Chapter 351
Chapter 351
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 352
Chapter Title: Jeju Autumn Festival
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Riding the gate, we arrived at Jeju Island, the destination of our school trip.
Even though it was in Korea, the exotic scenery made it feel like we'd come to a foreign country.
Palm trees laden with fruit, long rows of tourist hotels, resorts, entertainment facilities, multinational visitors...
I'd visited once before for an expo, but coming back for a trip made it feel fresh all over again.
"Alright, now we'll distribute the invitations to the Jeju Autumn Festival."
The Jeju Autumn Festival was held once every three years for three days, providing dedicated hotels, theme parks, leisure facilities, and more for participants—which made the invitations essential.
We received the festival invitations from the teachers.
The invitations were golden tickets inscribed with intricate magic formulas.
"Everyone got their invitation, right?"
"Yes—"
"Then we'll head straight to the festival grounds."
We boarded a bus and set off.
After about twenty minutes, we arrived at a massive gate with a flashy exterior.
Beyond the gate stood towering buildings, various amusement facilities, and a huge park.
"We've arrived. Everyone off!"
As we got off the bus, a giant banner reading 'Jeju Autumn Festival' hung in front of the gate.
Only then did it really sink in that we were at the festival.
"Wow, there are so many people."
"Come on, no time to waste—let's head in. As I mentioned earlier, just show the invitations we handed out when entering. Got it?"
"Yes—"
We each presented our invitations and entered the festival grounds.
The moment we stepped inside, a hotel with a dazzling exterior caught our eye.
The students' gasps of admiration erupted here and there.
"Wow!"
［Jeju Grand World］
This was the lodging where we'd stay for the two days of the school trip.
As was obvious from the outside, it was a top-tier hotel not just anyone could stay at.
"Amazing."
"Yeah."
Just then, Yoon Ha-young, who had been looking around with childlike wonder next to me, poked my arm.
"Sun-woo, look over there!"
I turned my head in the direction she was pointing.
In front of the hotel stood a massive stone grandfather statue, Jeju Island's iconic symbol.
At the same time, Outsider's Privilege activated, revealing the complex formula embedded within the statue.
"...Oh."
The stone grandfather statue contained a formula that purified the surrounding mana and air.
It also held a mystical energy that boosted people's conditions.
"That's a stone grandfather statue, right?"
"Yeah, it is."
Regional 'symbols' steeped in tradition often possessed special powers like this.
Jeju's stone grandfather statues were no exception, embodying tradition and symbolism.
"Wow, first time seeing one. So cool."
Then, whoosh, whoosh—Yoon Ha-young made some weird breathing noises.
...What are you doing?
I gave her a strange look, but then Teacher Lee Hee-young's voice rang out.
"Come on, everyone take your keys. Three to a room."
The teachers distributed room keys (cards) to the students.
I ended up sharing a room with my groupmates, Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun.
The girls—Yoon Ha-young, Lee Hyun-joo, and Yoo Ara—were together.
With six in our group, it was only natural.
"Now that I think about it, it's the same members as last year's school trip."
Lee Seo-jun muttered with a nostalgic expression after getting his key.
"Oh, really?"
Shin Young-jun nodded as if it had just clicked. Then the teacher's voice came again.
"Alright, unpack your bags at your rooms and meet back here in one hour."
After unpacking, we gathered on the first floor by group.
It was impractical for all 150 students to move together, so we split into three teams of fifty.
Our group was Team 1, led by Teacher Lee Hee-young.
"Make sure to look after each other so no one gets lost!"
Team 1's first stop was the 'Aquarium.'
The name suggested a serene view of beautiful schools of fish, but reality was a bit different.
Boom!
A loud thud came from beyond the transparent glass window offering a clear view of the ocean.
Turning my head, I saw massive suckers plastered to the glass.
"W-Woah...! Giant monster octopus!"
Shin Young-jun shouted excitedly, eyes gleaming.
Startled by his yell, the giant octopus moved its teeth between the suckers, scraping at the glass.
Its grotesque appearance made me squint.
I'd visited the aquarium on a school trip before regression too, but this giant octopus was new.
"...Ugh, what is that thing?"
Yoo Ara and Lee Hyun-joo, creeped out by it, recoiled with horrified expressions.
"Waaah! Mommy! Scaryyy!"
Behind us, a child whose innocence had been shattered wailed in his mother's arms.
For some reason, it felt pitiful.
Then Teacher Lee Hee-young's voice called from afar.
"That giant octopus is said to be a descendant of the 'Kraken,' a famous disaster-class sea monster."
The students reacted with surprise.
"Kraken? Oh? I've heard of that!"
"Man, no wonder it's huge. A descendant of a disaster-class beast."
Her words surprised me too.
A descendant of the Kraken?
I stared blankly at the octopus.
The giant octopus peeled off the glass and swam freely through the sea.
Sensing my gaze, it stopped in place and turned its eye toward me.
I froze in panic.
...What? Is it looking at me?
Swoosh. It raised one tentacle and waved it toward me like a greeting.
"...Huh?"
Yoon Ha-young, spotting this, looked back and forth between me and the octopus before saying,
"Sun-woo, doesn't it look like it's waving hi to you?"
"...Yeah, kinda?"
"Wow, cool. Will it wave back if I do it? Hi!"
Yoon Ha-young waved at the octopus.
Ignoring her, it swam off somewhere.
"...What. It ignored me."
Yoon Ha-young pouted.
I was still staring blankly at the empty glass when Teacher Lee Hee-young shouted again.
"Alright, moving to the next spot!"
After finishing the aquarium tour, we headed to a nearby upscale restaurant for seafood lunch.
I wondered why we had to eat seafood right after seeing sea monsters, but it was the place the school had reserved.
Fortunately, the high-end seafood lived up to its reputation—delicious.
Mana lobster and salmon salad.
The flavor completely erased the creepy sea monsters from the aquarium.
After eating, Team 1 gathered in front of the restaurant.
Lee Hee-young looked around at everyone and said,
"Thanks for sticking with me. The rest of the time is free activity with your groups! Meet back at the first-floor hall by 5 p.m. tomorrow."
Yay! Cheers erupted from the students before she even finished.
"Freedom at last. Where to first?"
Lee Seo-jun grinned and asked the group.
"There's an amusement park—wanna go?"
Shin Young-jun suggested, but Lee Hyun-joo shook her head.
"Amusement park's not my thing... Oh, there's a mystery exhibition—how about that?"
Everyone nodded at Lee Hyun-joo's idea.
"Exhibition hall? Sounds good."
"But isn't the exhibition tomorrow?"
I answered Yoon Ha-young's question.
"Tomorrow's for unveiling unreleased items. It's open today too."
"Oh~ Got it."
"Let's go then."
We headed toward the exhibition hall.
Besides tomorrow night's party and fireworks, the hall was packed with fountain shows and special mystery auctions.
Arriving, we saw a massive building.
As the main event venue, it buzzed with tourists.
"Wow, I thought the aquarium was crowded, but this is next level."
"Lots to see."
I scanned the surroundings intently.
Because the 'minor incident' set to occur during tomorrow's school trip would happen right around here.
Of course, it wasn't a flashy terrorist attack like before.
Even Lee Seo-jun's group barely noticed it—it passed in an instant.
For reference, the culprit behind that incident—
"...Hm?"
Then I felt a gaze from somewhere.
Following it, I spotted a red-haired man in a baseball cap and a blonde woman in sunglasses staring at me intently, whispering.
Faces I'd never seen.
But their vibe felt familiar.
'...No way.'
Suspicious, I activated [Person Insight].
Seeing the info pop up, I froze momentarily.
Why are they here?
They shouldn't be connected to this incident.
Well, if anything, there's no reason they wouldn't come.
"...Kim Sun-woo?"
My expression must have hardened unconsciously—a voice called me.
Turning, Lee Seo-jun looked at me questioningly.
"Something wrong? You look off."
I shook my head.
"Nah, nothing. Don't worry."
I forced a smile, and Lee Seo-jun glanced in the direction I'd been looking.
I followed his gaze back to where the two had been.
No one was there.
9 p.m.
After all the sightseeing, we wrapped up the first day of the school trip.
We returned to the hotel to rest.
"When are you guys sleeping?"
Shin Young-jun asked as he rummaged through his bag for clothes, looking at me and Lee Seo-jun.
"Dunno. Around 11 maybe?"
Lee Seo-jun replied while pulling out his own clothes, then turned to me.
"What about you, Sun-woo?"
"Same, I guess."
As I said that, I glanced at their outfits.
I'd thought pajamas, but they were workout clothes. Baffled, I asked,
"...No way—you guys came all this way to train?"
"Of course. There's a great training ground in the basement. Yoo Ara's coming too— you in?"
I shook my head at Lee Seo-jun's question.
"...Nah, I'm good. Got something else to enjoy."
Besides the training ground, the hotel basement had a casino, arcade, spa, and more.
The best was the famous 'Mana Hot Spring' for stabilizing physical mana.
That's what mattered to me.
"Alright? Do your thing."
With that, Lee Seo-jun left the room with Shin Young-jun.
I packed my stuff for the hot spring.
"Hmm. Let's go."
Heart pounding with excitement, I stepped out.
I pressed the elevator button.
Ding. The doors opened.
A lone man stood inside, holding a cute bath basket—clearly headed to the mana hot spring too.
Seeing his face, I swallowed hard.
This was the guy I'd bumped into at the exhibition hall earlier.
My heart raced, but I acted casual and boarded.
Sure enough, the B3 button for the mana hot spring was already pressed.
Awkward silence hung as the elevator descended.
"Hi?"
The man spoke.
With just us two, it was clearly to me.
Unsure of his intent, I nodded slightly.
"Oh, hi...."
He said,
"You know who I am, right?"
Caught off-guard, I faltered.
...Why's he suddenly like this?
"No, who are you?"
"...You're pretending not to know, huh."
He eyed me suspiciously. I took a shallow breath and activated [Deep Immersion].
"I really don't—who are you?"
"You really don't?"
Feeling my sincerity through Deep Immersion, he looked slightly flustered.
"Yeah. Why act like we're acquainted?"
He stared into my eyes, then grinned.
"I'm your brother, Eun-seong."