The Haves Know Nothing
"Hey, but seriously, is it really okay to tell even us about this? We're basically nobodies who couldn't even graduate, so even if we're pissed off, we can't really complain..."
I nodded as I listened to Jeong Jae-kyung's familiar voice, laced with his usual snark, coming through the smartphone I still hadn't tossed. I wanted to use the personal device I'd brought from the SF world for calls and real-life stuff, but hogging it all to myself would just make me look like some attention-whore show-off. So, playing it cool through my old smartphone, I replied.
"You little shit, if I tell you, shit's gonna hit the fan big time. You think I'm just gonna stand by and watch?"
"Ugh..."
"And besides, if that bald bastard's warning me ahead of time like this, he's probably telling me to do something before it all goes down."
"You think...?"
His otaku habits were pathetic, and I always teased him for how squishy he felt in spars, but blood is thicker than water with classmates. The moment I spilled what the principal had told me about the otherworld erosion, his reaction was all about worries for what came next.
Worries, or just his desire to save his own ass... Is the cowardice why he's like this? Fucking impossible to read the guy.
His reaction was suspicious as hell, but Jeong Jae-kyung was still a cadet with talent beyond regular awakeners—he'd hit hunter level if he'd just graduated. Like the principal said, with otherworld erosion closing in, I couldn't handle it alone. I needed a faction. Cutting off his hesitant bullshit, I pressed on.
"Whatever, point is, shit like this is coming, so you can't just sit on your ass, right? Since we're at it, let's round up the classmates."
"...What do I gotta do?"
Maybe he was skeptical about my info's truth, or just vague anxiety—his mumbling faded quick. A small sigh leaked through the phone, and he asked like he had no choice.
This guy's no dummy, so is he playing hard to get on purpose? Bet he's grinning like an idiot, dying to dive in.
Jeong Jae-kyung had a schemer's personality like mine, so his cocky foot-dragging pissed me off. But right now, priorities: build a base with classmates fast. Whether for future NTR ops or backstabbing chances, I opened my mouth.
"First off, all you guys move to my place as the hub."
"Move? To your neighborhood? Fuck, isn't that the spot the bald guy hooked you up with? House prices look insane—how the hell are jobless losers like us supposed to afford that?"
"Not moving to nearby houses. The bald eagle gave me a whole training mountain behind the house."
"So... pitch tents in the woods, go full caveman?"
"Exactly."
"Fuckin' hell... Guys might buy it 'cause they're used to roughing it like beggars and think it'd be fun, but the girls? You've been all cozy with Jisu, so they barely talk to you anymore. Good luck getting them to crawl in, dude."
Ever since I got close to Park Jisu, the female classmates had gone quiet around me, avoiding clashes. Hearing the truth laid bare, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Heh. Cute little bitch got wrecked today."
"Shut up and suggest a fix, you lolicon."
"Says the furry freak."
"Fuck."
I couldn't show him the tags on the women I'd claimed and owned, so he defaulted to calling me a lolicon. After a quick "fuck you too" laced with brotherly love, I paused. Sure, he called himself a furry, but unlike me—who'd savored Tier, Plang, and beastkin delights—he'd never tasted the real thing. Every jab at him felt like accidentally spitting in my own face, so I barked to reset the dragging convo.
"Anyway! I'll build villas on the mountain or some building nearby—I'll figure it out with the bald eagle. Just convince the rest and bring 'em."
"What if I drag 'em and it's a barren field? Don't blame me."
"Don't worry, just bring as many as you can without them flaking. Hanging up?"
"Yeah."
His wishy-washy act earlier was fake—his sly chuckle confirmed it. I snorted, then chucked the phone onto the bed.
"Whew... Feels early to pull this out, but no choice."
I'd planned something big enough to shake society, but circumstances forced a sigh. In my hand: a glass vial emitting a soft lavender glow.
+++
"Hm..."
In the pitch-black office thick with silence, Baek Gwang-ho—academy principal and S-rank hunter—stared intently at the glass vial on his desk, scattering an eerie purple light. The contents hummed with faint mana, feeling like some run-of-the-mill artifact byproduct or gate potion anyone could dismiss as ordinary...
"But when has that kid ever acted normal..."
Problem was, it'd come from his student and protégé, cadet Kang San.
"That swindler... If it was some legit artifact, he'd store it properly. What the hell is this, a milk bottle? Ugh."
He'd handled potions plenty in his long hunter career, but no one had ever handed them over in a damn old-school milk bottle. Shaking his head, he scratched his nonexistent hair.
"This is... how it goes, huh...?"
Recalling past glories slipping through his fingers, Baek Gwang-ho picked up the glowing milk bottle and swallowed hard. Lately, the no-holds-barred Kang San barged into his office anytime for questions or favors, so he'd gotten used to the nuisance. But this request? Build a new residential zone around the kid's house. Absurd.
Obviously, he wants to huddle with classmates for group power-ups... Makes sense for third-years; most awakeners stick together for life unless something weird happens.
Kang San had whined like a kid robbed by a peddler, no shame or bowing. Baek Gwang-ho ignored his investment plans and future visions, flat-out refusing. Grinning like a kid watching a tantrum, Kang San pulled out this milk bottle—staring at Baek's shiny bald head, declaring it held what he'd sought, capping it with a motherfucking oath gesture that shattered his reason. He'd snapped out of it just moments ago.
Still dazed yet thrilled, Baek exhaled hot, excited breaths, savoring the mix.
"Fuck. How much did he gouge me? Feels like two or three from the collection at least..."
With reason fled, he recalled his lifelong hoard: gate clears, government artifact "acquisitions"—items so priceless appraising them felt insulting, stashed in a sub-space "collection." Now, three neat holes punched in that tidy display. Laughable; a hollow chuckle escaped.
"Including the subspace, that's four he's ripped off already? Ha... unbelievable."
It was for his protégé anyway, and the kid used similar space powers, so he'd planned to hand it over eventually. The brief absurdity flipped to ecstatic joy at getting his lifelong grail for free.
"That little shit... Give it time, he'll eye the association president's dome next. Heh."
Baek had hunted it forever, but even diluted now, it didn't feel unfair. Recalling his old friend's reaction—rushing toward ruin lately—Baek twisted open the milk bottle's lid.