Chapter 107

“It feels like the genre has suddenly changed.” Warm sunshine, clear skies, and lush greenery. Cheon Hye-Ji was lying on a sunbed next to the fountain and enjoying the start of summer. That was, until Lee Jin-Seong approached. After listening to what he had to say, followed by a further ten-second pause, Cheon Hye-Ji sat up and lowered her sunglasses. “Lee Jin-Seong, school is about youth—fresh love stories, touching friendships, precious memories! That’s what I expected. So... ” Cheon Hye-Ji slowly got up, then suddenly stomped her carefully prepared sunbed into two halves. “So what the hell is this?!” Lee Jin-Seong interrupted, “—How long until you’re ready to fight?” By this time, a number of first-year students had formed their own teams to compete in team events. Although excelling in these events as first-year students would be difficult, some had still chosen to compete and gain experience. First Year Class B Lee Jin-Seong was one such student. Of course, Cheon Hye-Ji and Du Bae-Su had been friends with Lee Jin-Seong since childhood and had gotten swept up in his decision. They’d joined Lee Jin-Seong’s team list and were therefore required to participate in team events and competitions—just like now. They had been challenged to a team duel. Cheon Hye-Ji kept shouting, “Hey, Lee Jin-Seong, you bastard! This is the second time today, the second time! We already had a big fight this morning. I finally fixed my hair, and now we’re fighting again? Bring back my youth!” “It’s normal for players to fight. If you wanted to enjoy your youth, why not enter a normal school instead of Lion’s Castle?” “That was never an option. It would’ve been a loss for the nation if my talent rotted.” “And what about now? Summer romance or living up to your talent? Which is it?” The more they talked, the more exhausted Lee Jin-Seong felt. Cheon Hye-Ji glared at him as if she were going to eat him. “By the way, didn’t you boast that you would definitely get Jae-Hyeok on your team? Then, where is he, and who is this nobody?” Kim Jin-Rae wanted to cry after hearing Cheon Hye-Ji’s words. But he couldn’t refute it and could only keep his mouth shut. It was true that he usually didn’t stand out in class. Du Bae-Su patted Kim Jin-Rae’s shoulder. “Don’t be too sad. She can’t remember anyone’s names unless they’re handsome. It took her two years to remember my and Lee Jin-Seong’s names. She kept calling me Fatty before then.” The more Du Bae-Su spoke, the more pained Kim Jin-Rae looked. Meanwhile, Lee Jin-Seong tried to calm Cheon Hye-Ji down. “I told you before. Kang Jae-Hyeok said he’d already made a team, so I couldn’t recruit him.” “Then you should take my name off the team list! I should’ve joined Kang Jae-Hyeok’s team!” “He’s already formed his team. In that situation, whose team can you join if not ours? You have no friends... ” “Shut up, you scammer!” As a former gymnast, she moved gracefully and jabbed Lee Jin-Seong’s side. Then Cheon Hye-Ji turned her attention to the challengers, who were standing around, waiting to fight. “By the way, aren’t you seniors embarrassed? Isn’t it pathetic for second-year students to challenge first-year students to a team battle?” The difference in ability between the first and second-year students was evident, not to mention the big difference in level. If a team consisting entirely of first-year students fought against a team consisting entirely of second-year students, the outcome would be obvious—the second-year students would win a hundred percent of the time. “So what if it’s a bit pathetic? We need to raise our battle rating to improve our grades and get elixirs and items. If you thought it was unfair, you shouldn’t have made a team; you could’ve waited until after your first semester of training, just like everyone else.” The reasoning behind the second-year team challenging Lee Jin-Seong's team was sound. It was common practice for first-year students to wait until their second semester before forming teams. Early in the history of the team competition, swaths of first-semester, first-year teams used to spring up like mushrooms after rain, unintentionally offering themselves up as stepping stones for the second-year teams to boost their battle ratings. This caused an insurmountable gap in the rankings, with mostly first-year students filling the bottom half. Since then, it became an unspoken rule for the first-year students to withhold from forming teams before their second semester. Teams that debuted early, like Lee Jin-Seong’s, would only taste hell, becoming prey to the second-year teams for a long time. “Well then... Let’s experience the skills of these overconfident freshmen.” "Kyaaack! Don’t stick out your tongue with that face! It's disgusting!” Rather than the seniors’ imposing presence, Cheon Hye-Ji let out an earsplitting scream because their faces were too ugly. She kicked a piece of her sunbed at the group of seniors. That was the signal. The second-year students took out their arcane weapons and launched a fierce attack just as Du Bae-Su jumped in front of his teammates to act as a tank. Bang! None of the surrounding students reacted when a battle broke out at the park. It was currently lunchtime, and they continued to enjoy their picnics. Lion’s Castle was a player-training institution and was different from ordinary schools. The students accepted battle as a daily routine, so it felt natural and common even when a fight suddenly broke out. A few spectating second-year students licked their lips. “I’m envious.” “Yeah, how did they get lucky enough to be matched with first-year students?” “The applications for matchups are first come, first served. They were obviously diligent and applied early to get this opportunity.” “It isn’t something to be envious of, it’s something to be emulated.” “Not really. Have you forgotten that a newly founded team only has a rating of 1,000?” To challenge a team with a rating of 1,000, the challenging team’s rating had to be between 800 and 1,200 points. This meant that the second-year team that had applied to fight Lee Jin-Seong’s team was the lowest-ranked team among the second years. “In any case, they still got a free meal out of this.” Nevertheless, no one doubted the victory of the second-year team. Had the freshmen team completed their first semester of training, then perhaps it would have been different. However, these freshmen had only been in school for a few months. They were far behind the second years in both level and skills. Even if there were nobles or geniuses superior to the second-year students, the team battle was four against four. One- or two geniuses wouldn’t be enough to change the result. Sure enough— “Kuek...!” Lee Jin-Seong’s team was on the defensive from the start. Although Du Bae-Su was diligently tanking, the skills cast by Lee Jin-Seong and Kim Jin-Rae missed due to the seniors' quick reactions and experienced dodging. The second-year magician also read Cheon Hye-Ji’s ambush and avoided it. The second-year student wiped the blood from a wound on his cheek and said, “You’re team coordination is nothing like a group of first years. I would’ve suffered embarrassment if I had been a bit careless. “You have talent and will surely reach a high place someday. But not yet. We won’t give up.” “Talent? It isn’t like that.” Du Bae-Su, looking tattered from tanking attacks, stood straighter and shook his head. His small eyes buried in his chubby face were filled with fierceness. “This isn’t talent. It’s skill built through hard work!” Back when they had first enrolled in Lion’s Castle, Lee Jin-Seong’s trio had thought they were great geniuses. It had only taken a month for them to realize they were mistaken. Kang Jae-Hyeok had appeared around then, and he was a monster who learned and adapted to everything faster than anyone. Having known a true genius, the disheartened trio had lost all motivation. They thought that no matter how hard they struggled, they would never even step on the shadows of geniuses. So what was the point? If they hadn’t accidentally witnessed Jae-Hyeok returning to the dormitory in the early hours of the morning every day... If they hadn’t found him sleeping in an exhausted manner with his forehead pressed against the door... But they had. From the day they’d glimpsed Jae-Hyeok’s hardships, they no longer dared to give up and had all been working hard since. That guy would laugh if he knew what I was thinking. Kang Jae-Hyeok’s voice automatically played in Du Bae-Su's head: ‘This is the result of your hard work? Is hard work some sort of joke to you three?’ Du Bae-Su could even imagine Kang Jae-Hyeok tilting his head as if he were genuinely curious. Someday, he hoped to land a punch on that infuriating face. But I have to overcome this first, Du Bae-Su thought. If they could overcome the trials in front of them, they would reach a higher ranking and be rewarded for starting a step ahead of the others, even if the reward was small. The trio drank potions and burned with fighting spirit. “U-Um... ” Kim Jin-Rae was the only one who hesitated. He was still skeptical, to be honest. Why had they asked him to join them? As if he had read his question off Kim Jin-Rae's face, Lee Jin-Seong whispered, “We believe in your goodness.” At the beginning of the semester, when most of the children in the class had been suspicious or jealous of Kang Jae-Hyeok, only Kim Jin-Rae honestly admired how amazing Kang Jae-Hyeok was. He had no sense of inferiority, to the point where he made Lee Jin-Seong’s trio feel ashamed. Kim Jin-Rae’s personality excelled in areas where theirs did not. And Lee Jin-Seong harbored a vague question—what if Kim Jin-Rae’s admiration for Kang Jae-Hyeok could be turned into motivation? “Uh, yes? I don’t really understand what you’re saying, but I’ll fight hard too!” Kim Jin-Rae repaid Lee Jin-Seong’s faith. Although for a time he’d been unable to concentrate on training, as he’d been worried over his father’s position at Ocean Shipping, things had recently been resolved, and he was showing more enthusiasm than ever. Before Lee Jin-Seong knew it, Kim Jin-Rae had reached the middle to upper ranks in the class, meaning he wasn’t helplessly pushed around even while he fought with the second-year team. It was only at the level where he could retaliate with two or three strikes for every ten hits he received, but that was enough. Even now, he persistently held on to his opponent’s ankle, giving Lee Jin-Seong and Cheon Hye-Ji a chance to counterattack. “These persistent guys...!” The second-year students gradually grew frustrated. Unexpectedly, the fierce battle was continuing at a standstill. “These idiots are doing a good job of embarrassing the second-year students.” “This is why their rating is at the bottom. Even if the second semester starts and there is an influx of first-year students, it seems like this team’s rating won’t be much different from now.” One of the fighting second-year students shouted, “Bah! Talk all you want. Someday, we will definitely...!” Public opinion toward the second-year team grew worse as the fight dragged on. No matter the outcome, this was a battle with no winners. Eventually, the second-year students won, and without another word, they ducked their heads and hurried away. “...So this is the level of the seniors who are ignored by the entire school?” “We still have a long way to go. Everything feels so distant.” Lee Jin-Seong’s group laughed in disbelief. They had dragged out the time with their tenacity, but it had been a crushing defeat in reality. They never gained the upper hand during the entire battle, completely helpless against a team that was at the very bottom of the second year. They had hoped for more after enduring so much of Kang Jae-Hyeok’s bullying... no, special training. “I hope there won’t be any rumors.” “Yeah. Jae-Hyeok will bully us even harder during training if he finds out about today’s incident.” “Would I?” “Huh?” An additional shadow joined Lee Jin-Seong’s group, where they lay sprawled out in the grass. “You’ve all worked hard and fought wonderfully.” It was Kang Jae-Hyeok. He was smiling widely as if he had some type of scheme in mind, making Lee Jin-Seong’s group nervous. “I’m still depressed. Don’t tease me and just be on your way.” Lee Jin-Seong tried to wave Kang Jae-Hyeok away before letting his hand flop down powerlessly—only for Jae-Hyeok to grab it. He told them, “You guys were really cool.” “...W-what? Why are you acting like this?” Lee Jin-Seong stuttered uneasily as his face turned red from embarrassment. Jae-Hyeok stared straight into his eyes. “And sometimes, resting is important too.” How could Jae-Hyeok not know that Lee Jin-Seong’s group was watching him? He had higher stats than the others, even when he’d first arrived at school. It was impossible not to notice that his classmates were secretly observing him. However, just as they watched him, he had also watched them, and what they needed at that moment was clear. “You’re doing well enough, so don’t be impatient.” Lee Jin-Seong couldn’t help feeling emotional after hearing those words. However, he was interrupted by Cheon Hye-Ji and Du Bae-Su reaching out to Jae-Hyeok. “Hey! Kang Jae-Hyeok! Help me up, too!” “Me too... ” In fact, the two of them were being considerate, ensuring no one would ridicule the tears in their long-time friend’s eyes.