Chapter 4. Synchronization (1)
Eight students were gathered in a big room on the highest floor of dorm 1. They were all sitting in an arrogant delinquent-like manner, laughing loudly at even the smallest things. Occasionally, they stole stealthy glances at the one who called them over. But the person in question remained silent as though he couldn’t care less.
“Oh right, Jonghak, isn’t there a gun user in your class?”
One man asked him. He was a generic good-looking guy with an amiable smile. Shin Jonghak opened his eyes narrowly and stared back at him.
“… Um, I just heard it from somewhere. Did I hear wrong?”
“I don’t know. I’m not interested in trash.”
“R-Right. I’m not really interested either, but I was just curious who the fool was, haha.”
“Hanjun, you sure are curious about the strangest things~”
A captivating voice cut through. Jin Hanjun turned his head and saw a long-haired girl smiling charmingly. It was Yoo Yeonha. Feeling his heart beating, the flustered Jin Hanjun blurted out.
“O-Oh, Yeonha. Y-You know, I was always like that.”
“What was his name? Chundong? Chunbun? It was a pretty old-fashioned name. Anyways, don’t pay too much attention to him.”
“But he sure was pathetic. Why did that son of a bitch come all the way to Cube if he was going to choose a gun?”
The foul language came from Kim Horak. Bulky muscles, an intimidating expression, and a large physique. Even with just one glance, it was easy to see that he specialized in close ranged combat.
Jin Hanjun asked Kim Horak, “You know him?”
“I’m in Jonghak’s class, idiot. I’m going to destroy him in combat training. I’ll disable him and chase him out.”
Everyone knew Cube’s schedule. There were classes five days a week and combat training three days a week.
Classes referred to comprehensive magic power training and physical training, while combat training referred to battles, monster hunts, rescue missions, and more.
“I’ll destroy that son of a…”
“Don’t waste your time.”
With a single sentence, Shin Jonghak cut down the coarse locker room talk. Kim Horak, who was growling just a moment ago, fell silent.
“Even if you win against someone so low rank, you’ll be the one losing points. It’s better to challenge higher ranked cadets who you can win against for sure. For example…”
“Chae Nayun, try fighting her. I’m sure you’ll win.”
Yoo Yeonha cut in. Shin Jonghak narrowed his eyes and glared at her, but Yoo Yeonha continued unfazed.
“Fist against bow. It’s easy.”
“… Huh? Ah, yeah, I can win. But…”
Challenging her was difficult.
However, he swallowed his words, wanting to look good in front of Yoo Yeonha.
“But?”
“… It would be too pitiful. You know, my opponents often end up half-dead.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“… Huh?”
“Stop.”
Shin Jonghak stopped their conversation.
Though Yoo Yeonha was displeased, she feigned indifference. She quietly suppressed the unpleasant feeling rising from the corner of her heart.
‘Shin Jonghak liked Chae Nayun. I’m not so stupid as to be jealous. I just found the situation funny.’ Yoo Yeonha consoled herself.
“I’m leaving now. It’s almost ten.”
At Cube, male and female students were only allowed to interact until 22:00. After giving a bright smile to mask her hurt feelings, Yoo Yeonha stood up.
“Oh, good night.”
“Good night, Yeonha!”
“See you later!”
All the male cadets other than Shin Jonghak saw her off to the door.
**
Five minutes away from dorm 1 was a training facility called the ‘Novice Fitness Center.’ This 1000 square meter facility was filled with magical devices and equipment for exercise and training. The amount of money needed to construct such an environment would be well over a hundred million won, but there was barely anyone using the facility.
But just because the training facility was empty, it didn’t mean the future of Heroes was bleak.
While cadets were would-be Heroes that would come to receive the admiration and envy of billions of people, they were still teenagers. Simply put, there weren’t many high schoolers willing to go out of their way to train on the first day.
“I knew you’d be here.”
But an exception always existed. Even Hero Academy had a pervert who enjoyed training from the first day. Kim Suho, who was drenched in sweat and wrestling with an exercise equipment, widened his eyes at the sudden voice.
“Chae Nayun? You’re also here to train?”
“Yeah, but I won’t be as barbaric as you.”
With a wry smile, Chae Nayun pointed at the gravitation room. Seeing the terrifying cylindrical room, Kim Suho frowned.
“That’s a tough one. I can never last long in there.”
Kim Suho wiped his sweat with a towel he brought.
“It’s not like you can’t, you just don’t need to. I’m an archer, so I need to train in there. Plus, it’s not that hard. I’ve been doing it since I was 8.”
“8 years old?”
“Yep. I have one in my house.”
“… Aha.”
Setting up a gravitation room cost several hundreds of millions of won at least. From what Chae Nayun said, it could be inferred that she came from a very wealthy background.
Just like Shin Jonghak, Chae Nayun was a fourth generation chaebol. But rather than a twisted superiority complex, she carried a righteous sense of rivalry. She believed she could surpass her rivals through hard-work and self-cultivation. But in front of the monster standing in front of her, her belief always seemed to waver.
“…Oh, right. There’s another sharpshooter in our class now.”
Kim Suho mentioned, to which Chae Nayun tilted her head curiously.
“…Sharpshooter? Oh, that Chudong or whatever guy?”
“Uh, yeah, him… What’s up with that look? Do you not like him?”
Like Kim Suho pointed out, Chae Nayun’s face was stiffening frighteningly.
“He’s not a sharpshooter. Guns can only shoot up to a kilometer at best. I still don’t understand why that Dongchu guy picked a gun.”
His name had unknowingly changed from Chudong to Dongchu, but Kim Suho wasn’t so foolish as to point out her mistake.
“I think he gave up. Maybe there was trouble at home or something. SInce being a Cube cadet won’t stay on your records if you leave early, he’s probably just going to stay for a while.”
“Gave up? Don’t say something like that so easily.”
“…Who are you to tell me what and what not to do?”
For a moment, slight anger emerged from Chae Nayun’s eyes. Kim Suho’s teaching tone didn’t sit well with her, who saw him as her rival.
“…Kuhum. Sorry.”
“Anyways, if you don’t want to lose, keep working hard. I’m going.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
“Please, I’m right next doors…”
Chae Nayun smirked and went into the gravitation room.
The gravitation room multiplied the gravity by a certain factor, thus increasing the pressure on one’s bloodstream. Training in this cylindrical room required one to operate magic power under heavy gravity, and it was easily one of the most painful training methods.
For Kim Suho, just looking at the room made him shudder. Seeing Chae Nayun walk into it nonchalantly, he could only shake his head.
**
Inside Kim Chundong’s room, I held my breath while looking at a laptop screen.
I still couldn’t understand what I was seeing. I could see it, but my brain refused to process what was in front of me. It just seemed too absurd.
“…What is this?”
After a long silence, I blurted out with a trembling voice.
===[Synchronizing… 70% Complete]===
1. Kim Chundong
[Current SP: 54]
▷Stats
*Variable Stats
[Strength 4]
[Stamina 4.3]
[Speed 4]
[Perception 5]
[Vitality 4]
[Magic power 3.5]
*Invariable Stats
[Intelligence – 4/10]
[Perseverance – 4/10]
[Luck – 4/10]
[Charm – 4/10]
▷Gift…???
▷Arts…???
…???
…???
…
…
…Supplement… Setting Chart…
===[Synchronizing… 70% Complete]===
“…What is this?”
This window on the monitor, this format, I recognized it. It was the format of my settings book. But without a doubt, I had never written or even thought of a setting like this.
This incomprehensible phenomenon made me sweat. My hands and feet trembled, and my heart began to pound.
This strange object, just who sent it to me, for what purpose, and for what reason?
At that moment…
The laptop screen turned off.
From the black laptop screen, a face was being reflected. It wasn’t Kim Chundong’s question mark, but my face, Kim Hajin’s face.
Without giving me a chance to be shocked, the laptop turned back on and words began to appear on the laptop screen.
[Kim Chundong, synchronization with Kim Hajin complete.]
[All status reset.]
[Unique Authority, ‘Setting Intervention’, acquired.]