I Became a Troublemaker at the Academy

‘Heh. Have fun dealing with that.’

Joo Jin-Yong waved mischievously at Kim Baram, who was looking at him with a bewildered expression from the third-floor hallway window.

‘Things have deviated a bit from the original plan….’

Initially, Joo Jin-Yong had planned to get close to Shin Hae-seong and join the Gold Star Clan, which was sponsored by the Geumseong Guild. 

However, due to the incident at the entrance ceremony, Shin Hae-seong had become hostile towards Joo Jin-Yong and had even spread rumors among their classmates, calling him a cheater.

‘I’m already being ostracized. Life in this class is going to be tough. Shin Hae-seong doesn’t seem interested in talking to me. At least I’ve managed to get close to Kim Baram.’

At first, Joo Jin-Yong had no intention of approaching Kim Baram. The list of people to watch out for given by the Chinese Association didn’t include Kim Baram. 

However, seeing Kim Baram’s determination at the entrance ceremony, where he was among the top 7, reminded Joo Jin-Yong of his younger self enduring harsh training. That impression stuck with him.

Running into Kim Baram at the cafeteria was a coincidence. For some reason, seeing him eating alone like himself piqued his curiosity and he couldn’t help but strike up a conversation.

‘Though he’s the first friend I’ve made at the academy…’

Now that things had come to this, Joo Jin-Yong decided to approach Kim Baram and gather information about Han Suyeon, Lee Do-Hyeok, and Majin Seok, who were on the watch list and in the same class as Kim Baram.

‘I’ll gather information on Kim Baram as well. If he’s among the top 7, he must be hiding something.’

While walking and reviewing his plan, Joo Jin-Yong arrived in front of Room 303, where he was supposed to meet Kim Baram. 

Leaning against the wall, he waited for Kim Baram and let his thoughts wander again.

Creak!

“Huh?”

Just then, the door of Room 312 across from him opened, and Joo Jin-Yong’s eyes met with the person opening the door.

“Ha! You came here to join, didn’t you?” Shin Hae-seong appeared exasperated and glared at him.

Caught off guard by his sudden appearance, Joo Jin-Yong glanced at the nameplate of Room 312.

‘Of all places, the Dungeon Slayers Clan’s room is right across from the Gold Star Clan.’

Joo Jin-Yong felt troubled by the potential complications of the situation.

“Hae-seong, why aren’t you coming? What’s going on?” A voice which belonged to a large senior cadet called out from behind Shin Hae-seo by.

“Hyung! This is the guy I told you about. One of the kids who cheated during the entrance exam. He knows our clan is good, so he was waiting out front.”

“No. I was planning to join that other clan…”

“Ha! You came all the way here and now you’re pretending otherwise. If you admit you cheated during the entrance exam, we might consider letting you join our clan.”

Joo Jin-Yong tried to explain, but Shin Hae-seong seemed convinced that Joo Jin-Yong had come to join the Gold Star Clan and had just happened to run into him.

As the senior cadet watching their tense interaction smirked and spoke, things took a turn for the worse.

“Oh~ so this is the kid you were talking about, Hae-seong? He looks weak and cowardly, just like you said. You can tell just by looking at him that he used underhanded methods.”

“…”

“Huh? What’s with that indignant look? If you’re so upset, why don’t you go home and complain to your mommy? Cry under her skirt, why don’t you? Hahaha!”

“Pfft! Hyung, if you keep going, he might really start crying. Hehe.”

Thud!

At that moment, hearing the senior cadet’s taunt, Joo Jin-Yong felt a snap in his mind.

He didn’t mind being insulted himself, but his mother was his reverse scale. Insulting her was something he couldn’t tolerate.

A dark, hidden killing intent began to emanate from Joo Jin-Yong.

‘I’ll kill him.’

His eyes turned sharp and deadly.

At the same time, he reached behind him with his right hand and gripped the hidden dagger tightly.

In an instant, Joo Jin-Yong intended to use his unique ability, [Teleportation], to strike at the back of the guy’s neck.

***

Tap!

“There you are, Jin-Yong. Why aren’t you going inside? The ‘Dungeon Slayers’ room is waiting for us.”

Noticing the tense atmosphere surrounding Joo Jin-Yong, Kim Baram quickly approached him, grabbed his right arm, and emphasized the Dungeon Slayers Clan to break his focus.

Startled, Joo Jin-Yong turned to meet his gaze, and the sharp killing intent in his eyes seemed to dissipate slightly.

“Ha! Birds of a feather flock together. Looks like the cheaters are sticking together,” Shin Hae-seong spat. He recognized Kim Baram and raised his voice.

Seeing his irritation, he gave him a nonchalant look before turning to Joo Jin-Yong and pretending to be clueless.

“Who’s that guy fuming over there? Is there a problem?”

With his reason slowly returning, Joo Jin-Yong answered him quietly.

“Oh… That’s Shin Hae-seong. The guy I mentioned earlier from the Geumseong Guild…”

“Oh! Shin Hae-seong! I know him. Isn’t he the whiner who didn’t make it into the top 7 at the entrance ceremony and got scolded by the principal?”

Kim Baram deliberately spoke in an exaggerated tone to make sure Shin Hae-seong could hear him. His expression twisted as if he had swallowed a bug, and he began to fume even more.

“What? You bastard! You came here to join our clan too, didn’t you? Do you think you can still get into the Gold Star Clan?”

“Gold Star Clan? Where’s that? I’ve never heard of such a clan. We’re here to join the Dungeon Slayers Clan.”

Kim Baram pointed to the nameplate of Room 303 with his thumb. Then, with a smirk, he continued to taunt Shin Hae-seong, giving him a payback for what he had done to Jin-Young.

“Jin-Yong, is he just delusional? This guy is hilarious. And he keeps calling us cheaters because of the entrance ceremony. If he’s so upset, why doesn’t he go cry to his mom? Oh! Maybe the person behind him is his mom. He’s been whining non-stop.”

Kim Baram aimed his provocation not only at Shin Hae-seong but also at the senior cadet who had been taunting Joo Jin-Yong.

“You little brat, you’re asking for it.”

The senior cadet howled, and his face turned red as he swung his fist at Kim Baram.

For the record, fights between cadets were prohibited at the academy, except during training or sanctioned duels, and violators faced severe punishment.

‘Fine, I’ll take one hit.’

‘I’ll show them what real life is like.’

Just as the large senior cadet’s massive fist was about to make contact with his face, a female voice suddenly called out from behind.

Creak!

“.”

A translucent blue shield instantly appeared in front of Kim Baram, stopping the fierce punch of the bull-like senior cadet.

Bang!!

‘Holy crap, I nearly went down for the count.’

“Are you just going to stand there and watch, senior?”

“Sorry, sorry. This is just too entertaining. But Soo-Ah, don’t you think ‘senior’ sounds too stiff? How about calling me ‘oppa’ instead?”

“Say something like that again and you’ll regret it, senior.”

A conversation between a man and a woman could be heard from behind Kim Baram and Joo Jin-Yong.

Judging by the flow of the conversation, it seemed the girl was the one who cast the shield spell to block the attack.

“Are you interfering, Baek Yu-Seong? That guy disrespected our clan!” 

The senior who had thrown the punch growled at the man behind him. He was clearly displeased that his attack had been blocked.

Baek Yu-Seong responded in his characteristic cheerful voice. “Yep! I am interfering. From what I heard outside, it looks like these freshmen are joining my clan. And it doesn’t seem like this side is completely innocent either. How about we end this misunderstanding here, So-Jun?”

“Don’t act familiar with me, Baek Yu-Seong.”

“Got it. Hwang So-Jun, how’s that? So what’s your move? Do you want to keep going? It doesn’t seem like causing more trouble will do you any good.” 

Baek Yu-Seong gestured towards the gathering crowd of onlookers and emphasized his point.

“… Hmph! The fun’s over. You two, I’ll be watching you. Let’s go.” 

Hwang So-Jun glared at Joo Jin-Yong and Kim Baram before turning around and leading his group through the crowd. Shin Hae-seong followed them as well.

Even Shin Hae-seong realized the futility of continuing the confrontation. He gave us a quiet glare before following Hwang So-Jun.

Ding!

[Player ‘Kim Baram’s unique ability has activated.]

[You have gained the favorability of the character ‘Joo Jin-Yong.’ You receive 50 VP. Joo Jin-Yong’s favorability towards Kim Baram is now ‘Interest.’]

[You have lost the favorability of the character ‘Shin Hae-seong.’ You receive 50 VP. Shin Hae-seong’s favorability towards Kim Baram is now ‘Hatred.’]

[You have lost the favor of the character ‘Hwang So-Jun.’ You receive 50 VP. Hwang So-Jun’s favorability towards Kim Baram is now ‘Distrust.’]

As the situation resolved, Kim Baram’s ability [Irregular] activated, giving him a small amount of VP.

It seemed like he made an enemy of Shin Hae-seong from day one.

“Alright. Now that the troublemakers are gone, why don’t you come inside and we’ll talk? All these onlookers make me uncomfortable.” Baek Yu-Seong suggested.

Joo Jin-Yong and Kim Baram exchanged glances and nodded. They followed Baek Yu-Seong and a small girl named Soo-Ah into the Dungeon Slayers Clan room, away from the prying eyes of the crowd.

***

The room was quite spacious. 

Besides a blackboard and a podium at the front, there was a long horizontal table with several chairs around it.

“Alright. Don’t just stand there. Sit wherever you like. You’re here because you’re interested in our clan, right? I was explaining things to Soo-Ah before it got noisy outside. Soo-Ah, you probably heard the first part, but I’ll start over for everyone.”

At Baek Yu-Seong’s gesture, Joo Jin-Yong and Kim Baram sat near the center, while Soo-Ah sat a bit further away at the end. Baek Yu-Seong stood at the podium facing them.

From this angle, Baek Yu-Seong’s appearance was quite peculiar. He had bright ash-gray messy hair, large horn-rimmed glasses, and a mage-like robe draped over his uniform. While a moderately sized sword hung at his waist.

“First, let me introduce myself. By the way, introductions are done one by one at the podium; it’s a tradition in our clan.”

“Do I have to do it again too, senior?”

“Of course. These are friends you’ll be working with. Trust between comrades is essential in the dungeon. To build that trust, we need to get to know each other quickly. And Soo-Ah, you didn’t do it earlier because you said you already knew everyone. Now there are people you don’t know, so you have to.”

In response to Baek Yu-Seong’s logical argument, the girl named Soo-Ah mumbled something under her breath, seemingly dissatisfied. 

She was probably the same girl Kim Baram saw at the entrance ceremony. Her name and appearance matched his speculation.

“Ahem… Anyway, let’s focus. Nice to meet you, freshmen. I’m Baek Yu-Seong, the head of the Dungeon Slayers Clan. I’m a third-year student. I have a unique ability… Oh, and I’m the first disciple of the great and beautiful master of the Magic Tower Guild. You might think I’m a mage from all that, but unfortunately, I lack the talent for magic, so I also use a sword.”

Baek Yu-Seong said while tapping the sword at his waist.

Baek Yu-Seong. 

Kim Baram quietly observed him with a steady gaze. 

Unlike Joo Jin-Yong, he was a true ‘villain’ who appeared early in the story.