The First Major Update
“Haa... I hear mouse squeaks from somewhere. Is it the usual backbiting from those guys behind me?”
“Su-min-ah?”
Su-min called out in his loud voice, loud enough for everyone around to hear.
“Doun-ah, why do you just sit there and take all this talk?”
“That’s...”
Of course. I wouldn’t question it. What was the point of picking apart every little thing?
I didn’t believe their gossip was justified, but it wasn’t like I could really argue with it either.
Not just one or two people—quite a few students were doing the same thing.
I’d spent three whole years in high school hearing this nonsense.
Just quietly did my own work...
Ignoring everything around me.
I actually felt grateful for it.
At least back in middle school there had been real violence too.
High school was only the whispering...
Compared to middle school, high school had been better.
The whispers were easy to shut out.
It was far less annoying than being summoned on errands or getting randomly punched when they were bored.
The students who’d been gossiping fell silent the moment Su-min spoke.
They finished their meals in a hurry and left the cafeteria.
“Anyway, those guys who only do backbiting aren’t worth the trouble.”
“Yeah...”
“Just open your big mouth and they’ll lower their heads and run away.”
“Yeah...”
Was it really that easy?
No, it wasn’t.
If I had confronted them myself, a fight would have broken out.
They had completely ignored me.
But when Su-min said it, they didn’t argue back at all and quietly left the cafeteria.
“Doun-ah, don’t let any of that stuff get to you.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I hadn’t been bothered by it anyway, but Su-min stepping up for me still felt good.
And the occasional backbiting I’d heard before had stopped completely, which was a relief.
“Doun-ah, until the final exams are over, there won’t be enough people for the basketball club. Come train whenever you want—gym class or not.”
“Yeah, I’ll come.”
I wanted to ask him. After all the intense workouts, I wanted to feel that good burn again.
I hadn’t logged into Hero for a while, so I spent the day doing something useful.
It wasn’t half bad.
.
.
Exam Prep Period
Every day I headed to the indoor basketball court.
The club membership kept dropping.
By the day before the exam, only six of us were left.
“Let’s do three-on-three today.”
“Yeah.”
“We better sweat and then study.”
“Yeah.”
We picked teams and started the game.
I always played with Su-min.
Because he covered everything I couldn’t, the teams stayed balanced.
The whistle blew.
Tssht. Tssht.
Su-min broke through two dribbles and hit a soft layup.
The defender assigned to me joined the mix, and I kept getting open looks.
“Doun-ah, shoot!”
“Yeah.”
A two-pointer with no one on me had less than 30% success rate.
Still, I took the shot.
When the rim was clear, I tried the layup too.
Layups were familiar—over 80% with no one defending.
Su-min made up for what I lacked, and the game stayed tight until the end.
Last shot of the game.
Su-min slipped to the corner as usual, with two defenders.
I moved to the opposite side and got a perfect open look.
The ball came my way. I planted my feet, continued the layup motion...
And the opponent sprinted toward me fast.
“Doun-ah, pass!”
Su-min darted through the gap where the defense thinned.
I passed mid-motion. Su-min stepped and finished the layup.
“Huff... huff.”
“Nice pass.”
“Whoa... that was tough.”
Everyone collapsed onto the floor.
Even five-on-five was exhausting, but three-on-three burned more.
“Ah... time to study again.”
“Exams start tomorrow.”
“But our school is great—finals end and vacation starts right away.”
“That’s nice. Good I transferred to Forest High.”
The students lay on the court talking.
“Let’s clean up and go study.”
Su-min, who’d been standing, started organizing the court.
“Yeah. Just a little longer and the exams will be over.”
Since exams began tomorrow, the practice ended quickly.
“Doun-ah, going to the club room to study again today?”
“Yeah... I should.”
“Yeah, study hard. Let’s train together again sometime.”
“Yeah.”
We said goodbye and headed to the club room.
Driririruk.
I opened the door carefully, making as little noise as possible.
“Oh, Doun-ah, you’re early.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Even though I’d been as quiet as I could, the three people inside turned their heads.
I bowed to the Teacher.
And greeted Eunhye and Naeun, who were already sitting.
“Doun-ah, what happened today? Why so early?”
It must have been break time—Naeun asked while holding a snack.
“I finished early because of the test tomorrow.”
“How was training? Feel good?”
“Yeah... it was fun.”
Beeebeebib. Beebeebib.
The alarm on the desk rang.
“Okay, everyone, stop talking and get back to studying~”
“Yes, Teacher.”
I pulled out my books and started working.
The final exam was harder than the midterm.
The so-called college-prep subjects had been repeated dozens of times.
But the practical subjects...
I had only studied them enough to pass the internal exams and forgotten everything.
Today’s subjects included practicals, so I focused on those.
“Teacher, I don’t understand this.”
Eunhye came over holding her book.
“This one says...”
Kim Sujin Teacher explained it without a hitch.
I stopped my own studying and listened closely.
If I listened long enough, it seemed like Kim Sujin Teacher was supposed to be doing something else besides school.
I had never met anyone as talented as her in my life.
It was a blessing that a genius was assigned to the club room.
Thanks to her, I hoped Eunhye and Naeun’s scores would be high this time.
**
Last day of the final exams.
The last subject, English, ended.
“Finally free!”
“Wow! Vacation!”
“Are you going home for vacation?”
“Of course. Meeting up with friends and even a family trip to Jeju.”
“Wish I could.”
The moment the exams ended, half the students erupted in noise.
The close friends gathered to talk about how to spend vacation.
“Doun-ah.”
Eunhye and Naeun, who had organized their bags, approached.
“Yeah, Eunhye, Naeun.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Many students went home when vacation started.
But the game club members had decided to stay in the dorms during vacation.
To play Hero.
While the whole school was buzzing about vacation, we moved like always.
We collected bento boxes from the student cafeteria and headed to the club room.
“Did everyone do well on the exams?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks to the Teacher.”
“We managed somehow.”
A candlelit cake sat on the club room table.
“Congratulations on finishing the exams~”
“Whoa... Teacher.”
“I’m so moved.”
“Thank you.”
We ate bento and the cake as dessert.
“What will you do during vacation, Teacher?”
I had heard that most club advisors at Forest High took a break during vacation.
That was only fair after how hard the semester had been.
With so many club activities at our school, the advisors had a lot to do.
Even our Teacher, Kim Sujin, didn’t leave us alone from lunch until late at night.
Counting labor hours, she was here more than ten hours a day.
“I have to be here.”
“Wow~ even during vacation?”
“Of course.”
Naeun hugged Kim Sujin Teacher’s arm in delight.
“Okay, everyone, time to start club activities. Turn on the computers and log in~”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
My daily game connection time during exam prep was less than an hour.
There was no need for long sessions.
Besides, I could only patrol the walls anyway.
That was why I hadn’t logged in at all during the exam period.
After a long break, I finally connected and went out to patrol the walls.
[This is boring.]
[Whoever wins is fine as long as there’s a fight.]
[Yeah...]
The NPCs were tired of fighting, but the users were different.
Right now, the boring period of no real war but just harassment was harder to handle.
No one wanted this dull situation, yet we still played.
[You’re here. Long time no see.]
[Hello, Blood Demon-nim.]
I met Blood Demon on the wall.
[Exams over already?]
[Yes. How’s the situation now?]
[The situation has changed quickly during the exam days.]
[The situation?]
[Yeah. Here’s what it is...]
According to Blood Demon,
The Emperor had just issued a military mobilization order.
The Emperor’s authority.
Mainly used against foreign invasion.
[Will the lords cooperate? This is about fighting the Pope.]
[Of course. That’s why the Emperor used another method.]
[What...?]
[The Emperor issued a public notice. Read this.]
Blood Demon handed me a paper.
『To the citizens of the Holy Royal Empire.
Recently the Pope’s actions are highly suspicious.
He is massacring believers who worship Luna.
More than 20% of the Empire’s citizens have died, yet he continues.
...
I, the Emperor of the Holy Royal Empire, have gathered soldiers to stop the Pope’s actions.
The southern witch hunts of the Holy Royal Empire have been stopped, but the northern region still sees many citizens dying.
...
Every lord, gather your troops.
Rescue the Pope from the devil’s grasp.
Stop the Pope who slaughters believers.
Luna will surely approve...』
[He’s given the Pope a reason to attack.]
[Exactly. The Emperor can’t turn against Luna, but the Pope is different. Even if he’s the Pope, he’s still human.]
[How’s the situation?]
[Recruiting troops across the entire territory. To support the Emperor’s army.]
[The Emperor’s bluff worked.]
[It did.]
The citizens of the Holy Royal Empire had been burned to death under the pretext of witch hunts.
That meant their own brothers, parents, children had died at the hands of paladins.
Yet they hadn’t revolted.
Because attacking the Pope meant attacking God.
But the Emperor said the Pope was acting strangely.
The Pope was following the devil’s will, not God’s.
It didn’t matter to the people whether the Emperor’s words were true or not.
The Emperor’s words gave them a perfect excuse to vent their anger at the church that had killed their family members.
It also gave them the reason to fight the paladins performing witch hunts right now.
[Everyone! Assemble at the training field!]
[Everyone! Assemble at the training field!]
The commanders ran through the fortress shouting.
[What’s going on?]
[Let’s go.]
I moved to the training field with my party and Blood Demon.
Soldiers were preparing to depart everywhere.
[It’s finally starting...]
[It’s starting.]
[Quickly line up!]
[Find your assigned unit!]
[Ten minutes until departure!]
[Time is short!]
We joined the users where the army was being organized.
The Emperor’s hastily prepared army left Charan Castle.
[This direction doesn’t look like Rion Castle.]
[Indeed. Looking at the route... it seems to be heading toward the Golden Plains.]
The Golden Plains was the central granary of the Holy Royal Empire.
Early in the war, the Emperor’s army and the Pope’s army had fought there.
The Pope had banished the Emperor then, and the Emperor’s army had been defeated without fighting back.
[Maybe the Pope’s army has already left Rion Castle and is retreating.]
Blood Demon spoke his thought.
[The Emperor’s declaration must have worked.]
[If things go well, we might even get to settle the debts from the Golden Plains...]
[You have entered the Hero MMORPG. Welcome back, player.]
Wall Patrol Mode: Active
[My head...]
[What the hell is this?]
[This is too much.]
The system messages kept flashing.
My vision blurred from the sudden influx of information.
I clutched the wall, breathing hard.
This was the first major update since the regression.
The world was finally changing.
-[50] HP
The notification appeared right as I staggered.
I didn’t even know how I took the damage.
The update had begun.
And it was only the beginning.