NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14 - Fixer Clan (2)
A single wrong word could lead to suffocation in this situation.
Kim Baram clutched Joo Jin-Yong’s right hand, which was gripping his neck, with both of his hands and applied as much force as he could.
However, with Kim Baram’s pathetic stats, he couldn’t budge Joo Jin-Yong’s hand at all.
Just as his consciousness was starting to fade, the fierce-eyed senior, who had been eating popcorn and drinking cola from the fridge while watching the spectacle, seemed to realize something and spoke up.
“Oh! Leader, I think he’s unable to speak because you’re holding his neck.”
“Oh right.”
Thud!
“Cough, cough.”
Upon the fierce-eyed senior’s remark, a sweet, feminine voice that didn’t match Joo Jin-Yong’s usual tone came out of his mouth, and he finally released his grip on Kim Baram’s neck.
He fell to the floor, gasping for the air that felt more precious than ever.
“Now, shall we have a proper conversation?”
Joo Jin-Yong spoke with a feminine voice. He crouched down and looked at Kim Baram with a serious expression.
Enduring the pain in his neck, Kim Baram spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
“Cough… It was part of the interview requirement… To show a special ability different from others… This is my ability…”
Joo Jin-Yong’s lips curled into a deep smile as if finding his response interesting. Then, his appearance began to blur, revealing a beautiful woman with black hair, a fox-like face, and a mature aura.
“Hmm. Interesting. No one has ever figured out my disguise until now.”
The woman grabbed Kim Baram’s chin, lifted it slightly, and brought her face close enough to allow him to feel her breath. Then, she spoke in a curious tone. Her deep, captivating navy eyes made Kim Baram feel as if his soul was being sucked in.
“It doesn’t seem like you’re lying. Alright. You’re accepted. Congratulations. All three of you passed.”
“Well. If the leader says so, it must be true.”
She gazed into Kim Baram’s eyes as if verifying something and then declared his acceptance.
The fierce-eyed senior, who had been watching, nodded in agreement.
According to her, both Joo Jin-Yong and Ko Joo-yeon had also passed the interview.
Wait a minute.
It was okay for Joo Jin-Yong. However, Ko Joo-yeon had just gone upstairs.
How did she already pass?
Kim Baram pondered for a moment, recalling a scene from the novel, and quickly resolved his confusion.
-Oh, they’re both pretty, so they pass.
He remembered.
Both Ko Joo-yeon and Han Soo-Yeon passed simply because they were pretty.
Damn superficial standards.
Kim Baram rubbed his still sore neck. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth from a mix of frustration and resentment.
Ding!
[Player ‘Kim Baram’s’ unique ability
[You have passed the Fixer Clan’s interview. You have gained 1000 VP.]
Never mind.
‘Forget the resentment. It’s sweet enough to give me diabetes.’
***
Shin Yul, the current leader of the Fixer Clan, was a character with a unique ability related to disguise. Though not much detail was given in the novel.
Shin Yul watched him pitifully rubbing his sore neck, then helped him up and apologized with a regretful expression.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry about the hand. I was so surprised that I overreacted.”
“Yeah. Take it easy next time.”
The fierce-eyed senior at the counter responded sarcastically to Shin Yul’s apology.
Shin Yul’s smiling expression twisted as she swiftly threw something at him.
Whoosh! Thunk!
Clatter!
“Argh!”
“Oh my, are you alright? I was trying to catch a buzzing fly and accidentally hit our dear Changbin.”
Shin Yul looked over at the senior named Changbin with a feigned innocence.
“Ugh. You’re just a brute with no brains…”
“What was that?
“Hehe, it’s fine. It happens. Damn fly! How dare it buzz around our great leader!”
“Pfft… Anyway, Changbin, take down the ad and come up to the second floor. After this friend, we won’t be accepting any more new members.”
Changbin’s servile attitude amused Shin Yul, who chuckled before turning back to Kim Baram and extending her right hand.
“Nice to meet you. You might already know, but I’m Shin Yul, the leader of the Fixer Clan. You can just call me Leader. And the fierce-looking guy with glasses over there is Song Changbin.”
“Oh, yes. I’m Kim Baram. Nice to meet you, Leader.”
“Baram, what a nice name.”
Shin Yul gave Kim Baram a gentle smile and shook his right hand.
***
Creak!
Together with Shin Yul and Song Changbin, Kim Baram headed to the second floor and entered the room where the huge senior, Joo Jin-Yong, and Ko Joo-yeon had gone.
The room was quite spacious, furnished with several sofas and low tables, and it had doors on the front and both sides.
“Where are Ko Joo-yeon and Joo Jin-Yong?”
Kim Baram’s curiosity was soon addressed by Shin Yul’s voice.
“The others are waiting in the room on the right. Baram, you go to the room on the left and receive your ‘animal mask’.”
Animal mask.
The Fixer Clan had another unique tradition besides their lackluster recruitment ad: wearing animal masks during missions to conceal their identities.
“The mask helps hide the students’ identities during missions.”
He recalled from the novel. The left room probably had a magic circle that created these animal masks.
“Even if it feels strange on your face, don’t be alarmed. I’ll explain what the animal mask is once you get it. Now, go ahead and enter.”
Shin Yul pushed Kim Baram into the left room and closed the door behind him.
Creak! Bang!
With the door shut, the room was plunged into darkness. Soon, a blue magic circle formed beneath his feet, and its magic began to climb up his body. He shivered as the magic scanned him.
After a while, the magic gathered around his face, and he felt a hard foreign object forming there.
‘Is it done? Can I go out now?’
The magic circle underfoot stopped glowing, and the room went dark again.
He touched the hard mask on his face and opened the door to step out.
Ding!
[Player ‘Kim Baram’s’ unique ability
[You have obtained the ‘Monkey Mask’. You have gained 2000 VP.]
“2000 VP for this?”
Kim Baram paused. He was astonished at the large amount of VP he received just for a mask. Judging by the message, he was wearing a monkey mask.
“Interesting. My vision isn’t impaired at all.”
Although he could feel the mask, his sight was completely unaffected.
He walked to the door on the right where everyone was waiting and opened it.
“Pfft.”
“Pft.”
“Puhahaha!”
“Ho-Jin, isn’t that too much? The new recruit might get hurt.”
What’s going on?
Joo Jin-Yong, Shin Yul, and the large senior started laughing when they saw Kim Baram’s mask.
He raised his right hand, took off the mask, and examined it. It was a slightly comical monkey mask with a heart-shaped forehead.
As Kim Baram stared at the mask, Ko Joo-yeon tugged on his sleeve and said seriously, “It suits you.”
Was that supposed to be a compliment?
***
Once the situation calmed down, Kim Baram sat next to Ko Joo-yeon, and Shin Yul cleared her throat to begin explaining.
“Ahem! Now that we’re all here, I’ll explain. Jin-Yong is a crow, Joo-yeon is a rabbit, and Baram is… Pftt! Sorry. He’s a monkey.”
‘If you’re sorry, then why are you laughing?’
“By the way, it seems Ko Joo-yeon ended up with the rabbit mask, just like in the original story. And since Han Suyeon wasn’t here, it appeared like she didn’t join the Fixer Clan in this timeline. If that’s the case, she might be in one of the later regressions.”
In the original story, Han Suyeon’s mask was a wolf mask.
“It’s quite interesting. I don’t think there’s ever been a member of the Fixer Clan with a monkey mask before. Baram, you might be the first.”
Shin Yul clapped her hands in a teasing manner.
“Anyway, this animal mask is what we’ll be wearing during our clan activities. It’s an eighth-grade artifact with the ability to prevent anyone other than the wearer from removing it.”
He didn’t know the mask had such an ability.
“The reason we wear these masks is a tradition that dates back to the founding of the Fixer Clan. It’s mainly to conceal our identities during missions. Since revealing that we’re Academy students can be a disadvantage, it’s necessary.”
They all nodded in understanding.
Pleased, Shin Yul flashed a refreshing smile before continuing.
“There’s also a traditional superstition that these masks aren’t given randomly by the magic circle but are somehow connected to the wearer’s destiny. For example, just like tarot cards.”
‘This ridiculous monkey mask?’
Kim Baram stared at the oddly annoying monkey mask in his hand again.
“Anyway, let’s take some time to get to know each other. Including you three, our clan now has seven members. As I mentioned, I’m Shin Yul, the current leader of the Fixer Clan. I’m a third-year student, and my mask is a fox mask. My unique ability is a disguise type that allows me to transform into others.”
After her introduction, Shin Yul shot Kim Baram another meaningful smile. Then, the huge senior eagerly stood up and introduced himself in a booming voice.
“Now it’s my turn! My name is Paeng Ho-Jin! I’m a third-year student as well, and my mask is a tiger mask which suits my fierce demeanor! I wield a greatsword as a symbol of manliness!”
“Ho-Jin, you could introduce yourself while sitting… Ah, never mind. I’m Song Chang-Bin, a second-year with a raccoon mask. I’m not much of a fighter, so I mainly support non-combat roles.”
Song Chang-Bin seemed resigned as he corrected Paeng Ho-Jin’s actions. He shook his head with a sigh before introducing himself in a detached voice.
Despite his intimidating appearance, he seemed like the most normal and kind-hearted of the three seniors.
And Kim Baram didn’t think so just because he didn’t laugh at his mask.
After the seniors introduced themselves, Joo Jin-Yong raised his hand with a question.
“You said there are seven members in total, but there are only six of us here.”
“Good observation, Crow! The last member is a cat!”
“Ho-Jin. That’s not how you should explain it…”
“But that’s all I know about her!”
“Ho-Jin’s right, though. The last member keeps her identity hidden from everyone except me for personal reasons. She’s a second-year student with a cat mask. You’ll probably meet her during a mission later.”
Joo Jin-Yong appeared satisfied with the explanation and nodded.
Knowing the story, Kim Baram was already aware of the cat member’s true identity.
***
After Joo Jin-Yong, Ko Joo-yeon, and Kim Baram introduced themselves, they were added to the Fixer Clan’s group chat on their smartwatches.
“Official activities start next week, but there’s a mission this Sunday. If any of you are interested in participating, let us know in the group chat by tomorrow. That’s it for now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the group chat. I’ve got another appointment, so goodbye for now.”
Shin Yul waved her hand and jumped out the second-floor window.
Kim Baram guessed there really weren’t any normal members in this clan.
“Now, I’ll be off to train. Sitting around makes me restless. Raccoon! Follow me!”
“No, Ho-Jin, I… Whaaaa!”
Paeng Ho-Jin grabbed Song Chang-Bin by the collar and jumped out of the window with him. It was in the same manner he manhandled Joo Jin-Yong earlier.
The three of them stood in silence, enjoying the cool spring breeze coming in through the open window.
“This clan is really strange… Maybe we should leave while we can.”
Joo Jin-Yong broke the silence and stared blankly at the window the seniors had jumped out of.
“They’d probably chase us to the ends of the earth.”
Kim Baram’s response seemed to resonate with him as he nodded quietly.
“Anyway, are you both planning to participate on Sunday?”
Kim Baram asked Ko Joo-yeon and Joo Jin-Yong about the mission mentioned by Shin Yul before leaving. He didn’t know the details of the mission since Han Suyeon was always preoccupied with something else on Sundays in the story.
‘If Han Suyeon is handling that incident herself in the later rounds, I should be fine joining the mission.’
Moreover, participating in the mission would likely help increase his VP. After all, his daily VP gains varied based on his activities.
“I think I can participate since I don’t have any other plans.”
Joo Jin-Yong nodded thoughtfully before agreeing.
“What about you, Ko Joo-yeon?”
When Kim Baram turned to Ko Joo-yeon, she stared at him for a long moment before responding.
“If you go, I’ll go.”
“Damn! I’m jumping out too.”
As soon as Ko Joo-yeon finished speaking, Joo Jin-Yong grimaced as if he had bitten into something bitter, stood up, and threw himself out the second-floor window.
It must be something urgent.
Despite that, after seeing him jump out without hesitation made Kim Baram feel a bit relieved that he was already adapting to the clan.