“At the beginning of the semester, the Gigantic Forest was closed due to an accident, but it is said that it will be reopened. Those who are interested should read the notice in the hallway. The dismissal is concluded with this.”
The class representative gave a salute, and Mr. Yoon briefly nodded and exited the classroom.
Shinnoda slowly packed his bag. He was utterly exhausted from enduring a day of relentless questioning from curious classmates. Thanks to Hitomi drawing about half the attention, he managed to keep his cool; otherwise, he might have lost his temper.
Woooom. Woooom.
Shinnoda’s smartphone vibrated. He unlocked it to check the notification. It was a message from Lee Sang-hyun, the president of the Hero Culture Research Club that Shinnoda belonged to.
“Special event happening—shall we go East?”
He hadn’t been to the club recently. It wasn’t just because he was busy, but also because he had Isiah already, so there wasn’t much need to visit anymore.
“It’s been a while. Might as well show up.”
Shinnoda had been in an excellent mood because he had finally tracked down Shaks, whose location had previously been unknown.
Stepping into the corridor, he noticed a crowd of students gathering, which piqued his curiosity.
“What’s going on?”
The students jumped slightly at Shinnoda’s unexpected question. Despite the earlier barrage of inquiries, his reputation only grew more intimidating. For example, there was a widespread rumor that the A-Class bullies in Class One had been utterly defeated by him.
“Oh… It’s about the announcement concerning the Gigantic Forest dungeon…”
“Is that so?”
As Shinnoda moved closer to read the notice, the students quickly stepped aside to give him space.
“FG Guild determined through an investigation that the ecological system within a 30km radius of the Gigantic Forest Base Camp consists of B-Rank monsters at 0.03%, C-Rank at 1%, D-Rank at 32%, and E to F-Rank monsters at 66.97%.
This incident occurred because a Luna Bear from deep within the forest inexplicably wandered near the base camp.
The Academy Board decided that closing the Gigantic Forest entirely due to a 0.03% risk was not beneficial for the students’ growth and has consequently reopened the area.
All students will be able to access the Gigantic Forest again, but before entering, they must sign a consent form.”
Even with some less-than-ideal incidents, students had long hoped for the reopenings of the forest. For them, hunting there was a privilege exclusive to Academy members who could collect ‘Orbs of Growth’ at a leisurely pace. In reality, since the hunter era, dungeon explorations usually resulted in at least one casualty, whereas the Gigantic Forest was relatively safe compared to other dungeons.
“Whew, I’m glad. I thought just our cohort was being penalized.”
“Good thing it’s open again.”
For Awakened Ones, whose future job prospects depended on their rankings and stats, closing the Gigantic Forest was akin to preventing general students from studying.
Shinnoda let the relieved students be and headed to the clubroom.
…
He froze upon entering, confronted with an unexpected sight.
Click. Click.
There stood Isiah and Hitomi, dressed in floating kimono-like attire that resembled butterflies, holding katana swords in poised positions while other club members were taking pictures.
“Ah, Shin-kun! You’re here?”
“Meow!”
“It’s been a while! Heard you accomplished something again?”
Hitomi waved enthusiastically, and the others warmly greeted him.
‘They’d be grateful enough if I just kept my name on the roster. After all, the president’s been too busy with daily trainings.’
While Lee Sang-hyun slightly regretted Shinnoda’s infrequent appearances at the club, hearing about his capture of ‘Shaks’ changed his mind, leading him to accept the situation.
“But what exactly is going on here? Why are you dressed like that, and why is Hitomi here?”
Each time Shinnoda saw Hitomi, memories of his encounter with Fake Hitomi surfaced, causing his face to heat up.
“Oh━you didn’t know? These outfits resemble the attire worn by Yama, a popular character from the ‘Hunter’s Blades’ anime.”
“Senior… You’re such a die-hard otaku, please stop.”
“We’re utterly embarrassed.”
Sang-hyun grinned awkwardly as he explained. The two male members initially reacted negatively after closing their eyes tightly.
“Anyway, this is Ashikaga Hitomi, a new club member. I believe you’ve already met…”
Scratching his head, Sang-hyun added. Noticing Hitomi’s gaze fixed on Shinnoda, he thought to himself:
‘There we go. She’s here for Shinnoda.’
It was indeed strange that a girl like Hitomi would join the club unless there was a specific reason. She didn’t have any limitations like Isiah who had communication difficulties.
“Since I didn’t have a club, my homeroom teacher specially approved me to join any club with available spots! That’s why I said I wanted to come where Shin-kun is!”
“Oh, really?”
At her explanation, Shinnoda merely nodded.
Other members also gradually understood Hitomi’s reasons for joining the club.
“Is she the only one living in a visual novel protagonist mode…?”
“Jealous… so jealous.”
“Already the second one…”
The clubbers were perceptive. They had long realized Isiah’s heart belonged to Shinnoda, evident from her expressions.
“Well, let’s celebrate the new member with something… perhaps ‘that’?”
“Ah, ‘that’?”
“Meow!”
Sang-hyun, sensing the slightly gloomy atmosphere, decided to lift it by discussing the next event, and the members happily joined in.
“Is ‘that’ what you’re talking about?”
“What is ‘that’?”
Hitomi playfully twirled her hair as she asked.
“Dark Knight photoshoot!”
“Ah…”
Sang-hyun’s cheerful declaration caused Shinnoda to slump over, grasping his head. Isiah’s eyes sparkled.
“Apparently, the Dark Knight is famous here in Korea. Let’s give it a try!”
Ashikaga Hitomi struck a dynamic pose. The club members cheered, setting up places and retrieving costumes.
“Later, are the freshmen planning to dress like Knights of No-Do and take pictures?”
“Hehe, that could happen.”
Embarrassed by the discussions of ‘Dark Knight’ and ‘Knight No-Do’, Shinnoda almost wanted to die.
“Nya-ha-ha.”
Isiah enjoyed his reaction. When other members asked why she was laughing, she didn’t respond, secretly feeling superior knowing the truth about ‘Dark Knight’ alone.
…
After the club activities concluded, Shinnoda called out Isiah and went to a nearby café.
“Unexpectedly, we have a mission.”
“Nya?”
Isiah pulled out a tablet from her bag, writing with a stylus pen.
<What kind of mission?! Related to Dark Knight?>
Her face was filled with eagerness. She’d already experienced a sense of importance helping with Park Hayeon’s location mission before they captured S-Rank Monster Shaks.
Shinnoda felt slightly pressured.
“Have you heard about the Gospel of Salvation?”
Isiah paused, considering.
<Aha! The false religion in Japan. Right?>
“Wow, you know that. Anyway, to the point, dig up their scandals and spread them online so the Japanese people can break free from their illusions about the religion.”
Isiah nodded while listening but recalled an issue.
<However, the Japanese still prefer analog methods, keeping important information mostly off the digital realm. Don't expect much.>
“Ah… I see. Anyway, please try in the digital area, Isiah.”
Though born and raised in South Korea, Shinnoda found it hard to believe they still preferred analog, but as a digital expert, she must be correct.
<Oh, and why target the Gospel of Salvation? Are they part of the Demon King’s minions too?>
Isiah asked out of curiosity.
“Yes, their leader Hikaru Hoshi is a demon, a direct descendant of the Demon King, and a very powerful one. Let’s say it’s like one of the Four Heavenly Kings in a game.”
Recalling the role of the leader from the original game, Shinnoda used this as an example.
<I see. I'll do my best!>
“Also, have you heard about the reopening of the Gigantic Forest? Soon, Park Hayeon, Isiah, and I will be going hunting, so be on standby.”
He considered training Hitomi but remembered her abilities were specialized for personal combat and thus less useful against bosses.
“Sorry, but most bosses are immune to crowd control, so Hitomi’s abilities won’t be effective.”
Shinnoda suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, what are the specifications of the Gareas? Are there any special skills attached, and can it grow?”
<Yes, it's a growth-type item. It seems new skills are unlocked upon growth.>
Isiah showed the parameters she had prepared in advance, including durability and other details.
“Not bad. With these specs, it might even function as a tank. Eventually, once we obtain skills to counteract the penalties, we’ll start using the suit.”
The male tank candidate for the final party had similar tanking capabilities, yet Gareas could also deliver considerable damage, making it even better.
‘Honestly, going there was worth it. The transformation belt was much more impressive than I anticipated.’
In the original game, Isiah obtaining the ‘transformation belt’ was impossible, so her ability to produce synergy was unexpected.
<Yes! I can't wait!>
Isiah nodded eagerly, wiggling her large cat ears on her head.
