Chapter 184
Unlocked chapter (10/13)
[Brainwave and Silent (2)]
<Brainwave> Lee Dojin was one of the relatively trouble-free members among the Twelve Seats.
This was better than <Flame Demon> Kang Hyun-cheol, who became a Twelve Seat around the same time, who fumbled with the flames and set them on fire.
Furthermore, Lee Dojin had a reputation for being a good and gentlemanly player, especially since Kwak Woo-hyuk, <Landman>, who had been selected as part of the Second Generation among the Twelve Seats before the regression, and Choo Young-hoon, <One-Man Fortress>, did not have a favorable behavior.
Not only was he the owner of <Brainwave>, skilled in handling mana, and possessed a good personality, he also didn’t abuse his power.
«─He’s even good-looking….»
Eunha sighed in envy as he watched Lee Dojin deal with the Manticore that couldn’t even move properly.
He really was filthy handsome.
The kids with smartphones were busy taking pictures of him, as if they didn’t even remember the trauma of the monster.
«Wow~! He’s so handsome!»
«Oppa! Look here!»
«Seriously, he looks like a celebrity!»
«I’ve seen him on TV before! I thought he was a celebrity, but he’s a player!»
Apparently, the Mana Management Organization even went as far as putting him on television to improve the image of the players, choosing someone with a sculpted appearance.
Among the general public who vaguely knew about the existence of players, Lee Dojin could be considered the most exposed player in the media.
«Seriously… How can someone so handsome be a player? This is insulting to dramas!»
«Mukminji, can you see Lee Dojin’s face from this distance?»
Eunha shot a disgusted look at Minji, who had practically draped herself halfway out the window.
Minji, who had her feet planted on the ground, glared back with an irritated expression.
«No eunha, talk straight. What’s Lee Do-jin…. Is he your friend? You should call him Dojin oppa, Dojin oppa!»
«…Okay, can you see Lee Dojin’s face from this distance?»
«Of course, there’s a handsome guy over there, how can I not see him!»
«Uh…, yeah….»
Eunha decided not to speak.
Even if Minji was so passionate in her tone, Eunha didn’t want to get into a confrontation over something like this.
He decided to stay away from her.
«Captain, I don’t know what’s wrong with Minji’s head today. Maybe the milk she drank earlier went bad?»
«In this weather? The milk can’t go bad, just leave her alone. She’s just crazy about Lee Dojin again. If we ignore her, she’ll come to her senses eventually.»
«As expected, Captain!»
«Why? I also think Lee Dojin is cool….»
Seona, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, shook her head as if she didn’t understand.
Her fox tail wagged gently, and she was observing Lee Dojin’s battle with her red eyes squinted.
«Besides his face… his impressive movement, luring the monster’s attacks skillfully, is really cool.»
«I agree with that.»
Seona’s eyes followed Lee Dojin’s movements, his agile dodges and timely strikes against the monster several times his size.
He ran across, never backing down from a monster many times his size, and dropped thunderbolts from gaps.
Even Eunha had to admit it.
Unlike Kang Hyun-cheol, who used brute force without considering strategy, Idojin moved thoughtfully.
Like him, he was a mana-efficient player.
«Eunhyuk, keep an eye on him. Don’t look up to squids like Kang Hyun-chul, look up to players like Lee Dojin.»
«No Eunha, I said is not Lee Dojin, is Lee Dojin oppa!»
«…Captain, I’m going to try to be more like player Lee Dojin from today.»
Eunhyuk, who had vowed to do something, glanced at Seona, who was looking out the window as if mesmerized.
Seona wasn’t even looking at him.
Eunha tried to touch his shoulder to comfort him.
Then he realized he was holding onto Hayang’s hand.
How long does she plan to hold his hand?
The children in the class who had witnessed Lee Dojin’s lightning strike had already recovered from the trauma.
The monster’s threat had been defused.
And yet, she hadn’t let go of his hand.
It was so natural that he didn’t even think about it.
«Eunha, what?»
Hayang asked with a giggle.
Eunha clicked his tongue inwardly.
Jung Hayang, she had really changed.
She wasn’t always a girl like this….
Our Jung Hayang has changed.
I knew when it was coming.
It was when she started interacting with the affiliate kids.
Maybe it was after she decided to befriend Han Seohyun.
«It’s nothing.»
«Tsk.»
Come to think of it, Eunha was also the one holding onto her.
He released the grip on his hand.
Though Hayang pursed her lips, she kept her gaze fixed outside.
«…….»
The battle was coming to a close.
The Manticore, unable to support its weight and prone to collapse, heaved itself to its feet with a final squeeze of strength.
A low growl was heard, and a malevolent energy surged around it.
It was its final struggle.
With a ferocious crack, a bolt of lightning struck Lee Dojin.
«Kyaa-!!!»
«Hey, No Eunha, isn’t this dangerous!»
The children who witnessed the scene screamed.
Minji, who had turned her head away from the window, hurriedly looked at Eunha.
«It’s okay.»
Eunha looked out the window calmly.
There was no way Lee Dojin could have fallen here.
His gift was <Brainwave> .
With the power to turn all of his mana into electricity, there was no way he could be struck down by a mere few bolts of lightning.
After all….
Instead, Lee Dojin turned the lightning that struck him into his own power.
Kreung!
Realizing that even its last move hadn’t worked, the Manticore quickly turned around.
Having narrowly avoided Lee Dojin’s counterattack, it moved its broken wings and soared.
«Hey hey hey! Look at this! Right now, look at this!»
«It’s okay.»
Minji shouted.
Eunha didn’t even bother to look at the manticore that was about to attack the school to grab Lee Dojin’s ankle.
He wouldn’t have come here alone.
In fact, he, too, remained unmoved by the magic in the manticore’s mouth as it soared through the air.
In fact, he was nonchalant even when he saw the magic enveloped in the Manticore’s mouth.
Finally, when the creature unleashed its fire-like power─
─Film Disposal.
The magic that reached the front of the classroom was blocked by an invisible wall.
The moment it cast its spell was cut back and forth.
Eunha deployed its sensors to find the witch who had separated the time zones.
The <Witch of Time> was on the rooftop.
She wasn’t the only one.
Krrrrrr!
As if waiting for the moment the magic was dispelled, the Manticore turned its back.
The bullet, flying out of sight, struck the manticore’s forehead without missing a beat.
It exploded from the inside with a bone-crunching sound as the mana-fueled bullet shattered.
«…Huh? What? Who fired the gun?»
The bullet was large enough to be seen with the naked eye.
Eunhyuk looked around as he witnessed the bullet shatter the skull of a large monster.
«…It was fired from off the radar, and even if I looked hard enough, I couldn’t find the sniper.»
Whoever it was, they’d cut off the Manticore’s breathing with a single pull of the trigger.
Even if the creature had been out of breath, it’s not every day you can hit a creature right in the forehead at a long range.
Eunha thought of the sniper who had been selected for the Twelve earlier in the year, but the sound of children screaming brought him back to reality.
«»Oppa, I love you!»»
«»Please take me!»»
The children in the school leaned out and cheered.
After confirming the Manticore’s demise, Lee Dojin waved awkwardly at the children’s enthusiastic cheers.
«Woo! Brain! Wave! Lee! Do! Jin! Kya!»
«Eunhyuk, isn’t Lee Dojin oppa amazing? How can such a cool person exist in this world?»
«…Captain. I’m really going to be someone like Lee Dojin from today.»
There was a lot of chatter.
Eunha, who had advised his friends to watch his battle, sighed in disbelief.
Minji, whose eyes had turned into hearts, was ready to start a fan club, and Seona could only watch in awe.
Eunhyuk was clenching his fists with a mixture of admiration and competition.
«Hayang, don’t you feel anything?»
«Feel something? Hmm….»
Hayang received a surprise question from Eunha without warning.
She brought her index finger to her lips and looked thoughtful for a moment, then clapped her hands as she thought of something to say.
«Eunha, you’ll become such an amazing person too when you grow up, won’t you?»
«…I’m sorry. Even if I come back to life, that’s too much.»
Hayang, with a bright smile, inserted a dagger with her words.
☆
«Oppa, you should try this too, it’s the most delicious side dish in the school cafeteria!»
«Get out of my way,Dojin oppa, you haven’t tried this yet, have you?»
«Hyung! Hyung! What do I have to do to be like you? Are you close to Kang Hyun-chul?»
«Haha…, kids…, why don’t you tell me one by one?»
Surrounded by children, Lee Dojin didn’t even have a proper lunch.
As soon as he entered the cafeteria to eat lunch, the children came up to him.
The excited kids, who saw him defeat the Manticore, didn’t even give him time to move his chopsticks.
«What’s wrong with you, Jin Seona? Why aren’t you in there with the….»
«There are so many kids over there, how can I fit in? I don’t want to be a clingy person.»
Lee Dojin was sitting in the center of the cafeteria eating his meal.
Compared to the chaos, the corners were relatively peaceful.
Far away from the commotion, Eunha talked to Seona, who was eating lunch without being swept up in the atmosphere.
Minji and Eunhyuk had picked up on the rumor that Dojin had entered the cafeteria and were the first to run down the hall as soon as the bell rang.
They were now seated to his left and right, talking to him.
Seona, on the other hand, didn’t seem to pay much attention to him.
«Even though Dojin is really cool, I like eating with you guys.
But that Choi Eunhyuk guy….»
With a spoon in her mouth, Seona shook her head from side to side.
Her gaze was fixed on Eunhyuk in a way that made Lee Dojin uncomfortable, as Eunhyuk did not back away and remained steadfast.
«Well. Eunhyuk’s got a real target, and it’s better than Kang Hyunchul.»
«Well…, that’s true.»
She seemed to agree with Eunha’s thoughts.
In a way, the gentlemanly and sincere Lee Dojin was better than the crazy Kang Hyun-chul.
«When you’re done, let’s go back to class. There are too many people here.»
«Eunha, Seona, can we go to the cafeteria? I want some hot cocoa!»
«Okay.»
They decided to leave the cafeteria behind.
As they left the cafeteria, Eunha smirked at Lee Dojin’s confused expression.
Even Lee Dojin, who would be called the strongest player in Korea in the distant future, was having a hard time dealing with elementary school children.
He can’t afford to lose this.
He’ll have a harder time in the future….
Inwardly, Eunha wished him good luck as he struggled against Minji and Eunhyuk.
A hero never takes a day off, even when he’s eating.
«Huh? Is that unnie also a player?
It was when they were leaving the student cafeteria and heading towards the snack shop.
Hayang noticed a woman standing in front of the snack shop.
The woman, who wore a headband-type hearing protection around her neck, was staring through the glass door.
With a rifle-like firearm strapped to her back, she was a player everywhere they looked.
«That’s….»
«Do you know her?»
«You’ve probably seen her before too.»
Eunha recognized the woman’s face in the glass door and shrugged.
The children didn’t dare go near her at the sight of her unfriendly face, but Eunha dragged them closer.
«Aren’t you going in?»
He said to the woman standing in front of the glass door.
The woman, who had been staring intensely into the snack shop, slowly lowered her gaze.
Her unreadable eyes stared back at him.
«…I’m not a student here.»
«Everyone knows you’re not a student, noona. No one will say anything even if you use the snack shop.»
«…….»
The sniper fell silent.
Then she nodded and stepped through the door Eunha was holding, entering the snack shop.
«Welcome, everyone. What would you like to have?»
«Three hot chocolates, please!»
«I’ll take something warm, ma’am.»
Hayang rushed to the counter and extended three fingers as she placed her order.
Seona made a small remark beside her.
The snack shop owner, who knew both of them, kindly spoke as she handed over the ordered drinks.
Then, she turned to the woman who was thoroughly examining the menu.
«What about you? …Miss?»
The snack shop owner called out to the woman.
She was still absorbed in studying the menu.
This person doesn’t usually listen to other people.
Taking a sip of his hot chocolate, Eunha thought to himself.
She was always like this.
Apart from her sniper activities, she was a player who typically immersed herself in her own world, paying no attention to what others said.
Despite that, her skills were unmatched among snipers.
«…….»
Because of that, people mixed mockery and admiration, calling her <Silent>,
Mockery for not responding even when called,
Admiration for silently sniping without sound.
«…I’ll take your order.»
Twleve Seat, <Silent>, Yoo Soo-jin.
The youngest of the Twelve, she’s been mocked and honored, but she never wavered.
«─One sweet potato pizza bun, two hot dogs, schnitzel chicken, and ama chicken, one cheeseburger and bulgogi hamburger, one Pringles of each flavor, spicy shrimp chips, Wehahs, and corn chips….»
«…Miss, can you eat all of that by yourself?»
For the first time, the snack shop owner met the eyes of the sniper and spoke with a bewildered expression.
«Five picnic sets.»
«»…….»»
«There’s no way you can eat all of that….»
Eunha, who had never expected her to say so much, muttered in disbelief, his expression dumbfounded.
It was a moment when the image of the sniper, silently performing her duties in his memory, shattered into pieces.