Surprise Gift
Kang Hanbyeol, who had distinguished himself in the assault on the Thornvine Spire, dispelled the stigma that he had merely been riding on the coattails of the Fighting Demon, Seo Jeongjin, and proved his own ability.
Furthermore, even if the truth was somewhat different, in this midterm exam he had also achieved the feat of defeating Do Seungwoo, a direct descendant of the Divine Sword Do Clan….
Now, no one could doubt his qualifications or his level.
Even so, there were still many people at Geumgang Academy who did not look favorably upon him.
No matter how many accomplishments he racked up, the fact that he had been admitted as a special case, unlike the students who had taken the entrance exam, followed him around like a label.
Among the board members, there were even those who disliked him when factoring in their bad blood with the Fighting Demon.
Because of that, Kang Hanbyeol would carry out the assignments So Hye-yul gave him whenever he had time, if only to earn their approval for his admission.
Today was no different.
“Welcome, Student Kang Hanbyeol. Did your exams go well? I heard you defeated a student from the Divine Sword Do Clan this time. Though he’s no longer one of our students…. Still, congratulations. Jeongjin will be very pleased when he hears this. You keep in touch with Jeongjin often, don’t you?”
“Master isn’t really the type who likes contacting people. I only get replies from him now and then! Recently, he said he was going into a Gate and wouldn’t be reachable for a while.”
“I thought he might be softer on his disciple, but I suppose Jeongjin is still Jeongjin.”
The top floor of the Academic Affairs Building, the chairwoman’s office.
Having been contacted by So Hye-yul, Kang Hanbyeol came straight to the chairwoman’s office after finishing his morning classes.
Since he had met her several times before, he now sat down comfortably and conversed with her.
There was no awkwardness in the way he accepted the drink Oh Seung-a brought him and reached for a sandwich.
She watched him with a pleased gaze.
“I prepared these because I thought you might come without eating lunch again, like last time. There are more outside, so eat as much as you like.”
“Yes! Thank you, Chairwoman! The sandwich is really delicious. You should have some too, Chairwoman.”
“All right.”
She did not particularly have an appetite, but it was just about the time one would grow hungry, and she could not refuse as though drawing a line between them.
The act of eating together had the effect of breaking down another person’s wariness and creating intimacy.
Wanting to maintain a good relationship with Kang Hanbyeol, So Hye-yul picked up an egg sandwich.
Careful not to let the filling spill out, she brought it to her lips.
“…It’s good.”
“Right?”
It had been a long time since she had been able to simply enjoy eating food.
And yet today, as if none of that had ever been the case, a savory taste spread across the tip of her tongue.
At first, So Hye-yul only nibbled at it, but after finishing one, she reached for the plate again and again.
“Ah….”
“….”
By the time she came to her senses, Kang Hanbyeol was staring at her blankly.
Only then did So Hye-yul regain her dignity.
“I’m sorry. I’ve shown you an unsightly side of myself.”
“No, I’m fine?”
“You probably couldn’t eat much because of me. I should have them bring more.”
Wiping the corners of her mouth with a tissue, So Hye-yul called for her chief secretary, Oh Seung-a.
After asking Oh Seung-a, who had been waiting outside, to place an order, she soon decided to get to the point.
She took out an envelope and a box, then pushed them in front of Kang Hanbyeol.
“This is the assignment you need to complete this time, Student Hanbyeol. Check it.”
“Am I going into a Gate?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The narrow, palm-sized box was just the right size to hold a Gate Key.
Sure enough, inside the box when he opened the lid was a yellow Gate Key.
Kang Hanbyeol tore open the envelope and checked the contents written inside.
The assignment could be summed up in a single line.
“Submit fifty essences each from Rose Photon Slimes and Golden Photon Slimes…?”
“That’s quite a lot, isn’t it? After all, aside from magic stones, other byproducts don’t drop from monsters very often. That’s why this assignment includes the condition that you may participate as a party. In other words, you can bring your friends along too.”
Oh Seung-a quietly opened the door and entered, refilling the empty cups and setting down more sandwiches.
As So Hye-yul reached for a sandwich, she continued her explanation.
“Not all slimes are the same. They vary depending on their habitat and habits. Among them, Photon Slimes are quite rare. Their byproducts can be used in many fields, so they’re highly valuable as well. You’ve probably heard the name at least once.”
“They’re used as material for making pockets connected to subspace….”
“That’s the representative example. You know it well. Did you learn that in class? In any case, if you use this Gate Key, you’ll be able to enter a Gate where only those monsters appear. In that sense, it’s an extremely valuable key. Be careful not to lose it. Director Yun made up his mind to check Student Hanbyeol’s ability and took this key out of the vault.”
“Is it really okay to entrust something like that to me? I feel like there must have been plenty of other keys….”
“I understand Director Yun once owed Jeongjin a debt in his younger days.”
“….”
“Perhaps he’s trying to repay that debt through Student Hanbyeol instead? Telling you to make some pocket money with the spoils you get there. That’s only my guess, of course.”
“Ah…. I thought all the directors who gave me assignments disliked me, but I guess that isn’t the case.”
“Not every director is like that. Jeongjin may have many enemies around him, but there are also quite a few directors who owe him a favor, like Director Yun. In their case, they’re going along with the mood of testing Student Hanbyeol to check your ability, and they want to give you something while they’re at it.”
Kang Hanbyeol nodded as he chewed his sandwich.
In one corner of his heart, he was also pleased to hear that there were good stories about his master.
Then, So Hye-yul brought up something that would entice him.
“Director Yun asked me to tell you this. If you submit two hundred Photon Slime magic stones, regardless of type, he’ll increase the capacity of the pocket you’re currently using.”
“Really!?”
He had already been worrying a lot because his pocket’s capacity was too small.
Kang Hanbyeol leaned over the table, his face lighting up.
So Hye-yul let out a giggle.
“Yes, really. So do your best.”
“Yes, Chairwoman! Thank you!”
“You shouldn’t thank me, but Director Yun. If you don’t mind, when you come to submit the assignment to me next time, write a thank-you letter to Director Yun as well. I’ll pass it on.”
“Then I’ll ask you when the time comes!”
Kang Hanbyeol answered energetically.
After that, he exchanged updates with So Hye-yul, then rose from his seat in time for his afternoon class.
“….”
The chairwoman’s office fell quiet in an instant.
After staring for a moment at the door Kang Hanbyeol had left through, So Hye-yul murmured softly.
“His smile really does resemble that child….”
When she had first received the letter from Seo Jeongjin, she had scoffed.
She had even felt somewhat displeased.
After all, it had felt as if he had mentioned that child in order to curry favor with her while asking her to take good care of his beloved disciple.
But the more So Hye-yul looked at Kang Hanbyeol, the more she had no choice but to admit that he strangely resembled that child.
“….”
She gathered her emotions.
Closing her eyes and calming her mind, So Hye-yul soon picked up the sandwich left on the plate.
She took a bite.
In a forlorn tone, she murmured.
“It has no taste.”
* * *
I missed yesterday, the day we spent at Heartland, so much.
We played on the rides until late, and as if that weren’t enough, we avoided the dorm supervisor’s eyes and held an all-night drinking party in my room. In the end, we had to return to everyday life.
Naturally, there was no way the class material would enter our heads when we hadn’t slept properly.
During morning classes, Min Arin and I frequently nodded off.
Each time, Hong Yena and Yu Noeul scolded us.
“Do Gyeonwoo, Min Arin, wake up. You became class representatives, so you can’t be like this. If you fall asleep one more time, I’ll deduct points.”
“You two must have had a lot of fun at Heartland yesterday, huh? But kids, even if you play when it’s time to play, shouldn’t you study hard when it’s time to study? Let’s focus on class now and not make your instructor sad. Okay?”
“We’re sorry….”
“And you even reek of alcohol…. Just how much did you drink for magic not to fix it? This won’t do. Everyone, open all the doors. There are a lot of sleepyheads, so let’s get some air and ventilate the room.”
Hong Yena pinched her nose at the lectern.
The students sitting by the windows did as she instructed.
Indeed, once the wind blew in through the windows, it felt like I woke up to some extent.
Meanwhile, we had to get scolded by Yu Noeul while she held our cheeks.
Maybe our friends in the other classes were going through something similar.
“You two get no candy today. Understood?”
“Yes….”
It might seem like a mere piece of candy was no big deal.
But strangely, the candy Yu Noeul gave out as rewards had a mysterious addictiveness to it.
Min Arin and I couldn’t hide our disappointment.
…Actually, reacting this way made her scold us less.
“She’s gone, right?”
“Yeah, she’s gone.”
After confirming that Yu Noeul had left, we sighed in relief.
From then on, we fought against drowsiness in what was practically a battle against ourselves.
Thankfully, we managed to endure without dozing off and make it to the end-of-day homeroom.
“Ugh, damn it, I don’t want to do volunteer work….”
“Well, who told you to cause trouble? Just think of it as your karma.”
There were two hours before sixth period, Basic Swordsmanship I.
If I had my way, I would have gone back to the dorm and taken a nap, but I still couldn’t skip lunch.
I packed my things to have lunch with the friends whose schedules matched mine.
In the seat beside me, Min Arin grumbled as she gathered her bag.
In her case, she was scheduled for on-campus volunteer work, organizing books in the library.
She had brought it on herself.
“Work hard at your volunteer service and hang in there. It’s not like it’ll never end, right?”
“Ah, you bastard. I want to hit you. Want to get smacked? You’re really pissing me off.”
I snickered at Min Arin’s misfortune, with two hundred-something hours still remaining.
She glared at me like she was growling and ground her teeth.
At last, unable to hold back her anger, she slapped my shoulder with her palm.
The attack was all sound and no pain, so I did not stop laughing.
Then she let out a huff.
“Seriously…. If Yeon Haneul were the one doing it, you’d be making such a fuss….”
Min Arin grumbled complaints, as though something didn’t sit right with her.
Knowing where to draw the line, I decided not to provoke her any further and shrugged.
“I don’t know what kind of fuss you mean, but I’d probably treat her the same way I treated you.”
“What? Really?”
“Though I’d read the room a little so I wouldn’t get hit with a sledgehammer….”
“So violence really is the answer….”
“Huh?”
“Do I really need to build some muscle….”
…What is she talking about?
Min Arin suddenly looked lost in thought and muttered something incomprehensible.
Soon, as though she had stopped agonizing over it, she hurriedly slung her bag over her shoulder.
“I’ll be late. I’m going first!”
“Yeah, go on. Good luck.”
Min Arin left her seat, her red hair fluttering.
Then she abruptly stopped walking and half-whirled around.
“Hey, Do Gyeonwoo, um….”
“….”
Min Arin clutched the strap of the bag hanging over one shoulder with both hands and worked her mouth silently.
Having seemingly chosen her words, she parted her lips.
“Enjoy your lunch.”
“Uh…. You enjoy yours too.”
“Then I’m off!”
I wondered what she was about to say, but I hadn’t expected it to be such a standard greeting.
I tilted my head as I watched Min Arin flee the lecture room as though escaping.
“I should go see Haneul.”
As it happened, Yeon Haneul’s schedule matched mine, so we had decided to eat lunch together.
I left the lecture room and went to meet her.
Go Eunbi was a bonus.
“Haneul, were you okay during class? I thought I was going to die from sleepiness.”
“Yeah…. I had such a hard time holding back my sleepiness. I’m still a little sleepy even now.”
“If you’re tired, want to lean on me?”
“Yeah!”
“Wow…. Even though you answered just fine when the instructor asked questions, and your notes were neat too…. Compared to that, I got scolded for drooling in my sleep, and my notes were a total mess…. Gyeonwoo, Haneul is lying right now….”
“Hm? Eunbi, when did I? Maybe you dreamed it?”
“Ah… uh… yeah, r-right! I must have mixed it up with a dream! Haneul was drooling with me too….”
“I didn’t drool.”
“…Everything Haneul says is right.”
“Everything Haneul says is right, all right.”
Yeon Haneul pressed herself against my side.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, which were full of signs of fatigue, supporting her so that she wouldn’t collapse.
Even if it was a little embarrassing, it was something I could endure for her sake.
I headed to the nearby cafeteria, maintaining my composure as best I could.
“Is everyone tired? I guess we really did have too much fun yesterday.”
“Zzz….”
In the cafeteria, the friends who had arrived first were already seated and waiting.
Lisa, who waved when she spotted us, looked drained.
Cha Eunsol, who had already stored lunch in her stomach, was asleep with her head down on the table.
After exchanging a few words with the others, I looked for someone who should have been there.
“Where’s Hanbyeol? I don’t see him.”
Since my schedule mostly overlapped with Gang Hanbyeol’s, I found his absence strange.
Normally, we would have eaten lunch together and chatted until it was time to head to the next class.
Lisa and Bak Sagun, who were at the table, answered my question.
“He got called by the chairwoman earlier. He said he’d take care of lunch himself, so we should eat without him.”
“It seemed like she called him about an assignment. He must already be busy with academy life, and now a special assignment on top of that…. Hanbyeol is amazing for not showing how hard it must be at all. By the way, where’s Arin?”
“Arin’s doing library service. She said she’d just make do with some bread while working, or something like that….”
“So that’s why I didn’t see her. Arin must be really busy too.”
Gang Hanbyeol, who had entered the academy as a special admission student, had to undergo the board’s tests to prove he deserved that qualification.
It was a situation anyone close to Gang Hanbyeol knew about.
After hearing the explanation, I quickly accepted it.
‘An assignment…. What assignment did So Hyeyul give around this time in the game?’
Sitting beside Yeon Haneul and eating lunch, I sank into thought.
If I remembered correctly, this assignment was to obtain the essence of a Photon Slime from a Gate.
As a reward, Gang Hanbyeol would be able to expand the number of slots in his Pocket Inventory.
For players who had been frustrated by the number of inventory slots, it was quite an appealing reward.
But since I couldn’t receive that reward, it didn’t interest me.
What interested me instead was the Golden Photon Slime’s components.
‘There’s no harm in getting the magic stones those guys drop. They’ll be helpful in all sorts of ways later.’
Especially for Yeon Haneul.
I looked at her as she put food into her mouth beside me.
Our eyes met.
“Hm? What is it? Why are you suddenly staring at me…?”
“I just like watching you eat. Is it good?”
“…Don’t do that when the others are here. It’s embarrassing…. Do you want some too?”
“I’ll just have one bite. Mm…. It does taste good since you’re the one giving it to me.”
“Then do you want another?”
“No, it’s fine. You need to eat too. I’ll eat mine now.”
“…Aren’t you going to give me any?”
“Is there something you want?”
“Mm, I want….”
In the game, Golden Photon Slimes only appeared in the Gate that Gang Hanbyeol would enter for this assignment.
That was how rare they were.
Of course, if I borrowed the name of the Divine Sword Do Clan, I could obtain information another way, but that would be troublesome and complicated.
If I was going to get their magic stones, this was the only right time.
‘Since it’s an assignment where you can participate as a party, I should be able to coax Hanbyeol somehow and get in….’
After feeding Yeon Haneul a bite of food, I pondered how to do it.
But there was no need to rack my brain.
Just then, a message came from Gang Hanbyeol.
[Gang Hanbyeol]: Gyeonu, are you free this evening?
[Gang Hanbyeol]: The chairwoman gave me an assignment, and this time she said I can do it with other people!
[Gang Hanbyeol]: If you’re free, wanna go to a Gate with me?
The corners of my mouth lifted.
Then I immediately sent a reply.
[Me]: Sounds good to me
[Me]: Gate, let’s go
* * *
Gang Hanbyeol formed a party, bringing in me, Bak Sagun, Yong Haerang, Lisa, and the triplets.
“We’re going into a Gate to hunt!? Me too! Me too, take me too!”
Before Gang Hanbyeol could even invite her, Nam Yuri heard the news in the group chat and immediately came looking for us.
Since I had intended to call her in the first place, I didn’t refuse her request to join.
To put it figuratively, she was a time bomb that could go off at any moment.
We had to pay attention to her stress management so she wouldn’t accidentally stray down the wrong path.
Since she had been itching to move around lately, letting her loosen up here would at least help stabilize her.
As for the other friends, we had no choice but to give up on having them join the party.
“If you’d told me in advance, maybe, but sorry, I don’t think I can make time. I’ll pass.”
Min Arin, who had to prioritize her library service, refused the offer.
“Sorry, guys. I have dinner plans with some seniors I know….”
Go Eunbi, who had more friends than us, showed the tendencies of a true deceiver.
[Sorry, I have a lot of homework, so I won’t go. No, I don’t think I can go. Yum….]
Cha Eunsol, who brazenly lied over the phone, then went unreachable.
Lastly, Yeon Haneul.
“I have time, though….”
“You stay home and guard the house.”
I didn’t allow it.
Yeon Haneul, who had come to see us off in front of the Jadeite Dormitory, pouted in protest.
Even so, without changing my mind, I reached out and touched her rabbit ears.
She looked sullen, but quietly accepted my touch.
“I’m fine now.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you saying I can’t?”
“You didn’t get much sleep, so you must be tired. Rest properly today. You have to go to class tomorrow morning.”
“Aren’t you going to class?”
“I can endure it with sheer grit. But you can’t. You need to sleep.”
“That’s such a double standard….”
“This counts as a double standard too?”
“You’re trying to go in by yourself without me…. You’re so mean.”
“You said bad boys are popular, right? Then I’m…”
“Good grief, I can’t even talk to you….”
“We’ll go by ourselves today. Please understand.”
In any case, the current members were more than enough.
Even if Yeon Haneul didn’t participate, we could complete Gang Hanbyeol’s assignment.
There was no need for her to suffer unnecessarily.
Most of all.
‘If she finds out the reason we’re entering the Gate, she’ll insist she’s fine and try to stop me with all her might….’
As someone well-versed in Yeon Haneul psychology, there was no way I wouldn’t know her personality.
That was why I didn’t want to take her.
Because I felt like she would be sorry toward me.
I stroked her head.
“It’ll probably take a long time. We might even end up staying up all night again. So don’t try to wait for me. Just go to sleep first.”
“…Still, come back before it gets too late. You have to go to class tomorrow too.”
“Um, Gyeonu? Just how late are you planning to stay? I have class tomorrow too, and I don’t think I heard anything about this….”
Behind me, Lisa grumbled about something.
Letting her words go in one ear and out the other, I fixed my gaze solely on Yeon Haneul.
She was looking up at me too.
“Don’t let your eyes wander… okay?”
“My eyes wander? What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying, don’t go falling for slimes instead of rabbits.”
“What kind of weird thing is that to say…?”
Yeon Haneul weakly poked my chest with her finger, as if she found me reprehensible.
I was so dumbfounded that I let out a chuckle.
Then, suddenly struck by a brilliant idea, I took out my smartphone.
I framed her on the screen.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to take a picture of you.”
“Why my picture?”
“You told me not to let my eyes wander. If I feel like my gaze is about to go to the slimes once I’m inside, I’ll look at your picture instead.”
“….”
“Do you hate it?”
“…Lower the angle a little. From that angle, I’ll look short and ugly. Don’t take it from too close either. My face will look huge. And choose a good filter too….”
“Don’t worry and just stay still. I’ll take a good picture.”
I captured Yeon Haneul’s sulking expression in a photo.
After taking a satisfying picture, I raised the corners of my mouth.
“How is it? It came out well, right?”
“Ugh…. Something about it feels off….”
“I like it, though. I’ll make good use of your picture inside.”
“…You have to come back early. Got it?”
After soothing Yeon Haneul like that.
We headed for the artificial Gate.
[You have entered the Gate.]
[Yellow: Field of Photon Slimes II]
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Middle Boss