episode_0018

Among the destroyed holographic robots, a man munched on raw cultured meat.

A man over 190cm tall.

He was a long-haired man with muscles that seemed to explode.

There were traces of explosions all around it.

Next to him, a small female student wearing a hood was standing quietly with her hands in her pockets. They looked like a giant and a dwarf in terms of physique.

“Is this the end of the test?”

The woman took off the hood on her head and asked bluntly the man behind the tempered glass window.

Then the hologram turned off and the shapes of the robots disappeared.

The man’s appearance was clearly revealed through the now transparent window.

Sports hair cut short.

Wearing combat uniform and coat.

Anomia’s logo was engraved on the combat uniform.

“Yes. It’s still worth watching. Lee Ji-su, Jang Ha-moon.”

He burst out laughing.

“Now tell me, boss. Why are you calling us and testing us?”

When the woman, Lee Ji-su, asked, the man in combat uniform, the leader of Anomia, operated the remote control instead of answering.

Beep. A screen appeared on the window.

A video that recently became famous due to Shindorim Sword Master’s sparring.

Inside, a male student wearing a black school uniform was sparring with a triple baton engulfed in turquoise lightning magic.

Lee Ji-su and Jang Ha-moon watched the video in silence.

Eventually, the sparring in the video came to an end.

In the end, the person standing alone on the sparring field was Ahn Woo-jin, a male student in a black school uniform and head of the leadership team at Asung High School.

The captain stopped the video.

“Why is that?”

“I’m going to catch this guy.”

Jisoo’s expression showed embarrassment.

“What!? Are you sane… ? That’s the leader of Aseong High School, right? Are you going to mess with the beehive now? There is no way the leadership can stay still… !”

“This guy figured out our plan in advance and made his move. We were even able to secretly monitor trends. So what happened? Aren’t our kids kidnapped in a bunch?”

The captain continued speaking.

“You can’t leave this guy alone.”

“True.”

Jisoo snorted as if it were absurd.

“So? I don’t know how they were able to find out about our plans and monitor us, so we’re going to kick them out? Even if the opponent is a swarm of wasps that can destroy us all?”

“Whether I figured out his method or not, my conclusion would have been the same. If someone who excels at information warfare like this tries to block our plans, we have no choice but to fight.”

“If he’s that kind of guy, haven’t you ever thought that it would be better to wait until his term as manager is over?”

The captain operated the remote control again.

The appointment ceremony of the 45th leader of Aseong High School was shown in video. It was a video that could be found on Asung High School’s website.

In the video, Ahn Woo-jin was giving a speech in a firm tone, saying that he would contribute to preserving peace.

“I’m not a guy who just talks nice. This guy is real. Do you think that this guy who has completed the preliminary work so meticulously and has a record of blocking the path ahead of our Anomia will leave us alone until his term ends?”

Ahn Woo-jin’s determined eyes and cynical voice.

Aggressive speech.

All of that, coupled with Ahn Woo-jin’s outstanding information warfare skills, created a strong sense of tension for Captain Anomia.

“Furthermore, this guy even beat out the unrivaled genius, Oh Baek-seo, and took the position as the leader of Aseong High School. Even Oh Baek-seo follows this guy’s orders like heaven. Since his military power will not be able to surpass the Five White Papers, it means that he ultimately has the ability to overwhelm the Five White Papers in other areas.”

Rather than an enemy with noticeable strength, it is an enemy with a terrifyingly strong strength.

In the former case, the form of strength is clear and countermeasures can be established.

Since it was unknown what kind of strength the latter possessed, it was difficult to figure out how to respond.

That’s the difference between Oh Baek-seo and Ahn Woo-jin.

This was the reason why Anomia’s captain particularly highly evaluated Ahn Woo-jin’s abilities.

thus.

“So, open your eyes and hit him first before he cuts his nose. After that, they step out and regroup before Oh Baek-seo steps forward. Anyway, no matter how strong the leader of Aseong High School is, he is only ranked 4th. It will be enough to win just by you, the 5th tier, and if you pour in strong firepower, you will be able to deal with any unexpected variables.”

Jisoo sighed and then laughed.

“Yes, yes. If I’m going to crack it, I’m going to crack it. So, how do we lure him?”

“Kidnapped the clerk. Because he is the most useless person and is close to the leader of Aseong High School. Aim for when you are out of sight of the police drone.”

“I understand. It’s about subjugating the leader… . If you succeed, your notoriety will increase tremendously… It must be pretty fun.”

Jisoo said, ‘Grrr…’ ‘Along with Hamun, who was making animal-like noises, he decided to follow the captain’s orders as an executive of Anomia.

… …

Park Min-hyuk, the secretary of Asung High School’s leader club, had a hobby that he couldn’t tell others about.

He put on round glasses and a raincoat and visited the figure store.

A bright smile spread across his face as if he had entered heaven. Even the smell of rubber wafting through the store was just fragrant to him.

Minhyuk grinned as he looked at the character figures listed on the shelf. He picked up a box of goods placed in the event section and purchased them with money he had saved from his part-time job.

Finally, Minhyuk’s latest figure of Iron Blooded Girl Marina, which he had promised to get within this month, arrived in Minhyuk’s hands. He put the figure box inside his raincoat, hugged it tightly, and left the store.

A smile came to my face as I thought about placing this figure in the middle of the display case in my room.

Fearing that he might run into someone he knew, Minhyuk moved down a path he knew was off the beaten path.

yet.

Pow!

“Phew!”

An iron club wrapped in magical power attacked Minhyuk.

* * *

The sky outside the window was gray.

The freshly blooming light pink cherry blossom petals all fell in the spring rain.

According to the weather forecast, it was supposed to be gloomy and rainy all week. I was so glad I finished watching the cherry blossoms last week.

‘Spring weather… .’

As I reached this time, a thought occurred to me.

“Director, don’t be surprised when you hear this. I’m going to start dieting again starting today!”

I thought while ignoring Ha Yesong’s diet declaration in Season 1420216.

‘What is Anomia doing now?’

A subway kidnapping incident that occurred on the opening day of school this semester.

In the game, through that incident, Anomia becomes involved with the original protagonist Lee Tae-seong.

Because Anomia sends an executive to take revenge on Lee Tae-seong, who messed up their plan.

“It’s real!? Please don’t ignore me… !”

The problem is that here, in reality, I am the one who solved the train event.

The natural consequence was that I would become the target of Anomia’s revenge.

But around me, Anomia’s executives didn’t even show their noses. No suspicious circumstances were detected. Even though it was already a time when executives had left.

“Bet with me again! Hey, manager?”

I am the head of the leadership team at Aseong High School, ranked first in the military hierarchy.

It was no wonder that he was considered an object of greater caution than the original protagonist.

In other words, is the intention to take a more cautious approach?

“I’m rich… !?”

Of course, rather than repeating these concerns, there was an easier way to attack Anomia first.

One, they move their headquarters from time to time. So it was difficult to determine the exact location. The headquarters that I found out about after interrogating the people I caught during the subway hijacking incident was empty when I went there.

Moreover, there was a big difference between the game map size and the actual city size. Aside from familiar places, knowledge of the game wasn’t much help.

“… … .”

So what should I do?… .

“Manager?”

While I was thinking about it, someone tapped my shoulder with a friendly voice.

It was Oh Baek-seo, the vice president.

The white paper was looking at me with its usual kind smile.

“Why?”

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Just thinking about work.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Because in the end, Anomia are the ones who have to be caught as a leader.

“But what about Yesong?”

Yesong, who had been talking in front of me just a moment ago, had suddenly disappeared.

“I just got off school after a friend from the gourmet club called to ask me to eat chicken. I thought the manager was concentrating on work, so I just left without disturbing him.”

“I should have bet.”

If I had known that the diet would fail in just a few minutes, I would have thought about it for a moment and made a bet.

“Should I finish this and go home?”

White Paper asked, removing the empty glass from my desk.

For the first time in a while, I felt free.

On days like this, it would be better to leave school early and get a good rest.

Although it was too late to express the current time as ‘early’ in the first place.

“Then.”

We simply organized the documents.

Then the white paper asked:

“Manager, do you have an umbrella?”

“Uh, there is.”

Because I had the flu, I became anxious about taking an umbrella. Have you become aware of it?

Of course, the flu was completely cured.

“If you have two, could you lend me one?”

“There is only one. Anyway, the kids forgot a few umbrellas. If you borrow one… . Hmm?”

Why?

There was no umbrella in the umbrella stand other than mine.

Originally, there were always a few umbrellas hanging there, with no one knowing who owned them. Where did they all go?

“It seems like the kids took everything because it was raining these days.”

“Still, it was worth having one or two left… ?”

“The kids probably took it and left it at home.”

For some reason, I don’t think so.

The situation in front of me was so clear that I had no choice but to think as the white paper said.

“I’ll get one from the classroom if I need it. There will be a few umbrellas left in our class.”

“There’s no one in the classroom right now, right? It is undesirable behavior for a leader to use someone else’s property without permission.”

“?”

White Paper quickly refuted with a smiling face. It was a clear and elegant tone.

I was speechless without realizing it.

“… … .”

I thought while stroking my chin.

After hearing it, I found it to be true.

It cannot be logically refuted.

We left the club room and headed to the entrance. It was still raining steadily.

I opened my umbrella. Then a white paper sneakily came under my umbrella.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh? Uh.”

A white paper with a grin.

Her shoulder touched mine, and a pleasant scent penetrated the earthy smell and filled my sense of smell.

An unexpected tension arose.

Because I was thinking about anomia, I wasn’t paying much attention to the fact that I had to use an umbrella with White Paper… .

‘Isn’t this something that a relationship or a couple would do? ?’

It’s been a while since Kim Dal-bi did the act of using an umbrella with a woman, so I overlooked it.

As I started walking with the white paper, my mouth became dry for some reason.

I felt like my body was becoming stiff.

If I showed this to students passing by, it could have caused a strange misunderstanding.

It was comforting to know that it was late now and that more students than usual had left school due to the rain, but it was inevitable that I would feel anxious.

‘But I can’t give you an umbrella and go alone, and buying an umbrella at a convenience store is a waste of money… .’

It would be best to return home as quietly and privately as possible.

Shoot! The sound of rain was loud.

It was a heavy rain.

“… … .”

Tap, tap, the white paper and my arms repeatedly collided.

Because we shared an umbrella, physical contact was unavoidable.

As I slowly distanced myself from the umbrella, my shoulder was completely soaked with rainwater.

“Manager.”

“Why?”

White Paper’s soft voice rang softly through the sound of rain.

“Are you worried that we might look like a couple?”

“!”

Suddenly, my head was shaking without me realizing it.

It was a question that pierced my psychology like a dagger.

I thought you were keeping a poker face.

Did you notice it?

Or did I just voice a question I might have had?

Anyway, I answered, pretending to be calm.

“It’s not something that the manager and vice manager of the leadership department should look like. I had no choice but to end up like this because you said you didn’t have an umbrella.”

“I don’t really care. Even if I’m misunderstood.”

“I care… .”

The white paper is too shiny, so it is not an image that can be damaged by something like this, but my dignity as a manager could be damaged.

“Hehe.”

The white paper quietly laughed and approached me, holding the end of the handle above my hand.

And he tilted the umbrella towards me.

Instead of my shoulder, the white paper’s shoulder started to get wet.

‘I should have bought a bigger umbrella.’

You care about me.

White Paper has no intention of losing in the aspect of consideration for others.

I had no choice but to walk closely attached to the white paper. That way, we’ll get less rain.

The white paper’s elbow naturally rose onto my arm. We got closer.

A few times, my elbow touched the white paper’s armpit and I felt a soft, embarrassing touch. But she didn’t show it.

He just hurried his steps with his usual kind smile on his face.

Then, at some point, I realized too late that the conversation between us had stopped.

I didn’t realize it was an awkward atmosphere. It was because I was nervous without realizing it.

“I think I know one thing.”

Soon, the white paper touched his lips as if whispering.

“What?”

“Why is it that a man and a woman walking around under the same umbrella can be mistaken for a couple?”

“?”

Why would you say that?

It was difficult to see through the intention.

Because White Paper’s face always has a kind smile on it.

However, White Paper may have similar feelings as I do.

This situation is quite tense… .

“That’s… .”

It was when I was about to answer something.

Weeeeing.

My smartphone vibrated in my uniform pocket.

“Wait a minute.”

Since I had no idea what to answer, I decided to check my smartphone and have some time to think naturally.

I took out my smartphone.

I received a text message from Secretary Park Min-hyuk.

“… … ?”

The text message contained a photo of Park Min-hyuk rolling around on the floor with blood and bruises.

My steps stopped.

“Manager?”

The white paper also stopped and looked at me with a questioning face.

Messages arrived one after another.

It was location information and text.

[The clerk is here]

[If you bring someone or call for support]

[I leave it to your imagination what this guy will become]

“It’s a white paper.”

“Yes.”

“I have somewhere to go.”

I didn’t think much of it.

My mind just felt cold.

* * *

A high-rise building stood tall on the outskirts of Academy City.

It usually had the appearance of an abandoned building, as if construction had been halted at the last minute, but the inside was in good condition.

However, today, combat drones and turrets were installed around the building, and armed Anomia members stood guard. In particular, troops were concentrated near the main gate.

Gathering of troops.

It was a blatant state of alert.

That is the building where clerk Park Min-hyuk was kidnapped.

The name engraved on the front door was ‘Grey Star’.

Meanwhile, in an office.

The captain of Anomia, dressed in battle uniform and a luxurious coat, was tilting a glass of whiskey with his feet on the desk.

The sight of Aseong High School’s leader heading to Gray Star alone was confirmed using a drone.

Now all he had to do was deal with the guy with Anomia’s all-out offensive and leave before Oh Baek-seo intervened.

There was a good chance that Ahn Woo-jin called for support.

Although no significant movement was immediately detected inside Aseong High School.

If Ahn Woo-jin had saved the secretary, the leadership team that had secretly prepared to go out might have come to Gray Star.

However, even if it meant taking on that risk, Ahn Woo-jin had to deal with it.

That’s how much the captain of Anomia judged Ahn Woo-jin to be a dangerous person in information warfare.

We had made preparations in advance to retreat in case of an emergency.

Even if the leader was dispatched, they would do so from afar, so their troops would have enough time to escape.

For this purpose, it was decided to use the Gray Star building on the outskirts as a battlefield.

Besides, wouldn’t Ahn Woo-jin have to pay the price for messing with Anomia?

The captain thought this and sneered.

Weeeeing.

The cannon phone on the table vibrated. The calling number was Gray Star’s control room.

The captain answered the phone.

“Is the leader of Asong High School here?”

─ Yes, wow, I’m here… !

Why is your voice shaking?

The captain held off questioning and continued speaking in a voice mixed with laughter.

“Like I said, aren’t you looking for a way to sneak into the building? It’s funny. If I saw that many troops, I wouldn’t be able to commit suicide by going through the main gate alone.”

─ Well, it came in through the front door… .

“… What?”

The captain frowned.

“That can’t be possible… ?”

No matter how strong Ahn Woo-jin is, he is limited to the 4th rank.

If you had seen the history of Gray Star, you would have naturally made the basic judgment that you should not engage in a head-to-head match.

It is impossible to break through the 4th rank troops alone.

‘There’s no way he’s an idiot who doesn’t know his subject to the point where he can’t even discern what’s right… .’

and.

─ Captain!

A subordinate in the control room urgently reported.

─ Well, most of the troops at the main gate have disappeared! It’s no match for me at all… !

The captain’s eyes widened.