The Academy’s Deceased Ate It All

When I asked Lee Myung-Joon about the general story, he said that the place where Esmeralda Lysnerger was imprisoned was a place known only to a very few people, so we would not be able to move around normally.

Then the only way would be to warp.

However, using the warp gate installed in the academy itself makes no sense, and since warp-capable people were heavily monitored by the government and the Association, there are many restrictions to calling on them immediately.

It meant that it would not be easy to move right now.

So I suggested that we meet outside under the guise of permission to go out for the weekend, and he gladly accepted it.

In the meantime, I remembered that I had said that I would go to the city with Choi Hyun-Woo and Han Soo-Young, so I decided to get permission for the two to go out together.

When they heard my words, their reaction was the polar opposite.

“Wow, really? That’s great.”

“Why would he do that?”

Choi Hyun-Woo looked genuinely impressed, while Han Soo-Young looked somewhat reluctant.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide it anyway, so I told them in an appropriate manner.

“Actually, I have a personal business with him. In the process, I said that I have a prior appointment with you guys, so I asked If you guys come as well. And he said, ‘it’s okay’, so on Saturday I’m going out alone with him and on Sunday, with you guys to the city.”

Despite my explanation, Han Soo-Young nodded with a somewhat dubious expression on her face.

And I was surprised to see a hint of suspicion around her eyes.

‘Oh, God.’

Unlike Choi Hyeon-Woo, Han Soo-Young was constantly suspicious and wary.

And like most people with such a personality, if I was accepted into her sphere, I could build a deep bond, but until now, Choi Hyun-Woo was the only person her age who was accepted into her sphere.

In other words, to her, I was also one of the people she was always suspicious of and wary of.

Perhaps it was because I had saved them both from danger, or perhaps it was because of the fixed favorability that was the reward of the quest, but she had apparently released her tension in that her attitude towards me was calmer than the others.

‘I’ll have to be a little more careful.’

The fact that Han Soo-Young was in a more important position in the story than Choi Hyun-Woo.

And above all else, it wasn’t good for me to make Han Soo-Young doubt me, as there were not many potential allies that I could trust as much as these two.

“… About the other day. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to talk about it in public, so can’t we talk about it later?”

Han Soo-Young looked surprised for a while as I whispered.

Then, she sneaked a glance at Choi Hyun-Woo, and Choi Hyun-Woo was looking at the two of us with a smile on his face.

“What?”

“Oh, no. Nothing.”

Han Soo-Young said so and quickly turned her head to avoid Choi Hyun-Woo’s gaze.

Unlike usual, it was quite refreshing to see Han Soo-Young at a loss for words.

‘It seems like the two of them talked about something separately.’

As I was thinking this looking at the two, Choi Hyun-Woo looked around and changed the subject in a calm tone.

“Now that I think about it, it seems like Na Il-Jun is not coming to class, right?”

“It will take some time since there seems to be a bigger problem with his originally problematic head.”

Han Soo-Young retorted with a slight frown as if to say, why are you bringing up that guy?

“Well, there were a few of us there… Was there some kind of trauma?”

In fact, I didn’t know much about the character Na Il-Jun because he was only a minor character who appeared occasionally and left immediately.

Since this world was not just a game, there would be a story behind that guy, but I didn’t really want to know.

‘I can roughly predict it.’

It was true that he was intimidated by the giant tree spirit, but it was probably because of the things he saw afterward that he was like that.

I clicked my tongue slightly.

“She was there too, but look at her. She’s fine.”

Han Soo-Young blinked, her gaze pointed to Jin Ye-Seul, who was sitting in the corner of the class.

And I was momentarily startled by that sight.

Jin Ye-Seul, as always, sat in her seat with a passive and withdrawn look.

There were other students sitting next to her, but even at a glance, they didn’t seem to be close to her.

The way she was crumpled up in the middle of her rowdy classmates made me feel sorry for her, even though I knew what was going on.

“Hmm.”

And Choi Hyun-Woo let out a meaningful sound as he looked at Jin Ye-Seul.

The way he looked at Jin Ye-Seul with cold eyes, I wondered why he was like this.

‘Originally their chemistry was the worst, but….’

In contrast to Choi Hyun-Woo, who had the personality and beliefs of a typical protagonist, Jin Ye-Seul was someone who was willing to sacrifice innocent people for her own purpose.

In fact, even in the game, the match between the two was the worst, so in most cases, the moment they were at the same party, they would immediately break into a fight.

But….

‘There’s no way their relationship will creak from the beginning like this.’

The fact that she asked me something was not enough to do this, so there was something between Choi Hyun-Woo and Jin Ye-Seul.

I leaned back in my chair and let out a small sigh.

‘Yesterday, I said let’s get it together, but I missed this basic thing…… .’

In the game, all the characters move only as set in the story, and even if there is such a thing as compatibility, it is only a change within a set frame.

But this world was not a game.

Not only my relationship with them but also the relationship with each other would change and events would occur.

I had to keep this in mind for sure.

‘It’s going to give me a headache.’

Maybe I should go to the dorm later and go through the setting book and sort it out.

Just as I was thinking this, Alice Bresback opened the door and walked in, ruffling her red hair.

“Everyone, sit down, the ordinance will begin.”

Seeing that she was completely exhausted, the students quickly took their seats.

Looking at that figure, I thought it was true that she and the other professors, were so busy trying to figure out what happened in the mock dungeon.

‘If it goes according to the original story, we will only be taking theory classes for a while.’

Choi Hyun-woo also said, ‘I’m dying of boredom’.

Watching Professor Alice quietly begin to call for attendance with a lot of sighs, I gently put my cell phone on her desk.

[The Portability and Compatibility section has been updated.

― Now you can browse through any electronic device.]

[Other convenience features have been added.

― Security has been strengthened, so the contents of the screen are not visible to others.]

I was going to use the newly updated setting book with the intention of trying it out once.

However, I had no choice but to secretly hide it under the desk from the gaze of Choi Hyun-Woo and Han Soo-Young, who looked at me as if they were scolding me for taking out my cell phone.

‘If I go out this time, I’ll have to buy a cheap electronic dictionary or something.’

* * *

Time passed quickly and it was Saturday.

Contrary to what I was worried about, nothing special had happened in the meantime, so I was able to leave the academy with a relatively light heart.

The security guard tilted his head a few times as he looked at the permit that I handed him after changing into plain clothes, but he let me go without saying anything.

It was rare for a freshman to go out at this time, but it was not unheard of.

‘Well, then….. .’

As I came out of the Academy’s main gate, turned around, and walked a little, there was an ordinary black car standing there.

I naturally got into the passenger seat and saw a familiar face next to me holding the driver’s seat.

“Hi.”

“Yes. Hello.”

He was Lee Myung-Joon.

Seeing that I was wearing a seat belt, he started the car with skillful skill.

I said something to him as I laid myself on the soft seat.

“You’re more frugal than I thought.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“This. I thought Lee Myung-Joon would have a better car.”

“Oh.”

He shrugged at my words.

“I borrowed it from someone I know. My car stands out a little.”

I thought so and looked out the window.

It was an unfamiliar yet familiar landscape.

Ordinary buildings and streets, visible from everywhere, but the odd architecture here and there constantly reminded me that this world was not the one I knew.

I silently turned my head away.

“How do you plan to go there?”

At my question, he hummed as he looked ahead and tapped the steering wheel with his thumb.

“First we have to get out of here. It’s probably a bit too much to move around the academy.”

“After you get out?”

“There’s one more passenger.”

I had a rough guess as to who it was.

There were very few people in the world who could use warp-type abilities.

And the woman known as Lee Myung-Joon’s right arm was one of those who had warp-type abilities.

‘Because I’m honestly more familiar with that one.’

In the original story, Myung-Joon Lee was already dead.

And the power and legacy of the deceased Lee Myung-Joon were inherited by her, who was his right-hand man and henchman.

Unlike Lee Myung-Joon, who was moderate, she was one of the hard-liners, and I remembered well that she had a significant role in the story, perhaps because she was powerful.

“There she is.”

Saying that Lee Myung-Joon skillfully parked the car on the side of the road.

I averted my gaze and thought of her image, I had seen in the game.

A sharp tone with a cold impression.

The atmosphere in her sharp eyes, as if they were looking through a person.

A brutal person, as if she personified a razor.

I remembered it relatively clearly.

So when I saw her for the first time, I wondered what this was.

“Oh, hello. Nice to see you.”

As soon as she gets into her car, I hear her giggling.

She looked at me and put her hand out in a friendly manner, so I grabbed her hand without realizing it.

She shook my hand repeatedly, and to anyone who saw her, she was just an ordinary woman with a good impression.

“Shall we do the introductions first? This is Horie Yuzuki, my trusted colleague and one of the executives of my guild. Yuzuki, this is the Yoo Ji-Hyuk I was telling you about.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Horie Yuzuki. Please feel free to call me Yuzuki.”

“Ah yes… it’s nice to meet you. Yuzuki-ssi.”

She smiled and bowed her head, and greeted me in Korean, which still seemed awkward.

Since she even had the same name, the probability of me being mistaken or her being a stranger was lessened.

I smiled awkwardly and nodded.

‘What is this.’

The impression was very different.

In the midst of all this, I could see her talking to Lee Myung-Joon as if she was happy to see him.

Lee Myung-Joon was talking with Yuzuki in a familiar way.

The two of them were so familiar that even the most insensitive person could see it.

‘Ah.’

I see.

Lee Myung-Joon’s death changed her.

I thought I could see why she went on a hardline path, demanding the immediate execution of criminals, including villains.

It was mentioned several times that she respected Lee Myung-Joon, but there was no mention of why she felt that way, so this was the first time I learned about it.

‘So, Lee Myung-Joon’s guild… The Thunder Lord’s Hammer is not a hard-liner, but a moderate one.’

The Thunder Lord’s Hammer, with Lee Myung-Joon as the guild leader, was a representative hunter guild operated by a small number of elites.

Although small in size, most of its members were strong or had unusual abilities, and they had built a strong bond with Lee Myung-Joon, the guild leader, at the center.

Their level of force was both violent and powerful, making it one of the world-famous guilds.

“…… .”

Heroes and Hunters.

The difference between the two lay in which they focused on.

If heroes were active in various fields, such as saving lives, maintaining public order, and exploring dungeons; then hunters were a term that referred to people who were active in more narrow areas.

In addition to hunting monsters, subduing, and killing serious criminals.

Literally, they were people who hunted.

‘Wait, if the Thunder Lord’s Hammer, the representative of the hardliners, stays with the moderates, won’t that be a bit of a problem later on when it comes to controlling Red Case and the other villains…?’

I tensed up a bit, as it was a good possibility, then let it go with a sigh.

‘I think I need to keep in more debt this time.’

As I drew a rough conclusion like that, I noticed that the speed of the car gradually slowed down.

I instinctively knew that it was time to go.

“Okay, Yuzuki.”

“Yes.”

Lee Myung-Joon stopped the car in a deserted area and called out Yuzuki’s name.

Then she, who had been talking nonstop so far, remained silent with that answer.

I wondered how much time had passed.

In the meantime, I could feel the branches of the world tree inside my body gradually twitching.

Then Yuzuki, who had been quietly breathing from behind me, said to me.

“Hey, Ji-Hyuk. If this is your first time at warp, please close your eyes. It makes you feel nauseous.”

If it’s your first time warping, using a skill, I guess you should close your eyes.

“Oh, thank you.”

I closed my eyes silently at her words.

Then it was really a moment, a very brief moment, but I really felt like I was on a roller coaster.

At one point, I felt someone tapping my shoulder.

Reflexively, when I opened my eyes, the landscape that had been quiet just a moment ago had changed into a dimly lit room.

“It’s over.”

We all stood up at Yuzuki’s words>