Translator: Wan ED/PR: novio
5. 1st year class 0 (4)
Lee Lena blinked her unusually round eyes and struggled a little.
I said to Lee Lena who opened her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
I, who held Lee Lena in my arms, and Seong Siwan, who was opening the door to the teacher’s lounge before me, quietly observed Lee Lena.
“Ah…”
Suddenly, Lee Lena’s face turned pure white.
I had a feeling when I saw this face…
It seemed Lee Lena had truly made up her mind to die.
“Come in.”
Ham Geun-hyeong took the towel off his head and put it on the table and then gestured toward us.
He would have been entirely dry in 3 minutes if he used the whole-body drier in the bathroom.
It seemed Ham Geun-hyeong didn’t want us to wait, so he waited here in advance with only a towel.
Cush.
I put down Lee Lena, who was wrapped in a blanket, on the sofa opposite Ham Geun-hyeong.
Ham Geun-hyeong looked between me and Lee Lena, then turned towards Seong Siwan.
“I told the dormitory students that class 0 was playing a joke… Wouldn’t it be best to tell them the details later?”
“Okay. Dry your head a little before you catch a cold.”
“It’s okay… Ah, thank you.”
Ham Geun-hyeong threw a towel at Seong Siwan, whose hair was a bit frozen here and there.
Even if I was worried about Lee Lena it would be best if I leave.
I bowed towards Ham Geun-hyeong and said:
“Then I’ll go. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Jo Uisin. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
When I and Seong Siwan were about to leave the room…
Lee Lena suddenly stretched her hand through the blanket and grabbed me.
“Uh?”
I looked at the protruding bone of her arm, which weakly squeezed the hem of my uniform’s sleeve.
“…Ah, sorry.”
Lee Lena hesitated and took away her hand.
She seemed to be afraid of something.
‘Perhaps…’
Lee Lena’s situation.
Lee Lena’s parents.[1]
Fantasy Auction.
Looking back one by one, I guessed what Lee Lena was afraid of.
‘…Are you afraid of adults?’
Ham Geun-hyeong was a rough-looking adult in his late 30s.
Seong Siwan was a third year highschooler, but he had dignity worthy of the Wings Club’s president.
On the other hand, I was her first year highschool peer, had an average build and was even still wearing a school uniform.
It seemed that from those three people, Lee Lena was most comfortable with me.
It would be best if I remain here.
“Teacher Ham Geun-hyeong-nim. Can I go a little later?”
“…Okay.”
Seong Siwan observed me and Lee Lena, then leaned against the wall and started to dry his hair.
I guess he didn’t want to leave two dormitory students here.
I sat beside Lee Lena.
After I sat down, Lee Lena grabbed the hem of my sleeve again.
Was it an unconscious action?
‘It would be better for me to speak than Ham Geun-hyeong.’
I conveyed it to Ham Geun-hyeong through my eyes, and Ham Geun-hyeong, who read my intentions, nodded.
“May I ask what happened?… If not, do you want to go and rest today?”
Forcing her to speak about what happened would have an adverse effect.
I had to leave Lee Lena room to escape and ask carefully..
‘Let’s wait.’
Lee Lena didn’t speak for a long time.
However, neither Ham Geun-hyeong, nor Seong Siwan, nor me urged her.
To not put useless pressure on her, we tactfully turned our gazes away and waited patiently.
“Today, my parents were permanently expelled from the Players’ Association, so…”
So Lee Lena’s parents were connected to this.
Ham Geun-hyeong covered his mouth to hide his hardened expression, as if he knew what had happened.
“But they said it’s all my fault. Because I had to be born like that.”
Lee Lena’s eyes started to fill with tears.
“It’s all because of me, and… I guess if I wasn’t alive…”
Lee Lena’s words gradually turned into sobs.
Nothing was heard but increasing muffled sounds of crying.
She collapsed from exhaustion after crying.
After that we left Lee Lena to the teacher in charge of life guidance for 1st year female students and left the staff residence.
Breaking the grip of the thin hand which clenched at the hem of my clothes felt much more difficult than smashing the Fantasy Auction.
***
Seong Siwan went earlier to report this matter to Wings club.
Ham Geun-hyeong replaced Seong Siwan and came out to see me off to the 1st year dormitory building.
“It’s the Fantasy Controversy, right?”
Ham Geun-hyeong halted in his footsteps and stared at me.
“Recently, the Player’s Association only permanently expelled the Players involved in the Fantasy Controversy.”
Lee Lena wasn’t in class 0 in the game.
Then the reason for her suddenly entering class 0 was for sure the Fantasy Controversy.
Ham Geun-hyeong answered in a bit of a firm voice.
“Lee Lena doesn’t have Sillentium’s coin brand that the Red Wall Thief left on the hands of participants. She cooperated with the police and the Association and gave her testimony. But because her parents were a bit more involved, it was decided she would be sent to class 0.”
The Fantasy Controversy was one of the biggest scandals in the current Player’s world.
If this became known, Lee Lena would have to bear her parent’s crimes even though she was completely innocent.
I was able to guess what Ham Geun-hyeong was worried about.
“I know Lee Lena is completely innocent.”
“…Okay.”
Hearing my words, Ham Geun-hyeong’s expression relaxed and then he smiled for the first time today.
“Today you saved Lee Lena’s life, Jo Uisin.”
Ham Geun-hyeong had a harsh and fierce atmosphere, but when he was smiling, he looked like an ordinary teacher encouraging his student.
“If Lena fell all the way down to the first floor, even if she survived, she would’ve been in enough pain to kill an ordinary person… And the current Lena would think it was her paying for a life she didn’t deserve.”
Ham Geun-hyeong softly patted me on the back.
“Good job, Jo Uisin.”
When we arrived at my dormitory room and Ham Geun-hyeong said his goodbyes, it was quite late.
When I was about to take a shower and prepare to go to bed…
I noticed something sparkling in the corner of the living room.
‘This…’
It was the golden ribbon Lee Lena tied her hair with.
When did it fall off?
I tried to carefully pick it up so it wouldn’t wrinkle.
The ribbon, which had been laying abandoned on the floor for so long, was cold like a piece of thin ice.
‘Lee Lena’s parents[2]…’
There was one more thing I had to do.
I immediately recalled which move I should play.
***
During today’s morning’s training, I lightly ran around Heavenly Wings Mountain while searching for Cotton Ball.
With said ‘light run’, which was several times faster than the fastest sprint of an ordinary person, I finished the trail around Heavenly Wings Mountain.
Was everyone training inside because the day was cold?
‘There is no one besides me on the trail.’
When I climbed a bit higher, far away, I saw dormitory students who chose the ‘Eungwang School Training Course’ lining up.
The Eungwang School also had a training curriculum.
However, it was left to a student to choose whether they wanted to follow that curriculum or not.
The students who preferred to train alone and freely adjust their leisure time.
The student who needed regular activity management and colleagues following the same program.
The Eungwang School, which gathered those two types of students, gave them a choice and even let them join or quit in the middle.
Because it would be hard to move if I had some time tied, I chose self-learning.
‘It’ll be more comfortable to continue personal body training.’
When I first came to this world, my overall statistics were Lv. 10.
Three months later, I was Lv. 13.
Usually, the level of the 1st year student was between level 10 and 20. Considering it was the beginning of the first semester, the physical ability of the first years will be moderate.
With ‘Player’s Trajectory’ characteristics, the priority of body training was low.
Because when using the Gwangrim, the overall statistics matched those of character.
From the start, I didn’t need to depend on my level because I could actually feel the damage limit increase as my overall statistics raised.
‘However, it would be better to increase the number of usable pieces to prepare for unexpected situations.’
My Gwangrim was different compared to other people.
Yesterday I succeeded in finding a way to use a character’s powers without changing my appearance.
Even so, if possible, I didn’t want to be seen using the Player’s Trajectory by other people.
‘If it got out that I’m the Red Wall Thief, Yu Sang-hun would make fun of me for the next 10 years.’
The title Red Wall Thief made my hands, feet, space and time shrink.
I have to make sure I’m not revealed.
This is the biggest reason.
‘I’m curious about the face of the reporter who gave me the title of Red Wall Thief.’
If possible, I wanted to give them an embarrassing title just like mine.
“Cotton Ball, where in the world are you?”
This morning’s search for Cotton Ball was fruitless.
The alarm in the wearable device rang after the training time ended.
I headed back to the dormitory to prepare for school.
***
The classes started at 9 am and the morning day-start meeting started at 8.30 am.
Currently, it is 8.00 am.
I was only one in the 1st year class 0 classroom.
“Hi!”
One of the playable characters, Kim Yuri, greeted me first.
“Ah, hi.”
After I replied to her greetings, Kim Yuri stood up from her seat and came my way.
Kim Yuri, who was much taller than most students her age, looked resolute as she walked.
In the game’s illustrations, she was usually drawn with magnolias. It seemed they were well matched.
⟨Reading ‘Kim Yuri’s character data.⟩
[Name] Kim Yuri
[Title] Eungwang School’s 1st year class 0
[Blessing] Advice of the Jin which hides their name: ‘Be a little more courageous’
[Gwangrim] (Sealed)
[Status] Normal
[Overall statistics] Lv. 15
[Skills]
Fencing Lv. 4
Danger Detection Lv. 2
Sprinter Lv. 2
…
…
…
When I checked her status, her Gwangrim was sealed.
‘Nothing changed from the game.’
After Kim Yuri turned 17 years old and experienced her Gwangrim for the first time, she fell into a state of panic.
She was terrified of her own Gwangrim.
It was so bad she voluntarily joined class 0 and personally requested from the Player’s Association to keep a seal on her Gwangrim.
‘She hid it from her close friend An Dain until she died.’
In the end, Kim Yuri couldn’t overcome her fear of her Gwangrim and died.
“I’m Kim Yuri. Nice to meet you.”
“Jo Uisin. Also nice to meet you.”
We both were wearing name tags and already knew each other’s names, but we exchanged typical greetings.
“Uisin, do you remember when we had to choose class president and vice class president yesterday? I became a class president, but Han Yi said she doesn’t like being a class official. Do you or Hwang Jiho want to take this role? Ah, I can step down if you would want to be class president.”
‘Other kids don’t come to school, so I couldn’t ask them.’
…She added with a friendly attitude, even towards me, who she saw for the first time.
Seeing how naturally she led the conversation, it seemed she was a class president or a vice president when she was in middle school.
‘Considering the future, I certainly wish to be a class president or vice class president.’
It was even better if a proper class official partner like Kim Yuri was added.
“Hwang Jiho would be bothered by a class official position. I’ll be vice class president.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Hwang Jiho, no, should I say Hwang Myeong-ho?
Anyway, Hwang-ho looked annoyed with his current position as chairman.
“Wow, thank goodness. Let’s work hard during the 1st year.”
Kim Yuri said brightly.
It seemed she was worrying there would be no one to take the position of vice class president, because class 0 was famous for having numerous extreme oddballs.
“Uisin, give me your device code.”
“Okay. Please send me yours.”
From now on we would be class president and vice class president.
It would be handy to know each other’s contact information.
We deployed holograms and exchanged wearable devices codes. Then we chatted while waiting for the day-start meeting.
“Uisin, you’re that ‘Unknown Supernova’, right? I didn’t expect you to come to class 0.”
“It just sort of happened.”
I also didn’t know I would come here.
Because I was half forced to come as a result of the deal with Hwang-ho.
‘It didn’t turn out to be a bad choice.’
I was physically close to the key characters in class 1 and class 2.
There were also many characters in class 0 that I wanted to help.
Also, when I do something not suited for an Eungwang School student, it will probably be treated as ‘Class 0 did it again’ and I’ll pass by smoothly without any particular doubt.
“I think class 0 is quite good. Other classes have fifty people, but class 0 has less than twenty. It’ll be easier to get help from the homeroom teacher, and the classroom we use is spacious.”
Kim Yuri really seemed to like class 0.
“Did you see the general schedule? This morning class ‘Player’s combat practice 1’ is a joint lesson.
Player’s combat practice 1.
First lesson.
In the game, it was an event with little importance.
Kim Yuri’s words continued.
“Our class is small, so we will be together with class 1 and class 2.”
The 1st year class 1 and 1st year class 2 were classes of the main characters in this world, Ju Su-hyeok and An Dain.
The first lesson will be with the two main characters.
*~*~*
[1] Lee Lena’s parents – Is it parents-nim again?
[2] Lee Lena’s parents (nr. 2) – No honorifics again. Just parents.
Translator’s note: Every time Jo Uisin mention that someone is tall, I imagine he needs to look up when he talks to them, because he is so small…
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