NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6 - The First Class (2)
In the original work, during the first class episode, the cadets never joined forces to fight against Cha Joo-hyuk and battled individually.
To be precise, Ko Joo-yeon, Majin Seok, Lee Do-hyeok, and Han Suyeon, the core forces of Class 1-3. They were always described fighting along when facing Cha Joo-hyuk without collaborating with other cadets.
‘Maybe Lee Do-hyeok has a strong sense of pride. Majin Seok probably thinks it’s unfair to fight many against one. Ko Joo-yeon doesn’t seem interested in the class itself, and Han Suyeon…’
In the early episodes, Han Suyeon also tried to land a blow on Cha Joo-hyuk, but realizing the gap between them was too vast, she never fought him seriously.
‘After all, even if she landed a blow, there was no benefit except extra points.’
As time went on, Han Suyeon appeared increasingly disinterested in anything other than her own growth and preventing the world’s destruction. It was possibly due to the exhaustion from countless regressions.
However, for the sake of his VP, Kim Baram needed to persuade the disinterested Han Suyeon.
“That’s nonsense. What makes you think someone like you can win if we fight together?”
Lee Do-hyeok’s sharp voice cut between Kim Baram and Han Suyeon.
His response was dismissive, but his argument was valid. People like Lee Do-hyeok and Majin Seok had trained from a young age, while Kim Baram was just an ordinary person who had recently awakened as a player.
But he didn’t plan on convincing Han Suyeon only. To increase the chances of landing a blow on Cha Joo-hyuk, cooperation from at least four people was necessary.
Despite Lee Do-hyeok’s aggressive words, Han Suyeon continued to look at Kim Baram as if urging him to speak more.
“There’s no chance of winning if we face the instructor individually. Didn’t the instructor say to attack together with other cadets? If we all attack together, we might stand a chance.”
“Hah. Isn’t that obvious? Why’re you talking like it’s some great strategy?”
“Then why aren’t you doing that obvious thing?”
“That’s…”
Lee Do-hyeok tried to argue against Kim Baram’s opinion again, but he was left speechless when Kim Baram immediately countered.
“I disagree. Attacking with multiple people is not fair.”
At that moment, Majin Seok, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, expressed his opposition.
“Majin Seok, did you forget what the instructor said? Think of the instructor as a ‘villain’ and attack. Would you still talk about fairness while the villain is hunting down your comrades?”
“Hmm…”
Kim Baram’s argument seemed to make Majin Seok pause and think.
Kim Baram leveled his gaze to meet Han Suyeon’s red eyes and spoke again.
“There’s no chance of winning one-on-one against the instructor. To land an effective blow, we need to maximize our strengths and exploit the instructor’s weaknesses.”
Han Suyeon, who had been silently listening to his words, finally opened her mouth after some contemplation.
“Alright. I’ll cooperate. What do I need to do?”
Kim Baram was surprised.
No. It was truly unexpected.
She agreed so easily? The legendary Han Suyeon?
Honestly, Kim Baram thought she wouldn’t cooperate since she had nothing to gain.
He was ready to kneel and beg for her help if she refused.
“Suyeon, are you serious? What do you see in this guy…”
“Majin Seok, are you still against it?”
Lee Do-hyeok asked Han Suyeon in disbelief, but Kim Baram interrupted him and asked the pondering Majin Seok again.
Anyway, Kim Baram didn’t expect Lee Do-hyeok to swallow his pride and cooperate.
“Hmm… No! You’re right! I was short-sighted. To defeat evil, we must use any means necessary. I’ll cooperate.”
“I’ll fight with you too!”
“Me too!”
Majin Seok straightforwardly acknowledged his short-sightedness and agreed to join, and two cadets who had been spying in their conversation also decided to cooperate. However, they were still hesitant.
‘Finally, Ko Joo-yeon. Ko Joo-yeon is also a key player in this strategy. I’ll have to use my trump card to win her over.’
Kim Baram walked towards Go Joo-yeon, who was crouched in the distance. She was staring blankly at the ground and appeared uninterested in our conversation.
“Ko Joo-yeon.”
When Kim Baram called her name, Ko Joo-yeon lifted her head and looked at him intently.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but as soon as she saw him, her previously unfocused eyes seemed to sharpen a bit.
Kim Baram leaned in closer to her ear and whispered softly.
“Help us out. If you do, I’ll buy you the new macaron set from ‘Dolce Rne.'”
“…!”
Kim Baram’s trump card to persuade Ko Joo-yeon was a bribe.
At his whisper, her eyes widened a little, and her dull eyes began to sparkle with life.
Incidentally, in the story, Ko Joo-yeon’s favorite food was sweet desserts, especially those from the brand ‘Dolce Rne.’
Whether his bribery worked or not, Ko Joo-yeon looked into his eyes for a moment before giving a small nod.
[Player ‘Kim Baram’s unique ability
[You have gained favorability from the character ‘Ko Joo-yeon.’ You earn 100 VP. Currently, Ko Joo-yeon’s favorability towards Kim Baram is ‘Interest.’]
‘All of a sudden?’
***
‘What’s this?’
Han Suyeon was drowned in a state of confusion since the entrance ceremony.
‘Kim Baram has never ranked among the top seven in the entrance exams. Why has he changed?’
Initially, Kim Baram didn’t have the skills to rank in the top seven. In the countless regressions, Kim Baram’s talent had been mediocre at best. He caused more trouble than anything else.
But his determination and ferocity during the entrance ceremony were so different that they completely overturned her previous perception of him.
In this unprecedented situation, Han Suyeon’s mind was in chaos when she heard Cha Joo-hyuk’s voice.
“Today, being the first day, I intend to lightly gauge the cadets’ levels. Think of me as a villain and attack together. Cadets who land an effective hit on me will receive bonus points. You may use any weapons or equipment from over there. For the record, I will only use my bare hands.”
Cha Joo-hyuk’s test was repeated in every first class. He hadn’t changed the content or method.
The only thing that had changed was Kim Baram.
As the class began, the students started to confront Cha Joo-hyuk with their preferred martial arts and weapons.
Han Suyeon also picked up a training sword and confronted Cha Joo-hyuk half-heartedly.
There was no way she could land a blow on Cha Joo-hyuk with her current skills, so she planned to fight and fall as usual.
Moreover, the unexpected situation made it even harder for her to focus on the class.
Whack!
“Ugh…”
Cha Joo-hyuk deflected Han Suyeon’s blunt attack to the side and kicked her in the ribs, sending her rolling on the dirt ground.
As he faced the other cadets, Cha Joo-hyuk looked at Han Suyeon and spoke.
“Cadet Han Suyeon, are you distracted? Your swordsmanship is wavering. If this were real combat, you’d be dead. Fight as if it were real.”
Despite Cha Joo-hyuk’s sharp criticism, Han Suyeon’s thoughts were drifting somewhere else.
In all her regressions, never had someone changed so drastically from the beginning. It made Kim Baram a constant source of distraction.
She was so preoccupied that she wanted to talk to Kim Baram directly if the opportunity arose.
As the class with Cha Joo-hyuk continued somewhat haphazardly, Lim Eun-ah’s lively voice echoed from a distance.
“Instructor Cha Joo-hyuk! We’re here~”
“Hmm? Pause.”
Cha Joo-hyuk’s words caused the class to pause.
From that moment on, Han Suyeon’s gaze was fixed on one spot.
At the end of her gaze was Kim Baram who followed Lim Eun-ah into the training ground.
Kim Baram had a slightly stiff expression as if he was deep in thought.
‘There’s nothing different in his demeanor or appearance. What was that display during the entrance ceremony…’
Kim Baram, who joined late, spoke briefly with Cha Joo-hyuk and then went to the weapon storage area in the corner of the training ground. He picked up a shield as big as his body and a reasonably sized sword, then swung them a few times.
‘Clumsy… Was today’s event really just a coincidence…’
Seeing Kim Baram awkwardly handle the shield and sword as if he was not used to wielding weapons, Han Suyeon felt a bit of disappointment.
As she continued to watch Kim Baram closely, he suddenly walked straight toward her and spoke.
“Han Suyeon. Let’s cooperate.”
Han Suyeon’s heart began to beat slightly faster than usual at Kim Baram’s unexpected behavior. It was completely different from previous regressions.
***
With Ko Joo-yeon, their alliance now had six members.
Kim Baram, Han Suyeon, Majin Seok, Ko Joo-yeon, and the two cadets who had hesitantly joined.
One was a friend named Lee Hwayong, whose main weapon was a spear, and the other was a friend named Kim Byeong-hoon, who held a sword.
Kim Baram looked at Kim Byeong-hoon and Lee Hwayong and asked.
“Have either of you learned any martial arts separately?”
“Uh, no… I just thought the sword would be the easiest to handle… I haven’t learned any martial arts since I recently awakened as a player…”
“I’ve learned spear techniques since I was young, but I’m not very skilled…”
Both Kim Byeong-hoon and Lee Hwayong spoke in slightly suppressed voices. They appeared to lack confidence in their abilities.
Looking at them, Kim Baram spoke again.
“Don’t worry. Don’t be discouraged. I’m similar to you. I haven’t properly learned any martial arts either. Kim Byeong-hoon, you should grab a shield like me.”
“Huh? A shield??”
“Yes. I’ll explain the strategy now. We’ll divide into defense, attack, and harassment teams. Kim Byeong-hoon and I aren’t much help in terms of strength, so we’ll focus on defense using shields. Our primary task is to prevent the instructor from reaching Ko Joo-yeon. Lee Hwayong, you’ll hide behind our shields and harass the instructor with your spear.”
“What should I do? Am I on the attack team?”
After listening to his explanation, Majin Seok asked about his role.
“Majin Seok, you’re the most important. Do you think you can handle it?”
Kim Baram whispered to Majin Seok, making sure their strategy wouldn’t reach Cha Joo-hyuk’s ears.
“Hmm… It’s difficult, but I can do it. At least for a short time. But it won’t be effective against someone like the instructor.”
“No, it might be possible precisely because it’s Cha Joo-hyuk. And Han Suyeon and Ko Joo-yeon are on the attack team. When Majin Seok creates an opening, you two need to exploit it. There will probably only be one chance. It won’t work after that.”
Honestly, Kim Baram wasn’t sure if this strategy would work, but it was the best he could come up with on the spot.
The key to this strategy was how well the main forces—those three—could coordinate.
“Ugh…!”
While they were having their strategy meeting, Cha Joo-hyuk offensive had already begun.
Lee Do-hyeok stubbornly faced Cha Joo-hyuk alone and used his unique ability out of pride. However, he was struck directly in the jaw by Cha Joo-hyuk’s kick and fell backward.
Before everyone knew it, the only students left standing around Cha Joo-hyuk were the six of them.
Cha Joo-hyuk seemed intent on attacking the long-range dealer, Ko Joo-yeon, first. He closed the distance quickly.
“Kim Byeong-hoon! Block the instructor with your full power!”
“Got it!”
Kim Byeong-hoon and Kim Baram used their shields to block Cha Joo-hyuk’s path toward Ko Joo-yeon.
According to the plan, Lee Hwayong thrust his spear from behind our shields.
However, Cha Joo-hyuk dodged the spear effortlessly as if he had anticipated it and spun his body around, sending a kick toward Kim Baram.
Bang!!
“Ugh…!”
Even though Kim Baram blocked Cha Joo-hyuk’s kick with his shield, the impact was akin to being hit by a truck. It sent him flying backward and rolling several times.
Soon, he was overwhelmed by a searing pain in his left arm. It felt as if it was broken.
“Ugh…”
So much for low attack power.
For someone like Kim Baram, who was at the level of an ordinary person, Cha Joo-hyuk’s attack was overwhelmingly powerful.
While he was rolling around the dirt, Lee Hwayong and Kim Byeong-hoon had already been knocked down, leaving Majin Seok and Han Suyeon holding their ground against Cha Joo-hyuk for a bit.
At that moment, Ko Joo-yeon, who was next to Kim Baram, released the arrow she had been aiming at Cha Joo-hyuk.
Ping!
[Perfect Accuracy].
This was Ko Joo-yeon’s unique ability, which guaranteed that any target she aimed at would be hit. The only penalty was a cooldown period when changing targets.
The arrow she shot with her ability flew swiftly towards the back of Cha Joo-hyuk’s head.
However, while simultaneously handling Han Suyeon and Majin Seok, Cha Joo-hyuk tilted his head slightly and dodged Ko Joo-yeon’s arrow effortlessly.
‘I was too complacent… Cha Joo-hyuk is much stronger than expected. Is this the skill of an A-rank player?’
True to his nickname as a specialist in person-to-person combat, Cha Joo-hyuk’s unique ability [Hyper Sense] seemed to eliminate any blind spots.
But Ko Joo-yeon remained unfazed. She calmly nocked the next arrow.
Recognizing Ko Joo-yeon as the biggest threat, Cha Joo-hyuk deflected Majin Seok and Han Suyeon’s attacks and advanced quickly toward them.
“Damn it…”
Seeing this, Kim Baram dropped his shield and sword and recklessly charged at Cha Joo-hyuk.
Cha Joo-hyuk kicked at him with a look that suggested he was no match for him.
“Now, Majin Seok!”
Kim Baram had anticipated Cha Joo-hyuk’s kick.
Thud!
“Ugh…”
Though Cha Joo-hyuk’s foot made his waist writh with immense pain, he desperately grabbed his leg with his entire body.
Off balance, Cha Joo-hyuk staggered momentarily.
And then.
Ping!
The second arrow from Ko Joo-yeon’s fingertips flew towards Cha Joo-hyuk’s body.
But without even looking at the arrow, Cha Joo-hyuk caught it with his hand and turned to fend off Majin Seok’s attack, extending his other hand.
‘No one…? Why…?’
In that fleeting moment, Cha Joo-hyuk turned around and thought.
His [Hyper Sense] had clearly indicated that Majin Seok would attack from behind.
“Flash Step.”
“Yaaah!”
From Cha Joo-hyuk’s lower sides, Han Suyeon’s sword and Majin Seok’s fist flew fiercely toward him.
Then, for the first time, a slight smile appeared on Cha Joo-hyuk’s usually expressionless face as he spoke.
“Passed.”
With those words, Cha Joo-hyuk effortlessly blocked Majin Seok and Han Suyeon’s lethal attacks and even counterattacked in the blink of an eye.
Both Majin Seok and Han Suyeon were struck by Cha Joo-hyuk’s swift counterattack and tumbled to the ground.
“Today’s class ends here. I will award extra points to the six cadets, including Han Suyeon. Well done. Instructor Lim Eun-ah, please take care of the injured. And Cadet Kim Baram.”
“Yes?”
“Could you please let go of my leg now?”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
As he released his hold on Cha Joo-hyuk’s leg, he spoke again.
“Was the strategy your idea, Cadet Kim Baram?”
“Uh… Yes. Somehow… Hahaha…”
“Excellent. Thanks to you, I realized something new. I genuinely want to thank you. Visit my office later, and I’ll have a gift for you.”
Cha Joo-hyuk’s second weakness.
It was that he relied too much on his unique ability, [Hyper Sense], in combat.
This weakness led to Cha Joo-hyuk’s repeated defeats at the hands of villains in the story.
‘I’m glad Majin Seok could use the technique shown by Ma Dong-cheol during the entrance ceremony.’
To exploit this weakness, Kim Baram instructed Majin Seok to use his energy to pressure Cha Joo-hyuk, making him believe the attack was real due to his [Hyper Sense].
Any other player would have just felt the pressure, but Cha Joo-hyuk mistook it for a definite attack due to his ability.
Ding!
[Player ‘Kim Baram’s unique ability
[You have earned bonus points from Cha Joo-hyuk’s first class. You gain 1000 VP.]
[You have given the character ‘Cha Joo-hyuk’ a chance to change his fate. You gain 500 VP.]
[You have gained favorability from the character ‘Cha Joo-hyuk.’ You gain 100 VP. Currently, Cha Joo-hyuk’s favorability towards Kim Baram is ‘Interest.’]
[You have gained favorability from the character ‘Ko Joo-yeon.’ You gain 100 VP. Currently, Ko Joo-yeon’s favorability towards Kim Baram is ‘Interest.’]
[You have gained favorability from the character ‘Majin Seok.’ You gain 50 VP. Currently, Majin Seok’s favorability towards Kim Baram is ‘Friendly.’]
[You have lost favorability from the character ‘Lee Do-hyeok.’ You gain 50 VP. Currently, Lee Do-hyeok’s favorability towards Kim Baram is ‘Distrust.’]
[You have gained favorability from the main character ‘Han Suyeon.’ You gain 200 VP. Currently, Han Suyeon’s favorability towards Kim Baram is ‘Interest.’]
[The main character ‘Han Suyeon’ is paying attention to you. You gain 500 VP.]
[Your accumulated VP exceeds 10,000 VP. A new skill is unlocked.]
As Kim Baram stared at the series of notifications before him, the tension released his body, and the tide of pain overwhelmed him, causing his consciousness to fade.
Kim Baram’s vision went black.