I Became a Troublemaker at the Academy

Screeech.

The large bus carrying them came to a halt as they arrived at their destination.

Looking out the window, Kim Baram was surprised to see that the surroundings were unexpectedly quiet for such a famous dungeon.

“We’ve arrived, everyone. Let’s get off and follow the group assignments posted in the announcement. That way, it’ll be easier to explain and manage. Senior cadets, please take care of the juniors.”

As Kim Baram was gazing outside, Baek Yuseong stood up and gave a brief announcement before being the first to step off the bus.

Following his lead, the rest of the clan members started to disembark one by one.

“Let’s get off too.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Watching the others get off, Han Suyeon, Joo Jinyong, and Kim Baram followed suit and stepped off the bus

As soon as they were outside, Baek Yuseong, who was nearby, spotted them and waved them over.

“Baram, over here!”

Standing beside Baek Yuseong were Jin Sua, with her waist-length brown hair, and another cheerful-looking girl with dark blue, wavy hair, who Kim Baram assumed was Oh Sehee.

As they approached, Baek Yuseong greeted them with a bright smile and introduced the girl next to him.

“Everyone, this is Oh Sehee. She’s a third-year like me and a mage.”

“Nice to meet you. Let’s get along, everyone!” Oh Sehee greeted them with a cheerful wave and a lively voice.

“Pleased to meet you.”

“And I’m sure most of you haven’t met Suyeon before. Well, Baram already knows her since they’re in the same class. I assigned you two to the same group on purpose. Suyeon is in Class 3…”

“I’m Han Suyeon from Class 1, Year 3. Kim Baram is my friend.”

Han Suyeon cut in, introducing herself curtly. At the same time, she shot a sharp look at Joo Jinyong, as if emphasizing her connection to Kim Baram.

Kim Baram glanced over at Joo Jinyong, and sure enough, he didn’t shy away from Han Suyeon’s intense gaze and met it head-on.

Kim Baram had no idea why the two of them were acting like this, but the tension between them was nearly palpable — like a silent but fierce battle of wills.

‘Are they actually going to fight…? The atmosphere is so tense…’

“Um, anyway… since everyone’s here, why don’t we get going?”

Sensing the awkward tension between them, Baek Yuseong, who was acting as their group leader, tried to diffuse the situation by starting to walk and explaining more about the City of Witches.

“As you all know, today we’re visiting the City of Witches dungeon. It’s incredibly famous, so I’m sure you’re familiar with the general details, right?”

Both Joo Jinyong and Kim Baram nodded in response to his question.

“To add to that, originally the City of Witches was managed by the association after it was cleared, but now it’s under the management of the ‘Tower of Truth,’ where Sua, Sehee, and I are affiliated.”

‘So Oh Sehee is part of the Tower of Truth, too. I think I remember her name from the story… but I can’t quite place her. Maybe she was one of those characters who showed up early and then disappeared.’

Kim Baram decided to set aside his uncertainty about Oh Sehee for now and focus on what he did know — after all, the head of the Tower of Truth was a key figure connected to the City of Witches, even though they didn’t play much of a role in the story.

As Baek Yuseong continued explaining, Joo Jinyong, who had been looking around curiously, suddenly asked a question with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“This is supposed to be the most famous dungeon in Korea, but why is the area so empty? I heard every player who dreams of becoming a mage visits at least once.”

“Oh, that’s because there used to be no restrictions on visiting the City of Witches, but too many minor incidents and accidents happened inside the dungeon. Now, only those who go through a strict process are allowed in. Of course, our clan has it a bit easier since I’m the first disciple of the Tower of Truth’s guild master.”

“Wow~ That’s impressive, Yuseong. Let’s stay together from now on.”

“Haha! It looks like Jinyong knows how to read people well.”

‘Joo Jinyong is great at navigating social situations. It’s no wonder he got along with Shin Haesung, who had such a terrible personality in the original story.’

Despite the flattery, Baek Yuseong seemed genuinely pleased.

As they continued walking and chatting about the City of Witches, a massive, glowing blue portal, as large as a five-story building, came into view ahead of them.

“Wow… It’s huge…”

“Yeah, exactly.”

The entrance to the City of Witches dungeon was on a completely different level compared to the entrance to the Goblin Forest dungeon he had seen during the Fixer Clan request.

It was massive and emitted a deep, vibrant blue glow.

Seeing it written about in the novel was one thing, but witnessing it in person was definitely overwhelming.

While Kim Baram stood there with his mouth slightly hanging open, staring at the entrance in awe alongside Joo Jinyong.

Han Suyeon, on the other hand, remained indifferent about the whole thing.

Baek Yuseong watched her calm demeanor, tilted his head in curiosity, and spoke up.

“Suyeon, have you been here before? You don’t seem surprised. When Sua, Sehee, and I first came here, we were blown away, even though we’re from the Tower of Truth and have visited multiple times.”

“I was surprised.”

Well, it made sense that Han Suyeon wasn’t shocked. She had visited the City of Witches numerous times in her early loops, and by now, she’d seen far larger dungeons and gates in the future. Her lack of reaction was only natural.

Baek Yuseong, slightly embarrassed by Han Suyeon’s curt response, scratched the back of his head before suddenly remembering something and addressing the group.

“Oh, right! Everyone sees the ATM next to the dungeon entrance? If you want to buy or experience anything inside, you should withdraw cash now. Cards and electronic payments don’t work in the City of Witches.”

‘That’s right. The City of Witches had become a thorough capitalist world, heavily influenced by Korea’s economy.’

***

Woooong.

As they walked toward the dungeon entrance, space began to twist around them, and before long, they were safely inside the City of Witches.

Well, Kim Baram wouldn’t exactly call it ‘safe.’

Perhaps due to the spatial distortion upon entering the dungeon, he felt a wave of nausea and dizziness that made him wince.

Kim Baram muttered under his breath.

“Hoo… This feeling never gets any easier.”

“Really? Thanks to my innate ability, I’m used to it now. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

“… Good for you.”

Joo Jinyong’s innate ability, [Teleportation], allowed him to constantly warp through space, so he wasn’t affected by this kind of distortion.

Meanwhile, Kim Baram, on the other hand, was struggling to deal with the pounding in his head.

Unable to bear it any longer, Kim Baram pressed his right hand against his temple in an attempt to ease the discomfort.

Ding.

[Skill activated. Magic Power is critically low. Sincerity is critically lacking. Effect significantly reduced.]

‘…’

‘This skill… As strange as the name is, it’s actually pretty useful, huh?’

Despite the message stating that the effect was significantly reduced, the dizziness soon faded, leaving Kim Baram feeling clear-headed.

It looked like it was a more effective skill than he had originally thought.

Now that his head was no longer throbbing, Kim Baram could finally take in the scenery inside the City of Witches.

The first impression was that the place didn’t feel like a city in the modern sense, but more like a medieval European town or village.

The wooden buildings gave off a vibe similar to a movie set, and despite being inside a dungeon, the atmosphere was peaceful and lively.

What stood out the most were the witches, who seemed to be the residents of this city.

‘So those are the witches…’

Despite the medieval European backdrop, the witches all had distinctly Korean appearances, with their traditional beauty.

If it weren’t for their staffs and colorful hair, they could have easily blended in on the streets of Korea without looking out of place.

‘I guess it makes sense since this dungeon appeared in Korea. Fascinating.’

As Kim Baram looked around in wonder, Baek Yuseong smiled, seemingly pleased by their reactions, and began guiding them through the city.

“Alright. Let’s skip the long explanations and experience things for ourselves. Follow me.”

They followed Baek Yuseong as he led them through various parts of the city, including a uniquely themed café, an eccentric restaurant, and a souvenir shop selling simple magical items.

Overall, the City of Witches felt more like a popular tourist destination than a dangerous dungeon.

And now, Kim Baram found himself inside a bakery run by a witch, browsing through a variety of pastries and desserts.

‘Hmm…’

Kim Baram stared at the witch-shaped macarons, each wearing a pointed hat, displayed in the showcase and thought to himself.

‘Ko Jooyeon would probably love this as a gift. Should I get one for her as a souvenir?’

Feeling guilty for leaving Ko Jooyeon behind, Kim Baram made up his mind and decided to buy a small macaron as a present for her.

“Excuse me, could you wrap this one up, please?”

“You’re only buying one? If you buy four, you get a 2,000 won discount. Plus, if it’s a gift, we can package them nicely with preservation magic starting from four macarons. What do you think?”

‘Is this person… not from Korea? She sure is a good salesperson.’

Considering that everything a player heard got translated automatically into their language, the witch’s fluent Korean made it all the more convincing.

“Alright, then. Add this one, this one, and that one too, please.”

In the end, Kim Baram fell for the bakery witch’s sales tactics and added rabbit, cat, and monkey-shaped macarons to his purchase.

“Great~ Thank you! That’ll be 20,000 won, but with the discount, it’s 18,000 won. Oh, and if you want to add a gift box with preservation magic, it’ll be an additional 4,000 won. It’ll make your gift even more special.”

“… Sure, wrap it up for me.”

“Thank you~ Please wait just a moment~”

And just like that, Kim Baram ended up paying 22,000 won to the witch.

As he handed over the money, Kim Baram thought to himself, ‘The witch’s capitalist business tactics are way more advanced than I expected.’

***

‘Well, at least it’s worth the money.’

Kim Baram put the neatly wrapped macaron box into his crossbody bag and left the bakery with the others.

As they stepped out, Baek Yuseong turned to them with his usual bright voice.

“It looks like we’ve seen everything worth checking out. Now, you’ll have one hour of free time. Feel free to explore as long as you stay within the city walls. After the hour’s up, meet back here at the city gates so we can head out.”

“Got it.”

At the mention of free time, he suddenly recalled an episode related to Kim Baram —‘The Disappearance of Kim Baram.’

This was the first incident that earned Kim Baram the title of a problematic character.

In the original story, Kim Baram disappeared after this exact one-hour free time, failing to show up at the designated meeting spot.

After waiting for as long as they could, Baek Yuseong led the clan members to the temple outside the dungeon walls, where they eventually found Kim Baram, fast asleep in the forest.

When Kim Baram woke up, he had no memory of why he had fallen asleep there.

Although the story ended without any serious consequences, Kim Baram was scolded by Baek Yuseong for breaking the rules.

It was later revealed by Han Suyeon, who grew curious about Kim Baram’s frequent disappearances, that the whole incident was just the result of a witch’s prank.

Apparently, Kim Baram had visited a witch to see if he had any magical talent, only to be knocked out and left in the forest as part of the witch’s joke.

‘Of course, in true Kim Baram fashion, his luck was terrible. How does he manage to get tricked every time in every loop?’

Despite knowing this, Kim Baram decided to visit that witch’s house anyway. He figured that if he avoided the witch’s prank this time, he might gain some VP points in return.

‘If my guess is right, maybe her magic won’t affect me this time. Now, what was the name of that witch’s house…?’

After making up his mind, Kim Baram began wandering around, trying to locate the witch’s house.

Joo Jinyong, who had been watching Kim Baram look around, finally spoke up.

“Baram, where are you going? Let’s stick together.”

“Oh, I wanted to check if I have any magic talent. I noticed a few places that offered that earlier.”

As he spoke, Kim Baram glanced back and caught sight of Han Suyeon staring at him with a disappointed expression, as if she had something to say but had missed her chance.

‘She probably has something to talk about, but I can hear it later since we’re in the same class.’

Dismissing Han Suyeon’s reaction, Kim Baram continued searching for the witch’s house with Joo Jinyong.

After wandering around for about ten minutes, Joo Jinyong grew impatient with Kim Baram’s aimless searching and asked directly.

“Where are we going? There are plenty of places we could go.”

“Aurora.”

“Huh?”

In response to his confusion, Kim Baram pointed his finger toward a witch’s house with an eye-catching orange roof.

[Aurora the Witch’s House]

Following his gesture, Joo Jinyong looked at the sign and said with a voice filled with curiosity, “We found it. Let’s head there.”

***

Jingle. Jingle.

As they stepped inside the shop, they saw a mature-looking woman with vibrant crimson hair sitting behind the counter, lost in thought as she gazed into the distance, her chin resting on her hand.

“Uh, excuse me. Are you open for business?”

Swivel.

Hearing Joo Jinyong’s voice, the woman seemed to snap out of her daydream and slowly turned toward us. Her face was striking, but what stood out the most were her soft, sunset-colored eyes, as beautiful and radiant as her hair.

“Oh, welcome. What brings you here?”

Her voice was gentle and soothing, making Kim Baram feel strangely calm.

“Uh. We both just wanted to check if we have any magical talent…”

“Hehe, welcome. Not only do we check for magical talent here, but as a complimentary service, we also offer a glimpse into your future. Of course, it’s just for fun, so even if the outcome isn’t great, there’s no need to take it too seriously.”

“Oh, really? Baram, I think it was a good idea to come here, don’t you think?”

Joo Jinyong was clearly intrigued by the offer of a free fortune-telling session and turned to Kim Baram with an excited tone.

Something about his expression seemed slightly different too — his eyes, usually slitted, appeared just a bit more open than usual.

Kim Baram couldn’t deny that he was also a little interested in what the witch had to say.

‘Destiny, huh… It wasn’t really mentioned in detail in the novel, so I didn’t know they did this kind of thing here. I wonder what my fate will be.’

With a heart full of curiosity and anticipation, Kim Baram followed the witch’s guidance along with Joo Jinyong into a room at the back.

Whether the fortune would reveal ‘Kim Baram’s’ destiny or his, he had no idea.