episode_0051

*26th, 01:02 AM. Revision of previous episode content.

051.

“Feels like we’re going to take the college entrance exam, huh?”

Rustle, rustle.

The whispering of the kids never seems to end.

They look at the exam room with anxious or restless expressions.

“It seems like everyone is nervous.”

As it is the first midterm exam at Union, known as the best in South Korea, the tension is palpable on the faces of the kids.

They may have been quite confident in their neighborhoods before, but after a few months of academy life, they must have realized that they were just small fish in a big pond.

With geniuses from all over the world being praised at Union Academy, it was no wonder that the kids had to prove themselves among them.

Especially since the official ranking would be determined after this midterm exam.

Not some random new student admission ranking, but the actual ranking.

It’s an opportunity to earn the approval of numerous clans and the media, so they have to work hard.

“Siwoon, fighting! Fighting!”

“Hey, shouldn’t you be worrying about Siwoon instead of worrying about yourself?”

“Hmph, listen to the married man~.”

“What?”

Near Siwoon, many kids were gathered as usual.

Siwoon just had a nonchalant expression, not caring about the first midterm exam.

But I can’t tell if those girls are here to take the test or to cheer for Siwoon.

“Daehan, after this exam, do you want to go out with me?”

“Get lost.”

“Wow, you’re so cold~.”

Kang Daehan yawned with a bored expression, pushing away the girl who was clinging to him.

Despite his annoyance, the girl had a bright smile on her face.

That girl is Ju Jiyeon from the Ohsung Group.

If I try to approach Kang Daehan’s route, she might appear as a jealous young lady, but for now, there’s no need to pay attention to her.

The current Soyeon and Kang Daehan aren’t really close.

Probably.

“Why are you staring at him like that?”

“Oh.”

When I glanced over, I could see Jin Soyeon looking at me with a puzzled expression.

She slowly turned her head and rolled her eyes towards where I was looking.

Eventually, she realized she was looking at Kang Daehan.

“Why Daehan?”

“Just, nothing.”

I scratched my chin for a moment and then threw out a question.

“Oh, right. How are you and Siwoon these days?”

“Huh? S-Siwoon?”

Was it because of the sudden question?

Soyeon blinked her eyes widely, hesitating.

Hmm, judging by her reaction, something must have happened, right?

“Your atmosphere seems a bit strange these days.”

“Oh, nothing happened. Don’t worry about it.”

“Is that so?”

“Um….”

She hesitated while looking at me, but since today is the day of the exam, I decided not to ask unnecessary questions.

“Hey, Jinhyeok.”

“What?”

“If I hang out with completely different people… would that be a problem?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know, with what happened in Changwon. Maybe it’s better to be cautious…”

“Yeah, that might be a good idea. You attract a lot of guys subtly.”

I know you want to get along well with everyone regardless of gender, but I wish you would consider your appearance a bit.

You’re really pretty.

Honestly, I’ve never seen a girl as pretty as you in my past lives.

“Is that so?”

“In the past, I played the role of a boyfriend to some extent, so it was okay, but not anymore, right?”

“Ah… the role of a boyfriend… right….”

After pondering the words “boyfriend role” for a moment, Soyeon’s expression darkened gradually, leaving me no choice but to blink my eyes.

It was because her face was filled with guilt.

“….Was, being, a boyfriend, role, very, very difficult for you?”

“Well, a little?”

“I see… I’m sorry.”

Soyeon bit her lower lip, looking gloomy as she slightly apologized. She seemed to be experiencing extreme mood swings today. I shrugged my shoulders with an indifferent expression.

“No need to apologize. It was a decision we made together.”

Having played with a childhood friend who was so beautiful that I wouldn’t dare to speak in my past life, I wasn’t that bad either.

Although I was a bit tired.

“It’s not that difficult… at all…”

Soyeon muttered with a vague expression.

“It must have been really hard… not knowing that, and to you, Jinhyeok…”

“No, it wasn’t that difficult.”

What’s wrong with Soyeon? I thought.

“Good morning to both of you.”

Yuseolhyun approached us with a bright smile.

“Yuseolhyun.”

“Hello, Soyeon.”

“Uh, hello.”

They exchanged greetings stiffly.

“Anyway, Jinhyeok.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“How do you plan to do on this exam?”

“…I will work hard?”

The goal for this midterm exam was simple.

To achieve excellent grades.

“Well, is that so?”

“I plan to do my best, I can’t keep lagging behind forever.”

In order to work together with the main characters or other capable kids in the academy, I needed to secure grades that wouldn’t hinder my activities.

I needed to show at least the grades and achievements that the kids could trust.

If an antagonist appeared in the academy and didn’t believe my words or follow my orders just because of low grades, it would be troublesome in many ways.

“And also, I need to let the kids know that I’m not someone to be taken lightly.”

During the game, why was the character Jinhyeok particularly targeted by male protagonists and NPCs?

Because he was Jin Soyeon’s unique boyfriend?

Of course, that was one reason, but there was a bigger reason.

That was because the character Jinhyeok was such a pathetic loser that he could be harassed without consequences.

…It was a bit explicit, but it wasn’t wrong.

While the male protagonists acknowledged each other’s abilities and chatted, the game’s Jinhyeok had no abilities, power, wealth, background, connections, etc.

So from the perspective of the male protagonists’ followers, he seemed like an easy target.

He was treated as a parasite sticking to Jin Soyeon’s side by the powerful Kang Dae-han.

But now, I was a bit different.

I had built a positive relationship with Yuseolhyun, whom I could call a connection, and showed excellent grades during the performance evaluation, dungeon conquests, and other achievements.

Now, all that was left was to prove my substantial grades, showing that I was not someone to be taken lightly.

Even if there were any unpleasant incidents with male protagonists and their followers, they wouldn’t be able to easily touch me.

“Doing my best… that won’t be easy, right?”

Yuseolhyun chuckled.

“…Even if Jinhyeok does his best, what’s the point?”

Hey, you.

Jin Soyeon, are you subtly disrespecting me?

You’re ranked 257th, right? Just wait and see.

“Hehe. Will he really do that? Maybe I’ll get much better grades than you?”

“What?”

“Oh, right, you didn’t know, did you? I forgot.”

Soyeon’s eyes twinkled slightly.

Ah, Yoo Seol-hyun is subtly teasing Soyeon again.

Although he’s not tormenting her as promised, it seems like he enjoys teasing her.

“Well then, I’ll go first. See you later.”

Yoo Seol-hyun abruptly leaves as if all his words have been said.

As Soyeon watches Yoo Seol-hyun disappear into the distance, she pouts and mutters in dissatisfaction.

“What’s up with him? Does he think I don’t know anything?”

Looking at the sulking Soyeon, I pondered.

“Should I tell Soyeon as well? That I actually have the ability to foresee the future.”

I’ve been holding back on telling her due to some concerns, but if I do reveal this fact, it could be more effective in helping Soyeon grow.

“I should consider it.”

With that thought in mind, I glanced at the clock.

Has time really flown by like this?

The first practical exam is about to begin.

***

“Hmph, lucky you, Lee Jin-hyuk. Being on the same team as me.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You’ve been getting pretty close with Seol-hyun lately, huh?”

“Feeling jealous, perhaps?”

“Oh, no, not at all!”

The muscular Sunari tossed her split hair left and right, vehemently denying any wrongdoing.

Judging by the redness on her cheeks, it seems like she’s feeling a bit stung.

Anyway, she’ll get over it, so there’s no need to mention it.

“Well, let’s quickly decide on a team leader for now.”

The first practical exam is dungeon conquest.

With a team of five randomly selected by the academy, the goal is to quickly conquer this dark cave-like dungeon within a short time.

Although this dungeon was created for testing purposes and isn’t particularly dangerous, it contains various artificial monsters and traps to prepare students for real combat.

But for me, it’s useless.

Why?

Damn, this is the main story, the main story.

It’s different from when we were at Yeongdeung Mountain.

I’ve conquered this dungeon dozens of times, memorizing novels, comics, guidebooks, wikis, monster encyclopedias related to this midterm exam.

I even wrote a guidebook and shared it online.

Of course, I don’t remember everything perfectly, but it doesn’t matter.

I know the dungeon’s layout, trap locations, types of monsters, weaknesses, and evaluation criteria almost by heart.

All the information I need is right here.