Ch.7373. First-Year Recruitment

Kang-su Min had a gloomy face. His second semester classes weren’t fun at all.

It was different from before when he ruled over the lower class.

Deok-min Yu and Jong-hyun Do had beaten him down, and the second and third-year students were absolute authorities.

Even people like Seok-cheon Bang had both skill and a nasty temperament, making it difficult to do anything.

It was the same now. Seok-cheon Bang sighed during joint training.

“What can you expect from the lower class? There’s no one useful.”

Seok-cheon, who was paired with Kang-su Min, stabbed him with those words.

“At least that Yu Deok-min guy is somewhat decent.”

Recently, Deok-min Yu had been gaining favor with the second-year students.

Fundamentally, his knowledge was second only to Jong-hyun Do’s, and he was strong due to the power of the red powder.

And lately, he had somehow become even stronger.

He had started taking down C-rank monsters with ease. Seok-cheon Bang and other second-year students were focusing on Deok-min Yu.

“This guy. He’s pretty good?”

Even Seok-cheon Bang, the center of the second-year students, was praising Deok-min Yu.

“You seem to be the best in the lower class.”

“Learn from Deok-min Yu, you lower class punks.”

As he approached Do-hyun Geum as well, the atmosphere was strange.

‘Do-hyun Geum doesn’t give us orders anymore.’

Unlike the early days when he gathered his gang, he was now acting normally in the upper class.

However, his targets had changed. He mostly talked with Sang-heon Gu, Min-woo Han, and other upper-class students.

‘What about me?’

When Do-hyun Geum was acting like a thug in the beginning, he had eagerly played the role of his lackey.

But after Jong-hyun Do appeared, everything changed.

He was simply abandoned, and Do-hyun Geum became interested in Jong-hyun Do.

And now in the second semester, wasn’t Deok-min Yu beating him down?

Suddenly, he was as quiet as a dead mouse.

‘Why not me? Why!’

When Deok-min Yu was being praised, he had tried hard too, but he couldn’t keep up.

Jong-hyun Do seemed to be recognized by the third-year students.

Kang-su Min hated this reality. He could hear the voices of other first-year students around him.

“That bastard Jong-hyun Do is skipping school.”

“But Jong-hyun is smart. He’s popular with the third-year seniors.”

“The second-year seniors don’t seem to like him much. Doesn’t he intentionally hang out more with third-years than second-years?”

He was envious. As a young first-year high school student, Kang-su Min was incredibly jealous of those two.

Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly found himself alone in the classroom.

As he was about to go home, Deok-min Yu blocked his way.

“Hey, are you going home alone, thug?”

“What’s it to you?”

“I need to know. I’m short on money.”

“Money? What kind of crazy person are you to be spending so much? Your salary is over 3 million won.”

Kang-su Min looked dumbfounded. Even when he was acting like a thug, he never asked others for money.

It wasn’t like he was in a financially difficult environment, and the salary here was higher than that of an average office worker.

But Deok-min Yu was asking for money now. Kang-su Min thought it was a joke.

“Joking?”

“As if.”

At that moment, Kang-su Min saw stars flash before his eyes.

As he touched his stinging face, Deok-min Yu approached, cracking his knuckles.

“I want to get some revenge for the first semester.”

“You already won.”

“Did you just bully me once?”

“So what do you want me to do?”

Soon, another punch landed on Kang-su Min.

“You should be prepared too. Go ahead and report me. I’ll report you back.”

Saying that, Deok-min Yu snatched his wallet.

“Are you really taking it?”

“I really do need money.”

“Are you crazy?!”

Kang-su Min lunged at him, feeling humiliated, but the result was utterly miserable.

“Shit, there’s only cards!”

“Of course. Who carries cash these days?”

Deok-min Yu was no longer the gentle person he used to be. He had definitely changed.

As Kang-su Min struggled to get up, Deok-min Yu snorted.

“At least you have some pride. But how long are you going to stay in the same place?”

“What, did you find a good mentor or something? You’ve gotten stronger.”

“Of course. It’s not official, but someone’s been teaching me intensively.”

Kang-su Min didn’t believe that Deok-min Yu had become stronger on his own.

‘So it’s illegal tutoring after all. I heard there are a lot of problems with that.’

What Kang-su Min envied more than anything was that Deok-min Yu had gotten stronger through such intensive illegal tutoring.

Deok-min Yu smiled at this point.

“Want me to help you get it too? Give me money.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“I thought you’d say that. I’ll end it here today. Let’s see what happens from tomorrow.”

Deok-min Yu left leisurely.

The next day, Deok-min Yu’s bullying began.

He picked fights over every little thing and was always ahead in practical sessions.

If it were just this, it would be mild compared to real school violence.

But the problem was that the second-year students joined in.

“Kang-su Min. I heard you’re supposed to be good in your lower class? You’re terrible.”

They were openly disparaging him and putting silent pressure on him.

“Wow! This guy is really messed up! Can’t you do it right?”

When Dong-guk Baek from the middle class intimidated him with his large build, Kang-su Min lowered his head.

“I heard you bullied Deok-min Yu? From what I hear, you got beaten up.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? You really have no skill. Go stand facing the wall!”

They were treating him like he didn’t exist, ignoring, mocking, and ridiculing him.

Kang-su Min didn’t know what to do.

At least Jong-hyun Do had earned points with the third-year students. He had nothing.

‘Why do I have to be like this? Why…’

The pressure from Seok-cheon Bang’s second-year gang continued until Friday.

It was less frequent when he was paired with upper-class students, but the second-year students avoided him.

“That guy is really terrible. He’s so bad.”

It was as if they were taking turns putting mental pressure on him.

Being mentally intimidated, nothing he did worked out properly.

Thus, the shrinking Kang-su Min was too slow in catching an E-rank monster.

The second-year students mocked him.

“Well done. Good job. Hey, you stay after we’re done. Special lesson. Are you going to keep messing up like that?”

Seok-cheon Bang was already gathering others who would receive the same “special lesson.”

Kang-su Min suddenly felt a gaze and turned his head.

There, he could see Deok-min Yu laughing at him.

*

During one-on-one combat with the third-year students, I was rolling on the ground.

“It’s different from fighting monsters, isn’t it?”

“Yes… yes…”

Senior Ye-seul In was smiling brightly in front of me.

“But why were you so bad in the simulation earlier? Watching from the side, it was completely different from before.”

“I practiced hard at the gate, but the side effects were too severe.”

“Without a summoning spirit, it’s too much. But your mouth is still working well.”

Ye-seul In clicked her tongue.

“You know monsters well but not people… that’s a shame. Want to hang out this weekend?”

“Haha, Saturday? I think our club is planning a welcome party for new members on Saturday.”

“No, Sunday. We’re planning to hang out among ourselves on Saturday.”

Damn it. I have to fly to Songdo, Incheon then.

“I also have to… practice on Sunday. I promised myself.”

“Really? You’re working incredibly hard.”

Senior Ye-seul patted my head as if she was proud of me.

However, since Ye-seul was short, she had to stand on her tiptoes.

“By the way, is it true? Are you dating that princess?”

“What?”

In the distance, I could see Ariel haughtily wiping her sweat. There were traces of her having trained hard with Ji-yoon Go.

“We’re not dating. We just got entangled somehow.”

“Well, she doesn’t come looking for you often, so you don’t seem like lovers.”

“You’re right. She’s very self-centered.”

As I was looking at Ariel, our eyes met.

“…”

“…”

Ariel looked at me, smirked, and then raised her middle finger.

“Look at that. She’s something else.”

“Oh my goodness. Is Ariel doing that to you?”

“You see? She’s always like that with me!”

But Senior Ye-seul’s interpretation was different from what I was saying.

“No, I’ve never seen Ariel joke around with others in such a friendly way…”

What? Why is the conversation going in that direction?

Ye-seul’s eyes became strange. They say she’s sharp even when smiling.

“Ariel might be rude to upper-class seniors, but she doesn’t joke around like that. She doesn’t even do that with her classmates like she does with you.”

“Really?”

“Didn’t you say you weren’t dating? There might be a possibility.”

No way. She’s about to be promoted to queen. Well, I have to admit that we’re close enough to talk comfortably with each other.

It’s something I couldn’t have imagined before the regression. To think I’d be talking so casually with Ariel.

The training was over, but half of the students weren’t done.

The club was waiting.

It had been two weeks since school started, and our film appreciation club gathered again.

The second and third-year students announced that there would be a welcome party for new students on the weekend.

“Seniors will treat the juniors, so everyone come on Saturday. We’ll watch a movie and then have a dinner together.”

Since it’s Saturday, I should be able to attend.

I was somewhat relieved, but then something big happened.

Yu-hwa Seol announced that she was leaving the club.

“I’m sorry. I have more work now.”

“Because of the White Dragon Guild, right? I heard it’s tough there… For someone like you, it’s fine to be a ghost member. Just come when you’re free.”

As expected, someone of Yu-hwa Seol’s caliber gets different treatment. Look at that, they’re not letting her leave, just asking her to keep her name on the roster.

Impressive.

“And Jong-hyun Do, a moment please.”

The new president, Seol-jun Ju, a second-year student who replaced the graduating third-years, called me aside.

“What is it?”

“…To be honest, would you mind leaving?”

“What?”

What’s this nonsense? I looked at him in disbelief, and this thin-lipped senior looked around nervously before speaking.

“To be honest, your reputation among the second-year students isn’t good.”

“Come on, Senior Seol-jun. That’s too much. I haven’t made any mistakes…”

“But many of our second-year students find you uncomfortable. I’m sorry.”

He’s avoiding my eyes. Second-year students find me uncomfortable? You’re the seniors, I should be the uncomfortable one!

Are they telling me to leave on my own? Is this like clearing out an employee’s desk at a company?

I felt a surge of anger for a moment, but getting angry and confronting him here would only add fuel to those bad rumors.

Besides, I originally joined because of Yu-hwa Seol, so as long as I have the White Dragon Guild’s protection, I don’t need this.

In a way, they’re giving me an excuse to leave.

“Then make me a ghost member too. I won’t come.”

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

I left the club room.

There’s no need to watch movies anymore. All of this was because of Yu-hwa Seol, and now that there’s no need for that, it makes sense that I don’t need to be here.

But there’s a corner of my heart that feels a bit bitter.

It’s not because I left of my own will, but because of the recent situation.

“Sigh. It’s fine. It’s fine.”

I have a lot to do anyway. Let’s just say it worked out well.

Shortly after leaving the club room with a gloomy mood, my smartwatch rang.

“Yu-hwa?”

It was Yu-hwa Seol calling. When I asked what was up, she suggested going to see a movie.

“It’s the last time anyway. I wanted to watch it with you.”

“You could go with the seniors.”

“I watched my first one with you. Since it’s the last time, I want to watch it with you, Jong-hyun Do.”

“It’s not like it’s coming full circle… Alright, whatever.”

What’s the harm in watching a movie? That day, Yu-hwa Seol hesitantly chose a romance movie.

It’s not my taste, but I should watch these too for future dates.

The movie content was honestly boring. Action is the best after all.

However, the scene where the man and woman embrace and cry at the end was somewhat touching.

After the movie, Yu-hwa Seol was busy wiping her tears.

“It’s moving. To achieve love again despite difficult hardships.”

“I almost cried too.”

“Thank you, Jong-hyun Do.”

She suddenly thanked me.

“For what?”

“Actually, I had no intention of watching movies in the film appreciation club. I just joined because I had a lot of free time, but you suggested we watch one.”

Right, I was the one who suggested watching a movie. That’s why Yu-hwa Seol had been consistently watching movies.

“But it’s a shame. I felt comfortable when going to watch movies, but now I have to go to the White Dragon Guild for training.”

“But you can get stronger quickly. I’m envious.”

“It’s not all good. My head feels like it’s going to explode these days. I just want to rest.”

Yu-hwa Seol pointed to her head with a smile. Then her face turned red.

“It’s strange that I’m telling you all this.”

“We’re friends. We can talk about these things.”

“Friends… Right. These days, first-year students can’t gather together, so we don’t see each other much. I wish we could be together like before.”

“That’s unfortunate, but it’s part of the curriculum. Even if the White Dragon Guild is tough, you can handle it.”

“Thanks for saying that. It feels much better to watch movies and hang out like this.”

Yu-hwa Seol stretched and moved away from me.

“Thanks for listening to my request today. See you next time.”

“Yeah. Contact me anytime.”

After parting with Yu-hwa Seol on good terms, the next day, Saturday, when we first-year students were gathered together (since I couldn’t attend the Sunday dinner), Kim Cheon-gi approached me with a serious face.

“Jong-hyun Do. Are you coming to the dinner on Sunday?”

“Sunday? I was planning to go home then, so I unfortunately can’t make it.”

“I see. But do you dislike the seniors?”

“No, it’s not that I dislike them, I just have something to do. I’m frustrated with all these misunderstandings. The timing just doesn’t work out.”

I made up an excuse, but Kim Cheon-gi shook his head.

“Attend even if you have to force yourself.”

“Yeah. I’ll definitely attend next time.”

“I’m talking about tomorrow, idiot. I’m saying this because I’m worried about you!”

Suddenly, Kim Cheon-gi’s voice rose.