episode_0071

I was only able to complete discharge procedures after spending three full days in the ward.

It seemed like a trick to hold onto my pitying self even more, but I couldn’t bear it any longer.

Both then and now, the view of the ceiling while lying down in a hospital bed was, as far as I know, the most terrible and painful sight in the world.

Although there are still aftereffects from trauma and drugs, there are no problems with daily life, so there will be no problem in gradually receiving outpatient treatment.

That’s how I was able to return to my cradle routine.

“… Let’s end the class at this point, and next time will be a ranking lottery? Before that, I have an announcement for you. This is a very important story, so please open your ears and listen carefully.”

At the podium, pony-haired Professor Chan-yeol Kwon glanced at his watch and stopped the projector.

“Recently, several freshmen received severe disciplinary action in succession. It was the highest level of punishment, including reduction of ranking points and suspension. The reason for disciplinary action is an attempt to search for specific keywords that are prohibited from searching in the Cradle Library database.”

As he said, in a classroom that was always full, a few empty seats were especially noticeable today.

“At the staff meeting, it was decided to provide special training for new students. This is knowledge that was originally supposed to be acquired in the second year of study, but this year’s freshmen seem to be particularly eager to study.”

The professor with a tired expression turned towards the blackboard. Then, the chalk floating in the air writes large letters on its own.

“Whether it is general-purpose magic or unique magic, most of the magic formulas you know can be classified into two systems. The release system extracts particles from the gland outside the body and reorganizes the form of the substance, while the circulatory system consumes particles from the body to strengthen the body’s abilities in each part.”

As if he had mixed the chalk with sensitized stone powder, the words ’emission system’ and ‘circulation system’ engraved on the blackboard according to his words shine a sparkling light.

Although it is considered an important notice, it is only fairly basic knowledge. What he has said so far is something I know well enough to memorize.

“However, among the magic known so far, there is one more lineage.”

But the next moment, unfamiliar letters begin to be engraved on the blackboard.

-interferometer.

“Interferometry mental magic is magic that directly affects the opponent’s brain. You can control the PC as you wish, or you can attack the brain directly and cause behavioral problems. And now, the use and improvement of all interferometric magic is strictly prohibited.”

A small ripple occurred among the students who were listening as if they were bored by the unfamiliar concept.

“At the dawn of magic, there was serious concern about how to use interferometric magic. However, due to the great possibility of causing chaos in society and the risk of causing serious aftereffects to PC users, all food-related materials have now been discarded for a long time. The same goes for additional research.”

“Professor. Then, the kids who were disciplined… ?”

“Yes. I don’t know where I heard it, but I heard that an alarm went off while I was trying to learn about interferometry at the library. Oh, and the liver is also big. In the first place, there was no way that the Cradle’s library would have such knowledge… ”

The professor nodded a couple of times in response to a question raised by someone.

“All you need to know about interferometric magic is its harmful nature. Don’t be curious about how to write a formula, its principles, its reasons, or anything else.”

“Professor. So what happens if you get caught secretly researching interferometric magic?”

“It is annihilation.”

As the words blurt out of his mouth, the atmosphere in the classroom suddenly subsides.

“If traces of interference magic are discovered, an elite unit under the Supreme Council will immediately be dispatched to hunt down those involved. All that knowledge will be destroyed on the spot as soon as it is discovered, and as soon as the charges are confirmed, those involved will be put to death.”

“… ”

“Also, this is not a disposition limited to the parties concerned. People around you who are accused of having even a little bit of that knowledge will be in the same situation. Family, friends, children, everything. This is a law that is strictly enforced without exception, even among the twenty-seven Mao clans or the five families.”

In the quiet classroom, only the professor’s explanation echoed softly.

“So, I’ll say it again. Don’t wonder anything about interferometric magic other than its name and its harmful properties. Above.”

***

“Hey, Hyuna!”

After class, we headed to Hwayang Hall for the ranking match draw.

When I hear someone calling my name from behind, I turn around and see a male student and a female student walking towards me at the same time.

While the good-looking male student waved his hand as if he was happy to see her, the female student with a lady-like appearance showed an uncomfortable look on her face, as if she didn’t like something.

As they approached, their name tags had the names ‘Ryu Seung-heon’ and ‘Moon Yeo-ul’ written on them, respectively.

“Does it look good on the medicine cabinet? It was very visible from afar. It shines so brightly.”

I looked down at his words. The gold star military medal badge worn above the right chest can be seen.

As he said, it definitely reflects sunlight and attracts attention.

Of course it feels good, but honestly, I feel a little embarrassed. I wonder if it’s something to show off like this. I think there are all kinds of useless rules.

“It was really cool at the last award ceremony. The Gold Star Military Merit Medal… Oh my god… ”

“… Seungheon. I’ll go first.”

While he was speaking, the female student next to him spoke rudely and left.

“… Your fiancé seems uncomfortable with me. Is it okay for me to keep talking to you like this?”

“Haha, Yeoul is a bit sensitive these days… I’ll apologize on your behalf… ”

A good-looking male student scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.

“Why?”

“Well, the rankings aren’t very good these days… There was a bit of a difference with Yeseo… Anyway, it’s okay… ”

At his words, I checked the first grade ranking board installed in the middle of the hallway.

You can see the name Moon Yeo-ul ranked 14th. Also, there was a fairly large score gap between her and second place Jin Ye-seo. Is there a sense of competition? Actually, it seems like Jin Ye-seo’s eyes light up every time she sees me.

My name was at the top of the first-year rankings. Perhaps thanks to the additional points received with the Gold Star Military Merit Medal, there is an even more overwhelming difference in points between second place and last time. Seeing him somehow fills me with a sense of satisfaction.

My eyes naturally turn to the second grade ranking board attached next to it.

You can see the name of Yeon Myeong-ha, who stayed in second place the entire time, but suddenly surpassed someone and rose to first place.

“In addition, the mentoring group also joined senior Baek Seo-yeon’s direction, so he will be noticed a little… Still, if you get to know him, he’s nice. Please don’t think too badly… ”

Actually, I have no idea. No matter how you look at it, it seems a bit strange that two people with seemingly opposite personalities get together like that.

Aside from the fact that he is Sehwa’s sister’s younger brother, every time I see him, I think he is not a bad person.

Also, he has been talking to me since my perception was at its lowest.

Although they couldn’t come in because they were blocked by Yeon Myeong-ha, they also came to visit as soon as they heard the news of her hospitalization.

Even though he comes from a good family, he gets along well with other students.

Perhaps this is what the director meant by the connections he was talking about…

“But where did you say you’ve been?”

“Suppression of the Mandarinia colony on the outskirts of the capital. You would be surprised if you saw it too. Aren’t there hundreds of bees buzzing around at once in a house-sized hive? Inside, human corpses are turned into dumplings… ”

We chatted lightly and headed to the now familiar Hwayang Hall.

There was a strange-looking machine installed on the platform of the main auditorium where freshmen were crowded.

There were dozens of colorful balls inside, floating around in the air as if it were a vacuum.

Professor Shin Jae-yu, who confirmed that all the freshmen had arrived in time, caught their attention by clapping.

“Well, is everyone here? You must be familiar with the ranking match rules, right? So that you can come out and try to catch the ball without wasting time.”

Following her instructions, the lowest-ranking students stepped forward and began pulling out balls. The order of those whose names are written on the ball is automatically transferred to the next order.

It was said that the matchups for ranked matches are randomly drawn from adjacent rankings above and below. There is no way I will suddenly find myself competing against a student ranked in the top 200.

Since I don’t have a top spot, my opponent will be decided among the students in the top 10. Who will it be?

“Ryu Seung-heon – Choi Woo-jin!”

“Oh, my… ”

“Puhaha! Hey Seungheon! I’m counting on you? Come to think of it, only Jin Ye-seo and Heo Heo-heon fought against me. Isn’t this the first time with you? Huh?”

“Hey. Seungheon just scratches his face. You die that day… ”

When I came to my senses after hearing someone burst out laughing, I realized that the draw order had already reached the students in the top group.

From afar, you can see Seung-heon scratching the corner of his mouth as if he were embarrassed, Choi Woo-jin tapping his shoulder with fighting spirit, and Moon Yeo-wool glaring at him as if he were going to kill him.

But if those two fight, my opponent… ?

“Uh… ”

I turned my gaze back to the podium. Meanwhile, a female student with blonde hair and green eyes was stepping forward and inserting her hand into the machine.

Since the draws for all matches have already been completed, there is only one ball left.

She catches the swimming ball and takes it out. And along with the sparkle that infuses the particles, someone’s name begins to be engraved little by little along the surface of the ball.

“The final match! Yoo Jin-hyeon-Jin Ye-seo!”

***

“Of course, I’m competing against Yeseo… What should I say about this… ”

On the way back after the lottery ceremony. Seungheon, walking next to me, muttered with an embarrassed smile.

I too am in a dazed mood. Anyway, I have no intention of losing no matter who comes, but there was only one person who was uncomfortable with creating a confrontational situation.

Jin Ye-seo was famous as a follower of someone who was well-known by others.

To be honest, I wanted to avoid an annoying situation, but how could I have known that that person would get caught…

“If this happens, I can’t support anyone… If only it ended without anyone getting hurt… Huh?”

Seungheon, who was speaking, suddenly looked ahead and widened his eyes.

As I followed his gaze, I saw a familiar, innocent-looking female student standing at the end of the hallway with her arms crossed, looking this way.

A golden medicine cabinet like mine was hanging on her chest, emitting a sparkling light.

“Haha, I guess you have something to say. Go quickly. I have to go comfort Yeoul… ”

Seungheon bows politely and greets her. I only received a cursory greeting with a light nod of sympathy.

After Seungheon left, I approached her and asked.

“Good lunch, senior. Do you have anything to say?”

However, he glares at me with a pouty expression, as if he doesn’t like something about the pity.

“… Do you really need to say something?”

“It’s not like that.”

“… I just came and saw it. I heard there was a ranking draw… Wait.”

Yeon-sik stops talking and suddenly stares at my chest.

“Really… What on earth is this?”

I followed her words and lowered my head.

The tie may have been tied loosely, or it was slightly in the wrong direction from the collar of the shirt.

I thought I had gotten used to it, but I am still immature in this aspect. I feel a little embarrassed to think that I showed that part of myself to others.

“… Wait a minute.”

“Yes? Leave it. Let me do it.”

“I told you to stay still. If you pass it on loosely like this, it will become distorted. Make sure to tie the knot tightly… ”

Yeon Myeong-ha, who acts recklessly, quickly loosens his tie.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I looked around. Fortunately, I don’t see anyone passing nearby.

With skillful, compassionate hands, he turns it around and begins tying it again. Before long, a tie with perfect dimples is revealed in its place.

Although soft hands passed over my body every now and then, I still didn’t feel any discomfort at all.

Is that why we allow unexpected behavior that can be sufficiently restrained?

“… it’s okay. If you turn it clockwise twice like this, it will never fall apart even with vigorous movement.”

“Thank you… ”

Yan Yanha nodded slightly, as if satisfied. Her appearance is clean and there is absolutely nothing disheveled about her hair or clothes. So, I guess I can’t endure that anymore.

“… Hmm, ranking match. Dae-jin was caught with Mr. Jin’s girlfriend… ”

“That’s right. Well, it’s strange… ”

“You know… What if we postpone the ranking match schedule? ?”

But then something completely unexpected comes out of Yeon-sik’s mouth.

“Yes?”

“I know your skills, but… My physical condition hasn’t recovered yet… And as far as I know, if you submit a medical certificate, you can postpone the ranked match for a few days… ”

Perhaps this was the reason Yeon Yeon-ha came to visit in person.

“You don’t have to worry. Almost all recovered now… ”

“How come men keep trying to be so pretentious? I saw your gait earlier… ”

“You are worrying too much. And even if your physical condition is not fully recovered, you can still win at that level.”

“Still… ”

“And if I let my tail down like that, wouldn’t it also hurt my senior?”

“Uh, huh?”

For a moment, a breathless moan escapes from the mouth of Yeon Myeong-ha, who had shown a strong attitude the whole time.

I didn’t really lie. By the time the ranked match takes place in two days, my body will have recovered more, and even if that doesn’t happen, I don’t think I will lose at all.

Moreover, even if it is true that acting is possible as Yeon Yeon-ha said, there will be no number of cases for those who want to find fault.

So, there is no need to give it unnecessary space.

“… okay. Don’t overdo it though. Because I don’t mind if you lose.”

After being silent for a moment, Yeon Myeong-ha opened her mouth and muttered. Now this person is also taking care of my worries. Well, it’s amazing…

“Don’t worry. That will never happen. I will definitely win.”

“… Yes.”

***

Even after the masked male student left, I still stood there pitying him.

“Really… Are you doing that on purpose? Huh… ”

Then he suddenly hit his head against the wall and muttered.

“Mother, why on earth are you touching someone else’s tie? ”

Many complex emotions came to mind at once, making her dizzy. Concern about his not recovering physical condition, competition with Baek Seo-yeon, and gratitude for stepping up for him.

There was no doubt about victory or defeat. Jin Ye-seo is clearly a freshman with a lot of talent, but the difference between him and Jin Ye-seo is like a few layers of wall.

So what was tormenting her were not doubts but unexpected emotions.

It was a feeling of nervousness that came to mind every time I imagined Jin Ye-seo being dealt to him, and it was a pointless feeling of anxiety whose origin I could not figure out.