048. Growth + Kang Do-hee's Night Stroll
048. Growth + Kang Do-hee's Night Stroll
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Name ─ Jin Yu-ha (☆)
Gender ─ Male (20)
Stats
Strength ─ 53 Spirit ─ 58 (+5)
Mana ─ 56 Endurance ─ 56
Speed ─ 59 Charm ─ 70 (+1)
Specialization ─ Swordsmanship S
Title ─ Flower on the Cliff [Cliff Flower (崖花)]
─ Sword Genius [Sword Demon (劍鬼)]
Skills ─ [ One Slash, Two Halves ], [ Quick Draw ], [ Sword Dance ], [ New Moon (Moonlight Earring equipped) ]
Traits ─ [ Detection ], [ Eye Opening ], [ Intuition ]
Exclusive Weapon ─ Moonlight (月光)
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"......Is this for real?"
My eyes widened in disbelief as I reread the text on the status window over and over again.
The stats that hadn't budged even after three weeks of Basic Training had finally changed.
My Spirit went up.
And not by a small margin, either.
A whole +5.
My Charm went up by 1, too, though I had no idea why. But that wasn't important, so I moved on.
Thinking back, there were times in the original game when a whole semester of classes barely raised a stat by 10. Realizing that put into perspective just how enormous this increase was.
'Stat increases from lessons only ever mattered in the late game in the original... and that's from a single class?'
"It's only Spirit right now... but if I keep attending Instructor Baek Seol-hee's classes, don't tell me my other stats will go up like this too...?"
Gulp—
I swallowed involuntarily.
My instincts as a Velvetsra Player were screaming.
This class was one I absolutely could not afford to miss.
If Instructor Baek Seol-hee's class had been implemented in the game, people probably would've complained it was a balance-breaking class.
The game was already a rerolling hellscape because of the character gacha; this would've just added one more layer to that.
'The gap between students who take this class and those who don't would be way too big...'
It made me want to shove every single one of my party members right into Instructor Baek Seol-hee's class.
But I soon shook my head.
'...She'd refuse.'
She already knew about Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee, who were Special Admission Cadets.
She'd personally trained both of them for three weeks, even.
Yet, judging by the fact that I was her only cadet, she seemed to have her own firm criteria.
She was probably the type of instructor who only taught people who caught her eye.
Haaah.
Seeing these stat increases now stirred up a fresh wave of greed in me.
As things stood, there was no gacha, which meant no reliable way to supply Growth Materials.
Couldn't this be an alternative?
"Ah, what if I completely internalize Instructor Baek Seol-hee's lessons myself and then train the other party members...?"
The thought was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but didn't it actually sound plausible?
I swear this isn't just because I'm salty about suffering alone. Absolutely not.
I could feel the motivation that had utterly tanked after Swordsmanship class surge right back up.
But reality was a cold-hearted bitch.
"......It's hard enough just keeping up. Internalize? Can I even pull that off?"
I'd experienced it firsthand today.
This class was undeniably too much for an ordinary transmigrator who hadn't grown up in the Hunter world.
At my current level, internalizing it was a pipe dream; I was at the stage where I was just praying I could keep up with the class properly.
'Hmm, isn't there some way...?'
While I was racking my brain,
My gaze suddenly drifted to a corner of the room.
A single large moving box was sitting there, all by itself.
The items and resources the Operator had sent me when I first transmigrated.
I'd used up almost everything that was convenient to use right away, of course.
But there were still quite a few things in there that I'd set aside for Alice.
Along with some miscellaneous junk items of fairly high value.
I stared blankly at the box for a moment before opening my mouth.
"......Hmm. Alice doesn't become a playable character until way after the final chapter of the main story is over. That much is clear."
She did play a fairly major role during the main story, but she appeared as an unplayable character then.
In other words, a character designed solely for PVP.
"And there's still a long time left before she enters the academy... do I really need to hold on to it?"
As if possessed, I rose to my feet and walked toward the box.
"Hmm, I'd still feel kinda bad using all of it, though......"
And so.
......Alice's share was slowly being nibbled away yet again.
* * *
Late that night.
Kang Do-hee found herself unable to sleep for some reason and stepped outside to smoke.
Tap. Tap.
"Tch, already empty?"
She shook the cigarette pack, but only crumbs flew out of the empty carton.
"Guess I'll have to go buy some......"
Kang Do-hee turned away from the smoking area and headed toward the convenience store.
"......The Choco Digestive is gone?"
"Yes, we're sold out. A new shipment's coming in now."
Here, Kang Do-hee found herself at a crossroads.
Should she just buy the Sol's Eye and cigarettes and head back?
Or should she find another convenience store?
The combination Jin Yu-ha had recommended, claiming it was delicious.
Sol's Eye and Choco Digestive.
To be perfectly honest......
It was absolutely, horribly not her taste.
The two flavors did not get along inside her mouth.
The Choco Digestive was too sweet.
The Sol's Eye was way too harsh.
It felt like chewing mint and chocolate separately after putting them both in your mouth at the same time.
Frankly, the first time she ate it, her immediate thought was that Jin Yu-ha's taste buds were out of their damn mind.
But at the time, he'd been standing right in front of her, eyes sparkling with anticipation,
so she'd just shoved it down without showing any sign of distaste, forcing herself to swallow.
'Taste-bud-ruined Yellow Dog bastard......'
If it were just Sol's Eye by itself, she could've just downed it for the cold sensation and had it with a cigarette,
but if she ate the snack alongside it, she couldn't smoke.
On top of that, to reach any store other than this dormitory convenience store, she'd have to walk quite a distance from here.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Kang Do-hee turned around.
"......I'd better find another convenience store."
And so began her untimely late-night stroll.
*
The chill of the early-morning air.
A cool breeze brushed past her face, cooling her skin to just the right degree.
While walking, Kang Do-hee spotted an unwelcome figure heading toward her from the opposite direction.
Shin Se-hee.
She was wearing a black dress and a black hat, the click-clack of her high heels punctuating her steps.
Beside her walked a man in a suit.
And that man was drenched in sweat, lugging a huge bundle on his back.
"ὣἄἤἨὊᾼṇḩḄ!!!"
The bundle squirmed and let out what sounded like a scream, but its mouth seemed to be gagged, and only unintelligible noises leaked out.
'......A kidnapping?'
Kang Do-hee's eyes turned cold as she hid herself behind a telephone pole.
"Oh my, squealing like a pig. Please be quiet. What if someone hears you?"
Press─.
As Shin Se-hee spoke, she injected the bundle with a suspicious syringe.
The bundle, which had been resisting fiercely, immediately went limp.
"Hmm─. Isn't Jin Yu-ha just too much, though?"
"......Huff. Huff."
"Fufufu. Telling me to do as I please. How could he say such a thing without a hint of shame, that man?"
"......Huff. Huff."
The man panted heavily as he carried the bundle. Paying him no mind, Shin Se-hee continued.
"Secretary Kim. Are you listening?"
"......Huff. Yes."
"It seems Jin Yu-ha already had a pretty good idea of what kind of person I am, and he still said that, no? Fufu. Did I mention that I was genuinely startled by it?"
"......Yes, I've heard it, dozens of times already. That he would never be, disappointed, or let his feelings, change. Huff."
At that, Shin Se-hee shot the man a glare—.
"So, are you saying you're sick of hearing it?"
"Not at all. Please, do continue."
The fact that Jin Yu-ha's name was mixed into this suspicious exchange made Kang Do-hee frown.
'......Is this something Yellow Dog put her up to?'
Then Kang Do-hee shook her head.
She'd already falsely accused him once before and paid the price for it.
She couldn't jump to any conclusions until the whole situation became clear.
Step─
Kang Do-hee stepped forward, making her presence known.
"......Shin Se-hee."
Shin Se-hee, noticing her, widened her eyes in a circle.
"Oh my? Kang Do-hee? What brings you here at this hour?"
"......What you were just talking about. I'd like to hear it too."
Shin Se-hee looked flustered for a moment before turning her head to the side.
"Secretary Kim. Didn't you confirm that no one else was around at this hour?"
"......Huff. Yes. I checked everything."
"Then why is Do-hee out here?"
"......."
Shin Se-hee rubbed her temples as if she had a headache.
"Tch, well, at least it was Do-hee who caught us."
Shin Se-hee turned her gaze toward Kang Do-hee.
She looked her up and down, sizing her up.
"Hmm, and since I already made a promise to Jin Yu-ha anyway...... Well, it's not exactly unrelated to you either, so......"
"Related?"
"Yes, you see, this is the woman who swung the axe at Jin Yu-ha."
Thump. Thump.
Shin Se-hee tapped the bundle as she spoke.
At those words, Kang Do-hee could picture one woman's face.
The tanned blonde who'd been harassing Jin Yu-ha on move-in day and whom she herself had smashed to pieces.
Kim Ja-ok or something, a weird name like that—that was what she remembered.
Kang Do-hee's eyebrow twitched.
"......So, what, you're kidnapping her? A cadet involved in a crime gets expelled immediately."
"Oh my, I have no intention of doing anything so grandiose, you know?"
"......?"
"I'm just planning to give her a little education and then let her go again. So she can't do pointless things like spread false rumors in the community, or plot revenge, those sorts of things."
"......."
"And if you think about it, this is all your fault anyway, Kang Do-hee. Honestly. I know my role is to manage things from the shadows, but could you please think about the person cleaning up after you before you pull this kind of stunt?"
At that, Kang Do-hee's lips clamped shut, leaving her speechless.
"Anyway, I'll handle this part without any issues. All you have to do is pretend you didn't see anything and move along."
"......Really, you aren't going to do anything weird?"
"Yes, of course. I'm just going to give her a simple warning and let her go. I plan to report everything to Jin Yu-ha later, so feel free to confirm it with him."
Tch─
Kang Do-hee clicked her tongue.
She really didn't want to get involved with this bitch.
Kang Do-hee walked right past Shin Se-hee.
And then, on the road back to the convenience store.
Smack─
This time, a strange noise came from an alleyway just ahead.
"Gurgh─!!"
Smack─
"Kergh─!!"
It was the sound of someone being beaten savagely.
And those weren't ordinary punches, either.
They were on her level, or even higher.
"Guuaaaaaa....... P-please, spare me....... I-I wuzz wrong......"
'A murder inside the academy......?'
Kang Do-hee's expression hardened as she moved her feet swiftly toward the mouth of the alley.
And the scene that greeted her eyes.
'Instructor Baek Seol-hee......?'
What she saw this time was Instructor Baek Seol-hee in the middle of brutally beating someone.
"You, the bitch hiding back there. Come out."
Unlike Shin Se-hee, Baek Seol-hee had detected her presence immediately and called her out.
Left with no choice, Kang Do-hee revealed herself beyond the alley's edge.
In response, Baek Seol-hee's eyebrow twitched slightly, her expression one of mild surprise.
"Hm? Cadet Kang Do-hee?"
"......."
"I'm sorry, but I'd like you to be on your way."
"......What about that person?"
Kang Do-hee jerked her chin toward the woman smashed into a miserable wreck beneath Instructor Baek Seol-hee's feet.
"She's an instructor."
"......An instructor?"
"Yes. This is merely a time-honored method of settling disputes between instructors."
She narrowed her eyes and examined the woman more closely, and sure enough, she was wearing the instructor's uniform.
A duel between an instructor and another instructor.
Nothing good could come from getting entangled in this.
"Hmm, understood."
Kang Do-hee gave a slight nod and headed toward the convenience store.
She could feel a pitiful gaze watching her from behind, but she deliberately ignored it.
Jingle─
"Okay, the cigarettes, drink, and snack come to 8,200 won total."
"Here."
After all that trouble, Kang Do-hee finished paying at the convenience store she'd finally reached and stepped outside.
She popped the snack into her mouth.
Crunch─
"I can't help but think I might be the only normal woman around Yellow Dog......"
Gulp─
She swallowed the Sol's Eye.
Sure enough, it tasted like absolute crap.