Chapter 167: Sports.


    After the cold winter passed, the flowers bloomed in March.


    The school also started a new year.


    Kim Ki-woo adopted most of the school system from the original history.


    He divided the school year into two semesters, and gave the students a break during the summer and winter vacations.


    You should have various experiences when youre a student. Its not good to make them study too much.


    Kim Ki-woo had experienced the hellish entrance exam in Korea.


    Of course, he understood that Korea had a strong education fever due to itsck of natural resources and its need to produce outstanding talents topete.


    But that was not applicable to the Wakan Tanka Empire at all.


    Wasnt this vast continent all under the territory of the Wakan Tanka Empire?


    Therefore, Kim Ki-woo had implemented an educational policy that encouraged various extracurricr activities in schools.


    We are recruiting new members for the basketball club! Feel free to look around and go!


    Lets learn an instrument together! The seniors will teach you kindly!


    As a result, every time a new semester started, various clubspeted to recruit new members.


    There were many different clubs in each school, ranging from arts and sports clubs to reading, invention, writing, and exercise clubs.


    The teachers encouraged the students to join at least one club.


    Among these clubs, the most popr field was undoubtedly sports.


    Boys should y ser!


    Nah~ Basketball is much cooler than ser, dont you think?


    You dont know what youre talking about! Baseball is the best!


    Teenagers, especially boys, really liked ball games that they could run around and enjoy.


    A long time ago, Kim Ki-woo had introduced various ball games to the empire for the leisure of its people, so by this time, many ball games had naturally settled in.


    Among them, the most popr sport was ser.


    It only required a yground and a ball, and many people could y it at once.


    At some point, sers poprity soared rapidly.


    The trigger was when the National High School Ser Association was created.


    Another match with Wind High School? I wish we could y with a different school.


    Whats wrong with them? Theyre good.


    Its different from being good and being bored! I can even count the dots on their managers face by now.


    Not everyone was like that, but a lot of high school ser clubs only yed with nearby schools.


    It was hard to coordinate matches with faraway schools.


    Hmm. Is there no better way?


    Like other clubs, there was a teacher in charge of the ser club.


    And as usual, they were teachers who liked ser.


    They wished that their ser club could y with many other clubs.


    Cold Floor was also a teacher in charge of a high school ser club. He also had this problem and came up with an idea.


    Yeah. How about we get together with schools in the region and arrange matches in advance?


    At first, he meant to set up a schedule of matches for each semester instead of arranging them on the spot.


    Cold Floor gathered teachers in charge of ser clubs in the region.


    Most of these teachers also had the same problem, so many teachers came.


    And he expressed his opinion at this meeting.


    Ho-ho. That sounds good.


    As soon as he finished speaking, many teachers showed interest and agreed.


    At that moment.


    What about this?


    A man who had been quietly listening to Cold Floors words in one corner, Blue Deer, opened his mouth.


    Do you have a better idea?


    If were going to set up matches in advance like Cold Floor said, how about introducing apetitive system as well?


    Competition?


    Yes. During the semester, each school ys against each other and gives the honor of being the best ser club to the one with the most wins.


    Ho-ho?


    The teachers nodded as if they understood what Blue Deer meant.


    But soon an objection came out.


    Hmm. Its a good idea, but Im worried. What is the purpose of school clubs? Isnt it to let students y together and establish proper character? But if apetitive system is created, it might have a negative impact on the members of ser clubs with fewer wins.


    That might be possible.


    The blue deer retorted again.


    Well, I dont think its right to judge without actually trying. On the contrary, the lower-ranked ser club members might work harder to get more wins next time. In the process, they might also strengthen their bonds with each other. Everything is just a possibility. Its only fair to try at least once and see how it goes.


    After that, there were many opinions about thepetitive system, or the regional league.


    And in the end, they reached the conclusion that it was worth trying at least once.


    The teachers met several times and adjusted the league schedule. In this process, several rules were established.


    There were some minor differences in the rules for each school, and they also needed clear rules for the league outside of ser.


    And soon after, the first sports league was officially held.


    ***


    In fact, in the end, the ser tournament that the teachers organized was their own league.


    Hardly anyone knew about it.


    The concept of a league was also unfamiliar.


    So that year, until the middle of the league, it didnt get much attention.


    But in the areas near the capital where the league was held, rumors spread quietly.


    Theyre deciding the strongest ser club?


    Thats what they say. Lets go watch it together when we have time. Our school is also participating.


    Really?


    Most of the imperial citizens live in the same area where they grew up.


    That means they graduated from their local high school.


    For them, the news of their alma maters participation in the tournament was quite interesting.


    Lets go see it.


    So the graduates started to watch their alma maters ser games, and as time went by, more and more spectators gathered.


    No! You cant shoot like that from there!


    Good! Thats right!


    Fight! You can do it!


    As time went by, the cheers and support of the spectators increased,


    Ah If we had won this time, we could have reimed first ce.


    Phew. Luckily we avoidedst ce.


    They became more interested as they watched the rankings fluctuate constantly.


    A ser tournament This would make a great story, wouldnt it?


    As things went on like this, some local newspapers reported on the ser tournament.


    And this led to more interest from the local residents.


    And by the end of the semester, this interest reached its peak.


    The teachers were greatly encouraged by this huge interest, and they introduced one system because of it.


    It was a system that selected the top five teams with high wins, and had them y four games in total: fifth ce vs fourth ce, then the winner vs third ce, then second ce, and finally first ce.


    The team that won first ce in the end was the true champion.


    The teachers collected money among themselves and even made an expensive trophy.


    At the end of the semester, four games were yed.


    And in this process, a drama was written.


    Oh my God!


    Hahaha! I cant believe our team won!


    The team that barely made it to fifth ce defeated teams from first to fourth ce in a row and achieved the final victory.


    The local residents, especially those who graduated from that school, were ecstatic about this dramatic win.


    And this story spread throughout the empire and became a big issue.


    Thanks to this, residents of other regions learned about the existence of the ser league.


    ***


    The capital is the center of the empire.


    So when the ser tournament became a big hit in the capital, simr things happened in other regions.


    What cant we dopared to them? If were talking about ser, were better than them, arent we?


    Yes. Lets have a ser tournament too.


    Just like schools in the capital region teamed up, schools in each region also teamed up.


    As a result, from next year on, numerous ser leagues sprang up.


    Oh! Schools in our region are also having a ser tournament!


    Its unfair for only capital residents to enjoy this fun spectacle!


    Hehe. I heard our school is the best at ser in our region.


    Thats how a culture of cheering for ones alma mater in their spare time emerged in the empire.


    The current stadium is too ufortable to watch.


    And gradually,rge-scale ser stadiums were built in various ces.


    This led to an influx of more and more spectators.


    Even if they didnt have a team to cheer for, many fans became addicted to ser itself and kepting to watch.


    I never expected this to happen.


    He felt a chill on his whole body on the cold floor as he watched the ser tournament that was getting hotter as time passed.


    He had only tried to help the ser club members he was in charge of to y against more diverse opponents, but he didnt know that the stakes would get this big.


    But on the other hand, he felt proud.


    Thanks to his actions, ser, which he loved so much, was receiving great attention.


    He was very happy as a ser yer.


    I hope this heatsts longer than now.


    With this thought in mind, he poured more passion into the ser tournament than the school sses on the cold floor.


    He wondered how he could make the tournament more sessful.


    And while he was having a meeting, one suggestion was made.


    After we started the ser tournament for the first time, various regions are also holding tournaments like us, right?


    Thats right.


    Then how about this? The winning teams from each region gather and select the best team. It will surely get more attention. Its not a regional thing, but a national thing to decide the best team.


    Oh! Thats a brilliant idea. If that happens


    It will also be a pride fight between regions.


    The cold floor nodded his head as he spat out his words.


    The more he thought about it, the better it was.


    Hmm. That would be great if that happens, but will the schools in other regions ept it?


    Whats there not to ept? At least some regions will definitely ept it, and if that happens, other regions will join in too.


    Thats right. If a national tournament is held, they will want to participate for the sake of publicity. If we can get some regions to join us, everything will be easier.


    Then lets make a n and propose it to each region.


    The teachers, including the cold floor, immediately put this into action.


    They established an organization called the National High School Ser Club Association and decided to hold a national tournament during the summer vacation with the winning teams at the end of the semester.


    And the cold floor became the first president of the association and brought in groups from various regions into the association.


    A national tournament It sounds like a lot of interest will be drawn if a national tournament is held.


    Damn. We have no choice but to join the association.


    Eventually, most of the regions gathered under the association in no time.


    And that summer, the first national tournament was held.


    Many winning teams from various regions came up to the capital andpeted for the best team in the nation.


    Wow How many people are there?


    The ser stadium was literally crowded.


    There was no room for feet in the stands, and countless people couldnt even enter the stadium.


    It was originally built veryrge to amodate many spectators, but it was still like this.


    Thissted until the moment when the winner of the national tournament was born.


    The spectators enjoyed the burning heat of ser under the hot sun.


    Thats how the long history of imperial sports began.