Midterms are just around the corner—barely a week left now.
Maybe it’s because I got caught up in all kinds of chaos since the semester started.
It doesn’t even feel like that much time has passed…
I guess it’s a good thing we already finished the group project?
If we hadn’t, we probably would’ve had to deal with it during midterms too.
Even though the presentation is later, leaving the project unfinished would’ve been a constant mental drain, so it was better to take care of it while we could.
I studied for the midterms at home.
If I went to the library, I’d just get stuck around other people and end up wasting time without realizing it.
So it was better to study alone.
Honestly… I didn’t need to study all that hard anyway.
After all, what’s the signature ability of a dragon?
An overwhelming memory.
Once I see something, it’s nearly impossible for me to forget it.
So of course, midterm prep was going smoothly.
I just had to review the sections the professor emphasized and think about how I’d write my essays.
Korean Literature exams are usually heavy on written responses, so while memorization matters, it’s just as important to think through things in advance.
All in all, midterm prep was going well.
The occasional scream from my little sister in the next room? I just ignored it.
That would’ve been me in the past, but now, I had no reason to be like that.
In many ways, ever since becoming a dragon, things have been going suspiciously well.
I doubt I’ll ever be one of those students tearing their hair out over exams again.
Ah yes, another day to praise this blessed dragon body.
Ever since I transformed, it really feels like my quality of life has skyrocketed.
Even my parents have started saying it recently, that with a future as bright as mine, it feels like I could succeed at anything.
Of course, I did tell them one thing.
Do whatever you want, just please don’t get suckered into some sketchy business deal.
If a business venture tanks, it only causes headaches.
My parents told me not to worry.
“When have we ever cared about that kind of stuff?” they said.
Anyway, I felt like everything was going smoothly.
If things kept going like this, my midterms would be an easy sweep of A+ grades.
Honestly, filling an entire report card with A+ might be kind of fun.
Someone might even ask if I forged it.
Though really, who would say that to me?
It’s not like anyone’s going to look at my report card in the first place.
I already have a job, well, if you can even call it that.
Time flew by, and the day of the midterm exam finally arrived.
Everyone around me—including my younger sister—headed off to their lecture halls looking like they might collapse at any moment.
Of course, that didn’t apply to me.
I walked into the classroom with a refreshed expression, and there I saw Yu Han-gyeol and a few of my juniors, all looking half-dead.
“Hey, good morning!”
I cheerfully greeted them with a coffee in one hand, and they looked at me like I was some kind of weirdo.
“…You insane woman. Did you even study properly?”
“No problem. Today, I’m going for gold.”
“So you’re giving up?”
“As if. Studying just got way too easy, that’s all.”
“Ugh, could you be more annoying?”
“Heh. The voice of a loser is oh so sweet.”
“But seriously, did you even have time to study? You were being dragged around for interviews and government events.”
“Technically, you could just say studying got easier. I don’t even need time for memorization anymore—it’s basically a free pass.”
“Wow. That’s broken. Damn it, I’m so jealous I could scream. Wish I mutated too.”
“Don’t. What if you mutate into something weird?”
“True, but still. I’m jealous. Super jealous!”
“Feel free to be jealous all you want.”
I bragged on purpose.
Better to loosen people up before a test than let them get stuck in their anxiety.
As expected, the exam was easier than I imagined.
For me, it might as well have been open-book—there was no way it could be hard.
The answers were already in my head, so I had no trouble solving anything.
Same went for the essay questions.
Even if the answers weren’t written out directly, as long as you weren’t goofing off during class, you could tell what the professor wanted in those responses.
So all I had to do was write accordingly.
Professors don’t expect perfection from us.
If students were perfect, why would they even be students?
We just need to find the answers they’re looking for.
And that kind of perspective usually shows through in class, whether they realize it or not.
I’m reaping the full rewards of actually paying attention in lectures.
So, I breezed through the questions, did a full review, checked if any of my wording felt awkward…and once that was all done, I got up from my seat.
Then I turned in my exam paper and walked out.
…Yeah. I think I’ll grab a cup of coffee.
As I sipped my coffee and waited for the next class, Han-gyeol, Si-hyun, and Soo-yeon burst out of the lecture hall.
“Ugh, I’m screwed.”
All three of them didn’t look too good.
It seemed like the exam had more traps than they expected.
“There were so many trick questions…”
“So it wasn’t just me.”
“Feels like using the past exams just made things worse.”
At Soo-yeon’s comment, Han-gyeol jumped and said to her.
“Didn’t the upperclassmen warn you not to rely on past exams?”
“They did, but… I thought at least the basic structure would be the same.”
Han-gyeol and I both shook our heads at that.
“Nope. Our department professors hate it when students try to coast through using old exams. They set traps on purpose to catch people who rely on them.”
“Even the multiple-choice questions were probably different from usual. Especially if it was Understanding Modern Literature—even more so.”
“…Seriously?”
“Yup. The moment you start studying based on past exams, you’re just setting yourself up to fail. It just messes you up more.”
“And besides, with half the test being essay-based, there’s not much point in looking at old questions anyway.”
“Ah…”
Soo-yeon’s face turned to one of despair.
We shook our heads and said to her.
“…Guess you’ll have to retake it?”
“Nooo! Please no!”
“How about you, Si-hyun? How was it?”
“I’m not sure… But I think most of what I studied came up. Unnie, what about you? You were the first to finish.”
“I did great.”
“So jealous…”
“Like I said, if you’re jealous… you know what to do.”
“You sure you’re not due for a second mutation?”
“Who knows? The world’s a mess—anything could happen.”
“…Please, let it be me next time!”
“So… you’re retaking this class too?”
“Ah, yeah… let’s not talk about that.”
“Oh, but speaking of mutations— let’s say a second mutation does happen. What kind of mutant would you guys want to be?”
When I asked that, the three of them all gave the same answer.
“A dragon.”
“Me too, a dragon.”
“Why?”
“Just look at you. It’s hard not to be jealous. You still have your sanity, and your powers are totally overpowered.”
“…Really? Then what if you couldn’t pick dragon?”
“I’d go with elf.”
“Elf? Why?”
“Elves get insane upgrades in looks. Like, ‘wow’ level. They’re gorgeous.”
“Oh… yeah, that’s true.”
Now that I thought about it, a lot of people probably would want to mutate into elves.
Take Choi Si-ah, for example—her appearance alone was unreal…
Well, I personally found her ridiculously cute, but hey—cuteness is part of visual appeal too.
Elves had the ability to communicate or bond with animals and plants.
Even if you’re not a High Elf who can speak with them directly, just having animals act friendly toward you would be a huge perk.
I bet it’s the top pick for anyone who owns pets.
“What about you, Han-gyeol?”
“Me? Hmm… aside from dragons? Not sure. As long as I don’t lose my mind, I’m good. Turning into a Minotaur or some demon-type freak sounds awful. Honestly, I’d be fine with something safe like an elf or whatever.”
“Elves really are the most popular, huh…”
“Well, it makes sense.”
It looked like Han-gyeol leaned toward wanting a safe, balanced mutation, something that wouldn’t make him stand out too much and would let him blend into human society without any issues.
“…So yeah, it’s overwhelmingly elf.”
“Well yeah. Everyone wants to be a dragon, but if that’s off the table, elf is really the only good option left. All the others come with too many drawbacks.”
“Drawbacks?”
“Like harpies—your arms disappear and turn into wings, so it’s actually really inconvenient. Vampires can’t even function properly in sunlight…”
“I’m sure there are other types too, but those are the big examples, so naturally people gravitate toward elves.”
“What about Arachne?”
I thought of Jin-ha.
If someone could stay in human form and still achieve global fame, then becoming an Arachne-type mutant didn’t seem like a bad choice at all.
“Spiders creep me out…”
“But what if you turned out like Jin-ha? Or what about dwarves?”
“Short and stumpy? Not a fan.”
“Hmmm…”
Yeah, dwarves probably have more divisive looks.
“Anyway, if I do mutate, I’d want to become an elf. Or at the very least, I’d want to keep my personality intact.”
“We feel the same way. It’d be… a bit much if we changed too drastically.”
“If I could just end up like you, Seo-hyun, I’d have no complaints. You’re seriously blessed.”
Well… I still think dragons are the top-tier option.
But imagining more people like me running around?
That’s kind of hard to picture.
I mean, there’s no guarantee that second mutations will even happen.
Still, if it did happen and people around me started turning into mutants… it might actually be kind of fun.
No—wait, saying it’s “fun” might sound rude.
I guess what I really hope is that, if it does happen, they end up like the good kind of mutants around me, the ones who aren’t suffering from powers they didn’t want.
Like me, I hope they get to enjoy life as mutants.