consoles in front of her.
One had the latest graphics, one had retro charm, and one was ultra-portable.
To someone who’d only ever casually played games, they all seemed about the same.
If it were for herself, she would’ve just picked one at random.
But this time was different.
This was a moment that demanded her utmost deliberation.
“If I miss this chance, when else could I give a gift this naturally?”
She had even attached a birthday excuse to it, made a plan, and enlisted her group project teammates for the grand operation.
The one gift she chose would complete the entire mission.
“Hmm, yeah, if I want it to feel like ‘I bought this because I want to play with you’…”
Two-player compatibility seemed ideal.
It’s a birthday gift, after all, so something brand-new would be fitting.
Just imagining playing games with Shin Yuseong using the console she gifted made her cheeks flush.
“Calm down, calm down. I’m practically a grandma now.”
Muttering to herself, she shook her head.
She had to end this indecision.
At her feet were three shopping bags—set down while she agonized in front of the display.
Her gaze dropped to the bags, then rose again.
She scanned each of the consoles one by one.
Cost-effectiveness?
No.
Compatibility?
Hmm, he probably has a TV at home, right?
After all the overthinking, only one criterion remained for the final choice:
Something that would make him happy.
After a long deliberation, she trusted her gut and picked the one that “felt right.”
Clenching her eyes shut, she reached out and pointed.
“I’ll take this one!”
The clerk nodded with a bright smile.
“Excellent choice. Would you like it gift-wrapped?”
“Yes, it’s for someone special’s birthday, so please wrap it very. Carefully.”
Straightening her back, Sephine nodded firmly.
Her eyes looked strangely resolute.
The clerk, watching her seriously pick out wrapping paper colors, thought to himself:
‘Lately, everyone buys gifts with such intense expressions.’
If it were for herself, she wouldn’t even bother with wrapping.
Just earlier, another “group” had also bought a console with stiff looks on their faces.
Puzzled for a moment, the clerk then shrugged and began wrapping with great care.
* * *
“Sephine Alavad has just purchased the new Kintendo Special Wia.”
“She bought other gifts as well, but in the end, it seems she settled on a game console, just like us.”
“Making sure the gift pleases the recipient is important, but so is maintaining the group’s vibe.”
The intelligence division of Yeongnak First School whispered among themselves while picking out a birthday present.
They immediately ruled out the new Kintendo Special Wia, which Sephine had bought.
Even if it was the number one choice for making the recipient happy, a duplicate gift would be terribly awkward.
Getting closer to the recipient was nice, but not drifting away from them was even more critical.
“Hmm, so we’re going with the Kintendo Reach… Reach… Are we really going with Reach?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to switch gears and go with a smart watch instead?”
“But Sephine Alavad bought one of those too.”
“We don’t know for sure if she’s giving that as a gift, though.”
“Our group should look at the big picture—maybe keep that option in reserve?”
“So you’re saying we take multiple gifts like her and decide on the spot?”
Emir stroked her chin as she reviewed the proposal.
Quick thinking was key to this operation, but for a top-tier sorceress like her, it was no problem.
Even if the recipient was a monster, they didn’t seem the type to nitpick about last-minute switches from within her magic pouch.
“Fine. Let’s bring three items and make the final decision on-site.”
Now that the gift types were decided, all that was left was the timing.
Where and when to give it—that had already been discussed among the dungeon party members, minus Shin Yuseong.
It would be awkward to give a present during exams.
Instead, the plan was to throw a surprise party after all classes were finished.
Yes, the plan itself was neat and solid.
The only concern was that the teammates organizing this party weren’t just one person.
With so many strong personalities involved, Emir couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of unease.
* * *
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Wednesday morning.
The final day of the midterm exam period had arrived.
Starting with Professor Shin Arin’s “Combat Theory and Practice,”
followed by World History featuring Saint Jeanne d’Arc, Queen Arthur, and the strongest heroine Genghis Khan.
Lastly, “Understanding General Society,” a required liberal arts course.
Three exams in one day.
In high school, I vaguely remembered taking four a day,
but that was just regular school—this was something else entirely.
If you really thought about it, wasn’t this academy only for the ultra-elite from around the world?
If you didn’t study with the determination to get a perfect score, there was a high chance you'd end up dead last.
‘No way I’m letting myself come in last.’
Even if it was expected of me, it still felt bad to actually go through with it.
To avoid that last place, I had spent the past few days doing extra study sessions with Seol Yeonhwa.
All I wanted was to score right in the middle—nothing more, nothing less.
Maybe the goddess was trying to keep her promise too, because she had become unusually quiet during our study sessions.
‘Knock knock, excuse me, goddess?’
Even today, she hadn’t said a word.
Maybe she was on a trip or something.
No matter what, she always sent at least a short reply, so this was truly unusual.
At this point, I wondered if she had zipped shut either her mouth or her divine powers in order to keep the vow.
It had been decades since we hadn’t spoken for even this short a time.
Because we had always been together.
Feeling both a little empty and a bit concerned, I looked out the window, then shook my head.
There was no way anything dangerous had happened to my goddess, so there was no need to let myself get distracted.
First, focus on acing the test.
I pulled myself together and glared at the test paper with intense focus.
* * *
“Wow, it’s finally over!”
“Was that test even legal?”
“Looking for party members to hunt down the professor.”
“How are you gonna kill a high-ranker, dumbass?”
As the academy's midterms came to an end, students' groans could be heard all around.
Some wore satisfied smiles, while others were too distracted with other matters to concentrate, and among them were even beings who weren’t exactly “human.”
“This doesn’t add up, no matter how I think about it.”
For a god in the heavens to descend to the mortal realm, an enormous tribute or equivalent divine power was required.
It wasn’t just a toll for passing between realms—it was more like a penalty for breaking the laws of causality.
If a god, who rules a world, descends to it directly, of course things would go their way.
It throws the balance off.
Transcendents belonged in their realm, and mortals in theirs—that separation was the only way to maintain the balance of the world.
In terms of cost, it was actually cheaper to descend into another world entirely.
(Of course, you'd need permission from the god managing that world, which made it even more impossible.)
No god would give another free rein in their own domain, unsure of what kind of chaos might ensue.
“Ugh, it just doesn’t add up.”
But—if the gods in question had been close for a very long time…
If they’d known each other since before their ascension, while still on the mortal plane… that changed things.
The goddess who ruled the inverted Earth grumbled, looking quite displeased.
“Even if I owe her a favor, this much of a loss is just unreasonable.”
[‘Balance of Order and Causality’ asks why you’re whining so much—very unladylike.]
“God, you sound like a nagging old hag. Do you even know how much divine power I’m bleeding out here?”
[‘Balance of Order and Causality’ blinks and says she’s sharing the burden too.]
“Well, of course you are—you’re going to see your hero!”
Ranting at full volume, the goddess of the inverted Earth sighed.
“Well, what’s done is done. Let’s just get this over with.”
She had already made arrangements with others, so she had to hurry through the ritual.
The pink-haired schoolgirl stepped onto the summoning circle drawn on the floor.
Offerings were ready, even if simplified, and the divine power of two gods would serve as the fuel.
Failure wasn’t an option.
She wasn’t descending in her true form, just possessing the body of her apostle—closer to a partial merge.
Fwooooosh—
As divine energy surged, the summoning circle erupted with brilliant white radiance and crimson flames.
The combined powers of the Holy God and the Dragon God intertwined, blending into one masterpiece.
The ritual would succeed.
The only issue was that this body, now infused with divine power, would undoubtedly begin to change.
Being born with the gifts of a shrine maiden and the blood of dragons, now layered with godhood—there was no way she’d remain unchanged.
“Yurseus, you witch. If you mess around with my apostle or my world, I will end you.”
As the dragon goddess of the inverted Earth muttered her last warning, the white and red light exploded more fiercely than before, engulfing the girl’s body.
The backlash was suppressed so others wouldn’t notice, but crackling white electricity still danced over her skin.
“Haaah, maybe ruling an upside-down world for so long has made my mouth a little too foul.”
Gathering the energy that had spilled from her body, she looked into the mirror propped in the corner of the room.
She swept aside her waist-length pink hair and forced a smile.
An innocent yet beautiful smile.
Maybe it was just because the body she possessed was so good-looking—her smile really was something.
“No, it’s probably just that this me is that charming.”
Balance and causality.
The goddess gave a playful smile and packed a pre-prepared gift into her bag.
It was going to be a surprise in many ways, but she wasn’t inconveniencing anyone, so it was fine.
She was visiting someone she already knew—and though her champion would probably be quite shocked…
“Well, that’s the point of a surprise.”
One way or another, the goddess had descended.
The goddess who now possessed the body of Maho, the dragon god’s apostle and shrine maiden, stepped out of the room with a bright smile.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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