Chapter 19: 433
[Chapter 125]
[A Chance Arising from Misfortune (3)]
Mara Island Jajangmyeon Bus Group.
The students who had to face monsters while moving long distances on foot overnight were thoroughly exhausted.
Those who arrived at Busan Port in the early morning without proper sleep no longer had the energy to even complain.
"We have buses... why did we have to get off and walk in the middle..."
"...I don't know. I'm dying of sleepiness. So tired."
Mok Min-ho, Jin Pa-rang, Bae Su-bin.
The three took the comfortable train.
In contrast, Eun-hyuk and Seo-na had to endure all sorts of hardships riding the bus.
The two who reached the gathering place, forgetting Lee Cheon-seo who seemed to have fallen behind, soon let out long sighs.
They just wanted to lie down and sleep right away.
"I don't know. I'm just going to lie down and sleep. Eun-hyuk, you hurry and lie down too. Eun-ha said it too, you should rest when you can."
"Oh... should I?"
Seo-na took off the backpack on her shoulder and flopped down on the ground.
She stretched out her arms and legs in a big X shape and recommended the spot next to her to Eun-hyuk.
Eun-hyuk saw other students doing the same, lying on the ground, and accepted her suggestion.
Nevertheless, he was conscious of the instructors' eyes and just sat down on the ground.
"The breeze feels cool. I want to get on the ship and wash up quickly..."
"I know. Everyone sweated so much, we look terrible..."
"Don't look this way. I'm drenched in sweat all over right now."
"Come on, why make a fuss over that? It's fine, I'm drenched in sweat too..."
"I said don't look."
"...Okay, sorry."
Seo-na's voice was harsh.
Eun-hyuk who was about to turn his head flinched and turned the other way.
He saw Lee Cheon-seo approaching the gathering place almost crawling.
And On Tae-yang walking in supporting Kang Ye-seul who was limping.
Jo A-ra was far behind carrying her luggage instead.
"Tae-yang... seems to be kind."
Eun-hyuk muttered watching them.
Over the past few days, On Tae-yang showed this kind of behavior taking care of people around him even though it was difficult.
There was a reason he was popular.
"Well... I'm not sure in what sense you're calling him kind, Eun-hyuk."
"What do you mean?"
Just then Seo-na flipped over and spoke.
Eun-hyuk who glanced at Jin Seo-na's tail asked.
"I think there's no such thing as just being kind. Because I think there are other meanings hidden in front of the word kind."
She usually just quietly observed.
But in fact, Jin Seo-na was very skilled at observing people.
So Eun-hyuk who knew this side of her silently waited for her next words.
"I think you can probably attach many words in front of 'kind'... But in my opinion, it can be largely divided into two types. Either foolishly kind, or selfishly kind."
A foolishly kind pushover.
A selfishly kind opportunist.
Eun-hyuk listened to her words and silently thought about which category On Tae-yang belonged to.
There was no need to think hard.
He was the former, not the latter.
But her thinking was different.
"In my view, that On Tae-yang kid is a selfishly kind person. He seems like someone who does good deeds to look good to others, for his own benefit."
"How can you tell?"
Seo-na's assessment was harsh.
Eun-hyuk tilted his head.
He didn't think On Tae-yang supporting Kang Ye-seul stemmed from calculated thinking.
Then she raised her hand that was touching the ground and pointed at Jo A-ra.
"Look over there."
"What about Jo A-ra?"
"A-ra is carrying Kang Ye-seul's luggage. Logically, would Kang Ye-seul be heavier? Or would that bag be heavier?"
"..."
"If On Tae-yang was going to help Kang Ye-seul, he should have carried her luggage instead. Why leave the luggage to A-ra and just support Kang Ye-seul himself?"
Seo-na grumbled as if displeased.
By her standards, A-ra belonged to the foolishly kind category.
The type that only suffers losses.
"A-ra is doing all the hard work alone... But On Tae-yang gets all the praise from people. I don't like that kind of person."
She usually doesn't evaluate others.
Eun-hyuk could tell how much she disliked On Tae-yang.
Also that he had been grasping the situation only by what was visible.
He hadn't seen Jo A-ra who sat down on the ground with trembling legs, drawn by the cheers of students.
"...I see. You might be right, Seo-na. I shouldn't fixate only on what's visible."
"Don't be like that, Eun-hyuk."
"Yeah, I won't."
Eun-hyuk touched his eyes.
The gift <Critical> that allows seeing others' weaknesses. He realized he had been so obsessed with trying to handle <Critical> that he hadn't tried to see what was truly important.
Come to think of it, the boss seemed to have said it repeatedly before.
Instead of trying to see what's visible, you need to be able to see what's invisible.
He stored away one realization.
It felt like he had crossed one wall.
Eun-hyuk organized his thoughts while tapping the sword in its scabbard.
"In that sense, he's the opposite of Eun-ha."
"Why the boss?"
"That guy is selfishly kind, but Eun-ha is selfishly bad. I think the thought of living selfishly is the same. Just their tendencies are different..."
"It is hard to call the boss kind... But can we really say he's just bad?"
"He doesn't act that way to us, but looking at how he treats other people, he's clearly a bad kid."
Seo-na's words seemed right.
Even Eun-hyuk sometimes thought Eun-ha's actions were too harsh.
Nevertheless, he believed.
That there must be reasons for Eun-ha's actions.
She seemed to acknowledge that too.
Soon she added.
"So I sometimes feel sorry for Eun-ha."
"...The boss? Why?"
"Eun-ha acting like that... I think it might be because that's all he knows... If he acted like On Tae-yang does, people's evaluations of Eun-ha would have improved a lot..."
He doesn't know how to gain benefits through good deeds.
So he gains benefits through bad deeds.
It's an incomprehensible behavior pattern.
Eun-hyuk couldn't readily agree.
He just thought.
...What kind of world does Seo-na see?
If I could see the world she sees, wouldn't my perspective broaden?
Eun-hyuk thought while watching On Tae-yang surrounded by 31st grade students.
Meanwhile─.
"─Break time is over so everyone get up from your seats!!"
The instructors' stern orders came down.
Eun-hyuk who came to his senses quickly got up.
"The group heading to Mara Island by train departed for Jeju Island a few hours ago! You will depart for Jeju Island on a ship tomorrow morning. Then you know what this means, right?"
""""...""""
Including Eun-hyuk and Seo-na.
The students' faces hardened in an instant.
Regardless, the instructor grinned and made their expectations reality.
"You have to stay at Busan Port for a day! Therefore, we will conduct a mission for sleeping accommodations!"
The majority made sad faces.
A very small number laughed like they were crazy.
☆
Mara Island Jajangmyeon Bus Group.
Mission for sleeping accommodations.
Students had to help a clan based in Haeundae subjugate monsters appearing from the sea.
Students could be assigned sleeping accommodations differentially according to the mana stones they obtained.
"Ye-seul, you seemed to act quite well earlier?"
"Um, Ga-in... I really sprained my ankle then..."
"Right, you sprained your ankle and Tae-yang happened to be passing by at the right timing. Right?"
"..."
Using Kang Ye-seul receiving On Tae-yang's support earlier as an opportunity.
Choi Ga-in was able to naturally form a party with On Tae-yang who was nearby.
And she called out Kang Ye-seul to reveal her true self that On Tae-yang didn't know.
"Really... I didn't intend to..."
Kang Ye-seul, direct line of Galaxy Hospital.
She who commands Choi Ga-in's faction lowered her head and held back tears.
Even if her sprained ankle hurt, she tried her best not to show it hurt.
Otherwise she could give Choi Ga-in unnecessary excuses to pick on her.
"Well, fine. Whatever your intentions were, that's not my business now. Thanks to you getting hurt, I was able to form a party with Tae-yang, and it's important that Tae-yang became close to you."
Choi Ga-in said with a hmph.
Soon she continued twirling her hair.
"Now that it's come to this, how about you stick close to Tae-yang and make him become my ally?"
"...Your ally? But Ga-in, Tae-yang often eats meals with us too, do we really need to pull him to our side..."
"I'm telling you to pull him in for certain. Are you lacking awareness, or do you not have ears?"
Now students knew.
That all those Eun-ha shows interest in have some talent.
On Tae-yang was one of them too.
In fact, he was implicitly considered the best among the 31st grade.
There was no way Choi Ga-in wouldn't have her eye on him.
His skills are one thing...
Above all, he's handsome, right?
Thus she showed a gentle appearance in front of On Tae-yang.
That's also why she called out Kang Ye-seul separately to scold her.
She had to be someone suffering from the scandal of being a villainess to On Tae-yang.
I'm not really a villainess anyway.
When have I ever lied?
That's right.
There's No Eun-ha, and there's On Tae-yang.
Both are talents she covets.
And both were people who could teach a lesson to those who looked down on her by becoming her partner.
She counted her chickens before they hatched as if she had caught golden ropes in both hands.
But other students besides her knew she was counting her chickens before they hatched.
"I have limitations on my actions, right? So from now on, you step forward to draw On Tae-yang's attention and make him show favor towards me."
She uses Kang Ye-seul as a messenger to connect with On Tae-yang.
She who came up with this absurd idea forced Kang Ye-seul who was troubled.
And Kang Ye-seul who had to obey her words had no choice.
"...Okay. I'll do that."
"Aw, how nice. I really only have you. You're much better than kids like Eun-woo."
Kang Ye-seul chooses the only option she has.
While fingering the red necklace Choi Ga-in had given her as a gift recently.
☆
Yokohama Jjamppong Bus Group.
On the first day they had to protect the bus, on the second day they had to break through a yellow dungeon area without anyone falling behind.
And on the third day they had to complete a mission to resolve mana imbalances while going around Daegu City Hall.
"...This is tiring."
It was three days without proper washing or sleeping.
Eun-ha who faced the third night let out long sighs repeatedly.
He just wanted to lie down on the ground right away and tell the instructors to cut open his stomach.
However, the instructors were cunning and put dinner at stake for the mission so he and the students couldn't refuse.
Eun-ha had no choice.
"If it's resolving mana imbalances... We did it constantly in the cultural exploration club so we shouldn't find it difficult. Everyone can do well, right?"
Students had to form parties and assist the activities of clans based in Daegu Metropolitan City.
So Min-ji who formed a party with Eun-ha kindly explained to Ariel and Bong Gu-rae who also formed a party.
They looked visibly tired too, but seemed to have strength left to move.
"...We won't just resolve mana imbalances. Of course we have to take down monsters too."
Just then, Eun-ha who was standing blankly without joining the three added.
He had no intention of just resolving mana imbalances.
The instructors said they would reflect mana stones obtained from monsters in the mission grades too.
Even if monsters appearing in Daegu Metropolitan City were somewhat high rank, Eun-ha was confident in his skills.
"But Eun-ha, won't it be hard to find monsters? Daegu is a city so mana imbalance management should be good!"
"It's different from Seoul."
Ariel objected then.
Eun-ha shook his head.
The effective range of Cocoons installed in most administrative districts except Seoul was not very wide.
The only place safe from monsters within Daegu Metropolitan City was near Daegu Metropolitan City Hall where the Cocoon was installed.
And the location where the mission would soon start was in an area some distance from Daegu Metropolitan City.
It wouldn't be strange to have not only mana imbalances but monster appearances too.
"There will be almost no kids thinking of taking down monsters. So we can get high scores even if we take down just a few monsters."
"Oho, that makes sense. I think I have good luck in choosing parties? Right, Gu-rae, Bong Gu-rae?"
"Hmm... if we had good party luck, we wouldn't have taken the bus... I'll just keep my mouth shut, honey."
Ariel and Bong Gu-rae get along well.
Eun-ha chuckled seeing the two exchange jokes.
"Anyway let's finish early and eat. If we endure just today, we can go to Busan Port tomorrow."
This is the last mission.
To be precise, the last mission on this land.
The academy wouldn't be so easy.
I went through so much trouble because of this comprehensive evaluation in my previous life too...
Missions would continue while heading from Korea to Japan, and even after arriving in Yokohama.
Eun-ha had a rough idea.
In his previous life too, he had to go through all sorts of hardships to reach Mara Island and eat jajangmyeon.
By the way, Yokohama...
Soon after, clan members they were cooperating with called them.
While friends headed towards them, Eun-ha looked down at the city with scattered lights.
"Han Seo-hyun... won't be there, right?"
Han Seo-hyun.
She was the person who came to mind with Japan.
Eun-ha recited her name and recalled her studying abroad in Tokyo.
As far as he knew, Tokyo and Yokohama were quite far apart.
He couldn't expect her to happen to be in Yokohama now that the world had been destroyed once.
So Eun-ha didn't bother sending a message saying he was going to Japan.
Because he knew they wouldn't be able to meet.
...It's a shame.
I wanted to see her face after a long time.
For a moment, Eun-ha hesitated.
He frowned at the thought that suddenly occurred to him.
It was unlike him.
It was an inefficient thought and wish.
Though he knew that, he had been keeping in contact with her until now.
In a way, it was lingering attachment
In some ways, it may be foolish.
The foolishness of having to face the reality that you can't save everything.
Noh Eun-ha must be the limit of humanity.
I can't help it. I─.
"─I have no choice but to do what I can…."
Eunha muttered her feelings.
You have no choice but to do what you can.
When you fall, get up, kill and kill.
Even if I have to lose something or make sacrifices.
That was the path that the <Undead> and <Berserker> walked, which was truly infinitely unfortunate and unlucky.
It remains the same even now.
Living as an <undead> and a <berserker>, he only knew that kind of life.
"Noh Eun-ha! Why aren't you coming quickly!?"
Minji calls him from behind.
The galaxy that was looking down on the city eventually turned around.
Let's just think about paying the bills.
Don't think about Han Seo-hyun.
Different from the path that <Braver> took.
<Undead> Luck was always something far away on Noh Eun-ha's path.
There was no coincidence, just bad luck.
It's the same now.
Doesn't the fact that he became like this in Jongpyeong tell you something?
─I'm out of luck.
Because I was so unlucky in my previous life.
He always assumed the worst and did not anticipate the hopeful.
So we began to pursue efficiency, and so we stopped believing in chance.
Because fate is something that comes from good luck, not bad luck.
That was the life of <Undead>, Noh Eun-ha, before her return.
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