Field Trip # 1
Field Trip # 1
"Whew. Alright, you guys head in. I'm gonna wash up and crash. I'm seriously dead tired. For real."
My belly full, a wave of drowsiness hit me. Looks like I'm skipping training today. But hey, I saw real combat—no training beats that. I've met my quota. It still feels wrong skipping the daily, but I'm completely out of juice.
"Yeah. You ran hard, you should rest. Hey, Geun-cheol. Aren't you going to lose your voice tomorrow?"
"This? Lose my voice? Back in the day, I used to..."
Ah.
No, wait. This isn't about here.
"Back in the day?"
"Nothing. Forget it. See you tomorrow."
I got up, and Si-hoo stood up too.
Time to wash up.
—Shloop.
I immediately pulled off my t-shirt. Must be from all the hard training lately—I think my body's actually looking a bit better.
"Aahh!"
Right then, Si-hoo screamed.
"What? Drop something?"
"N-no...! It's nothing!"
"What? Why."
"Geun-cheol! Don't just walk around without a shirt on!"
"I'm about to get in the shower, dude."
Seriously, this guy is so sensitive.
Wait, is he the type who showers with his clothes on?
It sounds crazy, but I once saw a guy like that in the army. Showered in his underwear and tank top. His bright-eyed explanation was that it let him do laundry at the same time, calling it "morning three, evening four"—which is a totally different idiom. I wanted to say something, but I got the feeling it'd cause genuine, no-kidding trouble, so I reported him to the platoon leader right away.
By the way, he didn't mix up "kill two birds with one stone." He genuinely said "morning three, evening four." That was even more unsettling than showering in his skivvies.
"Just go home, man. You're gonna freak out about me taking my shirt off in my own place? Keep it up and I'll kidnap you to a public bathhouse."
"O-okay! Fine! Just don't come closer!"
"The bathroom's right by the door, what do you mean don't come closer."
The moment I walked into the bathroom, saying that—
—FWOOM!
A sound like something bursting... no, snapping? A weird, indistinct noise. What was that? Sounded like it came from the door.
"Si-hoo? You drop something?"
"Ah! No! I—wait! Geun-cheol!"
I looked. Si-hoo was bent over, hugging himself with both arms. What? Did this guy stub his pinky toe or something?
"Heh heh heh. You totally stubbed your toe, didn't you?"
"Huh...? Ah! Yeah! That's it...! Man, this hurts!"
"Quit hurting and go home."
As I stepped into the bathroom, I heard the front door close. Get home safe, Si-hoo.
—Splaaaash.
I turned on the hot water and started my shower at once. The warm water washed over me, melting the fatigue right out.
"Hope that little kid's recovering okay."
The elementary school kid we rescued went into Monster Shock and passed out. I hope he pulls through fine.
Ah, and Kitty.
Hope she got home safe too.
—Swish.
Anyway, I finished my shower, dried off, and flopped onto the bed.
Of course, there's something I've gotta do before I sleep.
"Skill Window!"
Check my skills!
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[ Weapon Enchant (Lv.1) ]
[ War Cry (Lv.1) ]
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A new skill showed up!
"War Cry, baby! Nice to meet ya!"
So this is what unlocking a new skill is like! I immediately checked the details!
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[War Cry]
-A skill that unleashes a battle cry imbued with mana. A powerful shout that precisely strikes the ears will be useful for drawing the attention of monsters.
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But the description?
"What the hell? I scream to draw monster aggro?"
This is exactly what happened earlier!
"Am I seriously gifted in screaming?"
Watching all those Antazora lock onto me earlier... maybe I actually am talented. And now it manifested as a skill. It felt both hilarious and bizarre.
"Scream aggro, huh."
This is obviously an Aggro Tank skill. A skill that focuses aggro with screaming. I don't know just how far it'll be effective, but if I use it well, it'll be super useful.
"But, dude, I want to be a DPS."
I want to look cool, slinging sword aura from my blade.
But an Aggro Tank skill... no. Wait.
Come to think of it, this won't be my only skill. As I grow, more opportunities to earn skills will probably come up naturally.
"Alright."
Let's check out the skills I get, test them out, and decide what works best for me. Then I can commit to a build, distribute my stats, and grow.
—Zzzt.
The moment I thought that, a fact zipped through my brain.
"Shop."
I opened the shop and tapped the stats tab.
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[Strength (1) - 3,000 Coin]
[Technique (1) - 3,000 Coin]
[Stamina (1) - 3,000 Coin]
[Endurance (1) - 3,000 Coin]
[Mana (1) - 3,000 Coin]
[Coin (5,020)]
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For 3,000 Coin, I can raise a single stat.
I could do it right now.
"But what's Endurance?"
Is Endurance a defense-related stat? If I go down the tank tree, focusing on Endurance might be a good move.
I kept browsing the shop with that thought in mind.
And then I saw it—a new slot had been unlocked!
"Whoa! I can buy skill experience too?!"
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[ Weapon Enchant (Lv.1) ]
[ War Cry (Lv.1) ]
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From the looks of it, if I invest 2,000 Coin right now, I can level up one of these two skills. They're Level 1, so I can easily bump them to Level 2.
"Holding off for now."
There's no immediate battle to fight, so I'll save my Coins. I can decide how to spend them once I've locked in my build.
My heart's pounding.
I'm really looking forward to my growth now!
Time to crash!
* * *
The next day, I met up with the others and we wrote our report on the incident together. I heard a bit from Leona—a detailed government investigation into the unusual events will be launched soon.
"Whoa! As expected of the Kainus Family! You already got word of that?"
"Hehehe, of course. The social elite must stay informed of such things at all times."
"But you're not the elite, you're just the daughter."
"I am the elite of the future."
"As expected...!"
Nothing but awe!
An angel truly is part of the ruling class.
Anyway, this situation was definitely not normal.
Listening more, the story was even circulating within Awakened communities. And of course, the main quest's very name is 'Omen.' This is definitely a sign that something huge is on the horizon.
"..."
From what I know, around the end of our third year, a catastrophe of epic proportions is supposed to hit... and Si-hoo stopping it is the basic plot.
But can we really handle it?
—Beeeeep.
The moment I thought that, I heard a weird noise in my ear. "Huh?"
No, wait. A scene seemed to flash in my head. What is this? Why is it so vivid... Am I dreaming?
"What?!"
What I see is a violet sky and gigantic monsters!
The sight was so horrifying I couldn't hold back a scream—
"Kim Geun-cheol?"
"Huh, whuh?"
"What are you doing, spacing out all of a sudden?"
Ah.
"No, I just..."
I was back in the café.
"..."
What the hell.
Just what was that?
It was short, but an incredibly vivid scene.
"Geun-cheol? You okay? Did your stomach get upset or something?"
"No. It's not that. Just... give me a sec."
"What's there to think so hard about? Anyway, snap out of it and let's finish this report. It's due tomorrow."
Right.
Let's do that.
* * *
Whatever happens, Monday always comes.
"I'm dying of sleepiness, Si-hoo."
"What were you doing at night that you're so tired?"
"Heh heh heh, wouldn't you like to know."
"Stop laughing weird!"
Today, as always, I walked to school with Si-hoo.
"Geun-cheol. Did you bring the report?"
"Yeah. Let's go submit it with Leona during break."
"Mhm. Let's do that."
We planned to submit it to Instructor Lee So-ra and have a quick chat with her after class. Since it was quite an unusual incident, the instructor might know something about it. Thinking that, I stepped into the classroom and—
There was Ryu Cheon-hwi, plain as day.
"Yo! Ryu!"
I called out to him, happy to see the guy. He'd sent me that giant stash of cola, so I'm completely set for drinks. Just thinking about it puts me in a ridiculously good mood.
"..."
But this bastard's ignoring me with his arms crossed!
"Fine, ignore me. I'll just stand here next to you... and throw ten thousand punches of gratitude while praising the cola you gave me."
—Sliiide.
I immediately moved next to Ryu Cheon-hwi, took my stance, and—
"Cola! Cola! Cola! Cola!"
—Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
I launched into my thank-you punches into thin air with a cola chant!
"Cheon-hwi! Cheon-hwi! Cheon-hwi! Cheon-hwi!"
I even mixed in a Cheon-hwi chant!
And so—
"Th-this crazy Taliban bastard is committing terrorism first thing in the morning again...! Shut your mouth this instant!"
Getting all worked up, his face red, Ryu Cheon-hwi glared at me and yelled.
"Who told you to ignore me? Just accept a little thanks. I'm about to burst thanks to you."
"Then burst!"
"Huh? I'm seriously so thankful. I'm practically eating cola as a side dish now?"
"This Taliban lunatic keeps spouting disgusting garbage...! Shut up or I'll kill you!"
"Already drowned in cola..."
Anyway, leaving the raging Ryu Cheon-hwi behind, I took my seat.
—Clack.
"Good morning."
Instructor Lee So-ra walked in, as usual.
"Alright, everyone. As you already know, tomorrow is the field trip to the monster farm. Make sure you've familiarized yourselves with the report writing format."
What?
"Uh, Instructor?"
"Kim Geun-cheol? Do you have a question?"
"A monster farm field trip. What the heck is that?"
"What? It's best to check the schedule in advance, Kim Geun-cheol. Class President? Print out the schedule and hand it to Kim Geun-cheol."
A schedule!
"Why do I get caught in the crossfire, Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Agh!"
Leona shouted, making me flinch!
"Okay, sorry. But Instructor Lee So-ra. A monster farm. You mean they actually raise monsters?"
"They breed monsters certified for industrial use. The byproducts from those monsters are used to make dimensional equipment or anti-monster weapons. The uniform you're wearing right now, Kim Geun-cheol—and the sword at your hip—are both made from those monsters."
"I get it now."
I understood.
They said from the start that this uniform is made from 'dimensional fiber.' Of course they'd use monsters to make it.
I've also heard that high-grade weapons can absorb the user's mana to output greater performance. It's pretty amazing, though. Breeding monsters to create that stuff.
Humans are terrifying!!!
"By the way, Instructor. Where are we going?"
"The Langst farm next door. The dust those things spew out is effective at neutralizing a monster's dimensional shield. It's primarily used in manufacturing standard-issue ammunition."
"Ooh!"