~
Hyung: Hey, any romantic encounters with the Boss of Chameleon Troupe yet? (Heart-heart emoji.) (Heart eyes emoji.) (Eggplant emoji.) (Donut emoji.)
Hajin: I am one step away from blocking you. No. There are no romantic encounters. We distorted the story too much. I don’t even know if those are romantic encounters. I swear the TNE manuscript we rewrote is getting useless and more useless.
Hyung: That is why we have a TRH manuscript too. Your writing is so much more detailed than my memory. After all, you have complete character profiles, setting information, and more.
Hajin: Sow here are you now?
Hyung: I am at the library. I am participating in the pages-flipping contest. It is about to start. Bye.
~
Kim Hajin is on his way to the library. He is also participating in the pages-flipping contest. It is just one of the many contests he is forced to partake in thanks to Nayun’s meddling. “Sigh…” He painfully carries himself to the library. The cadets he walks past look at him with genuine respect.
This is just among the changes that have occurred in his daily life. Hajin recalls Jonghak. It is Hajin who asks Jonghak to duel with him. If Jonghak wins, Hajin will give full access to the TNE manuscript. If Hajin loses, he will give him only half-access to the TNE manuscript.
At first, Jonghak doesn’t agree that he fights with him during the Duel Rankings with merely a win condition in place, thus the compromise that there must still be a price in case he loses. The current Jonghak has become calculative.
Currently, Jonghak should be busy reading what he is allowed to read.
Shin Jonghak has been rereading TRH as much as he can, so with new material, he should be studying more about the future. The reason they are restricting Jonghak's access to the TNE manuscript is to protect information about Shin Myungchul’s regression.
It is a fragile method to control him, but at least they have the initiative this way.
“I hope Jonghak is doing fine…” Hajin is a bit pessimistic about Jonghak’s future. This timeline’s version of Shin Jonghak is too different. Scarily different.
At least in TNE, the author whoever that is has maintained consistency on Shin Jonghak’s character with TRH. Turning to the last corner, Hajin arrives at the library where he sees Rachel’s fleeting figure.
Hajin habitually checks on his smartwatch and sees Rachel’s emotional state.
[Rachel— angry, indignant, annoyed, and bitter.]
“That… is too many negative emotions.” For some reason, Hyon Hyung suddenly crosses his mind. Hajin prays silently for Hyon to survive the mess of whatever trouble he might have caused.
***
I stretch a bit and crack my knuckles and fingers. I put my 'game on' face. I will win this! What is the reason for my joining on this? It is fairly simple! I want the price— a VR Helmet of the highest quality!
[Under Cube] is not ultimately omnipotent, and it will even have technology branches that it lacks. It appears that the Great Sage has little interest in games.
The latest VR technology is using a new kind of revolutionary application of science. Unlike the prior versions of VR technology that were born from pure science, the new VR from an American tech company has found a way to utilize science through magic. It is the first VR tech to have hybrid magic science in the whole world!
I grab a thick book with a counter at its book cover. The pages-flipping-contest is an old tradition in the Reading Club. The rules are simple. There is no need to read each page, I just have to turn them in as much as possible with a duration of five minutes. However, I have to turn the pages completely in a way that every letter is visible to the eyes or else it will not be counted.
I feel the weight of the book. It has approximately 3, 212 pages according to my [AI System]. I place the book at the top of a desk, and because of its weight, a creaking noise resounds throughout the library.
There are a total of 37 participants who are selected from each of their classes in the first year. There are about one to three participants from each class. From what I know, I am the only participant in Veritas Class.
I crack my neck. “My name is Hyon Hyung! The 36th contestant! Remember me!” I spiritedly shout as I open the book cover. Immediately at that moment, the timer simultaneously starts, and I start flipping with superhuman speed. I flip the pages through pure stat! I don’t have any skills or items that can aid me, but I am confident!
After exactly five minutes, I barely made it. But I am able to do it nonetheless.
“3,212 pages! He flipped them all!” The referee shouts excitedly earning me shouts and cheers from the observers. This is the only time the library can be noisy, so the crowd is especially rowdy.
The crowd murmurs to themselves, expressing their shock.
“The 35th contestant only flipped 2,999 pages!”
“The kids from Veritas Class are really made different.”
“Awesome, did you see how good he is at fingering?”
Fingering? I regret listening to the crowd. To choose such a crude word! Have respect for the champion! I am the flipping champion, not the fingering champion… Have some class! “The prize is as good as mine,” I mumble suspiciously like a third-rate villain who has won it all.
The thing is… I really have rotten luck. I just have to jinx myself.
“The 37th contestant is also from Veritas Class. It is none other than Kim Hajin!” The referee summons the person of interest, and I feel terrible.
Man… Can I not have the spotlight even just for once? Hmmm… I won’t hold such delusions that Hajin cannot do better than me, and as if to prove my premonition, Hajin pulverizes my prior record by a wild margin.
I watch Hajin maximize his [Dazzling Dexterity Art] as he flips all of the pages within three minutes and 47 seconds. It is a new record unlikely to be replicated for the years to come.
“Congratulations to the flipping champion!”
“I am cheering for the fingering champion though.”
“What? Clearly, the flipping champion is more awesome.”
“I actually agree. Did you see how gracefully he turns all of the pages?”
Oh, come on! I can ask him for it, I think. But I will feel bad if I do that... Nah~! He can have it. We should be able to easily afford one once this tech becomes open for the market.
***
Hajin doesn’t see Rachel anymore. He comes to Hyon, and talks to him. “Hey, let’s go.” He leads him to a hidden corner to do their business. “Take this.” He hands the box with the VR tech to Hyon.
“F-for me? Wow~ you are gonna make me cry!”
“Don’t be dramatic, bastard.” Hajin cusses at Hyon, too aware not to indulge the latter with his usual antics. “I see that you really want it, and you must have a good reason. I know that this thing has a new technology to it, and I suspect [Cube AI] wants it.
“Cube-chan told me to tell you she is thankful. If you need someone to help you win some matches, just ask her.”
“You are welcome Miss Cube, and thank you, but I should be able to take care of my business on my own.” Hajin doesn’t know why Hyon insists on giving shape to the [Cube AI]’s identity. He guesses it is just one of Hyon’s peculiarities.
“Where are you going now?” Hyon hugs the box of VR tech.
Hajin softly replies. “There is a group contest with different classes. It is a LOL match. Hosup will be there. He is on my team. You want to watch?”
“Damn, what rank were you before?”
Hajin understands Hyon’s question easily. Before coming to this world, Hajin is an avid fan of the game of League of Legends. “Challenger…” He smugly answers.
“Forever iron.” But Hyon just answers more proudly and boastful than Hajin did.
“…”
‘Iron is the lowest rank in LOL, right?’ Hajin asks himself in self-doubt.
***
I leave Hajin to his own extracurricular activity. I am excited to play with this VR and do a lot of amazing stuff. When I am about to turn into a corner, I bump into someone. I hug my box with care, and I let myself fall backward on my bottom so that I receive the impact and not the box.
I see Rachel who has an apologetic look, however after she recognizes me, her face turns into a scowl. Despite the hostile aura, she exudes, she still offers me her hand to help me get up. I rise with her assistance.
“What is that?” She asks, pointing at my box.
“It is a VR tech, the reward from the Reading Club. Hajin gave it to me.” I smile, happy to boast about this baby of mine. “Ah, did you receive my Exam Report?” I add inquisitively curious of her thoughts.
I put serious thought into writing my Exam Report for her. I put sincere praise for Rachel’s glory! He he he… She should think of me a little better, right?
Contrary to my expectations, Rachel’s assessment of me seems to only get worse. I can sense through that her emotions towards me are negative… ‘My bad… What did I do this time?’
Am I such an oblivious idiot?
~
Hyung: Hey, any romantic encounters with the Boss of Chameleon Troupe yet? (Heart-heart emoji.) (Heart eyes emoji.) (Eggplant emoji.) (Donut emoji.)
Hajin: I am one step away from blocking you. No. There are no romantic encounters. We distorted the story too much. I don’t even know if those are romantic encounters. I swear the TNE manuscript we rewrote is getting useless and more useless.
Hyung: That is why we have a TRH manuscript too. Your writing is so much more detailed than my memory. After all, you have complete character profiles, setting information, and more.
Hajin: Sow here are you now?
Hyung: I am at the library. I am participating in the pages-flipping contest. It is about to start. Bye.
~
Kim Hajin is on his way to the library. He is also participating in the pages-flipping contest. It is just one of the many contests he is forced to partake in thanks to Nayun’s meddling. “Sigh…” He painfully carries himself to the library. The cadets he walks past look at him with genuine respect.
This is just among the changes that have occurred in his daily life. Hajin recalls Jonghak. It is Hajin who asks Jonghak to duel with him. If Jonghak wins, Hajin will give full access to the TNE manuscript. If Hajin loses, he will give him only half-access to the TNE manuscript.
At first, Jonghak doesn’t agree that he fights with him during the Duel Rankings with merely a win condition in place, thus the compromise that there must still be a price in case he loses. The current Jonghak has become calculative.
Currently, Jonghak should be busy reading what he is allowed to read.
Shin Jonghak has been rereading TRH as much as he can, so with new material, he should be studying more about the future. The reason they are restricting Jonghak's access to the TNE manuscript is to protect information about Shin Myungchul’s regression.
It is a fragile method to control him, but at least they have the initiative this way.
“I hope Jonghak is doing fine…” Hajin is a bit pessimistic about Jonghak’s future. This timeline’s version of Shin Jonghak is too different. Scarily different.
At least in TNE, the author whoever that is has maintained consistency on Shin Jonghak’s character with TRH. Turning to the last corner, Hajin arrives at the library where he sees Rachel’s fleeting figure.
Hajin habitually checks on his smartwatch and sees Rachel’s emotional state.
[Rachel— angry, indignant, annoyed, and bitter.]
“That… is too many negative emotions.” For some reason, Hyon Hyung suddenly crosses his mind. Hajin prays silently for Hyon to survive the mess of whatever trouble he might have caused.
***
I stretch a bit and crack my knuckles and fingers. I put my 'game on' face. I will win this! What is the reason for my joining on this? It is fairly simple! I want the price— a VR Helmet of the highest quality!
[Under Cube] is not ultimately omnipotent, and it will even have technology branches that it lacks. It appears that the Great Sage has little interest in games.
The latest VR technology is using a new kind of revolutionary application of science. Unlike the prior versions of VR technology that were born from pure science, the new VR from an American tech company has found a way to utilize science through magic. It is the first VR tech to have hybrid magic science in the whole world!
I grab a thick book with a counter at its book cover. The pages-flipping-contest is an old tradition in the Reading Club. The rules are simple. There is no need to read each page, I just have to turn them in as much as possible with a duration of five minutes. However, I have to turn the pages completely in a way that every letter is visible to the eyes or else it will not be counted.
I feel the weight of the book. It has approximately 3, 212 pages according to my [AI System]. I place the book at the top of a desk, and because of its weight, a creaking noise resounds throughout the library.
There are a total of 37 participants who are selected from each of their classes in the first year. There are about one to three participants from each class. From what I know, I am the only participant in Veritas Class.
I crack my neck. “My name is Hyon Hyung! The 36th contestant! Remember me!” I spiritedly shout as I open the book cover. Immediately at that moment, the timer simultaneously starts, and I start flipping with superhuman speed. I flip the pages through pure stat! I don’t have any skills or items that can aid me, but I am confident!
After exactly five minutes, I barely made it. But I am able to do it nonetheless.
“3,212 pages! He flipped them all!” The referee shouts excitedly earning me shouts and cheers from the observers. This is the only time the library can be noisy, so the crowd is especially rowdy.
The crowd murmurs to themselves, expressing their shock.
“The 35th contestant only flipped 2,999 pages!”
“The kids from Veritas Class are really made different.”
“Awesome, did you see how good he is at fingering?”
Fingering? I regret listening to the crowd. To choose such a crude word! Have respect for the champion! I am the flipping champion, not the fingering champion… Have some class! “The prize is as good as mine,” I mumble suspiciously like a third-rate villain who has won it all.
The thing is… I really have rotten luck. I just have to jinx myself.
“The 37th contestant is also from Veritas Class. It is none other than Kim Hajin!” The referee summons the person of interest, and I feel terrible.
Man… Can I not have the spotlight even just for once? Hmmm… I won’t hold such delusions that Hajin cannot do better than me, and as if to prove my premonition, Hajin pulverizes my prior record by a wild margin.
I watch Hajin maximize his [Dazzling Dexterity Art] as he flips all of the pages within three minutes and 47 seconds. It is a new record unlikely to be replicated for the years to come.
“Congratulations to the flipping champion!”
“I am cheering for the fingering champion though.”
“What? Clearly, the flipping champion is more awesome.”
“I actually agree. Did you see how gracefully he turns all of the pages?”
Oh, come on! I can ask him for it, I think. But I will feel bad if I do that... Nah~! He can have it. We should be able to easily afford one once this tech becomes open for the market.
***
Hajin doesn’t see Rachel anymore. He comes to Hyon, and talks to him. “Hey, let’s go.” He leads him to a hidden corner to do their business. “Take this.” He hands the box with the VR tech to Hyon.
“F-for me? Wow~ you are gonna make me cry!”
“Don’t be dramatic, bastard.” Hajin cusses at Hyon, too aware not to indulge the latter with his usual antics. “I see that you really want it, and you must have a good reason. I know that this thing has a new technology to it, and I suspect [Cube AI] wants it.
“Cube-chan told me to tell you she is thankful. If you need someone to help you win some matches, just ask her.”
“You are welcome Miss Cube, and thank you, but I should be able to take care of my business on my own.” Hajin doesn’t know why Hyon insists on giving shape to the [Cube AI]’s identity. He guesses it is just one of Hyon’s peculiarities.
“Where are you going now?” Hyon hugs the box of VR tech.
Hajin softly replies. “There is a group contest with different classes. It is a LOL match. Hosup will be there. He is on my team. You want to watch?”
“Damn, what rank were you before?”
Hajin understands Hyon’s question easily. Before coming to this world, Hajin is an avid fan of the game of League of Legends. “Challenger…” He smugly answers.
“Forever iron.” But Hyon just answers more proudly and boastful than Hajin did.
“…”
‘Iron is the lowest rank in LOL, right?’ Hajin asks himself in self-doubt.
***
I leave Hajin to his own extracurricular activity. I am excited to play with this VR and do a lot of amazing stuff. When I am about to turn into a corner, I bump into someone. I hug my box with care, and I let myself fall backward on my bottom so that I receive the impact and not the box.
I see Rachel who has an apologetic look, however after she recognizes me, her face turns into a scowl. Despite the hostile aura, she exudes, she still offers me her hand to help me get up. I rise with her assistance.
“What is that?” She asks, pointing at my box.
“It is a VR tech, the reward from the Reading Club. Hajin gave it to me.” I smile, happy to boast about this baby of mine. “Ah, did you receive my Exam Report?” I add inquisitively curious of her thoughts.
I put serious thought into writing my Exam Report for her. I put sincere praise for Rachel’s glory! He he he… She should think of me a little better, right?
Contrary to my expectations, Rachel’s assessment of me seems to only get worse. I can sense through that her emotions towards me are negative… ‘My bad… What did I do this time?’
Am I such an oblivious idiot?
