First Major Update
Seolhwa's cheerful voice rang out in the party chat.
"Hey, everyone, we can now summon elite skeleton warriors and skeleton mages!"
I blinked at the notification that had popped up in my vision.
"Whoa, congratulations!"
"Oh! The skeleton warrior looks even bigger now. He's got a shield too!"
"Hahaha! Thanks! Hahaha!"
The group chat filled with excited replies. Everyone's level had hit exactly 100.
The party screen glowed with every member's name and level.
"All of us reached level 100. Now it's time to find the next hunting ground."
"We should head deeper into the Apse Mountain Range. There's a suitable monster there. Trolls. Level 150 monsters, large ones."
"Trolls have incredible regeneration, so prolonged fights usually favor the players. They keep healing themselves constantly."
"But they can't swarm like goblins. Most live in family units, and loners are common too."
"Let's go catch some trolls!"
"Yeah!"
"I'm looking forward to using those elite skeleton warriors too."
We ventured deeper into the Apse Mountain Range than usual. The goblin tracks suddenly disappeared.
"Hey, look at these footprints."
"Whoa, they're huge..."
"These must be troll tracks."
"Yeah..."
Trolls grow extremely fast from childhood and can reach about four meters tall. Their hands and feet are massive, and their weight is heavy.
We all crouched low and hid behind the bushes.
Koong... Koong...
A troll crossed the tall trees and approached.
As our first troll hunt, the majority were in a group.
More than two would mean we'd have to find others anyway.
We waited for a while, but no additional trolls appeared.
"Understood."
"Dealers, avoid aggro and adjust your damage output."
"Yeah!"
"Got it."
Seolhwa and Persin answered.
"Yes..."
"Yes..."
Trolls had very high healing power. Seolhwa and Persin's attacks would be healed quickly.
But if we applied the burn status effect to the wound areas...
Healing speed would drop dramatically.
We planned to deal damage and then burn the wounds in place.
"Holy Weapon!"
"Blessing!"
Elena’s buffs boosted us as we charged at the troll.
The troll raised its club high and swung it down.
Instead of dodging the fast swing, I raised my shield to block.
-[damage] HP
"Cough!"
Status effect: Stun.
The heavy club falling from five meters dealt significant damage.
While I was stunned, the elite skeleton warriors took over tanking.
-[damage] HP
Thud! Thud!
The skeleton warriors also raised their shields to block the troll's club.
They couldn't endure like I could and flew backward.
It was fortunate they didn't get destroyed in one hit.
Shuush.
The troll swung its club at me again.
-[damage] HP
"Cough!"
I didn't block head-on this time and stepped sideways to defend.
The club grazed the shield and struck the ground.
Dust exploded outward in an instant.
A moment later the dust cleared, and the troll struggled to pull its club out of the ground.
Swish!
Swish!
Kwaaaaaaah!
Taking the opening, Seolhwa and Persin attacked the troll.
Fireball!
📍 Location: Apse Mountain Range
🎁 Reward: Troll Blood
The skeleton mage's spell struck the troll's wounds, applying burn damage.
"Great! Let's accumulate damage using the burn effect like this!"
"Yeah!"
After ten minutes of attacking, the troll finally dropped to one knee.
Kwaaaaaaah!
"Seolhwa!"
"Yeah!"
Seolhwa's white-glowing Ice Dragon's Sword sliced the troll's neck with Holy Weapon.
She had probably strengthened it with Aura.
Swish!
The troll's head fell to the ground. Its neck, already unable to resist, had lost all power.
"Extract the blood."
"Yeah!"
We extracted the troll's blood. It could be sold for a high price as a potion ingredient.
"This should bring in a decent amount of money."
"Yeah!"
"Nice!"
Eunhye and Naeun replied.
"Ugh... the elite skeleton warrior is so weak..."
Despite the joyful atmosphere, the puppeteer sighed.
His newly summoned elite skeleton warrior hadn't performed well after reaching level 100.
Due to his Necromancer trait, he suited dealing with large groups one level below him.
He would shine more against orcs or goblins than against individuals like us.
"Master, you fought badly."
"I know... it's a shame."
We defeated eight trolls that day, gained experience, and obtained troll blood as well.
We defeated eight trolls that day, gained experience, and obtained troll blood as well.
The School Violence Prevention Committee imposed a ten-day suspension on Lee Hanmin.
It was a relatively light punishment personally, but considering his father was a National Assembly member, the committee had clearly tried hard.
He no longer had to check chairs before sitting, and the risk of getting drenched in the toilet disappeared.
School life could finally return to normal.
But...
"Dowoon, his parents have appealed the decision."
"What happens then?"
"The higher authority will review it again."
"Yes..."
That was still decent progress.
"Don't worry. Chairman of Human Games will handle it well."
"Yes..."
Kim Soojin, an ex-employee of Human Games, trusted the chairman deeply.
She had once said the chairman was stronger than the president...
Even if the higher authority took over, nothing the school could do remained.
Yet her infinite trust in the chairman never wavered.
"Teacher! We got a notice from the Ministry of Education!"
"A notice? No way!"
Our eyes met instantly.
Given the timing, it had to relate to Hanmin's suspension.
"I'll go check."
"Teacher, I'll go with you."
We followed Kim Soojin to the principal's office.
The office was in chaos.
The Ministry of Education staff had turned everything upside down.
They had even entered the vice-principal and principal's rooms.
"Dowoon, it's fine. Don't worry."
"Yes."
I had expected this.
We were already committed to going all the way.
Unlike before, there were people who believed in me now.
The next day, the National Tax Service conducted a tax investigation.
The school fell into chaos again.
This time they tore the entire campus apart.
During break, we headed to the teachers' lounge to watch what the tax officers were doing.
It was all because of me.
I felt sorry for the teachers and staff...
When we got close, one teacher was staring out the window.
I greeted him.
As I passed, he muttered to himself.
[“Tsk, a single eel is causing all this trouble. Ugh...”]
I met his eyes.
He had clearly recognized me.
Yet he still said that?
I stopped and turned.
"Teacher, what did you say?"
"Huh? What?"
The teacher turned his gaze toward me.
"You were talking about an eel, weren't you? Are you referring to me?"
"What? Tsk tsk. I have no time to talk. Keep walking."
What kind of nonsense is this?
I stared fixedly at the teacher's face.
He looked around his mid-thirties.
Since he had lived to thirty-five, he didn't seem older than me.
"Teacher, apologize. What you said just now was inappropriate."
"What? Ha... seriously."
The teacher gave a bewildered expression and tried to leave.
Normally I would have kept walking, but anger took over.
Following him was the only choice.
This kind of behavior was unacceptable.
School violence was undoubtedly a troublesome issue for teachers.
It was delicate and hard to resolve.
Yet teachers didn't have the right to speak to victims like this?
If I had been a normal high-school student, or even if my mental age were that of a late teenager, I would have shrunk in fear after hearing that monologue.
I might have even blamed myself.
Blamed myself for making someone else suffer.
Blamed myself for the incident.
But I didn't think that way.
If a teacher only taught knowledge and viewed school violence as a nuisance, he shouldn't have become a teacher at all.
If he was paid, he had to fulfill his role.
"Teacher! Cancel that remark about the eel."
"Ha... this kid is persistent."
The teacher looked displeased.
But he had no intention of backing down.
Teachers like this were the reason school violence took so long to resolve.
And I had no intention of keeping this inside.
"The reason school violence continues is because of people like you. If you find it troublesome, you shouldn't have become a teacher."
"What?! You brat! Follow me to the teachers' lounge!"
The teacher grabbed my ear and dragged me along.
The pain was sharp, but I endured it.
"Apologize first. The teachers' lounge is next."
The person in front now looked like a peer, not a teacher.
A particularly irritating peer.
I wanted to say in rough language that I had lived as much as he had, but I held back.
"Dowoon! No, teacher, what are you doing to a student?!"
Kim Soojin sprinted from the end of the corridor in an instant.
I had thought she was only strong, but she ran fast too.
"Huh? What... tsk."
"You called me an eel. You've caused me so much trouble."
"What?! Teacher! What kind of action is this?! I'll report you to the principal right now!"
"Wait a moment. Kim Soojin, wait..."
The teacher who had been scolding me showed a troubled expression, but I felt no need to show mercy.
"After questioning, you grabbed my ear and tried to drag me to the teachers' lounge."
"What? Really?"
"Yes, really."
Someone like that should be fired from the teaching position.
I thought it would help many students if he was removed quickly.
So I told Kim Soojin everything without hesitation.
She would report it to the chairman of Forest High School too.
The teacher, who had called me an eel, bowed politely when he saw Kim Soojin.
He had acted like someone above me in front of students, but in front of Kim Soojin he looked like he was begging.
I couldn't help laughing.
But I had no intention of showing mercy.
Neither did Kim Soojin.
"Let's go to the teachers' lounge first... I'll tell the principal everything that happened today."
"Please... Kim Soojin..."
I left the teacher with his troubled expression and walked with Kim Soojin toward the teachers' lounge.
There, tax officers, teachers, and many students had gathered.
"Everyone, look carefully. This is the tax officer who came to punish the son of a National Assembly member for a ten-day suspension."
"Wow... what is this?"
The vice-principal was criticizing the officers in front of the students.
The students giggled when the vice-principal pointed at the officers.
But...
Weren't they too dangerous?
These people held real power.
The school would suffer if they found a flaw.
Honestly, it would have been better to stay low.
So I could avoid future trouble.
"Teacher, are you okay...?"