School Closure # 4
School Closure # 4
I had a dream while I was asleep.
The dream was really vague. The whole atmosphere was dark, and things were urgent. I was frantically moving around, but it had that classic dream sensation—like moving underwater. I couldn't move properly at all.
No, wait. Was I even moving?
Now that I think about it, maybe I was fighting? But hey, fighting's always about ganging up, right? I was beating the crap out of something with my friends... but what the hell was it? Whatever it was, like most dreams, it just ended out of nowhere with some incomprehensible progression.
"Huh."
I opened my eyes, and it's morning.
"Fucking weird dream."
The moment I realized I was awake, I knew it was a weird dream. This is all because of those damn pointless thoughts from yesterday. 'Game this,' bullshit that. If I told Leona, she'd probably smack me on the back and tell me to cut the crap.
Anyway, maybe because of that weird dream, I still felt a bit unsettled even after waking up.
"Ugh."
I immediately grabbed my phone and sat up.
But Si-hoo wasn't next to me. Guess that bastard got up first and went to wash up. Always so damn diligent.
"Today..."
Since school's closed anyway, I wanted to take it easy—maybe work out a bit and swing my sword. Get some practice jumping and dashing in, too. Gotta do some dynamic vision training as well.
Nothing's more fun these days than moving my body. Every single thing I do makes me feel those superhuman physical abilities. Of course it's fun.
It's always more entertaining to feel myself directly growing like this than cramming useless knowledge into my head.
But is there a good place for that?
Of course there is. This is a world with superhumans, after all. I bet training facilities for superhumans are as common as neighborhood Taekwondo dojos. If nothing else, I can just ask Leona to point one out.
"Hm?"
Anyway, looking at my phone.
-Geun-cheol, are you okay?
Kitty had sent me a message. Seems she saw the news about the gate appearing at the academy.
"Heh."
This kid's got a cuteness factor, I tell you. Worrying about me enough to send a message like this. Now this is true cuteness.
-Yeah. Saw the news? I'm fine. You?
I fired off a reply and got up. Right about then, Si-hoo opened the door and came in.
"Oh, Si-hoo. All washed up?"
"You're awake, Geun-cheol? Hurry up and wash, too."
"Will do."
Si-hoo was already in training clothes, like he was ready to head out. But wait, he hadn't brought any clothes either, right?
"Hey, those..."
"Yeah. Turns out my clothes were here, too. I owe Leona one. Haha."
"Hehehe, now you're in it, dude. When you become a hero, you've got no choice but to bust your ass doing volunteer work. Leona's trap's got you."
"I did get this weird feeling that Leona was up to something... but well, if you're doing it, Geun-cheol, I'll do it with you."
"Let's become service people together."
I went straight into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and washed up—face, hands, and feet. Splashing my face with cold water finally made me feel like I was waking up.
Anyway, once I came out from washing up...
—Brrrrrr.
My phone rang.
"What now?"
"Geun-cheol? Who is it?"
"It's Instructor Lee So-ra. Gimme a sec."
I answered right away.
"Hello? Ah, good morning, Instructor Lee So-ra. A fine morning to you. So, what can I do for you?"
-That's quite a polite morning greeting.
"Hehehe, for you, Instructor Lee So-ra—right?—extreme politeness is a must, obviously."
-You seem to be in an excellent mood from the start of the day. Anyway, Kim Geun-cheol. Good morning. I have something to discuss regarding the file you sent yesterday. Can you come out right away?
"Ah, the monster report? For that, of course I've gotta go."
It looked like the school was taking the Doppelganger Slime seriously. Yes, this is what a school should be like. This is something that could endanger its students. Taking immediate action is only natural.
-No need to go anywhere. I'll come to you directly.
"Yes. Understood. I'll be waiting, then."
It's for public welfare; I can't exactly bail out. I'd better head straight there and explain everything I know.
"Geun-cheol? What's up? Is this about that report from yesterday?"
Si-hoo, who was behind me, asked.
"Yeah. Seems the school's treating it pretty seriously. Let's go give some testimony."
"Right. Will do. We were the ones who experienced it firsthand, so we should be the ones to talk."
"Then let's call Leona."
I contacted Leona right away.
* * *
"Our class president really takes excellent care of the students' well-being, doesn't she?"
Instructor Lee So-ra, who was driving, said it like she was amused.
"Well, it's part of my duty as class president. The bare minimum, really."
Leona also answered with a smile.
"Very commendable. It makes this instructor happy to see such a responsible class president. As for the expenses, if you submit a report, the school can provide some degree of support, so make sure to file a claim."
"That's fine. It wasn't a major enough undertaking to warrant support, to be honest."
"How befitting of Mister Dominators' daughter."
"Ah, I did get a call from my parents about this whole incident."
"Same here. The school got a call, too."
Since such a huge incident broke out, naturally, a call from back home was inevitable. This was truly unprecedented.
We kept chatting like that with Instructor Lee So-ra while she drove.
"On another note. Lee Si-hoo. And Kim Geun-cheol? Not evacuating to the shelter but fighting behind the school instead. You two have an awful lot of nerve, don't you? First years haven't even received actual combat training yet. It's a problem if you fight on your own."
"Ah, Instructor. We know. I'm sorry. Won't happen again."
"Keep that in mind."
"Yes."
"But, you also took down a monsterkin. And dealt with that Doppelganger Slime quite well. That part's praiseworthy. There'll probably be a bounty for it."
"What?! A bounty?!"
What's this she's saying!
"You hunted something presumed to be a new monster type, and submitted a report on it—naturally, a bounty is in order."
"Hell yeah!"
This turned out to be a treasure!
"Si-hoo! It's a bounty! A bounty!"
"Heheh, are you that happy?"
"Of course I'm happy! Dammit! Leona! Do a good deed, and look—something good happens!"
"That's right! Remember that! Good deeds always come back around!"
Chatting like that, we soon arrived near the school. Riding in a teacher's car with friends, it almost felt like we were on a field trip.
But.
"Hm? Instructor? Things outside look a little... intense?"
Looking outside, the atmosphere was no joke. Soldiers were stationed everywhere, standing guard, and superhumans in powered suits were positioned on the building rooftops.
"A villain alert's been issued at the moment."
"Excuse me? A villain alert?"
"Because there will definitely be those who aim to exploit times of chaos like this. Villains never miss an opportunity for social unrest. They're certain to act in some way."
Well, that does sound pretty likely.
"Moreover, the academy is a target of hatred for villains. Plenty of villain groups place bounties on the heads of heroes or cadets, so you need to be careful."
"Ah, shit."
Those bastards are seriously hardcore.
Since I've been staying only at the academy, I just don't know it well, but this is a world where superhumans freely operate. And because of that, all sorts of superhuman crimes happen, too.
"It just so happens that a dungeon has appeared at the academy, hasn't it? It's currently under investigation, but there could easily be heroes or hunters among those who've come for the investigation who are connected to villains. It wouldn't be strange at all."
"Is that even possible?"
A hero being in cahoots with a villain? As I voiced my doubt, Leona, sitting next to me, looked over and said,
"Geun-cheol? It's entirely possible. It's not like villains are stupid. Whether a hero or a hunter, you always have to keep in mind the possibility they've planted a spy inside."
"That's true, but, Leona. Even without shaking hands with scumbag villains, you can make plenty of money, right? So is there really a need to take on that kind of risk?"
"Because there are always those who want something more."
Well, that's true.
"You have to be careful at all times. There are superhumans who assassinate key figures and then vanish to live as villains."
"As you know, Leona, you could be a target, too."
"Of course I know, Instructor Lee So-ra."
Leona answered the instructor's words matter-of-factly.
Anyway, we passed through security checks and headed toward the school.
* * *
"Wow. So that's the dungeon gate?"
A huge dimensional rift was plopped right down on the school's front field. The height was about a meter and a half—not particularly tall. But it was incredibly bizarre. It literally felt like a hole had been punched into thin air.
A truly alien sensation... Just looking at it was enough to feel something uncanny.
"First time seeing one in person? Must be. Well, there's a class in the first-year curriculum where you actually go inside dungeons, so feel free to look forward to it."
Now that's something to look forward to.
"Lots of heroes and hunters go inside the dungeon."
I heard you can make quite a lot of money once you enter and come back from a dungeon. Resources from the other world are valuable, after all. A dungeon is dangerous, but at the same time, it's an opportunity.
Of course, dungeons like that, connected to another dimension, are a complete mystery. Not much has been revealed about them.
"Ah, by the way, Instructor..."
As we were heading into the school building, Si-hoo called out to the instructor.
"What is it?"
"I heard the Sovereign Commander stopped by..."
"Ah, no need to be nervous. He left yesterday. Given how big this incident is, he just dropped by briefly."
"Is that so?"
The Sovereign Commander, huh.
"What, Si-hoo, did you wanna see him because he's an S-rank Awakened?"
"H-huh?"
Si-hoo reacted like he'd been startled.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Oh, no. Not that. Just, when I thought he'd come, I got a little curious."
"Well, that's only natural."
Hearing that someone with even higher status than the president visited our school—of course that'd spark interest. But the Sovereign Commander was, literally, a dictator. And an incredibly fearsome one, at that.
His actions are even recorded in history textbooks—anyway, he's definitely a terrifying person. He's the one who cleaned out every last bit of the Unpowered ruling class after the Dimension War.
But still, I kinda do want to see him.
"Alright, let's head in."
"Huh?"
So, following Instructor Lee So-ra like that...
[Chairwoman's Office]
We arrived in front of the Chairwoman's office.
I've got a bad memory connected to this place.
"Chairwoman? We're coming in."
The moment Instructor Lee So-ra opened the door.
"Glad you came!!! Kim Geun-cheol!!!!!!!"
—FWWOOOOOSH!
A blast of wind swept over us!
"Aaaauuuuugggghhhh!!!"