A Class of His Own
Episode 9: 28.8%, Episode 10: 29.7%
Both episodes 9 and 10 are nearly at 30%.
With Episode 11 coming after the theatrical release, it's on track to surpass 30%. It's going to be the first show in nearly five years to hit a 30% viewership rating.
There's a rumor going around about a Labyrinth Exploration NaN fan signing. Is this true?
I heard about it somewhere, is it fucking real?
Never fall for a villain...
I'm still hurting so bad because of Seer. The aftereffects are too severe, damn it.
Seol Ha-woon's Voting Rank Trend
[Image]
Seeing him climb all the way up from 96th place is so satisfying...
Though it varied slightly depending on age and gender, Seol Ha-woon had now firmly established himself as a main character.
Perhaps because of that, Lee Si-ah had been reluctant to log onto social media lately. The atmosphere was an absolute war zone.
Taking his words out of context to nitpick, hyper-focusing on a three-second action out of a 200-minute broadcast to make forced generalizations... As Seol Ha-woon rose in the ranks, the sabotage and scrutiny from rival fandoms had intensified.
Fortunately, Seol Ha-woon's fandom wasn't one to take things lying down. Having climbed up from 96th place, they were essentially street-hardened survivors, and every single one of them possessed a fierce temper.
For Lee Si-ah, it was the familiar scent of the front lines, one she hadn't smelled in a long time.
In any case.
Labyrinth Exploration NaN
Finally, the day of Episode 11's broadcast arrived.
What would the opening look like after the World Labyrinth?
In memory of the late Mentor Kim Yoon-jun, who always illuminated our path with his warm smile and heartfelt words. The production team and cast of Labyrinth Exploration NaN feel a deep sorrow at this sudden parting, and we will forever remember his dedication and passion.
“...Ah.”
A sudden solemnity washed over her.
Without realizing it, she had temporarily forgotten about his death.
— DK: Is everyone here?
And then, the opening transitioned straight to DK.
All the energy instantly drained from her.
— DK: Well, let's skip the pleasantries. Today isn't actually a class; it's a test. A monster hunt, and at the same time, an In-Camera Scouting.
In-Camera Scouting. It was a segment held right before the first vote tally. It meant that soon, nearly half of the contestants would be eliminated.
— DK: You all know that monsters don't just appear inside labyrinths. Some escape from them, and others naturally manifest near rifts. But you know what? Your generation has it incredibly easy...
DK's boomer energy was on a whole different level. One would think he was in his sixties or seventies.
> Get this boomer off my screen
> Ugh.
> Just leave.
> He talks too much.
> He should've died instead of Kim Yoon-jun
> ??
> ?
> This site uses real names, watch your mouth;;
The more severe comments were quickly deleted due to accumulated reports.
— DK: Alright. From now on, I'm giving you three hours. Memorize everything. Once you're done, you fight. It's a simulation consisting of stages one through five, and one random monster from the list will appear for each stage.
Even DK's teaching methods were old-school.
— DK: Memorize every single detail. If you don't, or if you slack off, you might actually end up dead later.
> But do we really have to memorize it? Can't we just understand it?
> So outdated.
> ;; Why are there so many naive idiots here... If you don't memorize it, you die.
> Ugh, non-explorers talk so much useless nonsense. This is exactly what we study starting from Magic High School.
> Do you think this is math? How are you going to 'understand' it lol? Are you going to understand it while you're dying?
Well, non-explorers wouldn't know.
The explorers are collectively triggered.
There was a statistic saying that 95% of active explorers watch Labyrinth Exploration NaN these days, and it seemed to be true.
— DK: Time is ticking~ Start memorizing~
Just as DK began making ticking clock noises with his mouth—
Scraaaape.
Seol Ha-woon suddenly stood up.
While DK stared in bewilderment, Seol Ha-woon walked right out of the room.
> What?
> Why is he leaving?
> ??
> lol Sensible Seol hates DK, looks like he's boycotting the class lol
> lmfaooooo
DK clicked his tongue in disbelief.
The camera panned to the other explorers. They were all memorizing in their own ways.
Kang Hyun was taking notes, Lee Jun-ho was half-dozing off, and Seo Ji-woo was merely skimming through the pages.
> Is Seo Ji-woo even studying? She's brainless.
> Ji-woo was literally the brain of the Eastern team, but people love to hate on her whenever she shows up.
> Actual brainless idiots calling her brainless. Use your heads, how could an elite spellcaster be brainless?
Seo Ji-woo had earned the harsh nickname 'Brainless Ji-woo' due to a minor mistake during the Snowfield Labyrinth, but her performance in the eastern sector of the World Labyrinth had quickly restored her reputation.
> If she's so smart, why did she get blinded by a Masterpiece and almost die? lol
> You'd think Seo Ji-woo was the only one who bought a Masterpiece lol. Lee Jong-su was fully decked out in Tom Gray and wearing sunglasses lol. He walked around like that throughout the entire survival labyrinth lmfao
> Now they're comparing a warrior to a spellcaster, brainless indeed...
> Ugh, these losers are reeking of inferiority complex...
> lol Typical behavior of the slaves. They can't match Kang Jun-ho, so they're just...
The live chat was suddenly heating up.
Lee Si-ah filtered through the messages as she read.
To be honest, watching the fandoms clash wasn't entirely boring—as long as the sparks didn't fly toward her own favorite.
Ah, right. 'Slaves' was a derogatory term used to belittle Kate's fandom, implying they weren't even worthy of being called butlers.
> These idiots still talking about inferiority complexes when Kate is literally number one in global popularity...
> Once the global voting opens, all of you will shut your mouths...
> If global voting opens, Zhao Zilong will be number one, you absolute clowns. Do you have cheese for brains? China's population is over a billion...
> Chill out, you guys are being fucking noisy...
Unable to take it anymore, she temporarily closed the chat.
Perhaps because the voting competition had become so cutthroat lately, the chat was filled with people constantly trying to bait and needle each other.
Right on cue, Seol Ha-woon walked back into the classroom.
— DK: Hey. Spellcaster Seol Ha-woon? Did you memorize it all?
DK immediately picked a fight.
— Seol Ha-woon: Yes. I memorized it all.
— DK: You didn't even— What? You memorized it all?
— Seol Ha-woon: Yes.
— DK: Ha. Think you're smart, do you?
There had been a strange beef between the two of them for a while now.
DK smirked, crossing his arms.
— DK: Then can you recite it?
— Seol Ha-woon: Yes.
— DK: Fine. Go ahead. Start with this one.
DK demanded information on a specific monster from Seol Ha-woon.
— Seol Ha-woon: Physical type. Primary weapons are its claws... Though variations exist among individuals, their speed generally exceeds 30 meters per second... Their entire body is highly flexible, allowing them to utilize terrain features like a snake... The pattern counter is to get behind them whenever possible...
Seol Ha-woon rattled it off like a living dictionary.
DK looked taken aback, but he immediately pointed to the next monster.
— DK: What about this one?
— Seol Ha-woon: The Flesh Golem undergoes endless cell division within its internal core... Since the golem's flesh and blood are toxic, explosive substances...
Once again, Seol Ha-woon answered without a single stutter. To Lee Si-ah, his voice sounded as clear and refreshing as a flowing stream.
Ah, what music to her ears.
> What the? He already memorized it all?
> Whoa, holy shit, did he memorize it in one go?
> I'm telling you, he was just born different lol
> Born different (with a limp)
> Yo, what is up with that guy?
> Can we ban the people posting hate comments? Do you guys seriously want to get sued?
Lee Si-ah also pressed down on the chat and furiously clicked the report button.
— DK: ...Do you have some kind of photographic memory? How did you memorize it so fast?
— Seol Ha-woon: I used a trick.
— DK: A trick... Just sit down.
As Seol Ha-woon sat back down, Im Hae-jun slinked over and whispered.
— Im Hae-jun: ...Whoa. Master. How did you memorize that? Teach me your secret.
— Seol Ha-woon: It just stuck in my head.
— Im Hae-jun: ......
Im Hae-jun glared at Seol Ha-woon for a moment before returning to his seat, grumbling under his breath.
— Im Hae-jun: Seriously, acting like such a genius.
“Pfft.”
Lee Si-ah found Im Hae-jun adorable. He was the kind of character who seemed to follow Seol Ha-woon blindly yet looked ready to stab him in the back at any moment—only to never actually do it. And even if he did betray him, it felt like it wouldn't hurt at all...