Slightly Crooked Gods (2)

The hell… is this?

I instinctively raised both arms and flailed at the air. The lady behind the counter widened her eyes.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden? Got a bug on you or something?”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at her completely genuine question and innocent expression. What the hell is she talking about…? Can she seriously not see this?

Actually, that might be for the best. If she read what was written here, she’d probably faint on the spot.

“It’s nothing… Thank you. Have a good day!”

I snatched up my change in a hurry and practically fled the supermarket. Even after I changed locations, the translucent window stubbornly stayed glued in front of my eyes.

Once again, a woman’s narration rang inside my head.

Who the hell is the Servant of Slaughter, and what exactly is she expecting from me…?

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Maybe I still wasn’t fully awake. Or maybe the stress from studying was giving me hallucinations… Hell, maybe I’d developed a mental illness at the ripe old age of seventeen.

With that thought, I opened my eyes again. The unidentified window was still hovering clearly in front of me.

That was when the internet broadcast I’d watched the other day suddenly came to mind.

The gods’ missions…!

Now that I thought about it, the streamer had mentioned something like that. Of course it sounded like complete nonsense and I didn’t want to believe it, but after looking at the mission floating in front of me again, I couldn’t help but groan.

“This… is way too much.”

It had completely crossed the line. The mission to simply murder an innocent person was far too vicious.

I glanced back at the supermarket I’d just left. The streamer hadn’t really told me what to do in a situation like this. He’d been a man of very few words. All he’d said was that the gods sometimes granted humans ‘mission sponsorships’ for their own entertainment…

Wait. Then could it be…?

The realization hit me, and I looked up at the sky.

“Damn it. No matter what, I can’t kill a person.”

If what the streamer said was true, I could practically see the gods up there laughing their asses off with delight. Were they seriously telling me to kill the supermarket lady just for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fun?

Servant of Slaughter. Just looking at the name, it was more than capable of demanding something like this…

That was when I noticed light glowing at the bottom of the mission window.

There was a Kick Out button. The phrase “Remaining Attempts” bothered me a little, but at least I had a choice. I raised my hand and slowly moved it toward the button.

A new window appeared as the narration asked again. Yeah, obviously. Even if this really was the mission the streamer talked about—a chance to get stronger—I couldn’t kill a person. Because I was just an ordinary student who understood the value of life.

I pressed the Kick Out button again.

The narration asked once more. But my decision hadn’t changed.

“Yes…”

At that moment, the window blocking my view disappeared. The normal scenery unfolded before me once again. I looked around, my face drenched in cold sweat.

“What… the hell was that just now…”

A heavy wave of exhaustion washed over me, like I’d just woken up from a nightmare. Maybe I really had been a little scared…

By then, hunters who had finished clearing the rift were starting to come out of the bank next door one by one.

“Whew, we would’ve been screwed if Mr. Jung hadn’t been there this time!”

“My back’s still killing me from where the boss scratched me…”

“Still, they dropped a lot of good loot. You got everything, right?”

The waiting guards began entering the rift one after another.

“Hey, good work out there!”

The guards looked strangely different from the hunters. Watching them, I felt an indescribable emotion, but… at least I didn’t regret my choice.

*

The next day, I arrived at the academy’s dormitory area dragging two suitcases. I hadn’t slept a wink last night because I kept thinking about what happened, so I couldn’t stop yawning. In the end, I decided it must have been a dream.

When you entered the dormitory area, three buildings of different sizes stood in a row like dominoes. A bulletin board nearby listed the dormitory assignments based on the entrance exam evaluation. I pushed through the crowd of students and checked my own assignment.

Tsk… Citizen Hall, huh.

There were three dormitory buildings total, and students were treated differently according to their grades. For freshmen, assignments were based on the principal’s personal evaluation rather than test scores. Principal Kim Chong-jae had given me the lowest possible rating—Citizen Hall.

I’d expected it, but I still couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Excited voices came from the students beside me.

“Looks like I’m in Nobility Hall, as expected. Guess Emperor Hall really was too much to ask for.”

“Hey, at least you’re not in Citizen Hall. I heard that place is basically a goshiwon.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh? The kids next to us can hear you.”

Goshiwon? Yeah, I heard that loud and clear.

“Honestly, Nobility Hall isn’t much better. But look at Emperor Hall. Smallest number of residents, yet they get the biggest building. Isn’t that totally unfair?”

“I’ll give you that.”

“Sigh, I wonder if I’ll ever get to step foot in there before I graduate. I’m so jealous of the Emperor Hall kids.”

The twenty-story Emperor Hall building was indeed ridiculously huge. I’d heard it was practically a five-star hotel… Rumors said that the extremely small number of elite students living there each got their own luxurious suite and a personal maid.

On the other hand, Citizen Hall only had one dorm supervisor, shared shower rooms, and a shared cafeteria. When you looked at the three buildings lined up side by side, the gap was so obvious it was almost painful to see.

Still, I was grateful to even have a spot in Citizen Hall. At least I wouldn’t have to ask my sister for help with room and board.

With that thought, I lugged my heavy bags into the Citizen Hall building. I needed to prepare for the first class that would start soon.

*

The academy’s six hundred new students had been split into six classes. I was in Class 1. Tuesday’s first period was Skill Theory, so the students of Class 1 gathered in the ‘Skill Training Room’ instead of a regular classroom.

With a massive electronic blackboard at the front, students sat here and there, already starting to build friendships.

“So I met my ex-boyfriend yesterday and he suddenly dropped to his knees, right?”

“What? For real? What happened next?”

I quietly took a seat by the window. The white-walled Skill Training Room could easily hold around five hundred people. It might look like an ordinary lecture hall at first glance, but behind the right wall were cube-shaped sparring rooms. The design let students safely observe and give feedback on each other’s abilities through reinforced glass while listening to the professor’s lecture.

That aside, the students in Class 1… Now that I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked, every single one of them was a big shot. Class representative Kim Jeong-a aside, even the top prospect Lee Dae-han was sitting in the back. Not only that, but the handsome young master from Korea’s number one ranked guild—his name was probably Seo Geon-woo. And the girl with the golden bob sitting right in front of me, giving off the scent of luxurious shampoo. She was Yu Hae-rin, the daughter of the number two ranked guild.

That was when she glanced back slightly. I greeted her.

“…Hey.”

“…Yeah.”

Yu Hae-rin returned my greeting with a slightly curt nod before turning back around. Fair skin, striking eyes. Her lips had a cherry-red tint, and she carried herself with the refined grace expected of a chaebol heiress. She could probably pass for an idol…

Strangely though, no guys ever approached her. The reason was obvious—the guy sitting right behind her, Seo Geon-woo. I think someone said they were in an arranged marriage or something? Either way, the lives of rich kids were a world away from mine.

Just then, the door to the Skill Training Room slid open and the professor walked in, followed by a group of about ten other people. They looked like guild representatives.

The professor who stepped up to the podium wrote his name on the electronic board and spoke.

“Good morning, everyone. Before we begin class, let me introduce myself. My name is Kang Dong-geun, and I’ll be teaching Skill Theory. It’s nice to meet you all.”

He was a man in his thirties with heavy dark circles, but his manner was polite and refined.

“This is probably your first day of classes at Raven Academy. How are you all feeling? You all look pretty cheerful, so I guess you’ve already made some friends?”

Professor Kang gradually started speaking more casually. Instead of answering, the students just glanced at each other.

“Uh, um…”

Faced with the lukewarm reaction, Professor Kang cleared his throat and continued.

“Well, that’s fine. First of all, I’m sure you’ve all seen your dormitories by now. You must have been shocked when you first saw them. Some of you probably felt devastated. But that was only a temporary evaluation. The academy’s real exams will reveal your true abilities, so please don’t get too discouraged by the current assessment.”

“The subject I teach is Skill Theory, and this class will help you raise your ‘skill’ levels. I’m sure you all already know that skills are the foundation of every exam, right?”

Skills. Supernatural powers that suddenly manifested in certain humans one day, almost like abilities from a game. Most were suited only for combat, yet people could use these mysterious powers they’d never learned as naturally as breathing.

By the way, my own unique skill was Swordsmanship lv.1.

“Of course there will be differences in growth between individuals, but anyone can raise their skill level. And I’m sure you all already know what your own skill levels are.”

Whether innate or acquired, people who manifested skills were collectively called ‘Awakeners.’ Awakening usually became apparent before the age of fourteen. The easiest way to check was to place part of your body against a mana stone. If you were an Awakener, a unique rune pattern like a fingerprint would appear on the stone, and interpreting it would reveal your skills.

It might not be intuitive, but it was currently the best method available. After all, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the gods hadn’t given humans a status window.

“Today we’ll be doing a simple sparring practice. We’ll take this time to observe how well each of you can utilize your skills. Did everyone understand?”

“Yessir.”

“Then we’ll randomly assign sparring partners now. If you get paired with someone stronger than you, don’t get too scared. This is just to re-evaluate your skill utilization.”

Even though he said that, the students would definitely go all out. Anyone could tell that the people watching from the back were guild scouts.

After finishing his explanation, Professor Kang Dong-geun operated the electronic board and began drawing lots. I prayed silently. Please, anyone around my level.

And when the first matchup was finally decided, I couldn’t help but squeeze my eyes shut.

“Ha Yeonjun! And Lee Dae-han!”