episode_0063

Paengjin’s sudden call, with the unexpected appearance of Juna Yong, disrupted the chaotic morning briefing at the Udangtang restaurant.

Me, Mnyangi, and Moon Bora.

The three of us headed into town for a meal to prepare for the first week of training starting at 1 p.m.

The crowd of bustling people could be seen everywhere.

Everyone seemed to have a fresh-faced rookie vibe, probably like us, prospective freshmen.

“So, what should we eat?”

A deep-rooted dilemma about what to eat.

We all fell silent for a moment.

And then, the first to speak up was the gullible brain, Moon Bora.

“The first week of training is filled with mostly physical exercises. So, it’s best to eat something light that won’t burden your body.”

“Oh, as expected of Bora Bora…”

“Mnyangi. Bora Bora…”

“…I told you not to give me weird nicknames, right? Anyway, how about ‘that place’?”

“That place?”

Moon Bora, always on the same page as me.

Mnyangi, who was watching from the side, nodded in agreement.

A little later, the three of us entered a restaurant indicated by a sign and each ordered our menu.

“Mnyangi, this is… Bora.”

Perhaps she had been wondering all along, Mnyangi scratched her cheek with a puzzled expression.

“Is… beef and rice… considered light?”

“It is.”

“Serious yet light.”

“Mnyangi…”

Soon, three bowls of beef and rice were served in no time.

“Mnyangi…”

Huh?

As I was about to take a spoonful, Mnyangi next to me nudged me with her shoulder.

Her eyes flickered towards Moon Bora, with a look that seemed to say, ‘Mnyangi, Bora doesn’t seem to fit in here…’

I understand.

She looks like she should be in a fancy restaurant, holding a fork and knife, sipping wine with a steak.

But I just gave her a reassuring look.

Mnyangi, who had been puzzled, looked a bit surprised at Moon Bora’s appearance.

Moon Bora tied her hair back in a ponytail to keep it neat.

After tasting the bland soup, she added a pinch of salt to suit her taste.

She then added some seasoning and mixed it in.

She ate without making a mess, carefully adding leeks and garlic.

And to finish it off, she dipped green chili, carrot, and cucumber in soybean paste and took a bite.

“Hmm…?”

Only then did Moon Bora notice the blank stares.

“…? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Ah, Mnyangi… sorry. It doesn’t really match my image.”

Moon Bora dismissed it casually.

“It’s a dish my grandfather loved. I learned how to eat it from him when I was young.”

“I see…”

As the meal progressed, light conversations became the main topic, and it eventually led to Juna Yong’s story.

Moon Bora wiped her mouth with a napkin.

She spoke slowly.

“Yuseha, the person who visited us suddenly is Juna Yong. And she…-”

“-Is she talking about the 5★ prodigy?”

“…You knew?”

Nodding, Moon Bora sighed, “Ah~.”

“Well, she’s a celebrity, so it would be strange if you didn’t know. She even appeared in the news for promotional purposes.”

Oh, I didn’t know that… promotional?

‘…Is she receiving sponsorship from some famous organization?’

Interestingly, Juna Yong’s personal story doesn’t explain her background or family.

As I took another bite, I pondered slowly.

She must have noticed, Juna Yong.

She is also a character of the ‘Gosra’ beauty in the game.

At the same time, he was a representative scammer recognized by all the map managers, born as a 5★ character.

“He’s always maintaining an S-rank on the tier list, an impressive guy.”

“Gosla” is a gacha game.

Of course, there are performance discriminators called breathing rights, citizenship rights, and nobility rights.

Among them, the most important is undoubtedly the breathing right.

It’s a term that means if you can’t breathe, you die.

Usually, those with the term breathing right take on a role at the forefront of resource farming, which is the core foundation of growth.

Gosla is a game that has been in service for a whopping 6 years.

Naturally, there are several breathing right characters recommended for beginners, but all the map managers agree that “Junayong” is the easiest and most comfortable choice.

Gosla is based on a gimmick that continues the story by ignoring the early game limited paid resources and item luck.

However, this is only the early game story.

From the mid-game onwards, it is influenced by the relationship with enemies, the terrain, character synergies, and chemistry.

You don’t need to go far; the dungeon called “Toujuwon’s Garden” is a representative terrain sucking dungeon.

“It’s going to be a pain later on.”

There were many places with lava flowing, flying around, deserts, blizzards causing various debuffs, and many other difficult places.

Therefore, characters with high specs end up dropping out.

This is based on Gosla’s wicked strategy of pulling various characters to increase revenue.

Anyway, Junayong is one of the few characters who have survived in the turbulent meta.

Even as a dealer type, she has limited versatility.

Of course, she is not without flaws.

In the extreme late game, she is weaker compared to characters like “Eye of the Heavenly River” or “Nidia” that have been completely evolved.

But that’s a story for when you get there.

It doesn’t matter now that Gosla has become a reality.

“It’s a headache.”

So, this has become quite annoying.

I need Junayong in my party.

That’s why I kept an eye on her during training.

And I thought it would be easy to recruit her.

She might be the representative cute character in Gosla who follows the rules.

Her nature is fundamentally good.

Crucially, Junayong is particularly weak to ‘desire’ compared to others.

This is because of the special blood flowing in her body, so let’s move on.

There are various desires, but the easiest one is ‘appetite’.

In other words, she is easy to get along with if you give her snacks she likes.

The problem is that she got on the wrong side of Pungjina earlier.

“Come to think of it, in Junayong’s story, it was mentioned that she was saved by an unidentified hunter in her childhood and admired him…”

Could it be that the professor Pungjina was that hunter?

The world feels really small.

“Miss Yusehara? If you’ve finished your meal, it’s time to get up. Training will start soon.”

“Oh, already?”

At Moonbora’s words, I got up from my seat.

Well, if I take my time, everything will work out somehow.

* * *

Beep!

The high-pitched sound of a whistle echoed around.

The trainee cadets in their training uniforms naturally turned their attention to the cool-looking beauty who blew the whistle.

It was Professor Pungjina.

“Everyone, pay attention! We will now begin the first week of training. You may think you know everything, but all these training processes are meticulously recorded by the Association. It also leads to mandatory military service, so I hope you will respond sincerely.”

Pungjina then pointed to the spacious field right next to her.

“From today, since it’s the first day, we will proceed with a run without any constraints or obstacles. The maximum number of laps is 40. Now, get ready, everyone.”

Paeng Jin-ah’s words made the students stretch their bodies here and there.

Among them, there was one student who stood out the most.

It was Joo Nayong, a beauty with long hair tied up to her hips.

Her green eyes, contrasting with the burning flame color, shone like starlight.

“Yonghoo-!”

Joo Nayong took a deep breath.

As soon as the gunshot signaled the start, she ran at full speed, putting all her strength into her legs.

In a matter of seconds, she surpassed all the students and took the lead.

Like a well-oiled gear moving tirelessly, her calves formed bulging muscles, releasing explosive power.

As Joo Nayong sprinted forward, not only the students but also the professors watching were amazed.

Some expressed concern.

This was not a short-distance race to quickly reach the destination.

It was a long-distance running training where one had to run 40 laps around a track of this size.

The purpose of the training was to improve basic physical fitness and stamina.

Therefore, if she collapsed from exhaustion midway, it would be a problem.

As the numbers above her head continued to increase, everyone was astounded.

A system where the number of laps completed was engraved on the artifact.

Joo Nayong’s number had reached an overwhelming 20 after 5 and 10.

Most of the professors, except for Paeng Jin-ah, were speechless.

“C-Crazy… It’s only been 40 minutes… and she’s already done 20 laps?”

“…Her speed doesn’t drop at all. That red light clinging to her legs… Is it the [Sprint] attribute?”

“Regardless of that… Her basic physical fitness is just overwhelming. At this rate, she has the stamina of a top-tier second-year student…”

“As expected, like , is she the only one to receive the title of …”

For Joo Nayong, this was only natural.

A bundle of overwhelming talent as a born 5★.

She had not neglected her training, chasing after Paeng Jin-ah since her childhood.

There was never a shortage of support.

She consumed expensive potions and growth items like water, maximizing the stats she could achieve at her age.

‘…I can’t afford to fall short at this level!’

Joo Nayong, with the number 25 engraved above her head, slowed down for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her head.

In the distance, Paeng Jin-ah stood with her arms crossed, looking elsewhere.

Perhaps she was looking at the incredibly handsome guy she saw this morning.

Feeling a slight annoyance, Joo Nayong still composed herself.

‘…It’s none other than Professor Paeng Jin-ah… No, the guy she chose.’

He also had ears and eyes.

Despite not wanting to know, she relayed information about the promising youngsters called the [Annihilation Team 2] leader.

Among them, the most noticeable was the only male, Yoo Seha, who appeared like a comet and made a great contribution.

Joo Nayong couldn’t hide her surprise when she read the records for the first time.

The report mentioned that she clashed swords with Paeng Jin-ah, and even let go of her sword.

Moreover, she heard the word ‘pass’ directly from her mouth.

Surely, it was an undeniable fact that he was an exceptional guy.

Therefore, Joo Nayong thought that he must have run at least 20 laps.

She had to do that much to acknowledge him as a worthy opponent and make it enjoyable to compete against him, right?

‘Let’s check it out.’

Joo Nayong turned around.

Numbers were displayed above the heads of the students running around.

Soon, her eyes widened.

“…Yong-ah… What’s with that pathetic number?”