First Class (1)
I arrived at the academy early that morning. There wasn't any particular reason—I simply had nothing better to do. As I wandered around the grounds checking for any other intruders or hidden gates, I noticed the people around me acting strangely. Their gazes felt different from before, oddly fixed on me. Sure, a beautiful girl riding a robotic vacuum cleaner through the air was bound to draw attention, but this felt different somehow.
It was the subtle difference between looking at a pet dog passing by and staring at an animal inside a cage…
“Something feels off…”
“Beep?”
“Do you sense it too? The atmosphere is weird.”
Even the robotic vacuum seemed to notice something was wrong. Come to think of it, hadn't the dean mentioned something yesterday? All-time? Was that what he'd called it?
I turned on my smartphone and searched. It turned out to be some kind of online community used by university students. Since it included several academies in its list, I quickly signed up and checked the Gold Dragon Academy board.
The problematic post was easy to find—it was highlighted at the top with a high number of recommendations.
Content: [Attached Photo]
The title and content were incredibly short. The kind of post you'd scroll past on a boring board, something you'd forget moments after seeing it. But the attention it had gathered told a different story.
Views: 3,806 | Likes: 783 | Comments: 80
The attached photo showed a youthful dark-brown-haired beauty with sparkling eyes, hands clasped together in an adorable pose. And who was this youthful beauty, you ask? Yours truly!
Apparently the destructive impression I'd made at the entrance ceremony had been quite the shock, because seeing me pouring my whole heart into acting cute for someone had hit people hard. The highlighted comments included a brief rundown of my personal details, along with a flood of replies strongly agreeing that whoever received that cuteness should pay more taxes and turn themselves in to the police.
The overall tone of the comments suggested spring had arrived and a full-blown party was underway. Someone had even opened betting odds on an external site, with "Main Character" as the heavy favorite. In other words, my image was already completely ruined before classes had even properly begun.
And with my gender being what it was and the situation being what it was, I couldn't even escape by enlisting in the military.
— CRACKLE!
A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance as a crack appeared across my smartphone screen. At the same time, it felt like my head was splitting open, steam practically pouring from the fissures.
I pulled a baseball bat from my backpack and texted the main character. His reply said he was still at home, which meant he was planning to arrive at the classroom right on the dot again.
I teleported into the sky above the residential area I'd grown familiar with from frequently carpooling with him during my leveling sessions. From there, I hid behind an illegally parked car in front of his house, lying in wait for an ambush.
Before long the front gate opened, and the unsuspecting prey walked straight into the snake's coils.
“So that’s what happened.”
“And that’s why you hung me upside down?”
“Pretty much?”
I’d borrowed the guardrail at the bottom of the slope for a moment, tying it to Kim Si-woo’s ankles and suspending him in the air. Surprisingly, he didn’t resist much—like a pet that knew it had done something wrong. Maybe because of his outstanding physical abilities, hanging upside down didn’t seem to bother him at all.
“So why did you do it?”
“There’s no way I would’ve shown that photo to anyone else. Except for Peony, of course.”
“So you’re saying the photo somehow uploaded itself to the internet?”
I tapped the bat against the asphalt with a sharp clack clack, answering irritably. What, did the photo suddenly grow legs and walk itself to the bulletin board?
“Maybe. At the very least, I definitely didn’t upload it.”
“Proof?”
“Is it really my job to prove that?”
Kim Si-woo’s polite indignation was almost charming. Assuming he was the prime suspect and presuming his guilt had clearly been my mistake. I acknowledged it with a wave of my hand, gently lowering him to the ground and restoring the guardrail to its original position.
But the stain of suspicion wasn’t so easily erased, so I kept the bat out, resting it across my shoulder.
“If you’re really that suspicious, check for yourself.”
“Myself?”
Kim Si-woo handed over his smartphone. I accepted it with both hands and opened the All-Time app. It was already logged in. Even when I tapped the problematic post, I couldn’t edit or delete it. Other than the fact that a “like” had already been pressed on it, there was nothing unusual.
“And the photo looks slightly different, too.”
As he spoke, Kim Si-woo leaned in close beside me and opened the cloud app. There was no sense of personal space… The familiar scent drifting toward me nearly brought back memories from the gate. I shook my head vigorously to shake off the distraction before looking at the screen.
“This… is a different photo?”
The girl in the picture had the same pleading expression, but there were clear differences. The version circulating online included the back of some man’s head, showing that I’d been directing my cuteness toward someone. In contrast, the photo Kim Si-woo had taken featured only me.
The angle was also different—likely taken from a relatively high position with some zoom.
“Hmm… It looks like the one that spread online was taken by someone else. I don’t know who, but…”
The moment I finished confirming, he smoothly snatched the phone from my grasp. He’d been a mere 0.1 seconds away from pressing delete.
“Tsk… Anyway, it seems whoever took this photo knows how to hide their presence.”
“Could it have been those suspicious people from yesterday?”
“If they were that obvious, I would’ve noticed them before they got close. The culprit must either have a real talent for concealment, or be someone I’m acquainted with and therefore excluded from my sense of threat.”
After finishing my interrogation, I loaded the now-late Kim Si-woo into the car and we arrived at the academy. On the way, we discussed the culprit’s identity, but since I hadn’t done anything to earn anyone’s grudge, we couldn’t find any clues.
The classroom was bustling with students from various classes mixed together. Especially on the first day of school, the chatter about the superstar was particularly loud. I ignored the stares until Peony arrived a short while later.
“Wow! Both of you are taking the same class as me! What an incredible coincidence!”
Of course, Kim Si-woo and I had signed up for whatever classes Peony was taking. Fortunately, all the classes that existed in the original story were still here, so matching our schedules had been easy.
“Isn’t this what they call fate? Right, Peony unnie?”
“Haneul, if that’s the case, then I’m the only trash here.”
“Aw, then you can just leave the destined-to-be-together club, sunbae.”
As we chatted, a staff member in a white coat approached with the Dragon Head homeroom professor in tow. The dark circles under the professor’s eyes, whom I’d seen just yesterday, had grown noticeably longer.
“Ah. Lee Haneul. Kim Si-woo. Peony. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes. What’s the matter?”
I’d thought there was a problem, but it turned out they were giving us compensation related to the gate incident from the entrance ceremony. They’d been experimenting with the artifact in the meantime and discovered that it improved regeneration without any side effects. In the original game, high contribution would earn you rewards, so I’d been waiting—and it seemed they were giving it now.
“…Therefore, we’ve decided to distribute this wooden core to the three of you. Naturally, it can’t be split into three, so you can decide among yourselves who will receive it.”
The Sphere of Life. An artifact that came from inside the boss’s body. When worn, it increased health regeneration, offering the significant early-game advantage of being able to spam potions while hunting.
“I don’t need it.”
It wasn’t an artifact suited to my current level, so I had no use for it. The stats were simply too low for someone at my level. Besides, my build didn’t require health regeneration anyway.
“Um… wood… I’ll pass too.”
Peony, whose relationship with anything wooden seemed to be steadily deteriorating, also declined. That left only one person.
“Then Si-woo sunbae should take it.”
“Huh? Me? Well, I won’t say no.”
After handing the artifact over to Kim Si-woo, the two staff members left the classroom. When I quietly told the dazed Kim Si-woo the shop price of the sphere, the hand that received it suddenly became much more respectful.
“By the way, how do I equip this thing?”
“Try using your ability on the sphere.”
Without much thought, Kim Si-woo channeled his power into the Sphere of Life. The sphere vanished from his hand without a trace. His body shivered at the unfamiliar sensation as it settled properly inside him.
“Ugh… It felt like shoving a really warm mint chocolate ice cream straight into my heart.”
“You can take it out the same way you put it in.”
Once the initial shock passed, Kim Si-woo stretched his body experimentally.
“Doesn’t feel all that different?”
“That’s because it only increases regeneration. You probably wouldn’t want to test it if you can help it, right?”
“Yeah, good point.”
The only way to test regeneration was to get hurt first. It was certainly a useful stat to have, but in a situation that wasn’t a game, it was one you’d rather never have to confirm.
Just then, the bell signaling the start of class rang. The door opened and a familiar face entered.
The homeroom professor, having returned to the classroom, set his book down on the lectern with a loud thump and began his introduction.
“Hello everyone. I am Kwon Do-hee, dean and professor of Ability Utilization Studies. Those of you in the Dragon Head class should already be familiar with me.”
But why was the homeroom professor teaching Ability Utilization? In the original story, a different professor was supposed to handle this class.
‘Si-woo sunbae. Is the homeroom professor also the Ability Utilization teacher on your side?’
‘No, it’s usually that blonde lady, right?’
‘Exactly. The one who can shoot fire from her fingertips.’
“Ahem… Sorry for not contacting you in advance, but a ‘special incident’ occurred yesterday. As a result, I’ve taken over as instructor, and the content of our first lecture has also changed.”
When he said “special incident,” he definitely glared at both Kim Si-woo and me. Wait, was that my fault? It was the academy’s automatic doors that were to blame!
“Therefore, our first lesson will cover detecting the use of abilities.”
It seemed the academy was planning to use its budding sprouts to plug the holes created by the automatic door incident.