Who Do You Think Is the Strongest?
After unexpectedly spending the night together as a trio, the next morning arrived.
We headed to the classroom without exchanging a single word, the awkward atmosphere lingering thick between us.
Class was just a brief lecture and done.
Since the already short session ended even quicker than usual, we kept stealing glances at each other, unsure what to do.
Even during practice time.
The three of us sat side by side in the corner of the gym, eyes darting nervously.
Their outstanding looks drew stares from students in other classes too.
But since all three of us were top performers in Class A, no one mustered the courage to approach.
Heh heh. basking in those envious gazes from others was entertaining enough.
'Good thing practice grades don't count. Only official spars and external training matter...'
My skills would be exposed soon enough anyway.
So, I decided to savor this fleeting moment that wouldn't come again.
After all, admiration and envy could flip to contempt and disgust in an instant.
Unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, Han Ye-seo finally spoke up.
"Hey, you guys... not doing any spars?"
"Kinda tired today."
"Aftermath of sleeping on the floor, right? Even the best sleeping bag can't beat a real bed!"
"...Yeah."
Ja-an averted his eyes slightly.
'No way the sleeping bag's a relic too?'
Probably not. That would be crossing the line.
Some of us beg friends for a single spear, while others pull relics out of their capes like they're a dime a dozen?
We need wealth redistribution, stat.
Today, I'd become a communist for once.
'But you're forgiven.'
He was the one who gave me this spear, after all. A good bourgeois, you could say.
Can't just spark a proletarian revolution recklessly.
Han Ye-seo turned to me with a mischievous grin.
"...What?"
"Just curious why you're skipping spars!"
"You know why. Frail body."
"That's your excuse every practice, so your stats haven't grown at all!"
"Ugh..."
Han Ye-seo had poked right at my sore spot.
She was right.
My stats were identical to when I enrolled.
Except for that one impulsive Agility boost after witnessing Han Ye-seo's death, nothing had changed.
Despairingly stagnant growth.
'That's why I hit the black market...'
I'd stopped by on a whim, not expecting the hooded woman to be there.
I hadn't wasted the past month either.
'But there was a problem.'
I'd planned to snag items, relics, drugs, or books from the black market... but anything directly boosting human stats was insanely expensive.
Way beyond what Ivy Lane had scrimped and saved.
I could've liquidated everything for one, but blowing my savings on a single stat upgrade? No way.
Who knows what emergencies lay ahead?
Was Grandpa gonna cover living expenses?
I scraped by on free academy cafeteria meals, water and instant food at home, keeping monthly costs under 500,000 won... but it was tough.
Thank god for ability user welfare policies making dorm maintenance, water, and gas free.
If they weren't, I'd seriously consider death.
With Ivy Lane's body, part-time jobs were impossible. Purely surviving on government handouts.
Weekdays were out due to classes, and nights? Stamina too low—I'd crash hard.
The fixed stipend wasn't bad, but in a ruined Korea turned Seoul city-state, I wasn't optimistic about it lasting.
Story progression could cut it anytime.
I got isekai'd right as communities burned over leaked Chapter 2 spoilers.
City barriers might breach, academy defenses crumble.
Anything could happen.
The atmosphere would shift dramatically soon.
I needed to prepare.
But how?
Headache.
Poke. A strange sensation jabbed my side.
I turned to see Han Ye-seo prodding me with her finger.
Poke poke.
She kept going.
"...?"
"What the heck! Why aren't you making that weird noise!"
"Weird noise?"
"Eek! Eek! That cute squeak you did before!"
"Not ticklish right now."
"Aha! You've adapted!"
"Probably."
Lie. Sensations were dulling. Touch growing numb.
Fading bit by bit, but definitely worsening.
Who knew I'd confirm my body's abnormality like this.
The drug side effects didn't show obviously.
More precisely, as long as I didn't let on, others wouldn't notice.
Small mercies.
Just occasional eyeballs popping from walls or floors or doors, hearing parents' voices, body slowing down.
Compared to real addicts, my state was tolerable.
The issue? It kept getting worse.
Poke poke poke.
Han Ye-seo wouldn't stop.
"Quit poking already..."
"You've been spacing out a lot lately—focus on us!"
"I am."
"Really? What'd I just say then?"
I went silent for a beat.
Then apologized immediately.
"Sorry."
"Aha! You weren't listening after all!"
"What was it?"
"Wondering who's the strongest hero on the front lines? Me and Ja-an were chatting about it."
Ja-an chimed in.
"Probably precog or prophecy abilities..."
"I said this already, but those aren't combat powers!"
"Without future-sight ability users, we'd have lost Seoul too."
"True, but I'm talking strongest ability user!"
"Strength isn't always tangible. Not just physical."
Interesting debate.
I knew precog/prophecy types existed from game mentions, but this famous?
Han Ye-seo asked.
"Who do you think is the strongest?"
"Dunno."
"It's just for fun! Pick anyone!"
A few names came to mind.
Irene Rock? Class A homeroom, retired but still deploys, basically active. Straight-up A-rank, insists her non-combat Chekhov's Gun is combat-worthy and fights on the front lines.
Superhuman stats, predicts snippets of the future.
'But not the strongest.'
Even superhumans die to bullet barrages, nearby missiles, or bombs.
Ability users counter monsters, military counters ability users, monsters counter military.
Who could win against the government?
Most were side quest mentions, but communities always buzzed with power scaling.
Even I, who hated lore dumps, knew their names and rough strengths.
I spoke up.
"Hero Ham Deok-gyu guarding the Gangbuk barrier...?"
"That's obvious! So boring...!"
Han Ye-seo pouted, cheeks puffing out.
Ham Deok-gyu. A-rank active hero, age 87.
Ability: Swordsmanship.
No fancy terms, no complex explanations.
Superhuman mastery of the blade and sky-high stats.
Plain ability, yet Seoul's top hero.
Whenever people needed saving, he was there.
Nosy enough to rescue pets too.
Never let a single monster breach Seoul.
Guarded half the city—Gangbuk—solo.
A living legend.
'Not that simple, though. There's a condition... hmm.'
I glanced at Ja-an.
He stared blankly at the gym's white ceiling lights.
Ham Deok-gyu. The strongest hero.
'And... the one Ja-an aspires to, his idol, the brightest star.'
I let out a smirk.
Despite regression, needing others' deaths for rewards, I hadn't exploited it.
No suicides, no devaluing lives, no killing for gains.
This past month, I'd stagnated.
But I liked this stagnant routine.
I gazed at the ceiling lights too.
Lost in their glow.
'Checkpoint.'
Set.
I made up my mind. I wanted to be a hero.
Shine like them.
Practice ended, and I invited Ja-an and Han Ye-seo to my dorm room.
One reason.
The principal might still be lurking in my room...?
Low odds, but honestly, scary.
'And I promised to invite them.'
Can't take back my word. Real men don't go back on promises.
They seemed happy enough, so whatever.