Chapter 219: Omen
Chapter 219: Omen
“Soohyun. We should get going now. Don’t worry too much about the clan members.”
“I’m sure you’ll handle things just fine. In any case, I’m counting on you.”
“Orabeoni. Bye-bye~.”
“Alright. You too, Sol. Be good and train hard.”
After reuniting with Ko Yeonju, we headed straight for the Warp Gate. I felt more at ease seeing them off all the way rather than just parting at the main gate. Ko Yeonju and Ahn Sol both gave me bright smiles and said their goodbyes. More than anything, I was relieved to see Sol’s face blooming with laughter, not tears like the last time we parted.
After sending the two of them off, I returned directly to the Academy. Time flew by as I had a simple dinner and revised my future plans, and before I knew it, night had fallen.
Is she planning on not coming back at all today?
After finding the name 〈Cha Yuna〉 on the list of new personnel, I sighed and looked around the room. A chill emanated from the bed Hanbyul used. I stared blankly at her belongings for a moment before turning off the Light Stone. I had to sleep, after all.
The room was instantly plunged into darkness. I threw myself onto the bed and slowly closed my eyes as sleepiness washed over me.
………. ………. ………. ………. ………. ……….
Creeak, creeeak.
The sudden sound of the door opening made my eyes snap open. I was normally a light sleeper—except when sleeping with Ko Yeonju or Jung Hayeon—and lately I had been sleeping even more lightly. As I quietly inhaled, the cold air lingering in the room filled my nostrils.
I sensed a presence hesitating in front of my bed for a moment, but she soon lay down carefully on the opposite bed. I reflexively shut my eyes. It would be awkward to ask if she was okay now, and she would probably feel more comfortable if we just pretended nothing happened.
Just as I sorted out my thoughts and tried to fall back asleep…
“Hic… sob… hic…”
The sound of Hanbyul’s sobbing quietly drifted into my ears. Even then, she was clearly trying to muffle the sound, as if worried I might hear. A wave of pity washed over me, but in the end, I just turned over to face the other way. The sobbing stopped for a moment, then started up again.
With her sorrowful cries as a backdrop, I forced myself to sleep.
For a moment, I wanted to cover my ears.
*
The next morning.
Nothing had changed between us. I treated her as if nothing had happened, and Hanbyul acted the same as always. Her reddened eyes bothered me a little, but I tried to ignore it and was about to leave the dorm.
“Um…”
Hanbyul’s small voice stopped me in my tracks. I considered just turning my head, but I turned my whole body around instead. Her face was colored with a subtle anxiety, and she was fidgeting with her slender fingers. She looked just like someone about to bring up something difficult.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Today’s afternoon training schedule… Is it possible to change it?”
“The afternoon schedule? But that’s already been set. Why the sudden change?”
“Well… there’s a session for the Magic Talent track, and they said they’re short on Discipline Instructors…”
“Short? That doesn’t make any sense. It’s not the Melee or Stamina tracks. And as far as I know, the Priest track isn’t even included.”
“…Please.”
At my gentle refusal, Hanbyul ducked her head, and her shoulders began to tremble slightly. She was now showing symptoms bordering on hysteria. Watching her, I paused for a moment before letting out a deep breath and continuing.
“Tsk. Fine, give me the clipboard.”
Taking the clipboard from Hanbyul, I slowly scanned today’s schedule.
Wait a minute. Wasn’t Baek Hangyul in the Magic Talent track?
Awakened Secret Class, 〈Aegis〉. Based on the list I checked yesterday, Baek Hangyul was classified under the Magic Talent track. With his specialty stats being Durability, Stamina, and Magic Power, it was a bit ambiguous which track he would choose.
In any case, choosing the Magic track wasn’t a bad decision. No, it could even be considered a very good one. As I’ve said repeatedly, the most important stat of all was Magic Power. Since he had an ambiguous class, it was best to raise his stats evenly, but focusing on Magic Power to fit his support role was the most standard approach.
I felt myself leaning toward changing the schedule. Of course, I must have crossed paths with Baek Hangyul several times already, but back then I had not known who he was. As Park Hwanhee had said, I never imagined Hangyul wanted to hide himself. Oblivious to that, I had obsessively checked only the top-performing students’ information, so there was no way I could have found him.
Instructor duties were being assigned as evenly as possible, so changing the schedule would not be a major burden. I pretended to study the clipboard intently and acted as though I were considering it. Then I spoke in a tone suggesting that I was reluctant but had no choice.
“…Alright. I’ll see if I can change it.”
“Ah…!”
Hanbyul let out a small gasp as I gave my permission. As I handed the clipboard back, I glanced at her face and could see a bit of color returning to it. She quickly took what I offered, clutched it to her chest, and hesitated before speaking again.
“Um… also, Senior Executive Park Hyunwoo asked me to tell you that he’d like to have a meal with you sometime.”
“A meal? What for?”
“He said there’s something he needs to discuss with you urgently. If you’re busy, he’d like to arrange something even after this week’s training is over…”
This must be about Mule and the Beech Tree Clan.
It was an issue that had been buried under many other events, but it was something I had to address at some point. In fact, things had been quiet for a little too long. I nodded once more, and after seeing my reaction, Hanbyul gazed at me with a fond look. I could feel a certain goodwill in her eyes. She probably thought I had guessed her situation and was being considerate.
“At the very least, let me know about changes to the instructor schedule earlier next time. It would be better to adjust it in advance instead of rushing around at the last minute.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. I’m living quite comfortably thanks to you, after all. Anyway, let’s go get some food.”
After wrapping up the conversation, Hanbyul and I headed straight for the dining hall. On the way, I had the feeling that the sound of her footsteps following behind me had become a little lighter.
After breakfast, I participated in the Melee track’s group training as a Discipline Instructor, just as planned. The instructor for this session was Yeon Hyerim, the 〈Princess of Execution〉, and we had grown quite close over the past two weeks. She was polite in important settings (like when Han Soyoung was around, she told me), but otherwise, we were casual enough to drop the formalities.
Although she was nearly as difficult to deal with as Han Soyoung, she had approached me first, perhaps because of something her Clan Lord told her. I had also been comrades with Yeon Hyerim for a long time in the first playthrough, so it wasn't hard for us to get along.
Even now, she and I were laughing and chatting away during a break in the training.
“Really, really? That bitch… no, did she really cry like that?”
“It would be more accurate to say she wailed.”
“That bundle of killing intent? Hahaha! Ah, that’s amazing, seriously. I can’t even imagine it. She always glares daggers at me whenever she sees me. Then again, there was a huge fuss when I saw the records that Mercenary had recruited Ko Yeonju. There were even rumors that you’d captured her with the size of your ‘thing’ and your technique, you know? Pfft.”
“What kind of rumor is that? Anyway, she’s so cute. You wouldn’t know unless you saw and heard it yourself. She screamed, ‘Waaaaah!’ and I just hugged her tight without even thinking.”
“‘Waaaaah?’ She said ‘Waaaaah?’ Ahahaha! Ah, ah, my stomach hurts. It’s such a shame. I heard she came to the Academy yesterday. It was a perfect chance to tease her. Hehe.”
She’s saying something dangerous. She’d be lucky not to get stabbed, let alone tease her.
Yeon Hyerim was clutching her stomach and roaring with laughter as if it were truly the funniest thing in the world. The topics that interested her were Ko Yeonju and sex. In the first playthrough, she often made sexual insults about Ko Yeonju, and it seemed that strategy was still effective.
Of course, I wasn't sexually degrading Ko Yeonju in our conversation just now. I was merely sharing a part of our bedroom life, which could be seen as a type of joke that was readily accepted in the Hall Plain.
At first, Yeon Hyerim maintained her usual prim demeanor. But as time went on, she showed extraordinary interest, her eyes sparkling. I thought she was the same as ever, but I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
The other Discipline Instructors merely watched the two of us, gauging the mood. One of the Ten Strong and the Lord of the rapidly rising Mercenary Clan were chatting together. The onlookers plainly wanted to join us, but none dared, so they only hovered nearby.
After the morning training, I had lunch with Kim Deokpil from the 〈Reverse〉 Clan. He had a bad habit of always bumming my cigarettes after a meal, and today, I offered him a whole pack. But he refused. Instead, he emphatically argued the sophistry that a cigarette tastes best when it’s bummed off someone else, earning the agreement of the smokers around us.
I knew this was his way of showing familiarity, but as a smoker, my disappointment was indescribable. Carrying that cheated(?) feeling with me, I finished lunch and finally joined the afternoon training.
Today’s Magic Talent training was handled by the 〈Northland〉 Clan, an ally of the 〈Golden Lion〉. After the first week, most sessions had shifted to clans not participating in the expedition, though the expedition clans still retained roughly twenty to thirty percent. Compared with before, the balance had almost completely reversed.
Before the training began, I entered the venue first. It was necessary to set the mood before the main instructor arrived. The moment I stepped inside, the noisy classroom fell silent in an instant. I didn’t even need to exert any control.
There were a total of 38 people in the Magic Talent track. I was the only Discipline Instructor who had arrived, but since the number of students was small, it wasn’t a problem.
I scanned them all as I walked up to the central podium. All their eyes were focused on me, and I could hear occasional whispers. It seemed the instructors had mentioned me a few times, just as Park Hwanhee and Baek Hangyul had said. Honestly, I hadn’t been aware of it, but they probably only talked about me when I wasn’t around.
The first User my eyes landed on was Park Hwanhee. He was sitting a little above the center, and when our eyes met, he bowed his head. I gave a simple nod in return and then checked the faces of the Users sitting around him one by one.
Soon, I turned my head to the left and found Baek Hangyul sitting at the very end of a row. His intention to sit as far away from Park Hwanhee as possible was obvious. Baek Hangyul had a nervous look on his face, but when my gaze fell on him, he flinched in surprise and quickly bowed his head. Unlike with Park Hwanhee, I responded with a faint smile.
He seemed happy that I’d acknowledged him, as he excitedly grabbed the arm of the female User sitting next to him. That woman was probably Baek Hangyul’s girlfriend, Cha Yuna. Given that she was in this class, she must also be in the Magic Talent track. I calmly studied her face.
I had heard she was devoted to Baek Hangyul, but my first impression was that she looked sullen. Although she had delicate features and a generally pretty face, her arched eyebrows and cat-like eyes gave off a strong impression of being rather standoffish. If I had to make a comparison, she had a similar vibe to Lee Yoojung.
Still, my Yoojung is much prettier.
And I wasn’t just saying that with a father’s bias; Yoojung was actually much prettier.
After quickly dismissing the silly thought, I kept my eyes on her and activated Third Eye.
〈 Player Status 〉
1. Name: Cha Yuna (Year 0 User)
2. Class: Mage (Normal, Mage, Beginner)
3. Nation: -
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Has Proven Their Qualification · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Female (20)
7. Height · Weight: 167.3cm · 52.7kg
8. Alignment: Good · Ambition
[Strength 22] [Durability 16] [Agility 25] [Stamina 28] [Magic Power 47] [Luck 39]
Nothing special… Her Alignment is Good · Ambition, huh?
It wasn’t a stark contrast, but they could still be classified as opposing attributes. Cha Yuna tightly gripped the hand of Baek Hangyul, who was pulling at her, and subtly turned her head. But she wasn’t looking at him. Her attention was directed toward where Park Hwanhee was.
The moment I saw that, I could feel a subtle emotion contained in Cha Yuna’s gaze.