Chapter 9 : School is a fucking spectacle #4 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

"Aaaaaaahhhh!" "Whoa...! Please calm down!" "What?" In front of him was not the grotesque and terrifying apparition from his nightmare, but... Leona? The very Leona, known as the top cadet. What is this? Is this another part of the illusion? There’s a well-known saying about raising someone up just to drop them. You intentionally give someone something nice, uplift their spirits, and then suddenly hit them with something dreadful, sending their mood plummeting to rock bottom. It’s the kind of tactic used to torment someone maliciously. If this is an extension of the illusion, then Kawar Instructor is confirmed as a top-tier sadist. A despicable psychopath. But this feels real. "..." The sheer vividness of the beauty. The Leona in front of him was, without exaggeration, stunningly beautiful. Her silver hair was a work of art. Her beauty was beyond words. Her sharp gaze further enhanced her allure. She looked like the perfect princess you’d read about. "What are you staring at so intently?" Her words, accompanied by a furrowed brow, snapped him out of his reverie. But where is this place? Alright, this is reality, but... "Uh, where am I?" "The infirmary." "What? The infirmary?" "Kim Geun Cheol? You fainted." Fainted? "I fainted?" I, the great Kim Geun Cheol, fainted? "You fainted quite spectacularly." "What do you mean by that..." "You suddenly screamed like thunder struck and then crawled on the floor begging for help, it was appalling. And while I watched in disbelief, you fainted again." "..." "Really, it was unbelievable. Why is a guy so scared? It's honestly funny. It wasn't even that scary." Her voice was gentle, but her words carried weight. Leona was clearly chastising him. This feels like I’m being scolded... No, no matter how you slice it, my pride won’t allow me to be reprimanded by someone who's technically younger than me. "Uh, Leona?" "What is it?" He decided to speak up. "It seems like you saw a different illusion than I did, but what I saw was truly, exceptionally terrifying and horrendous..." "You're talking about that creature with a long neck and a hole in its belly, right? No eyes, approaching slowly, and then it disembowels itself to show you its insides." Oh. That's exactly it. "Even though it surprised me, I don’t think it warranted that level of screaming. It was unpleasant, sure, but isn't an aspiring hero expected to laugh it off?" "Well, that..." "And before we started, you called it easy and challenged it as if it were nothing..." No! Don’t bring up my embarrassing moments! At the time, I really thought it was just an illusion and nothing to be scared of! Fine, Kim Geun Cheol! I admit it! Even when you know it's an illusion, fear is fear! I’ve learned a valuable lesson! I’ll carry this lesson in my heart, so please don’t dig any deeper! "Anyway, just like yesterday—" At this rate, I’m going to keep getting scolded! "Alright, alright! Well, maybe I am a coward!" Honestly, it's incredibly embarrassing and I don't have anything to retort! My attempt to change the image miserably failed! From being Oh My God awesome to a pathetic coward! "To be honest, I was so scared that all I could think about was surviving. But thinking about it, Leona, aren’t you the strange one?" From my perspective, I’m the normal one and she's the outlier... Not just an outlier, definitely abnormal. Leona didn’t flinch at that horrific beast and even fought it. "What do you mean?" "How could you remain calm seeing that? It doesn’t make sense." Considering her background from a good family, she must have received combat training. Our demographics simply differ. That's probably why she stayed calm. "Kim Geun Cheol, do you not watch horror movies?" "I'm too scared to watch them. If I watch even one, I pull the covers over my head and cry all night. If I'm outside, I can’t even go home because it’s so frightening." Specifically, stairs, elevators, everything appears scary. Watching a horror movie leaves me feeling uneasy for about a week even while showering at home. The aftereffects linger quite a while. "Pfft!" "Are you laughing?" "No, no. It's just funny to hear such unusual..." I’d better change the topic. "Anyway. Why are you here?" "I thought you might wake up soon." So why is she here? I asked with my eyes, and Leona continued speaking. "I'm the class president from today." "What? Class president?" "So I have to look out for classmates who are struggling. That’s what it means from now on." Wait a minute. "Class president? Did you decide this by strength? When did this happen?" "Check your watch." "Hmm?" He pulled out his phone to check the time. "Oh." Time is... "It's already 5 o'clock." Class started at 8:30 a.m. "We finished the classes, received feedback, and then Instructor Lee So Ra came in for a vote to elect a class president and a brief theory class. We also had lunch and finished the afternoon classes." Don’t these guys know anything about democracy? How can they elect a class president without me? I wanted to exercise my precious vote. But since the day went by smoothly, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Thank you, Kawar Instructor. "Meanwhile, you, Kim Geun Cheol, were passed out. With the classes done, I thought you’d wake up soon and so I came." Still, it appears she came to take care of me as class president. What a considerate person. She must have a kind heart as beautiful as her looks. "Thank you." "Oh, no need for thanks. Here's a letter from Kawar Instructor. That's actually the main reason I came." "A letter?" Leona handed him the letter. "Let’s see..." "To Kim Geun Cheol." "From Kawar Instructor." - It seems our Kim Geun Cheol was quite startled! Who would have thought you’d faint with such a flair! But don't worry too much! At least one cadet faints every three years! Anyone can faint, so there’s no need to feel too embarrassed or burdened! Every three years? Damn, that makes me an extremely rare case...! A serious wave of embarrassment washed over me as I felt my face heat up, but I continued reading the letter. - Anyhow, let's start the assessment. - First of all, zero points! - The creatures employ illusions far more deadly and complex than this! To handle attacks carried out while confounding your vision, you'll need to discern illusions faster than anyone else! - Kim Geun Cheol, you’ve got to build some courage, don’t you think? If you panic, you won’t be able to cope! If this were real, you'd be good as gone! - So, please don't blame us for showing such harsh illusions! It's all part of the curriculum! Consider this a taste of what illusion attacks from creatures look like, and I look forward to seeing how you, Kim Geun Cheol, improve in the future! Reading this, well... "Hmm." The evaluation was spot-on and rather obvious. If that creature were to attack that way for real... I'd be dead in seconds. I definitely need to build up some courage. But surely this isn’t leading to some kind of special training, right? - P.S. None of the cadets received a kiss! I didn't need to know that. - P.S. 2. Depending on future performance, you might be required to attend extra classes after school! Not that! "Whoo!" Alright, I get it. So, these types of classes will continue daily. Merely building courage won’t suffice to keep up. I’m going to need to get stronger as well. In other words, some serious training is in order. "Oh, and by the way." "Hmm?" As I pondered over the letter, Leona stood up and spoke. "Since I’m the class president now, I’ll do my best to guide all the cadets, including you, Kim Geun Cheol. So, you better work hard." "I’ll work hard, but... you’ll guide me?" "Don’t you think you’re a little behind?" Standing up, Leona confidently and arrogantly looked down at me as she spoke. "Well, yes." "Then as class president, I have to lead. Isn’t that what leadership is all about?" A truly Western mindset. Still, I'm grateful to have someone looking out for me. "Thanks. I'll come find you if I have questions. I don’t plan to stay behind forever, though. By the way, you seem to misunderstand me. I’m not that weird. I was just a bit nervous." "Heh." Leona gave a slight chuckle, seemingly pleased with my words. "It’s a bit embarrassing to introduce myself again, but my name is Leona Kynes. My father is a member of Mister Dominators. Well then." "Oh. I'm Kim Geun Cheol. Not 'Kim Geun Cheol-i.' See you." —Squeak. With that, Leona turned and left the infirmary. "Why is she so nice?" Given how she was ready to fight a Warp Spider, I thought she was just a battle-hungry war-crazed maniac, but it turns out she’s actually a kind-hearted girl. It’s heartwarming. "Oh, man." I rose from my seat as well. Whatever it was, my first real day of class was shot because I fainted. Falling behind now would be a problem. But with someone willing to help, I felt reassured. I had made contact with Lee Si Hoo, and Leona, as class president, offered her assistance. "But school’s over now." So, should I just head back to the dormitory? —Growl. "Ah, I’m starving." After screaming my lungs out and skipping meals, my stomach was now roaring. Alright, let’s take this opportunity to explore the school and find out where the snack shop is. I wonder if I have any money on me? If I don’t, the snack shop lady’s going to have a bad day, seriously. *** As I left the infirmary and started prowling around the school grounds like a stray dog searching for the snack shop, it happened. —Ding. Accompanied by a familiar alert sound, a blue window appeared in front of me. ――――――――――――――――― "Quest Initiated" "Enter the Academy’s Training Grounds" "Reward: 100 Coins" "Reward: Store Access" ――――――――――――――――― "What, what did you say?!" Store Access?! Could this mean there’s a store where I can use those coins I've collected?! If so, this is freaking awesome, you bastards! Finally, something like this for me! If I can use the store, illusions or whatever are a piece of cake! This is exactly what I’ve been wanting! "It’s like Zhuge Liang gaining a sweet source of power!!!!!!!!" —Kyaaaahh!!!!!!!! With overwhelming joy, I shouted out loud!