NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7 - Joo Jin-yong (1)
“Ugh…”
As the pain ravaged his entire body, Kim Baram struggled to open his eyelids.
As he opened his eyes, he saw a white curtain and a familiar-looking ceiling.
Deja vu.
‘Could it be that I have regressed like Han Suyeon…?’
Swish!
“Oh my, you’re awake? How’re you feeling? You might be the only cadet in the academy’s history to be brought to the infirmary twice in such a short time.”
At that moment, the white curtain was pulled aside, and Lim Eun-ah’s gentle voice reached him.
Oh no.
He was just brought back here again.
“Unlike this morning, I feel like I’m dying.”
“Of course. A fractured left arm, broken ribs on the left side, a sprained right wrist, and a torn muscle in your right thigh… Shall I go on?”
“No… That’s enough.”
“Fortunately, we treated you right away, so your bones have fully healed. Apart from some pain, you should be able to move without any problems. But avoid any strenuous activities for the next few days.”
“Yes. Thank you, instructor.”
“Hehe… Stay in bed for a bit longer, and make sure to have lunch soon. The academy’s lunches are famously delicious.”
With those words, Lim Eun-ah drew the curtain again and seemed to move on to check the other cadets’ conditions.
He stared blankly at the ceiling before speaking.
“Status window.”
———
Name: Kim Baram
Age: 17
Attributes:
Strength: 11
Agility: 11
Stamina: 11 (-5)
Magic: 1
Charm: 41
Luck: 50
Skills:
(New)
Unique Abilities:
– VP (Variable Points): 9350 VP
————
Upon opening the status window, Kim Baram found that his stamina had decreased slightly due to his injuries.
He looked down to check the new skill he had acquired with the recently earned VP.
‘Irregular Box? It says it gives items, but what kind of items? I should try it out.’
Unsure of the skill’s nature, he decided to use it.
Ding!
[You are using the skill
“I have to decide how much VP to use? Let’s start with 350 VP.”
Ding!
[You are using the skill
Thud!
As he spent the VP to use the skill, a box with a question mark on it appeared out of thin air and landed on his legs.
After examining the box for a moment, he sat up and opened it with a pounding heart.
Ding!
[You have obtained the ‘Dolce Rne’s New Macaron Set.’ Items obtained through
“… Doraemon?”
Suddenly, he remembered a famous manga character—a blue figure who could pull out anything from his pocket.
In Kim Baram’s hand, he held a new macaron set from Dolce Rne that he had promised to give to Ko Joo-yeon.
When he opened the macaron box, there were eight delicious-looking macarons of various colors inside.
“Hmm. They seem real… How do I store them in my inventory?”
Ding!
[Would you like to store the ‘Dolce Rne New Macaron Set’ in your inventory?]
“Oh! So that’s how it works. Yes, store it.”
As soon as Kim Baram said it, the new macaron set disappeared from his hand, and an inventory screen appeared, showing ‘the Dolce Rne New Macaron Set’ listed at the bottom.
[Dolce Rne New Macaron Set x1: A new macaron set released by the Dolce brand. It’s incredibly popular among female consumers and sold out immediately upon release, making it very hard to obtain.]
Oh! There was even a description.
He felt a bit relieved reading the description of the macaron set in his inventory. He almost failed to deliver what he had promised to Ko Joo-yeon.
‘I can’t really tell after just one use. Is it giving me the items I want, or is it completely random? Anyway, I did need the macaron set.’
Still uncertain about the skill, Kim Baram decided to use it one more time. Besides, he was curious about what might come out.
‘I earned a lot of VP earlier so I’ll try just one more time. Just one more time, no matter what comes out, it’s not a loss.’
He uttered a line that sounded like something a gambling addict would say and activated the skill.
Ding!
[You are using the skill
“This time, I’ll go bold with 1000VP!”
[You are using the skill
Thud!
Kim Baram caught the box that fell onto his lap again and opened it with a pounding heart.
Ding!
[You have obtained ‘Casa’s Perfume’. The items obtained through
He picked up a perfume bottle made of pink glass from the box.
What’s with the perfume?
He decided to store it in the inventory and read the description later since he couldn’t guess what kind of item it was just by looking at it.
“Store.”
As soon as he shouted at the store, the perfume bottle disappeared from his hand and went into the inventory.
[Dolcere’s New Macaron Set x1: A new macaron set released by the Dolcere brand. It’s incredibly popular among female consumers and sold out immediately upon release, making it very hard to obtain.]
[Casa’s Perfume x1: A perfume used by the greatest libertine of the 17th century, Casa. When sprayed, it slightly increases charm. It may have special effects on the opposite sex. Duration: 3 hours.]
“A charm-boosting item? What’s with the ‘may’? Does that mean it might not work?”
Kim Baram felt a bit disappointed that the item he got after investing a 1000VP appeared somewhat ambiguous.
Should I try one more time?
He had the urge to use the skill just one more time, but he shook his head and resisted with superhuman patience.
‘Let’s hold off for now and use it when it’s really necessary. The points won’t run away.’
After struggling to put on the neatly folded school uniform blazer that Lim Eun-ah had left on the shelf, Kim Baram stepped out of the infirmary.
When he checked the time on his smartwatch, it was already 12:30 PM.
‘Perfect! Lunchtime. Let’s go eat first. The novel described the food as really delicious, so I’m looking forward to it.’
Using the map function on his smartwatch, he found the cafeteria inside the academy and walked there with a bit of excitement.
***
“Those interested in alchemy, please visit the ‘Alchemist’ clan in room 503 of building K!”
“The ‘Saber’ clan, reputed as the strongest clan, is recruiting new members! Interested freshmen, please gather in room 201 of building G!”
“Students interested in the ‘Gold Star’ clan. It’s sponsored by one of the top 8 guilds in Korea, the Geumseong Guild, please come to room 312 of building K!”
“Strength comes from solid muscles! If you want impressive muscles like mine, come to the ‘Muscles Never Rest’ clan at the training ground in Building C!”
“If you want to experience various dungeons, visit our ‘Dungeon Slayers’ clan in room 303 of Building K!”
On the way to the cafeteria, Kim Baram noticed some senior cadets promoting their clans, including one with a rather strange name.
Clans.
In the novel, they were described as a ‘miniature version of guilds’ within the Korean Player Academy’s guild system.
These were groups where cadets could share their interests and activities. Clan activities replaced classes on Thursday and Friday afternoons, making it mandatory to join at least one clan.
Since today was Thursday, Kim Baram realized that the afternoon would be free from classes, giving them time to explore the clans. He checked the academy’s weekly schedule on his smartwatch, confirming that it matched the one described in the novel.
———
Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri.
Morning| Practical| Theory| Theory| Practical| Practical|
———
Lunch
———
Afternoon
Theory| Practical| Field Trip| Clan
——-
The first-year academy schedule was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. It included training classes led by instructors, theory classes led by professors, field trips with actual guilds, and clan activities organized by students.
Today and tomorrow were the first week of classes. Thus, they were reserved for exploring and experiencing the various clans before deciding which one to join. This explained why seniors were actively promoting their clans.
In the novel, Han Suyeon joined a different clan each round, so he couldn’t predict which one she would join this time.
Since she hadn’t come to rescue Ye-rin yet, it was clear she was at least in her 50th round.
Deep in thought about which clan to join, he soon found himself standing in front of the cafeteria.
Time to eat first.
Food before anything else.
Entering the cafeteria with excitement, Kim Baram was fascinated by the luxurious interior.
‘It’s much bigger than I expected.’
The cafeteria featured large tables for group dining as well as small tables for solo diners. The menu offered a variety of cuisines, including Western, Korean, and Japanese dishes.
‘So many choices. It’shard to decide.’
Flipping through the menu on the automatic ordering machine, he paused when he saw one dish.
Red chicken.
This creature, with its red flesh, was called red chicken and originated from a dungeon. Not Earth.
It wasn’t a beast but a creature from a specific dungeon, and as per the novel, it was domesticated for its high protein content and good taste.
Despite its origin, the novel mentioned it was delicious and highly nutritious. Curious about the taste, he ordered the
[Please bring your smartwatch close to this point.]
Beep-l!
[Your order has been completed. When your meal is ready, you will receive an alert on your smartwatch. Please collect your meal when the alert arrives.]
After completing the order, he sat at a nearby two-person table to think more about the clan he was considering joining while waiting for his food.
‘No matter how I think about it, there are two clans I could join. Maybe I should just join both.’
As long as one was committed to participating actively, there was no limit to the number of clans one could join.
One of the clans he was considering was the Dungeon Slayers clan. This clan focused on dungeon raids and was one that Kim Baram often joined in the original work. Han Suyeon also joined it in the early rounds.
Of course, Kim Baram had a knack for disappearing in dungeons, getting lost, screaming and attracting monsters. He generally caused trouble, so by the end of the semester, everyone avoided going into dungeons with him.
‘Anyway, if I join Dungeon Slayers, knowing the original story means I can find many hidden pieces in the dungeons and I must prevent ‘that incident’ for the future.’
Even though he didn’t know if the protagonist, Han Suyeon, would join Dungeon Slayers, Kim Baram had no intention of taking away the hidden pieces she needed.
He found her growth as important as his. He planned to use the advantage of knowing the rewards and trials inside the dungeon that would later be obtained by the villains.
‘The second candidate is the Fixer clan. But I’m not sure if I can even join them.’
Buzz!
Just as he was about to think more about the second clan, an alert from his smartwatch notified him that his food was ready.
‘First, let’s eat.’
He received his fried red chicken from the frying station and returned to the seat.
The fried chicken was garnished with soy sauce and sesame seeds, and a slightly savory and sweet aroma wafted around his nose.
Gulping down in anticipation, Kim Baram picked up a piece of fried red chicken with her chopsticks and took a bite.
Crisp!
The crispy texture of the fried layer, combined with the tender, flavorful meat that tasted like a combination of beef and chicken, overwhelmed his taste buds.
“This is crazy… It’s so delicious…”
The inside of the fried red chicken had a pinkish hue, similar to medium-cooked beef, which might be off-putting to some, but the taste was so fantastic that it dispelled any prejudices.
As he was engrossed in devouring the fried chicken, he sensed someone approaching.
“Can I sit here?”
“Huh?”
“Huh? Thanks.”
‘What’s this?’
As he raised his head slightly at the audacious response and someone sitting in front of him, he saw a bamboo steamer with a few dumplings on top.
Kim Baram gazed further up.
A male student with a mischievous expression and a notable squint looked at him.