Geumgang Academy Academic Affairs Hall, Chairwoman’s Office.
So Hye-yul received Kang Han-byeol, who had returned after proving his ability.
Having heard a report from O Seung-a in advance, she knew what sort of performance he had shown after entering the artificial gate.
“I did have a certain level of expectation, but even so, I never imagined you would clear a gray gate all on your own. I thought you would receive help from Chief Secretary O Seung-a along the way. But to think you defeated a Rank 2 boss monster alone—that’s impressive. You could easily have been intimidated by its Pressure…”
“I flinched at first, but when I thought about it, I realized there was no reason for me to. On the mountain where I lived with Master, there were plenty of creatures far stronger than that thing. Once I compared it to them, I felt at ease, and the pressure weighing down my body disappeared midway through.”
“…It seems that battling a boss monster has given your soul resistance to Pressure. There are many Hunters who work tirelessly to obtain that resistance, so gaining it after just one fight with a boss monster is remarkable.”
So Hye-yul was sincerely impressed.
Curiosity rose in her yellow eyes, and a strange gleam lingered in them.
She leaned forward.
“Hmm…”
“…”
So Hye-yul’s gaze seemed to scan him from head to toe.
Receiving that gaze from her, Kang Han-byeol felt an indescribable discomfort.
It was as though he had been stripped naked—no, as though his very soul were being searched.
He subtly leaned back from her as she drew closer.
Then he changed the subject.
Only then did her gaze become much easier to bear.
“So does that mean I passed?”
“If we’re talking about passing, then yes. With that level of skill, the board of directors won’t be able to openly voice dissatisfaction. However, their dissatisfaction won’t be completely put to rest. Student Kang Han-byeol, do you know how many exams the students entering our academy take?”
“No, I don’t really know that much…”
“They take a total of seven exams: a written exam conducted on the mainland, a qualification exam to determine eligibility as an applicant, and practical exams from the first through the fifth round. From there, we sift through the applicants again and again to select our students. Even if only as a formality, we also look at the applicant’s middle school grades.”
“…”
“By comparison, Student Kang Han-byeol, you took a simplified exam. There will still be those among the board who cannot accept it and will oppose you. It’s a bit awkward to say this to you, but… Jeong-jin has quite a lot of enemies. There will certainly be people who dislike you simply because you are Jeong-jin’s disciple.”
So Hye-yul gave a bitter smile.
Battle Ghost Seo Jeong-jin.
It was well known that because of his eccentric personality and peculiar habits, he had earned grudges from both villains and Hunters alike.
Kang Han-byeol, who had been taught by him, was also well aware of that fact.
That was why, even when his master was mentioned by her, Kang Han-byeol did not become flustered and calmly tried to discern her intent.
“What would you like me to do? Should I take additional exams so they can accept me?”
“No, you don’t need to take any exams. They wouldn’t accept it even if you did.”
“Then…”
“How about this instead? You earn their recognition by resolving missions they present to you. If you do that, even they won’t be able to say anything. Of course, I’ll adjust the difficulty from the middle. And since resolving those missions might interfere with your academy life, I’ll prepare appropriate compensation as well. I don’t think it’s a bad deal for you either, Student Kang Han-byeol. What do you think?”
“…”
So Hye-yul made the proposal in a gentle tone.
As she said, it was not a bad proposal.
However, Kang Han-byeol found it suspicious.
‘What is she thinking?’
Judging by the flow of the conversation and her attitude…
So Hye-yul’s proposal was deliberate.
There was no doubt she had intended to entrust him with missions from the very beginning.
“…”
She had some hidden motive.
But it was impossible to grasp the true thoughts of So Hye-yul, who was quietly smiling.
Even if he asked her outright, she did not look as though she would tell him.
‘She’s also Master’s colleague, and she doesn’t feel like a bad person…’
In a situation like this, he ultimately had no choice but to rely on his instincts.
After some thought, Kang Han-byeol opened his mouth.
“Yes, I’ll follow your words, Chairwoman.”
“You made a wise decision. Then I’ll contact you separately later.”
It was not as though there would be no compensation, so he decided to accept the proposal.
So Hye-yul looked pleased and lightly clapped her hands.
Soon, she took a card from her breast pocket and placed it on the table.
“Chairwoman, what is this…?”
“It’s the keycard to the dormitory where Student Kang Han-byeol will be staying for the semester. As it happens, a student who was scheduled to enroll had to cancel due to unavoidable circumstances, so one room was left vacant.”
It was a card with a base color close to yellow-green, like an olive.
On the front was the crest of Geumgang Academy, and on the back was a peridotite with the room number written on it.
“The dormitory assigned to Student Kang Han-byeol is called Olivine Dormitory. Among the twelve dormitories at the academy, it ranks third from the bottom. Among the five dormitories assigned to new students, it’s the third highest. Considering your connection to Jeong-jin, I wanted to assign you to Jadeite Dormitory, the highest of the five dormitories, but unfortunately there were no vacancies left, so there was nothing I could do.”
“No, it’s fine with me as long as I don’t have to sleep outside.”
“I’m very grateful you say that. With your ability, Student Kang Han-byeol, you should be able to be assigned to a higher-grade dormitory starting from the second semester. Then you must be tired from coming all this way, and you’ll need to organize your luggage, so I hope you rest well at the dormitory. I’ll handle the enrollment procedures, so don’t worry.”
“Yes, thank you! Chairwoman!”
“I hope you’ll do well from now on.”
Having finished his business, Kang Han-byeol stood up.
He gathered the luggage he had set aside and left the chairwoman’s office.
Left alone in the chairwoman’s office, So Hye-yul turned her gaze toward the box on the table.
“…”
It was the box sent by Battle Ghost Seo Jeong-jin.
One of the assets he had donated on the condition that Kang Han-byeol be admitted.
So Hye-yul opened the box.
Click!
Inside the box, which had not only magic to conceal its presence but also various security spells cast on it, there was a single key.
“…”
A key entirely pitch-black.
So Hye-yul carefully reached out and checked the key, then murmured quietly.
“Thankfully, it arrived safely.”
* * *
In my previous life, I had lived simply, buying nothing except what I truly needed.
I had to save my tiny salary, and I had no material desires to speak of.
At most, I might have spent a few tens of thousands of won a month on games.
I never thought someone like me would stop struggling with money, develop a little material desire, and end up buying this many things just to live on my own.
After eating dinner and browsing the nearby shopping district, I was carrying so many paper bags that some had to be slung over my shoulders.
‘Honestly, a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap… and maybe an electric kettle would be enough for me to live alone without any trouble. The dorm has a refrigerator and microwave too.’
I had no romantic fantasies about living on my own, so I had intended to buy only what I really needed, but somehow it had ended up like this.
It was because I had gotten swept up in the atmosphere of people happily shopping.
‘Haneul picked out all sorts of things for me, too.’
And not just Yeon Ha-neul.
Go Eun-bi and Lisa had joined in midway and picked out things I would use.
The three of them huddled together and discussed things, putting in so much enthusiasm it was as if they were decorating their own rooms.
—Gyeon-u, you need to buy this too.
—A diffuser? Do I really need one…
—Come on. Of course you need one.
—You can’t go without it!
—You need it.
—…Then let’s just pick one.
—How about this scent? It says lemon herb.
—A fresh scent like lemon herb is nice, and if not, how about something sweet?
—Oh! I use this brand at home, so I recommend it! It smells really good!
In my previous life, I had not used a diffuser.
Even if I put one at home, I could never tell whether it actually gave off a scent, and once it ran out, it was a consumable I had to buy again.
With that money, I could buy a bowl of gukbap, so it had only felt like a waste.
Even after reincarnating, my thoughts were similar.
My mother had placed one in my room, but I had not paid much attention to it.
Yet to the three of them, it seemed so important that we had to spend dozens of minutes standing there just to choose a diffuser.
In the end, I had no choice but to step in and take special measures.
—Let’s just buy them all.
—We already have a lot of bags. Can you carry all of them?
—Wow, as expected of a young master from a rich family…
—Won’t the luggage be heavy?
I could spend as much money as I wanted.
Without hesitation, I swiped the sponsorship card I had received from my father.
It was the same after that.
—It looks like the dorm has shampoo. Do I still have to buy it?
—Yeah, you definitely have to.
—You have to use good shampoo!
—Your hair is your life.
—…Do whatever you want.
Shampoo, body wash, and all sorts of other things.
I bought whatever they told me to buy, and each time, I took out the sponsorship card.
Then my father contacted me.
[Dad]: Son, what on earth are you buying so much of…
[Me]: The kids told me to buy them
[Dad]: Kids? Who besides Haneul? The twins? Are they girls, by any chance?
[Me]: Yeah
[Me]: The kids who were with me in the photo from the after-party
[Dad]: Swipe that card as much as you want. Don’t go around eating cheap food with them
[Dad]: And you pay for meals too
[Me]: I already did earlier
[Dad]: Well done
And so, with my father’s permission granted, I ended up in my current state, covered in paper bags.
It was not just me. Everyone who had gone shopping with me was the same.
Everyone had so much luggage that we were at a loss for how to get back.
So I made a decision.
“This won’t do. Let’s take a taxi.”
“That would be better, right? It won’t be easy to handle this even with magic.”
“I’m in favor of a taxi too.”
“Us too!”
“Transportation costs in the Academy City are murderous, and taxis must be especially expensive, right? Ugh…”
“I’ll pay for the taxi, so don’t worry.”
“Huh? Really? Then I won’t hold back and will gladly ride! Thanks!”
No one objected.
Go Eun-bi, who had been looking gloomy while worrying about the taxi fare, changed her expression in an instant.
I let out a small laugh at her sudden change in attitude.
Soon, we stepped out onto the roadside to catch a taxi.
As it happened, there were plenty of taxis waiting, so it was not hard to get one.
“My goodness, you bought a lot. You must be students enrolling, huh?”
“Yes, we’re going to Geumgang Academy.”
“You got into a good place. All right.”
As soon as the taxi driver saw us, he quickly got out of the car and opened the trunk.
We put as much luggage as we could in the trunk, and decided to ride with the rest in our arms.
“Haneul, you get in first.”
“Ah, thanks.”
“Gyeon-u, thanks for the ride!”
“I’ll repay you somehow next time.”
Yeon Ha-neul, Go Eun-bi, and Lisa.
The three of them, each holding luggage, carefully entered the taxi in order.
After Lisa got in, I closed the door and moved to get into the passenger seat.
At that moment, the triplets shouted.
“Hey! Do Gyeon-u! What about us!?”
“We can catch one too, right!?”
“We’re getting in the taxi behind you!?”
The triplets were carrying armfuls of luggage.
I spoke to the puppies waiting for their master’s command.
“You guys can run back.”
“What!? What are you talking about!?”
“Hey, you’re joking, right? Right?”
“Say something, Do Gyeon-u!”
“You’re holding a moderate amount of luggage, so if you run back like that, it’ll be good training.”
The triplets stared at me as though I had said something absurd.
They wore expressions like they had just lost their country.
No, perhaps I should say they looked like puppies betrayed by their master.
But I was serious.
The triplets needed training.
In that sense, I thought it would be beneficial training for them.
For the record, I held no ill will.
“Then I hope you make it back before the day is over.”
“Hey! How can you say that with a straight face…!”
“Please head to Geumgang Academy.”
“Hey, you crazy lunatic!”
The triplets shouted something.
Unfortunately, since I was inside the taxi, I could not hear them properly.
As the taxi quickly moved forward, they soon disappeared from view through the rearview mirror.
They seemed to start running after the taxi, but then appeared to give up.
‘Train hard.’
I wondered whether they would ever understand my wish for their growth.
Someday, when they achieved greatness, my existence would be impossible to leave out.
I cheered them on inwardly.
Meanwhile, Lisa, who was sitting in the back seat, seemed worried.
“But is it really all right to leave them like this?”
“I’ll… just keep my mouth shut.”
“…I’m getting a free ride, so I can’t really say anything either.”
I glanced at the rearview mirror.
Yeon Haneul, turning her head toward the window.
Go Eunbi, letting out an awkward laugh.
Lisa, poking her head between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat.
After taking in their reactions, I shrugged as if it were nothing.
“They’ll be fine. Even if they huff and puff, they follow along with what they’re told. Makes training them worthwhile.”
“…Is that really training?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm… I see.”
She still looked unconvinced.
But Lisa reluctantly accepted it and voiced no further questions.
The taxi driver also chimed in.
“Haha, you must not know, miss, but that’s just how guys are with each other. It’s how men deepen their friendship.”
“Is that so? They sound like little troublemakers.”
“You know it. That’s exactly what they are.”
No, it wasn’t.
But I didn’t bother refuting him and quietly looked out the window.
In the meantime, Lisa was keeping the taxi driver company.
“I’ve got a friend I’m like that with too. When we get drunk, no matter how drunk the other guy is, we just leave him on the street and tell him to get home on his own.”
“Ah… isn’t that dangerous?”
“That’s why you’ve got to keep your wits about you.”
“Ah….”
The taxi driver was a chatterbox.
Exhausted from moving around all day, we didn’t join the conversation and only listened half-heartedly.
Only Lisa, who said she had never ridden in a taxi before, had to suffer.
Still, thanks to her suffering, we were able to arrive comfortably at Geumgang Academy.
“Then have a good time at the academy!”
“Yes, goodbye….”
We got off on the dormitory grounds.
Even while looking tired, Lisa treated the taxi driver with perfect courtesy.
Only after the taxi disappeared did she let out a deep sigh.
“Why… did none of you say anything?”
“Ahem. Good work.”
“Yeah, good work.”
“Mm, mm! Good work, good work!”
Lisa sent us a reproachful look.
We awkwardly changed the subject.
We couldn’t very well say that we had offered her up as a sacrifice.
* * *
We headed for Emerald Dormitory.
Perhaps because it was late at night.
Every dormitory we passed on the way was brightly lit.
I could faintly see the silhouettes of people getting some air on balconies or living in their rooms.
Then one dormitory caught my eye.
‘That place is….’
The gemstone attached to the dormitory signboard was giving off a yellow-green light bright enough to be recognized even from a distance.
It could be mistaken for an emerald, but since the gem on the signboard of the dormitory we lived in was an emerald, it was not one.
Olivine, peridot.
I could tell from the light of the gem alone, without even looking at the dormitory’s name, that it was Olivine Dormitory.
‘I wonder if he’s in the dorm by now.’
According to the flow of the game.
Kang Hanbyeol, having passed So Hyeyul’s test, would receive permission to enroll from her, and at the same time, he would receive a regular quest.
Regular quests helped the player get invested in the game, while at times also serving as a bridge to the main story.
At the same time, he would be assigned to Olivine Dormitory, where there just happened to be an empty room.
It was the dormitory I was looking at now.
‘Should I go see his face?’
At this hour, Kang Hanbyeol would be unpacking in his dormitory.
After thinking it over, I shook my head.
‘It’d be strange to show up out of nowhere, and I might pointlessly affect the story in a bad direction.’
In the game, Kang Hanbyeol, assigned to Olivine Dormitory, meets his roommate and becomes close to him.
Park Sagun, a member of Kang Hanbyeol’s party and a Guardian-type character.
With a strong tendency to be an exposition dumper, he helps Kang Hanbyeol—who had lived in the forest all this time with the Fighting Demon Seo Jeongjin and was ignorant of the world—adapt to the Academy City.
Even if he didn’t have a major impact on the story, his role couldn’t be ignored.
I made sure not to accidentally interfere between the two and obstruct their meeting.
“Why are you looking at that dorm?”
“No, just… The gem was sparkling.”
Yeon Haneul asked as if curious.
I vaguely brushed off her question, passed Olivine Dormitory, and headed toward the Emerald Dormitory where we lived.
And each time the elevator stopped, we said goodbye to one another.
“I had so much fun today! If you have time, let’s meet again tomorrow or next time! Sleep well!”
“I’ll get off here. Everyone worked hard today. Rest well.”
Go Eunbi and Lisa got off.
Before long, Yeon Haneul got off as well.
“I’ll get going too. What are you doing for breakfast tomorrow?”
“I think there’s a dining hall in the dorm, so I’m planning to get up and have breakfast.”
“Contact me when you wake up. Let’s eat together.”
“I don’t know when I’ll wake up…. If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat first. Or wake me up with a call.”
“Got it. If you’re not up by ten, I’ll call you, so make sure you pick up. Okay?”
“So in other words, you’re my ten o’clock alarm. Guess I don’t need to bother setting one.”
“Hey, I’m not an alarm, you know?”
“I’m counting on you. Sleep well.”
“Honestly…. You sleep well too.”
Having promised to eat breakfast with Yeon Haneul.
I closed the elevator doors.
She waved at me until the doors were completely shut.
I did the same.
[15th floor.]
A moment later, the elevator came to a stop.
When the doors opened, I stepped out into the hallway.
I walked straight toward my room.
That was when I ran into Yong Haerang.
“Heeey! Do Gyeonwoo! Been doing well?”
“Yong Haerang? When did you get here?”
“About an hour ago, I think…. The grounds are pretty huge. I didn’t think I’d end up getting lost even after coming here!”
“Yeah, I can see that happening to you.”
As if he had just finished showering.
Yong Haerang had a wet towel draped around his neck and was wearing thin clothes that exposed his arms and legs.
His muscles were clearly defined, as always.
‘His arm muscles are no joke.’
Even though he wasn’t flexing, there wasn’t any loose flesh sagging beneath his arms.
His muscles were solid and bulging.
They were thicker than my arms.
If Yong Haerang flexed, the difference would be even greater.
‘…I’m jealous.’
I didn’t slack off on training either, so why wouldn’t my arms bulk up?
The difference in physique was simply cruel.
I grumbled inwardly.
“But why did you come out into the hallway? Going somewhere?”
“I heard there’s a training facility here, so I was going to do some light training before sleeping. Perfect timing. How about you come with me?”
“Sorry, but I’m tired from walking around outside, and I need to organize my things too. Let’s do it together next time.”
“Tch, that’s too bad, but it can’t be helped. Are those the things you went and bought with the others?”
“Yeah. It’s a bit much, isn’t it?”
“It looks like more than just a bit…. Seems like you won’t be able to use it all even by graduation.”
“Well, it just kind of ended up like this. You might end up like this soon too. There are more things you need to live alone than you think.”
“Seeing you right now, I suppose that might be true. In that case, I won’t go out and buy anything. Training seems like a better use of that time.”
“What are you going to do if you don’t go out and buy things? Just live without them?”
Knowing Yong Haerang, he might actually do that.
The rooms on the top floor were furnished with most necessities, so it wasn’t as if it would be impossible to live there.
As if denying that thought of mine.
“Why would I just live without them?”
“What? Then what are you going to do?”
Yong Haerang answered calmly.
“What kind of world do you think we live in these days? It’s a world where you can buy things easily online without having to go outside.”
“…”
“There are plenty of online shopping malls where your order arrives the very next day…. Ah, I heard people in the Academy City mainly use Akamarket. Maybe I should try ordering from there this time.”
“…That’s not right.”
“Huh? What did you say? Sorry, your voice was too quiet, so I couldn’t hear. Can you say that again?”
“You’re not supposed to be that kind of character.”
“What are you talking about?”
Yong Haerang looked puzzled.
I regretted it inwardly.
‘Damn it, if I’d known this would happen, I would’ve just ordered online too.’
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
More than anything, the fact that I hadn’t thought of something even Yong Haerang could come up with needlessly wounded my pride.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss