Chapter 3: Train to the Academy (1)
At <Dragon yer Academy>, various worldviews were intertwined.
There could be a medieval fantasy city with swords and magic, and just a step away, you could find a martial arts world. And then, if you shifted your gaze slightly, modern buildings would catch your eye.
Therefore, it wasnt strange that the tform in front of us was made up of ancient-looking pavilions.
Fortunately, we made it in time.
Its all thanks to Kim-hyung.
There was a reason why Go Hyeon-woo praised me; he wasnt particrly talented at finding his way.
On the other hand, I just had to follow the quest arrows, so there was no chance of us getting lost.
<em>Still, this guy was helpful.</em>
Go Hyeon-woo dealt with minor monsters we encountered on our path, so it wasnt a loss for me.
The train had already arrived and was waiting on the tform, and I could see students in school uniforming and going.
We approached the station attendant.
He appeared to be a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, with an unexpectedly full head of hair for his age.
Moreover, his hair was so well-kept that it gleamed and swayed neatly.
<em>Could that be a wig?</em>
With those doubts in mind, I handed over my ticket.
The station attendant checked the tickets and looked us over before asking.
First year?
Yes.
First-year students should board the carriages from number 1 to 10.
Thank you.
As we scanned the series of carriages, we soon spotted one marked with the number <10>.
The moment we stepped onto the train, a notification message popped up.
[Tutorial II Completed]
[Tutorial III]
Objective: Attend the entrance ceremony.
[TIP: Make different friends on the train.]
The train to Dragon yer Academy was of the cabin type.
The right half was a corridor for people to pass through, and the left half consisted of small rooms.
Go Hyeon-woo and I walked down the corridor, peering through the small windows on each cabin door.
We were looking for an empty cabin.
But it was difficult to find even an empty seat, let alone an empty cabin.
It made sense, as students must have boarded at other tforms the train had passed through.
We walked from carriage 10, peering and walking, until around carriage 8.
Finally, Go Hyeon-woo found a suitable cabin.
Kim-hyung, there seems to be space here.
Peeking inside, there was only one person.
We slid the door open.
The inside of the cabin was about two pyeong (6 square meters) in size.
In the middle of the cabin, there was a small table with built-in seats facing each other around it.
The arrangement was such that four people could sit in each cabin.
A female student with light gray hair was lying face down on the window seat. When she sensed someones presence, she slowly sat up.
When I met the gray-haired girls eyes, my first thought was that she was beautiful.
Even among the many attractive men and women in <Dragon yer Academy>, she stood out as exceptionally beautiful.
The instincts of men are indeed unavoidable.
The next thing I noticed about her was that she looked to be sleepy.
Hernguid face, dripping with fatigue, and her half-closed eyes seemed to debate whether to fall back asleep.
Although she had just woken up, I got the feeling that this was her usual state.
Lastly, my long experience as a collector whispered to me,
<em>This is a raw gem.</em>
It was just a vague intuition at the moment, but characters like her usually reached S-tier without much difficulty in ny-nine out of a hundred cases.
Whether my feeling was correct or not would be something to find out in the future.
Anyway, since we couldnt just keep staring at each other, I took the initiative to ask,
Are the seats empty?
Yes.
Her hoodie worn over her school uniform seemed slightly oversized, as only the tips of her fingers peeked out from the loose sleeves.
She tapped the seat next to her. She wants me to sit there, I suppose?
I didnt hesitate and quickly took the seat.
Go Hyeon-woo chose a spot across from me, near the window.
My name is Go Hyeon-woo.
Im Kim Ho.
Seo Ye-in.
After our brief introductions, I found myself lost in thought.
I had memorized all the characters in <Dragon yer Academy> from the named ones to the minor extras in its story and quests.
But Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in were both new to me.
Moreover, from my brief observation at the tform, other students and station staff were all unfamiliar faces.
The setting was the same, but the characters were different.
This would inevitably lead to changes in the uing events and quests.
I needed to keep a close watch to see what would change and what would remain the same.
<em>Rumble</em>
My body slightly jolted, and I felt a faint sense of floating.
The train must have departed as the scenery outside the window gradually receded.
But for a while now, Ive been feeling a persistent gaze on me.
Seo Ye-in was staring intently at my face and with slightly less sleepy eyes than when we first met.
?
As I sent her a look asking if she had something to say, she ced her bag on herp.
It was a tactical metal bag that was designed for extreme practicality, devoid of any trace of cuteness.
She rustled through the bag and pulled out a small paper pouch.
From the pouch, she offered me a chocte chip cookie.
Want one?
***
Seo Ye-in possessed a unique set of eyes that were different from others.
Her eyes could quantify everything she saw into information.
For example, when she looked at a male student in martial arts clothing, she saw familiar data.
[Status]
Go Hyeon-woo
Skills
Heavenly Flow Sword Technique (D)
Traits
Swordsmanship (C)
Core (E)
etc.
She could delve into these details any time she wanted, though they rarely piqued her interest.
However, the data for another male student who entered the cabin was full of question marks.
Not metaphorically, but literally filled with question marks.
[Stat??]
?????
#?????
?mpl??
??arc?
???
???
She couldnt read anything at all.
This was the fourth time Seo Ye-in had encountered such a status window since she had acquired her eyes.
It was the fourth among countless status windows she had seen flit past her.
She couldnt help but be intrigued.
Moreover, the previous three had all been individuals of deep importance to her.
So, would this man who introduced himself as Kim Ho be the same?
There were many reasons why her gaze kept returning to him.
Even though staring wouldnt change the question marks filling his status window, she continued to look intently.
As she did so, Kim Ho met her gaze and his eyes were filled with curiosity.
Seo Ye-in didnt look away but continued to stare and while doing so she suddenly remembered a piece of advice she had heard before.
<em>If youre interested in someone, start by showing them kindness.</em>
Seo Ye-in took out a cookie from her bag.
Want one?
***
Ah, thanks.
I somewhat bewilderedly epted the cookie.
It was about half the size of my palm, irregrly shaped, far from a perfect circle, and the chocte chips were unevenly embedded in it.
Although it wasnt very appealing to look at, I doubted it would taste much different from a typical chocte chip cookie.
With that thought, I took a big bite.
Seo Ye-in was looking at me intently again as if asking how it tasted.
I took a moment to choose my words carefully.
The cookie is quite soft.
It was a lump of softness with hardly any sweetness.
I had some expectations about the chocte chip cookie, but it seemed to be 65% pure cacao, and it tasted more bitter than sweet.
Of course, it was different from what I had expected, but not tasteless.
So, I managed to finish the cookie quite easily.
And throughout, Seo Ye-in kept watching me.
Her face was expressionless, so it was hard to read her thoughts.
Still, it felt ufortable just making eye contact, so I searched for a topic of conversation.
Its good. Did you bake it yourself?
Mhm, have another.
At this time, Go Hyeon-woo coughed lightly and asked, albeit hesitantly,
Ahem, if its not too rude, may I have one too?
This is thest one.
Seo Ye-in cut him off with an almost cold, decisive tone.
At the same time, she fed thest cookie from the paper bag into my mouth, and it was indeed thest one.
I couldnt shake the feeling that she just didnt want to give one to him
Go Hyeon-woo opened his mouth to say something but then as if realizing it was pointless he closed it.
Just then,
<em>Drrrrr</em>
Suddenly, the cabin door slid open, and a boy with a buzz cut burst in.
He promptly plopped down in the empty seat next to Go Hyeon-woo.
Sorry everyone, I need to intrude for a moment. Ill just sit here for a bit if you dont mind.
I dont mind at all. Feel free to stay as long as you need.
Me neither. The seats empty anyway.
Instead of replying, Seo Ye-in simply nodded her head slightly.
The boy with the buzz cut grinned.
I like this weing vibe. Im Byeong-cheol. Shin Byeong-cheol.
<em>This guy is ordinary.</em>
As soon as Iid my eyes on this Shin Byeong-cheol, a rough estimate immediately came to mind.
If he took the easy route, hed be a C-grade, but with real effort, perhaps hed end up a B-grade.
The potential seen in Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in was so dazzling that this level hardly caught the eye.
However, despite my harsh evaluation, it seemed beneficial to familiarize myself with Shin Byeong-cheol.
From the moment he entered the cabin, I had a rough idea of his identity.
A clue was that despite his shy entrance, he barely made any sound.
When Shin Byeong-cheol introduced himself, everyone responded with a light exchange of names.
He showed particr interest in Go Hyeon-woo.
Seeing that you are wearing a martial artists clothing, you must be from a sect, right? Which sect are you from?
Im from Heavenly Wind Gate.
Heavenly Wind Gate? Heavenly Wind Gate? Wind Gate Ive never heard of it.
Its an obscure, single-session sect that is not well-known to the public. Its possible you havent heard of it.
Is that so? Ill make a note of it. Lets see
Shin Byeong-cheol then pulled out a small notebook and swiftly jotted something down.
Next, he turned his attention to Seo Ye-in and me.
Do you two belong to any sects or magic towers?
No.
Seo Ye-in, once again, responded silently by shaking her head from side to side.
Shin Byeong-cheol continued to scribble something in his notebook.
Information is crucial. It trantes to money, you know.
From the way you talk about it, it seems you trade information too.
Of course. And I dont just deal in information.
When I showed interest, he seemed to think I could be a potential customer, so he quickly took out a business card and handed it to me.
The cards cheap design resembled those distributed in low-end pubs, with the following written in the center:
[Dragon yer Academy Errand Service!]
Seek out this Shin Byeong-cheol whenever and wherever! Ill procure anything for the right price.
I examined the card with curiosity, flipped it over, and asked,
Anything, you say Does that include breaking out some rules?
Ah, certainly. Just give the word.
Youre on the run for that right now, arent you?
!
Shin Byeong-cheol who had been chattering excitedly suddenly mped his mouth shut.
It was clear now that his reason for entering this cabin was not merely to socialize with us.
Was it that obvious?
Your eyes kept darting towards the door.
Hehe, well, I tried to hide it.
Seizing the moment, Shin Byeong-cheol peered outside the cabin once more.
Suddenly, after seeing something, he hurried back to his seat, pretending as if he had always been part of this cabinspany.
However,
<em>Drrrrrr!</em>
The rooms door opened again.
***********
TN: when author says <Dragon yer Academy> with the brackets he is talking about the game not the academy.