005 – Night of the D Class
“Leap and appraisal have differing properties. This combination should be impossible. How did you end up like this?”
The balding deputy chief asked me.
“How did I end up like this? I’m sure you’re curious.”
Actually, this second ability of appraising wasn’t something I awakened to on my own – they don’t know it was granted to me by Seugal.
It’s truly an amazing ability, isn’t it?
I was bursting with the desire to praise Seugal, but then I remembered she’d asked to keep the fact that she could transfer her abilities to others a secret.
“There must have been a reason.”
Because in this world, there are those who have betrayed humanity – the one who left a terrible scar on Seugal’s abdomen, threatening her life.
If I were to tell the truth, I might end up being punished by the traitor. So, I decided to come up with an excuse.
“Deputy Chief Baldy seems to know one thing but not two.”
“Deputy…Baldy what? And what don’t I know?”
“Leap. It’s not just about jumping; it’s about advancing to a new level, don’t you think? Since I’ve gained the concept of leaping, it’s certainly possible to make an unprecedented advancement.”
There’s a term called “ascending dragon.”
It’s a story about a carp leaping over a treacherous cliff to become a dragon and ascend to the heavens.
Thus, leaping is about more than just jumping – it implies a total transformation.
“Doesn’t that make sense?”
“It’s not unreasonable…”
The deputy chief’s face clouded with worry.
His already sparse hair might fall out even more.
Though there was a minor commotion, the enrollment procedures were completed.
“Now, where should I go?”
“Classes A to C are regular classes. Someone like you who has awakened a concept typically goes to the special classes D or F, but I think D is right for you. 3rd year D class.”
At the mention of the D class, everyone exchanged meaningful smiles.
# # #
The D class I was about to join was said to be a special class.
Like a gifted class or an advanced placement class.
In other words, it’s a place only those chosen can enter.
“I’m not surprised.”
After all, even though I now have the face of a high school senior, inside I’m a young man who has already passed twenty.
Of course, I being superior to my peers is only natural.
At 8:40 am.
Before the first period at 9, I entered the classroom of the D class, and all eyes were on me.
The gazes brushing against my uniform and face felt quite uncomfortable.
“Who’s that?”
“That uniform…I think I’ve seen it somewhere.”
“Is this person a transfer student to the D class?”
Thanks to the ability of appraisal, I could see interest and curiosity in everyone’s gaze.
At least there was no rejection or hatred.
So, where’s the empty seat?
Should I just sit anywhere?
While I was looking around, my eyes met someone else’s.
“Ah! It’s you!”
The female student was utterly flustered.
I was flustered too – it was quite vexing.
“What is this? It’s you, Bangdaengi. This is seriously bad karma. Bad karma! Are you following me? Are you a stalker?”
“Bangdaengi? Stalker?”
“What is this suddenly?”
Murmurs spread among the students.
Baek Yeo-ul’s face turned red, and she seemed at a loss.
“Bangdaen…”
Fortunately, it seemed the seat next to Baek Yeo-ul was empty, so I quickly took it.
The back row. Lucky. Won’t get caught sleeping in class, right?
The only downside is that I don’t see Seugal anywhere.
I would’ve thought she would definitely be in this special class, but it seems she’s in Class F.
“Hey, I’m not Bangdaengi! I’m Baek Yeo-ul!”
“Yeo-ul, not Gyeol?”
“Not Gyeol, Yeo-ul…anyway, Hanamjin! How are you even here? This is a special class!”
Baek Yeo-ul asked me.
There was a large band-aid on her forehead, indicating she must’ve hit something hard.
I decided to give her a quick answer before she got too noisy.
“It’s because I’m special, so I’m in the special class, right?”
“…”
Baek Yeo-ul closed her mouth, like a honey-eating bear.
My words must’ve contained an undeniable truth that she couldn’t refute.
What I’m curious about is why this Bangdaengi is in the special class.
“Bangdaengi, now that I think about it, you also have a concept, right?”
“Of course!”
“So what kind of ability do you have?”
“Me? I…”
Baek Yeo-ul seemed incredibly flustered, stuttering like a broken robot. The sight of her twirling her short hair with her fingers was clearly a nervous tick.
「Name: Baek Yeo-ul
State: 《Embarrassment》 – Very embarrassed!」
Concept holders are usually very special people, so what could she possibly be embarrassed about?
Perhaps she has a concept she can’t tell others about?
“Are you stalling? Did you awaken to the concept of Mo (no hair) because you hate armpit hair growing after puberty?”
“Tha…You’re wrong!”
Just then, someone approached me.
“I heard there would be a transfer student. So that’s you? I’m Jeong Yi-seon, the class president of D class. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anything.”
He’s tall and well-built, a pleasant-looking young man.
Why are you so handsome?
He extended his hand, so I firmly shook it without hesitation.
“My name is Hanamjin.”
“There’s one thing I want to ask – isn’t that uniform from Yeongmun High School?”
“Wow, how did you know?”
“Really. If I hadn’t come to this stage, I would’ve entered Yeongmun High School. Both my mom and dad are alumni. Namjin, you must’ve been really good at studying, right?”
“Hahaha, I might’ve been the smartest among middle school graduates.”
“Middle school graduate…aren’t we all middle school graduates? High school students are all middle school graduates, right?”
The class president laughed, and the girls who had been watching us laughed “Kya~” in response.
When I want to make women laugh, I have to do all sorts of ridiculous things for them to maybe laugh a little, but the laughter of a handsome man is this irrational.
d*mn, the world is so unfair!
Fortunately, this world is set to end in just one year.
This Jeong Yi-seon will ultimately just be an ordinary person in the destroyed world.
That’s because I haven’t heard the name Jeong Yi-seon.
This person probably didn’t become a “Supernova” or a hero and fell behind.
Thinking about it that way, I felt a bit sorry for him.
“Anyway, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime.”
He gave me a refreshing smile.
To be honest, he was good-looking so it was pleasant to look at.
He seemed to have a good personality too. In many ways, he’s similar to me. We could be considered the same kind.
“Since you’re the class president, let me ask you one thing. Is Seugal in this school? Seems like she’s not in our class.”
“Seugal?”
The president’s furrowed brow ever so slightly.
Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been a minor change as tiny as an ant’s leg that would be difficult to catch, but thanks to “appraisal,” I could read the fine wrinkles.
Whether or not I could interpret the meaning is another story, though.
At that moment, ding dong dong – the bell rang.
“Everybody, quiet down. Let’s also let in some air.”
Soon a man with one eye covered by an eye patch entered the classroom and tapped the podium. He looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties.
The diamond insignia on his uniform looked just like a captain’s rank.
“There’s a transfer student today, but since it looks like you’ve already talked among yourselves, I’ll skip the introduction. We have a discussion class this morning, so arrange the desks in a circle.”
Discussion class?
It was incredibly annoying to think about studying at school.
What am I doing here?
As I was thinking that I need to meet Seugal quickly, someone nudged me.
It was Baek Yeo-ul.
“Hey, do you really think you’ll be able to meet Seugal? Wake up!”
“Why can’t I?”
“You really know nothing. Did you see the badge on the president’s chest when he talked to you earlier? It’s the Knight badge, shaped like a chess knight.”
Now that I think about it, there was a golden badge shaped like a chess piece on the president’s left chest. I thought it was just a decoration, but it seems it has meaning.
“It’s a badge that only concept holders who have good grades and records can obtain. In medieval terms, it’s like a knighthood. You have to accumulate merit points to get it.”
Ah, so the chess piece badge represents an excellent student’s rank.
I suddenly became curious about what was on Baek Yeo-ul’s chest.
Sliding my eyes over, her uniform didn’t reveal much, but she had a decent chest.
She also had a pretty face.
Most boys would be delighted to have someone like her sitting next to them, their hearts fluttering, wouldn’t they?
If the light of ‘Seugal’ wasn’t shining so brightly in my heart, I might’ve been delighted too.
“So, I’m a pawn.”
She proudly slid her chest towards me.
Pawn? A smashed phone?
Are you still trying to bring up that broken phone thing? No, it’s likely referring to the chess piece pawn badge on her chest.
“If you think pawn is nothing to brag about, right? It can be difficult to get even this ‘pawn’ badge since only students in the special classes can wear it.”
“So I’m a pawn too?”
“That’s right. Me and you – just grunts. Knight, queen. Even if we’re on the same chessboard, not all pieces are the same. Remember how I mentioned merit points earlier?”
“Can you buy the horse piece badge with those points?”
“Exactly. You can also use points to get special dormitory rooms, specially selected cafeteria meals, and even sign up for special lectures. Seugal only attends those special lectures.”
“Hey! You two! Stop talking!”
Suddenly Baek Yeo-ul closed her mouth and buried her head in the book.
Right then, I realized why this Yeongsa Academy was called ‘Stage’ – it was like a chessboard.
It may look flat and equal, but there’s a clear system of ranks and classes. Those who accumulate more merit points become the rulers.
If you measure these points in terms of money, status, or power, it’s quite like a miniature version of society, isn’t it?
“So what?”
“What?”
“Hey, Bangdaengi. You seem not to know. As long as we’re on the same stage, even a pawn can capture the queen.”
“Isn’t a pawn a chess piece and the queen a chess term? They can’t capture each other, right?”
“Hey! I told you to stop talking! Hanamjin! You’ve just transferred and you’re already acting up. Come here! You’re one of the participants in this discussion. Check the topic!”
“Regarding the abolition of the d*ath penalty.”
“That’s a pretty serious and profound topic.”
“You are special. Soon, you’ll be taking important leadership roles all over the country. Therefore, it’s essential to have experience discussing and debating complex and sensitive topics. So, Hanamjin. Pick your opponent for this discussion yourself.”
Standing in front of the podium, I saw unfamiliar faces.
When our eyes met, Baek Yeo-ul let out a small “Hik!” and hid her head.
Should I call her? Thinking it might end up as one-sided torment, I dismissed the idea.
“Since I’ve just transferred, the only person I know is the class president.”
“The class president?”
“Yi-seon and me?”
The class buzzed with murmurs.
Did I choose someone I shouldn’t have?
Our one-eyed teacher smiled brightly, apparently pleased.
“Hanamjin, if you can debate with the class president and win votes in the final tally, I’ll give you ten thousand points per vote. You know that the more points you get, the more benefits you receive, right? One point is worth one won.”
Already, an opportunity to gain points has come? Even one vote is worth ten thousand won. Isn’t this too good to be true?
If I can earn points, I’ll be able to attend the special lectures Seugal attends, making it easier to create contact points.
“Alright, let’s give it a shot.”
Anyway, this is just high school level debating. Compared to what I’ve experienced in life, it’s still at a middle school graduate’s level.
President Yi-seon, I don’t bear any ill will towards you, but I’ll make quick work of you in five minutes.
