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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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When comparing last Friday to today, there was one similarity and one difference.
The similarity: Jung Ah-yeon was causing a ruckus in the classroom with her roaring.
The difference: Hye-ji was sitting next to me.
Of course, I had to deal with the crazy bitch in front of me first.
How the hell did this bastard find out?
She wasn’t smart enough to figure it out so quickly.
“You bastard!!! Because of you!!! I!!!”
“Master Champi, what brings you here? And address yourself as ‘omae,’ not ‘I.'”
“That’s not important right now! Why did you do that?!”
Why did I do that?
What a dumb question.
“Why?… Well, because it was fun.”
“I had no idea, so I gathered all the martial arts seniors and we all chanted ‘Goo-ee Goo-ee’ together, damn it!!!”
“Ah, you have to say it with more force. Try it, ‘Koui Koui.'”
“Forget Koui, forget Goo-ee!!!”
Jung Ah-yeon, having completely dropped her act, screamed with tears in her eyes.
She explained that, overwhelmed by my “profound teachings,” she had gathered all the second-year Combat Department students.
And of all the groups, she had to choose the martial arts group, specializing in hand-to-hand combat, to train together.
Now I really want to see a bunch of Champis shouting “Koui Koui” together.
I wonder if they’ll do it again if I bring them Konpeito.
“But how did you figure it out? I thought it would take at least a week.”
“A student who writes for the school newspaper saw us acting like idiots and posted it online immediately!!!”
School newspaper?
That was a new term.
Time to rely on Hye-ji.
“Hye-ji, there’s a school newspaper?”
“Shinwoo, you didn’t know? You were the hottest topic on the school newspaper for a while.”
“What?… Those bastards used me as content without paying me? What a rip-off.”
“Don’t underestimate me!!! Get your ass to the training grounds right now, you bastard!!!”
Even with the professor in the classroom, Jung Ah-yeon wouldn’t stop ranting.
But unfortunately, her wish wouldn’t be granted, for two reasons.
First, for official duels with a professor’s consent and supervision, a rematch against the same opponent required a four-week waiting period.
And second, I didn’t want to fight her again.
You think I’m avoiding her because I’m scared of the slime mom?
I’m avoiding her because it’s disgusting to fight her.
“Just you wait four weeks!!! I’ll kill you for real this time!!!”
“I don’t fight losers I’ve already beaten.”
“You fought dishonorably and have no shame?”
“Then you should have won and taken my money~. I won and got yours~.”
Hye-ji looked at me with those familiar “looking at an idiot” eyes and said,
“…Shinwoo, you only got the last hit. Stop acting like you single-handedly won.”
“And you broke character, so fix it by the end of this chapter.”
In PvP, what does “You play like shit” mean?
It’s basically saying, “You’re so damn good, I never want to meet you again.”
In other words, whatever Jung Ah-yeon said, it was just a loser’s expression of inferiority towards the winner.
Jung Ah-yeon, resigned to her fate, left the classroom reluctantly.
After she left, I opened the student app and checked out the school newspaper, just like Hye-ji suggested.
There were countless articles about me.
Class was about to start, so I quickly skimmed through the titles.
– Life’s fucked. Suicide.
– This one’s for your past, this one’s for your present, and the remaining five bottles are for my fucked up life.
– Painting a white waterfall on a professor’s face on the first day.
– Who is the bearer of a twisted desire and forces a delicate male student to wear a girl’s uniform and style his hair in twin tails?
– The Reverse Betting Knight of the Academy Arena?
– What is heavier than a greatsword and more powerful than a mace, a weapon unique to the academy capable of cracking open a martial artist’s skull?
– The enigmatic man who can make even a tool fight like a true support is?
– A martial artist with her face flushed red. What did this man do to her? Click to find out now.
Just reading the titles made my hands tremble.
Murderous intent surged within me.
Were these bastards aspiring journalists?
No. Were they even journalists?
Even tabloids wouldn’t write such clickbait titles.
Hye-ji was grinding her teeth as she read the fourth article.
That last line sounded familiar.
I think I saw it on that website with the constantly crashing server.
Damn it, it’s from that platform.
“Shinwoo, you’re fucked, you know that, right?”
“Can I be any more fucked than I am now?”
“The seniors from the Support Department and the Combat Department are out to get you.”
“The Combat Department is understandable, but why the Support Department? You were the MVP of that duel.”
Hye-ji gave me a weary look.
And then she told me the harsh truth.
“…You uttered the forbidden word for supporters, ‘tool.'”
“Come on, there can’t be anyone petty enough to get mad over that? Don’t they have anything better to do?”
Correction.
These bastards really had nothing better to do.
As soon as the first class ended, a horde of second-years barged into the classroom, looking for me.
“Where’s that Kim Shinwoo bastard?”
“Tool? Tool? Tool? That support-hating bastard! Where is he!”
“Where’s the little shit who insulted martial artists with his forked tongue?”
“We might be idiots, but we can’t tolerate supporter discrimination. Supporter lives matter! All supports matter!!”
“Shut up!!! Martial artists are strong solely with their bodies! We are on a different level compared to you weaklings who rely on mechanical devices!!!”
“Yeah, sure. Keep saying that and become the number one cause of death for going into battle without any equipment.”
Common sense had gone extinct.
I looked at the crowd and thought,
‘Can these people even be considered civilized?’
Of course, I didn’t want to get involved.
So, I came up with a compromise.
“Seniors, why don’t we settle this with a duel between the Support Department and the Combat Department?”
“Alright! All you tool department students, crawl out here after class! We’ll crush you with our bare hands!!!”
“We’ll prove that the Tactical Temporary Defense Equipment Department is useless. Don’t chicken out, come out after class! We’ll bury you in a duel!”
Then, the Support Department students all started equipping duel disks.
Why the hell do support students have duel disks?
Apparently, a suspiciously wealthy person had invested in them recently.
Kaiba, it’s you again, isn’t it?
The storm raged for a while before abruptly subsiding.
After it passed, Hye-ji said,
“Shinwoo, I think you’re screwed.”
“It’s fine, I can’t be any more screwed than I am now.”
“No, seriously. They might be idiots, but I think they’re going to gang up on you.”
“Don’t worry. Bet on me when they open the betting pool. I’ll make you rich.”
Her eyes lit up.
Her gaze was dark and intense.
“Oh! You’re going to take care of me?”
“…Wait a minute, why does this conversation suddenly feel heavy?”
Her eyes slowly turned lifeless.
“You’re going to abandon me, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not abandoning you-”
“So you are abandoning me.”
“Wait, hold on, why is the mood so heavy all of a sudden? I’m scared. We’re all going to die at this rate.”
Her sudden shift to a lifeless gaze set off all the alarm bells in my head.
I quickly changed the subject.
“If most people are idiots like them, wouldn’t that make me the favorite?”
“Ah, I’m not sure about that.”
“Come on, there’s a reason why they’re called ‘favorites.’ They’re the safe bet.”
“Well… underdogs are more thrilling.”
If you don’t have Rice Shower, don’t bet on underdogs.
Please.
I have a bad feeling about this.
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The academy’s curriculum started with a heavy focus on theory.
Especially during the first semester of the first year, they force-fed us theory like a grandmother feeding a grandchild.
Second and third years also had theory classes, but they weren’t as intense.
In other words, the academy’s policy was to ensure that first-year students had a thorough understanding of all the basic theory.
Since this was all new to me, I felt like I was going to die.
As soon as class ended, I slumped over my desk and groaned,
“Why the hell are they force-feeding us theory like foie gras?”
“Shinwoo, is it too difficult for you?”
“No, it’s just that this is all new to me. How can the other Iron-tiers be so calm? That guy’s even sleeping.”
“This is difficult? This is basic knowledge.”
Hye-ji tilted her head, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
That made me angry.
“Are you trying to show off? Is your upgraded ability making you arrogant?”
“No, this is just a review of the entrance exam material.”
“Huh?”
We seemed to be talking about different things.
I immediately refuted her, since I hadn’t received any such education.
After all, they say ‘ignorance is strength.’
“What are you talking about? Are you bragging that you had private lessons from a top Academy instructor?”
“What are you talking about? They test you on this during the entrance exam.”
“What entrance exam?”
“Huh?”
A confusing back-and-forth of misunderstandings flew between Hyeji and me.
“Entrance exam?”
“Hey! This is basic stuff. What are you talking about?”
“Damn it, what the hell is going on?”
“Come on, stop keeping to yourself. Enlighten me too.”
“Wait, what the fuck is going on?”
Before entering the academy, I was only aware of the free tuition and military exemption.
And I clearly remember what they told me when they contacted me five months before the start of the semester:
-Hello? Ah, Kim Shinwoo? One moment, please.
-Kim Shinwoo, right? Yes, the deadline for applications is January 31st.
-Please just come on the day of the entrance ceremony.
-The entrance ceremony is mandatory for new students.
What the…?
Why?
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In a dimly lit room within the academy.
There sat an elderly man.
Gray hair and beard, lively blue eyes that belied his age, wrinkles etched by time.
Everything about him suggested he was someone extraordinary.
A young female secretary stood by his side.
But her words weren’t filled with youthful passion; they held a hint of agitation and confusion.
“I still don’t understand. Why did you make that decision?”
“Young lady, your passion is admirable, but please address me properly and state your business clearly.”
“My apologies, Chairman. I’d like to ask why you admitted a student we have no prior knowledge of.”
Jang In-hyuk.
Although advanced in age, he was a man who had lived his life with fierce determination.
He was now a prominent figure in the academy.
The journey to this position had been fraught with challenges and controversies.
But those who knew the details were no longer in this world, so there was no issue.
“It’s a long story, are you sure you have the time?”
“…Please be brief, Chairman.”
“I’ve met, pulled down, and trampled on countless people on my way to the top.”
He cleared his throat and continued,
“But there was this one guy I met who was a rebellious pain in the ass.”
“May I ask who this person is?”
“Of course. Ryu Kang-hyuk, the youngest and first Master Class Hunter.”
“You knew him personally?”
“Of course I did. That crazy bastard.”
He popped a snack into his mouth and frowned.
“Ugh. They should get me proper Turkish delight. They brought me this weird stuff.”
“The budget for your snacks has recently been significantly reduced, Chairman.”
“I guess I’ll have to eliminate a few more people then.”
He casually uttered those chilling words.
“Judging by your tone, you didn’t have a good relationship with him.”
“It was anything but good. It’s childish thinking back on it, but we fought a lot back then.”
He chuckled, reminiscing about the past.
“But after I took charge of the academy, he suddenly contacted me about seven months ago.”
“By ‘contacted,’ you mean he just dumped it on you?”
“That’s why I like you. You understand what I mean even when I don’t speak clearly.”
He opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a black USB drive, handing it to his secretary.
The other drawers were covered in dust, seemingly untouched for a long time.
However the top drawer, including its contents, was spotless.
“He suddenly sent me a letter and a USB drive. It left me speechless.”
“May I ask what it’s about?”
“It was simple.”
The letter Chairman Jang showed her was mostly blank space.
There was a mark on the side where a small object, the size of the USB drive, had been taped on.
The letter’s contents were even more concise than she had imagined.
– Hey, I’m putting him in.
The secretary was speechless after reading the letter.
Chairman Jang chuckled, seeing her reaction.
“Would you like to watch the contents of the USB drive? It gets my blood pumping every time I see it, even at my age.”
“With all due respect, I’d like to play it immediately.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not some blonde delinquent’s NTR video.”
“…I’ll play it now.”
The secretary connected the USB drive.
It contained a single video file.
She played it using the projector in the chairman’s office.
“What is this?”
“Watch carefully. This is something Ryu Kang-hyuk deemed worthy of a personal letter.”
Ignoring his silent secretary, the projector diligently fulfilled its purpose.
The video file started playing after a brief loading screen.
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lmfao duel disks