G.T.O. (4)

“Huh….”

I couldn’t even help letting out a dry laugh, the whole thing was so absurd.

The people in front of me were unmistakably chicks—no matter how you looked at them, that was the only classification they deserved.

The moment I looked at the guy who’d just blared out something about “Teacher,” his status window popped up in my vision.

He’d already completed his first advancement, so he must’ve been part of an expedition team, but he didn’t exactly look like someone brimming with talent.

He probably coasted.

The kind of guy who’d blend into a party of fourteen and still manage to do the same thing.

Not a face or a name worth remembering.

Maybe he’d produce some results if he worked hard enough, but if he was going to grow through ordinary means, he wasn’t the sort of rookie anyone would get excited about.

Han Sora?

When the tiny chick with the bob cut opened her mouth again, I was so dumbstruck I could barely get a word out.

“Teacher?”

It was only natural to wonder what the hell I was supposed to do here. There was no reason to play games with these chicks or go around introducing myself at this point.

Now that I’d acquired at least a shred of social dignity, the very idea of using my brain to handle these lunatics felt insulting.

I didn’t even need to scheme like I did with Ito Souta; I could just beat them down with force.

I could feel Yuliena twitching at my waist, reacting to my emotions, trying to slide free.

Slowly sweeping my gaze around the room, I caught sight of the people who were grinning like they’d landed a clever shot.

Just a moment ago, Jung Hayan had called them kind, which made the whole scene even less believable.

“Teacher? Aren’t you going to start class?”

“I’m not a teacher. I’m Instructor Lee Kiyoung.”

“Ahhh, so even the noncombat department has instructors.”

My words seemed to amuse her; snickers began leaking out from all around the room.

I wanted to brush it off too, but I wasn’t built to let things like this slide.

“Haa….”

The moment I sighed, the room fell oddly quiet.

“Don’t… sigh and just… get on with the lesson….”

The instant those words left her mouth, Yuliena was yanked free from my waist and shot straight toward her.

Someone let out a shriek somewhere, but I had no intention of reacting to it.

In the blink of an eye, Yuliena’s movement sent the objects between her and me flying in all directions, and even the glass in the window outside cracked open with a harsh, bizarre sound.

It all happened in less time than a single blink.

Yuliena, who had been flying with enough force to pierce the chick’s throat, stopped right in front of her eyes.

“Ah….”

She hadn’t even managed to react.

Until her bob cut hair settled back into place under Yuliena’s pressure, not a single person opened their mouth.

Only I noticed Han Sora’s chin trembling so hard it looked like she’d just realized she might have died a second ago.

She pissed herself…

Watching yellow liquid drip steadily onto the floor beneath her desk, I could tell she’d been scared senseless all right.

“Ahhh….”

Being intimidating is more fun than I expected.

“Interesting. What’s your name?”

“Ah….”

She couldn’t get the words out, as if she’d been struck dumb.

Only after Yuliena drifted a little closer again did she finally open her mouth in a whisper.

“Han… Sora….”

“Han Sora, then. Well, before we get into the actual lesson, I think I should probably explain the background a little. It seems a lot of you aren’t very pleased with this class.”

“……”

“It’s probably too much to say all of you, but some of you must be wondering something like this: We don’t even have enough time to train, so why are we being made to take lessons from the non-mainstream and production departments? Hmm… the student sitting next to Han Sora, why don’t you answer that for me?”

“Me?”

“You can be honest.”

“N-no, I’m not. I’ve never thought that….”

“No. I said you could answer honestly.”

“A little… maybe….”

“That’s probably the natural reaction. You don’t really know what’s ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠going on, but all of a sudden you’ve been thrown into a situation where you have to clash swords with monsters, and now you’re learning all sorts of things in a place like this. It’s a bit early to call it ‘adjusting,’ but I’m sure by now you all have some rough idea of what this place is.”

“……”

“Those with power are treated well.”

After saying that, I let my gaze drift slowly across the room again. A number of complicated expressions came into view.

“I’m sure some of you have already started to feel that difference. Everyone knows, after all, that the expedition teams who’ve already cleared their missions get treated better. And honestly? They deserve it. It means they adapt faster, and they’re a perfect example of what our society loves most—a rookie with experience.”

“……”

“I wandered a bit off topic, but your instinct is correct. This place is one where power earns you treatment. The few true strongmen in this world enjoy privileges that can’t even be compared to those of ordinary players, and the amount of money they make is beyond imagination. Just how big do you think that gap in income is?”

“I… don’t know.”

“There are players who can barely make one gold a day, while others rake in over a thousand gold in the same span. Monster corpses are worth money, and the stronger the monster, the higher the value. The same goes for clearing higher-ranked dungeons. Clearing a dungeon Heroic rank or above is practically the same as earning a massive fortune. The problem is….”

“……”

“The problem is that there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aren’t many players who make it this far.”

Now that I’d piqued their interest, I could feel their eyes fixed on me.

“Yes. There really aren’t many. Everyone starts out like you do. They begin to feel like maybe they can do this, too, and with that feeling they start swinging their swords like mad. They hunt monsters cautiously, and every so often they even get the sense that they’re growing. By then, some of them start wondering if this world might not be so bad after all. Leveling themselves up like they’re playing a game feels fun, and getting new gear is exciting too.”

“……”

“And then something goes wrong, or they hit a wall. That’s when they realize this isn’t a game. People with talent are separated from people without it, and they can only stare up in emptiness at the ones rising higher and higher. Some of you will probably feel reality the moment you step outside this training center. The world outside is more dangerous than you think. So why are there so few players who climb upward?”

They probably knew the answer already.

“Most of them die along the way. They get eaten alive by monsters, or if they survive, they’re left crippled and spend the rest of their lives begging in the slums. Men are often used for human experimentation, and women are likely to be sold into slavery in foreign countries or get tangled up in something ugly. Making a living is harder than you’d think.”

“……”

“That’s the kind version of the story. There are people who get kidnapped by monsters and spend their whole lives living in a monster tribe, swallowing their own shit and piss until they’re finally eaten alive. There are plenty of cases where they lose all their limbs and only manage to cling to life.”

Even that was, in a sense, the fortunate outcome.

There were absolutely players who suffered even worse fates.

Though thankfully, that won’t be me….

“I’m sure there are people like that here too. I’ve only given you a rough look-over, but if I had to speak frankly, most of you won’t survive three years. You’ll die, or end up half-broken and wandering the slums. Some of you may even turn up in taverns. Ah… especially students like Han Sora here.”

“Me?”

“People like you are usually the first to die, or the first to turn into wrecks. Of course, you all look more or less the same to me, but why is it always the ones who rush in first that meet their end first? It’s a common cliché.”

“Ah….”

“You. And you… and you, the student next to you… and you beside them too… you’re all likely to die somewhere out of sight. I can say with certainty that not a single one of the people sitting here will be able to climb higher than this… Ah! You’re exempted.”

Not bad.

She didn’t seem to have been part of the expedition team, but she was far better than I’d expected.

This was the first time I’d ever seen stamina with a Legendary-or-higher rating.

It was practically why I’d bothered coming here at all—to find gems like this.

Her enormous chest was, for some reason, a little distracting, but obviously it would’ve been rude to keep staring.

After I tore my gaze away from her, startled by the sudden callout, I immediately went on.

“Your name?”

“Yoo… Ahyoung. In-Instructor.”

Come to think of it, she’d ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been one of the few who hadn’t laughed at me at the start.

I could see everyone turning to look at her in response to my words. Their faces were full of incomprehension, but whether they understood or not had nothing to do with me.

After I tapped the lectern twice with my finger and continued, all eyes came back to me.

“Except for Student Yoo Ahyoung, there isn’t a single person here who can rise any higher. Not one. Maybe there’s someone out there with the possibility, but I can say with confidence that only those who survive being near death several times and keep growing will barely manage to reach it.”

“Th-that….”

“The world is unreasonable by nature. Let me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠talk a little about Instructor Jung Hayan. Right now, she’s one of the mages representing Lindel. She’s achieved a growth level high enough to draw the Magic Guild’s attention, and there are probably more mages beneath her than above her. How long do you think it took her to accomplish all that?”

“Ah….”

“Only one year. It might not sound like much, but that’s absolutely extraordinary. If you think about how many people in this city have spent over twenty years studying magic and still can’t reach even her heels, it becomes even clearer. No… since things have come to this, I think I’d better be a little more honest with you.”

“……”

“You’re all hopeless trash.”

“Ah….”

“That’s why I’m here. You can see at a glance why a noncombat instructor is the one teaching this class, can’t you? I’m here to save at least some of you fireflies who’d otherwise die the moment they stepped outside, and turn you into something useful for the city.”

“Th-that’s….”

“Not harsh at all. Even if you go out monster hunting or get sent to war, you won’t amount to anything more than cannon fodder. If you can’t contribute to the city that way, then it would be better for you to swing a hammer or handle an alchemy kit instead. Don’t waste your effort in pointless directions, you idiots. It’s a waste of time. I’m telling you, it’s more profitable for freaks like you to listen to me than to sit in some other instructor’s class.”

When I finished and looked quietly over the students, I could feel a strange hostility being directed back at me.

They looked like they had something to say, but weren’t quite able to force the words out.

Well, Yuliena was still hovering in midair, so that made sense.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

I didn’t bother accepting any farewell.

“Then I’ll see you next class, you morons.”

The moment I stepped outside, amusingly enough, Jung Hayan was waiting for me.

Even with the students watching us through the windows, it was a little funny how she clung to me the second I appeared.

The two guys who’d been gossiping about Jung Hayan before class were also staring at us blankly.

For some reason, I felt rather pleased.

“Pfft.”

“Did you enjoy yourself, Oppa?”

“Ah… yeah. It was more fun than I expected. The students were decent too….”

“Right? The kids in Class C are all really kind.”

“Yeah. Especially that girl named Han Sora—I couldn’t help looking at her over and over….”

“Pardon?”

“She’s really enthusiastic in class too….”

“Ah….”

“And her face is cute….”

“Th-th-that… I see.”

“She looked like she’d been part of the expedition team, but I think it’d be good to recruit her into Blue. I’d like to keep her close.”

“What? Y-yes… yes…. If that happens…. Ah… I know too…. That girl… yes… hehehe…. I remember…. She was cute… she was, right… yes….”

Jung Hayan’s face, forced into an awkward smile, came into view.

I was sure this would work better than just reporting her little act of tattling.

It was petty, sure, but that kind of small-scale revenge happened to be right up my alley.

She should be punished.