The Black Knight's Prize Lottery (Part 1)

Evening. I was lying on the bed in my dorm room, class having ended early. Turned on my side, I passed the time staring at my smartphone. I had just finished dinner at the dorm cafeteria and taken a refreshing shower.

"I'm feeling unusually sluggish today. I might as well kill time in bed and turn in early."

Assignments had piled up for various reasons, but I figured I would handle them later. "I'll leave it to you, future me." Dumping my work on my future self had become a habit. Somehow, I only felt motivated once a deadline was breathing down my neck.

Just then, Taeyoung, who had been glued to his computer at the desk, spoke up.

"Hyung. Did you know polar bears can survive without drinking water?"

"...Huh?"

It came completely out of nowhere.

"I mean, I went on Doldol Wiki to read game character backstories, and before I knew it I was reading about polar bear ecology."

"..."

Doldol Wiki was that online encyclopedia where anyone could edit entries. I vaguely recalled hearing that clicking through links could lead you to all sorts of random information.

"Hyung. Do you know about atrichia?"

Taeyoung kept going without pause.

"Atrichia... isn't that baldness?"

"No, your head hair stays the same, but armpit hair and other body hair often doesn't grow."

Even while talking, Taeyoung kept reading about atrichia on his screen.

"Whoa. Apparently ten percent of Korean women have atrichia. Man... that's a lot."

"...Really?"

"Once you start reading Doldol Wiki, an hour just disappears..."

Taeyoung had fallen into the sea of information that was Doldol Wiki. I decided to focus on my phone again.

After some time had passed like that...

-Vrrr~

A message arrived on my phone.

"What now?"

I checked it immediately.

"Freshman Welcome Party?"

Come to think of it, it was about time for one after the semester started. I had received emails about it before, but apparently tonight was the night. Normally I would have ignored it without a second thought. I wasn't the type to go out much, I didn't participate in club activities, and especially not when I was already showered and comfortably lying in bed. The last thing I wanted was to leave my room.

Plus, unlike other schools, at ours the people who showed up to these things were usually second-years recruiting for clubs, second-years involved in student associations, or the overly curious types. Most second-years stayed away.

But today, one thought made me hesitate.

"The main gate food alley..."

The main gate food alley. Thanks to a previous quest reward, it had become a new quest zone. According to the reward description, quests could now generate, be completed, and items could be used there as well.

"Should I go...?"

Maybe a quest would trigger at the Freshman Welcome Party. All the freshmen would probably be gathered there. Bright-eyed girls who had only just become adults after wearing school uniforms until last year.

"Haa... should I go...?"

I was conflicted for all sorts of reasons. There was no guarantee a quest would appear just because I went. Quests generated completely at random. Sometimes one would appear the very next day, other times there would be four days of complete silence. Worst case, even if I went tonight, nothing might happen. And if no quest appeared? I would just be stuck in an awkward gathering wasting time. With no close friends and zero involvement in student associations, it would probably be unbearably uncomfortable.

"Now that I think about it, I really don't want to go."

I couldn't even imagine how awkward it would be. Sitting there with no one I knew—what was I supposed to do?

Just in case, I asked Taeyoung, who was in the same major.

"Taeyoung. Wanna go to the Freshman Welcome Party with me?"

"...Hyung. Did you know penguins are actually terrifying animals?"

"Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Taeyoung was still lost in Doldol Wiki.

"I guess I'm not going. No one I know will be there anyway."

I decided to spend the rest of the day in my cozy bed. There was no one to go with, and no guarantee a quest would definitely appear.

That was when it happened.

-Ding~

"...I guess I'm going."

As if egging me on, a quest had appeared. Now I had no choice. Freshman Welcome Party. How many pretty freshmen would be there? Girls who had only just become adults... My heart was already starting to race.

I got up and began putting my clothes back on.

"Hyung. You're going to the Freshman Welcome Party?"

"Yeah."

"Black Knight, huh..."

While getting dressed, I reviewed the quest details. Black Knight probably meant drinking in someone else's place at a drinking party. Quests often used ambiguous wording to confuse me, but I was pretty sure that was what it meant this time.

The time limit was until the end of the Freshman Welcome Party. From 8 to 11 p.m.? If my guess was right, that would be about two to three hours.

I slowly got ready to leave. I pulled a clean T-shirt out of the closet and put it on. It was one I had ordered online recently, bought to wear as an undershirt or just around the dorm.

"...Hmm."

It felt a little tight. The discomfort made me frown automatically.

Taeyoung glanced at me and commented.

"It looks a bit small, hyung."

"Yeah... I just went by the size online and bought it. It really is tight."

Online shopping was convenient, but it had this downside. Even the same size could run small or loose depending on the item.

"Haa... Still, I don't feel like going to a store to try things on."

But actually walking into a store and trying on clothes one by one sounded even worse. For some reason, stepping into a department store or clothing shop always made me feel suffocated. The sales staff's stares were unbearably burdensome.

"Hyung. It'll probably stretch out on its own the more you wear it~"

Taeyoung was right. Returning it sounded like too much trouble anyway.

"True. It's tight, but after wearing it a few times it'll probably loosen up nicely."

-Creak.

It didn't take long to finish getting ready and leave the dorm. My eyes naturally drifted to the students passing by outside.

"Is that girl heading to the Freshman Welcome Party too?"

For some reason, everyone walking toward the main gate looked like they were going to the business school freshman welcome party. Girls in skirts. Girls walking by with bright smiles. They could all be people I might meet at the party. Maybe I could even claim them through a quest.

The thought made me feel a little excited.

Once I entered the food alley, I saw plenty of people already drinking or heading out to drink. Naturally, there were pretty female students mixed in among them. While walking and people-watching, I soon arrived at the meeting spot.

"Oh? Juwan."

At the entrance, a guy was checking attendance and collecting fees. It was my classmate, Bohyun.

"This guy's here too."

Bohyun's expression when he saw me was a mix of mild surprise and what looked like the same thought I was having.

"This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guy's here too."

"Hey, Juwan. Long time no see."

"Yeah. You back from your leave this semester?"

"Yup."

At the entrance to the Freshman Welcome Party, Bohyun and I chatted for a bit. From what I knew, Bohyun didn't have the best reputation in the business department. He was tactless, openly chased girls, and badmouthed people behind their backs. A lot of people disliked him. Yet he never seemed to notice—or maybe he just didn't care—because he tried to insert himself everywhere. It looked like he was involved in student association activities too.

We weren't super close, but seeing him after so long still felt oddly nice.

"I can just go in, right?"

"Yeah. Not many people yet, though. Even at nine it probably won't be that crowded."

It was a little before eight. The bar, whose name sounded like it had been made up on the spot—"Moonshine Jar"—was still mostly empty.

Inside, a few students who had arrived early had already claimed seats. Among them were some classmates I recognized but wasn't close with.

"Where's Table 7...?"

But my seat was already decided. The quest that had generated back in the dorm room had made it clear.

[Sit at Table 7 during the Freshman Welcome Party.]

I scanned the tables inside. Each one had a number displayed on it. Blue background. Round, raised markers. After checking the numbers one by one, I finally found Table 7.

"Ah... hmm..."

Table 7 was tucked away in the corner. It was on the opposite side from where the early arrivals were sitting, with several completely empty tables between us.

"This... looks kind of weird..."

It felt like I was deliberately avoiding everyone and sitting alone in the corner. Like I was saying, "I don't want to sit with you guys."

"Still, I'm not sitting over there."

I had only come because of the quest. Even without the quest, squeezing into a group ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of strangers would have been difficult. In the end, I sat down alone at the corner table.

A few of the people who had arrived earlier glanced at me. But they quickly lost interest and went back to their own groups.

An extremely awkward silence stretched on for a long time.

As time passed, more students began trickling into the bar.

-Creak.

Every time the old door opened, it made an unpleasant scraping sound.

"Hello~"

"Hi!"

The pattern for new arrivals was simple. They greeted the people they knew, glanced at me sitting alone in the corner, then went to sit with someone else. Between them and me, there were still plenty of empty tables.

"The area I'm sitting in might ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be the last to fill up."

I spent some time on my phone.

-Creak.

-Creak.

Seats were slowly filling. People who came in glanced at me, and I glanced back at them. Male and female freshmen who looked full of energy and excitement. They seemed to have all sorts of expectations about their new campus life.

The freshmen and second-years who had taken seats were busy observing and getting to know each other. Naturally, attention gravitated toward the pretty girls and handsome guys. They were objects of curiosity, envy, and desire.

While I was people-watching, only a few empty tables remained. Easier said than done—sitting there alone while everyone else chatted away had been pure torture. Unlike the lively conversations happening at other tables, I was stuck against the opposite wall, staring at my phone. Feeling the occasional glances in my direction, a strange sense of regret washed over me.

"Shit. I should've just stayed home."

I had only come because the quest appeared, but this was painfully uncomfortable. The atmosphere was gradually heating up. I could see freshmen and seniors laughing, talking, and taking shots. The louder the laughter from other tables grew, the lonelier I felt.

That was when it happened.

-Creak.

"Whoa..."

"Wow..."

Someone else had entered the bar. But the reaction from the students—especially the guys—was unusual. I had been staring at my phone, but I could clearly hear the quiet gasps of admiration rippling through the entire bar.

"What...?"

The reaction made me look up toward the entrance.

"Ah..."

Two female students were walking in. I recognized both of them.

One was Lee Ayoung. The girl who worked part-time with me at the student support center. Flawless, clear skin. Bright, deep eyes. A calm and elegant presence. Her neat bob haircut suited her perfectly. She had an Eastern kind of beauty that made people stare in admiration.

"Juwan-sunbae. Hello~"

Lee Ayoung and I had used formal address with each other for a while, but after the roommate swap quest, she had started calling me "sunbae."

She was wearing sneakers and jeans. The white ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠T-shirt she had on clung lightly to her slender figure.

Then a new voice spoke up.

"H-Hello, sunbae-nim. I-I'm... a first-year in business administration. Freshman Song Yena."

The girl standing next to Lee Ayoung. Her voice was full of shyness and embarrassment. She gave off an introverted, delicate impression. I had never heard her name before, but I had definitely seen her once.

During the fire safety training. The short girl who had been glued to Lee Ayoung's side. Her roommate. The girl I had swapped roommates with that day. Thanks to that, I had made some very pleasant memories with three beautiful girls.

I looked Song Yena over. Just like the first time I saw her, she was incredibly short.

"150 cm...? No, she might be even smaller... maybe around 147 cm?"

Her petite frame didn't even look like it reached 150 cm. But because her head was so small, her proportions were actually good. If Lee Ayoung hadn't been standing next to her, you might not have noticed how short she was at all.

Clean, fair skin. A dainty, pretty face. Long hair braided into two pigtails. She wore an oversized hoodie, and beneath it her smooth legs were visible.

Song Yena looked like a perfectly crafted doll. The kind of cute, pretty doll anyone would want to own. She was wearing sneakers. Without any heel, she looked even shorter. Her ankles were so thin you could probably wrap your middle finger and thumb around them.

"Is she... wearing pants?"

Maybe because the hoodie was so big, or because she was so short, it almost looked like she wasn't wearing anything underneath. She probably was wearing pants, though. Still, the illusion created by her slender legs peeking out from under the hoodie was striking.

She introduced herself as Song Yena. She was apparently a business major freshman.

"She really is tiny."

"Petite frame" was a nice way of putting it—she was an extremely short girl. If you saw her outside of school, you would never think she was a college student. You probably wouldn't even believe she was a high schooler. At best... middle school?

While I was thinking that, Lee Ayoung asked me,

"Is this seat taken?"

"Ah... no."

"Yena, let's sit here."

Both Lee Ayoung and Song Yena had striking looks. Maybe it was their similarly fair skin, but the two of them almost looked like sisters. Song Yena, who could pass as Lee Ayoung's little sister, sat directly across from me, while Lee Ayoung took the seat to her left.

"Ah..."

So that was why the quest had specifically told me to sit at Table 7. It must have been so I could sit with them.

With my back against the wall and the two girls sitting across from me, I could see male students stealing glances at them over their shoulders. And every so often, those same guys looked at me with obvious envy.