9. I Didn't Ignore It on Purpose
9. I Didn't Ignore It on Purpose
9. I Didn't Ignore It on Purpose
The morning sunlight was refreshing and lively.
It seeped warmly into my cheeks, nourishing me as if I were a plant.
This was photosynthesis.
I felt power overflowing.
What interrupted this vitamin-D-absorbing photosynthesis wasn't shade.
"...Hey."
"...What? Yu Ha-yeon? Why are you here?"
What was she doing in front of the boys' dormitory this early? She'd said yesterday we'd go to school separately and meet in the classroom.
She's always so willful.
Yu Ha-yeon, who had stopped me, just stared at me without a word.
"...What? If you have something to say, say it."
Why did she look so scary so early in the morning?
Yu Ha-yeon didn't look very happy.
Did something happen?
I could think of one possibility.
In a bad mood from the morning, looking uncomfortable. That had to be it.
Shared pain is doubled.
I decided to offer the 'empathy' that girls supposedly like.
I put a hand on Yu Ha-yeon's shoulder and said.
"...That day is pretty rough. I get that you're hurting."
"What the hell are you saying, you crazy bastard?! It's not that day!!"
"Heup...!"
Thwack!
Ah, wait, my ribs.
Are they broken?
A sharp straight punch to my stomach.
The impact was so severe I could barely speak.
"Forget that! Why did you turn off your phone yesterday and not answer me?! Why do I have to worry about you?!"
Oh.
So Yu Ha-yeon was the one calling yesterday.
I looked at my phone screen to check.
The wallpaper was a photo of the beach taken with Yu Ha-yeon when we were kids.
But the notification bar had some strange numbers.
[22 Missed Calls]
[75 Unread Messages]
What was this.
I immediately checked the messages.
—Hey, what are you doing?
—What are you doing, I said.
—Can't sleep... guess it's because I'm not at home.
—...Asleep?
—What, why aren't you picking up.
—Hey, Han Si-jun.
—Hey.
—Five seconds. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. One and a half. One and a quarter.
—Why did you suddenly turn off your phone. Are you really going to do this to me?
—Tch. You're dead. Just wait till tomorrow.
...
Dizzying.
An incredible level of monologuing.
Even a musical lead couldn't monologue this much.
Maybe because she's a future S-rank hero, she's outstanding in other talents too.
I held my stomach, still reeling from the punch, and explained.
"There's a reason... Do you think I ignored your calls on purpose?"
"What reason?"
"I went to sleep with it on silent. Yesterday was exhausting. You know how my stamina is."
"...Really? It was ringing at first, then suddenly it wouldn't connect..."
"...Must have been out of battery."
Yu Ha-yeon narrowed her dark eyes with a hint of blue and stared at me.
A look of suspicion.
Yu Ha-yeon caught something odd.
"Wait. What's this?"
"Hey, don't touch it."
A scar on my neck left from when Han Yu-wol drew my blood, and the adhesive bandage I'd put over it.
Yu Ha-yeon leaned in to check it.
"Isn't this a wound? You got hurt, didn't you? Just tell me who did it and I'll give them a piece of my mind."
"No, it's nothing like that."
Even if I told you, you can't give them a piece of your mind.
Maybe when you're S-rank. Right now, you can't beat Han Yu-wol.
I came up with a quick excuse.
"It was an accident, just an accident. I got hurt when something fell while I was unpacking."
As I brushed it off, Yu Ha-yeon, who'd been trying to examine the wound, backed away.
If she had seen the teeth marks, my instincts screamed that disaster would follow, so this was a timely move.
"Ahem, well. So in the end, nothing happened... right?"
Hm hm.
Yu Ha-yeon gave an awkward laugh, as if nothing had happened.
Seriously, all that worrying.
"I told you. Please stop worrying. What are you, my mom?"
"Huh? But I am your mom. I raised Si-jun."
"If raising someone makes you a mom, then I'm your dad."
Nonsense.
Anyway, let's just go to school.
Since we were delayed, I quickly walked away from the spot.
I could feel the growing stares.
Murmur murmur.
Whispers of "What are they doing in front of the boys' dorm?"
Since many students were leaving the dorms in the morning, countless eyes were gathering.
"Hey, wait for me...!"
Leaving behind Yu Ha-yeon's distant call that echoed like a hallucination.
I hurried away from that place.
***
Our first class after entering Hero Academy.
Unfortunately, today's first period was practical training.
The teacher 'Kang Su-ho,' a former A-rank hero, shouted to the students gathered at the training ground.
"Today's class is practical. Each of you, choose a weapon you're confident with, then return to your spots and wait."
Practical training.
First period combat sparring.
Now that they had the students' statuses, it was time to check their actual skills.
The class seemed to know exactly where they should head.
Everyone except me.
'...What weapon did I even use to get admitted?'
Unfortunately, I had no memories related to combat.
And I couldn't ask anyone what my weapon was.
No, wait, I could ask.
I approached Yu Ha-yeon, who was choosing a wooden sword.
But several people were gathered around her.
"Ha-yeon, you use a sword?"
"Yeah, the sword suits my ability the best. What about you?"
"I... I'm a spear."
Since Yu Ha-yeon had socialized yesterday, she'd gotten closer to the others.
Chattering away, they were discussing what weapons they used.
Asking what my weapon was among that crowd?
That would make me look like a total loser.
I gave up on approaching Yu Ha-yeon.
'What's around...'
Now that things had come to this, I had to find my own weapon.
Sword, shield, spear, axe, bow.
I picked up a wooden sword lying around.
"Hnnngh...!"
With all my strength, I could lift it.
But swinging it seemed impossible.
My muscles would cramp, so I immediately put it down.
"This is definitely not happening."
By elimination, I erased shield, spear, axe, and bow from my mind.
The others were even heavier, and in the game, archers were agility-based, but in reality, bows required strength.
Let's look for other weapons.
Preferably ones that didn't need strength.
What caught my delicate eyes were the special weapons positioned in the corner.
'Dagger, pistol, staff, gloves.'
Weapons for specialists.
In other words, weapons for the defective ones.
To wound Magic Beasts, sharp weapons were the norm.
A dagger? It's for use on people. It couldn't handle Magic Beasts.
A pistol? Would a bullet even pierce a Magic Beast's body?
A staff? That's somewhat usable, since it's a conduit for mages to cast spells.
Gloves? What, did I come to do UFC? Absolutely not.
"Is this all there is..."
In the end, I grabbed a tiny weapon.
Slap!
"Alright, everyone seems to have chosen a weapon. Move to your spots."
The students separated and returned to their positions.
From now on, everyone was an enemy.
They said nothing.
"This class will be student-versus-student sparring. Forget any thoughts of 'what if my opponent gets hurt.' The magic barrier on your wrists will protect you, so attack without mercy. Any method is allowed. Give it your best."
I looked at the watch-like device on my wrist.
An analog-style watch.
It displayed a number: 100%.
"As you can feel, this watch contains magic power. If a certain amount of damage is inflicted on your body, it will immediately block it, so relax."
I couldn't feel the magic, but I understood what he meant.
So when an attack of a certain power comes in, a barrier appears and blocks it, right?
Since I'd seen it in the game, I got the gist quickly.
"The first match will be number 1 Kim Gi-ok versus number 19 Yu Ha-yeon."
Yu Ha-yeon right from the start.
So this was the beginning of Yu Ha-yeon's reputation that she'd gained from the start in the game.
I felt I knew what the combat training teacher Kang Su-ho was thinking.
A strong impact right from the start!
He was sending out Yu Ha-yeon, whom the academy was pushing, to deliver a powerful blow—and to instill in the students that not knowing your opponent means every moment is continuous tension, and that letting your guard down will make you pay.
Guiding them so they would get serious with each other.
Even in the game, he was a teacher who passionately worked for his students.
That was the kind of person Kang Su-ho was.
"By the way, I will expel the lowest-performing student in this class. The one who shows the least."
Cancel that.
Kang Su-ho is a total psycho.
I mean, who expels a student on the first day?
It seemed I'd misjudged Kang Su-ho when I'd only read about him.
As I thought that, the two students went up to the arena and prepared for their match.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Well, if it's sword vs sword, wouldn't Gi-ok win? He's strong."
"I think Ha-yeon will win. After talking yesterday, there's something... something different about her."
She is a bit unusual, after all.
Eavesdropping on the other kids' conversations was kind of fun.
"But, wasn't there someone who picked a gun? Did I see that wrong?"
"Nah, who picks a gun at the academy? Unless they want to be a cop."
"Right?"
Hahaha.
The students started laughing among themselves.
I shouldn't have listened.
Just damaging my self-esteem for no reason.
Don't listen to them, my weapon.
I caressed the pistol and moved to a spot where the students weren't gathered.
Yu Ha-yeon's match seemed about to start.
"A match is just a match. Don't hold any grudges."
Kang Su-ho began the countdown.
"One."
Yu Ha-yeon gripped her sword.
"Two."
Kim Gi-ok also gripped his sword.
"Three."
Amid the tension, it was Kim Gi-ok whose hands were trembling.
"Begin!!"
A thunderous voice signaling the start.
Along with that sound, magic energy began swirling around Yu Ha-yeon's entire body.
Magic power was used to boost the output of one's unique ability, enhance the body, or strengthen weapons.
The fact that she wrapped it around her body and not her sword meant one thing.
It was the manifestation of her unique ability.
"All Creation (森羅萬象)"
All things and phenomena lay under her dominion.
The place she declared as her domain moved as she willed.
Dazzling lights appeared around her, and they could instantly transform into any object Ha-yeon desired.
The outcome seemed already decided.
An arrogant expression that said she stood above all.
Yu Ha-yeon declared to him, infusing magic into her words.
"Don't move."
A pronouncement that was like a death sentence to him.
The arena was already Yu Ha-yeon's domain.