Chapter 18
“Just what are you?”
The lion’s head statue wanted to laugh when Jae-Hyeok asked this question—not that it could make any expression, made of stone as it was.
“Answer me,” Jae-Hyeok said. He stared straight into the head’s grey eyes.
[The will of Lion’s Castle answers your call.]
The lion replied vigorously.
Unfortunately, Jae-Hyeok had yet to awaken and become a player, so he was blind and deaf to the system’s messages. He heard nothing. “Was I mistaken? Phew... I thought there was a ghost.”
Maybe it is because I’ve been through so much today. My nerves have become more sensitive than they need to be.
Jae-Hyeok shook his head and laughed.
He never thought a day would come when he learned first aid to save an orc and also talked to a stone statue. If anyone had seen him, he would have been treated as crazy.
A gentle breeze swept across Jae-Hyeok and cooled his sweat.
It was past midnight.
Standing in the untouched castle ruins while staring up at the huge statue of a lion’s head gave him goosebumps. Jea-Hyeok broke eye contact and looked at the dim sky.
The moons were hidden, covered by thick, grey clouds.
Interesting that there were seasonal and weather changes even inside a gate, but Jae-Hyeok supposed it made sense. This otherworld was also a world where people could live, so it made sense that it shared much in common with Earth.
Sensing that it was going to rain, he moved to leave the ruins. He’d continue his practice someplace closer to the dormitory.
[The will of Lion’s Castle suggests that you stop.]
[The will of Lion’s Castle is angrily asking if you are ignoring it.]
[The will of Lion’s Castle threatens to curse you.]
The lion kept making threats, but they were meaningless.
Oblivious, Jae-Hyeok carried his sword and left the scene without pause.
Speaking to it first and then ignoring it to the end? The lion’s head was furious.
[The Irregular Quest: Curse of the Lion has been triggered!]
[You have been cursed.]
[For the curse’s duration, you cannot leave Lion’s Castle.]
[For the curse’s duration, all stats are reduced by two times, and all Skills are prohibited while fighting monsters in Lion’s Castle.]
[For the curse’s duration, killing monsters in Lion’s Castle yields no rewards.]
[This terrible curse will last for fifteen days.]
[If you survive for fifteen days, great rewards await.]
[The will of Lion’s Castle offers to free you of its curse if you return now and beg for forgiveness.]
Jae-Hyeok thought he heard something something faint, but when he perked up his ears, there was nothing but the wind. “Huh, why does it feel like a dog is barking?”
“......”
***
A black forest where swamps lurked everywhere.
Having just arrived with the students, the Class A teacher spoke, “Okay class, this is your chance for one final equipment check. Be quick about it.”
The pace of Class A was overwhelmingly fast. The other awakener classes had started terrain training during the second week after admission, while Class A had started that same training on the first day of admission.
Right now, the students of Class B and -C were still rolling around in the swamp, whereas the Class A students had already finished adapting to the swamp and started hunting monsters. Indeed, Class A was a class of geniuses.
“Yes!” the students replied vigorously to their teacher. For the first time in a while, they were excited for class.
How boring were the useless theory classes and terrain adaptation training?
Since the time of the first players, one truth never changed. Players proved themselves by hunting monsters and raising their levels. And now, it was time for Class A to hunt.
“Ahaha, Jae-Hyeok must be rolling around in the swamp again today, like a puppy in mud. ” Yoo-Jin cackled as she fastened the leather strap on the end of her hammer.
Chae Da-Hee blushed. “How is that person like a puppy? H-he doesn’t have a cute style, right?”
Yoo-Jin was confused to hear Da-Hee stuttering. "Why are you acting all nervous? I know you're not afraid to fight these monsters... " Yoo-Jin’s eyes widened. “It’s not about the monsters. It’s about him, isn’t it!? By any chance, do you like him? Are you going to join the team he’s making?”
“It isn’t because I like Kang Jae-Hyeok!”
“Wow, so you are going to join his team? You must be crazy. ”
Many of the surrounding students who were checking their equipment overheard the conversation between Yoo-Jin and Da-Hee. They stared at Chae Da-Hee in unison. What they’d heard was just too strange and shocking.
Kang Jae-Hyeok? The Yaksha’s son? one student thought.
Da-Hee on his team? thought another.
The shock was especially great for the male students.
Chae Da-Hee’s beauty was outstanding, with a rounded forehead, a defined nose, and a face as perfect as a medieval European statuette.
Her milky-white skin and delicate, well-balanced features were at a level that overwhelmed actors and idols.
The moment they entered the school, more than one or two students fell in love with her. Their dream was to form a team with Da-Hee, enjoy success for three years, and get married after graduation.
And yet, the son of the fallen Kang family made the first move? The students were fuming, and their killing intent started to rise.
How dare he? Does he know who she is?
I heard a lot of rumors about him. I need to go and educate him soon.
Among the Class A students, Loren’s killing intent was still the most intense.
Kang Jae-Hyeok...
Loren was the National Treasure candidate for Austria. He was at a level where students couldn’t compare to him. He was a person who would naturally inherit his family’s glory once he became an active player and leveled up.
Yet, he’d still chosen to transfer to Lion’s Castle as an exchange student. He had done it to reunite with Do-Jin.
To him, Baek Do-Jin was more important than his family. He intended to persuade Do-Jin to return to Austria with him, where he could take care of him for the rest of his life.
But there were some obstacles.
There was some interference during the transfer process. Due to that, he transferred to the first year rather than the second, which distanced him physically from Do-Jin.
In addition, he’d been interrupted and blocked by Kang Jae-Hyeok.
Two days ago, he had fatefully met Do-Jin upon arriving at the school, but Kang Jae-Hyeok ruined the monumental chance to talk with him.
I will cripple him the next time he disturbs me…
Unlike the boys, who were consumed with thinking about Jae-Hyeok, the girls hardly paid any attention to the news. They were busy staring in fascination at a silver-haired boy.
“Ahhh, he is beautiful again today.”
“Look at him shining in the darkness. He is so amazing and noble.”
Shinra Kyeong.
The silver-haired boy was the heir of Duke Shinra, who was the head of the Shinra family—the most prestigious family in South Korea.
One of the founders of the family—the same one who added Ra to their surname—was a Westerner, so the boy had a harmonious appearance of both East and West. He was more beautiful than a woman.
He was always expressionless; his blue eyes were as cold as ice, and the impression he gave off was chilly. Still, it wasn’t a flaw and only added to his beauty.
“......”
Shinra Kyeong closed his eyes, unbothered by the commotion around him.
The Bloodline Skill of the Shinra family was just as powerful as the Baus family’s.
He was the National Treasure candidate of South Korea.
He was destined to become a National Treasure from the moment he’d inherited the Bloodline Skill.
There was only one reason why Shinra Kyeong entered Lion’s Castle. It was to find and clear the quest of Lion’s Castle, which no one had been able to uncover for two hundred years.
The only problem was that he hadn’t achieved anything since entering the school. Shinra Kyeong had searched the gate every night for clues, but he’d found nothing so far.
The main problem was the size of the Lion’s Castle. A gate the size of a province was just too big to search quickly.
“Alright, everyone is looking good. Wonderful!” The homeroom teacher of Class A, famous for being oblivious, interrupted the disturbance among the students in his own way.
“Yes!”
The students scattered throughout the forest.
The students of Class A were those who would be responsible for the future of South Korea. They quickly regained their composure the moment training began and jumped into the swamp.
It was time to kill monsters.
***
Kim Jin-Myeong returned from morning class and looked into the mirror with a miserable heart. The area under his eyes was puffy. A week after Jae-Hyeok’s admission, he had become emaciated.
It is all that guy’s fault, dammit.
He still had auditory hallucinations.
‘Why,’ ‘who doesn’t know that,’ ‘I don’t understand… ’
Jae-Hyeok’s rude voice still lingered in his ears.
He couldn’t criticize Jae-Hyeok’s attitude. The intention behind Jae-Hyeok’s words was evident.
He was focused in class.
The boy’s questions showed that he craved learning. He stubbornly rejected unnecessary knowledge and pursued valuable knowledge. He relentlessly delved into things he didn’t understand until he understood them. And if he felt that the class content was going astray, which he occasionally did, he tackled it as if holding the reins of a horse, leading the topic toward something more meaningful.
In many ways, he was a model student.
The problem was that he was annoyingly shameless, and his attitude was rude.
The Class E teacher, Ji Ye-Sul, handed over an energy drink and said, “You look tired. I know the young master of the Kang family caused a big incident on the first day of school, but is it still the same after a week?”
She was a rare teacher who didn’t reject Kim Jin-Myeong for being a guild member.
Kim Jin-Myeong replied, “That guy’s temperament isn’t normal, and I can’t handle it. Haha, I’ll drink this well.”
“That person is clever. I think he knows that he can’t be penalized by Teacher Kim any longer, so he abuses his position. Our school isn’t an ordinary school, and we have no obligation to guide delinquent students. Bring up Kang Jae-Hyeok’s temperament at the school meeting. If other teachers give him a lot of demerit points, we can easily expel him, right?”
“That... Teacher Ji, It isn’t that simple to expel a student. Even if a decision is made at the school meeting, it must be approved by the principal and the chairman of the board.”
“If we urge the principal and chairman of the board as a group, won’t the chairman sign it?”
What is going on? Kim Jin-Myeong wondered. Something felt strange. From her tone, she sounded perfectly confident, as though she already knew that the principal would be on the same side.
In the first place, Kim Jin-Myeong was the only teacher in charge of Jae-Hyeok, so the other teachers hadn’t experienced Jae-Hyeok yet. Why were they discussing expulsion?
...The son of the Yaksha.
It seemed a prominent senior had instructed the teachers from the Association. Kim Jin-Myeong guessed the situation and smiled bitterly. “It doesn’t make sense to discuss expulsion now. What did Kang Jae-Hyeok do wrong? He has a bad temper, but he studies hard.”
“Does studying matter? The most important virtue of a good player isn’t knowledge or even strength, but character.” Ji Ye-Sul looked frustrated. “Kang Jae-Hyeok already has twenty demerit points, right? It has only been one week since he entered school. The bloodline of the Kang family can’t make any progress.”
Uh, He got those twenty points in one day, not a week, Kin Jin-Myeong thought, but said nothing.
“Teacher Kim, can you endure it if such a vicious child continues to harass you in the future? Why feel this stress for no reason?”
“No, I’ll endure it. In fact, I did wrong by him first.”
“Huh?”
“I appreciate your concern, but he is my student. I’ll take care of it.”
Kim Jin-Myeong still disliked Jae-Hyeok.
But he couldn’t bring himself to resent or hate Jae-Hyeok.
He felt that he was suffering the consequences of his own actions. He felt guilty.
Kim Jin-Myeong had been reflecting on his actions that first day. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. The words he’d said in agitation had probably driven a nail through the boy’s heart.
He’d complained that Jae-Hyeok hadn’t received any education at home.
With the state of his family, of course he hadn’t… I went too far.
It was true that the actions of Duke Kang Dae-Guk made the future of the country bleak.
It was also true that the present-day Kang family had produced two criminals.
However, what did that have to do with Kang Jae-Hyeok? At the time of the incident, Jae-Hyeok was only eight years old. He was a filial person who cared for his father in place of his absent siblings. Even though he was alone, he worked hard, devoted himself to training, and awakened with high stats.
Kim Jin-Myeong knew his family history but still made such a foolish remark. As a teacher, no, as a person, he shouldn’t have said so much.
“Really? As expected of Teacher Kim. There is a reason why active players come with bouquets every day for you.”
“Haha...”
Hmph. It’s just bouquets of flowers. If they’re going to claim to be my disciple and even celebrate Teacher’s Day, they might as well give me a gift worth money, Kim Jin-Myeong thought snobbishly. Was it any wonder he regretted his past behavior toward Jae-Hyeok? In the end, things happened because he was a bad person.
Kim Jin-Myeong felt bitter and went outside to light a cigarette.
He looked at the text message stating this month’s hospital bill and sighed before glancing at the nearby training field.
“I’m small? Me? Kyaaaak!”
“I-I didn’t say that, you madman!”
“......”
The little guy was the second-year student Baek Do-Jin.
This guy was amazing as well. He didn’t rest during breaks and chased his classmates around non-stop. He’d been consistent since his first year at school.
Would Kang Jae-Hyeok be the same even in his second year?
Speaking of which, Kang Jae-Hyeok had a fight with this guy, right?
Kim Jin-Myeong thought it was a relief that Kang Jae-Hyeok and Baek Do-Jin didn’t get along with each other. It’s a good thing. Those two together would be trouble.
Kim Jin-Myeong felt lighter and laughed.
Meanwhile, in the teacher’s lounge.
“That incompetent bastard is obsessed with playing teacher.”
“Hmph. It’s a mental state common to only those from the guild. What should we do now? If the homeroom teacher doesn’t complain directly, the chairman won’t even raise an eyebrow.”
“Let’s use the joint exercises as originally planned. Kang Jae-Hyeok’s personality is just like Kang Dae-Seong’s. If we provoke him a bit, he won’t be able to let it go and will cause an incident.”
The huddled teachers whispered coldly as soon as Kim Jin-Myeong had left the room.
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