Main Quest, This Bullshit # 2
Main Quest, This Bullshit # 2
[????]
After calming down, I gave it some thought.
The main quest. Right. It means a very important quest. Obviously I have to do it.
That main quest unlocked because I used the shop for the first time. But right now it's plastered with question marks, so I can't check the details.
So does that mean the content will show up if I actively use special features like this?
"I've got a rough idea."
From the scraps I know, later a colossal war is probably going to break out. Judging by what I've found out so far, it'll be something like monsterkin, monsters, villains all storming in and putting the whole world in danger.
And the protagonist, Lee Si-hoo, resolves that.
"So then... please make it so Lee Si-hoo can save the world? And the reward is going home?"
If I try to piece it together, it goes something like that.
"Hm."
What do I have to do to make the protagonist save the world?
Do I just leave it to him? Honestly, hearing 'annihilation' does seriously worry me, but since there's nothing I can do right now I can't feel it or act on it.
A shit-tier scrub who just learned High Jump taking on a world-ending monster? Can't picture it. Even if I grow like mad for three whole years, I don't think I could stop the apocalypse.
"..."
As I was mulling it over.
—Ding.
A message came from Si-hoo.
- Geun-cheol, sorry I couldn't work out with you.
Dude worries about every little thing. Yeah it's a bummer, but if he's got something going on what can I do? I can just wreck a workout and hit the bathhouse together next time. No matter what the hell happens, I'm dragging him along. Bathhouse maniac Kim Geun-cheol isn't missing a chance to hit the baths with a friend.
I sent back a casual 'it's fine'.
—Ring.
A call came in.
From Angel Leona no less. She'd said to fill her in earlier, but she called pretty late, didn't she? I answered right away.
"Yo. Angel Leona. What's up?"
- I called to hear that story from earlier. What on earth was it?
She must've been really curious.
"Eh, nothing special. You know Ryu Cheon-hwi? It's about him..."
I explained what happened step by step. When I got to the part about the family insult, Leona had a similar reaction to Instructor Lee So-ra, but once I told her the rest she understood as expected.
- Hmm... then it can't be helped. Insulting someone's parents... even Europeans live with that level of swearing. Even if it's a bit harsh, if he started the fight he should have been prepared for that much.
"Oh, you're surprisingly lenient about that, huh?"
A European noble lady who's lenient about family insults. Astonishing.
- It's just obvious. You have to repay an insult with an insult. Still, I do feel the family insult was a little too much, but if that's your conviction I can understand. Anyway, thanks for letting me know. So that's what happened.
"Yeah. Pretty dumb incident, right?"
- It really is. Anyway, fighting isn't good, so... I'll have a firm word with Ryu Cheon-hwi. Try to avoid contact with him from now on. There's no reason to fight unnecessarily.
Oh!
"Woah! That's the class rep for you! Offering to lay down the law like that! Thanks, Leona!"
- That's exactly the leadership of a class rep. School violence in my class? I won't stand for it.
A class rep who won't tolerate school violence...!
"You really are Angel Leona!"
- I told you to cut that out! I'm hanging up!
"Okay."
And so the call with Leona ended.
"Wow. Leona's totally rock-solid, huh?"
If Leona's got my back, I'm not scared of Ryu Cheon-hwi or Ryu Kendo or whatever. Her personality, she'll definitely shut that stuff down clean.
"Ahh, time to sleep."
Gotta sleep fast so I can keep up with class tomorrow.
* * *
"No, so why didn't you work out with me yesterday? Do you know how lonely I was?"
"W-Well, Geun-cheol...!"
"I believed you, got betrayed, had no choice but despair, and then more frustration... Huh? I was just about to crush a workout and hit the bathhouse together. And you slipped off by yourself."
"I apologized! Forgive me for that!"
Today, different from yesterday, I walked to school with Si-hoo. We stay in the same dorm, no reason to go separately. And Si-hoo is a sort of bodyguard.
If Ryu Cheon-hwi shows up and ambushes me, I'm absolutely fucked.
—Creak.
I opened the classroom door with that thought.
"Y-you, you bastard...!"
I opened the door and ran right into that son of a bitch Ryu Cheon-hwi!
"Ah shit! Si-hoo!"
"Yeah!"
Si-hoo immediately stepped in front of me! Had that bastard seriously been lying in wait for revenge? Thinking that, I demanded his intentions!
"Ryu Cheon-hwi! What's going on in your head!"
"You...!"
He's just staring at me, absolutely unable to settle down. Ha. Must be because Si-hoo's here? He can't attack recklessly. Si-hoo really is mad strong.
"I said what's going on in your head! Were you lying in wait to attack me again! You really wanna do this! After I asked you yesterday if this is how humans treat each other!"
"That's...! Tch!"
In an instant.
—Whoosh!
"Huh!"
He suddenly spun around and bolted out the front door of the classroom!
He ran!
"What the? Si-hoo? What'd you do?"
"Huh? I didn't do anything. But why'd he run... I wonder."
"Right?"
Why'd the guy run? I stared at Ryu Cheon-hwi's back as I looked down the hallway for a moment, but he was just straight-up running away.
"Bastard. He was scared of you, Si-hoo?"
"Ah, ahaha. I don't think it's that."
"Hey. If you're strong like that, being humble is the bad manners, man. A veteran player acting all modest? That's a bad-mannered player. Bad-mannered player."
"I'm not a veteran player!"
Still, my luck's good from the morning. Repelled Ryu Cheon-hwi. But no quest today, huh? Bummer as hell.
Anyway, as I was about to enter the classroom.
"Kim Geun-cheol?"
I heard Leona's voice from behind.
"Yo. Leona. Good morning."
"It's that damn Mr. Le again. Anyway. What's that? I was going to say something when I saw Ryu Cheon-hwi running, but he just zipped right past?"
"Right? He just did that all of a sudden. Must've been scared of Si-hoo. So, Meal Ticket Leona? What about the item?"
"I'll give it to you in a bit, so don't pester me. You damn monsterkin Kim Geun-cheol."
"Aw, I seriously can't hold out, I wanna get it so bad...!"
"Build some patience! What are you, a kid!"
"Yep."
"Don't 'yep' me, you shit!"
I shot the breeze with Leona like that and then went into the classroom. I waved at Ken, who greeted me like always, and took my seat. Right after, Instructor Lee So-ra came in.
"Bad news. First period is my time. Everyone, wake up. We're starting class immediately, so come out."
First period started a little early...!
"Aaaah! Instructor!"
"Ah!"
"Spare us, please!"
"Instructor! We have a right to a proper morning assembly!"
I got up from my seat, adding a word along with the students crying out in pain.
"Shut up. I also have the authority to force class on you. Be quiet and get up."
Tch!
* * *
The class content was the same as last time. Training to master the sensation of using mana, and I literally worked my ass off.
"Ho-oh... Kim Geun-cheol. Your learning speed is faster than I thought. It's unstable, but that's a decent High Jump."
As if the effort had paid off, Instructor Lee So-ra, who had been watching my movements, gave me a compliment.
"Hehehe, is that so? Woah! To be acknowledged by Instructor Lee So-ra! It's the kind of thing I'd want to record and pass down to my descendants for generations!"
"Could you stop talking so long-winded?"
"Aw, I'm just happy I got praised, that's all."
It feels good when things go well.
I guess I do have a knack for being a superhuman.
"Moving on. It's going very smoothly right now, so just keep doing what you've been doing. Of course, be careful because if you overdo it you could faint from mana exhaustion... Starting next week, it should be fine to teach you the meditation method."
"What...! You mean the meditation method?!"
Whatever that is.
"That's right."
The instructor said she'd teach me next time and went off to check another student's posture. But while watching, I realized I wasn't actually dead last.
A few students still couldn't handle mana at all. Realizing that lifted my mood. I'm a real man who's competitive by nature. The existence of students lagging behind puts me at ease.
—Driiing.
"Ah! Break time!"
"Alright, everyone take a short rest and come back. Next period is also mine."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Let's rest a bit then get back to it. I was about to grab a drink from the vending machine when Leona suddenly came striding over.
"Let's go. Kim Geun-cheol."
"Where?"
"We have to get the item."
Ah! The meal ticket!
"Quick! Speedrun it!"
"What speedrun when you're slower than me... Quit being so jittery! Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Fine, fine! Let's go fast! Si-hoo! I'm gonna hang out with Leona for a bit!"
Even though I shouted that, Si-hoo just looked at me and didn't answer. That's seriously suspicious. Does he actually like Leona? Ah, shit, then things get awkward. Of course, our friendship is stronger than anything.
Anyway, we arrived in front of the cafeteria like that.
In front of it was the beautiful meal ticket issuing machine.
—Beep-beep-beep.
Having skillfully operated the machine, Leona printed one meal ticket and handed it to me.
"Here."
"This is the meal ticket!"
The moment I received that bright yellow paper!
—Zzzt!
"Fuhahahahaha!"
I got a thrill!
"Woooooaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
A buffet! It's a buffet! A 30,000-won superhuman buffet at that! What beautiful food could possibly be waiting for me!
"Oh! Yeah!"
Just thinking about it got me so pumped I had no choice but to bust out a powerful dance full of extreme excessive motion! Finally! I'm finally going to the buffet!
S O H A P P Y !
"Haah... What is this guy's deal, really. Aren't you overdoing it way too much? Busting out a dance and everything, this monsterkin Kim Geun-cheol."
"Hey. What do you mean overdoing it? This is me holding back. Woah! Seriously, thank you so much!"
"You're overdoing it like crazy."
"It's not overdoing it, Angel Leona. Wait, no. You're not Angel Leona anymore."
"Then what? Are you gonna pull that 'Meal Ticket Leona' bullshit again?"
Leona put her hands on her hips and glared at me with a tilted posture. Of course not. I had different words.
"Why would I use such a tacky name? You like that nickname?"
"You're the one who started it first...!"
"Anyway. Starting today, you're Archangel Leona."
If you bought me a meal ticket, Archangel is right.
"Crazy! I never imagined I'd be called an Archangel in my entire life! How do you manage to pick only the most unfathomable things to say! Cut the bullshit, seriously!"
"Hehehe. Pretending not to like it when you do."
"Hmph!"
As if completely sulking, Leona let out a 'hmph' and turned her head. Still, a meal ticket. So beautiful and precious. Should I not use it today and save it for tomorrow? I want to share a bed with this meal ticket and cherish each other all night tonight.
"Anyway, really, thank you. I'll eat well."
"There's nothing to thank me for. It's payment for information. But Kim Geun-cheol, you."
"Hm?"
"I never see you in the cafeteria. What on earth do you do every lunch period?"
I go to the snack bar and eat bread.
"What do you think? I eat."
"Eat? Where?"
"At the snack bar."
"The snack bar?"
"Yeah. I eat bread there."
When I said that.
"Why would you eat that kind of cheap bread?"
Leona frowned and tilted her head.
"Cheap?"
"Snack bar bread. Wouldn't that be bad for your health? A superhuman's body is the most important thing... why not just use the cafeteria? It's not like you don't have the money to eat, so why eat that junk food?"
Look at this silver-spoon girl's flexing!
Taking it for granted that it's not a matter of not having money to eat—that mindset itself was the inhumane silver spoon!
In this world, there are undernourished children who can't eat because they have no money...!
"Seriously, you're so spoon-fed you'd—"
"No, Leona? I just don't have money, so I go to the snack bar."
"Huh? What?"
Look at this.
She can't even imagine having no money.
"What did you just say? You don't have money?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Well... because I don't?"
"Why not? No matter what, your son is working hard at school to become a hero. Just ask your parents to at least send you food money..."
"Ah, that."
Simple.
I don't have money.
"I don't have parents."
And no parents either.
"So, besides the subsidy, I don't have any money. I have to scrimp and save."
"Huh?"
"The cafeteria's expensive, how can I eat there? The snack bar's cheaper."
At that, Leona shut her mouth for a moment.
"Huh? Huh? Wh-wha-what...?!"
Everyone acts like this when I say it.
"Um... Kim Geun-cheol?"
"What."
"I-I said that without knowing."
In an instant, Leona grabbed the hem of her uniform skirt tightly and started stammering, glancing at me nervously.
"Tha-that is...! No! If I'd known I wouldn't have brought it up! I didn't know so...!"
With a face that looked extremely sorry, too.
Ah, seriously, you don't have to do this.
"Hey, hey. It's okay, man. Why worry about something like that?"
I immediately patted Leona on the shoulder to comfort her.
"I didn't even say anything. What are you gonna do if you feel sorry about that? You didn't even do anything wrong."
"W-well...! That's why!"
"I'm telling you it's fine."
At that moment.
"Eit!"
—Beep-beep-beep!
Leona suddenly jammed her card into the machine roughly and started pressing the screen fiercely—beep-beep-beep.
—Fwip!
—Fwip!
—Fwip!
She ripped out a whole stack of meal tickets!
"Take these!!!"
And then she shoved them at me!
What?!
"Huh?! Hey! You're giving me all these?! Dude, how much is all this!"
"I said eat proper food...! Sniff!"
"Hey! Why are you crying!"
Leona, who had thrust the bundle of meal tickets at me, started crying!
"I cannot accept that there's an Undernourished Kid like one from a PSA in my class!!!"
"I'm not a kid!"
"Shut up! Just eat!!! You Undernourished Kid Geun-cheol!!!"
—Whoosh!
Having shoved the meal tickets onto me like that, Leona spun her body around and executed a sprint!
"Hey! Come back! Come back to me!"
What a bolt from the blue!
"Hey! No, wait, why is this so many!"
Honestly, if it were just a few, I would've thought it was an absolute steal and snatched them right up, but this is a shitton!
"Haah... seriously."
Why is she this nice?
She really is an Archangel.
"I'll have to return them."
Each one is thirty thousand won. I'm not shameless enough to chow down on all of them.
Honestly, I should just accept the sentiment.