023 – They’re Troublemakers, But the Strongest #1
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“Alright, today’s morning session involves a simple simulation. Here, we have a young pregnant woman facing off against a man with a kn*fe. The role of the pregnant woman will go to… Kim Jin, you do it. And the man with the kn*fe will be the class monitor.”
There’s always one student in every class who the teacher singles out.
During lessons, when the teacher needs a student to demonstrate or assist, inevitably, this student is dragged in like a lab rat.
“And, Hanamjin! Come here, you! What would you do in this situation? When a pregnant woman is facing off against the man with a kn*fe?”
It seems Captain Gangcheolmin only ever calls on me.
“Again today, is it Nanjin?”
“Completely singled out by the Captain.”
“Captain? It’s the instructor!”
Right from hearing my name, the class started to stir and buzz. The anticipation could be felt in everyone’s eyes—”What kind of entertaining display will Hanamjin put on today?”
Frankly speaking, I don’t mind all the attention. I’ve had only loneliness and Yining as my friends for years now. So, all this attention pouring in feels as sweet as honey to me!
The problem, though, is that popularity is like a sandcastle before a wave. People are quick to lose interest and turn away, meaning I have to always stay vigilant. So, in this situation, how can I satisfy everyone’s expectations and solve theCaptain’s challenge?
“I would side with the man.”
“What?”
The Captain looks disapproving. The student Kim Jin, assigned the role of the pregnant woman, and our class monitor Jeong Yi-seon, playing the man with the kn*fe, both frown as if slightly perplexed.
The murmur rises in the classroom as students whisper among themselves.
“Ah-. Don’t everyone know?”
Do I really have to explain everything?
“A pregnant woman has a baby in her belly, right? That’s two people. The man is just one. Therefore, this is technically a 2:1 situation, and it’s an unfair fight against the man. Hence, I must side with him to make it fair.”
Swish.
I position myself next to the man and shout loudly.
“You cowardly pregnant woman! How dare you use numerical superiority to oppress a good man! But now it’s 2:2!”
Our battle begins now!
Everyone is stunned by my fair judgment and realistic acting.
I seize the moment and knock the wooden ‘kn*fe’ out of Jeong Yi-seon’s hand using the flat of my palm.
Clang.
“Wha—?”
Before the monitor can react, I kick the fallen kn*fe far away.
The biggest threat is now gone, effectively resolving the ‘man-threatening-the-pregnant-woman’ simulation. The students audibly gasp, and Captain Gangcheolmin sighs, wiping his face from his forehead to his chin.
“So, Hanamjin, you’re suggesting you’ll divert the dangerous person’s attention and then seize the opportunity to eliminate the threat, right? Your method was strange but… I suppose it’s passable. I’ll award you 10,000 points.”
Yesss, 10,000 points secured! Just thinking about going to the school shop to buy a cold cola already makes my tailbone tingle in excitement.
Thinking about it, would Seugal like cola? I’m feeling rather optimistic; if I bring her a cold cola, maybe I can secure her cooperation and gain points from her.
“Hanamjin! Your mind’s wandering again. You think it’s spring?”
Smack.
The Captain gives my head a light tap, followed by giggles from the students.
He’s right. I’ve been a bit distracted today because of this morning’s events.
Bring me Yu Yeo-reum and place her next to me… What was Seugal trying to achieve with that remark? I don’t understand her motives. When I asked, she closed her mouth tight like a clam—she’s truly an expert at driving a man crazy.
And if she needs cooperation, why would she ask me to kidnap Yu Yeo-reum?
Why did Seugal suggest such a thing?
Maybe she felt too lonely in the basement. Maybe she needed a roommate.
After all, Seugal used to invite people over for loud parties just to deal with her loneliness, didn’t she? Locked away alone in the quiet basement, it’s only natural she might feel bored or lonely.
“Seems like that makes sense.”
She was asking me to create an equal ‘kidnap mate,’ wasn’t she? Like how only children sometimes say, “Mom, give me a sibling!”?
Exactly, that’s it. I really am clever.
…So, Yu Yeo-reum.
The problem is that Yu Yeo-reum is not just any member of elite Class F—she’s powerful enough to be called the prodigy. She’s already a full-time explorer, even before graduation. How does one kidnap someone like that?
Still, I am lucky that today offers an opportunity. There’s a group practice this afternoon, where I can observe her skills and devise a plan.
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# # #
The group practice is an exploration test.
We enter the practice version of the Great Labyrinth and conduct our exploration lesson inside.
“Alright, let’s try our best this time, kids.”
“Sure!”
“I… I’ll be different this time!”
“…”
Once again, “The Perfect Team,” a group of failures, gathered together. Unlike last time, however, there’s a flicker of hope in everyone’s eyes.
“Hanamjin, isn’t it true that you boasted you’d take first place in this practice?”
Before entering the Great Labyrinth, Instructor Dokkae lifted her blindfold to fix me with a significant look.
I meet her gaze without hesitation.
“Instructor Dokkae, you haven’t forgotten the promise of a kiss if I place first, have you? Don’t go back on your word.”
“My name isn’t Dokkae but Moon Hyun-a. Show me if you can manage that, even though Gaeul is absent, we have Yeorem.”
I wanted to win first place this time for sure.
Despite wearing a blindfold, Instructor Dokkae was undeniably beautiful. A kiss from such a beauty would surely be worth cherishing forever.
Shooosh.
As we entered the Great Labyrinth with a familiar sensation, the scene opened to a high plateau with an expansive view, and this time, we were on top of a building.
“Top of a building?”
No, it feels a bit different.
“It’s the top of an office building?”
Beneath a sky filled with dust clouds, we stood on the roof of a building in the remains of a city filled with broken structures.
For some reason, it feels like a post-apocalyptic setting, which I’m rather familiar with.
“Post… post-apocalypse…”
The usually quiet Deoksun excitedly explained the situation. Post-apocalypse—the world after destruction. That’s the right term. Last time we entered some sort of forest; this time it’s a ruined city. It made me wonder what exactly this Great Labyrinth is.
“So, what’s our plan?”
Geum Tae-sung was looking at me.
Chang-sik, Deoksun, and the clumsy but determined Bangdaengi Baek Yeo-ul are also looking my way.
Let’s set the kidnapping of Yu Yeo-reum aside for now and think of ways to earn points. I know this world of ruins.
“Let’s stick to the same monster-hunting plan like last time. The city’s skyscrapers have plenty of spots where monsters could hide. Let’s head down.”
Fortunately, the stairwell of the building was intact, so we easily descended to the city streets.
Now, what’s our next move?
I examined the nearby manhole cover.
Creak.
It opens.
“Bingo.”
The underground tunnels of a ruined world are practically a kingdom of their own. There are rats, bugs, and creatures that prey on them—monsters, of course.
Deoksun glanced down into the opened sewer entrance and immediately gagged.
“…Ugh.”
It was, indeed, foul-smelling.
Baek Yeo-ul and Chang-sik, who have stronger resistance to such smells, seemed unfazed, but Tae-sung and Deoksun hesitated about entering.
Maybe I should share a tip.
“In places with repulsive odors, breathing through your mouth helps.”
Thanks to my success last time during practice, they trusted me. Deoksun followed my advice and started breathing through her mouth.
Her exaggerated actions seemed to work as her expression relaxed somewhat. We entered the sewer.
Splish-splash.
The water was up to our ankles, and it was horrifyingly sticky. Worse, the tunnels twisted and turned with countless branches, leaving me unsure where to lead the team.
“Which way should we go?”
As I paused momentarily, the usually quiet Bangdaengi Baek Yeo-ul spoke up.
“I know what to do! In situations like this…”
Click, spit.
Baek Yeo-ul spat on her palm and slapped it on her other hand, causing it to spread around.
“It went right! Let’s go right!”
It’s an incredibly primitive and superstitious navigation method.
Is Bangdaengi at the level of Amazonian tribes?
But when her “bad luck” attribute is added, these superstitious methods gain meaning. Encountering a monster here in the smelly underground sewer would be the worst possible outcome. If we follow Bangdaengi, our compass of bad luck, the odds of encountering one skyrocket.
Splash-splash.
As we walked along the sewer, that moment came.
“We’re blocked?”
We reached a dead end.
Scritch-scritch-scritch.
A massive steel door stood in our path.
It looks like a fallout shelter.
“Bu-but that can’t be…”
Even Bangdaengi, who’d been confident all day, suddenly grew deflated and reluctant to proceed further. Just as we were about to turn back, a strange, sweet strawberry scent wafted through the sewer, and approaching footsteps could be heard from behind.
Chang-sik gripped my wrist fiercely.
“Friend, absolutely no rash movements now. Absolutely not!”
Chang-sik looked like he’d just spotted a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex.
No, what appeared behind us was even more astonishing: Yu Yeo-reum.
Without even noticing us, she stared at the steel barrier ahead and her eyes glowed white.
Ziiingh.
Her piercing gaze illuminated the dim sewer like the blazing “Supernova” or “Sun,” making me marvel in admiration.
Ziiiiiiiiingh—BOOOOM!
Two beams of light shot from her eyes, and the thick steel door melted and ruptured as if it had been hit by a futuristic welding machine.
d*mn, what was that? Laser beams from her eyes? Can awakened humans even do that?
Even the usually silent Deoksun found her voice.
“It’s… it’s heat vision. The ability to emit heat rays from the eyes. It’s a bit of a trope in movies, seen with Superman, and while a bit outlandish, also portrayed in dramas with heroes like Homelander…”
Whatever the case, it’s impressive.
No wonder quiet Deoksun found her voice. She seemed to continue muttering about how this was the power of F-class monitor “Invincible,” proving just how amazing this truly was.
And in that moment, I understood exactly what Seugal meant when she said that capturing “Yu Yeo-reum” would count as cooperation with me.
Yu Yeo-reum is Invincible.
Moving faster than me, with the “Leap” concept, and shooting crazy laser beams—kidnapping her would essentially be a d*ath sentence for the kidnapper.
So, what Seugal was really saying was, “I will absolutely not cooperate with you. Go and fail.”
With that in mind, I clenched my fists tightly and crouched down to—
“Namjin Kick!”
With a powerful splash, I launched myself toward Yu Yeo-reum.
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