3rd Round #1
3rd Round #1
My crumbling consciousness gradually began to awaken.
[The last recorded save point has been loaded.]
...It felt like a candle that had gone out suddenly flared up with a 'pak!' My mind, which was processing information, and my body's adaptability were out of sync.
The familiar paper for department selection was visible.
Excited students chattering... The recurring déjà vu was beyond familiar; it was terrifying.
[Calculating last playthrough's score... Kim So-yoon Stage 1, Park Tae-i Stage 8, Shim Chae-a Stage 1, Lee Ha-rim Stage 1, Cho-yul Stage 8...]
- You acquire a total of 2015 Eunhwa as a playthrough reward!
...A large amount of Eunhwa, exceeding expectations, brought more bewilderment than joy.
As in the last playthrough, an enormous amount of text with a silver border unfolded before my eyes.
I instinctively realized the skill I needed to acquire.
[Would you like to spend 300 Eunhwa?]
As it was a skill I had always thought about, there was no hesitation.
[You have acquired the skill 'Bamkkot Chechwi'!]
- Bamkkot Chechwi: Males are not attracted to you.
(Caution: Male animals unconsciously become wary of you.)
I smiled contentedly. Now, I wouldn't have to worry about those dickheads targeting me.
What remained was 1715 Eunhwa.
...I must become stronger.
I had already keenly felt my physical weakness in the 2nd playthrough. The helplessness of being swayed by the strong as a weak person... I never wanted to experience that again.
If possible, I wanted to possess overwhelming physical abilities like Park Tae-i and Cho-yul.
I examined the list in detail.
There were a total of three skills related to physical ability: 'Gotong Naeseong', 'Cheryeok Ganghwa', and 'Wihyeom Gamji'.
First, I tried spending 100 Eunhwa on the Gotong Naeseong skill.
- Gotong Naeseong Stage 1: You gain 'slight' resistance to all things that cause physical pain, such as 'bleeding', 'damage', and 'wounds'.
* Additional reinforcement requires 200 Eunhwa.
As I spent the Eunhwa, a strong heat circulated through my body before cooling down in an instant. To check, I strongly pinched my forearm.
...It wasn't a low-grade resistance that simply numbed my senses.
It strengthened my endurance to pain and thickened my skin. It was a versatile, cheat-like skill that physically enhanced my body in a practical way.
As I was smiling contentedly, I couldn't help but frown when I saw the cost for additional reinforcement. To reinforce it, I had to pay double the Eunhwa.
It seemed difficult to get things for free. Still, it was a relief that the skill awakening itself could be done for the cheap price of 100 Eunhwa.
[Consuming 400 Eunhwa!]
I additionally awakened the 'Jeongsin Oyeom Naeseong' and 'Gongpo Naeseong' skills in the mental skill tab, and the 'Cheryeok Ganghwa' and 'Wihyeom Gamji' skills in physical reinforcement.
Afterward, I spent 1,000 Eunhwa to raise Gotong Naeseong and Cheryeok Ganghwa to Stage 3.
My final awakening status is as follows:
- Jeongsin Oyeom Naeseong Stage 1: You gain slight resistance to all things that corrupt 'human essence', such as death experiences and brainwashing.
- Gongpo Naeseong Stage 1: You gain slight resistance to the fear of confronting reality and delusional anxiety.
- Gotong Naeseong Stage 3: You gain 'strong' resistance to all things that cause physical pain, such as 'bleeding', 'damage', and 'wounds'.
- Cheryeok Ganghwa Stage 3: Your body's work capacity increases.
- Wihyeom Gamji Stage 1: You detect all types of threats that endanger your safety.
My head cleared, and my body felt hot like magma. I clenched my fists tightly. I felt a strength as if a man born with sturdy bones and a magnificent physique had steadily trained.
It wasn't a strength derived from muscles. I liked the unfamiliar sensation. My stomach felt full, as if I had eaten 10 servings of hearty stew.
[Using Jeongsin Hoebok...]
All of the remaining 215 Eunhwa were used on the Jeongsin Hoebok skill. This was because I missed the sensation, like taking drugs, that I had felt in the 2nd playthrough.
The overwhelming refreshing sensation made me inadvertently get an erection.
"...Student at the very back, aren't you going to fill it out quickly?"
"Ji-yoon-a, are you okay?"
When I came to my senses, all the students in the classroom were staring only at me.
A thick piece of scrap paper was in the hand of Kang Min-gyeong, the homeroom teacher. It seemed all students except me had submitted their papers.
"S-sorry. I'll fill it out quickly!"
I hurriedly looked down at the scrap paper. There were various departments, but excluding the departments that Cho-yul, Park Tae-i, and Im Yu-na belonged to, the options noticeably decreased.
...No matter how much my physical abilities had improved, I didn't have the confidence to face those monster bitches. If you can't handle it, avoiding it is the best policy.
The department that interested me was [Economics of the Rich].
Until now, blinded by the 300 million won, I had lost my sense of reality and given up the chance to develop.
I composed myself. I wouldn't be swayed like a scarecrow in this harsh modern society.
I checked the [Economics of the Rich] department. I wasn't sure what to choose for the remaining department.
'...I can't completely rule out conquering the heroines.'
I looked at Shim Chae-a in the front row. Neat hair, a mask covering her face, a thick hoodie obscuring her figure.
In the 1st playthrough, the gap between that and her appearance in short jeans and a crop top (belly shirt) was no joke.
I remembered asking her to be a clothing model. ...If I entered the [Fashion/Design] department, wouldn't I have more encounters with Shim Chae-a?
The existence of heroines was gradually becoming frightening, but thanks to my strengthened physical abilities, I regained my confidence.
'...Surely, not all the heroines are Yanderes, right? It's a dating sim game, so there must be a few normal people mixed in.'
I had been unlucky until now. I had been discovered by the Witch, leading to a futile suicide, and had been forcibly swayed by two physically aggressive Yanderes.
'Now, I'll live a proactive life for myself!'
My once weak chest felt as solid as a breastplate.
I submitted the scrap paper. Ultimately, I chose the [Fashion/Design] and [Economics of the Rich] departments.
It was true that I was worried about [Fashion/Design] being a department that wasn't in the game.
Apart from this anxiety, there was also a great expectation that the students in that department would be incredibly hot.
As for the [Economics of the Rich] department, I had some experience with it in the game, so I believed I could do well.
'I trust my talent!'
Me, who had only been fiddling with my dick until now, turned out to have Amazon CEO-level business talent?!!
The thought of my hidden talent blossoming made my dick spontaneously magnificent.
While I was fantasizing, a rustling sound that made my ears perk up came from above my head.
"...Huh?"
"Ji-yoon-a, eat this!"
Thump-thump-thump!
Yang-ori, Mentus, Ho-wa-du-wa, and so on. Various snacks poured onto the desk, all of them products I liked.
I looked around. Now I realized that no one was in the classroom except me and Ha-yoon.
I had been so lost in my fantasies that I hadn't noticed the time passing.
'...Now that I think about it, Ha-yoon and Im Yu-na are in the same department!!'
Preoccupied with thinking about the Eunhwa Shop and departments, I hadn't paid attention to the truly important Ha-yoon.
It was late, but I had to at least warn her.
"Ha-yoon-a, you applied for the 'Modern Art' and 'Classical Instrument Performance' departments, right?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Be careful of Im Yu-na, always sit far away from her..."
"...?"
For now, I was satisfied with the warning and opened a bag of snacks.
These were the foods Ha-yoon had bought for me from the school store. I opened my mouth and crunched on the crispy flour snacks.
"Here's a drink too!"
She held out a can of cola with beads of water clinging to it.
"Thanks, I'll treat you next time!"
"...Are we friends?"
"Of course!"
"Hehe."
Becoming friends with someone who shows interest is easy. Because even if you just accept them, they'll naturally become friends with you.
We munched on snacks and chatted noisily in the empty classroom. The main topic was about the future.
Since I knew Ha-yoon well, I could have told her things she would empathize with, but I didn't, because if she knew I knew too much about her from our first meeting, Ha-yoon might become wary.
Talking about moderately universal and vague topics made the conversation easier and the flow more natural.
After chatting for quite a while, the phone bell, which I had been expecting, rang.
-Bzzzzzzzzzt-
It was Ha-yoon's cellphone.
"Hello?... Huh? Oh... Okay, I'll be right there..."
Her expression became downcast after just a few exchanges.
"Sorry, I think I have to go now. ...Let's hang out next time."
"Shall we exchange contact info?"
"U-uh, yeah!"
* * *
After parting ways with Ha-yoon, I immediately went to Ingmart.
It was a familiar routine. Although it was bothersome, one shopping trip could change the quality of life. Not doing it would be foolish.
I perfectly picked out only what I needed with an optimal route. The shopping was done in a 4-minute dash.
I left only the Ingmart Sleep Set for delivery, and carried the rest of the items by hand. Despite being heavy items, they felt light.
I definitely seemed to have moved far away from weakness. I carried the basket and headed home.
In the previous playthrough, I had met Unni at the supermarket and made an impression, but this playthrough, I was too bothered to wait.
...There would be plenty of opportunities even if not today. Since I was already friends with Ha-yoon, going to her house to hang out would be no problem.
A noisy street.
I crossed through a crowded area. I moved for quite a long time, but nothing happened. The corners of my mouth naturally turned up.
'Hehe... The 'Bamkkot Chechwi' skill effect is awesome!'
Far from being stopped and asked for my number, there were no sticky, lingering gazes at all.
To confirm for sure, I stopped a passing man. I stared intently at his face without saying anything.
If it had been the last playthrough, he would have blushed upon seeing me, shyly avoided my gaze, or smirked while scanning my body.
"...What?"
He remained expressionless even after seeing me. No, rather, a slight hint of displeasure was visible.
"I'm sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else."
" ... "
The man walked away, continuing on his path.
This confirmed it. Goodbye forever to mindless pick-up attempts!
If those dickheads tried to pick me up, I used to fear being harmed by the unpleasantness of cockroaches crawling on me and my physical weakness, but now, nothing scared me.
Two large men were smoking and talking in a narrow shortcut. Normally, I would have taken a long detour, but not anymore!!
"Excuse me."
"...Ah, yes."
I walked confidently between the men. Was this what they called 'Dick Crush'? Women would be head over heels if they saw me.
...I was jumping with joy, but for some reason, I felt gazes from the men.
"...Honey, what are you doing right now? You said you weren't interested in women!!"
"Ah... T-that's not it."
"Have you been deceiving me all this time? The betrayal..."
'...Fuck.'
It seemed Bamkkot Chechwi had a side effect of attracting gay men.
It wouldn't be a big problem. Why are sexual minorities called sexual minorities? Literally, they're called minorities because their numbers are small.
This isn't ancient Greece. My anus is safe! My anus is safe!!
* * *
I realized that my thought of simply avoiding certain departments was naive only when it was time for physical education.
"...Why are you so nervous?"
" ... "
Although I had become strong enough, it was only strong for a human. I had never even considered rubbing shoulders with monsters.
Possessing the body of a graceful lady, I quietly participated in physical education activities. Cho-yul seemed to think I was a very shy girl after seeing me.
I exercised with Cho-yul as a partner. Perhaps my athletic ability was unusual, as Cho-yul's eyes sparkled, and she gradually increased the intensity of the workout.
I followed along, doing about half the effort, but Cho-yul's eyes were unusual.
"Ji-yoon, didn't I say, do you have any thoughts about becoming an athlete?"
"...I am an individual."
"...?"