Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Can You Feel It? The Gap in Status
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Fame.
That is, in modern society where slavery has been abolished, it can be seen as another form of status.
H-City, located in Songpa-gu, ranks in the top percentile. It's a massive apartment complex with over 9,000 units at exorbitant prices, home to many people with notable reputations that give them bragging rights.
It's a place known far and wide, so inside, there's a sense of belonging among residents just from living in H-City apartments, forming various informal cartels bound by shared traits.
Nothing too negative about it. Like groups of mothers with young kids, people in the same industry, or even gatherings of folks from the same building section.
"Did you hear? New people moved into 307 recently."
"Really? Was there an empty unit?"
"I think it was the 23rd floor. This morning, I saw a few people coming and going, but no big furniture."
High-rise moves get tricky past a certain floor because ladder trucks can't reach. Usually above the 15th floor, they wrap the elevators in thick non-woven fabric to protect them and haul up furniture and stuff that way.
"Wonder who it is."
In front of 307 Building was a playground for the complex's kids. Off to one side, a tidy spot for parents to rest.
H-City assigns parking spots per household, so spotting a new car is easy. With a young average age and many families with kids, there's no surface parking for safety—mostly walkways, convenience facilities, and playgrounds.
Around that time, Eve was...
"W-Wow..."
Some guy who seemed to be introducing the place came and ran ahead of our car to guide us to the exclusive parking area. Barely any surface parking—mostly walkways, convenience spots, playgrounds, that sort of thing.
Exclusive parking spots were a novel concept. I figured you just shove your car into any wide street spot.
"Yes! This is the underground parking. It goes down three levels, but this section is for 307 residents, as far as I know. Use from here to over there."
"Got it."
"And... walk a bit further this way, and here's the elevator."
"Whoa."
Communal entrance? Back home, it was just a glass door you pushed open—no real security. Here, even the entrance requires pressing your unit number and a separate code. What about deliveries or food?
"Ophelia, should we head up to the house now?"
"Do you need something?"
"I wanna check out the first floor."
"You mean the ground level of the complex."
"Yeah, that's it."
No surface parking, so cars zip straight into the underground entrance. There are roads for vehicles, but mostly pedestrian paths. Still, I wanna peek outside.
Something tells me once we're inside, it'll be a hassle to come back out. But curiosity will nag at me otherwise.
"Ah, then let's swing by the ground level first. I'll accompany you."
The guide guy was cool with it. Too bad, but Minium and Suri stay in the car for now—I'll summon them later with my skill. Doggo's small enough, but Suri and Minium might be iffy.
"Princess."
"Heehee, yes?"
Ophelia wasn't thrilled about the grubby princess—who looked like she'd just rolled out of bed unwashed—wandering where people could see, but she couldn't bring herself to dampen the princess's spirits when she perked up at the call with that high-pitched reply.
"Er, nothing. Let's head to the first floor."
"Yay!"
In the end, we took 307's elevator to the ground level. Well-paved walkways, and as a massive complex, tons of amenities inside.
Plus, it was huge enough to connect directly to the subway station.
"307 has a playground right out front, so kids would love it."
What was this guy on about? I'm an adult—no need for playgrounds. Roblox and my phone at home suffice. Why a playground?
"Whoa, a slide!!"
—Beep!!
The playground, dubbed H-Concert Hall, had a stage-like structure themed around it and a proper little slide.
"Princess."
"Heehee, yes?"
Ophelia wasn't thrilled about the grubby, just-woke-up princess climbing playground equipment that didn't look super hygienic, sliding her white long padding pants along the inside.
"Er, nothing. I'll listen to the tour explanation, so enjoy yourself."
"Yay!"
Just like before, the princess was too excited to rein in. Clothes can be washed later.
"Munch. I'll take down all these slides... Huff...!"
—Beep...!
From afar, it looked like pure fun, but up close, other kids were already there. They all seemed super tight-knit, chatting and playing together.
Approaching felt awkward.
I used to radiate mega-extrovert vibes where people approached me unprompted (convenience store clerk life), but in this body? That aura vanished.
"Hm..."
So I shoved my hands in my padding pockets and loitered by some pointless photobooth (low-rent quality, musician theme) that no one was using.
Now what? Wanna slide, but nameless rugrats swarm it, and they all look chummy—hard to butt in.
Were kids' worlds always this tough? What do you even say to them? Offer Robux coupons...?
"Hi?"
"Whoa!"
"Why so jumpy?"
"N-No... Hi...?"
Of course I jump if someone's right behind me while I'm deep in thought! The girl who startled me was just a smidge taller—like an ant's poop taller.
She had seven more kids trailing her like mafia goons. These eight ruled one-third of the playground cartel.
"What's your name? New mover? Haven't seen you before."
"Y-Yeah, moved in today. Name's Eve..."
"Eve? Foreigner? Hair's white too. How old?"
This rude firing squad! Conversations are turn-based games—one question per turn! Two at once is torture to answer...!
"Ten... And probably not a foreigner...?"
"Then why's your hair white?"
A boy behind the girl answered for me.
"Awakened maybe? Awakened get hair color changes, right?"
"For real? You too?"
"Y-Yeah."
"No way! Superpowers? Show us!"
"Uh, not right now..."
—Beep!
As I hesitated, Doggo bounced around me announcing his presence. The kids behind spotted him.
"What's that? Robot?"
"Nah, this is Doggo... I made him..."
"You make robots?"
"A-Awakening power."
"This? Does he fight?"
"No... He doesn't fight...?"
"Lame."
—Boom!
Lightning struck my brain. No—even S-rank rarity Chae-rin unnie praised my powers, and those famous A-rankers from Desert Mausoleum too...!
How dare these peanut-brained elementary twerps call my Doggo lame? This won't stand. My head cooled ice-cold. Time these fools paid for dissing my first subject, Doggo.
"Hey. Doggo's a math whiz. You good at math?"
"Ji-yoon's in the gifted class."
"Yeah, gifted class. Learning quadratics."
"Quadratics...? Doggo, can you do that...?"
—Beep!
"Doggo says he can. Doggo, give a problem."
Doggo's head monitor expanded like a tablet, and a problem popped up on screen.
The graph of the quadratic function y = ax² + bx + c satisfies all the following conditions.
The equation of the axis of symmetry is x = 5.
The minimum value of the function y is -16.
The graph passes through the point (6, -15).
Find the value of a + b + c.
'Whoa, even I don't get this.'
Doggo threw out a brutally hard problem. CSAT-level stuff.
Gifted class or not, she's just a 10-year-old fourth-grader. Cocky Ji-yoon's brain went blank.
"...Takes a sec. Hold on."
"Sure."
Ji-yoon tried to stay calm, not give up. Chewing her side hair whipping in the winter wind, she glared at the problem.
"Ugh. No paper?"
"Write on the monitor. Doggo, make a pen."
—Beep!
Doggo extruded a pen from the monitor's side at my request. Super studious Ji-yoon scribbled equations all over, solving furiously.
"...No clue."
"Doggo, give the answer."
—Beep!
The instant answer: 0. I knew it already.
"See? Doggo's smart, right?"
"Wait, only you giving problems? Our turn."
"Okay, go."
"Hey, Im Min-jae, grab my bag."
"Why me?!"
"Snitch to teacher you ate Latiao at school."
"Ugh, fine. Wait."
Ji-yoon's minion (fellow elementary kid) dashed off, fetched her bag, and handed it over. Inside: a math workbook for gifted elementary homework.
—Rustle...
"This one. Solve it."
"Doggo, see it?"
—Beep!
Ji-yoon pointed to problem 13, but Doggo didn't need that. Scanned both pages with the center camera, spat out all answers instantly.
—Tap, tap-tap...
Ji-yoon's eyes bulged at the parade of correct answers with sound effects.
"W-Wait! All these right?!"
"Yup. Doggo's a math genius."
"Hold it! That's my homework—I need it!"
What? Using my Doggo to cheat homework??
"No way. Homework's solo."
"Just a peek! Please!"
"Hmm... Fine, quick look. Hold him yourself."
"Okay!"
I handed Doggo to Ji-yoon and bolted to the playground structure.
"Slide...!"
—Shooooom
This thrill sliding down the longest one. Crisp winter wind filling the cold tube. Joy of crushing gifted class with brains.
"Munch."
Today too, I proclaimed my greatness to the world!