Is This a School or an Asylum? (2)

I prayed to God that I'd live an easy life in this lifetime.

Instead, I was used as a subject for demon experiments, my body was remodeled here and there,and my important parts ended up damaged.

In the end, I found myself unable to feel anything for anyone, no matter who I looked at.

'Back then, every single day was hell.'

Even after returning to Earth, I still had nightmares of those days.

Maybe because of that, I started attending religions I'd never cared for, every weekend.

I went to church and attended Mass, went to another church for Sunday service, and even chanted Buddhist sutras with monks at a temple.

I'm pretty sure there's no other devout follower who visits three different faiths like I do after turning their back on three gods.

'With three religions, shouldn't at least one of my wishes come true?'

But it seemed there was still a long way to go before that wish was granted.All because I unwittingly touched a roommate's sore spot.

"Normally, in Hand, students can duel each other anytime, anywhere. This arena wasn't designed without a reason."

Choi Sangbaek, who had dragged me here, stood opposite me, kindly explaining everything.

Since we'd be sharing a room from now on, it was better to have plenty of conversations.

"Most young Awakeners either have twisted personalities or odd ideas. You'll learn about this in the first-year curriculum, but let me give you a heads-up now."

Anyone who becomes an Awakened and dreams of being a hunter will have a Trait blossom, no exceptions.

The effect of an awakened Trait varies widely, but quite a few of them amplify the user's emotions.

For example, those with the Ice trait often become emotionally cold and act detached, while those with the Lightning trait turn jittery and scatterbrained.

If I recall the rampaging Kwon Sang-ah, the answer's obvious.

"Especially our students still aren't good at controlling their Traits yet. I had a lot of trouble with that myself. Are you like that too?"

"Not sure."

"As a rule, the stronger the Trait that blooms, the more obvious the side effects are. Here in Hand, where all the powerful talents gather, you'll see this happen pretty often."

I, for one, had never experienced such a thing.

I wondered if maybe I just hadn't realized it, but everyone I asked said I seemed totally normal.

Some people Awaken after reaching adulthood, but since they're already mature, they suffer less from these side effects.

On the other hand, kids born as Awakeners often end up with bizarre, unrealistic personalities due to their overwhelming emotions and Traits mixing together.

They're the only ones who can stand against the gates, but their personality problems always cause headaches.

That's why Hand exists—to professionally guide them.

"You might say, 'Not really...' but it's common not to know your own personality very well. Like how you can't really smell your own scent. Or, to put it more bluntly..."

He added, it's like how criminals insist it wasn't their intention after the fact.

"That's why, even on a day like today, a lot of students get into fights over even the smallest things. Just look around and you'll see."

To back up his words, the other sparring grounds in the arena were pretty noisy.

I could hear harsh impacts and even some curses.

But the loudest lot was the crowd surrounding me and Choi Sangbaek.

They'd come to watch our duel, and there were quite a few of them.

"Senior, are you by any chance a celebrity?"

"Hahaha! I can't exactly say no. Everyone you see around here—they're all from my fan club."

"Fan club?"

That word alone was enough to send a chill down my spine.

Especially here, right now.

"So, as the head of the fan club, I'll give you exactly one chance."

Choi Sangbaek's eyes changed as he said that.

His expression turned sharp, almost interrogative, and he said to me,

"Apologize right now."

"..."

"Take back what you said about Unity Girls being washed up!"

I sighed deeply as I recalled how I got dragged into this.

How was I supposed to know this guy was a rabid devotee of that has-been idol group?

Honestly, I felt a bit wronged.

"Alright. I'll take it back."

"You're surprisingly straightforward."

Of course, my dad has moved on to a different idol now.

I once found another idol's album in his room and asked what happened to Unity Girls. He answered like this:—Oh, those washed-ups?

It was quite a shock. He was the type who'd religiously collect every piece of merch and album.

"If my words offended you, I sincerely apologize."

Acknowledging my mistake, I bowed at a perfect right angle.

I meant it—sincerely.

With my apology, there was no longer any reason for a fight to start.

It was just a misunderstanding with no malice on either side.

"Is that true?"

"Of course. I wouldn't dare insult my future roommate like that."

When he heard my words, Choi Sangbaek was silent for a moment, then smiled.

Finally, it felt like the friendly senior from before had returned.

"I really like that attitude."

"Thank you."

Good. That should settle it...

"So, Ma Seongjin, why don't you become a fan of Unity Girls too?"

What the hell?

"I'm convinced after hearing what you said. You could be the vanguard to revive our goddesses!"

Choi Sangbaek made an inviting gesture toward me, as if offering a membership to his club.

Every time he spoke, it sent shivers down my spine, and I realized it wasn't just my imagination.

What on earth was with this armpit-hair-waxing logic?

"Ma Seongjin, if your apology is genuine..."

Suddenly, he started unbuttoning his cardigan.

Beneath it, the white T-shirt he revealed was stamped with huge faces of Unity Girls members.

"Show your sincerity by joining my fan club!"

Like a flasher, Choi Sangbaek brazenly exposed his girl group merch to the whole world.

Seeing that, my brain almost short-circuited.

That smug look like he'd tossed his shame across the galaxy was one thing, but the real problem was the merch.

When I saw the idol members' faces plastered all over the shirt, it looked less like a design and more like someone had stuck faces together in bunches.

Pretty or not, it was grotesque—rows of faces bunched up like grapes. It gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Isn't this what they call the uncanny valley?

But that wasn't even the end of it.

"If you join our fan club, you'll get this shirt for free, just like me."

The surrounding students started taking off their outer shirts one by one.

I thought, no way... but of course. That gross merch started appearing everywhere.

Are they insane? Wearing that in public wouldn't win them any new fans—it'd just make people hate them!

Even the fan club members didn't seem happy about it. Their smiles were obviously forced as they revealed their T-shirts.

If I were a fan and received this crappy merch, I'd throw it in a clothing donation bin ASAP.

"Can I just join without receiving the shirt?"

"That's impossible. This is the symbol of our school's Unity Girls Fan Club. You must have at least two of them."

I told you, I don't need it!

"If they rip or get stained, I'll replace them as many times as it takes."

What, so if the grotesque faces peel off and I get a new one right away?

"Who designed this?"

"I did."

His answer, without missing a beat, made my head throb again.

He had said himself that this place was full of weirdos, but the biggest weirdo was standing right in front of me.

Just a glance at the other students' expressions made it clear—they didn't join this insane group out of love.

"Come on, Seongjin, join the fandom. Then all your past misdeeds will be forgiven."

Choi Sangbaek, Hand extended toward me again, uttered his offer.

The other students around us were trembling, silent.I could hear whispers: Just join if you want to live.

"Joining isn't a problem. On the one condition that I don't have to wear the shirt."

Yes, I said I'd join.

But my answer only made the students around me shake their heads in frantic denial.

And then—

"Hahaha!"

Choi Sangbaek laughed heartily, finding it all amusing.

But his laughter faded; the veins in his forehead popped and he began to release an intense magic power.

"You'll have to die, right here and now."

As he said that, Choi Sangbaek shifted into a strange pose.

Something about the scene gave me a strong sense of déjà vu.

'Feels like I saw this in some goblin anime...'

Suddenly, Choi Sangbaek's face turned deadly serious.

It was a look I'd only seen from my former demon comrades when they vowed to avenge their parents against humans.

Which just made this all the more absurd.

Could someone really change so drastically over a girl group?

If just this one guy was like this, I could only imagine what some of the other students would be like.

'Not a school—an asylum.'

The scale of this place was so grand, but at its core, delinquent schools from webtoons had nothing on this madness.

Just look at Choi Sangbaek lunging at me.

Kwaang–!

Choi Sangbaek closed the distance with a leap and swung his fist at my head.

The ground split and the shockwave kicked up dust, but I dodged by springing backward.

"Great moves. I knew I wasn't imagining the unusual aura I sensed from you the first time we met."

With the dust settling, I saw his upper body had swollen considerably.Seems his Trait reinforced his physique.

"Too bad—you're too talented to just kill."

He spread his huge hands menacingly.

Can't we drop the "killing" premise already?

"Join the fan club! Wear our sacred T-shirt! Then you'll be forgiven!"

"No way."

While Choi Sangbaek's fiery persistence practically radiated heat, I answered flatly and coolly.

The moment I firmly refused, he showed open rage and immediately closed the distance again.

"Then... there's only one place left for you!"

A huge surge of magic power emanated from him.

If a regular student faced this up close, they'd collapse on the spot.

His massive fist swung at me again, but I dodged easily once more.

But this time, as if anticipating that, he slammed his palms together in my direction as I retreated backward.

"Let's see you dodge this!"

The gust of air from his clap was incredible. It felt like a sudden storm, causing me to stagger for a moment.

He used that instant to charge at me at high speed, trying to finish it with a quick takedown.

"Farewell!"

With my stance off-balance, there was no way to dodge.

All I could see was his giant fist coming down on me.

Even if I wrapped myself in magic power to boost my defense, I doubted I could block it easily.

For most people, anyway.

KWAANG–!

His punch landed squarely on me.

The massive impact echoed through the arena.

The surrounding students actually seemed a bit worried... until they looked closer and couldn't believe their eyes.

"No way, how did you—"

I'd raised my arms in a guard and caught his fist.

Even Choi Sangbaek was stunned to see me block it so easily.

I'd just absorbed the entire shock using a skill called 'Drain'.

It's a skill I'd used many times before, as it works even when caught off guard.

But the best part is, I could release the absorbed energy back at my opponent.

"Why don't you cool it?"

I gathered the energy in my palm and struck Choi Sangbaek's stomach.

The tremendous force flipped his eyes white and sent him flying.

He was knocked out by his own attack and didn't stand up again.

[Winner – Ma Seongjin]

The hologram declared my victory as proof that he was fully down for the count.

The students nearby were wide-eyed.

Their expressions seemed to say they didn't like that their leader had lost, but weren't sure if this was really happening.

"Finally...! Choi Sangbaek is down!!"

"We're free at last!"

"Hooray!!"

But instead of being upset, they erupted in cheers, delighted by Choi Sangbaek's defeat.

It was as if they were freedom fighters finally liberated after ages of oppression.

"Your name's Ma Seongjin, right?"

"Thank you so much!"

"Now we don't have to wear these anymore!"

While Choi Sangbaek lay unconscious, they tore off their merch T-shirts and threw them on the ground.

Some students even shed tears, showing how much they'd been forced into that fan club.

They began to crowd around me, looking up at me almost reverently.

"Thank you! We'll never forget this!"

"Uh, sure..."

"But, how'd you do it? That guy was in the school's top five!"

"What?"

Hearing that, I quickly checked my bracelet for the ranking.

Sure enough, Choi Sangbaek's name was now at #6, demoted from #5, and my own name—which hadn't existed on the list—was now in the top five.

It was the day, on our very first day of admission, that a newcomer broke into the top ten...

"You're our hero!"

"Thank you so much!"

It was the day they were freed from a tyrant.

Glancing at the design of the discarded T-shirt on the floor, I thought to myself:'I'd have felt the same way.'

This really is a school, right?

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Hahaha, poor students, they got taken hostage by Sangbaek...Also, Seongjin became a celebrity in an instant...【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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