Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: First Period (2)
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"Hello. I'm Kim Ju-seong from the 500 Club. My ability is this—physical enhancement."
"You really bench 500?"
A lively conversation was buzzing around the room. The guy answering was the one who'd sat next to me at the entrance ceremony. He lifted the desk in front of him with a single finger to show off his ability. Enhancement powers were always a solid, high-value pick no matter where you went.
Teacher Lee Jeong-ah seemed pretty interested in him too, firing questions his way. He shook his head at them and replied.
"500 was my goal. Ever since awakening, I haven't really tested it."
A chorus of impressed 'oohs' rippled through the room as heads nodded. The reaction was great. Kim Ju-seong had tanned skin, a short-cropped haircut, and sharp, handsome features. A few girls' eyes sparkled as he spoke. He glanced around the class, our eyes met, and he quickly looked away. At the same moment, I averted my gaze too.
It was obvious he'd be super popular when teams were picked. The other freshmen showed off their own unique awakening abilities one by one, flaunting their appeal. There was a guy shooting light beams from his hands, and one with healing powers. Every time someone introduced themselves, I kept my eyes glued to Kim Chun-bae sitting right in front of me.
'Hanakawa Misaki' Kim Chun-bae. Honestly, I was hoping this guy had some seriously weird or lame ability. The class had 30 spots. With 'One' Ichigaya Ichie absent, one person in this class wouldn't make a team and would be left solo.
What kind of power did Kim Chun-bae have? Something enhancement-based, maybe? Hypnosis? He pushed up his round glasses and stood, drawing everyone's curious stares. His pudgy belly, checkered shirt, and sweat-slicked neck fat were hitting all the wrong synesthetic notes.
"Hello! Hanakawa Misaki! I'm Kim Chun-bae! I'll show you my ability with actions, not words! Haaah!"
Kim Chun-bae let out a kiai shout and pulled what looked like fluorescent pens from his pocket. I knew what they were. Cheer sticks. The kind idols wave around on TV. What did cheer sticks have to do with abilities?
He dashed to the front of the class waving the cheer sticks. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah took a surprised step back before steadying her gaze on him. Kim Chun-bae gripped the sticks in both hands like claws, dropped to his knees, and yelled.
"Come out! Misaki-chan!"
A blue light began flowing from his chest. It widened into a tunnel-like hole, and a glowing figure emerged from within. She had long golden twin-tails, eyes sparkling like the Milky Way, and wore a beautiful dress adorned with frills.
Flowers fluttered around her. Professor Lee Jeong-ah stared at Kim Chun-bae with a slack-jawed expression. The whole class—and me too—gaped at him in shock.
"Hi, everyone! Nice to meet you! I'm everyone's idol, Misaki-chan!"
The girl who called herself Misaki spun around with flashy greetings and started dancing. Kim Chun-bae cheered her on from behind, busting out some bizarre moves of his own.
"Uh, um, student Kim Chun-bae?"
Even as he danced a fiery routine with Misaki, Kim Chun-bae answered Teacher Lee Jeong-ah's question without missing a beat.
"Why! What's! Up! Huh! Hoo! Hah!"
"Summoning abilities aren't that rare, but this type is a first for me. What can your Misaki-chan do?"
"She fights! Hoo! In my! Place! Woooh! Hoo! And heals! Woooh! Hoo! Others too! The more! Hoo! Woooh! I cheer, the stronger! She gets!"
That dance must've been his cheering. The class's initial shock morphed into something intrigued. Strip away the visuals of the ability and his cheering style, and it was ridiculously overpowered. Summoners already pulled more than their weight in scouting, making it a highly valued power type.
But this one could communicate, heal, and pack a punch in combat? Teacher Lee Jeong-ah eyed his ability with clear fascination.
At this point, I just gave up on hope. I checked my own status.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Awakener: 'Ada Bomber' Jeong Su-hyeon 💨 Strength: 9 ✨ Agility: 8 💪 Intelligence: 6 🍀 Luck: 14 Abilities Phalanx LV. 1 Absorbs 10% of damage dealt to the left hand. Releases that absorbed amount as a shockwave from the right hand. Phalanx. It might turn into a powerhouse of offense and defense later on, but right now, it had zero appeal for team-ups. The absorption rate was too low, and it didn't deliver any immediate heavy hits.
While I fiddled with my status window, the moment of reckoning crept right up to me. As I stood from my seat, I could already hear murmurs and sidelong glances from the chatting students.
Some looked at me with eager anticipation. They were all waiting for this exact moment. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah fixed me with a sharp gaze and said.
"Yes. Jeong Su-hyeon. Please introduce yourself."
"Uh, hello."
I took a deep breath. It was just a nickname, but saying it out loud took serious effort.
"I'm Ada Bomber Jeong Su-hyeon."
"Pfft."
"Puhehe!"
"Kkh...!"
Laughter erupted from all sides. The awkward disdain from the first day of the entrance ceremony had evolved into full-on mockery and amusement. In this chaotic mess, the only ones not laughing were me and Teacher Lee Jeong-ah. She stared at me piercingly and asked.
"Jeong Su-hyeon."
"Yes."
"Do you understand that your nickname is like your business card?"
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"Since you get it, I won't say more. Just be careful with your actions."
"Got it."
The jovial mood chilled instantly. In this disastrous atmosphere, my ability demo began. Even the explanation felt half-baked.
"My left arm absorbs some impact, and my right arm releases that energy."
"Does it absorb and release all the impact?"
"No. Right now, it's about 10% absorption and release. But with a little growth, I think it can be applied in versatile ways."
I swear I heard sighs from the class. Their slightly upturned lips irked me. Everyone makes mistakes. I believed a chance to undo a drunken slip-up should always be given. But apparently not here. I took a deep breath and sat back down.
It was crystal clear now—no one was going to team up with me.
Once intros wrapped up, electronic pads were handed out to everyone. They were Hunter support policy freebies. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah pulled up a program screen on hers and said.
"Go to the [Hunter Competency Enhancement Program] menu on that pad and enter your student ID, name, and nickname. We'll handle team formation through this program."
I inputted my name and nickname as instructed, then held my breath. Some kids were already locking eyes, teams seemingly formed. I quietly finished entering mine and waited my turn. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah continued.
"Next, go to the team formation tab in the top right, pick the teammates you want, and hit match."
Students' screens flashed red with matches in seconds. Before I could even react, half the class was done. I hurriedly picked someone at random and hit match. But every time I did, people just glanced back at me—no one wanted to team up.
The matches finalized in under five minutes. On the results screen, my name hung alone at the bottom.
Teacher Lee Jeong-ah scanned the results and nodded. Then she said.
"Jeong Su-hyeon, you'll team with Ichigaya Ichie. She's finishing up a week of studies in Japan, so go solo until then."
"Yes, understood."
Maybe teaming with Ichie—who'd dodged this trainwreck intro—was a blessing. Blessings in disguise, right? This could turn lucky. Comforting myself with that, I glanced at the other teams.
Kim Ju-seong was teamed with Kim Chun-bae.
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"Now, let's start mentor matching. The 'team leader' in your group should hit mentor match. From here on, class will involve getting guidance and a rundown of upcoming lessons from your mentor."
Team formation done, now mentor time. Mentors didn't get picked by us—they chose rookies they wanted. The pad would ping with a location. I wondered who'd mentor a team of a Japanese girl and Ada Bomber.
Kim Chun-bae's flashy summon show and Kim Ju-seong's straightforward strength got mentor pings right away—they headed out. Then the ice user and their teammate left, and so on, one by one.
I stayed put, waiting for my ping. Teacher Lee Jeong-ah watched me bite my nails with a blank expression.
"Oh, it came!"
"Where? Let's go!"
"Gym."
The chatty girls who'd taken the seats in front of me finally got their ping and burst out the door. Now it was really just me. A weird feeling washed over me. Could mentor matching fail?
Lee Jeong-ah said nothing as I openly fretted, just opened a book and started reading.
🔔 RING! 🔔 ['Kim Yu-jeong' Kim Yu-jeong: Please come to the library.] The bell rang. Someone had picked our team. I frantically checked the name.
The library was in the next building over. I shot up from my seat.