Chapter 100.

9 P . M . , end of the first exam .

Chae Nayun was looking at social media while lazing around . With one exam over with, cadets became more active on social media .

[Uyeonha]

[It was difficult, but I’m glad that the result was great . Good work everyone . #Cube #Exam #OurTeam]

After ending the day with three wins, Yoo Yeonha seemed to have gone to a café with her team to celebrate as she uploaded a group picture of her team eating together . Chae Nayun was a bit jealous, especially because of her team’s gloomy atmosphere .

“…Uuun . ”

Since the last time they fought, Chae Nayun and Yoo Yeonha hadn’t talked to each other . Chae Nayun wanted to make up with her since she knew she was the one who started it, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded .

Ding .

[♡]

[NYChae and 4593 others liked this post . ]

Chae Nayun left a subtle apology by clicking ‘like’, then scrolled down .

Below Yoo Yeonha’s post was Shin Jonghak’s .

[jonghak2]

[3 wins 0 losses #Cube #ShinJonghak #Jonghak #Exam #Hero #OverwhelmingVictory]

Shin Jonghak also left a group photo, but it carried a different atmosphere than Yoo Yeonha’s . Shin Jonghak looked like a ruler surrounded by his lackeys .

“I wonder when this guy will be cured of his eighth-grade syndrome . ”

Chae Nayun snickered and continued scrolling through social media .

“…Huh?”

At that moment, she found a rather interesting photo .

It was from Kim Suho , who had over 20,000 followers .

[With Master Sharpshooter Hajin, Cube’s sole gunner]

“Is this guy… kind or evil?”

The photo seemed to have been taken after the archery competition, but the difference between their faces was too severe .

[leonidas357: it’s nice to see you smiling . ]

[Yunseung_A: I also monitored this year’s Class Competitions ^^ Hajin-ssi and Suho-ssi were both amazing . ]

“Haha, what is this unni doing here?”

Yun Seung-Ah’s comment clearly showed her ulterior motive .

After making fun of her a little bit, Chae Nayun left the social media app and entered her messenger .

“Huh?”

While she was scrolling down thoughtlessly, she discovered something . Kim Hajin had a party hat emoticon on his profile .

“…So today is his birthday . ”

She wondered if there was anything she could gift him, but nothing really caught her attention .

“I guess a cake will do… or no, maybe I should give something to him in real life rather than online… no, why would I? I’m not crazy… just a text message is enough . ”

Chae Nayun quickly fixed up a message to send him .

[Kim Hajin ㅋㅋ it’s your birthday today? ㅋ]

But even after waiting 5 minutes, Kim Hajin didn’t reply . Without a choice, Chae Nayun added another line .

[Happy birthday ㅋㅋㅋ Why aren’t you responding ㅋㅋ?]

This time, he responded almost immediately .

[Thanks]

“…Why’s he so cold?”

Chae Nayun pouted and put down her smartwatch .

**

Thursday .

Midterm exams came to an end .

I took a total of four exams . Two of them were done in teams and the other two were done individually .

Although I didn’t do so well in the individual exams, because I did so well in team exams, I obtained enough points to enter the top 200 .

Next year, I should be able to get a bigger dorm room .

The current problem wasn’t something trivial like my grades .

“…Will this be enough?”

I purchased a pinnacle-grade magic bag . It looked like a normal duffel bag, but it was magically enchanted to carry items up to 200 kilograms in weight . It cost 40 million won, and I stuffed it full with all sorts of items .

An ice box, tent, cooking wares, ramen, porkchops, etc…

Woong—

My smartwatch rang .

[Cube will be on break next week . ]

[Cadets will receive a 70% discount on foreign travels when using cadet cards . ]

It was a notification of classes being canceled next week .

This was likely because of an external investigation . Although investigators wouldn’t be able to find anything special, Djinns would have to lay low during this time .

[There will be a field trip sponsored by Jinsung Foundation next Thursday . First years will be allowed to join on a first-come-first-serve basis . ]

This was an important event .

During this field trip, the main cast would encounter a ghost . The most wicked of all ghosts, the ‘ghost of the past’ .

This ghost would transport the cast to the year 1970, soon after the onset of Outcall . Of course, to be precise, it wasn’t the real past .

This was a necessary event for the cast to go through . Not only Kim Suho, but Shin Jonghak and Yoo Yeonha would also…

“Aaaaang!”

At that moment, Evandel’s shouting interrupted my thought .

When I turned to her startled, Evandel was staring at Hayang with a shocked face . I followed her line of sight .

In Hayang’s mouth was the boneless chicken Evandel was eating before .

“Hayang… Hayang you… put that down now!”

When Evandel tried to run, Hayang quickly bit down on the chicken . Evandel stopped immediately at the sight of it .

“Ah! O-Okay! Okay, Hayang . Let’s calm down . Calm down…”

Huu, huu .

Almost like she was trying to appease a hostage situation, she held her hands up and tried to calm Hayang .

“Right, calm down… that’s not something a cat can eat… . ”

However…

Chomp .

Hayang chewed the chicken, ignoring Evandel’s persuasion . Immediately, Evandel’s expression crumbled down .

I glanced at Evandel’s plate . It was completely empty . It seemed Hayang ate the last piece of chicken .

“Iiiiing! H-Hayang, you…!”

Evandel chased Hayang . However, Hayang was quick and Evandel was slow . Unable to catch up to her, Evandel ran into my arms and began to sob .

“Hajin! Hajin! Hayang ate my chicken… . ”

“Don’t worry, she won’t die . ”

Hayang wasn’t a normal cat .

She had a noble bloodline with a grade-4 rating on mana affinity . Animals with higher mana affinity had higher recovery rates, longer lives, and higher intelligence .

Such animals were called ‘mystical animals’ .

“No, not that! She stole my food!”

“…Oh, that’s the problem?”

*

After calming down Evandel, I left my dorm and walked to Cube’s park .

I had a few appointments to tend to this evening .

“…Over here~”

Yoo Yeonha waved her hand from a remote area of the park . Even though it was dusk, she was wearing sunglasses .

My first appointment was with Yoo Yeonha . I could see a suitcase next to her .

When I approached her, Yoo Yeonha spoke as she handed me the suitcase .

“Here are the bullets you asked for . Because each magazine carries 45 bullets, there are 900 bullets in here . ”

“Great, thanks!”

“Ah, wait, there’s something else . ”

Yoo Yeonha then handed me some sort of a protector .

“…What’s this?”

When I tilted my head, Yoo Yeonha grinned .

“A wrist protector . Monday was your birthday, right? It’s quite expensive, so use it well . I planned to give it to you on Monday, but as you know, everyone was busy because of the exams . ”

“…Ah, um, thank you . ”

I took the wrist protector and put it on .

“Oh, it’s great . ”

It stuck tightly to my skin, and I could feel that it was protecting it .

Yoo Yeonha looked at me in satisfaction, then turned back .

“Then I’ll be leaving now . ”

“…Yeah, thanks again . ”

I waved my hand at her as she left .

Next up was karaoke .

Cube had an entertainment district for cadets’ mental health . It had a karaoke, LAN café, bowling alley, pool hall, and other arcade facilities . Most cadets gathered here after exams .

When I arrived, my teammates were waiting for me .

“Yo~ Kim Hajin~”

Jin Hoseung waved his hand .

Everyone was wearing casual clothes, and I was the only one wearing a cadet uniform . Rachel’s outfit was especially eye-catching . Her pink sweater and blue jeans suited her beautifully .

“The main character always shows up late, eh?”

“Ah, sorry, I had an appointment before this . ”

Because we were going to karaoke, my shoulders went up in pride . I still had my singing Gift with me .

“Now that Hajin-ssi is here… let, let’s go . ”

Rachel pointed at the karaoke bar hesitantly .

“Yeah, let’s go in . ”

Jin Hoseung took the lead .

The karaoke bar was loud, and many cadets were already inside singing in different rooms .

“… . ”

Rachel peeked through the windows and observed them . She looked a bit mystified by the whole scene .

Jin Hoseung went to the counter and showed his cadet card .

“For six people . ”

“Thank you . You can go into room 17 . ”

Rachel, who overheard this, began to march forward as she murmured, ‘room 17, room 17…’

Room 17 wasn’t far away .

Rachel went in first . When I was about to enter, the door to room 16 opened .

“Eh?”

The person who came out of room 16 looked at me and widened her eyes . I reacted the same way .

“Kim Hajin? You’re also here?”

“Yeah… you too?”

“I’m here with my friends . What about…”

Chae Nayun peeked through the half-opened door of room 17 and saw Rachel . She then nodded with a somewhat disapproving look .

“Well, have fun… . ”

“Ah, wait, Chae Nayun . You’re going to Jinsung Foundation’s field trip, right?”

“Huh? Um, yeah, I am . Why? Are you also going?”

“I have nothing better to do, so I applied . ”

At that moment, while I was talking with Chae Nayun, someone pulled on my sleeve .

It wasn’t Rachel, but Tomer .

“…What?”

“… . ”

Tomer was speaking with her eyes .

“Ah, okay . Hey, Chae Nayun, I’m going in now . ”

“Yeah, bye . ”

Chae Nayun shooed me away .

Next, I had a short talk with Tomer . When we went into room 17 afterwards, Jin Hoseung was looking to reserve a song with a remote, while Rachel for some reason had two tambourines in her hands .

“Alright, I’ll be the first one to sing as we discussed in our group chat . Rachel-ssi is next, right?”

Rachel’s shoulders shook .

Trrr . The tambourines in her hands also shook .

Jin Hoseung’s song began .

“Horse~ Let’s run~”

His shoulders jumped up and down as he sang an exciting rock song .

However, he stopped after the first verse .

As Rachel was up next, Jin Hoseung made a mischievous smile as he handed her the remote .

Rachel pondered for a while with a nervous face, then picked a song .

The accompaniment rang out, and we held our breaths as we waited for her to sing .

“Th, this- bru-shing wi-nd”

“… . . ”

Her voice was pretty .

But that was it .

She ignored the beat and tune, and sang as though she was reading a book…

Pft .

I heard someone’s mocking laugh .

Outside the door, Chae Nayun was laughing with her hands on her belly .

“Huu… I’ll also stop after the first verse . ”

Her singing finally ended . Thankfully, she only sang the first verse .

Rachel wiped off the sweat on her forehead and handed me the remote with a look of satisfaction .

Did she think she sang well?

“Here . ”

“Ah… yes . ”

I took the remote .

When I put the remote down after entering my song, Rachel stealthily took the remote again . She seemed to have gained confidence with her previous singing and was planning on reserving another one…

That day, Rachel sung a total of six songs and caused quite a bit of pain for me and our other teammates .

**

Next Thursday .

It was finally D-day .

A field trip organized by the Jinsung Foundation, the turning point of the main story . The participants of the field trip were unchanged other than me being included .

“…What good weather . ”

A clear autumn sunlight glared down . I barely managed to arrive at Seoul Portal Station on time .

“Ah, Kim Hajin’s here . ”

The five people who were already here pointed at me .

I ran up to them .

“You’re two minutes late . ”

Shin Jonghak spoke as he pointed at his watch . I also checked the time . He was right .

Currently, it was 6:02 A . M .

I cusped my hands and apologized sincerely .

“Sorry . ”

“… . ”

Shin Jonghak waved his hand silently . I could see that a limousine was already here waiting for us .

The six of us went inside one by one .

The interior of the limousine Shin Jonghak prepared was spacious and luxurious . It had a high ceiling like the limousines I saw in movies, and had a long seat that stretched from one end to the other .

I sat down on a random seat .

“Hajin, do you want some?”

Kim Suho sat down next to me and offered me a jelly .

“No, I’m fine… . ”

“Then give it to me . ”

Chae Nayun snatched the jelly away . As she nibbled on the bear-shaped jelly, she asked Shin Jonghak .

“Hey, what are we doing there?”

“Lots of things . Wind Mountain is Jinsung group’s property . We’ll meditate on the mountain peak and also spar a bit . ”

Our destination today was Wind Mountain, a mountain on the outskirts of Seoul that was 800 meters above sea level .

Wind Mountain was a named mountain that was famous even in Korea . It was created after the magic power explosion 50 years ago and had a high concentration of mana .

“Ooh, that sounds fun . ”

I didn’t know how fun it would be, but I knew it would be quite a spectacle .

I slowly looked around the limousine .

Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, Yoo Yeonha, Shin Jonghak, Yi Yeonghan .

They were all looking out the window like they were going on a picnic .

In the original story, they suffered greatly from lack of drinking water and food . They better thank me later .

“Kuhum . ”

I let out a dry cough as I crossed my legs . The duffel bag behind me couldn’t feel more reliable .

“…What are you doing?”

Yoo Yeonha met my eyes and asked with a quizzical look . I grinned at her and even crossed my arms . Immediately, Yoo Yeonha put on a huge frown .

**

[Seoul Outskirts, Wind Mountain Entrance]

A black limousine stopped at the foot of a mountain . The limousine carried a completely different atmosphere than the mountain . Soon, the limousine’s driver seat door opened, and the driver got off first .

When he opened the back seat door, five good-looking men and women got off, along with one average-looking man .

“Huaa~”

Chae Nayun, who was the first one to get off, breathed in the mountain air as she stretched her arms out .

“Doesn’t it feel like we’re going on a picnic?”

Then she hit the shoulder of Kim Hajin, who was quietly yawning next to her .

“…Yeah . ”

Kim Hajin’s reaction was dry . Rather than dry, he seemed somewhat arrogant as he scanned the mountain with proud eyes .

“…Pft, what, did you catch Shin Jonghak’s illness?”

“Huh? No, no way . ”

When Chae Nayun remarked on it, he quickly returned to his usual self .

At that moment, Shin Jonghak’s secretary finished talking to Shin Jonghak and stood in front of the cadets .

“There is a cabin prepared in the mountain . The master Jinsung Foundation invited will be coming later tonight . ”

“Ooh~ A master? Who?”

At Chae Nayun question, Shin Jonghak replied with a grin .

“You’ll be surprised when you meet him . For now, let’s climb the mountain . We have to get to the peak at 3 .

The hike began without much of a thought .

The six cadets climbed the mountain in the following order:

Yi Yeonghan, Yoo Yeonha — Shin Jonghak, Chae Nayun, Kim Suho — Kim Hajin

Rustle, rustle . They climbed the mountain as they stepped on leaves blanketing the ground . Although the mountain was a bit steep, it posed no problems for the cadets, and their laughter and talking continued throughout the hike .

“Ah, the air is great . So this is why it’s nice to be in a high-mana-concentration area . It feels like magic power is being pumped into my lungs . ”

“Kuhum, well you know, Chae Nayun, if you’re with me, you can enjoy better places than this whenever you want…”

“Oh! A dragonfly!”

About 90 minutes went by .

They should be reaching the summit at any time, but the hike seemed nowhere close to ending .

“…The mountain’s pretty tall, huh . Or did we take a wrong turn somewhere?”

“I don’t know . Let’s just keep walking . ”

They felt that something was off, but they continued walking .

The joyous atmosphere of the hike disappeared, and they continued to climb the mountain for 30 minutes .

A strange sensation coiled around them .

“…Hey, doesn’t it feel eerie?”

Chae Nayun muttered, unable to endure the atmosphere any longer . Yoo Yeonha who was walking ahead slowed down and joined up with the rest of the group . Her arms were already wrought with goosebumps .

Yoo Yeonha asked with a quivering voice .

“Jo… Jonghak, does it normally take this long?”

“I don’t know… but I don’t think we took the wrong path . ”

Shin Jonghak looked around .

Chwaaa— A cold wind blew and brushed against the leaves . Yoo Yeonha trembled at the sharp sound .

Strange .

Something was strange .

Kim Suho then explained the strangeness they were feeling in a low voice .

“…We’ve been walking on flat ground for the past 30 minutes . ”

Immediately, everyone came to a stop and held their breaths . The uncomfortable feeling they were having materialized into uneasiness that caressed their bodies .

They realized that Kim Suho was right .

Although they were climbing a mountain, they were walking on flat ground .

Furthermore, no one noticed until Kim Suho mentioned it .

“…Don’t worry, Wind Mountain is a mana-rich mountain, so a natural spell might have—”

“Wait . ”

Kim Suho interrupted Shin Jonghak .

He quickly looked around and said with a scary face .

“Hajin, where’s Hajin?”

“…Huh?”

The rest of the group also turned back and forth, looking around .

However, Kim Hajin was nowhere to be found .

“What… he… he really disappeared . ”

Yoo Yeonha muttered quietly with a pale face .

“Hey! Stop messing with us and come out!”

Chae Nayun shouted, but her voice didn’t echo even though they were in a mountain . A heavy silence descended .

“… . ”

One of the six disappeared .

The remaining five stood blankly and stopped moving .

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