Chapter 60: Orientation (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: Orientation (2)
Thankfully, I suppose.
Our arrival didn't end up ruining the atmosphere of the event.
“We were just about to start. You have great timing.”
A man who looked like an upperclassman said into the microphone from the stage.
It seemed they had delayed the start of the event since the special admission students' entrance ceremony had run late.
By the way, that upperclassman’s face looks strangely familiar…
“Go ahead and find a seat. You’ll have to come up on stage for your self-introduction, so you might as well sit in the front, right?”
“Yep.”
“Understood…”
I took an empty seat at the very front.
Shin Yu-jeong and Im Na-eun naturally sat down on either side of me.
“……”
Was it just my imagination, or did this scene look a little strange?
If I wasn't careful, I could be seen as a playboy who hangs around with two girls on the very first day of school.
Sure enough, I could feel gazes from all over.
There were resentful gazes, envious gazes, and gazes burning with jealousy…
One thing became certain.
Whether for good or for bad, I had clearly imprinted my face on every student here.
“Nice to meet you, everyone. I'm Park Jin-woo, the third-year class representative in charge of this year's orientation. Starting next year, you probably won't see me much because of practical training, just like the current fourth-years, but I look forward to the coming semester with you all.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
His smooth self-introduction was met with a torrent of enthusiastic applause.
I could tell just from the sound of it.
That third-year class rep, Park Jin-woo, was one of the most popular people in the Combat Faculty.
He certainly looked like he had what it took.
He was tall, probably around 185 cm, with a body full of defined, lean muscles, and a friendly, puppy-like face that stood out when he smiled.
He had everything girls liked, didn't he?
He even seemed to be highly skilled.
The concentration of mana flowing around him was much denser than that of the other students.
At that level… was he about B-rank?
I don't know whose family he's from, but they raised their son well.
“Except for the special admission first-years, you all probably know this, but this isn't a big deal. We'll just do some self-introductions, briefly explain what your school life will be like, and then take questions if you have any.”
For an event that everyone had to attend, it was quite modest.
No wonder only the special admission students were tense while everyone else was relaxed.
So it was just an event to get to know each other before the semester started.
“Alright, let's start with the self-introductions from the special admission students. Who wants to volunteer to go first?”
As soon as Park Jin-woo finished speaking, someone shot their hand up.
“May I introduce myself first, sir?”
A shaved head and deeply tanned skin.
His body was covered in hypertrophied muscles so large that his veins bulged, and he gave off a strong macho vibe.
He was even dressed in a tight-fitting athletic shirt and training pants.
I could guarantee it—that guy was 100% a Tanker.
“I like your spirit. Come on up to the stage.”
The moment Park Jin-woo gave his permission, the macho guy stomped his way onto the stage.
After receiving a spare microphone, he immediately bowed to us at a 90-degree angle.
“Hello, sirs!”
His already loud voice was amplified by the microphone, booming throughout the entire lecture hall.
“I am Choi Jeong-cheol! I'm a special admission student in the Warrior Department, and my position is Tanker! I look forward to working with you all!”
The reaction to him was polarized.
There was the group that liked his first-year spirit, and the group that looked displeased, thinking he was overdoing it.
The former were mostly the upperclassmen, while the latter were his fellow first-years.
It seemed like a protest, as if to say, If the first person introduces himself that intensely, what are the rest of us supposed to do?
“Hello. I am a special admission student for marksmanship…”
One by one, they were called up to introduce their names and specialties.
As I watched quietly, I noticed that the upperclassmen's reactions seemed to differ depending on the student's class.
So far, Choi Jeong-cheol, the Tanker, had been the most popular, with the others getting a slightly lesser response.
Just from this, I could get a sense of the class distribution at Korea University.
Among Warriors, Dealers were a dime a dozen, while Tankers had a certain rarity value.
“Alright, anyone who hasn't introduced themselves yet?”
At the voice coming through the microphone, Im Na-eun and I raised our hands.
Looking around, it seemed everyone else besides the two of us had finished their introductions.
I asked Im Na-eun, “Who should go first?”
“I'll go!”
She answered in a bright voice and walked forward.
“Ooh…!”
“She's pretty!”
The moment she appeared, the upperclassmen started making passes at her.
“Hello! I'm Im Na-eun, a special admission student in the Magic Department! It's a pleasure to meet you all!”
The moment she finished.
“Woooooah!”
“Im Na-eun! Im Na-eun!”
An enormous reaction erupted.
A massive cheer, like the kind soldiers give to an idol performing for the troops.
In a way, their cheering seemed perfectly natural.
She was pretty, and she was a special admission Mage?
Well, that settled it.
As I was watching Im Na-eun look flustered by the flood of cheers, Shin Yu-jeong, who was next to me, suddenly started poking me in the ribs with her elbow.
“Hey, look at her. She's totally playing the damsel to appeal to the upperclassmen.”
“That?”
How was that acting helpless to appeal to them?
When I asked back, completely clueless, she let out a deep sigh and gave me a pathetic look.
“This is why you bastards…”
And just like that, I got all men cursed out.
“Girls can spot foxy behavior right away, but guys are clueless about it.”
I really couldn't see how Im Na-eun's behavior was foxy, but I did understand one thing.
A woman's enemy is another woman.
Experiencing this firsthand was pretty intense.
After answering a few questions from the upperclassmen's enthusiastic barrage, Im Na-eun came trotting back over to us.
She looked even more like a rabbit with her face all red.
“Ugh, that was so embarrassing.”
She cupped her flushed cheeks with both hands and stuck her tongue out slightly.
At that sight, the gazes directed our way grew even hotter.
Judging by the stinging feeling on my back, they must have really hated me for watching this up close.
“Alright, so there's one last person, right?”
My turn had come.
I got up from my seat and slowly walked onto the stage.
I could hear murmuring.
“Isn't he kinda handsome?”
“Yeah. But for an Awakened Being, he's a bit short…”
“……”
If I'd only heard the "handsome" part, I would've been on cloud nine.
It's not like my feelings were hurt or anything.
My height would shoot up eventually anyway.
Just wait a few months. I'll make you see with your own two eyes just how tall I can get.
“Here's the mic.”
“Thank you.”
I took the microphone from Park Jin-woo.
Standing in the center of the stage and looking out, I could feel the eyes of my peers and the upperclassmen, spread out in a fan shape, watching me intently.
“I'm Kim Do-jin, a special admission student in the Magic Department. I look forward to getting to know you all.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
“He's handsome, our junior!”
“So cool!”
It wasn't as much as what Im Na-eun received, but enthusiastic cheers from a few female upperclassmen followed.
It wasn't just because of my looks, but probably because I was a special admission Mage.
Still, it didn't feel bad.
At least it seemed like they wouldn't let me eat alone.
“Now, it looks like everyone has one question for our junior, Kim Do-jin, so I'll ask on your behalf.”
Out of nowhere, Park Jin-woo, who was standing next to me, spoke up.
“What is your relationship with your fellow first-years, Shin Yu-jeong and Im Na-eun?”
A bitter smile escaped my lips.
So you were just waiting to ask this, huh…
What was even funnier was that the eyes of the male students, both my peers and the upperclassmen, were sparkling more than ever.
They must have been dying to know.
“Yu-jeong and I have been friends since high school, and Im Na-eun is a fellow special admission student in the Magic Department whom I just met today.”
I wonder if they liked my answer.
“Kim Do-jin! I permit you to be my junior!”
“I'll believe you. You are indeed a junior I shall cherish.”
“Innkeeper, lower the shutters!”
They were all going wild.
“That was a very refreshing answer. Thank you. Junior Do-jin, you can go back to your seat now.”
I returned the mic to Park Jin-woo and went back to my seat.
I only introduced myself, so why did I feel like all my energy had been drained?
“Alright, now let's officially begin the event… oh, wait! I forgot to introduce one more person.”
Park Jin-woo said with a sly smile.
I thought all the special admission students had been introduced. Who else was left?
“We have a second-year transfer student this year. She's a junior I know personally, and a true talent among talents who transferred to Korea University from none other than the Magic Tower! Let's welcome her to the stage.”
That was strange. Transferring from the Magic Tower to Korea University.
I thought I heard the Magic Tower was basically a dream environment for learning magic.
Why would she go out of her way to come here?
A person sitting in the spot farthest from me lowered their head and stood up.
It was a girl wearing a black cap pulled down low, a black hoodie, and black jeans.
“Whoa…”
The moment I saw her, a gasp of admiration escaped me for the first time.
I thought Park Jin-woo was the strongest person I'd seen here, but I was wrong.
“The real deal was someone else…”
Mana was constantly swirling around the girl.
This wasn't just a matter of being skilled; it felt like there was something more, something special hidden within her…
As I watched her intently walk down the stairs that split the large lecture hall, a strange sensation washed over me.
In that moment, an inexplicable sense of déjà vu flooded my mind.
She had her cap pulled down so low I could barely see anything but her chin, yet what was this feeling of familiarity?
“Here, take the mic.”
The girl listlessly took the microphone Park Jin-woo offered.
Finally, she brought the mic to her lips and spoke.
“…Hello.”
A familiar voice.
Suddenly, the girl took off the cap she had pulled down so low.
A glossy, black bob swayed, looking as if it had captured the night sky itself.
Sharp, almond-shaped eyes, a sleek nose, and a sharp jawline.
Overall, she had a cold impression, but one thing… no, two things were certain.
“Wow……”
One was that the girl possessed a beauty so stunning it made the male students gasp, half-dazed.
And the other.
That her face was incredibly familiar to me.
“Fuck.”
Just as the curse escaped my lips, the woman's self-introduction continued.
“I'm Son Seo-yeon, a transfer student in the Magic Department.”
…She's my daughter.