Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Nighttime Training (2)
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The narrow path began to widen again.
Soon, a street adorned with brilliant yellow and red lights came into view.
“The rear formation will remain in two lines.”
Even though the path had widened, our group still numbered over 150 new summoners.
“Hey, look at those people over there… Huh? Isn't that the Golden Lion Guild?”
“What are you talking about? The Golden Lion Guild is in the middle of training… That's Guild Master Lee Tae-soo.”
“Looks like they're out on a field trip with the new recruits.”
“Are those the new ones over there?”
“They look really young. Are they high schoolers?”
The passing summoners, who must not have heard the news yet, stared at us with curiosity.
To be more precise, their gazes were fixed on the new summoners rather than us.
“I don't know, but there are quite a few cute ones, huh?”
“Fresh meat is always good. If we wait a bit, a few of them might end up here, right?”
Many people whispered amongst themselves, their lecherous gazes fixed on the group.
But not a single one of the instructors stopped them.
Of course, I had no intention of stopping them either.
After all, this was only the beginning.
As we moved a little further ahead, a full-fledged entertainment district appeared, and with it, a familiar face.
Apeid, the ruler of the back alleys.
Ah, of course, the real boss is Misha, but I figured I wouldn't need to ask her, so I met with him alone.
At my nod, scantily clad women and touts poured out from the shops lining both sides of the alley.
“Hey handsome, want to have some fun?”
“Sir, today's the absolute best.”
Pretending to solicit customers, they naturally approached our group.
“Are you new summoners? There are a lot of kids.”
“Look how smooth their skin is because they're so young.”
“They're just the type guys would love.”
“You'd be the star of our shop.”
They casually came closer, touching their hair and striking up conversations.
Because of their revealing outfits, some of the boys looked on with approval, but the girls were disgusted.
Ah, of course, once again, none of the instructors, including me, intervened.
“Wh-why are you doing this?”
“Don't touch my hair.”
A few of them were even on the verge of tears, but this was just the beginning.
“Excuse me, Mr. Oh Hyeon-ung? Isn't this a bit much?”
“I mean, what are you doing to these kids who aren't even adults yet?”
Principal Yoon Hong-chun and Shin Yu-seong came to confront me.
“What am I doing? I believe I explained everything earlier. Besides, didn't I tell you not to leave your positions?”
As I lowered my voice and set a stern tone, Principal Yoon Hong-chun faltered and stepped back.
“But still, they're just kids. Showing them something like this isn't right, is it? It seems too harmful...”
Mr. Shin Yu-seong, however, did not back down and steadfastly voiced his opinion.
He must be a hot-blooded teacher with a strong will, just like his appearance suggests. But in truth, this kind of behavior is closer to reckless bravado than actual conviction.
“Do you still think this is a school, or the modern world we used to live in?”
“But... you're a modern person too, aren't you?”
“So what? This is Elsia, and the reality here is that if you don't have money, that's what you become. What, does this feel like a game just because we're providing basic training?”
Even in games, there aren't many people who look out for new users.
It's usually the veteran players who've exhausted all the content and have nothing else to do who get bored and dote on newbies out of curiosity.
“No, that's...”
Tsk, tsk. Can't even properly refute it.
“Even a PE teacher should know the saying 'look before you leap'. Why don't you return to your spot?”
He was trembling so much I thought he might throw a punch, but he just backed away, his face beet red.
He returned to his original position with the principal. Thankfully, it seemed he wasn't someone who couldn't take a hint.
Sigh, what am I supposed to do if they get this worked up over something so trivial...
“Alright everyone, that's enough. We're moving again.”
At my words, the women backed away. Shin Yu-seong looked at me and gave a slight bow.
He seems to think his opinion got through, but unfortunately, he's completely mistaken.
If I was going to end it with just this, I wouldn't have come here in the first place.
I led the group for another ten minutes or so, arriving at the main entrance of the back alleys.
On the guild street, people only beg on the days summoners return from the Labyrinth, but the main entrance to the back alleys was different.
“Spare a coin, please.”
“Just a coin...?”
The beggars, dressed in rags, looked up at us.
“Aren't you from the Golden Lion Guild? Please, help a poor beggar.”
Some of them, recognizing the Golden Lion Guild, begged even more fervently, but...
Others stopped begging when they saw the new summoners with us.
“Hey, you there! Who told you to stop?”
“Made a lot of money today, have you?”
Thwack—
A burly man from behind began to beat the people who had stopped begging.
“S-sorry. Please, spare a coin... Ugh!”
People begging even as blood trickled down their heads.
Earlier, when the women from the entertainment district approached, some of the male students had actually seemed to enjoy it.
This time, however, everyone, regardless of gender, turned their heads away.
For a moment, I considered ordering them to watch, but I decided against it.
Thwack— Thwack—
“Agh! I was wrong! I won't stop! Just one coin...”
As long as we didn't move, they would still hear the sounds even if they turned away.
“What are you staring at? You enjoying the show without paying?”
Some of the heavily tattooed, burly men approached our group and started picking a fight.
This wasn't an unexpected situation; I had arranged this with Apeid beforehand as well.
Perhaps that's why the burly men didn't even come near me or the members of the Golden Lion Guild.
The men were picking fights with the new summoners.
“I... I wasn't staring...”
“No, it's just that he stopped us here...”
“So what? You talk too much.”
“Lower your eyes.”
As for us, I had already given them a heads-up, so no one intervened. I thought the teachers might step in, but that was a needless worry.
Even the principal and Shin Yu-seong, who had protested to me earlier about it being harmful, kept their eyes lowered and remained silent.
Another female teacher was doing the same, keeping her eyes down.
Oh, but one of the other female teachers was protecting a student, pulling her close and shielding her from the thugs...
Looking closer, I saw the student she was protecting was Go Hwa-yeon.
The teacher holding her seemed to be her older sister, Kang Se-yeon.
Every new summoner looked like they wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, but I wasn't going to let that happen.
I made them watch the scene of raw, merciless violence for nearly twenty minutes before we returned to the training hall.
When we first set out, there were quite a few of them chatting and fooling around, but the return trip was dead silent.
It seemed showing them once was indeed the right answer, far more effective than a hundred words.
After returning, I didn't send the new summoners upstairs but had them all sit on the first floor.
I stood alone in the center, between the tables.
“I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts, but it's gotten quite late, so I'll just pick a few people and then end the session with a brief summary. Hmm, you there, stand up.”
I pointed to a curly-haired boy among the students nearby.
“M-me, sir?”
“Yes. Let's hear your thoughts on tonight's training.”
“I-it was scary.”
“Is that all?”
With a little pressure, he started trembling, looking like he was about to cry.
The shock must have been significant. Maybe I should have picked a teacher?
No, well, I doubt a teacher would have been much different.
“Sit down. I already explained why I planned this training, so I trust you all understand. I'll get straight to the summary.”
As I spoke, I scanned the room. No one was dozing off or distracted.
“All of you here may have played Elsia, but as you saw tonight, reality is quite different. There are no police here to keep you safe, and no parents to take responsibility for you. They won't give you a break on taxes just because you're young. Regardless of age, as a summoner, you must earn your own keep and be responsible for yourself.”
They all looked serious now, as if they were finally grasping the gravity of the situation.
“Many of you turned away when the beggars were being beaten earlier. You'd better get used to it. Now that you're here, you'll encounter malice far more often than goodwill.”
Some of them tilted their heads in confusion.
“What you saw tonight is just the tip of the iceberg. You could die fighting monsters in the Labyrinth, or you could be attacked by other summoners. You could even die for failing to pay your taxes.”
Speaking so bluntly seemed to finally make them understand.
Naturally, none of the summoners looked offended.
Thanks to today's training, they must have gained at least a small grasp of this world.
“In case any of you are thinking you'll be fine as long as you join a guild, let me add one more thing. Among the people you saw tonight were former guild-affiliated summoners.”
“But if they were in a guild, why...”
“What do you mean...”
The previously silent new summoners began to murmur.
“Not all guilds are like this, but there are some that will suck you dry of your Jewels and sell you off to the place we visited tonight.”
“H-how could they...”
“Didn't I say it before? Here, you have to survive on your own.”
Reminding them of this in response to someone's comment made everyone, students and teachers alike, look even more grim.
“Starting tomorrow, I hope you all get your act together and listen carefully during training. The basic training won't teach you everything, but how do you expect to survive here without even the bare minimum of knowledge?”
A few of the new summoners flinched slightly, as if the words hit home.
“No matter how alert you are, without information, you'll inevitably be deceived and taken advantage of. Well, if you want to end up like the people you saw tonight, or if you don't care about living long, feel free to keep acting the same way. Now, dismiss. Ladies, head up first.”
I meant to keep the summary brief, but I ended up talking for quite a while.
Of course, there will still be some who don't get it, even after seeing it firsthand and hearing my words.
But my hope is that by going through this little bit of trouble today, I can reduce the number of people who die in vain or go down the wrong path, even if it's just by one.
Before long, all the male students had gone upstairs, leaving only Tae-soo and a few other executives.
“I always knew you had a way with words, my friend, but today I saw you in a new light.”
“Not at all. It went on a bit long, didn't it? You must be tired.”
“Long? Not at all. The way you grabbed their attention and spoke with such authority was incredibly charismatic.”
“Even I thought you were pretty cool today.”
Being praised by the guys and even Seol-hwa was making me feel a bit shy.
“As expected of a W-Tuber, you're a great speaker.”
I don't think being a W-Tuber has anything to do with this...
“It's because I feel bad for them.”
The reason I, who didn't have to do anything, proposed this and even met with Apeid to conduct the training was because I felt frustrated and sorry for them.
When you get down to it, the real villains are the angels who dragged them here without any warning.
All these new summoners are at an age where, in the real world, they would be hanging out with friends and studying.
If the summoners had been adults, I probably wouldn't have gone this far.
“Hyeon-ung, do you want to help with the training starting tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I bet they'd listen better if you were the one teaching.”
“Haha, that might be a bit difficult...”
I was only supposed to be the figurehead. I've done enough.
“Do you have something else to do?”
Seol-hwa asked, her eyes sparkling. I felt like I was about to get roped into something.
“I need to visit the Lord's Castle the day before the end, and I have a lot to prepare for clearing the Labyrinth.”
“Right. Our boy is a busy man. Seeing the new summoners' faces earlier, I'm sure things will be better from tomorrow on.”
“I hope so.”
“Yeah, it would be shameless to ask you to handle the training too.”
Since Tae-soo took my side, the others didn't press the issue.
Tae-soo really is the best.
“Well, it's late, so let's all head up and get some rest.”
“Yeah. I need to wash up and get to bed.”
The other executives all went up the stairs.
“Aren't you going, Tae-soo?”
“My friend, are you heading back to Kabisa?”
“Ah, I can't be bothered, so I was just planning to sleep here.”
I'm a bit tired, and I brought Geumyong and Nyx with me earlier.
“Really? I gave you that room assuming you'd be sleeping at Kabisa. Should I change it for you?”
“No, it's fine. More importantly, could we talk for a moment? If you're tired, we can do it tomorrow.”
“No, it's fine. What's it about?”
“It's about recruitment.”
“Ah! That friend who's good at enchanting? Why, is there a problem?”
Haha...
You really don't know when to stop, do you...
No, more importantly, have you not interviewed her yet?
“They say her older sister is one of the teachers, Kang Se-yeon. She said they'll definitely join the same guild, so I think we need to talk to the sister as well.”
“Ah, I heard that too. But I was told Ms. Kang Se-yeon has no intention of joining a guild.”
...?
What's this all about now?
