Chapter 7: Taewoon High School
Hunter training institution.
Early Awakened development high school.
An institution that gathered children who awakened before becoming adults in one space under the ideology of education.
After Gates and Hunters appeared, it was also the industry that established itself the fastest along with guilds.
It was understandable.
Because Awakened called Hunters were national power.
And it was an era where countries possessing high-grade Hunters became advanced nations.
A world where high rank meant everything.
Because that was the current world, the goal of this industry was to educate awakened children early on to create even more powerful Hunters.
However.
The logic of the world that had changed to be rather more primitive.
A world where the one with strong power became the answer and could possess more things.
That was no different for schools.
Too strong power residing in minds that had not yet matured.
Children who came to possess uncontrollable power.
Such children were gathered in one space.
When even the laws and order of adults hadn't been properly established yet, what the picture of a place where children were gathered would be like.......
The vehicle carrying Jin-ho and the Vice Guild Master of Ignis Guild, Lee Si-wang, stopped.
[Taewoon High School]
National Hunter Development High School located in Goyang City.
Although one couldn't assert it was number one in South Korea, it was within the top three in the country, and within Goyang City, no, within Gyeong City Province, it was the best school called a prestigious school with the best facilities in name and reality.
The door of the vehicle stopped in front of the school gate opened, and Jin-ho and Lee Si-wang got out of the vehicle.
Perhaps because it was a time well past school arrival time, no students were seen even when looking around.
The only things visible were the figures of sentries guarding the entrance.
When Lee Si-wang gestured to the vehicle driver, the vehicle departed.
“Huh? The car....... Weren't you going to take care of business and go back in the car?”
Lee Si-wang took out a pair of sunglasses from his suit inner pocket and wore them.
“I have somewhere to go separately after attending to the school business. By the way, is the Returnee not here yet?”
Although it was the same region, there was quite a distance between the guild headquarters and Taewoon High here.
At least 30 minutes must have passed while moving.
‘No matter if he is a Returnee, is coming within 30 minutes impossible.......’
Into the ears of Lee Si-wang who was checking the time, Jin-ho's voice was heard.
“Isn't that person the Returnee mister, no, the teacher?”
Lee Si-wang's gaze moved following Jin-ho's fingertip.
A man was standing in the center of the path leading from the school gate to the main building.
A man stopping while looking in one direction with his hands stuck in his pockets.
Even though he felt the presence from this side, the man was looking at the school building endlessly.
To be exact, at the rooftop of the old school building.
“What is it? Teacher, you changed clothes?”
“.......”
Jin-ho didn't know, but Lee Si-wang knew where Yoo jin had been, so he didn't say anything.
Lee Si-wang and Jin-ho approached Yoo jin.
“How does it feel to come back after 10 years?”
10 years.
It was definitely 10 years in reality, but for Yoo jin, it was the first time in 100 years.
Based on an ordinary human, a time where a life started and ended.
Even though it was such a very long time.
“It hasn't changed a bit.”
Yoo jin spoke with his gaze fixed on the rooftop of the old school building.
“The old school building is like that. Training grounds and sparring centers for students have been newly built in the back. Dormitories and basic living facilities have also been added. Perhaps about twenty times the original school site has been newly added as school facilities.”
He knew roughly.
10 years ago in reality.
100 years ago in Yoo jin's memory.
Because he heard about it when he was at school before being dragged to the other world.
Actually, several thick buildings were visible behind the main building of the old school building.
If including the places his gaze couldn't reach because they were blocked by buildings, it was a size that wouldn't be strange even if it was called a village rather than a school.
So now the Hunter Development High School.......
“We call it Academy City.”
At Lee Si-wang's voice, Yoo jin's head moved for the first time.
“Academy City?”
“Yes. For management, the law was changed so that 100% of students live in dormitories, so all living facilities are included within the school facilities to match that. Shopping spaces, movie theaters, and besides that, even many academies so they can enjoy their respective hobbies.”
Yoo jin moved his gaze toward the school again.
If considering the size of the buildings visible in the back, it seemed possible.
If thinking of the dense commercial district of a common new town, this Academy City might be bigger than that place.
“It will be comfortable if you think of it as one village. So that students can live comfortably without inconvenience, without worry.......”
Lee Si-wang's voice drifts away from Yoo jin's ears.
‘So students have no inconvenience...’
His student's last voice rang out inside Yoo jin's head.
‘I am okay. Really...... I am really okay......’
High-level living facilities and convenience facilities made so students have no inconvenience in living.
Many buildings were visible through Yoo jin's gaze.
Clean buildings looking like one piece of artistic architecture.
“.......”
With facilities of that level, they might definitely not feel the inconvenience of living.
However, not things visible like that.
The essential inconvenience and worries that only the students themselves knew, which they didn't reveal on the outside and tried not to get caught by anyone.......
Those would not disappear even if a hundred more facilities like that were built.
“Um...... Returnee-sir?”
Yoo jin's mind, which was lost in thought, came up to the surface.
Yoo jin, who made eye contact with Lee Si-wang, cleared his throat and blew away the thick emotions.
“By the way, can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes. Please speak comfortably.”
“Why are you wearing sunglasses?”
“......Pardon?”
Yoo jin turned his body and proceeded toward the school.
“It doesn't suit you.”
Lee Si-wang froze on that spot.
Jin-ho moved his legs and moved behind Yoo jin.
Lee Si-wang only looked at the backs of Yoo jin and Jin-ho getting farther away.
“No, did I do something wrong.......”
Lee Si-wang took off the sunglasses and put them back into his inner pocket.
Taewoon High School, Principal's Office.
“I received the official document. However, I didn't know you would come directly like this. Vice Guild Master-sir, if I knew you were coming, I would have gone out to greet you.”
“Oh my, no. The new semester has started so you must be busy. You don't need to mind it.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
The gaze of the man exchanging stories with Lee Si-wang moved.
“Then this person is.......”
“Yes, reinstatement....... Since it has been too long. It seems correct to ask you to assign him.”
“Ah, I see.”
The man gave a slight nod of greeting while looking at Yoo jin.
“Hello. I am Ma Jae-min, serving as the principal of Taewoon High School.”
Just like his voice, a gentle smile was built on his face.
“......You're the principal?”
Yoo jin's eyes moved up and down.
It was understandable because Ma Jae-min, who was sitting opposite him, was not the appearance of a principal he commonly knew.
Muscle mass that looked like the shirt he was wearing would burst.
There wasn't a single small wrinkle on the smiling face.
Although he didn't live a teaching life for long, if combining the time he attended school when he was young, he had immersed his body within the boundary called school for a whopping 15 years.
Because Yoo jin was someone who had seen many who held the title of principal.
“You look young?”
It wasn't easily accepted that the male named Ma Jae-min in front of his eyes was the school's principal.
“Taewoon High is the academy standing at the peak of South Korea in name and reality. Not only has it never missed 1st place in the province, but it is also an academy among prestigious academies that falls within the top three in the country even if counting loosely.”
The laughter was erased from the corners of Ma Jae-min's eyes which were drawing an arc.
“So the level of teachers teaching the children should also become higher, right? And the principal who is the representative of that school...... shouldn't the person with the most outstanding ability among them take charge?”
Magical power began to shimmer from Ma Jae-min's body.
He didn't use magic or use a skill, but it seemed he pulled up the magical power inside his body a little.
Perhaps because he didn't like Yoo jin's attitude, it looked like he was trying to inform him of the difference in power a little.
“Naturally, since not only the official document from Ignis Guild but also the Vice Guild Master-sir came directly and recommended you like this, you must be an Awakened with a quite high grade. However, keep in mind. If you become a teacher of this school, I, the principal, am the superior and the commanding officer.”
Although it was very slight, he thought he would have felt the difference in power even if he showed just this much.
Because even without releasing everything, one could sufficiently distinguish the strong and the weak just by the density or quality of magical power.
Ma Jae-min, who was facing Yoo jin who had become silent, lifted one corner of his mouth slightly.
‘If I drive a wedge in for the last time, it will be over.’
Ma Jae-min took a posture of looking down at Yoo jin while lifting his chin.
“Although I look like this, I am a person with a lot of experience, so if I were to give you advice as a superior for the last time...... if you don't know your place like that, you might die? They say the most dangerous thing on the battlefield is a soldier drunk on ambiguous power.”
“.......”
“You must be careful. If you get drunk on your own power like that and forget the fact that there is someone higher...... you won't be able to protect your surroundings, let alone your own body. This place is not a general school, but a Hunter Development High School. Classes are also all actual combat. Therefore, it would be better to say this now.”
“.......”
“It will be better to fix your mental state. Because...... I have seen many cases where people like you caused trouble and made students die.”
Silence flowed in the principal's office.
‘Don't look down on me, brat. Even if I look like this, this body is the nation's A-class rank 5.’
“Since you are an adult, you understand well even if I say just this much, right?”
With Ma Jae-min's gaze, who felt good after suppressing the spirit of the newcomer calmly and formally.......
“Ah.......”
The face of the Vice Guild Master, Lee Si-wang, who was spitting out a sigh, was seen.
“......?”
Ma Jae-min's head tilted to one side.
Because he didn't understand.
Why Lee Si-wang, the Vice Guild Master of Ignis Guild, was making such an expression.
While spitting out a sigh, why he was sending such anxious eyes.
South Korea's A-class undisputed rank 1, Lee Si-wang.
His expression went pale increasingly.
“Why such an expression.......”
“Excuse me, Mr. Principal.”
A voice started to be heard from the seat next to Lee Si-wang.
Ma Jae-min's gaze was moved to the seat next to him.
And he could face it.
The existence with nothing higher.
“I will treat you as a superior. Since there are watching eyes and students too.”
Just by facing him, breath did not come easily.
He felt like a lump of iron as big and heavy as a mountain was pressing down on his whole body.
Breathing is difficult, and his mind goes faint.
In the midst of that, strangely, that man's voice was heard clearly.
As if telling him not to forget.
“However, this is the last time. If you say something like...... I cause trouble and make students die one more time to me.”
Yoo jin's finger pointed to the sky.
“You will be over there.”