It seems like it’s about to be born.
===
This much is reasonably satisfactory. I smacked my knee and rose from my seat.
“Let’s head down now.”
“……Yeah.”
It was too dangerous a place to camp overnight. We descended the mountain together. As on the way up, Kim Suho took the lead, and I followed.
It was in that moment, as we were roughly trudging down the mountain, that something wrapped tightly around the top of my foot. My body tilted forward from it, and,
“……!”
Thud. I fell over onto the ground.
I wasn’t hurt badly, but for some reason, this was a familiar experience. Déjà vu, you could call it. Could this be, by any chance, again…….
I carefully examined the spot where I had tripped and fallen.
Sure enough, some kind of stem was jutting out.
“Whoa.”
When I carefully dug it out— it was wild ginseng.
I swallowed hard, mouth watering at the sight of its rootlets.
A plump body and several branches spreading out from its sides.
It was smaller than the previous one, but it was definitely the real deal.
Once again, I had struck gold.
“Ahem, ahem…….”
While Kim Suho, who had gone ahead, wasn’t looking, I secretly put it in my crossbody bag, then hurriedly caught up to him again.
After about thirty minutes of hiking, Kim Suho and I arrived in front of the Portal customs office.
The current time was 1:53 AM. And the portal closed at 2:00 AM.
We had barely made it.
“Hajin.”
Kim Suho turned to look at me in front of the customs office. Soon, his gentle voice seeped into my ears.
“Let’s part ways now.”
“Hmm? What about you?”
“Since I’ve come all the way here anyway, I’m going to see my family before I go back.”
Kim Suho said that and broke into a grin.
“And thank you so much for today.”
In that moment, bright moonlight shone on his face. A smile clear and pure, and upright pupils were revealed in silver light.
……That appearance struck me as new all over again. Perhaps I had only now realized something I had forgotten for a time.
The man before me, Kim Suho, is the protagonist of this world.
A protagonist who walks only the path of good.
He compromises with nothing, nor does he wear himself down. Silently heading toward the correct coordinates, he is both a seeker of the Way in asceticism and a guardian of justice with beliefs firmer than steel.
An endangered species in the modern age, yet a hero drawn in the hope that somewhere, such a person exists.
In this world, a righteous person I can believe in more deeply than anyone else.
Suho (Protection).
True to that name, he is the real savior who will protect this world.
“……Right.”
I looked at him and spoke.
“Get home safe.”
* * *
I returned to my quarters. The room was pitch black.
But as if woken by the sound of the door opening and closing, Evandel shuffled over and clung to my chest. I held Evandel and went to the sofa. I felt like I could die from exhaustion, but there was still one more thing I had to do.
[Geronimo Mercenary Corps]
I tried searching for it on the internet.
[The pinnacle of the mercenary world, Geronimo. Mission success rate: 99.7%]
The Geronimo Mercenary Corps had a total of twenty-three members. Photos and profiles of all twenty-three were introduced on the site.
They were all great figures who had made a name for themselves in the mercenary world, but those twenty-three were actually nothing more than disguised identities for five or six members of Wisaekdan. The linchpin and core who made that possible was none other than Jain, who possessed the talent of ‘disguise.’
“…….”
I took out the business card from my pocket.
[Geronimo Mercenary Corps]
The captain had wanted to scout me, not Shin Jonghak, for this Geronimo Mercenary Corps. I didn’t know the reason, but she wanted to fill Wisaekdan’s vacant seat with me……
Then I suddenly looked at my smartwatch. About four hours ago, someone had sent me a message.
[Hey]
[Can you teach me some stuff?]
[I’ll buy you something delicious]
[Hey why aren’t you answering]
[You left me on read? ㅡㅡ]
[Heyyy ㅡㅡ]
It was Chae Nayun. The moment I saw that, I thought not of Chae Nayun, but of her older brother, Chae Jinyoon. That thought soon became connected to Wisaekdan.
If I received help from Wisaekdan, I might be able to kill Chae Jinyoon.
Without anyone finding out.
……Without anyone finding out, indeed.
* * *
Suwon Labyrinth. In that place where all situations had been settled, the captain of Wisaekdan and Jain were currently watching Kim Hajin’s footage.
“If he can produce that much destructive power with just a pebble…… then certainly, the possibilities are overflowing. You were right this time, Captain.”
Jain said that and smiled faintly.
Though it was a result created by pouring in mana, producing that level of destructive power with just a pebble was by no means an easy feat. But more than such combat prowess, what pleased Jain was his merciless speed.
If the opponent hadn’t been a Mine, he would have lost his life to the gunfire that followed the pebble. However, Kim Hajin hadn’t known at the time that he was a Mine.
Kim Hajin had faced him with firm yet composed killing intent.
“But Captain. Why didn’t you watch until the end? I wanted to see after the demonization too.”
“This much is enough. And, I didn’t want to see that state.”
“……Why?”
When Jain asked, tilting her head, the Captain pouted her lips and muttered.
“……Because it was disgusting.”
* * *
The weekend flew by, and before I knew it, it was Monday.
The weekday had begun again.
“You all know there’s a class competition from this Friday through the weekend, right~ We’re accepting participation applications~ There are so many events that each person must participate in at least one~”
Before class began, during the morning assembly. Lee Yeonghan stepped up to the podium and spoke in place of Kim Suhyuk.
“Ah, this.”
Only then did I remember.
Class competition.
The first and last event held in Cube before the midterms.
Literally a competition between classes, ranging from practical combat fields like duels, dungeon time attacks, and magic battles, to arts and physical education like games, singing, and soccer—competing in almost every field.
If this were an official class, they would only do practical combat, but well, it’s an event for the cadets anyway.
The cadets clamored noisily as they decided which events they wanted to do.
“What will you do, Rachel?”
I asked Rachel, who was beside me. Then Rachel flinched and trembled, then answered with an awkward smile.
“I’m…… planning to do quiz.”
“Ah, quiz. Maybe I’ll do that too.”
“That’s already closed.”
Jin Hoseung cut in. I turned to look at Jin Hoseung, then looked at Rachel again. Rachel nodded.
“Y-yes…… it’s already closed. Unfortunately……”
“Then what.”
“Now, now. Soccer and basketball are already closed. Please calm down.”
That aside, I’m curious about soccer and basketball too. I wonder what kind of amazing Shaolin soccer and basketball will unfold.
“What remains are singing and archery now…….”
Lee Yeonghan paused and looked my way. At first, I thought he wasn’t looking at me. But when our eyes met and I saw him grinning, I realized he was looking at me. Before long, other cadets also turned their heads toward me.
I coughed *ahem* and spoke.
“……I can do archery, at least.”
“Okay.”
Lee Yeonghan smiled and entered my name.
Not only for archery, but for singing as well.
“Hey, hey, wait. What. Aren’t you going to delete that?”
“Now, I’ll close it! Enter!”
Lee Yeonghan pressed Enter.
Done.
In the afternoon, after all regular classes had ended.
Tomer had naturally blended into the crowd of cadets. This was the result of Tomer having worked hard to suppress her own personality for two weeks.
Once the mission’s direction was set, Tomer made various efforts to get close to the cadets, and the cadets felt favorable toward Tomer, who was easygoing and refreshingly frank unlike other mages.
As a result of that, right now, Tomer had reached a position where she could take the initiative to bring the cadets to a cafe.
“Wow. Kim Hajin and Rachel? Really?”
After ordering coffee and honey bread to their tastes, the female cadets started gossiping in earnest.
The topic was naturally Kim Hajin and Rachel. Tomer had slyly pushed the conversation in that direction.
“They’ve been sticking together lately, but…… wasn’t that because of the team project?”
There are many male cadets in Cube who secretly admire Rachel. Very many.
But there had never been a gutsy one who actively stepped forward. Because from the beginning, Rachel’s status and the future career path stemming from that status were very different from an ordinary cadet’s.
Rachel would probably join the Royal Guild after graduating from Cube and become the youngest guild master.
“But Kim Hajin’s level matches the Royal Guild perfectly. He rose to 334th place this time.”
The British Royal Guild is a guild ranked around 60th in the world.
By Cube standards, it’s a guild that mid-rankers around 400th to 500th place aim for with delusions like, “Maybe I too could become the head of the snake……”
However, there hasn’t been a high-ranking expert blinded by love enough to join the Royal Guild to win Rachel’s favor, and someone merely at the 400~500th rank level would never be enough to match Rachel, who competes for the top ranks even within Cube.
“No, no. I’m on the same team as Kim Hajin. If you saw his gaze, you’d notice too? That…… heart-throbbing? I’m telling you.”
But Tomer persistently yet subtly agitated them, even using slang that didn’t quite suit her.
“Is that so…… Ah, right. But I heard Kim Hajin is singing this time?”
A female cadet opened her eyes wide as if she had just remembered.
“Surely, he won’t confess there, right?”
“Kyaaah! Ah, I get chills just thinking about it. If that happens, I think I’d really stab him to death……!”
“……Huh? Stab him to death?”
What is the difference between these cadets cackling while saying such bloodthirsty things and a Mine?
Tomer pondered seriously for a moment.
* * *
“Singing…….”
The moment I returned to my quarters, I muttered like a sigh.
The karaoke room was one of my regular spots during my school days, so I roughly know how to sing.
Of course, that by no means I’m good at it.
I sing well among those who can’t sing, and I sing poorly among those who can—exactly that level.
“Argh. Why do I have to sing.”
Of course, I have the Piri, so I have faith that I’ll be at least above average.
But I’m worried because I’ve never sung in front of people even once. I preferred positions where I didn’t have to experience nervousness in the first place, rather than standing before people and enduring the tension.
Maybe I should take some Cheongsimhwan like during PPT presentations…….
“Singing~? I can sing Pororo songs too.”
Evandel, who was making an oriole at the time, asked with a bright smile. I laughed, “Pff,” and answered.
“Really? Let me hear it later.”
“Yeah. But why singing~?”
“Ah, well…… I got caught by a villain, so I’ve ended up in a situation where I have to sing.”
“A villain?!”
Evandel, who had been languid, suddenly widened her eyes and tightly grabbed the oriole’s neck. I’ve been playing hero animation movies for her lately, so her reaction is something else.
“Villain! Villaiiin!”
“No. No, I misspoke. Ah, first the oriole. The oriole is going to die.”
“Huh? ……Ahh!”
Startled, she looked at the oriole. But somehow, the oriole had already lost its shape and melted away.
“Waa, waa…….”
As the oriole she had worked hard to make drooped limply, tears welled up in Evandel’s eyes. Without a word, I called Evandel into my embrace.
“It’s okay. You have to make a mistake once so that you won’t make that mistake again next time.”
Comforting the sniffling Evandel, I turned on my laptop.
“Let’s see…….”
I’m now about to do some laptop hacking for the first time in a while.
The target is Tomer’s custom-made smartwatch.
As a matter of fact, I ran into Tomer at the convenience store last night. Tomer approached me with a delighted face.
However, on her wrist was a custom-made smartwatch, not a cadet-issued one. She had seemingly imitated it as similarly as possible, but while she might fool my eyes, she couldn’t fool this laptop.
[80 SP will be consumed. Will you execute?]
“Ah, what the heck.”
Is it a smartwatch with pretty strong security? It needs quite a lot of SP. My spending has been too excessive lately…… Holding back tears, I pressed Yes.
[Tomer. Come pick up the item on Wednesday, on the day of class this week. It’s something that should help with your mission. I’ll explain the details tomorrow.]
It was a text that an unknown person had sent to Tomer yesterday afternoon.
Aside from this message, the text history had also convinced me that Tomer’s target was Rachel, and thanks to that... Ah. Another message just came in.
[Wednesday’s regular class will be a “Mock Artifact Scramble.” There’s a management center underground in Area B-3 of the lowest floor. I’ve left the item there. The management center will be empty from 11 a.m. to noon, so aim for that window and take it.]
Tomer had become an internal spy without even realizing it, but well, she had only herself to blame.
Underground in Area B-3 of the lowest floor.
Just as I was repeating that to myself, a text came in on my smartwatch.
At first, I thought Rachel had sent it. There were a few lines of text and a photo of a problem.
[Could you maybe explain this to me pls]
But the sender was Chae Nayun.
* * *
A quiet study room. Inside, there was only the scratch-scratch of pencils scribbling and the rustle-rustle of pages turning.
“......”
In the deathly silent atmosphere, Chae Nayun was staring intently at a study guide. She had charged in, determined to study in her own way, but having failed to achieve her intended goal, she had ended up roughly mussing only her innocent hair.
[Calculating the density of magic power inside a dungeon is important. It can be said to be one of the basic qualifications of a Hero. This is because the magic power density within a dungeon often changes rapidly according to variables that arise in real time.
Now, let us look at the following formula...
...
...
Example 1) Assume that in an extremely small dungeon containing six kobold goblins, a Grade 9 magic explosion trap occurs......]
“Why do I have to learn this, ugh.”
Chae Nayun muttered softly as she leaned back against her chair.
She couldn’t even solve Example 1. Memorization subjects were fine since she just had to memorize them, but this damn Phenomenon Realm Analysis II. This subject, filled with nothing but calculations, was something she simply couldn’t do well no matter how hard she tried.
“......”
In despair, she glanced to the side. One empty seat away, Rachel was sitting there.
In truth, Chae Nayun had deliberately chosen this seat. To steal glances at Rachel.
Rachel’s profile looked quite gloomy. With her chin resting on her hand, she was looking down at her desk as if seriously troubled by something.
So even she has things she finds difficult.
Rachel seemed unable to figure it out even after worrying for a long while, and suddenly turned on her smartwatch. But then she spent another long while agonizing over something while looking at the smartwatch, before finally shaking her head and turning it off.
“......What’s with her?”
Chae Nayun muttered softly, then looked back at her own study guide.
[Example 1. In an extremely small dungeon containing six kobold goblins......]
She tried reading the words with empty eyes for the time being, but none of it entered her head. In the end, she had no choice but to pick up her smartwatch. Then she used the built-in camera to take a photo of the relevant page of the study guide.
After that, she searched through her contacts. Was there anyone who might help her... Kim Hajin.
[Explain this to me]
She was about to send that, but stopped. For some reason, it felt too arrogant.
[Can you explain this to me? If you do, I’ll buy you a meal]
No, that didn’t seem quite right either.
[You’re a genius if you can explain this lol]
This seemed kind of stupid...
After agonizing over it, she finally sent a text in the politest tone she could manage.
[Could you maybe explain this to me pls]
Then she set down her smartwatch.
1 minute. 3 minutes. 5 minutes... Time passed.
Was he not going to explain it after all? Just as Chae Nayun, wearing a sullen expression, was about to put the study guide into her bag, her smartwatch went wooong— and vibrated.
“Ooh.”
Chae Nayun hurriedly checked the contents.
An extremely kind and detailed solution had arrived from Kim Hajin.
“Hehe.”
Chae Nayun sat back down with a bright smile. At the same time, another text arrived on her watch.
This time, it was a group text sent by Yi Yeonghan.
[This Wednesday’s class will be