Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse

 

Silver Light high school residential area.

A dormitory room on the 10th floor of the first-grade dormitory building.

The owner of the room was trembling under a blanket.

Red spots, black spots, dark red spots, that were seen if she didn’t close her eyes…

The dark red stains began to take over her daily life.  

‘Why the hell, why…!’  

At first, she simply thought there was a problem with her eyes.

She received all the tests she could get.

Precise visual acuity and visual field examination, intraocular pressure measurement examination, color vision abnormality examination, fundus photographing, corneal surface layer photographing, etc.

First, in the first nursing room in the central area, the second at the most famous ophthalmology clinic in Seoul, and the third at a university hospital.

But all three times she was judged as normal.

‘Now not only the eyes but also the ears….’  

Tinnitus started to be heard when wearing an earring-type device.

The small tinnitus that touched her nerves at some point grew louder and harder to bear.

She thought it was just a device problem, so she applied for a replacement.

When she received the new device.  

[Ahahaha, hahahaha! hahah, haha, hahahahaha!] 

The moment she wore it, she heard a bizarre laugh from the device.

Without even being able to scream, she threw the device and put it in a desk drawer, and never opened it again.

Fortunately, it wasn’t strange not to wear earring devices, as many students stayed away from devices with entertainment features in the test period.

‘Maybe, I may be possessed by a psychic class Enemy.’  

She thought so, but her mouth didn’t open.

Psychic class Enemy broke through the silver light protection barrier and seized the mind of Korea’s top elite player?

That’s ridiculous.

It was more persuasive to say that she was crazy.  

‘No… You’ll be treated as a psychopath. I don’t like it······.’  

These days, She has been thinking of her parents more often.

At the entrance ceremony, she couldn’t see her parents’ faces for the last time when she took a commemorative photo against the background of the Central Auditorium Merchant Hall.

It was a time that she was enjoying life at Silver Light high school she always dreamed of so she hasn’t been in contact with her parents because she has been too busy to spend time on her device.

‘Let’s just hang up after hearing mom’s voice… Just, just for a moment.’  

She walked out of the bed with her blanket on.

One step, one step.

She approached the desk.

And when she opened the desk drawer.  

“Ahhhhhh!”  

It was blood.

Inside the desk drawer was filled with red blood.

Everything inside was immersed in blood.

And the blood gradually increased and flowed out of the desk drawer…  

Knock Knock.

“It’s Dain.”  

The person who stayed in the next room, Andain.

Andain, who sat next to her at the dormitory orientation, and was assigned a room nearby.

It wasn’t as much as Kim Yuri, who was her best friend, but she became quite close to her.  

‘Dain…!’  

She opened the door eagerly.  

“Because I heard a loud sound. Did a bug come out?” 

In Andain’s hand, she held three types of insect repellent sprays.

The thorough security of the prestigious high school and the management of a pest control company could not prevent insects from flying along Cheonik Mountain, so insect repellant sprays were a must for the dormitories. 

“······No.”

Something scarier than a bug came out.

She looked back and saw that the room had returned to normal.

She didn’t see the dark red spots that she usually saw in the corner of her vision.

No strange thing happened when she was next to Andain, who was considered to be the best student of all time and the honor student of Silver Light high school. 

“······Did something happen in the editorial department? You said it was hard before.”

“No. It’s okay.”

“You look very tired…… Would you like to go to the infirmary?”

“No, it’s okay······.”

“Are you really okay?”

“I said it’s okay!”  

She screamed loudly without even knowing.

Her mind had become overactive these days, and her mood has gone up and down like crazy.

She was relieved that Andain came, but why did she scream?

She immediately regretted it, but it was impossible to pick up the words she had already spoken.

“······Dain, sorry.”

“It‘s okay. I’m sorry I pushed you to answer, I was just concerned. Then get some rest.”  

Andain answered gently.

Whoever saw it or even as she saw it, she came running because she was worried about her and she had just yelled at her.

She felt like she had become irreparable trash. 

Click.  

Andain went out of the room.

The door closed.

Again, the dark red stain obscured her view.

*    *    *

Weekday again after the Alliance of the 12 summit.

Monday.

The midterm exam starts next week.

In other words, the midterm exam period started in a week.  

‘The diligent kids must have been studying in advance.’  

Even though there were guys like the first years from Silver Light and the Military Academy who wasted time playing basketball last Saturday even going as far as having an after-party.

Usually, it was common to prepare for midterm exams 2-3 weeks before.  

‘The sub-activities are closed starting from today.’  

The broadcasting department has also reserved all class bells and was now closed.

“I’m a stupid idiot. I’m a crazy dumbass, an ugly stupid idiot…”

“3.14159265358979323846264338327950… Ha, why am I good at memorizing things that have nothing to do with the exam?”

“I didn’t have a Korean language course among the subjects I chose, but I memorized the Kwandong Byeolgok last night. It was so fun. A disease of the Jianggang River was lying down. You can taste the 方-myeon of 八-pal Hundreds in the East-dong…”

“Stop it, you crazy idiots!”

The dormitory cafeteria was already overflowing with students going crazy from test stress.  

‘Freedom always comes with a price.’

Silver Light high school values freedom.

The freedom that even the attendance rate was not reflected in the grades was the best in the country.

However, as a prestigious high school, the regular exam of Silver Light was notorious for its evil and vicious difficulty.

And by exams, they were midterm and final exams for each semester.

It was Silver Light that allowed graduation without going to school for all three years, but it was only possible to get promoted by taking four exams in the year.

If you get a failing score, supplementary classes, and additional exams await, and if you don’t get a passing score after that, you definitely flunk.

‘Because things like mini-tests in the middle of the class aren’t reflected in the total grade…… Even if you’re good usually, mess up the regular exam and it was over.’  

Also, students who were unable to attend school were able to take remote exams.

To take the remote exam, you have to wear headgear with dozens of anti-cheating spells.  

‘In the game, Maeng Hyo-don ‘s score was manipulated so that he barely passed. Sawol Seum, who was considered missing, flunked the grade, and so at the time he was rescued he attended again from the first grade.’

He tried to organize his thoughts and walked back and forth.

Cherry blossoms were in full bloom on the cherry blossom paths built along the road, but students were dying.

Students checking memorization subjects on their devices on the go.

Those who muttered something like chanting.

Looking at them, he can feel that the exam was coming up quickly.  

‘But the one that has the most test atmosphere was the party recruitment board.’

Specialty during the test period of silver light, study party.

The party recruitment bulletin board opened with the device was full of all kinds of study party recruitment posts.  

[Autonomous hiatus party. Only at least 12 hours per day (including class time). When caught faking study time they will be banned from this bulletin board! (9/10)]

[Player’s Special Law Ⅱ, Test Range Complete memorization of all laws and regulations. Morning test correct answer rate less than 80% will be dropped on the spot (8/10)]

[※Limited to 3rd graders ※ Practicing the glacier labyrinth strategy. We are making five rounds. Looking for range damage, support users. (6/10)]

[Introduction to Enemy Studies······ Aㅏ······ Teacher is good, but the test range is not good…… Survival Party (4/10)]

[♬ Composer department♬ Let’s study while listening to the songs we have made so far! If you keep your manners, even those who are not in the composition department can join (8/10)]

[Pyeondeuk, let’s walk the (hellfire) flower path for a lifetime! The party who trash talks Choi Pyeon Deuk and studies at the same time (10/10)]

[Choi Pyeon Deuk trash talk party 2 (10/10)]

[Choi Pyeon Deuk trash talk party 3 (9/10)]

He wanted to participate in some.

Especially the study party in the back.

He couldn’t go to the pleasant Choi Pyeon-deuk subjugation party, so he wanted to participate in that trash talk party.

However, ahead of the midterms, time and resources were limited, so the choice had to be made carefully.  

‘First, let’s check the atmosphere in our class and go to the study party.’  

He hated the possibility of anyone lagging behind in his class.

*    *    *

1st Grade Class 0 classroom.

As expected, the atmosphere in the classroom was darker than usual.  

“What should I do if I flunk…”  

Irena said, looking at the notes organized with neat handwriting with a terrified face.

Kim Yuri was next to him and cheering Irena.  

“I’ll help with overlapping subjects! I’m not a dormitory student, so I can only help you when I’m in school…”  

Among men, Hwang Ji-ho… This guy didn’t need to worry.

Still, he decided to ask.  

“Hwang Ji-ho, how are you going to take the exam?”

“I will avoid failing.”

It means he will place himself under the other classmates.

They were fortunate that he did not try to destroy the mentality of the students of Silver Light by attempting to massacre the people with high grades.

Excellent, Hwang Ji-ho!  

‘As for Sawol seum…… he missed a month’s worth of classes, so he would have a hard time studying because he had a lot to study, but I wouldn’t have to worry about him failing.’  

What he was most worried about was Maeng Hyo-don.

Maeng Hyo-don was a muscle-brain character who put all of his stat points into strength and stamina.

He was stiff looking at the paper textbook.  

“Heroes don’t study…”

was he crazy?

He was talking bullshit.  

“Black is text, white is paper….”  

He will have to stop Maeng Hyo-don before he crosses a river where he cannot return from.

He was rescued in March, so he was able to change subjects.

Probably at that time, they rewrote all the class subjects, focusing on practical skills.

He couldn’t do anything about common subjects.  

“Isn’t the only class you have to take notes in this time, “Player’s Battle Theory 1”? That’s pretty much a real-world translation, so you just need to memorize a few terms…” 

He couldn’t connect.

It wasn’t the player’s battle theory 1 textbook in the hands of Maeng Hyo-don.  

“Is that a math book? Did you choose math?”

He wished he was wrong.  

“Then what else does this look like, vice-president.”  

Maeng Hyo-don opened a math textbook in front of him.

Chapter, Polynomial.

Small Lesson, Calculation of Polynomials.

He realized when he saw the large handwriting and very clean textbooks.  

‘You haven’t even finished Chapter 1!’  

The study party he will go to has been decided.  

“Anyone among the dormitory students, who wants to gather at night to study.” 

Maeng Hyo-don will be forced to participate.

*    *    *

After school, Intellectual Hall.

In the lobby, he saw the people of the Intellectual Society who were allocating study rooms.

Intellectual Chairman Seong Si-wan looked at him and pretended to know him right away. 

“Ah, you came Eui Shin! Five of the first graders in class 0, all of the dormitory students, said they will participate in a study meeting right?”

“Yes. Did you get a study room for us?”

“Yeah! Eui shin’s group is… Room 210 on the second floor of the study room zone, Intellectual Hall. The password is set to 0000. Until the midterms are over, change it to whatever you are comfortable with.”  

Seong Siwan guided them to the study room while looking at the hologram.  

“Give it your best for the first midterm. Hyo don, Seum, Han-Yi, and Rena. If you need anything, tell me right away.”

“Here, take a snack.”

“The first graders of class 0 this year were so kind so I’m taking special care!”

The executives of the Intellectual Society, who were next to Seong Siwan, brought out a box full of food.

Nuts, dried fruit, boiled eggs, sweets with cacao, chocolate, low-fat yogurt, soy milk…

There were plenty of snacks to ease hunger without harming health.

Han-Yi, who couldn’t live without sweets, received the box.  

“Thank you!”  

Along with him, Maeng Hyo-don, Sawol Seum, Han Yi, and Irena in his class greeted him, and then they all moved into the study room.  

“Wow, I’ve never been to the study room before, and it’s great!”

Study Room 210.

The dark-colored wallpaper to relieve eye strain was comfortable.

There were ergonomic chairs around the table, which was spacious enough even for 10 people, was designed to not strain the waist even when sitting for a long time.

In the corner, there was a couch sized for about one person to lie down, as if it was consideration for the students who would stay overnight.

It was designed as a place for students to gather and study.  

“Han-Yi, I’m really sorry….”

“It’s okay, I can study while teaching.”  

Han-Yi sat next to Irena and explained the concept step by step.

Even at first glance, they were logical and piercing explanations.  

‘It’s just what you would expect from the pupil of Gong Cheong-Hwon.’

Gong Cheong-Hwon’s Introduction to Enemy Studies was a really great class, except for the range of tests that were not good.  

“I’m thinking of joining a professional team or helping the family business without going to college. I won’t be of much help because I didn’t choose math.”  

Sawol Seum was showing a sorry expression.

To think he would feel sorry because of that kind of thing.

Maeng Hyo-don made a crazy choice, so it’s not his fault.    

“Do you have any particular reason why you chose math?”

“It just happened.”  

Maeng Hyo-don spits out to answer the question of Sawol Seum.

What do you mean it just happened?

He obviously knew that Maeng Hyo-don came in as a special admission, but Ham Geun-hyung could not have recommended math.

‘So I am the only one that can really help him’  

Anyway, his exam range study was roughly over.

Let’s help Maeng Hyo-don’s new challenge.  

“How far have you finished with the math? Honestly.”

“······Factorization.”  

Uh, that’s surprising.

That’s the third part of the polynomial.

Did he finish Chapter 1? 

“When I was in junior high school, I mastered factoring perfectly.”  

They were fucked completely.

Was it not the factoring you learn in high school, but the factoring you learn in the first semester of middle school?

*    *    *

Time passed gradually in the midst of a dire fight between Maeng Hyo-don and Mathematics.

Wednesday, only a few days left until midterms.

The Korean National Assembly elections and general elections were held, making it a legal holiday.

The word was a holiday, but there was no way they could rest.

It’s just one more day to study without class.  

“Hahaha…… The memorizing song of the periodic table of the chemical elements, which was the class bell yesterday is stuck in my head. I didn’t even choose chemistry!”  

Irena was looking desperate.

Sawol seum, who had been devastated because of the amount of study that had to be done because he had missed a month of class, said without strength.  

“Last year, someone jokingly played a banned song for the exams….”

Exam banned songs.

They were forbidden songs that are said to be difficult to forget after listening to and thus decreased concentration.

Who played it during the exam period?  

‘······I don’t know who it is, but anyway, I think the guy who is in the 2nd-grade class 0 right now did it.’  

On the other hand, Maeng Hyo-don, who looked at the textbook with his soul gone, was unresponsive.

Seeing that his hands moved occasionally, he seems to be alive.

He and Han-Yi were the only ones who looked like people at the 1st-grade class 0 dormitory student study meeting.

He and Han-Yi were scouring the other kids and whipping them so they wouldn’t stretch too much.

*    *    *

The five of them stayed together throughout the holidays.

They all ate dinner together and studied until late at night, so the night came quickly.

He checked the hologram while drinking the Cassia tea that the Intellectual Society provided to protect their eye health. 

‘That person was elected, just like in the game.’  

Next to the playable character’s name that he remembered, the phrase ‘Elected for Sure’ was floating.

The exit survey was also being counted, but if it comes out like this, it would be nice to just say that he was elected.  

“Should I wake them up or bring a blanket?”

Han-Yi suddenly talked.

Turning off the hologram, he turned around and saw that Sawol Seum and Irena were asleep.

He looked at the textbooks the two were using as pillows.  

“Looking at the page, it looks like we couldn’t finish all of our targets today. Let’s let them sleep a little and wake them up.”

“I’ll bring a blanket from the Intellectual Society clubroom. So I can wake up too.”  

Han-Yi went out of the study room by killing her footsteps so as not to wake them up.

Maeng Hyo-don, a gangster with the greatest stamina could not sleep and was fighting a lonely fight with numbers and concepts.

He didn’t know why he chose that thorny road.  

“Why did you choose math? I don’t think you chose it because you were interested.”

In the game, Maeng Hyo-don, who returned to Silver Light in his second year, did not choose math.

During the midterm exam, there was no description of him saying he struggled so hard.  

Tick.  

He heard a small sound of the shattering of the lead of the mechanical pencil held by Maeng Hyo-don.  

“Because it was the main subject of the homeroom teacher.”  

Ham Geun-hyung was not a math teacher.  

“I wanted to learn because my middle school grade 3 homeroom teacher was a math teacher.”

Ah…… Was it the subject of Maeng Hyo-don’s middle school homeroom teacher?

In the game, Maeng Hyo-don used to talk to Joo Soo-hyuk from time to time.

He would not have been able to come to the silver light without the help of his middle school grade 3 homeroom teacher.  

‘What would have happened if Maeng Hyo-don did not come to the silver light.’  

It’s clear that he was going to be doing a dangerous job moving around the bottom.

Other players’ special high schools do not have an entrance examination that was as unconventional as the special admission for silver light.

There was no special high school for players that Maeng Hyo-don go to without studying, and few general high schools didn’t have any tuition or spending requirements.

Maeng Hyo-don may have lived as a middle school graduate all his life.  

“When I was in middle school, there was no idiot like that teacher. The only teacher at that school, the only one I could call a teacher was the math teacher.”

Maeng Hyo-don did not give details.

Still, he could roughly guess what had happened.  

“I thought what would happen if I started high school…… These kids are smart. I can’t even tell whether it’s math or bullshit in this textbook.”  

Maeng Hyo-don said that, pushing the lead back into the empty mechanical pencil.

Was it because he studied mathematics like that when he was in junior high school that he is using a paper textbook and a mechanical pencil like that?

The reason he didn’t choose math in the game, must have been because he gave up since he started from the 2nd grade.

Seeing Maeng Hyo-don say that, he couldn’t tell him to abandon math.  

“Hey, first, memorize the terms first. Not the problem-solving process, starting with what this symbol means and what this word means. Solve the problem from then on.”

So the math hell continued.

There is a saying that Maeng Hyo-don had a stone head, but anything engraved on the stone will not be erased.

Be strong, Maeng Hyo-don.

As he watched him memorizing terms, he recalled what he had said.  

‘Because he was the only one who can be called a teacher…’

Some people use the word teacher with a big meaning.

The incongruity that he felt faint in the past came to mind for a moment and then disappeared.

*    *    *

First day of the midterm exam.

The first test was ‘Player’s Battle Theory 1’.

As a common subject, this was the only written test that all 1st graders and class 0s take together.

All seven attended school early, perhaps because it was the day of the exam.  

“Guys, let’s work hard!”  

Kim Yu-ri said, handing out a bag of peppermint candy, supposedly hand-packed.

Inside a transparent bag the size of a fist, there were several lozenges of mint candy.

The children who were given the candy said thanks to Kim Yuri.

He was the last person to receive it.

“Thanks. There is still a lot left. Is it for your friends in the other classes?”

“No. It’s all for our class. I didn’t know if they might come, so I brought sixteen…”  

Kim Yuri looked down at the candy bag inside the paper shopping bag with a sad face.

Because it’s a midterm exam, maybe they’ll come to take the exam, so he thought that’s what she thought and prepared all of that.

Looking at the form right now, there’s no way anyone can come up, but what should he say to comfort her…  

Slide~.  

At that moment.

The automatic door of the classroom opened, and a girl with a hooded jumper over her school uniform zipped up all the way to her neck appeared.

On her messy head, she wore a hat, and horn-rimmed glasses making her face difficult to see.  

“······Well, what. I heard that the attendance rate was low!”

It is low.

While the other class has 50 people and had a 100% attendance rate, this place never exceeded 50% of the 16.  

“Too many people. I want to go home! Ham Geun-hyung, you freaking liar!”  

The female student spits out lines and turned her back as if it were a one-man play. 

Bang!  

The mysterious girl was forced to close the automatic door manually.  

Tap tap tap tap!

They heard the sound of running on the hallway floor outside the classroom.

Even at a glance, they could know that it was an owner of a tremendous power.

When the seven first graders in class 0 were looking at the closed classroom door with stupid faces.

The door opened again.

Did she come back? or so he thought.

It was Ham Geun-hyung with a disappointed expression.  

“······I heard that one more student was coming to school today. Have they not come yet?” 

That one.

She was here, but she was not.  

“Ah…… I should have given her candy…….”

Kim Yuri, who caught the situation belatedly, looked down at the peppermint candy bag with a regretful face.

First day of the midterm exam.

The attendance rate for class 0 in the first grade was 50% or then not.

It looks like she’s really gone home, so she would be confirmed for an additional exam.