Chapter 27: First Major Update
Afternoon 5 PM.
“Doun oppa, you were really fun today.”
“Yeah. It’s quite different from what I heard.”
“Yeah. Oppa, can you give me your number? I’ll ask you when I have a hard problem next time...”
When I was pondering what to say, Hyemi interjected.
“Hey!!! Don’t mess around with each other and go home quickly!”
“Hyemi~ I’m serious.”
“Get lost!!!!”
This time, there was no chance to speak.
The conversation topic was clearly me, yet they ended up chit-chatting among themselves.
“Oppa, let’s go home quickly.”
“Got it.”
As I headed home with Hyemi, I heard the kids’ voices from behind.
“Doun oppa~ Let’s eat together next time too!”
“It was fun today~”
Hearing the kids’ words, a smile naturally formed on my lips.
I had fun too.
It was good to forget loneliness with songs, but it was even better to be with good people.
“Oppa. Are you smiling?”
Hyemi asked with a voice full of coldness.
“Eh?”
“Walk faster. Let’s go home.”
“Yeah...”
.
.
Back home, I logged into the game.
The inn room I had logged out of appeared on the screen.
“Huh?”
Persin, who should have been in the room, was nowhere to be seen.
I hurriedly headed to the adjacent room where Seolhwa was staying.
Knock knock knock knock.
“What’s up?”
When I called Seolhwa on her phone,
she said she was at the market with her slave.
I moved to the market and found Seolhwa looking at the stalls with the slaves.
They looked like a family.
Sara was smiling, and Persin’s expression wasn’t bad either.
Seolhwa also looked happy.
As I’d felt before, Seolhwa communicated well with NPCs.
She treated NPCs like people, friendly.
Especially, she regarded Sara as a younger sister.
This appearance suited Seolhwa’s game style.
If I was playing the game, saving every minute and second for growth,
she preferred to enjoy the game world itself by building good relationships with NPCs.
“Is this what made her the strongest swordsman among users...”
I respected her game style, but...
I stopped thinking and approached Seolhwa.
Now it was time to hunt.
[Cain, are you here?]
[Let’s go hunting now.]
[Yeah!]
Unlike Seolhwa’s welcoming me, Sara’s expression was stiff.
Persin’s expression... I don’t know.
He just had a blank expression.
Floor 6 underground.
Clack clack
A group of skeletons made of bones came rushing.
They gave a lot of experience and loot.
Even in this good beginner dungeon, there was one worry.
Floor 7 had skeleton archers and mages.
In a precarious clear of floor 6,
I couldn’t even imagine when I’d be able to hunt floor 7.
After several days of focusing on hunting floor 6,
that day came.
The day I entered high school.
On the day of admission.
Naeun’s mother drove me to school in her car.
The Forest School in the forest had its own charm.
The air was good, and the school buildings blended well with the surrounding forest.
Squeak.
Various cars were parked in the large playground of Forest School.
These were the parents of the students entering this time.
With Naeun and me, following the teacher’s guidance, we entered the grand auditorium.
“Wow... The facilities are really great.”
Private high schools are all like this, right?
Compared to regular high schools.
Looking at the school’s size and facilities, it felt closer to a university than a high school.
Beep.
“Students who have entered Forest Private High School. Welcome all!”
Starting with the homeroom teacher’s greeting, various events prepared by the school side proceeded.
“What... what is this...”
From the entrance ceremony, seniors started intense welcome activities.
The dance club showed cool dances,
the science club showed their research achievements.
Art club.
Music club.
Sports club.
...
Various clubs, as if advertising clubs within the school, announced events they prepared.
And.
The principal teacher stepped onto the stage.
“Forest High School cheers for your dreams. Our school does not just look at university entrance. We will strive to help you with employment and social life after university by broadening your horizons.”
The students liked it, but for the parents on one side of the stage, it was disappointing content.
Seeing what happens after university in Korea.
It was too advanced an idea for a country where university names are important.
In a country where even celebrities from prestigious universities gain popularity when they say so.
It’s helpful for employment too.
Helpful for marriage too.
Just... In Korea, a prestigious university diploma is like a certificate.
A certificate proving that I lived a successful life and will continue to do so...
But since the school principal teacher said that, it was disappointing for the parents.
After the entrance ceremony, the parents who were observing returned home.
“Everyone, unpack your luggage in the assigned dormitory. Classes start on March 2. Until then, get to know your friends.”
The dormitory building of Forest Private High School itself was on the scale of a regular high school.
In the room, there were two beds and two desks.
Yet, there was plenty of space.
“Spacious...”
There was enough room that even for a 4-person room, it was fine.
While organizing the clothes and items I brought from home, a male student entered the room.
“Hello?”
“Hello...”
It was awkward.
When meeting a stranger, I instinctively avoided.
No, not exactly instinct.
It was an acquired personality from being bullied by Kim Juho in middle school.
I forcibly suppressed the urge to hide.
Instead, I spoke first.
I needed to escape Kim Juho’s shadow.
I didn’t want to live like the past.
Living as if present but absent.
Feeling lonely while distancing from people...
That kind of life was enough once.
“Where did you come from, middle school?”
Fortunately, the roommate had a bright personality.
He guided the conversation well, and the awkwardness decreased a lot.
While talking, topics about hobbies came up.
“I’m into games.”
“Oh! I’m basketball. I like it because I feel refreshed after exercising.”
After a light conversation, I installed the newly purchased laptop.
“Laptop? For playing games?”
“Yeah. There’s a time I have to meet friends soon.”
“I see. Too bad. It would be good to play basketball together. Let’s do it next time I have time.”
“Yeah.”
Of course, it was just polite words.
I had no interest in sports.
In the past. Now too...
I logged into the game and met Seolhwa.
[Cain, this is good...]
[Is it okay with your roommate?]
“That’s... I use it alone.”
[Alone?]
“It seems like they gave me special consideration at school.”
For Eunhye, being alone might be better.
She wouldn’t want to show the scars on her face to others.
[Let’s go. Let’s hunt!]
[Yeah!]
Floor 6 underground.
I hunted the skeletons tirelessly.
[FAMILY SETTING (3/3)]
You can set as family.
- Seolhwa (Lv. 57)
- Fersin (Lv. 56)
- Sara (Lv. 53)
Levels had risen a lot.
Still,
I couldn’t muster the courage to go down to floor 7.
I had visited the slave market to find new companions, but there was no suitable person.
In the end, I kept hunting floor 6 without choice.
[Cain.]
[Why?]
“You’re not too rushed, are you? We’re growing fast too.”
Seolhwa’s words were right.
We were advancing sufficiently.
Hunting floor 6 was quite efficient.
But my greed was greater than that.
[Cain, you worked hard today too. Tomorrow’s first class, so I’ll end early.]
[I see. See you tomorrow....]
Watching Seolhwa enter the inn, I walked down Shuriel Street.
More users were visiting Shuriel Castle than before.
Soon, they would discover the dungeon in Shuriel territory.
If possible...
Before that, I wanted to clear up to floor 8.
“Doun-ah, why are you sighing while playing the game?”
My roommate Kim Sumin talked to me.
“Ah... No. It’s just that the game isn’t going well.”
“When stressed, exercise is the best. Let’s go out together next time.”
“Yeah... Next time.”
The next day.
Busy from morning.
In the dormitory 1st floor lobby, the assigned class was written.
I headed to my assigned 1st year 2nd class classroom.
Forest Private High School uses different buildings for each grade.
1st year building.
2nd year building.
3rd year building.
Separated.
But the individual building sizes weren’t small either.
To allow students to engage in various activities, each building had classrooms of various purposes.
Walking down the corridor, I entered the 1st year 2nd class classroom.
It was awkward.
I vaguely recalled the time when I entered high school.
Then... What did I do?
I sat in an empty seat without saying anything to anyone.
At that time, I had entered a high school near my house, and some kids in the class knew about me being a victim of school violence and bullying.
“Sigh...”
Even then, I sat in the empty seat like now and buried my face.
I hated break time.
Rather, if the teacher came in and started studying...
It was loneliness in the crowd.
High school was such a place for me.
Between the students happily playing together, I was a remote island.
No one talked to me,
and I didn’t talk to them either.
“Sigh...”
Still.
It was better than middle school.
Even if there were no friends, no one harassed me.
“Doun-ah!”
“Eh? Naeun...?”
“We’re in the same class!?”
Naeun patted my back while I was buried and greeted me.
“Ah.... 2nd class...”
“Really good.”
Naeun said with a happy expression.
“Me too.... Nice.”
Friends.
Past and present are different.
A friend who didn’t exist before now exists.
Eunhye, Naeun.
Both are precious friends to me.
“Wow! Eunhye is in the same class too?”
“Yeah...”
Like other students around.
I wasn’t alone.
There was someone with me.
“Hmm... Doun-ah. Who are these beautiful ladies here?”
Kim Sumin, my roommate, was also in the same class.
“They’re middle school friends.”
“Hello. I’m Kim Sumin, Doun’s roommate.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Naeun.”
“Kim Eunhye...”
Dring.
When with friends, the homeroom teacher entered.
“Everyone, pay attention. Sit in your empty seats.”
The teacher quietly told the class students, and started writing something on the blackboard.
1) 4th period (top 20% in grades)
2) 6th period (top 40%)
3) 8th period (top 60%)
4) Others must do study-related club activities
“Do you all see the content written on the blackboard?”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
The teacher, pleased with the students’ answers, smiled happily and continued explaining.
“You all know, Forest High School cheers for your dreams.”
Tap. Tap.
The teacher hit the blackboard with a pointer.
“But! That’s only when you’ve completed your original duties as students. The higher your grades, the more free time you have.
Conversely, if your grades are low, you have to attend all 8th period classes, and students in the bottom 40% have to do study-related club activities after class.”
Forest Private High School wasn’t infinitely free.
To get the right to be free, the school policy was to get good grades.
“Students in front, pass the printouts to the back.”
“Yes!”
The printout had a list of clubs in the school.
From study-related clubs, sports, arts, etc., various items.
In the envelope, dozens of clubs were listed.
“Forest High School has various club activities to help your dreams. One is mandatory, and the rest are optional.”
Korean club.
English club.
Math club.
...
Singing club.
Drawing club.
Dance club.
...
Soccer club.
Baseball club.
Basketball club.
Badminton club.
...
There were really many.
But, what I actually wanted wasn’t there.