008 – Misfits Enjoy Each Other’s Company #2
“In the main building, I have carried out missions in numerous regions. There have been countless crises. At such times, what was the strongest support I had?”
Hanamjin’s homeroom teacher Kang Cheol-min was allegedly a veteran from a special forces unit, having rolled through battlefields all over the world.
He was someone everyone knew as “Captain Kang Cheol-min,” often appearing on variety shows.
He was a man for whom the term “instructor” didn’t fit well—“Captain” suited him better. He shouted out loud.
“It’s my comrades. Comrades whose backs you can rely on! The comrade who will carry you and run when you’re in dire straits is more important than any kind of equipment or tactics. They are a lifeline.”
The point of the Captain’s story was one simple directive: make your teams wisely for the upcoming practical training sessions.
“You have 5 minutes to form groups. Let’s go!”
Six teams of five close friends each.
The problem was that I had just transferred and didn’t have any close friends here.
“Class president, come over to our group! Okay?”
“Jin, if you come, we’ll have exactly five members!”
It was a bazaar-like atmosphere. I glanced around, wondering if there were kids who might invite me, and a few people met my eyes.
“One person is left, right? What about the new student? It’ll be fun, won’t it?”
“Fun? Hey, there’s plenty of hard work ahead for the day. We need skill, not fun!”
“True, we don’t even know what concepts the new student possesses.”
Though some kids seemed interested in me due to the debate earlier, they ended up grouping with others.
And so, a natural problem arose.
Kids who were left out while forming teams ended up standing together as if they were a discarded kimchi side dish, fading into the background.
“Taesung, looks like you’re left out too! Guess I found my buddy!”
I waved to Geum Tae-sung, who had stood quietly in the corner while everyone was forming groups. He seemed to be the type who didn’t easily fit into a crowd, contrary to what I expected from someone seemingly sociable.
“Huh, I kind of knew this would happen. I guess we’ll end up with the rest being grouped together.”
With a shrug, Geum Tae-sung approached me, glancing slowly at the “leftovers” from the team selections.
“Namjin’s a transfer student, so he must’ve been tossed out. ‘Artist,’ ‘Miss Punch,’ ‘Silence’… Honestly, I see the same faces every group exercise, so it’s no surprise.”
“Artist?”
“In training exercises, we use call signs instead of names, like nicknames. Look, the guy over there with the messy hair is ‘Artist.’ That quiet girl over there is ‘Silence,’ and…”
“!”
Geum Tae-sung’s finger suddenly pointed at Baek Yeo-ul, who jumped in surprise.
“That’s your partner, Baek Yeo-ul. She’s ‘Miss Punch.’ Once you’ve manifested a concept and entered the special classes, instructors and seniors assign call signs based on your characteristics. Referring to me, I’m ‘Reversal.'”
‘Reversal’ suited Geum Tae-sung, who despite being a delinquent type, earnestly listened at the front of the classroom.
The other call signs must also fit their owners perfectly.
“If you show great performance in this training, Namjin, you might also get a call sign.”
“Oh? Even me?”
‘Reversal,’ ‘Artist,’ ‘Miss Punch,’ ‘Silence’—they sounded like game characters, kind of cool, right?
Now that I’m in the distinguished Class D, it means I’ll soon have a nickname like that too.
If, by any chance, my call sign becomes famous, if it’s something cool like ‘BradPitt’ thanks to my good looks?
There’s a higher probability that I can approach Seugal by casually introducing myself, saying, “Ahem, I’m the famous ‘BradPitt’ lately.”
That thought ignited my motivation.
“So, what exactly is this practice about?”
# # #
The reason Hero Officer Academy wasn’t located in Seoul, the capital of Korea, but in City D, was because of an unidentified facility that appeared deep beneath the city.
“Seven years ago, a construction site’s maintenance check on the sewage system was the first report of what was found underneath us—the Great Labyrinth. It is a place where countless concepts intertwine.”
According to Captain Kang Cheol-min, the Great Labyrinth, lying under us, appeared out of nowhere. Exploring it, discovering new things, and studying them was one of the main duties of the students of Hero Officer Academy.
“The Great Labyrinth itself is an extraordinary structure imbued with countless concepts. It’s packed with mysteries that could contribute to the advancement of humanity—items imbued with ‘concepts.'”
Items imbued with ‘concepts’?
I couldn’t help but ask a question.
“Captain, if I may ask—can concepts be imbued into objects? Aren’t concepts supposed to be superpowers granted only to people?”
“You might not know much because you’re a transfer student, but concepts can exist within everything. Even the testing machine you saw today is an object imbued with the concept of ‘inspection.'”
Swoosh!
The Captain pulled a pen out of his pocket.
“This is a ballpoint pen, but it’s infused with the concept of ‘cutting.’ What do you think will happen if I place this pen against this glass cup? Surprisingly, the cup will split in two.”
Snick!
The sight of Captain Kang Cheol-min cutting the glass cup in half with just a pen filled me with amazement. There were such incredible items inside the labyrinth? Considering my past as a scavenger in a junkyard, it was natural for my heart to cry out.
“Captain! Where do I get one of these pens!”
“This is my special tool, ranked 3rd-grade management item, hazardous but convenient. If you want something like this, you’ll have to explore the labyrinth.”
“Ooooh!”
“But the labyrinth doesn’t just have such treasures. There are many dangers lurking there. That’s why you’re getting this expensive education and all these benefits at Hero Officer Academy, learning how to handle them. Now let’s head out to the practice ground!”
As we walked through the pristine white halls of the expansive school campus, following the Class F students, I realized this was a joint practice with them.
A golden opportunity to meet Seugal. Given this chance might not come again anytime soon, I needed to stay focused.
After a long walk down the whitewashed corridors that looked like a research facility, we arrived at a white room where a composed woman was sitting. She appeared to be around her mid-20s and wore a researcher’s outfit, but her eyes were covered with a blindfold for some reason.
“Captain, nice of you to arrive right on time. The F-Class students are already heading to the practice grounds. Now let’s guide the Class D students inside. Those who are ready, please step forward—.”
Swoosh!
When a group of five prepared students stood around the woman, they vanished with a faint sound, as if they had stepped into a teleportation device in a movie.
What just happened?
As I was startled, Captain approached me while handing me something, explaining kindly.
“This is Moon Hyun-a, a first-generation graduate of Hero Officer Academy and a currently active explorer in the field. Her concept is ‘Gate.’ She can teleport people to anywhere if the place is familiar to her, kind of like a real gate.”
“Captain, I cannot teleport people just anywhere. It’s not as convenient as you say. There’s a huge backlash involved. That’s why I cannot leave this city.”
Huff…
As the blindfolded woman gave a graceful laugh, I glanced at the object the captain handed me.
“Ha Namjin, this is your smartwatch and smartphone. They’ll measure your condition in real-time and provide helpful guides. Don’t lose them. They’re expensive.”
Soon, it was our group’s turn to move to the training area. Standing in front of the blindfolded woman, she seemed to sense my presence and gave a faint smile.
“You said you’re the new student, right? What’s your group’s name? Group name?”
“Ours? It’s ‘No Leftovers.'”
“Leftovers? Interesting name. So, where would you like to go on this trip?”
“Huh? But what do you mean—arghhhhh!”
It felt like my insides were churned from top to bottom. The event happened in a flash so I couldn’t respond before someone patted my back and helped me regain my senses. I found myself lying face down on what seemed like the edge of a cliff.
# # #
The wind howled strong and cold—it was definitely a cliff.
“What is this? Where are we?”
As I was stunned by the strange experience, Geum Tae-sung helped me up while explaining.
“It’s inside the labyrinth. Based on our position, it’s the worst possible starting location on the cliff. How high is this thing? We might end up here for 3 hours.”
Creak… Creak…
The smartwatch provided to us began operating, emitting sounds.
“02:59:57”
“02:59:56”
…
..
.
“Countdown?”
“The practical training is about exploring the labyrinth within this time. If you discover and obtain items imbued with concepts or defeat a demon beast, you’ll earn lots of points. If you do nothing and stay put, you won’t get any points, though.”
An adventure and exploration exercise, literally.
I’m confident I’ll find something useful.
Only this cliff is…peculiar.
“I expected a typical labyrinth with cold stone walls and animated skeletons.”
“Outdoor dungeon.”
Someone responded to my comment, and I realized the source: a girl hiding her face behind long bangs.
I didn’t know her name, but her call sign was “Silence.”
You know how there’s always that one or two quiet girls in every class? The kind whose voice you might hear once a year, if that. She quietly murmured.
“…The labyrinth isn’t always just structures. Don’t you see in manga how icy tundras or volcanoes exist inside buildings? Spaces get twisted…”
To summarize: these cliffs and the forest below are part of the Great Labyrinth. And somewhere within lies Seugal, who entered earlier.
Swoosh!
Geum Tae-sung covered his forehead in dismay.
“Starting points usually drop randomly in various places, but landing on a cliff is quite inconvenient, isn’t it?”
At that moment, Baek Yeo-ul quietly murmured,
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Why?”
Why was Baek Yeo-ul apologizing in such a situation?
As I was trying to understand, the boy with wild hair, known as “Artist,” finally spoke.
“I had a feeling… As expected, every time we make a group with Youl, we end up like this.”
What’s his tone? Did he step out of a historical drama?
A concept so creative. That’s why he’s “Artist,” right? Artists are always a bit strange.
Just as I found it interesting and paid more attention, he suggested,
“Since there’s nothing else to do, why don’t we introduce ourselves? We have a new student here too. Let’s share our possessed concepts.”
That sounded like a good idea.
To know who’s who and their powers makes sense, right?
But Baek Yeo-ul, like someone visited by a loan shark at home, started shivering.
“I-I’m…not so…”
