NOVPUBWith the exception of Dokgo Miro, the three of us were seated, and naturally, all eyes turned toward us.
Given our roles as school ambassadors, it was only natural.
But even though our school has many outstanding players, I couldn’t help but wonder if I really needed to participate.
‘Rather than taking up a spot at the exchange and stealing a chance from someone else, wouldn’t it be better to give others the opportunity? Besides, I have things I want to do during summer break in preparation for the scenario...’
Yeom Jun-yeol seemed oblivious to my thoughts and smiled brightly.
“The ambassadors will be registered for the preliminaries by the student council. Now, moving on to the next agenda item.”
Before I could even express my thoughts, the topic shifted.
Yeom Jun-yeol, being an excellent senior and a considerate junior, probably said that to ease my burden, so I couldn’t be upset.
With mixed feelings, I glanced at the next item on the agenda.
There were quite a few topics to cover today.
‘The student council duties have increased compared to last year. There’s the exchange event with the military academy, and we need to start selecting vendors for the youth training camp.’
Despite the heavy workload, the student council members finished their reports without showing any signs of strain.
The reports from the student leadership and the general student council were also impressive.
Since my playable characters were heads of these organizations, things seemed to go more smoothly.
There was little substance in some reports, and some were disorganized, but since it was a good position full of good students, I decided not to dwell on it.
However, there was one thing that caught my attention in the general student council’s report, presented by Heo Chae-ah.
‘The chess club, Stalemate, has delayed the chess tournament schedule compared to last year.’
The Stalemate club planned to hold the chess tournament around the time of the military academy sports exchange.
Since chess was added as a sport, it seemed they were adjusting the schedule to make it part of the preliminary rounds.
Oh Gildong, a member of Stalemate, might also participate.
‘He’s probably required to attend school to join.’
I wonder if they’re considering the fact that they might lose the opportunity to gain attention once the academic year ends.
I’m worried that in their pursuit of attention, they might forget the more important things.
When the cherry blossoms that had bloomed late finally fell, the first semester results were announced.
‘I’m relieved that no one in our class had to retake the exam.’
Mang Hyo-don, who had barely passed based on his initial self-grading, was quite worried, wondering if he made any mistakes on his answer sheet.
His worries turned out to be unnecessary, and he was able to relax, at least until the next final exam.
‘The top of the first-year class is Eunho, right? He must have worked hard again this time.’
The top ranks of the first-year students hadn’t changed much from when they first enrolled.
Eun Seo-ho and Eun Yi-ho hadn’t surpassed Eunho, nor had they even reached the rank of second place.
I went to visit the Tiger Mansion, thinking I should comfort them and bring a gift, fearing they might be upset. But surprisingly, they seemed fine.
In fact, Eunho appeared to be relieved that he had surpassed the second-place student.
“Eunha is in Class 0, after all. Eunha’s victory is our victory.”
“That’s right! We decided not to worry too much and to keep it friendly.”
The way they spoke made them seem incredibly mature.
Had they grown mentally since becoming high school students?
Or was it simply because they liked Cheon Eunha?
Even though Eunho still kept a distance, I couldn’t quite understand how his friends followed him so loyally.
Could it be an instinct passed down through blood?
Hwang Ji-ho seemed very proud of this attitude.
“Such a mindset befitting the descendants of the Hojok. Get along well with your classmates.”
“I’ll try to get along with my classmates just like you, Senior Hwang Ho!”
“Me too!”
It seemed that they were referring to Hwang Ji-ho as ‘Senior Hwang Ho’ in their version.
‘“Young Senior Hwang Ho,” “Less young Senior Hwang Ho,” “Old Senior Hwang Ho.” I guess it’s better than those versions.
“Being called a senior by the younger generation isn’t bad.”
Considering the age gap, it might not be quite right to be called a senior, but Hwang Ji-ho seemed to like the title.
It’s strange to think that Eunho, who is about the same age as the old tiger, calls me ‘hyung,’ which shows that the concept of age among the tigers is quite different from mine.
“Thanks to coming in first, one rumor circulating in the TC group has quieted down.”
“Rumor?”
“The one about me entering the school illegally.”
I almost choked on my meal when I heard this while eating with Eunho at the dormitory cafeteria.
I never understood why people keep bringing up academic rumors about Eunho, even in the previous world.
“When I became first, I guess it seemed odd to them, considering I suffered from Stockholm syndrome. But if I keep coming first, all those rumors will eventually disappear.”
“If you have any questions or want to check trends, let me know.”
“I will. Thank you, Yishin hyung.”
I impulsively said I would help him, and later regretted it.
If he has questions, it would probably be more useful to ask Cheon Dong-ha, the top student at Eungwang High, rather than me.
I tried to suggest that, but there was no opportunity to bring it up.
Anyway, I was relieved that Eunho was gradually solidifying his position within the TC group.
While some students took the results of the midterms seriously, others were completely indifferent.
“Ah, I thought I’d have to retake the exam, but thankfully, I don’t. Time to hit the PlayerZ OBT.”
“You thought you’d have to retake it?”
“Yeah. But I did better than you guys, the weirdos in our class.”
The conversation I overheard while eating a waffle burger with Yu Sang-hoon and Jang Nam-wook was somewhat shocking.
I knew that Yu Sang-hoon had messed up his written exam, but this was more serious than I thought.
After the CBT, Yu Sang-hoon spent his time revisiting game videos and checking community updates, neglecting his studies.
The only reason he didn’t fail was because he was determined not to take another exam during the OBT period.
‘If he’s being compared to Hwang Ji-ho, this is serious.’
Hwang Ji-ho, who always scores exactly 40 in every subject, has never ranked last.
Though there are occasionally students who fail certain subjects with scores below 40, the average score across all subjects never drops below 40.
So, Yu Sang-hoon’s consistent last-place finish, maintaining a perfect 40, couldn’t be compared to others.
It was surprising to see him so focused on gaming while claiming to be in the middle ranks.
‘If he had a clear goal like Dokgo Miro, that would be fine, but if not, maintaining good grades would be better.’
I’ve seen countless students get trapped by their grades after finally finding a dream post-college.
Grades are one of the most important weapons a student has, so I hope he doesn’t let it go easily.
Even though it’s hard, it’s possible to maintain good grades while enjoying gaming, so I hope he keeps working hard.
With these thoughts in mind, I nudged Jang Nam-wook to give Yu Sang-hoon a little lecture.
“Sang-hoon, is that really true? There was a cadet who played that game at the military academy, but he didn’t fail the exam like you. Didn’t your sister say something about it? She cares about your grades, doesn’t she?”
After hearing Jang Nam-wook, Yu Sang-hoon grimaced.
It seemed like he got scolded by his sister, Hwang Ji-ho.
But judging by the situation, it seemed like Yu Sang-hoon didn’t just get scolded.
“Of all people, Hwang Ji-ho had a counseling session with that guy...”
Hwang Ji-ho had a counseling session with Do Won-woo, apparently.
Do Won-woo was known for his excellent grades, so it made sense that he’d be chosen as a counselor.
Considering that Yu Sang-hoon didn’t seem to like Do Won-woo, though, I wouldn’t say he was the best choice for a counseling partner.
Do Won-woo was spotted while accompanying Hwang Ji-ho home and was about to conduct a session with him.
“While dodging my fist, that guy started talking nonsense.”
Yu Sang-hoon said, throwing a punch to signal his frustration, but apparently, Do Won-woo dodged it.
In the past, Do Won-woo had always taken the punches because Yu Sang-hoon was supposed to be family.
But on that day, it seemed like Do Won-woo wasn’t in the mood to take punches.
“What did Hyung say?”
“...He dodged and said he wouldn’t feel the pain. If he doesn’t feel the pain, it’s a dream, and he needs to wake up from it.”
Yu Sang-hoon seemed disgusted by the comment, but I couldn’t help but admire Do Won-woo’s mindset.
Did he say that because it felt like a dream to him now that he was closer to Hwang Ji-ho!
Jang Nam-wook was confused, not understanding Do Won-woo’s intentions, and Yu Sang-hoon looked annoyed but also relieved.
It seemed like he was frustrated by Do Won-woo’s words.
The conversation about grades was lost amid the random story about Do Won-woo.
Yu Sang-hoon seemed to have the makings of a strategist.
After the first-semester results were announced, the review period for re-exams and grade corrections ended.
Once the final rankings were posted, Yeom Jun-yeol brought up his apology again.
[Yeom Jun-yeol] (Link)
[Yeom Jun-yeol] I’m sorry, teacher. I missed first place again.
The link showed the final rankings for the top students in the third year.
[3rd Year First Semester Midterm Final Rankings]
[1st: 3-1 Cheon Dong-ha]
[2nd: 3-1 Yeom Jun-yeol]
[3rd: 3-0 Jeong Hae-on]
...
...
...
The rankings had shifted dramatically as some students had decided on their future paths or suddenly started studying hard, but the top spots remained unchanged.
Yeom Jun-yeol had fought hard but couldn’t quite surpass Cheon Dong-ha.
Still, Yeom Jun-yeol didn’t seem as discouraged as before.
[Yeom Jun-yeol] Next time, I’ll get the grade that will surprise you, teacher!
[Yeom Jun-yeol] (Stamp)
The stamp showed a cheerful red dragon smiling.
Ever since I learned about the Energy Link, Yeom Jun-yeol had been looking more energetic than before.
‘Maybe I should incorporate the Energy Link into the next class.’
For that, the True Clan members would have to participate, and calling up Yong Je-geon should solve that easily.
However, due to scheduling, I probably won’t be able to have a class with Yeom Jun-yeol for a while.
[Kim Yoori] Yishin, we’re planning a spring picnic. Let me know when you’re free on the weekend.
[Kim Yoori] The class will choose a date that works for everyone! ^▽^!
As May approached, the assassination scenario for Seong Guk-eon was getting closer, and I had a lot to do over the weekend.
However, since I had promised the class to go on the picnic, I couldn’t slack off.
Moreover, there were more schedules piling up.
[Ju Su-hyeok] Yishin, Hyo-don!
[Ju Su-hyeok] Can you make time for Children’s Day?
[Ju Su-hyeok] The club wants to invite the players who contributed during last year’s incident.
[Ju Su-hyeok] Ah, Si-hoo and Nam-wook have confirmed. They’re fine with it!
I was invited thanks to last year’s Children’s Day incident.
I was a little concerned about how the baseball stadium would look this year on Children’s Day.
Then, I got this message.
[Okto Yeon] Yishin, Yishin.
[Okto Yeon] You have to come to the baseball stadium on Children’s Day, understood?
[Okto Yeon] I’ll be there too. It was hard to make time for it. You’re coming, right?
[Okto Yeon] ——— Hurry up and say you’re coming!
I had promised to go to the baseball stadium with Okto Yeon, and since all the other student players were going, I felt like I couldn’t miss it.
But, spending both Children’s Day and the weekend away would be difficult.
‘It’ll be hard to adjust the schedule.’
I needed a plan.
While I was thinking, Hwang Ji-ho spoke up.
“You’ll need to ask for permission, but there’s a simple way.”
Hwang Ji-ho had a suggestion.
If I followed his suggestion, I could shorten the time, but I wasn’t sure if my classmates would like it.
It seemed like a choice that would depend heavily on preferences.
“Hahaha! I think the class will agree, but you should try it. Your proposal will probably be faster than mine.”
Since I had no other options, I decided to try Hwang Ji-ho’s suggestion.
I was skeptical, but my classmates readily agreed.
As a result, on May 5th, Children’s Day, Class 0 of the second-year students went to the baseball stadium for a picnic.
