Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Lumi
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Especially since Nam Da-eun, who ranked first in practical skills, ended up in our group—that's a pretty big win. Though it seems like it's because of me and that deadweight Lee Byung-hoon.
For now, they told us to gather by groups, so I headed over to where Group 7 was.
"No way, for real? I'm from there too."
"Let's get along from now on. I'm a close-range fighter, and…"
The area was bustling as people built rapport with their groupmates. After all, you'd be stuck together for at least a semester, so the more comfortable you got, the more you could trust each other with your backs.
"Whoa, Nam Da-eun! I've only heard rumors about you, but ending up in the same group is a real honor."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. As for me, I'm the eldest son of the prestigious Warrior Guild, and…"
But why is our group like this?
Ever since the groups were formed, Lee Byung-hoon has been yapping nonstop by himself. And he's not even glancing at me or Lumi—he's just staring at Nam Da-eun the whole time.
"Alright, that's it for today's class. As I mentioned earlier, your first assignment is to grab a meal with your groupmates and take a photo. Pros have to mesh with strangers on the fly."
Not sure how that really ties into eating and snapping pics, but we got the assignment, so we have to do it. The question is, how?
The other groups were already clustering in twos and threes, deciding on food or heading out to eat.
Lee Byung-hoon kept trying to talk to Nam Da-eun, but she ignored him completely while packing her bag.
Lumi was glancing back and forth between them, not sure what to say, just fidgeting awkwardly.
And Lee Ho-yeon, watching the whole mess unfold in real time.
'Guess I should say something?'
After some agonizing, I decided to speak up.
"Um, guys? What should we eat?"
Whoosh.
I'd carefully picked the most neutral line possible, but before I even finished, Nam Da-eun shot up from her seat, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed for the lecture hall door.
"Nam Da-eun. Got any restaurants in mind?"
"...Not playing along with kids' games."
"Huh?"
And with that, she was gone. What the hell? Come on, it's an assignment—what makes it a game?
Lee Byung-hoon gave us a side-eye after she left, then cleared his throat. "Ahem, actually, I've got an appointment too." And poof, he vanished.
"..."
All the other students had already headed out to eat with their groups by now. And there I was, stuck in the empty lecture hall with just Lumi.
📜 NEW QUEST 📜 [Cheer Up the Downcast Lumi!]
Lumi's ambitions for an epic academy debut have been shattered!
But it's not too late. Cheer her up and lift her spirits!
🎁 Reward: Random Stat Point x1
Right then, a quest popped up in front of me.
Cheer up the downcast Lumi?
"First friend-making attempt... total failure... You idiot, why couldn't you just say you like tteokbokki. Hng."
I glanced over, and Lumi was mumbling weird stuff with a dazed look on her face.
Honestly, it might not be so bad. Nam Da-eun can't be approached until mid-game anyway, and that guy whose name I can't even remember? Total write-off.
"Hey, Lumi? Those two ditched us, so how about just the two of us grab food?"
"Y-Yeah... Huh? You're gonna eat with me?"
"Yeah, the assignment was to eat with our group and take a photo."
"B-But... Nam Da-eun already left."
Why bring up Nam Da-eun now? And she's ignoring that Lee Byung-hoon guy too, huh.
"She's gone, gone. You like tteokbokki? I know a killer spot—wanna go?"
"Y-Yeah... Yes! Let's go!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sitting in front of me was Lumi, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk devouring acorns, eyes wide as she stuffed her face with tteokbokki. Her cheeks bulged roundly.
"Slow down—no one's gonna steal it."
"Ah, s-sorry..."
"No need to apologize. It's nice seeing you enjoy it so much."
"Hehe... But it's so good! How do you know about a place like this when we're both freshmen?"
Because in the game, this tteokbokki joint was a must on every date with Lumi. I timed it once—she ate nothing but tteokbokki until the end credits. If she loves it that much, of course it's delicious.
⭐ HEROINE STATUS ⭐ 💖 Affection: 35 💋 Lust: 30 🍲 Appetite: 15 😴 Fatigue: 40 Affection shot up by 20. Four more tteokbokki dates and she'd be conquered—too bad.
Appetite dropped from 40 to 15, so she's probably stuffed by now.
"Looks like you're done. Wanna take that photo? My phone's camera sucks, so mind using yours?"
"Ah, sure. Go ahead!"
I took Lumi's phone and moved to a better spot.
Then I pressed right up against her side.
"E-Eh? W-Wait, too close...?"
"Gotta get both of us in the shot for proof."
Click!
"Two out of four are missing, but it came out great."
With a subject this good, even a sloppy shot looks like a magazine spread.
"Ah, y-yeah... It did..."
I said it came out well—why's she hanging her head?
Anyway, no more excuses to linger. Time to make my move.
I handed back her phone, casually glancing at the case like I'd just noticed.
"Oh? Lumi, isn't that the Idol Party phone case?"
"Y-Yeah...? H-How'd you know?"
"I'm a fan too. You like it?"
"Yes! I love it! I pulled a limited one on the gacha banner and ate it up, watched the whole anime, and, um... all the movies too!"
The girl who was stammering earlier sped up like crazy once anime came up.
No clue what "ceiling-pulling and eating it" means, but whatever—I've got a goal.
"Wanna catch the new movie together when it drops? I was stressing 'cause I had no one to go with."
"Ah, a-a movie...?"
"If it's too much, no worries—I'll go solo."
"N-No, I wanna go! With you!"
"Cool, this weekend then. Gimme your number?"
"Y-Yeah... Here!"
I held out my phone, and she took it with trembling hands.
Lumi punched in the digits super slowly, like she couldn't afford a single mistake, mumbling "Number exchange... swapping numbers with a friend..." the whole time. Kinda cute.
"H-Here..."
"Thanks. I'll text later. Food's done—let's head out?"
"Yeah!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Tuesday evening.
After parting with Lumi, I hit the training center to gauge my level.
Real classes started tomorrow—I needed to know where I stood.
I scanned my smartwatch and entered a private room.
[First-Year A-Class Lee Ho-yeon. Entry confirmed.] In the original game, training the protagonist specialized his stats based on what you focused on.
Mage got magic power. Swordsman got stamina and strength. Assassin got agility, etc. You could raise set stats for easy builds.
The meta, easiest route was swordsman.
And it tied into the protagonist's unique ability.
Unique abilities were one-of-a-kind powers exclusive to the individual.
Most people never awakened one, but as the protagonist, Lee Ho-yeon had a solid one.
⚙ UNIQUE ABILITY ⚙ 「Combat Sense」 ▶ Grants bonuses to all actions deemed 'combat.' ▶ Effect scales with combat risk level. 'Combat Sense'
A combat-focused unique ability. It granted innate combat sense and instincts for every battle-related action.
Full combat buffs made it ideal for close-range melee, where sense mattered most.
Plus, late-game meant tons of fights against humans or humanoid monsters—swordsmen dominated PvP.
Still, I picked mage for two reasons. First, I got the [Mana Sensitivity] perk, giving me a huge edge in mana control. Second, I knew how vicious the villains in this world were.
Swinging swords up close with those bastards? Suicide. No game retries here—better snipe 'em from afar with magic barrages.
"Magic proficiency test."
[Magic Proficiency Test. Beginning.] I needed to benchmark my level against game terms to plan ahead.
The center's test pulled from Victoria Academy's DB to analyze strengths, weaknesses, and current proficiency.
[Stage 1 Test. Spray mana thin and wide.] A system voice chimed, and thin mana walls rose around the room.
Guess this measures my mana output.
'Thin and wide radiation?'
Never tried it, but didn't seem hard. I raised my hands, imagining gentle waves rippling out.
Whirr—whirr—
Blue mana radiated from my palms. Wave-shaped, it spread thin—the training floor visible beneath the mana waves.
[Stage 1 Test Complete.] About a minute of output? Done.
[Stage 2 Test Beginning.] Targets appeared on the track ahead.
[Targets activating soon. Destroy them quickly and accurately.] [5] "Come on, give a guy time to prep."
The system ignored my gripe, counting down mercilessly.
[4] [3] [2] [1] 'Fastest spell from the book yesterday to wipe these?'
[Activating targets. 10 total.] No time to think. Wind Arrow from the book.
Mana gathered overhead, morphing into wind with a howling gale, condensing into arrows.
Shrieeeek—!
The arrows churned the air, eager to launch.
They rocketed from my shoulder toward the targets.
Krunch!
One, two, three, four, five... ten.
The ten arrows pulverized the targets amid crashes, then dissipated into mana.
"Whoa."
Not a single target left on the track.
"This is kinda fun?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hmmmm..."
Back at the dorm after parting with Lee Ho-yeon, Lumi stared at her phone on the desk, lost in the dilemma of her life.
'Should I text him asking if he got home safe?'
"We ate together and swapped numbers, so we're friends, right...? But we just met today... Is it too soon?"
Shy since childhood, Lumi preferred staying in over going out—a total homebody. Her mature figure drew unwanted stares, and paired with her timid nature, it kept her indoors.
Her twin sister Lucy always stuck by her side, overprotectively shielding her. It warded off weirdos, but Lumi entered the academy without any real friends.
She'd fought those blues and planned a flashy academy debut... but her first group was a disaster, plunging her back into gloom. That's when Lee Ho-yeon appeared!
"He did say we'd watch a movie this weekend. Gotta be friends, right? Ugh, no clue. Should I search it?"
Lumi fired up her phone and typed into the green search bar: "Guy asks to watch movie."
🔍 Search Result [Guy I barely know asks to watch a movie] "Ooh, perfect!"
Someone with the exact same issue.
— Q. Does it mean he likes me if a guy asks to watch a movie? Or is he just trying to get closer as friends? — A. Since he suggested a movie, he's probably not someone he dislikes. Chat during the movie to learn more. If you're curious if he likes you, it means you like him a bit too, right? It'll be a great chance to build more affection^^ "L-Like... me?"
Lumi, who'd never had a proper friend, let alone dated, took this Q&A as gospel truth.
"Yeah, who'd watch a movie with someone they hate? Ugh, does Ho-yeon like me?"
Lee Ho-yeon. It was her first time eating alone with a guy, so she'd been too flustered to chat properly. Even when he said to relax, she couldn't.
"But a guy that handsome, why me...? Argh, just text him!"
— Me: Thanks for the yummy food^^ (Puppy bowing emoji) — Lee Ho-yeon: Yeah, made it home safe? Thump thump.
Just a casual reply, but to Lumi—who'd never even texted a friend—it was thrilling.
"Ugh, what do I reply? Search again...?"