I furrowed my brows.
‘How did she know?’
Well, considering that Yi Pyeonghwa is also an S-rank Hunter, it’s possible that she’s sensitive to magical flows and presences.
But when I checked her breathing, she was definitely asleep, and I had minimized my magic usage, so it wasn’t sloppy enough for even a newly awakened Hunter to notice...
"Don’t you know this is unauthorized leave? Get back imdiately."
"How did you know I was gone?"
"I was heading to the bathroom when I tripped and fell into your spot. And you even put a spell on it—what are you doing?"
"...Who did you tell?"
"Are you crazy?"
Yi Pyeonghwa raised an eyebrow.
"You had our entire squad mobilized to look for you? We had to gather in the auditorium and get a lecture?"
"Good judgnt not to inform anyone, huh?"
That put at ease a bit.
I closed my eyes again.
"If you just pretend like nothing happened, no one will find out. I’ll return in the morning. I just had a rough night."
Yi Pyeonghwa, being an S-rank, realized I had left, but no one else should notice.
If we were assigned to a different unit, maybe, but there are no high-level Hunters in the training camp.
"...You really have no intention of cooperating with others, huh?"
Thud!
"Hey!"
The tree I was leaning against shook.
Yi Pyeonghwa kicked the tree with her foot.
It was a tall, thick tree, but when Yi Pyeonghwa kicked it, it made an ominous sound.
"What are you doing to a perfectly innocent tree?"
"Should I laugh because you care more about trees than people?"
"This is..."
I reluctantly jumped off the tree and landed on the ground.
Yi Pyeonghwa crossed her arms and glared at .
"Jeong Da-on. What the hell is your problem?"
"You’re the one with the problem. If I’m caught leaving the dorm, it’s not going to affect you."
If I really couldn’t adapt to this place, I’d just get so ntal counseling and leave early.
Though the military these days isn’t like it used to be, especially in a training camp for special ability users, it’s still a big deal.
Each person is like an unlit bomb. If sothing goes wrong, it’ll be a bigger issue than it would be with regular civilians, so the military has no choice but to handle us carefully.
Plus, I’m stuck with that Yi Pyeonghwa as my unit mate.
She’s a Youth Olympics gold dalist and an A-rank Hunter after awakening.
Even if I ss up, there’s virtually no way Yi Pyeonghwa will be affected.
"It’s not about that right now."
But despite my answer, Yi Pyeonghwa wasn’t backing down.
"...Then what the hell is the problem?"
By now, I was curious too.
I didn’t understand why Yi Pyeonghwa was so angry.
Sure, she probably didn’t like being ignored when she approached before the entrance ceremony.
‘Well, she probably thought that if she beca friends with , life here would be easier.’
In any group, people evaluate each other, and an unspoken hierarchy naturally forms.
Since I, an S-rank, ca in, she must’ve expected that being friends with would make things easier.
At least, she probably didn’t want to make an enemy of .
But looking at the results, Yi Pyeonghwa was the center of attention, not just in the dorm, but in the whole training camp.
In any group living situation, a pyramid structure inevitably forms, and Yi Pyeonghwa was naturally at the top.
? I’m completely outside that pyramid, doing my own thing.
It’s like how saltwater fish and freshwater fish can’t live together.
"Why on earth is soone like you S-rank?"
With a sharp tone and eyes full of hostility.
Was that it? As soon as she said that, I actually felt a bit deflated.
The conversation felt too obvious.
‘Did she feel inferior because I have a higher rank?’
Actually, it was a common story.
There were plenty of rumors about Yi Pyeonghwa.
A famous youth national representative and Olympic gold dalist.
She hadn’t awakened because she was still a minor, but you could tell she had great potential even before awakening.
Her physical condition was so outstanding before awakening that people expected her to be an S-rank, and there were a lot of voices predicting she’d beco the next Yoo Han-ul.
So, during this year’s ability assessnt, a lot of attention was on what rank she would get.
But the result was an A-rank.
A-rank is still a high rank, but given the attention she received, it was sowhat disappointing.
And even more surprising was that the attention shifted to , the sudden S-rank.
While I didn’t need that kind of attention...
"If you’re upset that I’m S-rank, then take it up with the system that rated ..."
"No, you’re misunderstanding sothing."
Yi Pyeonghwa scrunched her face.
"I’m not that low-class. Who cares about rank? I don’t give a damn about that."
"Low-class..."
"It’s not about the S-rank. Jeong Da-on, you’re the problem."
".........."
The conversation had gotten more interesting, but I felt like I was getting a lot of insults.
I lifted my chin.
"Tell . What’s the problem?"
"That arrogant attitude. Acting like you’ve got so kind of superiority."
"...Again?"
"We’ll have to fight monsters together, whether we like it or not. But who’s going to trust soone with that attitude to step up?"
So, unlike what I expected—Yi Pyeonghwa wasn’t upset about feeling inferior to .
She didn’t like the fact that I had no intention of cooperating with others.
"Are you talking about today’s training? Was there sothing wrong with ? I don’t think so."
There were so unexpected situations, but the joint training went smoothly.
I didn’t struggle with basic magic like 1st-circle spells, and I made accurate hits with the right amount of force.
Of course, I didn’t hurt the other trainees while attacking the monsters.
"Don’t make laugh."
Yi Pyeonghwa scoffed.
She probably thought I was saying sothing absurd.
"Jeong Da-on, you had plenty of ti to help Seung-hee when she collapsed."
For a mont, I was confused about who Seung-hee was, but I realized it was probably Lee Seung-hee, the trainee who collapsed from magical exhaustion.
When I hesitated, Yi Pyeonghwa sighed as if she already knew.
"You don’t even know the nas of your fellow trainees, do you? You’re in the sa dorm, but still."
"That’s your misunderstanding..."
"Hey, I’m a forr athlete. Do you think I’m an idiot? You don’t care about anyone else, and you don’t even know their nas."
Her words were sharp, and they were a precise judgnt.
"At first, I thought you were just socially awkward. That’s understandable. But Jeong Da-on, you could’ve helped, but you didn’t because you were too lazy. That’s the worst."
"...I had Choi Ji-su in my unit. I was tired too..."
"Don’t make excuses. You’re the strongest here. You’re S-rank. You should’ve helped your weaker teammate. That’s responsibility, and that’s what comrades do."
".........."
At that mont, I felt a chill.
Help the weak because you’re strong? Responsibility and comrades?
It was a concept that was hard to hear in this capitalist society.
"Are you related to Yoo Han-ul?"
"Why would Yoo Han-ul be ntioned here?"
I asked out of curiosity, but the answer, of course, was no.
Yi Pyeonghwa said sothing that sounded like it could’ve co from Yoo Han-ul, so I wondered if they were related.
Yi Pyeonghwa looked at my astonished face and sighed deeply.
"Honestly, I’m disappointed. I had high expectations after seeing the news."
"Why did you expect anything?"
"Because you used magic to save others in the first dungeon break. But now that I see you, I get it. It was all a lie, wasn’t it?"
".........."
"I knew it. The dia is garbage."
At least she spoke so truth in that.
"Still, I tried to co here and talk to you nicely, but I was the fool. You don’t care about anyone else."
She said those words and turned away.
"Do whatever you want. But don’t cause trouble for others."
Yi Pyeonghwa said what she wanted to and walked off.
I looked up at the sky.
The sky looked so deep today. The stars were shining brightly.
‘...Should I just quit everything and move to that star?’
There was so truth in Yi Pyeonghwa’s words.
I really don’t live according to group norms, and it’s true I didn’t help when I could have during training.
But the idea that I lied about using magic to save people during the dungeon break...
‘Well, co to think of it, there’s no need to feel wronged.’
I never used magic to save people, it just happened that way.
After all, I’m a being who could destroy this world!
Why should I feel wronged just because so teenager is disappointed in ?
And, in reality, I wasn’t upset at all.
Why would I be?
System reminds 'Jeong Da-on' of the quest: "Do good deeds, and you will be blessed."
System informs the user, 'Jeong Da-on,' that the quest is being successfully completed.
"This is insane."
It was a system ssage that could only be seen as mocking .
I should just ignore it. Getting angry about this would only hurt .
Whirr!
Since I had already co down from the tree, I circulated my magic and checked the magic circles around .
‘At least I’ve ensured basic safety.’
Over the past two weeks, I had been roaming the dorm and setting up minimal defense magic in my free ti.
How did I manage to install magic circles in such a harsh environnt?
‘I must have spent around 300 million on this.’
Before entering the training camp, I learned what personal items I could bring, and wrist guards were one of them.
So I tore the cloth of the wrist guards and put the leftover jewels inside.
After bringing them in, I ground the jewels into powder and kept them with , installing magic circles whenever I could.
It felt like I was investing a huge amount into these magic circles, but it couldn’t be helped.
It was the most reliable way to build defensive magic, and nothing else was as easy to bring in as jewels.
‘Looks like nothing major has happened since I haven’t heard from Leo.’
Since the dungeon, I’ve been on edge.
Especially after realizing the enemy’s malice toward was beyond what I could imagine.
I swept the dirt that had the jewel powder scattered over it.
This magic circle activates an attack if soone with murderous intent approaches, while also notifying of the intrusion.
So, Yi Pyeonghwa, who just approached , clearly had no murderous intent.
That ans Yi Pyeonghwa just wanted to scold for not fitting in with group life and for not caring about others.
‘What a rare personality.’
She’s certainly rarer than jewels.
Minerals change when heated, but humans die when heated, making them even rarer.
Though, I’m not expecting human character to be as solid as minerals.
‘She reminds of soone from the past.’
I know a righteous knight from back then who, more than anyone else, innocently and sincerely hoped for a better future.
Yi Pyeonghwa seed to have a similar character.
She must be the type who feels the need to take on more responsibility because she’s more capable than others.
‘She could easily slip into ritocracy, though.’
I don’t exactly dislike her character, but I don’t particularly want to get closer to her either.
It could be youthful perfectionism, or maybe she was just saying that to hide her insecurities.
Besides, whether she can prove those words with her actions is sothing I can’t know at this point.
It’s harder to prove goodwill than malice.
Of course, it doesn’t really matter to who Yi Pyeonghwa actually is.
‘...I just wish these last two weeks would pass quickly.’
After checking the magic circle, I climbed back up the tree and tried to sleep again.
Reviews
All reviews (0)