I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 96



95 – You little… Don’t tell me?

“Hmm.”

Juyeon stood on the supply transport, its bay doors yawning wide.

From this towering height, she quietly surveyed the deserted island below, glistening wet from the rain.

‘It’s humid even up here.’

She hadn’t aimed for a rainy day, but it was a scenario accounted for.

If she considered it training, it almost felt like a stroke of good fortune.

“…”

Juyeon pulled an energy bar from her pocket and bit into it.

Her jaw worked mechanically as she kept a close watch on the situation.

She’d been on the transport’s deck for a full day, ever since dropping off the first-year cadets yesterday.

Something she considered a given as an academy instructor.

Besides, she wasn’t the only one suffering.

All the instructors responsible for the first-years would be watching over the cadets, without proper sleep or rest, until the trial concluded.

‘At least support will give us some breathing room.’

The Paradise Knights, their exceptional flying skills on full display, were patrolling within sight.

She could also sense the instructors moving about within the island itself.

“…”

The island within her view seemed quiet enough, without issue.

Even so, Juyeon couldn’t tear her eyes away for even a second.

Because of a vague sensation, one lacking definition and shrouded in ambiguity.

‘Ominous.’

What Juyeon felt was purely within the realm of instinct.

Whenever she sensed this kind of undercurrent, events, regardless of their severity, always unfolded.

She couldn’t avoid it because she didn’t even know what it *was*. Stopping the trial itself might become the very source of the incident.

So, all she could do was maintain the sharpest focus possible.

‘…Hopefully, nothing happens.’

Just this once, she wished that her worries would prove baseless.

With that prayer, Juyeon pushed the remaining piece of energy bar into her mouth.

*

Scarlet Supply.

What sort of delightful goods might it contain?

It’s a question Abyss City couldn’t answer, a curiosity. I feel giddy, like a child.

*Crunch! Swish!*

Pushing through the thicket, Rohan and Ichinose stopped, struck dumb by the vista before them.

“Huh?”

“This… this has to be coincidence, right? What a curious picture.”

Concealed within the foliage, they observed the mass of Iron Turtles teeming below.

Judging by their numbers, this appeared to be a habitat.

“They must be asleep, no?”

“Likely. They’re said to retract into their shells when slumber overtakes them.”

The very center of the scene was dominated by the razor-edged carapaces of the Iron Turtles.

And atop the largest Iron Turtle’s shell sat a supply drop, plump and pristine, issuing its plume of crimson smoke.

The sheer serendipity of this arrangement was almost absurd.

“Hmm… rather than brute force, perhaps we simply slip in and snatch it?”

“I don’t think that’s a bad plan. Even if they’re tough, they *are* rather slow-witted monsters.”

As Rohan and Ichinose deliberated,

two male students emerged boldly from the bushes on the opposite side.

Rohan and Ichinose broke off their conversation and watched the newcomers from their hiding place.

— Iron Turtles, huh? Not much of a challenge to beat them.

— …

— What are you waiting for? Go and get it.

— M-Me!?

A clear hierarchy was on display.

Judging by their faces, they weren’t from Class One.

Rohan might have encountered them somewhere within the Orion Academy, but he didn’t have a clear recollection of them.

What was certain was that they weren’t player-controlled, nor characters encountered during the story.

“Hmph, unfamiliar faces.”

“…One of them is a student from the Three Flowers Kingdom, it seems.”

Ichinose exhaled a long sigh, as if recognizing him.

Merely acknowledging the other student seemed to bring on a weary air.

“A friend of yours?”

“Not what you’d call a friendly acquaintance. I’ve just… seen him a few times, accompanying my father to various events.”

Though Ichinose’s unease and discomfort were palpable, even with that meager connection.

Rohan refrained from voicing it, instead posing his question in a subdued tone.

“So, no truly useful intelligence, then?”

“If I were to mention only what I know, he’s Ok Myung-jin, grandson of General Cheol-eung of Samhwa. Weapon of choice is, as you can see, a spear… It’s said that General Cheol-eung’s spear technique favors centrifugal force, creating movements akin to a staff rather than simple thrusts.”

Indirect information regarding the cadet, Ok Myung-jin.

Concise and welcome. As they share blood, it’s highly probable he was directly tutored in the spear arts.

“If he’s Cheol-eung, that’s a rank below Grand General, right?”

“Correct.”

“Wow, our Instructor is the best after all.”

“Instructor Juyeon’s reputation places her in the top five, even within Samhwa’s political circles.”

Ichinose, while speaking softly, couldn’t conceal his respect for Juyeon.

To reach the rank of General at Juyeon’s age would be enough to call her a talent for the ages of Samhwa history. Yet, she went past that wall, all the way to Grand General before coming down. A genius, no less.

Moreover, her youth ensured a future of even greater growth and influence.

Juyeon’s existence was no exaggeration to call a point of pride for Samhwa.

“Anyway, this Ok… thingy isn’t someone you’d share supplies with, correct?”

“No. No need to concern yourself with him.”

Rohan, having reaffirmed Ichinose’s intentions,

Finished adjusting his equipment, ready to depart.

— Hurry up and go. Unless you want to die.

— Wait, just a minute!

— If you bring it back, I’ll give you a little bit, okay?

He even spotted them pushing a teammate toward the monster.

Calming Ichinose, who seemed ready to intervene, Rohan rose from his seat first.

“Hey there, fellas.”

““!””

The two men’s heads snapped around at Rohan’s voice.

Their expressions were filled with wariness, but

When Ichinose appeared behind Rohan, the spear-wielding cadet’s face lit up.

“Ichinose-nim! It’s an honor to see you here!”

“Ah, yes…”

“Ehehe! To meet like this, over the same supplies. Isn’t this fate?”

“…”

Ichinose subtly takes a step back.

Even Rohan, standing beside him, felt the pressure of his demeanor.

Like a hybrid of things that shouldn’t be mixed, Rohan cut the conversation short.

“Enough with the idle chatter. I have no intention of sharing supplies, so scram. If you’re hungry, peel off a sticker.”

“Hmm?”

Ok Myungjin’s gaze sweeps to Rohan, standing beside Ichinose.

He sizes him up and down quickly, then asks,

“And who might you be?”

“Rohan, is all.”

He answers the polite query with a simple politeness of his own.

Rohan… Rohan…? He repeats the name to himself a few times, then exchanges a word or two with the cadet next to him.

From noble mtl dot com

As if he found his answer, the corners of his mouth lift.

“To be partnered with Ichinose-nim… You’re a lucky one.”

“Check out this guy’s sudden change of attitude. Amusing.”

“Quiet. I have no desire to speak with you, so stay out of it.”

Ok Myungjin plants his spear on the ground, his gaze fixed on Ichinose.

“Ichinose-nim. What do you say to teaming up with me?”

“Are you suggesting we move as a group of four?”

“No. Not ‘we,’ but ‘me.’”

Ok Myungjin’s partner cadet keeps his mouth shut, staring only at the ground.

Ichinose’s eyebrows, hidden beneath his bangs, twitch.

“What does that mean? Are you saying you’d abandon your partner?”

“If you put it that way, doesn’t it make me look like the villain? I’m simply pursuing efficiency and suggesting an exchange.”

“…?”

Ichinose, as if not understanding, opened his eyes wide and looked at Rohan.

Rohan, also clueless, just shrugged his shoulders.

“We gather here on the last day and swap partners again, and no one will be the wiser. With over a hundred cadets on this deserted island, the instructors won’t be meticulously checking who’s with who.”

“What’s this all about…”

An attitude brimming with unbearable confidence.

Ichinose was left speechless, and Rohan, who was listening beside him, let out a hollow chuckle.

*‘Look at this punk?’*

What kind of manners were these, offering such a proposition right in front of the person involved?

The problem, perhaps, was that this type of human was fairly common. Rohan almost felt a sense of nostalgia, rather than anger.

— *Kweh-eh-eck!*

— *Gurrgl-rrgl…*

Hearing the conversation from below, one or two Iron Turtles began to stir,

but the battle of wills was unfolding between students, not monsters.

“So, what do you say, Ichinose-nim?”

“I refuse.”

“You continue to bestow your benevolence upon the unfortunate. I am once again moved by your beautiful heart, Ichinose-nim.”

“What’s this about…!”

Just as Ichinose was about to explode, Rohan’s hand gripped the standard-issue dagger,

and lightly tossed it.

*Clang!*

Ok Myung-jin, having deflected the dagger with his spear, looked at Rohan.

A throw without imbued magic. Not threatening, but the intent was clear.

“What is the meaning of this? Southerner.”

“Guess you didn’t know. This is a Southern greeting.”

Convinced that the information he had received from his partner was correct, Ok Myung-jin curled his lips into a sneer.

“Intending to decide the owner of the supplies by force? Presumptuous of you to trust in Ichinose-nim.”

“Should’ve found a good partner like me, I guess.”

Rohan naturally grasped his longsword.

Stopping Ichinose, who looked about to step forward, with a hand, he took a step ahead himself.

“So, you’re trying to handle this alone? I can’t give you the supplies, but I won’t kill you, for Ichinose-nim’s sake.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.”

Even as Rohan stepped forward, he was puzzled.

Why did he seem so excessively thrilled? Was the chance to beat someone up really that good?

Thinking thus, Rohan— *shring!* —drew his longsword.

A memory flickered through his mind.

‘Something’s familiar… where have I seen this atmosphere before?’

He looks at Ok Myungjin.

Not charging to fight, but constantly glancing, checking Ichinose.

Ichinose’s awkward air, the very air, the gaze, the attitude, all fit like puzzle pieces clicking into place.

Rohan remembered.

‘Ah!’

A past too vivid to be deja vu.

He’d experienced, and seen, this exact situation in a past life.

The thought, though unconfirmed, felt highly probable.

His mouth opened of its own accord.

“You little… you wouldn’t happen to have…?”

“What. Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now?”

Ok Myungjin, brimming with confidence, pointed his spear at Rohan.

The air around him reeked of premature victory.

But that wasn’t what Rohan wanted to say.

Pity and sympathy already filled Rohan’s gaze as he looked at Ok Myungjin.

“Confessed and got rejected?”

“…”

It was obvious who the object of his confession was, even without being explicitly named.

At Rohan’s words, Ichinose shuddered, recalling the past.

Ok Myungjin, his deeply buried past exposed, gaped blankly.

A moment of silence.

Then, Ok Myungjin’s expression twisted like a demon’s, and he leapt into the air, gripping his spear.

“I’ll kill youuu!!!”

Anyway, a man started to rage.