The Academy’s Deceased Ate It All

Lee Yu-Na, who clenched her teeth for a while, turned her head and looked at me.

"I'm going to pick up the phone for a moment.”

With those words, she left me alone and strode toward somewhere.

From her back, I had a feeling I knew what was going on.

Maybe it was because of the huge debt she owed.

Lee Yu-Na.

Like other playable characters, she had a rough childhood.

Her parents abandoned her before she even entered elementary school, and she was raised by a nun and grew up under her tutelage.

The next was, in a way, a typical story.

When the orphanage run by the nun was closed due to financial difficulties, Lee Yu-Na, who grew up to some extent thought it was time for her to repay her kindness.

… And after that, it was not much of a story.

For a girl who was young and had no experience in society, society was just too harsh and cruel.

Especially since there were so many things to empty in the girl.

Somehow, after overcoming various incidents and difficult processes, she was able to revive the orphanage and get out of the contract that was no different from the slave contract.

The problem was that the only thing left in the process was a huge debt.

Orhe Academy basically requires no tuition.

In addition to that, if you have talent and put in the effort, you can get as many scholarships as you want, and even a small amount of money is deposited every month in the name of dignity maintenance expenses, even if it is a little.

Of course, the maintenance and repair of the equipment, the provision of consumables, etc. were at one's discretion, but in the case of Lee Yu-Na, who can create weapons itself, it was irrelevant.

If I've said it up to this point, I think you'll be able to notice it roughly.

In that way, she was pouring all the scholarships, maintenance expenses, part-time jobs, and commissions that she had solved from time to time at the academy into paying off her debts and interest.

Still, it wasn't enough, and it was her setting that she would receive calls like that from day to day urging her to pay off her debts.

“…… .”

Perhaps that's why I remember Lee Yu-Na often appearing in a pitiful role in the second creation.

Rightly so, because she was in a really pitiful position.

Perhaps that was why Lee Yu-Na was particularly small and thin compared to other peers.

“… I'm sorry, it was kind of personal."

Lee Yu-Na, who clearly became thinner than before, trudged back.

“…… .”

Unlike other characters, Lee Yu-Na's full-fledged story begins only after paying off all of her debts.

To put it simply, when the other characters start to have stories about who the main enemy they have to deal with is and who the hidden masterminds are little by little, Lee Yu-Na finally pays off all her debts, and the main story begins in earnest.

… Honestly, I wanted to help her, who was in her pitiful situation, but in the current situation, I decided to stay quiet.

She had more pride than anyone else there, so no matter how much I offered to help, I was sure she would not accept.

Then, once again, the phone rang.

"Oh, really…… .”

Lee Yu-Na muttered like she was about to cry.

Looking at her, I said quietly.

“Hey, I’ll just go first. It's just a little uncomfortable, so I don't need any help."

“…Okay. All right."

After answering that, Lee Yu-Na started trudging somewhere again.

After watching her back for a while, hanging limply with a cell phone in one hand, I immediately took a step.

Come to think of it, it was time for Lee Yu-Na and other characters to grow.

* * *

Today's class was quite unusual.

The class, which started this morning and was scheduled to last until tomorrow afternoon, was a local tactics class.

In a nutshell, we were to actually go to the site, observe the terrain, and exchange questions and answers about relevant tactics and strategies.

For me, it was very sudden, but it was something that had already been announced in advance.

And it was Han Soo-Young and Ivan who felt most sorry for that fact.

“If you’re not feeling well, you can just rest.”

“I’ve been absent a lot so it's a little difficult.”

Ivan glanced at me worriedly.

“Are you still going to camp for this class? We didn't tell you in advance because we thought you'd be absent...… .”

I smiled slightly as if I didn't care about Han Soo-Young's ashamed muttering.

It was because the professor in charge of this class also told me that if I wanted to skip this class, I could talk to him at any time without any burden.

However, I couldn't miss classes because of injuries.

And thanks to Mandragora who took off another small root, my body had recovered a lot.

"But it's really incredible."

"Right? It was really cool for me too when I first came here."

The place we arrived at after crossing the warp gate was an island where various terrains and environments coexisted, as if it was a compressed version of one world.

I heard that it was the size of Yeouido.

The fact that they would invest that much space in a single class showed how much money the Orhe Academy was overflowing with.

“We’ve been here before, but then we just had a quick look around.”

"Aha."

At that time, something came out between me and Han Soo-Young.

"Ji-Hyuk, are you feeling well?"

Jin Ye-Seul naturally intervened and asked me as if worried.

Then she looked at the luggage I was carrying and said.

“Aren’t you overdoing it? Do you want me to hold it for you?”

“Oh, no. it's okay."

“Hey, don't feel pressured.”

Jin Ye-Seul smiled innocently like a child and took my luggage from me.

I tried to resist, but Jin Ye-Seul had physical abilities that even Choi Hyun-Woo and Ahn Do-Hoon could not match, if you only consider her strength.

In short, my resistance was like that of a child to her.

“We should help each other when we are having a hard time, right?”

“Oh, what do I become if you say that?”

Kim Yoo-Hyun, who had disassembled the halberd and was carrying it on his back, muttered awkwardly and gently reached out his hand.

Then Jin Ye-Seul, who had been agonizing for a while, handed him half of the luggage she had taken from me, still smiling.

“…… .”

When I glanced at Han Soo-Young, her face seemed to say there’s nothing weird.

Although it was only outward.

The students taking this class are A, B, and C.

In other words, it was in accordance with the composition of taking the mock dungeon class, and each group was organized in the same way as in the mock dungeon class.

It was naturally noisy as a total of 300 people moved, but the professor who led us didn't seem to care much.

"Okay, then let's…… .”

And while leading a large number of students for a long time, he stopped in one place and muttered.

A fairly large canyon was the first place that caught my eye.

“Now, everyone, pay attention!”

He clapped loudly once, looked around us, and asked in a clear voice.

“Let's assume that only large-scale ground-type monsters are invading, and we have to sit-in and hold them off until the citizens have evacuated. So, is this place geographically advantageous to us? If yes, can someone tell me why?”

As soon as he finished speaking, some students confidently raised their hands.

When the professor pointed out one, the male student began explaining in a confident manner.

"I think this is the best place to sit-in and hold on."

"Why is that?"

"Because we're in a canyon."

As the male student added, he continued to explain one by one.

“If we block the narrow entrance to the canyon, a small number of people can face a large number of enemies. If we have sniper and caster personnel camped along the canyon, and if we can hold out with the relatively free personnel appropriately placed in reserve, I think we can hold out until the citizens have completed their evacuation, or even longer if we have the right support, barring any major variables.”

"Hmm…… .”

The professor nodded.

When I looked around and looked at the expressions of other students, most of them seemed to agree with that male student's opinion, seeing that they nodded, admired, or made an expression of regret.

“Does anyone have any other opinions? Or a complementary opinion?”

The professor looked around and opened his mouth.

Unlike before, only one person raised their hand this time.

It was none other than Ahn Do-Hoon.

“Hmm, There. Student Ahn Doo-Hoon. Tell you.”

At the professor's signal, Ahn Do-Hoon quietly looked at the male student who had spoken a while ago and opened his mouth.

“I disagree with what you just said.”

Then, most of the students' eyes turned to Ahn Do-Hoon.

It must have meant what he was talking about, but I looked at him in a different sense.

At least in this situation, Ahn Do-Hoon's words would be absolutely right.

I was simply curious what he was going to say.

"If we set up a sit-in here, the whole place will be destroyed in less than half a day.”

“Why do you think so?”

Under the professor's interested gaze, Ahn Do-Hoon looked around, pretending to gently examine the terrain.

His eyes passed me straight through.

“First of all, the entrance to a narrow canyon doesn't necessarily mean it's good for dealing with a large number of enemies. And We also need a decent amount of space to maneuver and stay out of each other's way, but I don't see any such space in that canyon.”

Ahn Do-Hoon muttered as if he was not interested, but continued in a calm voice.

“That canyon…… If only we can get our men there, it will give us a topographical advantage. That canyon is gentle and there are many ways to climb up. Hopefully, the tour bus will be able to come and go.”

He muttered in a mocking tone, then nodded.

“Then in no time at all, they'll be climbing up the mountain and attacking the snipers and casters we have in place. And as the battle in the mountains prioritizes individual combat power rather than the cooperation between team members, they will be swept away because they are relatively vulnerable to close combat, and the people fighting in places with the uneven surrounding terrain and many obstacles will be at a disadvantage. If the back row, the main contributor, is swept away and caught up to the flank, what can the vanguard do? I think we'll be surrounded and crushed together.”

When Ahn Do-Hoon finished his words, the professor nodded in admiration and muttered.

“That's accurate. It's just like you said. It was such a perfect explanation that I don’t even need to add more.”

In contrast to Ahn Do-Hoon, who did not respond much to the words, several students gathered next to him made a proud face.

At the same time, a few students were nodding their heads in admiration, and some exclamations of as expected could be heard here and there.

“…… .”

Ahn Do-Hoon.

His greatest talent was that he had a bright eye for such strategies and tactics, and that he shined when he commanded his allies in large-scale battles.

At least in strategy and tactics, and in command.

In these two areas, there were few people who could compete with him, not only in the academy, but also in active duty.

Although his arrogant personality had eaten up all of his strengths.

The professor looked around us slowly and said.

“In general, the canyon is advantageous to the defenders, but in this way, you can see it differently depending on the situation and its conditions at any time. In battle, there is no guarantee that the opponent will always do what you want, and the situation and conditions vary from time to time, so heroes and hunters need to have an eye that can observe their surroundings and make decisions in times of crisis."

He nodded and emphasized that we need to develop observational skills and an eye to see the situation broadly, giving several different explanations.

In the midst of all this, I felt someone's eyes on me and turned my head to see Ahn Do-Hoon staring at me.

"What. He.”

Then, Han Soo-Young slipped and stepped in front of me as if hiding me, but it was completely meaningless because I was taller than her.

Ahn Do-Hoon quickly turned his head as if he was not interested, but I couldn't help feeling something uncomfortable.

… Han Soo-Young belatedly realized that she had done something meaningless, her shoulder was quietly trembling in shame, so I gently patted her.

In the meantime, the professor clapped his hands and began to draw our attention.

“Then, shall we check how much observation and discernment we all have?”

The professor said so and told us.

“I'm sure everyone didn't forget what they received and packed well, right? Like a tent and cooking utensils…… In short, it contains the things you need for camping. But there's only a little bit of drinking water and food in there."

It's literally only emergency food.

With that, he looked around us.

"Anywhere is fine, so go and find a place for your teammates to camp. And find food for yourself and get through the day. If you become active later and carry out various operations, there will be countless cases like this, so it won't be a bad experience to experience it beforehand. Well, it is not reflected in the exam or score at all, so you don’t have to feel burdened.”

And he added as if he almost forgot.

“And you'd better be careful, because this place is inhabited by many animals as well as ‘unusual creatures’.”

If you make a mistake, you'll have a hard time in the middle of the night, so please keep that in mind as well.

I had a foreboding that the schedule was going to be quite difficult as the professor added as if warning.