The curriculum of all player-specialized high schools includes practice in dealing with otherworld attacks.
This practice was the flower and core of the curriculum of player-specialized high schools, but it wasn’t easy to let students experience the actual thing.
The otherworld simulator made it possible for students to practice and experience it.
However, in real life, the school and the teachers cannot know when an actual otherworld attack would occur.
‘It could be possible using the Black Screen’s skill of Calling the Otherworld. Still, it would be difficult to adjust the time and the difficulty level suitable for students’ practice.’
It was difficult to handle the practice schedule in our academic lives, but the association and the school are both familiar with how to make things work.
Still, even if the simulator can reproduce a realistic scenario, the experience is not the same as real life.
For the freshmen students of Eungwang High, the association’s player satellite SAT-K detected an otherworld attack of R-rank difficulty in downtown Seoul this September.
And now, it’s the weekend of mid-September.
Class Zero is going to experience our first practice.
“The dropout rate of player-specialized high schools increases rapidly after this kind of practice.”
“I hope no one drops out from our class…”
Saeum of April and Kwon Lena looked nervous.
The students who lived in the dorms decided to go together by air taxi.
Maeng Hyodon already had actual experience, but he still looked nervous as he silently dipped his onion pretzel into the cheddar cheese sauce.
Hani sat opposite him and took a bite of her honey mustard pretzel with sprinkled syrup on top.
It’s not too obvious, but even Hani looked nervous.
‘Looking at the overall statistics of player-specialized high schools, it is true that dropout rates increase before and after practice. However, it’s different if we only look at the statistics for Eungwang High.’
Most students actually take a leave of absence or altogether drop out after receiving their ranking for the final exam.
Still, since my classmates are so worried, I should support them well and help them finish our first practice together.
While we were talking, the air taxi finally arrived at the destination.
Olympic Park, Door of World Peace.
I decided to pay the taxi fare while everyone calculated our own share, and Mok Wooram took the chance to talk to me.
“I’m sorry, Vice President. My bank account balance is currently low. Can I give you my share later? I’ll do my best in today’s practice so I can earn some bounty.”
Mok Wooram looked embarrassed after he checked the balance on his account.
Now that he doesn’t need to waste money on buying materials for creating a violin, I wonder where he spent all his money.
“It’s alright. I’ll pay for the fare. You’ve been working hard on your scholarship part-time job, haven’t you received your salary yet?”
“Oh? I received mine yesterday.”
“Me too.”
The other part-time workers, Kwon Lena and Mang Hyodon looked puzzled.
“It’s nothing, really. It was a recent beneficial consumption that left me short on balance. I’m sorry I didn’t budget in advance for the taxi fare. However, I was recommended a book that I should buy. They said it would be very helpful throughout my stay as a Eungwang High student. I thought I had to buy it.”
“What?”
I had an ominous feeling.
Mok Wooram still had this innocent look on him.
“I bought a full set of encyclopedias and liberal arts books. They say it’s a must-read for Eungwang High students!”
“Uhm… Was there such a thing?”
“No, there wasn’t.”
“As expected, I think I bought them a little early. I even received supplementary materials.”
Mok Wooram displayed the purchase details in a hologram and showed it to everyone as if he was bragging.
Instead of paying attention to the supplementary materials, I looked at the payment history of hardcover books that seemed to be three times the regular price.
“Also, I decided to subscribe to newspapers and magazines recommended by a kind person. I paid for three years of subscription and they gave me a 10% discount. They actually told me that I could get another 5% discount if I bought 5 years’ worth, but I couldn’t because I didn’t have enough balance on my account.”
As expected, this guy was a pushover!
In the time that we didn’t see Mok Wooram, he turned into a bigger pushover.
Some students sometimes sold books, magazines, and newspapers.
Students like Mok Wooram with very little experience are so easily fooled by them.
“Wooram… You see…”
“The ‘kind person’ sold them to you even though your balance would be close to zero?”
Kwon Lena and Hani seemed to realize that Mok Wooram got scammed.
“Heol. The books you bought sound like they can make you smart just by buying them. …Should I buy one too?”
“It’s a little expensive, but the supplemental materials look good! Is this a limited edition? Until when are they for sale? Where did you buy them?”
Maeng Hyodon and Saeum of April looked like they got baited too.
I can’t believe there are so many pushovers in our class!
I decided to stop them because of the high possibility that they’d fall victim to the scam too.
“Let’s get a refund.”
“Eh? But…”
“How many books do you usually read?”
“That’s…”
Mok Wooram hesitated before closing his mouth.
He’s an energy violin craftsman, so of course he would be busy doing craftsman work.
He barely has any time to read.
I don’t know why he spent all his money on paper decorations at best.
“Looking at the list, those books are all available in the school library.”
“I don’t think I’ll read them once I buy them.”
While I was persuading Mok Wooram, Maeng Hyodon and Saeum of April also come to their senses.
Kwon Lena and Hani also tried to persuade Mok Wooram to get a refund, and fortunately, he agreed in the end.
After that, the other kids arrived one after another.
“Guys, did you see Miro’s picture?”
Kim Yuri spoke brightly.
After the death match challenge became a hot topic, there are so many articles and photos of Dokgo Miro that we can’t count them by hand anymore.
‘Which picture is she referring to?’
Kim Yuri floated a hologram that showed several pictures.
There was a picture of Dokgo Miro smiling and waving with an awkward face.
It seemed to be taken around the broadcasting station.
Dokgo Miro rarely has good photos because she’s reluctant to be filmed by a camera, but this particular picture was taken very well.
Her expression still looked awkward, but the degree of light control and the color of the picture harmonized with Dokgo Miro’s face.
“Wow, I think this is the prettiest picture of Dokgo Miro I’ve ever seen!”
“It almost looks true to life.”
“Is it taken by a professional photographer? I think it’s much better than the photos in articles and even the ones taken by the show!”
“I want to paint her…”
Kim Yuri pointed to a small translucent watermark in one corner of the photo.
The watermark was shaped like a geometric maze, which seemed to be derived from Dokgo Miro’s name.
(T/N: Miro literally means “maze”)
“Miro’s got her first FS! This is that fansite’s watermark.”
“FS? Fansite?”
“To briefly explain, a fansite is a fan who takes pictures of celebrities and posts them online.”
Fansites are those who carry an ultra-high-performance camera and share the photos of celebrities that they personally take.
It was common for idols to have a fansite before they debut.
Still, I was very happy to see Dokgo Miro gain fans despite the bad reviews she had at the start.
‘A fansite…’
There’s a fine line between malicious fans who invades one’s privacy and a good fan.
I glanced at Hwang Jiho and saw that he didn’t have much expression.
Maybe it means that fansite is not something we should worry about.
“If you go to this person’s website, there are more pictures! They also posted the raw photos, but I think the ones with color correction are much better looking.”
Kim Yuri showed pictures of Dokgo Miro and added a brief explanation.
According to her, this fansite seemed to have become a fan of Dokgo Miro after the death match video.
The fansite uploaded a video entitled ‘How I became a fan.’
‘Dokgo Miro has a fan who specializes in photography and has a lot of experience with cameras…’
As I was lost in thought, Hwang Jiho whispered something to me.
“You have that suspicious look on your face again. You’re thinking of something aren’t you?”
When I nodded, Hwang Jiho seemed to have immediately understood.
As expected of this quick-witted old man.
I tried to talk to him more, but I stopped the conversation because I felt someone’s presence.
I saw Song Daesok standing right behind us.
“What?”
Song Daesok has been keeping a close eye on everyone lately.
He’s been like this since we went back from Joo-Oh Island, and at first, I thought it was just an average odd behavior, but it seems like I’m wrong.
‘He’s observing me, Hani, and Jiho. To be exact, he does it when Hwang Jiho talks to me or to Hani.’
Is it because Hwang Jiho displayed superhuman strength during the youth retreat?
However, there are many strange and eccentric people in Eungwang High, and even humans stand a chance against those of royal lineage.
Song Daesok’s grandfather, Song Manseok, is the prime example.
I don’t think Song Daesok would find Hwang Jiho strange just with that fact alone.
‘Is it simply because Hwang Jiho’s a crazy head? Then why is he doing it with me and Hani…’
My questions deepened.
“Daesok?”
Min Geurin was looking with anxious eyes.
Song Daesok recently got along with the other kids well, and she seems to be worried that he’s picking a fight again.
Song Daesok stepped back.
“…It’s nothing.”
I don’t think so.
Someone appeared before I could talk to Daesok again.
“Looks like everyone’s getting along well.”
Since when has he been watching?
Yong Jegun appeared with his signature ecstatic expression.
Kim Shinrok was next to him, trying to manage his expression, and it was clear that Yong Jegun messed with him again since he looks stiffer than usual.
“Yong Ssaem! Professor Kim Shinrok! Hello! Is Class One practicing around her too?”
“Yep. The difficulty level is low, but there are many otherworlds appearing here at the same time.”
Kim Shinrok greeted the kids in a friendly manner.
Yong Jegun looked like he could laugh to death upon seeing it.
It seems like Kim Shinrok being kind and hiding his true nature from the children is comedy gold for Yong Jegun.
“I’ll be heading off first. Please be careful.”
“I’ll be careful. You be careful too, Professor Kim Shinrok.”
The unnatural “Professor Kim Shinrok” came from Yong Jegun’s mouth.
Kim Shinrok turned his head and left without looking back.
Among our classmates, it was Saeum, who was closest to Yong Jegun, who asked.
“…Uhm, did you have a fight with Professor Kim Shinrok?”
“Hahahaha!”
Hwang Jiho’s sudden laughter turned the atmosphere into a mess.
It must be nice for him to see Kim Shinrok, who is like a nephew to him, spending time bickering with his friend.
The chaotic atmosphere finally settled after Ham Geunhyung arrived.
* * *
Thirty minutes into the otherworld occurrence.
Professor Ham Geunhyung floated a hologram and briefed everyone.
The hologram showed an area around the music fountain in the Olympic Park.
It was where we were gathered at the moment.
“The attacking team for today’s practice will be accompanied by Professor Yong Jegun. Kim Yuri will be our defender today.”
Yuri looked disappointed for a moment but soon agreed.
The sea was not visible from here, but Lake 88, Lake Seokchon, and Han River were too close.
Kim Yuri’s light skill calls for the madness of the sea.
It would be less powerful if only lakes and rivers would around, but there was no reason to risk it today.
Yuri still hasn’t mastered perfect control of her light skill so this was inevitable.
‘Yong Jegun isn’t affected by the teacher’s contract because we’re outside the school. As long as Yong Jegun is in full power, this practice would go smoothly, but the practice would be ruined if ever Kim Yuri explodes.’
The first practice of Year One Class Zero.
The leader is Yong Jegun.
The participants are me, Hwang Jiho, Hani, Kwon Lena, Maeng Hyodon, Saeum of April, Min Geurin, Song Daesok, and Mok Wooram.
A total of 10 people participated in the attack.
