Chapter 10 : School is a fucking spectacle #5 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Delighted, he searched for the training grounds when a snack bar caught his eye. Could this be even more exciting? I'm hungry anyway, so why not gamble on some treats before training! Just what I was looking for! Perfect timing! His mood began to lift rapidly. A snack bar! This brings back memories of school days. It was just past 5 PM. That peculiar time of day after school when the accommodating breeze and the exquisite twilight sky stir up one's emotions. During this hour, we always dashed off to the PC room with friends. We had to run faster than those punks from the neighboring school who tried to hog all the seats. Back then, we were perpetually in battle mode. Even during exams, damn it. If you delayed even a bit, all five PC rooms near the school would be full. But growing up, I found out all but one had gone out of business. Low birth rates are really a problem. —Entering with a leap is the trend. Anyway, while reminiscing, I leapt into the large, flashy snack bar. "What the hell?" Is it an unmanned snack bar? Traditionally, snack bars are managed by a lady. But inside the clean and expansive shop, there were only vending machines. There weren't even students using it. "Jeez." A snack bar should be bustling with people to bring out its true charm. There's no human scent here, no human scent at all. Is this the downside of modernization? Feeling a slight disappointment, he wordlessly pulled out a card from his wallet and stood before the vending machines. Prepare yourselves, damn it. Damn you all if you underestimate the stomach of a superhuman high schooler. A being that consumes more calories than ordinary humans. He's going to devour it all. Like how his namesake, Sunwoo, devours lunch boxes. Now, let’s see. Is there a cheap burger? There it is! "There’s a cheap burger!" A partner from school days, this cheap hamburger! I can convincingly declare that a school life without it isn’t a true school life! Without it, life would be grim and dreary! Ah! Eating this in a snack bar! Just pure awe. "Heh heh heh!" Feeling increasingly elated, he let his emotions explode. —Beep. —Beep. —Beep. He selected two cheap burgers, Yukgaejang, and a Picnic drink. It wasn't enough that he was shouting with excitement and even skipped lunch. He was on the brink of starving. —Crack. Immediately, he opened the Yukgaejang packet, added the soup, and poured hot water from the snack bar’s stainless steel dispenser. He tore open the burgers slightly to heat them in the microwave. Setup complete, he sat down. "This is what being a high schooler is." —Snap. He split the disposable wooden chopsticks, stabbed into the steaming Yukgaejang, and dug in heartily. He then pierced the straw into the Picnic drink with a pop. —Rip! And tore open the cheap burgers too! "This is what being a high schooler is...!" A rejuvenated body! Explosive appetite! —Sluurp! Without wasting time, he gathered a mouthful of noodles with the chopsticks, soaking them in broth, and stuffed them into his mouth before the soup could spill. "Ahh!" Incredible taste! After chewing and swallowing the noodles, he took a swig of the Picnic drink, grabbed a cheap burger, and took a big bite. Pure bliss. The greasy taste unique to cheap burgers enveloped his tongue. This needed to be balanced with the Yukgaejang soup. Indulging this way triggered a flood of memories from his high school days. After second period, running to the snack bar with friends for cheap burgers was the norm. Wasn’t the Picnic drink just 500 won? He certainly lived well. It wasn’t particularly delicious, but better than Rand Cider, so that’s why he remembers drinking it. "Ahh, I missed school lunch." Ares Academy. Though it's an institution for nurturing superhumans, it’s still a school where high schoolers attend. They ought to serve lunch, but he hadn’t tried it yet. He’d have to make sure to have it tomorrow. Since it’s a school for superhumans, it should be good. His old high school was something else—serving spaghetti with soybean paste soup. Isn’t it supposed to be broth usually? It will surely be better than that. Hopefully, it’s not like receiving meal coupons. This gives me a bad feeling. "Whew." When he came to, the Yukgaejang, two cheap burgers, and the Picnic were all devoured. Undefeated through countless battles. Kids, you still have much to learn. I'll be back tomorrow. —Clatter. Clearing everything away, he stood up. Following the quest's instructions, he then headed towards the cadet training grounds. "Quite spacious." The school's premises were vast. Almost like an apartment complex. Beyond being spacious, there were also many large buildings. In places like this, there are always signs... there we go. "Hmm." Eastward. Heading east, he soon saw it. "Woo!" [Cadet Training Ground] A massive training ground building. So this was it. But, is it a gym in a skyscraper? It’s incredibly wide and large. "Wow." "Hey, wanna hit this and then head to the PC room?" "Sure." And it seemed there were many students using it too. Students wielding weapons gathered in groups, chatting away as they entered and exited the training building. Alright. I should also go. Although exercise was usually just a casual routine for me, the idea of a training ground ignited my enthusiasm. After all, men enjoy wielding weapons and doing things, don't they? —Step, step. Avoiding the entering students, he went inside. It seemed there were name tags of different colors. It must signify class distinctions. "Let's see." A very sophisticated space. Transparent doors were regularly spaced along the wide hallways on either side. Above the doors, a [In Use] sign was displayed. He looked for an available spot and found just one left. Luck was on his side. "Good." He stepped right in. "Spacious, isn't it?" The inside was more spacious and taller than expected. But what kind of training takes place here? Next to the door was a sophisticated machine resembling a kiosk. Or perhaps I should compare it to a pachinko machine? It even looked somewhat like a Japanese rhythm game machine. Judging by the screen, it seemed to offer options to set training conditions via holograms. This old man finds this stuff difficult. Please install a machine that's a bit more user-friendly. "What's with the quest?" I entered the training ground as instructed, but the completion notification didn’t appear. Do I have to actually use the facilities for it to count as entering? Fine. I might as well give it a shot. Since I'll probably do this often, it would be beneficial to master the training facilities' usage. After all, I just devoured two cheap burgers. Right now, I'm invincible. No one can beat me. Even if Instructor Kawar puts me through another horror experience training, I feel like I could endure it. For high schoolers, cheap burgers are more than a stimulant—they're a dangerous drug. Practically like heroin or ice. "Let's see." Just as he was about to operate the kiosk machine— —Creak. Suddenly, the door swung open and a group of upperclassmen entered. "Huh? What’s this? Hey, there's a first-year inside?" The blonde with red earrings who came in first held the door open while looking outside. Then, as he walked in, the rest of the group followed. Their name tags showed they were upperclassmen. "What? It’s not marked as 'in use,' is it?" "Looks like he was just about to start." "Then what do we do? Isn't this the only room left?" "Sigh, damn. It's packed at the start of the new semester." "First-year punks are useless." What’s with these guys? I've been here first, yet they barged in and are now whining about it. These kids have no sense... There are four of them. Three guys came in and started grumbling, and there seems to be a girl at the back. Anyhow, let's kick them out. I'm busy too. "Excuse me? Seniors? I came here first, so I'll be using this room. I was just about to start, so could you please step out?" "What?" The green-haired guy with a perm reacted irritably. "Excuse me? I need to use the training ground." "No way, damn it. This first-year punk?" Punk? "What, punk?" "What?" "What about the first-year punk, huh? What’s the problem, you damn bastard? What did you just say?" "What, what? Damn. Ha, ha ha ha. Is this guy nuts?" Pointing at me, he laughed aloud. Attention was fully drawn. The upperclassmen were already looking at me with interest. "Oh. Why's he acting cocky?" "Seriously, damn. He suddenly started acting up? Is this guy crazy?" "He's scared of a first-year." "Who’s scared, idiot." Their snickering, as if something entertaining just happened, is intolerable. Picking a fight when I'm in a good mood after eating cheap burgers? "You started cussing first and now you're acting all stupid and crazy. Hey, just get lost, you jerk." "You damn brat!" —Fwoosh! As I gestured and spoke, the perm-haired guy grabbed my collar. "Grabbing someone's collar, are you?" "Do you seriously have a death wish? What makes you so cocky?" "Common sense." "What the hell do you want me to do then? Fine, hit me if you dare, you damned idiot. How were you raised to be cussing the first time you meet someone? Didn't you learn that if you cuss first, you're gonna get cussed back? You didn't bat an eye when doing it to others, but act all pitiful when it happens back to you. And look at your idiotic hairstyle." "Aw, damn it...!" "I’m right, aren’t I? Answer me, you fool." What’s with this, seriously. Did I mention I had an issue with Ryu Chung-hui this morning too? I’ve memorized these guys' faces. Tomorrow, I’ll either report them to the teachers or storm into the principal’s office and make a fuss. Attacking someone while possessing deadly weapons is considered aggravated assault. Plus, they closed off the door at night? "You're dead—" Just when I was about to get hit. "Guys. Let’s calm down a bit?" The tall blonde girl who’d been watching quietly from behind stepped in. "Min Soo, is it really okay to be fighting a first-year?" "What? I didn’t even intend to fight, but this punk suddenly—" "You were the one cussing first, Min Soo. Apologize." So she was the leader, huh? Upon hearing her out, the green-haired guy reluctantly let go of my collar. "Whew, whew...! Hey. Sorry. I kind of overreacted, being a bit hotheaded." Wow, this guy was all bark but wagged his tail instantly. "Yeah. Good job, Min Soo. And you... you're a first-year, right? Geun Cheol, was it? Could you apologize too? Let's end this nicely." Alright then. "Yes. I got angry in the heat of the moment too. I'm not hotheaded but can be a bit sharp. I'm sorry as well." "But wait..." "Then it’s settled. Min Soo, be quiet." "That ended nicely. Now, seniors, I’d like to use the training ground, so could you please leave?" As I said that, the leader laughed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, Geun Cheol. Today we’re kind of busy." "Sorry?" "Could you let us use it just once? There's an essential training session we have to do, and this is the only room left." So this was their plan all along, huh? At that moment— —Ding! ――――――――――――――――― 「New Quest Triggered」 「Repel the Hostile Cadets」 「Reward: 300 Coins」 ――――――――――――――――― I have to do this, no doubt about it!!! "Hey, Geun Cheol?" "Mind if I shed a tear here?" "Huh?" "Ugh! Uhh! Aahhhhhhhhhh! Aahhhhhhhhhh! Aargh! Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ugh! Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!" "Kya, kyaaa?!" "What the hell is up with this guy?" "He's nuts! This guy's lost it!" "Damn it, everyone’s watching us!" "Let’s just get out of here!" —Rush! The North Korean puppet gang, touched by my cries, fled in an instant as if the tide had gone out. Success in repelling them, you punks. —Ding. ――――――――――――――――― 「Quest Completed」 「Repel the Hostile Cadets」 「Reward: 300 Coins」 ――――――――――――――――― "Sweet, got my reward." Damn, finally time to start training.