NOVEL NEXT Chapter 186
Unlocked chapter (13/13)
[End of the Year].
The final year of the 7th sun calendar approached without any particular change.
As the vibrant autumn leaves in the city fell and settled on twisted branches, the students of Doan Elementary School welcomed their winter vacation.
Children, who couldn’t concentrate properly during regular classes, now had their eyes sparkling with determination today.
«Don’t get too excited about vacation.
You’ll be in sixth grade next year, and while you have to set an example for the other grades, I want you to take the opportunity to think seriously about what you want to do in the future.»
Im Dohon looked around at the children in the smallest class in the school.
The children, who had been excited just a few moments earlier, had a different look in their eyes and listened to the seriousness of his words.
«Legally, you’re considered an adult at the age of 19, but you all know the reality.
Our society has been matured way before that age.
I believe a true adult is someone who knows how to cover up their own faults. And I think, as students graduating from elementary school, you should be able to do that.»
«»»…….»»
«Most of you will move on to middle school after graduating, and attending this school means you have the financial means to enter middle school. However, there might be some who won’t be able to enter middle school, and some might choose vocational schools.»
South Korea guarantees compulsory education according to age, even in a world on the brink of destruction, it was a system that remained intact.
In the slums alone, there were many children who did not attend elementary school.
This was far from the case at Doan Elementary School, where many children from the political circles were enrolled, but even among those who graduated from elementary school, some children were unable to enter middle school.
Many of them were immediately put into labor or sent to vocational schools to hasten their entry into society.
As a result, the rate of admission to universities was extremely low.
«This might be the last time you get to relax.
Don’t just think about playing during the vacation, but think about your future a little bit.»
The majority of students at Doan Elementary School go on to middle school.
But that doesn’t mean their future is stable.
From the moment they enter middle school, they have to prove themselves again and again.
In a world where the gap between rich and poor is stark and meritocracy is rampant, they have to constantly push themselves to make a better life for themselves.
«So have a good vacation, and if any of you want to apply to the Player Academy, you can come to me, because I can give you some advice.»
With those words, Im Dohon ended the vacation ceremony.
As the students packed their bags, some of them approached the teacher’s table to ask for advice about the Player Academy.
Even among public schools, there were quite a few students who wanted to apply to the Player Academy due to its supportive policies.
«Captain, let’s go home too!»
«Finally, vacation! I need to hurry and catch up on the dramas I missed. Don’t call me today, okay? Got it?» (She’s so me)
Eunhyuk and Minji, who decided to apply for the Player Academy, didn’t approach Im Dohon for advice.
They had no intention of hesitating in their decision. Moreover, Eunha knew a lot about the Player Academy.
«As the teacher said, really…, There’s only a year left. Being an elementary school student….»
Snow drizzled from the sky on the way out of the school gate.
Wearing gloves, Seona held her hands up towards the sky, catching the falling snow.
The snowflakes quickly melted in her warm palms.
«Have you guys decided?»
Hayang, who was leading the way, looked back and asked.
No one here didn’t understand what she meant.
«I’ve decided since kindergarten. I’m going to be a player, so I’m going to the Player Academy.»
Eunhyuk had always been the same.
He never gave up on his dream of becoming a player and saving someone.
Lately, he had been questioning Euna extensively about her life at the academy.
«Me too. I’m going to be a player, because there are very few lives that are as free as a player’s…, very few. I want to succeed with my own strength.»
Minji, who had left home during the summer vacation, received conditional permission after deep conversations with her parents.
The conditions were that she had to pass the entrance exam for the Player Academy, and her determination must remain steadfast even after graduating from the academy.
If she didn’t pass the entrance exam, or if she felt it wasn’t the right path for her when she graduated from the academy, she decided to stay quiet and follow her parents’ wishes.
«Well, that’s not going to happen….»
Minji asserted confidently, looking at Eunha. Eunha had been silent since the moment their teacher, Im Dohon, mentioned thinking seriously about their future.
Even now, he remained still, listening to the children.
«Seona, what about you?»
Hayang also realized that Eunha hadn’t spoken.
Her gaze shifted to him for a moment, and then she turned to Seona, who was wagging her tail gently and making eye contact.
Her golden hair stood out in the falling snow.
«I have to leave the church once I graduate middle school… Originally, I was supposed to follow Sister Maria and become a nun, or if that didn’t work out, I thought about doing odd jobs. But…»
Seona, who lives in a church, had to leave the church the moment she graduated from middle school.
In fact, she had envisioned a future in which she would have to leave the church when she entered elementary school.
She loved taking care of children, and she even thought about becoming a nun and working for the church at Maria’s suggestion.
Or do some kind of odd job.
«I don’t want to do that anymore.»
Ain received severe limitations in the tasks she could undertake in society.
Especially for female Ains.
So Seona desperately hoped to become a nun who could stay in the church.
But her dream changed.
«I want to become a player too.»
There had been various reasons for this decision over the years.
The decisive moment came from an incident that happened in the first semester of this year.
At that time, Seona directly experienced the disdain against Ains.
When she faced the gaze that she had been avoiding, she felt that she might have to endure that gaze until her death.
Even if she became a nun, things wouldn’t change.
Rather than enduring that, she wanted to become someone that nobody could despise.
Being a player was the only way to rise above the invisible class of Ains.
«I also want to stay with you guys. What about you, Hayang?»
Smiling softly, Seona shifted the topic to Hayang.
The children’s eyes turned to her, who was walking backwards.
«Well… I’ve considered various things too…»
Hayang looked embarrassed as she pushed her boots forward, which reached up to her ankles.
She was a direct member of the Alice Group.
Even if her legitimate younger sibling, who possessed the legitimacy of the Alice Group, was born a month ago, that fact hadn’t changed.
It was a given that she would enter middle school to acquire the manners expected of a direct heir and the qualifications of a businesswoman.
But her answer was different.
«I’m going to the Player Academy, too, though I don’t know if I’ll be a player or not yet.»
«What? Why would you want to go to the Player Academy, Hayang?»
Minji’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
She looked at Hayang as if she didn’t understand.
In her perception, it seemed like Hayang would continue to live as a direct member of the Alice Group.
«Because I’m weak. I want to become strong enough so that nobody can touch you or me, so that nobody can bother us anymore.»
«But… you don’t need to go to the Player Academy for that, do you?»
Eunhyuk squatted on the stone wall, forming snow into a ball in his hands.
The incident where the corporation tried to attack Seona was a topic they tried to avoid discussing amongst themselves.
Although Sena, the one involved, didn’t mind.
Yet, the kids still observed her reactions.
«Still, I think it’s not enough… Once we gain the ability to handle mana professionally at the Player Academy, wouldn’t anyone, regardless of their wealth, power, or force, hesitate to mess with us? And the people who receive my protection too.»
«…Probably. There might be people like you who think that’s why they’re entering the academy.»
Eunha opened his mouth as the children searched for something to say.
Their eyes met, and Hayang pulled up her cold, red cheeks.
«And I’m a big sister now, too, and I want to be there for my little brother.»
It’s not uncommon for children from the political circles to be accepted into the Player Academy.
Some students, either willingly or unwillingly, came to the academy to become promising Players, hoping to support the power struggles within their families.
Yoo Do-jun was one of them.
He entered the Player Academy to avoid the suspicions of the heirs and was looking for people to be his hands and feet.
Hayang was also looking for players who would be the strength of Alice Group.
«Even if I graduate from elementary school with you guys, I still want to stay with you!»
«Huh? I thought about that too.»
When Hayang tried to break the serious mood with a laugh, Seona happily agreed.
The two agreed, and before anyone knew it, they were jumping up and down, holding hands.
Minji smirked as she watched them.
Then he turned to Eunha, who had barely participated in the conversation.
«So. What are you going to do, Eunha?»
«What?»
«What do you want to be when you graduate from elementary school? Why are you acting like you didn’t hear me?»
All the children’s eyes turned to him.
Eunha said nothing.
He just exhaled, and his breath turned into a white mist rising into the sky.
Eventually, the impatient kids continued the conversation naturally, as if it were expected.
«Because he’s the captain, he’ll probably enter the Player Academy with us.»
«I’m not really curious. Anyway, you’ll enter the Player Academy, so…»
«That’s right. I can’t imagine Eunha going anywhere other than the Player Academy.»
«Then we’ll all go to the same place!»
Eunha observed the kids chatting animatedly among themselves.
Just watching them made him feel warm inside.
But at the same time, his heart felt heavy.
«…I still don’t know.»
«What?»
«I still don’t know. After graduating elementary school, what I should do…»
Not just his friends, even his family.
Everyone had no doubts that he would become a Player.
In fact, they were even looking forward to it.
The expectations were heavy.
Would I be able to live up to it?
Would I have to walk the same path as my past life once again.
It was a burden, a worry.
The more I thought about the road ahead, the more I realized it was too hard and too far to travel alone.
«Why are you hesitating so much? It’s not like you… What is there to hesitate about? Live life the way you want, just as you always say. Live recklessly, live freely. You told me that and then…»
«I didn’t say live recklessly. And this is my life, not yours, so I need to seriously think about it.»
«Ugh… You really disgust me.»
Minji made a retching motion, as if about to vomit.
Ignoring her, Eunha continued to walk down a path where footsteps had yet to be engraved.
The children followed him, one after another.
With each footprint that appeared on the snowy path, multiple footprints formed around it in succession.
«The captain is going to be a player anyway! Do you think I don’t know the captain?»
«Yeah, right. Don’t fall over trying to mock the cliché.»
«Exactly. I’d bet my entire allowance on you becoming a player, Eunha.»
«Me too. I can’t imagine you not being a player.»
Footsteps, silent and alone.
Footsteps of different sizes and strides circled the area, never leaving.
«What’s going on? Why are you going without saying anything!»
«Go with the captain!»
«Walk a bit slower. Why are you in such a hurry?»
«Guys, why don’t we go far away today, let’s talk a little more!»
As the year comes to an end, the last year of elementary school comes to mind.
☆
Year 8 of Seonnyeok.
At the dawn of the new year, a major national daily newspaper in South Korea released updated national rankings.
Unlike previous years, there were several items that showed significant changes in the national rankings.
Among them, the items that captured the public’s attention were the rankings of corporate groups and clan grades.
Year 8 of Seonnyeok,
<Publicly Designated Corporate Group Evaluation Status>
Number
Corporate Name
Common Representative
01
Galaxy
Choi Yoo Han
02
Sirius
Han Do Young
03
Eternal
Yoo Sun Kyung
04
YH
Choi Yun Hye
05
Pine
Jang Seok Young
06
Alice
Min Ju Sik
07
Dangun
Hong Jun Il
08
Luminous
Lee Jeong In
09
KK
Kim Geon
10
Donghae
Jung Jae man
—-
Year 8 of Seonnyeok
<Player Comprehensive Grade Assessment>
─Clan Comprehensive Grade S─
Number
Clan Name
Overall Rating
01
Genesis
S+
02
Myungwang
S+
03
Regulus
S+
04
Silla
S
05
Dangun
S
06
Blaze
S
07
Tempest
S-
08
KK
S-