Chapter 59: Orientation (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59: Orientation (1)
[Status Window]
Name: Kim Do-jin
Sex: Male
Age: 20
Height/Weight: 174cm / 68.0kg
[Strength: 25] [Stamina: 30] [Agility: 20] [Mana: 20]
Trait: One with Aptitude
[Mutual Non-aggression (2022.06.09.~2025.12.31)]
[Disclosure Prohibition (2022.06.09.~2025.12.31.)]
I felt a surge of emotion.
It was the feeling of my status window finally being perfectly complete.
If only those restrictions dangling at the bottom would disappear.
[…This concludes the 15th Special Admission Entrance Ceremony.]
Huh, is it over already?
The re-held entrance ceremony ended faster than I expected.
Given the schedule delays, it seemed they rushed through it to make up for lost time.
“Next is the departmental orientation, right?”
“Yeah, I’m excited.”
The new students gathered in small groups, chattering about the upcoming schedule as they began to leave one by one.
“…What is this.”
It seemed everyone but me had already formed some kind of bond.
Did they develop a sense of camaraderie from surviving the villain’s attack together?
“…Then what about me?”
These guys are ridiculous.
I was the one who essentially saved everyone, and they’re getting friendly with each other while leaving me out?
Of course, I had to keep what I did a secret, but a wave of disappointment washed over me.
So this is what they mean when they say you shouldn't take in a black-haired beast. [A Korean idiom meaning humans are often ungrateful.]
“How bitter…”
Is this the bitter taste of life at twenty?
“What’s so bitter?”
Just as I was wallowing in my solitude, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out.
I turned to my side and saw a rather pretty girl tilting her head, looking at me.
She had a dark brown ponytail, large eyes, and upturned corners that made her look like she was smiling even when still.
With her slightly prominent front teeth, she looked just like a rabbit.
“Who…?”
At my question, the rabbit’s expression shifted to one of realization, and she quickly spoke.
“Nice to meet you! My name is Im Na-eun!”
“Uh… I’m Kim Do-jin.”
It felt kind of awkward.
Was introducing yourself by name always this embarrassing?
“You’re a special admission student for the Magic Department too, right? Me too!”
“Ah…”
So she was the one. The other special admission student in the Magic Department besides me.
Among the twenty or so special admission students, only two were for the Magic Department.
This was a significantly smaller number compared to other departments or faculties.
That’s because, unlike other professions for which Korea University was the only choice, aspiring mages had another option.
“Why did you come here instead of going to the Magic Tower?”
That’s right, the Magic Tower.
It was a government-established institution for researching and advancing magic.
A place where every discovered and developed magic tome was stored, aside from the signature spells of famous mages.
Frankly, if your only goal was to learn magic, there was no better place.
In fact, all the guys I studied with at Park Cheol-su’s Magic Academy ended up going to the Magic Tower.
That red-haired guy who was so interested in Yoon Ji-an was originally supposed to enroll at Korea University, but I heard he got pissed and went to the Magic Tower instead, or something.
Thus, for mages, there was an even better option than Korea University.
But I couldn't go to the Magic Tower.
My ex-wife, Han Ju-hee, is the Tower Lord, the highest administrator there.
It’s not like she could see through my changed appearance, so I could have gone if I wanted to… but I hate the Magic Tower.
Her excuse for avoiding me all this time was that she was too busy with work.
So just thinking about the Magic Tower makes me grind my teeth.
Since I couldn't tell her the real story, I just made something up.
“The Magic Tower felt too much like being a researcher, so it didn’t appeal to me.”
“Ah~ right. The mages at the Tower do seem like they just lock themselves in labs and research magic all day.”
The rabbit—no, Im Na-eun, was it?—smiled and agreed with me.
“Anyway, it’s great to meet you! We have to be really good to each other, okay?”
“…Why?”
“Why? Because if one of us wasn’t here, the other would be the only special admission student in the Magic Department.”
Im Na-eun’s lips suddenly drooped as she shuddered.
“Ugh… I would’ve been so lonely. Eating alone, going to every class alone…”
That seemed like a bit of an exaggeration.
Im Na-eun was clearly the type to be popular with everyone around her.
She was pretty, and the fact that she approached me so casually suggested she had a great personality.
If she were eating alone, students from the Combat Faculty would never have left her be.
A pretty face in the already rare mage profession would be the icing on the cake.
“Anyway! Since you’re here, I don’t have to worry about that. Hehe.”
She looked even more like a rabbit when she smiled, showing her teeth.
It was a smile that made you want to keep one as a pet at home.
Just looking at her felt healing.
“The departmental orientation is about to start. Let’s hurry!”
“Ah, right.”
It would have been nice if we could just go home after the entrance ceremony like in middle or high school.
But there was still one more event left.
An event that might drag on for far longer than the ceremony itself.
The departmental orientation.
The Combat Faculty was divided into departments by profession, but in practice, the distinction didn't mean much.
That’s because party play is the preferred method for dungeon conquests these days, so practical training is conducted in mixed-profession parties.
That’s why the orientation was held by faculty, not by department.
They probably figured everyone would have to get to know each other eventually, so they might as well start putting faces to names from the beginning.
“Ah, there it is! Lecture Hall 3!”
We headed for Lecture Hall 3, located in Area A.
Korea University, which occupied the entirety of Yeouido, was divided into zones based on purpose.
Area A was where the lecture halls for theoretical classes were gathered.
The Combat Faculty orientation was being held in the large lecture room 301 of Lecture Hall 3.
No, it was probably already underway.
The delay in the entrance ceremony meant it had ended after the orientation was scheduled to begin.
“Hurry, hurry!”
She was full of energy.
I quickly followed Im Na-eun, who was hopping like a rabbit, up to the third floor of the building.
As we headed straight for room 301, I spotted a familiar face.
“Shin Yu-jeong?”
Leaning against the wall in front of lecture room 301 with her arms crossed and a serious expression was, without a doubt, Shin Yu-jeong.
Hearing my voice, she immediately lifted her head.
“Hey, you…!”
The moment she saw me, she strode over and suddenly started feeling my arms all over.
What’s with her?
“Hey, are you okay? I heard there was an attack. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Had she been waiting in front of the door because she was worried about me?
That was actually touching.
“I’m fine.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Phew. Shin Yu-jeong let out a sigh of relief.
Then, her expression suddenly twisted into a demonic glare as she lunged at me and grabbed my collar.
…Does she have some kind of disorder?
“You bastard! Why didn’t you answer your phone? Do you have any idea how many times I called? Huh?! Do you?!”
“H-how was I supposed to answer during the entrance ceremony…!”
If I got on the professors’ bad side, would you take responsibility?
Ah, I’d better not say that.
I was afraid if I did, she’d suddenly declare that she would take responsibility.
But had she really called?
Come to think of it, I hadn’t taken out my smartphone since before the ceremony.
During the ceremony, I was too busy getting emotional over my status window to notice anything else.
“Then you should have, called, me, after it was, overrrrr!”
She shook me violently, her hands tight on my collar.
Just then, a savior appeared out of nowhere.
“P-please stop!”
No, a rabbit appeared.
Im Na-eun grabbed Shin Yu-jeong’s hands, trying to pry them off my collar, but…
“Nngh… why, why won’t they budge…!”
She failed.
As if a Magic Department student could ever break a Tanker’s grip.
“Hey.”
Shin Yu-jeong’s gaze grew even fiercer than before.
“What’s with her?”
Her eyes were blazing with a mixture of anger and jealousy.
I had to choose my words carefully.
Just state the facts, clearly and simply.
“She’s a special admission student in the Magic Department, just like me. Her name is Im Na-eun.”
“Hmm… Magic Department, you say.”
At the words “Magic Department,” her anger seemed to melt away.
What a simple-minded girl.
I turned to Im Na-eun, who was looking back and forth between me and Shin Yu-jeong with wide, rabbit-like eyes, and introduced her.
“This is Shin Yu-jeong. She’s a high school classmate of mine, from the Warrior class. A Tanker.”
“Ah, n-nice to meet you! I’m Im Na-eun…”
The rabbit waved her hand awkwardly as she greeted her.
She’s intimidated, totally intimidated.
Her voice trailed off toward the end.
“…Yeah, nice to meet you,” she replied bluntly.
She didn’t seem angry anymore, but she was definitely wary of Na-eun.
“Anyway, let’s just get inside. The orientation started a while ago.”
Shin Yu-jeong stood between us and grabbed both me and Im Na-eun by the arm, pulling us along.
“Wh-whoa…?”
Im Na-eun was dragged along, her eyes wide with surprise.
You’d better get used to it.
This is just how she is.
Ignoring the “PULL” sign on the door, she shouldered it open.
Her tough entrance drew the attention of everyone gathered in room 301.
“I’ve brought the two special admission students who arrived late!”
She even went a step further and shouted.
Im Na-eun and I looked at each other, our faces flushing red, and then, almost in unison, we bowed our heads.
Why did the shame have to be all ours?