Chapter 21: Tensions and Triumphs

Receiving the hostile stares from the girls who looked like they might tear me apart at any moment, I quietly returned to my seat and crouched down in the farthest corner I could find.

It was an effort to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Maybe because of the tense atmosphere, Nabi and the other friends didn’t dare come close to me.

Thinking it was better to be alone, I tried to sit as quietly as a mouse and just watch the competition, but I ended up becoming the solo “world’s top-ranked hunter” in my own lonely little world.

***

“Earlier, you were running really well.”

Regardless of the mood, someone who clearly didn’t care at all casually came and sat beside me.

I noticed several girls, who had been advancing toward me as if to intimidate, suddenly hesitated and backed off.

“Oh, Hayun.”

Yeon Ha-yeon could be such a welcome presence.

Ever since the kids who felt weirdly intimidated by her ‘goody-two-shoes’ act found out that she was the guild leader of the Bloodline Guild and the boss of a gangster family, they became even more wary of her.

Thanks to that, the countless piercing eyes that felt like they were drilling through me somewhat lessened, and nothing bad happened for the moment.

I didn’t know whether she came to save me or just happened to come by, but I was grateful that she sat beside me and watched the sports day together amidst so many threats.

I caught a glimpse of Sin-seo-na, the one who caused me to be shouted at in school before, glaring at me from afar with her friends, but it was only for a moment.

“Let’s do well in the game of stepping on the wooden sticks later!”

Ignoring the girls, Yeon Ha-yeon cheerfully clenched her fist and shouted, “Fighting!” Then another voice came from above.

“Hello, ladies, I came to visit.”

At school, Yeon Hyeong-kwang had started calling Yeon Ha-yeon “noona” (older sister).

Tilting his head back, he smiled sweetly with his eyes and took a seat right behind us.

‘Why is he here all the way?!’

Just when peace had returned thanks to Yeon Ha-yeon, if this first-year handsome guy, who had somehow become famous in the neighboring schools, showed up here…

“Isn’t that the first-year top student?”

“I thought she was quiet, but when did she start hooking such big shots?”

“I knew it ever since she was chasing after Eun-hyeol.”

As expected, the gossip was already starting.

They whispered in low voices trying not to be heard, but I could hear it clearer than anything else.

Unintentionally, I looked like a sly fox pretending to be modest while seducing all the boys.

‘I’m so exhausted.’

Before possession, I had dropped out and was living freely.

But by entering the gate just once, I’ve endured all sorts of humiliation—from going to school to these annoying troubles.

True to the Yeon siblings who surprisingly don’t care about others’ opinions, they continued their trivial conversation with me sandwiched between them.

Meanwhile, the announcement for the final event of the sports day—stepping on the wooden sticks—rang out across the field.

“Without a doubt, our class will be first. Noona, if we’re about to lose, make sure to ‘handle’ the other classes’ players a bit.”

I was about to ask since he had been in Class 3 of Year 2, and what exactly he meant by ‘handle’…

Yeon Ha-yeon chuckled softly and nodded, then walked leisurely toward the field.

‘No cheating, you guys!’

Despite my thoughts, I couldn’t say a word as I walked down to the field, where all the classes had lined up in their assigned zones.

Ban Eun-hyeol sat alone on the empty bench, arms crossed and legs crossed arrogantly.

He was quite conspicuous.

The principal, watching from the podium, took heavy steps and approached the bench where Ban Eun-hyeol was sitting.

After a brief conversation, Ban Eun-hyeol, seeming annoyed, stood up slowly and walked down to the field.

“Why are you coming down?”

Ji Kang-han, unable to contain his curiosity, asked.

Ban Eun-hyeol pointed behind him.

At the tip of his finger was the principal, returning to the podium with a satisfied expression.

“Not a single person can miss, that old geezer said.”

Then, pushing the kid standing in the second spot backward, she took that spot herself. Since the person in front has to be on the platform before the game starts, it seemed like a clever move on her part.

“You, don’t step on me, just skip over me. Try stepping on me and see what happens.”

‘Wow, what an attitude…’

She glared fiercely with sharp eyes and threatened me with those words.

She grumbled while bending her waist.

I wanted to stomp on her back deliberately, but fearing the consequences, I just clenched my lips.

Whistle —

The whistle signaling the start of the game blew, and leaning on the tightly held two hands, I took the first step.

Since fully straightening my back was impossible, I started hopping on the rounded backs one by one.

“Ah!”

While rushing forward, my foot slipped through a gap between backs.

Ji Ganghan and Eun Bada not only held my hand tightly so I wouldn’t lose balance but also pressed closely to lift me up and pull me out.

Already, with those two holding me protectively, my eyes were burning from all the stares.

But no matter how good your reflexes and balance are, anyone would slip if the stepping stones are like this!

Finally reaching the finish line, I looked up, and the shining faces standing close on both sides almost blinded me.

I didn’t even have to look around to know the result — even the usually stern Ji Ganghan had a slight smile at the corner of his lips.

“Waaaah!”

Naturally, first place belonged to our class.

Everyone worked hard to make a path for me by quickly stepping back as I passed, except for Ban Eunhyeol, who leisurely walked without much care.

After hearing the cheers, with Ji Ganghan and Eun Bada’s help, I went down, and the PE teacher quickly announced the overall rankings through the microphone.

“Overall first place is… Class 3, Grade 2!”

“Wooaaaah!”

Excited by winning the prize money, our classmates roared and jumped around wildly.

Meanwhile, the four guardians and Yeon Hayeon — the true heroes who helped win first place — watched quietly from afar without joining in.

“Hmph, of course! Our class is the best!”

Ah, except for Han Ji-bin, who boldly claimed our class would take first place.

***

The shopping district near the school was crowded with students from Gamseong High who flooded out after the sports day ended.

Arcades, karaoke rooms, restaurants, cafes — everywhere was packed with students wearing their distinctive class uniforms, leaving barely any room to move.

‘I was planning to go straight home, take a nap, and then go find a gate…’

But right after the sports day ended, I was dragged into this chaotic street by my friends.

“Hey, hey. That’s the Four Guardians!”

While blinking sleepily and walking, Nabi whispered in a small voice.

When I turned my head toward where Nabi was looking, the Four Guardians were really inside an arcade, engrossed in a game.

Not on a computer but on an actual arcade machine using sticks and buttons.

<Kingwangjjang Arcade> In the previous world, arcades almost disappeared due to PC bangs, but here they still thrived.

Although the name was a bit off, it was the largest arcade in the area and frequented by all the school delinquents.

“We shouldn’t go in, right…?”

“Yeah, exactly. What if we pick a fight with the delinquents by going in for no reason?”

I was worried that someone might want to get a closer look at the Four Guardians and go in, but thankfully my friends knew to be cautious.

Just as we started to slowly move away from the arcade with a disappointed look, a sudden whining cry stopped us — which could almost be considered cute.

“Waaah! My Lee So-ryong died!”

Han Ji-bin’s shout, looking like a kid crying, echoed outside the arcade.

Han Ji-bin was sitting in front of one of the arcade machines lined up in the center, playing Tekken.

He suddenly jumped up as if to see who beat him.

Since playing Tekken on opposite machines means facing each other, he probably assumed the skilled player would be sitting right across from him.

As he stepped toward the other side, a tall man appeared in front of Han Ji-bin first.

‘What’s with that confident male lead vibe?’

I squinted at the unusually handsome face and examined the red-haired man.

It seemed hard to get that pure red hair color with just dye.

‘That’s probably natural too.’

I’ve gotten used to unusual hair colors by now.

The man rolled his amber eyes, shining like the sun, and looked down at Han Ji-bin, who was a bit smaller than him.

“What the heck, half-blooded lackey, huh?”

…What, what the heck?

There are people who actually say words out loud that wouldn’t even be typed in a chatroom…?

“No, even if it’s in a novel, isn’t that too much!”

Startled, I quickly linked arms with my friends to get away from here.

But seeing their shining eyes as if they had found some great spectacle, the strength in my hands slowly slipped away.

“They’re not the type to just leave.”

Reluctantly standing next to my friends, I could only watch the ridiculous power struggle happening in the arcade with everyone taking it seriously.

“Lackey? My name is Han Ji-bin! The cute second-year student from Gamseong High, class 3, Han Ji-bin!”

Han Ji-bin, who gave a flavorful self-introduction, was soon joined by Eun Bada, Ji Ganghan, and Ban Eunhyeol, who had been playing a rhythm game.

“Heh, so talkative.”

Once again, an old-fashioned word full of nostalgia popped out of the mouth of the red-haired guy, and my mouth dropped open.

His smirk on one side, hands stuffed casually into his pockets, and swaggering posture didn’t falter even in front of the Four Heavenly Kings. He didn’t seem like an ordinary tough guy.

“Is it a concept?”

Normally, no attention-seeker would speak like that all the time.

“Wow… I heard Pungpa Technical High and our school have never gotten along. It looks like the leaders are fighting.”

Pungpa Technical High?

‘Ah!’

It just now came to mind that Gamseong High and Pungpa Technical High had a notorious bad relationship.

I don’t think the outcast had ever seen the real red-haired guy before, so that face wasn’t in their memory.

“He’s also really high ranked, right? Isn’t he the Black Flame Dragon guild leader?”

“Right! He created the Black Flame Dragon, ranked 4th among the top 7 guilds!”

Hearing the guild name, which seemed like it would prompt a Black Flame Dragon joke from the right arm, I suddenly remembered where I’d seen it before.

I had seen it on the news before.

Among the top 7 guilds, whose names were hard to forget, that one stood out for sure.

“You better leave before the Black Flame Dragon inside me awakens, you losers from the humanities track. Heh heh.”

What the heck is with that terrible personality?

It was such a shocking appearance that I forgot even to capture his expression, which was rotting away in real time.

“I heard he gets hives just from touching girls? So all his guild members are guys. Look over there.”

Aside from the Four Heavenly Kings, the explanation from Nabi, who knew all the famous people around nearby schools, stuck in my ears.

‘Is that ridiculous disease actually real?’

Ah, no.

This is the world inside the novel.

I barely had time to recover from the cliché that popped up every now and then.

Following Nabi’s finger, I looked behind the red-haired guy and saw that there wasn’t a single girl among them.

‘Why, for just five thousand won, shouldn’t there be a guy who would even kiss someone?’

Nothing surprising about that.

After barely recovering my expression, I shifted my gaze inside the arcade.

Ban Eunhyeol took a step forward, pushing past Han Ji-bin, who had been arguing with the red-haired guy.