episode_0005

Episode 5: Lookism (1)

It truly became a complete mess.

I called my parents, the police, the ambulance, everyone.

I did everything a teacher would least want to do.

File a complaint with the Ministry of Education.

Release the video I took back then onto the famous video site.

Report to major news outlets, and small ones individually, with materials.

『Do you know about the dangerous game called One Punch?』

『S Middle School student in Gyeonggi Province, breaks his own arm trying to hit a classmate.』

『School violence issues that are still unimproved, did the homeroom teacher reconcile the victim and perpetrator to cover it up?』

Even back then, school violence was always a problem, so the media immediately gave it widespread coverage.

Of course, that doesn’t solve the school violence problem.

The media outlets just want to release news to rack up views.

Of course, the government is similar, just wanting to show off.

But that was more than enough, overly sufficient, to take down one old-fashioned teacher.

Perhaps since teachers have iron rice bowls, they wouldn’t be forced to resign, but they would at least face suspension, transfer, or salary reduction.

I think this much is enough for me.

That’s because the teacher is a bonus.

As for Lee Ho-kwon, the perpetrator, his life is now one where he can never properly use his right wrist.

Didn’t his mom throw a fit?

Of course, she threw a huge fit.

So, before they could call saying they’d sue, I went to the prosecutor’s office first and filed a complaint.

Saying that because of their child, my forearm was too painful, and I couldn’t live a proper life.

Am I messing with them?

Yes, I am messing with them.

Well, I know they can’t be punished anyway.

He’s the one who was actually injured, and he’s a juvenile law offender.

However, that law applies to me as well.

Besides, I submitted the clear video evidence.

There was absolutely no instance where we had to pay his hospital bills or a settlement.

And that’s not all.

With this, I saved countless sentient beings who might have become victims of his One Punch game in the future.

I was lucky I transferred.

I heard that after I transferred, a student in my grade committed suicide due to school violence.

So, Lee Ho-kwon received that karma, going against the cause and effect.

He will probably live his entire life with a crippled right arm.

Ah, did I perhaps do him a favor by getting him military exemption?

I regret this a bit…

No, it’s fine.

It’s actually good.

Because.

“I feel amazing.”

Right now, I feel incredibly good.

Ah, am I a psychopath?

What does it matter?

I feel amazing.

“What did you say?”

In the car on the way home after finishing everything.

My mother asked about the words that slipped out unintentionally in my moment of great joy.

“Ah. I just feel a bit that way.”

“Hmph, of course you would! You caused such a major incident the moment you became a middle schooler!”

My father responded to my follow-up answer.

My father seemed quite shocked that I had caused this incident.

That’s because up until elementary school, I was just a good child who listened very well to his parents.

But then suddenly, asking to go to the prosecutor’s office and skillfully filing a complaint.

He must have been even more surprised that I communicated better with the prosecutor’s assistant than my own dad.

In my previous life, with my ex-wife and her former boyfriend, and then Section Chief Hwang and people related to him.

Additionally, I had filed and proceeded with so many lawsuits, even against the state.

I had no choice but to become accustomed to such troublesome matters.

But then, something I didn’t expect happened.

My mother’s words instantly resonated deep within my heart.

“I actually feel relieved, why? It serves those kids right for trying to hit my son, they got what they deserved.”

“No, but ruining one child’s life…”

“No, when did you become so kind that you’re worrying about someone else’s son? Conversely, doesn’t that mean our son almost ended up like that because of him? Really! What did our son do wrong? All he did was get hit.”

“That is… that’s true…”

My father couldn’t refute anything against my mother’s rapid-fire barrage of words like a tidal wave.

Well, I understand my father’s point too.

Indeed, this era was one where people were unnecessarily warm-hearted and romantic.

Back then, there were quite a few people who thought like my father, being like a sweet potato (meaning slow or dense in a situation).

But there’s no husband who can win against his wife.

“Alright, our son did well!”

In the end, my father instantly changed his stance like someone from a certain game.

“A man must sometimes know how to strongly defeat his enemies! But know this. It’s important to bravely confront your enemies in the world, but it’s also important not to make enemies…”

I let my father’s words enter one ear and flow out the other.

It’s not particularly annoying to listen.

That’s also because.

The very fact that my father is saying such trivial things.

[Subquest 『Easygoing You』 successfully cleared.]

Means the situation has calmed down for now.

But the status window didn’t end there.

[You have taken action equivalent to a singularity in life.]

“Huh.”

My eyes widened like lantern flames when I checked the status window.

[Outsider Level decreases by 37.]

[Outsider Level: 87 → 50]

My Outsider Level instantly dropped by almost half.

[Insider Level: 1]

On the other hand, my Insider Level was just as it was when I received it from the Dalgona grandfather.

I understood.

That’s because humiliating the bully in front of everyone wasn’t the action of an insider.

Nor was it the action of a delinquent.

There’s no other way to explain it than saying it was an unprecedented action that no other middle schooler would have done.

So, instead of Insider Level, my Outsider Level decreased by 37.

Ding!

[Evaluation adjusted based on Insider Level and Outsider Level changes.]

The effect of the Outsider Level decrease wasn’t just applied numerically.

My current evaluation.

The title they called me changed.

[※Evaluation: Loser → Scary Kid – ……-]

“……”

……No, it’s much better than being a loser.

And I can accept being a scary kid a hundred, a thousand times over.

[※Evaluation: 『Loser』 → 『Scary Kid – Ugly -』]

“……What’s with the ugly part?”

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Maybe because I haven’t eaten raw liver lately?”

“What? Raw liver?”

“Do you want to eat Sundae, son?”

“Kyung-jun, you hated it when Dad called Sundae meat liver.”

Still in my parents’ car.

I arrived home while having an appropriately evasive conversation.

“Phew.”

Soon I reached my room and was alone.

As soon as I was alone, I properly checked the newly changed status window before my eyes.

[Main Quest 『Insider Life』]

[Content: Break free from being an outsider loser and become an insider.]

[※You die if Outsider Level reaches 100.]

[new! ※You become a loser from Outsider Level 80.]

Addition of a new condition.

[Breaking free from being a loser changes the perception of those around you.]

And the subsequent new change.

Seeing the status window openly declaring this.

Surely, starting tomorrow, I will have a completely different school life than before.

“……But the fundamental thing hasn’t changed.”

That is, 『Ugly』.

Whether I become a middle schooler who hides the power to openly take down bullies.

No matter how much I’m no longer openly ignored.

Even if I get plastic surgery to redo my face.

My face genes that cannot fundamentally change.

I couldn’t deceive that.

However.

“It’s different now.”

[You have acquired 1 Life Point as a quest clear reward.]

As soon as I received the Life Point, I immediately opened the 2nd Round Shop.

Then, unlike before, I didn’t scroll down.

[Elixir of Physical Strength Increase 1: 1p]

[Elixir of Intelligence Increase 1: 1p]

[Elixir of Charm Increase 1: 1p]

I focused my gaze on the most basic items in the 2nd Round Bonus Shop.

What I will aim for among those three items.

[Purchased Elixir of Charm Increase 1.]

[Life Points: 1p → 0p]

“All you poor and ugly sentient beings who have nothing but ability. I shall resolve that frustration for you.”

It is 『Charm』.

* * *

It’s not that all male students at KAIST are ugly.

Sometimes there are cheat characters who are handsome, from prestigious universities, and capable.

But don’t we all know now?

That if God gives one ability.

He takes away another.

My classmates, and my seniors and juniors.

And me.

In exchange for gaining the ability called ‘studying’, we were mostly deprived of all masculine charm by God.

In middle school, which was clearly the most youthful and peak growth period, my pathetic charm statistic was only 3.

Before, I used to say I was bullied by the delinquents because I looked easygoing.

Actually, if you go deeper, that easygoingness stems from my face.

Truly amazingly.

If your face starts to become handsome, that easygoingness also starts to decrease instantly!

In other words, for those of us who are extremely ugly, it means we have to do all sorts of ridiculous things just to not look easygoing.

“……Like me last week.”

Perhaps it’s because I caused a major incident last week.

Even though over two weeks have passed since the new semester began, no one talked to me.

On the contrary, if I pass by or our eyes meet, they flinch and look away.

What is that…

It’s good that no one bothers or bullies me like in the first round, but…

“(Wow, I just made eye contact with Han Kyung-jun…)”

“(OMG… Aren’t you going to be murdered?)”

“(What do I do…)”

Somehow, I had suddenly become a murderer at school.

I heard that I had already taken down a few people and been to the juvenile detention center 6 times during elementary school.

No, seriously, what’s with 6 times?

Did I spend every year from 1st to 6th grade of elementary school only in the juvenile detention center?

Besides, isn’t juvenile detention center for middle school and above?

“……In all my life, this is the first time I’ve been treated like this, it’s strange and peculiar.”

It’s much better than being ignored and constantly bullied.

Before, I would have been satisfied with this and just done my own thing, like studying.

But now, I can’t just leave things be.

[You spent today without any interaction.]

[※Exception: The sub-homeroom teacher, 『Han So-mi』, collected the parent-teacher communication forms.]

[Outsider Level increases by 1.]

[Outsider Level: 52 → 53]

Today is Wednesday.

Monday was like this, and Tuesday was like this, and today is also like this.

Every day was a day where I just updated my Outsider Level.

“……At this rate, I’ll die in less than 2 months.”

I did struggle.

Raising my Charm stat with the point I got earlier was that struggle.

But even so, it was only 1 stat.

My already screwed-up charm changing from 3 to 4 made no difference; I was still just as ugly.

And that powerful ugliness, combined with my reputation as a scary kid, turned me into a murderer.

“This won’t do.”

Slide.

As I muttered that and pulled my chair back to get up and leave school.

“Hick?!”

“Hiccup!”

“Hup…”

The surroundings instantly fell silent with sharp gasps.

[Students are even more afraid of you.]

[Outsider Level increases by 1.]

[Outsider Level: 53 → 54]

Ugh, this damn thing.

Ignoring it, I walk out of the classroom.

It was after school hours, but I left my bag.

That’s because I wasn’t going straight home.

“Hook, hook.”

So, after running quickly around the school about five times to get some exercise.

“That should be enough.”

I returned to the classroom.

Most students had already left, so there were no kids remaining.

Only the cleaning duty kids were there.

“……”

Swish, swish.

But there was only one kid cleaning.

A female student.

And someone I know very well.

Her name is 『Han So-mi』.

As it appeared in the status window once, she’s the sub-homeroom teacher, and probably the only student who spoke to me for the past week.

It was definitely because she was collecting the signed parent-teacher communication forms.

Of course, the status window didn’t count that as interaction, so it only increased my Outsider Level.

“Tsk, this is why kids are like this.”

As you can see by her cleaning alone, she is bullied.

It wasn’t because she was a loser like me because she was extremely ugly.

With her rather cute appearance and timid personality, she became a target of bullying among the girls.

Her position as sub-homeroom teacher was also half a result of being bullied.

Unlike boys, among girls, being pretty can actually make you a target.

Sub-homeroom teacher Han So-mi is exactly that example.

For whatever reason, it seems like junior high girls’ nature is like that.

Anyway.

It’s unfortunate news for her.

But actually, a very big opportunity for me.

Ding!

As soon as I thought that, the status window immediately reflected it.

[Subquest: Do a Good Deed ①]

[Content: Help the sub-homeroom teacher 『Han So-mi』, who is cleaning alone due to being bullied by the girls.]

[Reward: 1 Life Point]

I inwardly rejoiced, thinking, “As expected.”

Indeed, the status window supports me according to my will and actions.

Good.

Let’s clear various subquests by doing good deeds like this.

While recovering my rock-bottom image, I’ll also recover my Outsider Level and collect Life Points.

“Han So-mi.”

With such a good heart, I called the sub-homeroom teacher.

“……?”

As soon as she saw me.

“If it’s okay, I can clean……”

“Hick……?!”

She collapsed onto the floor.

It seemed her legs gave out.

That wasn’t the end.

“Th-th-this is… everything…”

Her Hello Kitty wallet.

That small wallet was somehow already in my hand.

Following that, additionally…

[Achievement unlocked!]

[Achievement: 『Shook Down a Middle School Girl』]

[You have acquired 1 Life Point as an achievement reward.]

“……Wow, major gain.”

Huh? Shit?

Wait.

This isn’t right?