RE: Player again

283

[Chapter 092] [Evil for Evil (12)]

Slayers had existed in secret for a long time.

Since those who violated the law usually hid in slums or black markets, their existence wasn't very surprising to Players.

The Twelve Seats managing the black market, and Baek Seo-jin, even carried out self-purification by weighing the severity of their crimes.

Those who didn't violate public sentiment had to do dirty work for the country for life under .

But their existence had to remain 'secret' after all.

They were beings that absolutely must not be revealed to the light.

Because while Players could become heroes, Slayers were merely criminals.

But the ones hiding on Seoraksan not only kidn*pped academy students, but even killed an academy instructor.

The darkness that shouldn't be revealed was revealed in the worst form.

Though students should be protected, the Slayers abandoned humanity and incurred public outrage.

Moreover, it was even revealed that many of the Slayers were those who faked their deaths or fled to escape the law after the 1st Uijeongbu Recapture Operation.

For the first time in years, citizens unanimously voiced criticism of the Fairy Government and each clan.

It doesn't say in detail what happened to the kids there.

Well, if such stories came out it would be like pouring oil on a burning house.

Looks like the Fairy Government instructed the media to control information.

Eun-ha who woke up late for lunch was looking at his smartphone in the academy cafeteria.

The Player Academy decided to have a one week break after the comprehensive evaluation.

The kidn*pped students went home to take mental rest.

Eun-ha too had been spending time at home until a few days ago.

Then he returned to the academy two days before the holiday ended.

"Classes start again next week... I don't want to go to class. Plus the vacation was shortened by a week..."

"We just need to endure a little since classes are in the final stretch anyway."

"What does it matter if classes are in the final stretch. There are final exams after that... hah..."

"You wouldn't need to worry about exams if you had been reviewing regularly."

"Ugh..."

Just then, his friends returned to the middle school academy too.

Min-ji said they should gather after a long time, so they decided to all eat brunch together at the cafeteria.

Eun-hyeok who was complaining with his head on the table was conversing with Min-ho eating bread across from him.

They seem to have gotten quite close.

Eun-ha chuckled seeing the two talking back and forth.

It felt like an inexplicable bond had formed between the two.

When Min-ho tried to drink water, Eun-hyeok reached out his hand and passed the water bottle without even looking at him.

Min-ho received the water bottle very naturally, without saying thanks.

"I could have done that..."

"Eun-woo, water please."

"Okay, just a moment."

As a result, Eun-woo who had been doing trivial things pouted her lips as if her role was stolen.

Seo-na who couldn't bear to watch held out a water cup to her.

Then Eun-woo smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and poured water for her.

They say they went through a hard time with those guys, but unlike how they look, they don't seem depressed.

Eun-ha glanced at his friends who were no different from before the comprehensive evaluation while drinking coffee.

It was fortunate they weren't discouraged like other students, if fortunate.

But his friends wouldn't be exactly the same as before.

They must have felt something from this incident.

Even if they don't bring it up.

Parang hyung awakened his gift too...

Eun-hyeok too, apparently.

Eun-ha turned his gaze to Jin Parang sleeping with his head on the table.

Jin Parang who used Gift had his sleep time drastically increase since that day.

Even when he returned home, he slept sprawled out for days.

Parang who was originally lazy became even more seriously lazy after that.

Today too, Eun-ha forcibly woke him up and brought him out.

Compared to him, Eun-hyeok seemed to have become more diligent than before.

Moreover, from talking to him, it seemed he had awakened his gift.

Unfortunately he didn't seem able to freely use his gift yet, but still Eun-ha looked forward to Eun-hyeok's future.

This is definitely .

It's a gift very well-suited for Dealers or Hunters...

To think Eun-hyeok possessed it.

Gift was a gift that finds the enemy's weakness.

When possessed by Dealers or Hunters, boasted outstanding effects.

Players who obtained in his previous life usually became Named.

As a result, it could be said Eun-hyeok's value for recruiting into the party increased.

Seo-na said she increased training lately, and Eun-woo said she firmly decided to apply for Supporter too.

And Bae Su-bin...

Eventually Eun-ha turned to Bae Su-bin.

Unlike before, she wasn't studying while eating.

Still, her words had noticeably decreased compared to before.

"What are you looking at?"

Moreover, she even had an edge.

Bae Su-bin who was eating yogurt soon asked in a confrontational tone.

As if threatening she wouldn't leave him be if he looked without any particular reason.

This one's gotten quite feisty.

What on earth happened for her personality to change so nastily like before the regression?

Bae Su-bin's personality was nasty to begin with.

But it wasn't a personality that made him recall , seeming like she would talk back at any moment.

And at that time, he could dominate her by using the pretext that he bought her.

But in this life, Eun-ha didn't have any means to dominate her.

"...Your personality is really nasty." "What? My personality is nasty? You wanna die?"

"Who said your personality is nasty? I said you eat yogurt nastily. You should be mindful of your mouth when eating the packaging."

"...Hmph!"

Bae Su-bin showing killing intent in her eyes at the words "You wanna die?" unlike usual.

He wanted to slam Bae Su-bin down on the table, but there were too many watching eyes.

He inevitably took a step back and teased her about the yogurt.

I need to educate Bae Su-bin sometime.

Though Parang didn't try to climb over him even when manifesting , he didn't expect Bae Su-bin to try defying him.

Eun-ha decided to educate her targeting the upcoming winter break.

So she would never climb over again.

A sword swung indiscriminately at people was not a weapon but merely a dangerous object.

If Bae Su-bin was left like this, she might fall to become a Slayer someday.

Eun-ha who wanted Bae Su-bin to become a party member didn't want such a future.

"...Ah, news just came out." "Why? What news came out?"

That's when it happened.

While Eun-woo was comforting Su-bin, Ha-yang who was drinking steaming citron tea lowered her head to her smartphone.

Soon she recited the contents of the message sent by Alice Group for other students to hear.

"The Mana Management Organization decided to deploy Twelve Seats Player Hwang San-gun to eradicate Slayers hiding on Seoraksan. And Dangun Clan decided to dispatch SA-rank and above party members to lend strength." "Dangun? That's unusual. They're a clan that usually doesn't step up even if clan members die."

"It seems Dangun Clan suffered severe brand damage this time. They say many of the Slayers had been in Dangun Clan before. So maybe Dangun Clan is stepping up to take responsibility."

"...Well, that could be. They're probably not stepping up to take responsibility, but to calm public opinion."

Eun-ha nodded saying maybe that could be the case to Ha-yang's speculation.

Dangun lost Caster Chae Su-jin, a Player evaluated as SSS-rank within the clan, from this incident.

Chae Su-jin was a Player who made some achievements in the 2nd Uijeongbu Recapture Operation.

So when he first heard that, he couldn't shake off the thought that the future had changed again.

Though it's fine even without Chae Su-jin... I didn't think she would go like this.

She was a Caster who belonged to the relatively diligent side in Dangun Clan.

So her death was regrettable.

But still his intention to bring down Dangun remained unchanged.

Rather, Eun-ha hoped Dangun would suffer even a little damage from this opportunity.

KK Clan as a bonus.

He prayed the Hwang San-gun and Dangun Clan's elite clan members would be injured or die.

...Though that won't happen.

Eun-ha put the cup to his lips while listening to Ha-yang telling his friends.

Hwang San-gun who wasn't one of the Twelve Seats in his previous life was a Caster with considerable skills.

Especially his abilities boasted excellence not in cities but in mountainous areas.

The Mana Management Organization didn't say they would send to Seoraksan for nothing.

Thanks to that, KK Clan and Dangun Clan would be able to protect themselves from public opinion criticizing the Player industry due to this incident.

At the same time, Dangun Clan could gain public sympathy by bringing up Chae Su-jin's death, as well as create an image of a clan that cherishes comrades.

Surely Dangun Clan Lord Jang Bong-jeon must be very excited right now.

Though Eun-ha didn't want that.

Well, even so, Dangun Clan won't gain anything beneficial besides protecting their brand image.

But Jang Bong-jeon won't obtain other benefits.

Because he had already thoroughly cleaned out the Slayers' villages.

Dangun Clan would be thinking of arresting Slayers and gathering spoils, but they would only find insignificant items.

Because he already had Five Claws and Butterfly's Protection.

Other than that, high quality mana stones, or parts of devices used by Slayers that could fetch high prices.

In the end, all Dangun Clan would obtain was honor with wounds.

"If we're all done eating, let's get up." "Okay!"

"Wake up Parang hyung too."

"...Alright. Bingu oppa, get up now. We're moving to the cafe." "...Mnya... um... oh... okay..."

"Hurry up and get up!"

"...Aack─! Is there a fire somewhere!?"

"Stop talking nonsense like bingu and hurry up and get out of your seat."

"...Huh? Where are we going? Didn't you guys say we'd eat brunch earlier?"

"Hah... This oppa is really driving me crazy."

Before they knew it, his friends finished eating.

Eun-ha got up from his seat holding his tray.

Ha-yang quietly got up following him and other friends also got up from their seats.

At that time, the gazes of students watching their table moved along.

To the point even friends who hadn't noticed the gazes until now all noticed.

The eyes of students in the cafeteria were directed at them.

"Captain, doesn't it seem like people are looking at us?"

"Did we do something wrong?"

Eun-hyeok and Seo-na stuck close behind Eun-ha.

Eun-hyeok even put his mouth to Eun-ha's ear and whispered quietly.

Seo-na seemed intimidated feeling the students' gazes. Though she was acting like nothing on the outside, she was carefully grasping Eun-hyeok's clothes.

"You didn't do anything wrong. So don't try to mind it needlessly."

"But they're looking like that? There were times like this before, but never this many people looking at us..."

"It means you're getting attention."

Eun-ha opened his mouth looking at students around.

There was no way he wouldn't know the gazes they were sending.

He had seen those gazes countless times in his previous life.

"─They're envious of you."

The emotion contained in the gazes they sent was admiration.

His friends had shown excellent skills from the time of admission until now.

And they firmly imprinted their skills on the students through the Seoraksan incident.

That we have skills that differ from you while existing on the same level as you.

"They're envious of us? Why? Everyone could become strong if they just study hard and train..."

"That's not as easy as it sounds."

The main characters of the 031st class.

Now his friends would unknowingly receive such treatment.

So those people were admiring his friends who were considered main characters.

At the same time, they might be thinking they want to be included too.

Surely in their eyes, it must look like a bright future is waiting ahead of them.

It feels strange.

Eun-ha ignored the students' gazes and left the cafeteria.

It felt strange.

In his previous life, he had only been able to watch the main characters always hanging out together.

But what about now?

He had become the object he once admired and was jealous of.

Only then did he feel the future had changed.

Unlike when he heard information that the Mana Management Organization would arrest Slayers faster than before the regression.

"Ugh... then do we have to be careful with our words and actions from now on..."

"What's there to be careful about. You're not Jin Parang... just act like usual."

"...Huh? Min-ho what's with you? For you to say such things..."

Choi Eun-hyeok resolving to be careful from now on.

Mok Min-ho blurting that out to him.

Cha Eun-woo walking alongside him with her hands behind her back.

"I received a lot usually... So actually being like this with you guys feels so good." "Come to think of it, that's right Ha-yang. Hmm, I guess to become a successful Player you need to get used to gazes like this? ...I'll try to work on it."

"I don't care about such things. But... I won't leave them be if they keep being annoying."

Jung Ha-yang smiling brightly.

Jin Seo-na walking holding her hand.

Bae Su-bin saying she'll go her own way.

"Yawn... Now that I'm waking up I'm getting hungry. They'll sell food where we're going now right?" "......"

Jin Parang scratching his unwashed hair and yawning.

Kim Min-ji holding onto him who could go off in any direction, walking with her mouth tightly shut.

"...1st year is coming to an end soon."

Eun-ha who glanced back at them took a step forward.

Middle school academy 1st year was coming to an end.

And that meant the time when students had to prove they could kill monsters wasn't far off.

They'll all do well on their own.

His friends became stronger over the year.

So there was no need to worry.

☆

"......"

Kim Min-ji looked at her friends advancing ahead.

Her friends were following behind Eun-ha while having friendly conversations.

That sight was so enviable.

I'm the weakest one here.

She recalled the students sending admiring gazes at them in the cafeteria.

The moment she received those gazes, she felt the emotion she had been holding back all this time gently raise its head.

The emotion called inferiority.

She unconsciously ended up comparing the difference between herself and her friends.

Before, there wasn't much difference between me and the kids...

She had given up on being at the same level as Jung Ha-yang very early on.

She resigned herself to not having physical abilities like Jin Parang because she wasn't an Ein.

But it wasn't the case for Eun-hyeok and Seo-na.

Until now, Eun-hyeok hadn't had much difference from her.

But from some point, Eun-hyeok started suddenly showing his talents.

Now he even awakened his gift.

There was no need to mention Seo-na either. She was doing things only she could do by skillfully using telepathy.

I wasn't any help this time.

Moreover, Seo-na played a decisive role in informing Eun-ha of the Slayers' hideout.

But all she could do was hide

She was secretly frustrated by that.

Her pride was subtly hurt.

Su-bin is no comparison to me.

Min-ho and Eun-woo too... are stronger than me.

She looked at Su-bin, Min-ho, and Eun-woo who had become friends with Eun-ha this year.

All three had considerable skills.

Skills similar to themselves who had trained to control mana since childhood.

Perhaps skills surpassing that.

Bae Su-bin had substantial internal mana, and Mok Min-ho had excellent swordsmanship skills.

Lastly, Cha Eun-woo knew how to use healing magic.

But what about herself?

"......"

She had nothing.

No vast internal mana.

No physical abilities like an Ein.

No gift to make up for being ordinary.

No telepathy to connect people.

No outstanding sense for handling mana.

No systematically learned swordsmanship.

No magic exceptional at something.

Not a single... thing.

Rather, she felt her growth speed slowing down as time passed.

At this rate, she might lose the qualification to be by Eun-ha's side.

Because more skilled people would gather around him in the future too.

This won't do.

I need to become stronger, stronger, even stronger.

Kim Min-ji, age 14.

She who had been training since childhood firmly resolved again.

Without knowing her talent limit was approaching faster than others.

No, while turning a blind eye to it.