Chapter 3
I stared blankly for about three seconds.
At Cha Yeri, whom I had described with such painstaking detail, even while being criticized by a reader.
“What kind of tie should I choose?”
“Ah! The tie. That is……”
At Cha Yeri's question, the designer hesitated for a moment, then took something out of a nearby accessory box.
It was a bolo tie with a jewel the size of a wristwatch embedded in it.
Commonly known as a loop tie.
“What is this?”
“A tribute… no, it’s a bolo tie I made myself.”
“Pardon?”
At this point, the designer's professionalism evaporated.
“Actually, I watched with great interest when you won the shooting event at last year’s Spring Scholastic Tournament. So when I heard the news that you were enrolling, I made it personally. I know it might be rude, but I thought it would look really good on you, Ms. Cha Yeri, if you wore this with your student uniform……”
Things were taking an interesting turn.
The jewel on the bolo tie was, of course, no ordinary gem.
Since it contained mana, special magic could be inscribed into it.
Therefore, most of the Hero Prep students who had a ‘family’ background used bolo ties.
There was nothing better for flaunting one’s status than wearing jewelry on one’s body that surpassed most equipment.
However, there was one problem…….
“Oh my! It’s pretty just looking at it. May I try it on right away?”
Cha Yeri disliked such pretenses.
Naturally, she found adorning herself with jewels to be cumbersome.
Having lived as the fourth-generation heir of a conglomerate, she felt more aversion than anyone to meeting others’ expectations.
Thus, when faced with a demand disguised as another person’s sincerity, she would feel an allergy she had never had before.
Still, she knew how to not disappoint those around her, so she would probably wear it once for the entrance ceremony.
After that, she would not give it a second glance.
“How is it?”
As Cha Yeri put on the tie, the designer nodded her head repeatedly.
At a considerable speed.
Is this what they call a successful fan?
“It suits you much better than I thought! If you wear it to the entrance ceremony, you’ll stand out more than anyone.”
“Ah, really? Thank you. I personally really like it too.”
“Really? That’s a relief……”
I, who had been watching the situation from a slight distance, fixed my gaze on Cha Yeri at that moment.
The corner of her mouth twitching to one side for a brief moment while smiling.
And on top of that, a gentle smiling-eye that could captivate anyone.
Well, anyone would see a happy face, but I often described Cha Yeri like this.
‘Cha Yeri feigned a smiling-eye.’
A character's habit that I had only ever drawn with letters.
Seeing her exactly as I had described, I let out a short snort.
“……!”
A breath that anyone would perceive as a scoff.
It was a sound so small that the designer next to her did not notice, but Cha Yeri turned her head slightly to look back at me.
Coldly, indifferently.
“……”
But that too was brief.
She soon stroked the jewel as if she liked it and showed a satisfied face to the designer.
I was sure I had vowed not to even breathe around the main characters…….
Was it because I had come face to face with the gap within the character Cha Yeri? I could not help but let out a hollow laugh.
“You’ve waited a long time. This way……”
Soon, the designer in charge of me approached, pulling a mannequin dressed in the uniform.
Perfect timing.
If I had continued to be conspicuous next to her, I might have been kicked out before even finishing a semester.
***
The tires, engraved with the Hyeonseong Group’s symbol, rolled silently.
Cha Yeri, sitting in the back seat, only spat out a curse after the car was three or four blocks away from the clothing store building.
“……Who the hell is that bastard?”
A tone of voice that contrasted with her publicly known image.
The attendant sitting in the driver's seat gripped the steering wheel silently, as if accustomed to it.
Cha Yeri was recalling how a man of her age had sneered at her just moments before.
One could think he was just remembering something funny, but that was clearly a sneer directed at her.
‘He avoided my gaze as soon as our eyes met.’
There was no way he would react like that unless he had something to hide.
What bothered her more was the reason he had sneered.
How did he know she was saying something she did not mean?
‘Did he read the mood and make a judgment…….’
Even if she concluded that he was just quick-witted, he was rude and rash.
‘Doesn’t know his place…….’
It was not pleasant to have the mask she had worn her whole life unveiled by someone she had never met.
Especially by a fellow student she would meet at the entrance ceremony tomorrow.
“Unni.”
At her dry call, the attendant answered without inflection.
“Yes, miss.”
“Please get me the list of enrolled students, by today.”
“Understood.”
Hero Prep was a place where the greatest talents of each generation had their skills verified before enrolling.
Therefore, even the children of famous Hunters were often rejected if they lacked talent.
In a place where even the qualification to take the entrance exam was operated by recommendation, it was extremely rare for her, the only daughter of the Hyeonseong Group, to not recognize a face.
But a prospective student she had never seen before…….
‘In that case…….’
Cha Yeri corrected herself.
“Narrow it down to the social consideration program. Males only. Height around 180 cm, slim build. Please get me their personal information by tomorrow.”
The attendant checked the rearview mirror before answering.
Cha Yeri still wore an indifferent expression.
As expected, Cha Yeri’s words continued.
“Ah, and early in the morning, get me a necktie from there. A ribbon, whatever. Something that doesn’t stand out.”
***
Seoul was large in scale because it had absorbed the surrounding Gyeonggi area.
This was because the area equivalent to the trace of the Great Fissure was designated as Seoul, and its administrative districts were divided into as many as 30 districts.
Among them, District 4 boasted a scale twice as large as the other districts.
Not only that, but academies, including the Hero Preparatory School, were gathered there, and due to its special characteristic of only allowing Awakeners to enter, it was usually referred to as the 4th Scholastic District.
“Thanks to that, the adjacent districts are treated as wealthy neighborhoods.”
In a situation where everyone was flocking to Seoul to become an Awakener, what was the point of even mentioning the land prices in and around the 4th Scholastic District, where related education took place?
I stayed at the 3rd Branch of Dispel until morning, then boarded a tram and headed for the 4th Scholastic District.
The entrance ceremony was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. sharp.
The venue was Outdoor Training Ground 1.
Even though I had arrived about an hour early, dozens of prospective students had already gathered.
“Any familiar faces……”
None.
At best, I could only guess from the descriptions in the novel and the names embroidered in thread.
As it neared 11 o’clock, all the enrolled students and school officials had gathered.
There were no family or friends.
It was a secret event, except for a few photos taken during the ceremony.
The training ground where 309 prospective students and 16 instructors were lined up in formation.
“We will now commence the 71st entrance ceremony.”
At 11 o’clock sharp, with the host's introduction, Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong ascended the stage alone.
And at the same time, a completely unexpected system window flew before my eyes.
<Main Episode>
Title: Regression
Characters: Lee Eunho, Park Oseok
Reward: Remake Coins
“……”
Here, ‘Regression’ was the title of the chapter following the prologue.
Since the beginning of the narrative was the same as the beginning of the entrance ceremony, it could be seen as a rather kind point of demarcation.
As suspected, it seemed Remake Coins were given for each episode, and the main characters were the same.
However…….
“First, we will proceed with the award ceremony for the top performers in the entrance exam. The prospective students who are called, please come to the front of the stage. Combat Division prospective student Gong Minwu, Support Division prospective student Kim Dasol, Investigation Division prospective student Do Minyeong, Combat Division prospective student Lee Eunho, and Investigation Division prospective student Ji Seok……”
However, one question arose.
Why was the prologue not announced like this?
Was it because it was a story that had absolutely nothing to do with me?
The prologue clearly described the reason for Lee Eunho’s regression.
But this current episode was also unrelated to me.
Hah…….
They forcibly made me possess someone, yet there was not a single bit of consideration…….
“……Investigation Division prospective student Ji Seokhyeon. Student Ji Seokhyeon.”
While I was lost in thought, a familiar name was repeated again from the speaker.
“Student Ji Seokhyeon, please come forward.”
What?
Why me?
Pressured by the atmosphere, I headed to the stage with the glares of hundreds of people trailing behind me.
“The person above has achieved excellent results in the combat evaluation of the entrance examination, and is therefore awarded this certificate……”
Among the five who ascended the stage, Gong Minwu was the first to receive a certificate.
It was an award given for placing first in the main evaluation categories of the Combat Division.
Awards were also given to the top performers of the Support and Investigation Divisions, and Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong approached the fourth student.
“The person above has achieved the most outstanding results in the practical skills section of the entrance examination……”
It was none other than the protagonist of this novel, Lee Eunho.
Placing first in the practical skills section simply meant he was the top student.
“……this certificate is awarded. Read on behalf of Hero Preparatory School Principal Kim Shinwoo.”
Up to this point, it was as I had described.
The problem was why I was called…….
I thought it might be a blank space outside of the narrative.
“Enrolled student Ji Seokhyeon, the person above has, in the written section of the entrance examination……”
After all, I had never described the awardee of the written section.
Well, it was not like I was stealing the achievements of a main character, so I gratefully accepted the award.
This would be counted as ‘points’ anyway.
I watched Lee Eunho’s back as I was the last to descend the stage.
“Next, there will be a silent tribute to the patriotic martyrs and the spirits of the war dead. Everyone… silent tribute.”
In the original work, the protagonist Lee Eunho had just regressed a few minutes ago.
Even now, he would be endlessly retracing his past memories.
His regression was a regression by death.
To be precise, murder.
Even without monopolizing fortuitous encounters through regression, he had made a name for himself as an elite hunter from Hero Prep who placed first in practical skills, just like now.
However, after leading his guild with an inclusive attitude, he was murdered by a colleague.
“Now, we will have a speech from Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong.”
A character who had the best skills but became a target of the jealousy and inferiority of those around him.
A hunter who aimed for trust and relationships with people, but was betrayed by those very colleagues.
At this moment, Lee Eunho was yearning for revenge.
However, he could not specify the target.
Because he was ambushed, he did not know who had betrayed him.
But he was aware that he had been struck by one of his classmates from Hero Prep.
Because in that situation, the only ones with the skill to draw a blade on him, an S-rank hunter, were his classmates.
“You must cultivate the noble spirit of sacrifice and service……”
Soon, a familiar phrase was uttered from Park Cheolyeong’s mouth.
Is it about to start?
The new students who had gone through the entrance ceremony would have their crisis response abilities evaluated within three or four days.
An emergency situation would be created without prior notice to test the students' judgment abilities.
In this case, it was during the entrance ceremony.
Probably, soon, Vice Principal Park Cheolyeong would…….
PSHOO─.
THWACK!
“It’s, it’s a sniper!”
He would be sniped.
The training ground instantly devolved into chaos.
BEEEEEP─!
An ear-splitting howl and an alarm signaling an emergency rang out everywhere.
“Go, Golems! Someone summoned golems!”
As the plot dictated, over a hundred mud golems rose from the ground of the training ground.
The summoning circles had been prepared in advance.
“There’s a summoner! Find them first!”
As if waiting, hundreds of drones roamed the air, chasing after the students.
I hid amidst the commotion and observed my surroundings.
“……The sense of realism surpasses my expectations.”
Most would probably know that there was an unofficial evaluation within three or four days.
It was conducted in a different form every year, but the perceptive students would have already noticed.
As expected, Gong Minwu from the Combat Division was at the forefront, dealing with the golems.
Although weapons were restricted, mud golems would be easy for someone like Gong Minwu.
The Support Division went up to the stage to check on the vice principal's condition while managing and directing the scene, and the Investigation Division analyzed the bullet trajectory to estimate the sniper's location and began their pursuit.
Naturally, the instructors blended into the scene appropriately, evaluating the live situation that was difficult to judge by drone.
Then what was the protagonist, Lee Eunho, doing…….
He would not be here.
He would have already gone off to catch the ‘real’ thief who had infiltrated the school.
The grade-level instructors were gathered in one place, it was not strange for the alarm to sound, and the current students and their instructors would only show up at the school in three days, ……a very ideal situation for an intruder.
“It’s so ‘please come and steal,’ the plausibility has been traded for candy.”
It was a common cliché.
While others were distracted, the protagonist alone would grasp the real crisis and play an active role.
Before his regression, Lee Eunho was also tied up in the training ground, but now, right after regressing, he would use this incident as a starting point to monopolize his activities in the school.
Revenge was revenge, but fundamentally, he believed he was killed because he was weak.
“In that case, I……”
Nominally, I was an Investigation Division student chasing the case.
Therefore, if I moved at a leisurely pace and belatedly found the instructor designated as the sniper, I would receive a decent evaluation.
Could being possessed in a novel be this futile?
Wasn’t that devoted reader being too naive…….
As I was about to leave the training ground with an utterly relaxed attitude.
A bolt of lightning struck a nearby golem.
FIZZLE!
A lightning attribute magic that precisely targeted the golem's core.
“Lightning……”
Among the enrolled students, there was only one who could wield lightning.
For a moment, I forgot to breathe and hastily looked around.
Then, the lightning user, Lee Eunho, quickly came into view.
He was here, in this training ground…… slaughtering golems.
“……Why are you here?”
He should be running after the intruder by now…….
For a moment, I became a hostage to hundreds of thoughts based on experience and knowledge.
A tangled skein of thoughts rolling through the dust in search of an answer…….
“……”
The devoted reader had criticized Lee Eunho’s regression.
As it was written in the letter.
The prologue, where the regression was mentioned, was not announced.
As if it had never existed from the beginning.
9,999 coins were provided.
As if that much of a remake had been done.
And the protagonist before my eyes…….
He was remaining in the training ground, knowing nothing.
“……Oh, please.”
In the end, there was only one answer that could be pulled from the tangled skein.
The protagonist Lee Eunho…….
“……Don’t be ridiculous.”
Had not regressed.