Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Support Division Scholarship
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“Yoo Ara?”
“Hello.”
As soon as I called her name, she greeted me politely, just like her. Then her gaze dropped to my hand.
She was staring intently at the cleaning tools in my grip.
“Were you cleaning?”
“Yeah.”
“Why the sudden cleaning?”
“……It was just dirty, so I did.”
At my words, Yoo Ara glanced around. She saw the spotless corridor floor and fell into thought for a moment.
“……You’re pretty diligent.”
She muttered as if seeing me in a new light. I stood there awkwardly at the unexpected praise from Yoo Ara, who didn’t seem the type.
Then another voice came.
“Oh my, students coming to school so early in the morning.”
I turned to see an elderly female teacher approaching us with a smile. It was the same teacher who had taught Classical Magic Studies two days ago.
Yoo Ara and I bowed our heads at the same time.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“Hehe. There’s still plenty of time before class, yet you’re here so early. Both of you are so diligent.”
Yoo Ara and I felt embarrassed by the sudden compliments and nodded awkwardly. Then the teacher noticed the cleaning tools in my hand and spoke.
“Oh my. Were you cleaning, Kim Sun-woo?”
“Ah, yes.”
Her eyes looking at me filled with admiration.
“Monsters come in various types: humanoid, beast-type, flying, and more. There are at least ten classifications. You all learned this in your first year, so you should know. Since this is the first class, we’ll review the basics from freshman year.”
The first morning class was Monster Biology.
The teacher in his forties projected a hologram, displaying several monsters.
The students gazed at the hologram with eager faces. It was a different vibe from the mostly boring Classical Magic Studies class.
“Now, let’s test how diligently you studied in your first year. Is there a student who can explain this monster in detail?”
With a light gesture from the teacher, a hologram of a monster made entirely of rock appeared.
I shot my hand up. The teacher saw me and smiled. Whispers of ‘It’s him again?’ came from around.
“Yes, you there. Um…… Kim Sun-woo, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard from the faculty office that Kim Sun-woo is very proactive in class. It’s true. Good. Stand up and answer.”
At the teacher’s words, I stood from my seat.
“The monster’s name is Rock Giant. It mainly inhabits open fields or rocky mountains and has a generally docile temperament. Its behavior patterns and weaknesses are……”
The teacher smiled in satisfaction at my flawless explanation, recited like from a dictionary.
“Excellent. A perfect answer.”
[You have achieved ‘Student Loved by Teachers’.]
[You have obtained 2,000 points as a reward.]
Huh?
I achieved an accomplishment I hadn’t even known about.
Probably, since I hadn’t achieved it before, the condition was gaining interest from a certain number of teachers or more. And I had just met that condition.
My mood suddenly lifted, and I smiled without realizing. The teacher looked at me curiously.
“Sun-woo, did something good happen?”
“Ah, no.”
I wiped the smile off at the teacher’s words. He nodded as if understanding.
“Hm, alright. Take a seat.”
I bowed lightly and sat down.
The class resumed.
“Now, the origins of monsters……
‘Monsters, huh.’
Come to think of it, there were quite a few accomplishments from slaying monsters.
Hunting specific monsters or killing a certain number of them. And various others related to monsters.
Hunting monsters for accomplishments wasn’t a bad idea.
But there was something that gave more points than monsters.
Demons.
With appearances like humans, hiding among them, they were the root of all evil, manipulating monsters. And demons disguised as humans couldn’t be distinguished without special tools.
Demons had deeply rooted themselves in the human world. Artists, celebrities, athletes, soldiers…… in various forms.
Even in high positions like politicians.
Knowing the original story, I knew some demons hidden in this world. And the identities of several who became key villains in the main scenario.
‘Demons……
Tomorrow was Saturday.
With two days of holiday ahead, I had time to spare.
And I knew a demon would appear in the city tomorrow.
The first demon to appear before Lee Seo-jun in the original story.
The day ‘Jang Han’ appears.
The faculty office was always warm and friendly. Teachers handled different fields and respected each other, so troubles rarely arose.
“The atmosphere’s weird today. Did you two fight?”
But today’s faculty office was different from usual. Cold and tense. It was because the fight between Kim Yoon-jin and Lee Hee-young from last night still hadn’t ended.
“Teacher Jang, don’t worry about it.”
Jang An-cheol felt awkwardly embarrassed at Lee Hee-young’s curt reply. He returned to his seat with an awkward smile. He knew meddling never led to good.
Time would sort it out eventually.
Then the faculty office door opened, and a teacher in his forties entered.
“Ah, good work, Teacher Park Jung-woo.”
“Whew~ As you all said, Class A’s atmosphere is great. Makes teaching enjoyable.”
At Biology Teacher Park Jung-woo’s words, an old female teacher who had been listening quietly from afar chimed in.
“Right? In my first class with Class A last time, the kids were so engaged. Especially Kim Sun-woo.”
“Yeah. Kim Sun-woo was really proactive.”
At the mention of Kim Sun-woo, Kim Yoon-jin and Lee Hee-young instinctively perked up their ears.
“Oh, did you hear? This morning when I came in early, Sun-woo was cleaning the hallway.”
“Cleaning the hallway? Why?”
“Who knows. But seems like he does these things quietly sometimes. It’s the cleaning lady’s day off today.”
At those words, one teacher’s mouth gaped open.
“He did it because someone had to? What a kid. So kind.”
“Exactly. He’s spirited, studies hard in class, and it’s nice to watch. Of course, being dead last in school is a shame, but grades aren’t everything.”
“Right. Even after that test video spread and the whole school mocked him. He didn’t get down, really admirable.”
“Sigh. The comments on that video hurt my heart.”
While some teachers chattered about Kim Sun-woo.
Kim Yoon-jin stood and approached Jang An-cheol.
“Teacher Jang?”
“Ah, yes. Teacher Kim. What’s up?”
“That, Sun-woo student. He still won’t change his main specialization?”
“Main specialization?”
Jang An-cheol thought for a moment, grasped her intent, and replied.
“Yes. Yesterday I suggested support division, but he flatly refused.”
“I see.”
Kim Yoon-jin bit her lip.
“Afternoon is sub-specialization class.”
“Ugh, I hate sub-specialization. Can’t we just all-in on main?”
“I hate sub-specialization classes too.”
Break time after the first morning class ended.
Students were scattered, chatting animatedly.
I checked my student handbook, pondering what accomplishment quests I could complete over the weekend.
Hm. What’s there?
Demons, monsters, dungeons……
Slide.
The classroom door opened. But I ignored it, still focused on the handbook.
“Huh? Hello.”
“What brings you here?”
“Hey, kids. Don’t mind me, just relax.”
Someone came in.
No, that’s not important.
I kept mulling over tomorrow’s schedule.
By the way, does the point shop sell accomplishment lists?
Hm. Maybe check later.
“But why here?”
“Yeah.”
Step, step.
Footsteps approached.
The classroom suddenly grew deathly quiet.
What?
Why so quiet?
Feeling something off, I looked around the classroom.
Every student’s gaze was on me.
What?
I looked up front to see a female teacher looking down at me.
“Kim Sun-woo?”
“……Yes?”
“I’m Kim Yoon-jin, the teacher in charge of the support division.”
“……Ah, yes.”
I know that, but why me all of a sudden?
“I have a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?”
Her sudden words left me dazed.
Kim Yoon-jin, looking down at me, smiled.
“Switch your main specialization to support division. Then, under my authority, I’ll give you the Special Talent Scholarship of 50 million won.”
“……Did I hear that wrong?”
“I think I just heard something weird too.”
“That’s Kim Sun-woo, right? Why give him a special scholarship?”
“He’s dead last in school.”
Amid the students’ murmurs, I sat in my seat looking up at Kim Yoon-jin.
Even after causing a stir, she looked down at me confidently, unconcerned by the stares.
“Switch to support division?”
“Yes. I saw your dungeon exploration video yesterday.”
“……Ah. Dungeon exploration.”
“You have outstanding talent for support division. That’s why I’m recruiting you.”
Apparently, yesterday’s barrier lift impressed many people.
I hadn’t expected another support division pitch today after yesterday.
But yesterday was just a suggestion; today, Kim Yoon-jin was dead set on scouting me.
“Support division? Manifestation was trash, but support has talent?”
“Yeah. If Teacher Kim Yoon-jin recruits personally, must be real talent.”
“She’s offering Special Talent Scholarship. They only give that to talents like Lee Seo-jun or Yoo Ara.”
Among students staring at me in shock, I spotted some key characters.
To the left, Lee Seo-jun and Lee Hyun-joo watched me interestedly; Shin Young-jun chattered beside them. Yoo Ara leaned on her hand in the corner, expressionless.
Interest from main characters wasn’t bad. It’d turn into accomplishments or fame, earning me points eventually.
I exhaled once and spoke.
“Sorry, but I have no intention of changing my main specialization to another branch.”
At my firm words, Kim Yoon-jin’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“You might not realize, Kim Sun-woo, but I’ve trained in support magic for over 15 years. I know how much talent you have for it. Your ability to handle magic formulas is innate.”
“Teacher, manifestation is right for me.”
Kim Yoon-jin placed both hands on my desk, leaning down to meet my eyes. Her intense gaze fixed on me.
“How can you be so sure? I looked into it—you showed reinforcement talent last year. Doesn’t that mean you only recently started manifestation as your main?”
“……I know my own talent.”
“Even forfeiting 50 million won scholarship?”
50 million won scholarship.
That money, it wouldn’t take long to earn. I had memories of the future. Money, I could make anytime I wanted.
“Yes. I can earn that anytime once I become a pro wizard anyway.”
Kim Yoon-jin, who had been talking nonstop, fell silent for the first time.
Then she stepped back slightly, as if deep in thought, before speaking.
“Support wizards are rare. That’s why graduates get great treatment anywhere.”
“I know.”
“Support is hard to learn, but once mastered, it has tons of advantages. You have the talent to learn it easily.”
As I stayed quiet, Kim Yoon-jin fell into thought again. Then, cautiously, in a small voice:
“Yet you refuse support division. Must be because of its one fatal flaw.”
……It’s just that support magic is ridiculously hard.
“Support division shines when aiding others, as the name implies. Honestly, it’s tough to do everything alone. But……
Kim Yoon-jin closed her mouth again. She hesitated to say more.
“That flaw isn’t a big deal for most. Wizards usually work in groups anyway. And lacking offense can be covered by sub-specializations.”
That was true. Support had flaws, but aside from difficulty, none were major.
“Still, abandoning that talent for such a minor flaw means there’s some circumstance.”
“……Yes?”
What’s this now?
“……What could it be. A reason you can’t do support. Not something ordinary. Means you can’t accept others’ help.”
Kim Yoon-jin muttered so quietly only I could hear. Her expression was gravely serious.
“T-Teacher?”
“Got it for now. I won’t pry into your circumstances, Kim Sun-woo.”
Kim Yoon-jin glanced around.
“Too many eyes. We’ll talk later. But I’m not giving up on bringing you to support division.”
She smiled at me. Then patted my shoulder and left the classroom.
What?
I blankly stared at the classroom door.
Afternoon classes were sub-specialization. Students headed to training grounds matching their subs. Mine was reinforcement, so I was at the reinforcement training ground.
The reinforcement training ground had indoor and outdoor areas. Today was outdoors.
“Hey, curious, why not switch to support?”
“You’re bottom in manifestation anyway. I’d take the 50 million scholarship.”
“Stubborn one. If Teacher Kim Yoon-jin recruits directly, there must be talent.”
While waiting for my training turn, a group of students nearby spoke to me.
Word spread; I saw faces from other classes too.
I ignored them.
“Next: Kim Sun-woo, Park In-hwan, Lim Han-woo, Jeong Se-chan, Kim Se……”
At the call from reinforcement teacher Jang An-cheol, I stepped forward. Today’s training was a running test using body enhancement.
Main specialization reinforcement classes usually taught martial arts or sparring. But subs were purely auxiliary, so focus was on body enhancement or speed training.