Chapter 151 : Chapter 151
Chapter 151: School Starts (1)
"School starts again tomorrow."
It had already been a little over a week since we all went camping to smooth over the awkwardness and get closer.
September had arrived before I knew it, and that meant the start of the new semester was right in front of me.
"But somehow, this past week felt busier than worrying about school starting..."
Meeting Cha Yu-na, having a private meeting with the Puppeteer, and going out for various other matters.
I felt like I had barely had any time to rest.
I started to think that I might die from overwork rather than getting killed in battle.
"Still, it was all necessary, and I achieved enough results."
If there was one thing that was unfortunate, however...
"It would be the fact that I did not get to see Shin Yu-hwan that day."
I heard that Shin Yu-hwan had come by on the day we went on our overnight camping trip, so it was a bit disappointing that we missed each other.
He seemed busy lately, so we had not been in contact often. It would have been nice to at least see his face.
"But what did those two talk about?"
After all, the two of them shared a connection from the past that I knew nothing about.
Perhaps because of that, I was curious about what kind of conversation they had.
It was also because Im Seong-cheol looked at me a bit differently this morning.
His bluntness was the same as always, but I felt a sense of... pity from him.
Just what on earth did he talk about with Shin Yu-hwan?
"Well, that is not what is important right now anyway."
I was curious about their conversation, but it was not the most pressing matter at the moment.
Since school was starting, my current task was to set a solid plan for the future.
"For starters, nothing much happened in the early part of the second semester..."
I did not know if the author was a god who directly wrote this world or simply someone who transcribed its story into text.
If they were a being close to a god who wrote it directly, then they had at least a shred of conscience, as no major incidents or accidents occurred the moment the second semester began.
If I had to recall an early event memorable enough to appear in the novel...
"Maybe the October Grand Festival?"
To be honest, it was hard to even call that an incident.
The October Grand Festival was exactly what it sounded like—a grand festival, a time to take a breather.
"The problem is the latter half of the second semester."
Calling it the latter half was a bit vague.
This was because the event took place during the closing ceremony that marked the end of the first year.
In reality, the name did not matter much.
"The event that will happen then is what matters."
The talent "Heterogeneous Gear" allowed me to clearly recall things that I might have forgotten over time.
Even without the help of that talent, the incident that occurred at the closing ceremony was deeply etched into my mind.
That was because...
"Im Seong-cheol's death."
It was the moment the hero I admired died.
How could I ever forget that?
In the first place, the goal I had set for myself was to protect the heroes.
However, even though I knew this, there was a major problem.
"The fact that I cannot avoid that incident."
The incident that happened at the closing ceremony.
If I wanted to avoid it, I would have to delay or move up the ceremony itself.
But did I have the power to do that?
"I do not."
It was impossible even if I asked for help from the connections I had built since coming to this world.
"It would not work even if I asked Cha Yu-na or Ryu Jin-seong for help."
Why was this an issue that even a Hero-Rank player could not solve?
The reason was easily apparent if one looked at the structure of Glory.
First of all, if the schedule for the closing ceremony changed, it meant the schedule for the third-year graduation ceremony would also change.
And who were the third-years at Glory?
"They are the people who are about to debut as players immediately."
That meant various guilds and the government would be sending people to scout them.
Regardless, Glory was the top academy in South Korea, and being a graduate meant you were essentially considered a top-tier force.
"I cannot postpone such a large event just because of a single word about having a bad feeling."
That remained true even if Ryu Jin-seong or Cha Yu-na intervened, or even if Shin Yu-hwan went on a rampage.
'It might be different if I had evidence to support my anxiety.'
But there were no premonitory symptoms for the events of that day.
It was truly a terrible situation.
Therefore, avoiding the event was impossible.
In short...
"It means I have to prepare and stop it."
Naturally, I had not been just playing around until now.
I had been steadily preparing for that day and was still in the process of doing so.
"Though it is still not enough."
Is preparation not something that always feels insufficient, no matter how much you do?
In the novel, it was not as if things turned out that way because they did not prepare.
"Phew, for some reason, it feels like I am never going to get a break."
To speak with a bit of exaggeration, I felt like I was the busiest person in this world.
Knowing a lot was a good thing, but on the other hand, it was a bit exhausting how it brought tension into my daily life every single day.
"Still, as I said earlier, at least the beginning part is a bit relaxed."
Even if something happened, it would at most be an increase in the frequency of sparring or real combat training in Gates compared to the first semester.
I had already fought for my life several times; why would that be an issue?
It was at that moment, as I was resolving to build a solid foundation by using that relaxed time well.
WHOOSH!
A strong gust of wind invaded the dormitory room through the window I had left open for a moment.
The wind was so powerful that I had to close my eyes briefly, and when I opened them...
"It has been a while. I hope you have been well for the past two months?"
Inside my dormitory room, where I should have been alone, a man was speaking to me.
He possessed pure white hair that reminded me of a pristine mountain peak.
He was the owner of purple eyes that shone more brilliantly than amethysts.
"Is that... Baek Ha-seong, the villain?"
Baek Ha-seong was there.
Baek Ha-seong tilted his head at my words and replied.
"Did you not just call me Mr. Baek Ha-seong last time?"
"I was out of it back then..."
"Just call me Mr. Baek Ha-seong. It sounds a bit awkward to be called 'villain.'"
Phew, that was a relief.
I really had been out of it back then, which was why I had called him Mr. Baek Ha-seong.
Although Baek Ha-seong was not someone who cared particularly about honorifics like Shin Yu-hwan did, we did have our respective positions.
So I was wondering if I should use extreme formal speech now, but I was glad he gave me permission.
But that aside...
'Is this really okay?'
This place was not some corner store; it was Glory Academy.
Even if the opponent had no ill intentions, it was shocking that a person in the position of a villain could just enter like this...
As if he had read my thoughts, Baek Ha-seong spoke to me in a nonchalant tone.
"There is no place I cannot go as long as there are wind and clouds."
"Uh, well..."
"And honestly, you knew it would be like this, right? Unless a Hero-Rank player is working in security."
He was right.
No matter how much effort was put in, there were limits to strengthening security.
As Baek Ha-seong said, unless there was a Hero-Rank player—and specifically one skilled in sensing others like Yu-hyeon—it was nearly impossible to stop a highly skilled individual from infiltrating.
But everyone knew, did they not?
'There is no way that would happen.'
Hero-Rank players do not just fall from the sky.
In the first place, it made no sense for someone with that level of skill to work as a security guard for an academy.
I just had to blame the structure of this rotten world.
Therefore, I swallowed a sigh inwardly and asked Baek Ha-seong a question.
"But what brings you here so suddenly?"
"What do you mean 'what brings me here'? What other reason would I have to come see you?"
"Does that mean..."
"I came to have a consultation about our future."
Baek Ha-seong spoke those words in his usual indifferent tone.
However, that was only possible because it was Baek Ha-seong.
As for me, I did not have the confidence to pass this situation off indifferently at all.
This is truly...
'I guess I have to take back everything I just thought.'
The statement that nothing much would happen in the early part of the second semester.
It seemed that those words did not apply to me.
***
"It is good to see all your faces again after such a long time. Shall we get straight to the lesson?"
The two months that felt like hell under the name of vacation had finally ended, and it was the first day of the second semester.
Unlike the instructors or professors of other classes, the benevolent-looking Old Professor in front of me was enthusiastically conducting the lecture from the very first day.
"...And so, ranks are an inseparable part of our existence. Now, let's see... Cadet Choi Yu-seong?"
He usually never calls on me, but of course, he would at a time like this... As I expected, the professor called my name.
"Yes."
"There is a difference between player talents and artifacts when it comes to categorizing them by rank. What is it?"
"While talents are categorized up to SSS-Class, artifacts, on the other hand, only exist up to S+ Rank."
In truth, talents went up to EX-Class, but that was a fact that had not been revealed yet.
There was no reason for me to go out of my way to mention it.
"That is correct. And physical abilities also have a maximum of S+ Rank. Can you explain why that is?"
"The established theory is that talents are gifts from heaven, while artifacts and physical abilities are things limited to humans."
"Haha, as expected of Cadet Choi Yu-seong. Then, could you also provide some known examples?"
Man, why are there so many questions today?
Was he dying to torment me with questions because he could not do it for two months?
But he was the professor and I was the cadet.
Therefore, I had no choice but to kneel before the logic of 'if you do not like it, you become the professor' and answer.
"For talents, Player Shin Yu-hwan's 'Black World' is SSS-Class, and for artifacts, the 'Pendant of the Protector Sheltering the New Moon,' which is known to have been used by the first Hero-Rank player, is S+ Rank."
However, Shin Yu-hwan's Black World had difficult activation conditions, and the pendant I just mentioned chose its owner.
As a side note, Kim Su-hyeok would eventually use that pendant in the future.
"What about physical abilities?"
"If we take Player Ryu Jin-seong as an example, I believe his Strength is S+ Rank."
"That was an excellent example!"
I did not know if it was an excellent example, but one thing was certain.
Perhaps because it was the first class, no one was nodding off, so everyone was staring at me, which was quite burdensome.
So I tried to quickly sit back down, but...
"It makes me happy to see Cadet Choi Yu-seong answering so perfectly after such a long time."
"...Pardon?"
I could not sit down.
"What do you mean all of a sudden..."
"It would be a shame to end it here, so shall I ask a few more things?"
"No..."
"Since we are on the topic of ranks, there are players up to Hero-Rank. But why is it that villains are only categorized up to S-Rank?"
Excuse me?
Ju Ha-yeon, who is first place in theory, is sitting right over there. Why do you keep asking only me?
'Dammit...'
I felt like I had started off on the wrong foot from the beginning.
I should have just said I did not know during the first class back in March.
I had told myself that if there was one thing I should avoid, it was a professor's interest, but I had failed... This was my own sin.
Still, it would be too obvious if I said I did not know at this point, so I had no choice but to answer the question.
"It is because there is a risk that a faction could be formed around that villain."
"Correct. There was such a precedent in the past, was there not?"
"Yes. It is because in the past, a group formed around a Disaster-Rank villain and caused significant damage."
"Correct. Since then, the epithet 'Disaster-Rank' has been banned. You may sit down now."
At those words, I immediately sat down without giving the professor a chance to change his mind.
"Now then, this time, let's look at cases where great achievements were left even with low ranks..."
Fortunately, the Old Professor continued the class on his own, seemingly finished with the questions.
Thanks to that, I could finally relax.
'Anyway, a Disaster-Rank villain, huh...'
Thinking about Disaster-Rank villains reminded me of something.
Specifically, Baek Ha-seong and Yu-hyeon.
'Those two would probably easily be considered Disaster-Rank.'
I had probably mentioned this before.
If there were such a thing as a Disaster-Rank, Baek Ha-seong would certainly be a Disaster-Rank villain.
It was a term that had disappeared now, but if it were ever revived, he would definitely be included.
'I only recently learned about Yu-hyeon, so I am adding him late.'
It could not be helped since he did not appear in the novel.
Regardless, what was certain was that both possessed insane levels of ability.
They both had powerful talents and the skill to back them up.
'Yu-hyeon's One Who Walks the Demonic Path is an SSS-Class talent. The Staining Light he used to turn the cross into a sword of light is SS-Class.'
And Baek Ha-seong's Wind and Clouds is SS-Class, while his Thunderbolt is S-Rank. Finally, his Master of the Storm is SSS-Class.
'Wow, listing them out like this, there is just no answer.'
On top of that, their innate physical abilities were top-tier, so if they were not monsters, what was?
Even comparing them to the full power Kim Su-hyeok and the others showed at the end, Kim Su-hyeok might be the only one who could go toe-to-toe with them in terms of raw power.
Both Yu-hyeon and Baek Ha-seong possessed talents perfectly suited for player-versus-player combat.
'If I were to compare them to Shin Yu-hwan... I am not sure.'
If it were a fight to the death, I would not dare to predict a winner.
The two I just mentioned were monsters, but the same was true for Shin Yu-hwan.
This was especially true when I thought about Shin Yu-hwan's end in the latter half of the novel.
He met his end alone, without any support, taking an entire S-Rank Gate and hundreds of villains with him...
'...That is a rather bitter story.'
It was a heroic moment, but at the same time, it was not something I could be happy about.
How could it be enjoyable to speak of the death of a hero I admired?
'That is also something I just have to stop somehow.'
Unlike the issue with Im Seong-cheol, the situation with Shin Yu-hwan could be handled more easily.
It was something that would happen after Im Seong-cheol's incident, and all I had to do was figure out a way to stop him from acting alone.
For that part, I would eventually have to ask Cha Yu-na for help.
Therefore, I cleared away my negative thoughts and shifted the flow of my mind elsewhere.
'Though even if I shift it, only one thing comes to mind.'
Perhaps it was because I had been thinking about Baek Ha-seong.
The only thing that came to mind was the conversation I had with him a few days ago.
I quietly recalled that conversation, which was likely to have a significant impact on the future.