Chapter 9 – I Wasn’t Ignoring the Call on Purpose

The morning sunlight was crisp and bright.

Its warmth permeated my cheek, nourishing me as if I were a plant.

This is photosynthesis.

I am brimming with energy.

What obstructed me from absorbing that Vitamin D through photosynthesis was not because of the shade.

“…Hey.”

“…What the? Hayeon? Why are you here?”

What is she doing in front of the boy’s dormitory first thing in the morning?

She said let’s head to school on our own and that she’ll meet me in the class yesterday.

She always does as she pleases.

Hayeon, who woke me up, just stared at me without saying a word.

“…What. What is it? If you have something to say, say it.”

Why is she looking like such a menace when it’s only morning?

Hayeon’s expression didn’t appear to be pleased.

Did something happen?

I could come up with one hypothesis.

Her foul mood from the start of morning. 

A sign of discomfort somewhere.

There can only be one reason.

Sharing the pain is half the pain.

I decided to give the “empathy” that women like.

I put my hand on Hayeon’s shoulder and said, “…If it’s that time of the month, I understand it’s a bit tough. Since you’re in pain, I’m here for you.”

“What the hell are you talking about, crazy bastard?! It’s not that time yet!!”

“Ooph…!”

Punch.

Ah, wait a sec. My ribs.

Isn’t it broken?

A sharp punch straight to the abdomen. 

The critical impact was unimaginable.

“It’s not that! Why did you turn your phone off yesterday, and why didn’t you pick up?! Why do I have to worry about you…?!”

Ah.

The one who called yesterday was Yoo Hayeon.

I looked at my phone screen to confirm.

The background wallpaper was a picture of us at the ocean when we were young.

However, there were outlandish figures in the notification screen.

[22 Missed Calls]

[75 Unread Messages]

What is this?

I immediately checked the messages.

 ㅡHey, what’s up?

 ㅡI asked, what are you doing?

 ㅡI can’t sleep… Is it because I’m not home? 

 ㅡ…You sleeping?

 ㅡThe hell, why aren’t you picking up?

 ㅡHey, Han Sijoon.

 ㅡHey.

 ㅡI’ll give you 5 seconds. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. ½. ¼.

 ㅡWhy did you suddenly turn off your phone? Are you really going to be like this?

 ㅡShit. You’re seriously going to pay for this. Wait till tomorrow.

…

How dizzying.

What an excessive level of monologue.

Even the main leads of musicals don’t monologue this much.

Maybe it’s because she’s the future S-Rank hero, she seems to have other exceptional talents too.

I held my stomach, which was still recovering from the shock, and gave her an explanation.

“It’s because I had a situation… Why would I purposely avoid your call?”

“What kind of situation?”

“It’s because I went to sleep with it on silent mode. I had a hard day yesterday. My stamina. You know, right?”

“…Really? The call went through fine, but all of a sudden, the line wouldn’t connect…?”

“…Looks like it died.”

Hayeon narrowed her black eyes which had a bluish tint, and stared at me.

A look of suspicion.

Right then, Hayeon caught onto something that was off.

“Wait a sec. What’s this?”

“Hey, don’t touch it.”

It was the scar left by Han Yoowol after she took my blood.

A bandage was attached there.

Hayeon stuck her face closer to check it out.

“Isn’t this a wound? Someone hit you, right? Just tell me who it is, I’ll make them pay.”

“Hey, it’s not like that.”

Even if I tell you who they are, you can’t make them pay.

It may be possible once you become an S-Rank in the future.

Her current self can’t beat Han Yoowol.

Let’s just give a rough excuse.

“It’s an accident, an accident. I was organizing and unpacking my stuff but something fell and hit me.”

After I made up a believable excuse, Hayeon, who had been trying to check my wound, began to maintain her distance.

It was a reasonable patch-up since I instinctively knew I’d be in deep trouble if she finds out about the tooth marks.

“Ahem, well. So in conclusion, nothing happened, right?”

Hm. Hm.

Hayeon said with a bashful smile as if nothing had happened.

Her concern is really…

“That’s what I said. Just quit worrying already. What are you, my mom?”

“Hm? I am your mom though? The one who raised Sijoon was me.”

“If you’re my mom for raising me, then I must be your dad.”

Such nonsense.

Let’s just go to school.

Due to the delay, I got out of there as quickly as possible.

It’s because I slightly felt more and more eyes on us.

Mumble. Mumble.

There were voices questioning what she was doing in front of the male dormitory.

Since many students went to school from the dorm in the morning, there were countless eyes.

“Hey, let’s go together…!”

Hearing Hayeon’s voice coming from the distance behind me, I hastily fled from there.

 ***

The first class after entering the Hero Academy, by ill chance, was practical training.

Kang Suho, the Hero Academy’s instructor and a former A-Rank, shouted at the students gathered at the stadium.

“Our class for today is practical training. Pick the weapon you’re the most confident with, and then return to your seats and wait.”

Practical Training.

The first class was combat sparring.

Now that the students have their stats, it’s time to test their skills.

The students in class knew exactly the direction they needed to head.

Everyone, except for me.

…What weapon did I use to enter the academy?

Unfortunately, I held no memory of fighting in combat.

It’s not like I can ask anyone else about my weapon.

Wait no, I can.

I approached Hayeon, who was picking out a wooden sword. But there were many people around her.

“Hayeon, it’s the sword for you?”

“Mhm, the sword synergizes with my abilities the most. You?”

“Me… The spear.”

Since Hayeon went to the gathering yesterday, she had gotten close to her other peers.

They giggled as they conversed with each other about what weapons they were using.

I’m supposed to put myself in there and ask what my own weapon is?

That’ll make me come off as a terrible person.

I gave up on approaching Hayeon.

What’s there to pick…

That’s how I was left to choose a weapon that would suit me on my own.

Sword, shield, spear, ax, bow.

I tried picking up the wooden sword which had been scattered on the floor.

“Huph…!”

I can pick it up if I put my strength into it.

I don’t think I can swing it though?

Knowing that I was going to get sore from it, I immediately put down the sword.

“This is by no means possible.”

By process of elimination, I deleted the shield, spear, ax, and bow from my mind. The other weapons weighed much more, and although the archer in the game is a nimble character, in reality, muscular strength was essential for the bow.

Let’s just find another weapon. Since things are like this, let’s go for one that doesn’t require strength.

The special weapons located in the corner caught the attention of my feeble self. 

Dagger, pistol, staff, glove.

Weapons for specialists, often called weapons for defective people.

It’s common to use sharp weapons in order to inflict injuries onto monsters.

What about the dagger? It’s to use on humans. It’s impossible to slay monsters with it.

What about the pistol? Would a bullet pierce through a monster’s body? 

What about the staff? This is at least usable since it’s a medium which magicians use to fire off spells.

As for the glove, what am I here to fight in a UFC or something? I’m definitely not picking that.

“Is this the only option I have…”

I ultimately ended up with a small weapon in my hand.

Clap!

“It looks like everyone has picked a weapon, move to your seats.”

The crowd of students broke apart as they returned to their seats.

From now on, everyone was each other’s foe.

No one said a word.

“This class will be split into student sparring sessions. Cast away your concerns on the what-ifs of your opponent getting hurt. The protective magic barrier in your hands will protect you, so attack with no inhibitions. It doesn’t matter what method you use. Give it your all.”

I looked at the watch-like device placed on my wrist.

A type of analog watch.

There was a 100% figure printed on it.

“As you all may be aware, this watch has mana. If your body receives a certain amount of damage, it’ll instantly block it for you, so rest assured.”

I can’t feel the mana, but I think I know what he’s getting at. So basically, when there’s an incoming attack with a certain damage output, a barrier pops up to block it, right?

I saw it in the game, so I grasped it pretty quickly.

“The first match will be between No. 1, Kim Kiok and No. 19, Yoo Hayeon.”

It was Yoo Hayeon right from the get-go.

Hayeon gained popularity from the beginning of the game, so her time is starting now.

I felt like I knew what Kang Suho, the teacher of the combat sparring course, was thinking.

Make an impact from the start!

To create a strong impression Hayeon is sent out, the one who is being propped up by the academy. 

It’ll also be instilled in the students: the fact that every moment is a series of nerves not knowing who your opponent can be and the fact that you can get seriously hurt if you let your guard down.

In order to steer his students in the right direction, he’s a teacher who comes off passionately for his students even in the game.

The so-called “Kang Suho” was such a character.

“Just so you know, the student who performs the lowest in this class, the student who has the least to show, will be expelled.”

Expulsion.

Kang Suho is a total psycho.

I mean, what the hell are you going on about, expelling a student from day one?

Having only read about him in fine print, it appears that I misunderstood the character called Kang Suho.

While I was in the middle of those thoughts, the two students were up in the stadium, preparing for their match.

“Who do you think will win?”

“If it’s sword vs sword, won’t Kiok win? He’s strong, you know.”

“I think Hayeon’s gonna win. After talking with her yesterday, there’s something…something distinctive about her.”

She is a bit eccentric, indeed.

It’s quite fun to listen in on other people’s conversations.

“By the way, isn’t there someone who chose a gun among the weapons? Did I see it wrong?”

“No way, who’d pick a gun at the academy? Maybe if they wanted to become a cop.”

“Right?”

Hahaha.

The students began to laugh amongst themselves.

I shouldn’t have listened.

Way to lose my self-esteem for nothing.

Don’t listen, you. You’re my weapon.

I stroked my pistol as I moved to a place where there weren’t any students gathered.

Hayeon’s match looks like it’ll start soon.

“It’s only a match, don’t hold any ill will towards each other.”

Suho started counting down.

“Three.”

Hayeon grabbed and clenched her sword.

“Two.”

Kim Kiok also grabbed and gripped the sword.

“One.”

It was Kiok whose hand trembled from the tension.

“Go!”

The sonorous voice marked the start of the match.

At the same time, the mana energy began to circulate to Hayeon’s entire body.

Mana is used to help with the innate ability’s output, to strengthen the body, or to enhance weapons.

The fact that she didn’t envelop her sword with it, but on her body instead means one thing.

It’s to manifest the innate ability.

“The All-Inclusive (Sēn Luó Wàn Xiàng).”

All things and phenomena are under her rule.

The area she declares as hers will move in the way she desires.

Dazzling light particles can be seen around her, those things can instantly transform into the objects that Hayeon wants.

It looks like the winner has been decided.

A proud expression that says she is above all else.

Hayeon told him with magic.

“Don’t move.”

It was like a death sentence for him.

The stadium was already Hayeon’s territory.