“Hey man! Park Jinsung! What’s wrong with you?!”
A fellow classmate openly condemned Park Jinsung.
In fact, Park Jinsung had no one to call friends. It would be more appropriate to describe him as Extra A.
Today, students including Park Jinsung conducted a 5:5 mock battle.
The mock battles held every month on the playground were practice for the graduation war in the winter of their senior year of high school.
Students who were on the same team as Park Jinsung kept getting angry at him.
“Hey! Just do it right!”
“You’re out of luck to be teamed up with that bastard.”
“Ugh. What do you expect from him? Just treat it as stepping on shit.”
The result was, of course, a disaster. It was the result of a 4:5 fight thanks to Park Jinsung, who was almost like a piece of garbage.
“Haha hoho. Sorry sorry. Like you said, what do you expect from the bottom of the school?”
An extra who casually wields an ax the size of a person, an extra who makes a thumping sound whenever he jumps, and an extra whose limbs stretch out along with two others.
The enemy team members were all brutal. From what point of view do they look like normal second year high school students?
“Die! F-class!”
“Eh? Y-you want me to die? Can’t I just abstain?”
“Don’t run away. Let’s get only 10 hits per person, F-class.”
“Ugh. If I get hit by one of you, I’ll die before getting to Teacher Yang.”
It was all he could do to barely avoid it.
Every time Park Jinsung ran away, laughter erupted from the audience. Even the teacher watched without stopping them.
The classmates who were trying to beat the bottom of the school by any means, and the teachers who watched it with a smile.
Did he run around for five minutes in that state?
The mock battle ended only after the teacher finally got tired of Park Jinsung’s escape play.
“Hey…F-class…”
The children who were on the same team surrounded Park Jinsung in a circle.
It became a tough classroom atmosphere, but other than the people involved, the others didn’t care at all. The scene of defeating an F-class as a group was very familiar to them.
“Park Jinsung, I’ll beat you just enough so you don’t have to go to Teacher Yang.”
“Don’t use Edeyas just because you’re sick. You know it’s forbidden on campus, right?”
“Just get hurt as much as we got hurt.”
“Hmm. Please take it easy, guys.”
Park Jinsung laughed and covered his head.
All kinds of swear words and all kinds of punches and kicks flew.
Some of the male classmates who were watching thought, ‘I’ll have to hit him later too’. Some of the female classmates gathered all their contempt and cursed Park Jinsung.
No one stopped it.
It didn’t matter whether it had anything to do with the mock battle or not.
Park Jinsung was insulted by his classmates all the time and whenever they were stressed, he was the outlet for their energy that had nowhere to go.
‘Aigo. This one hurts a bit, doesn’t it?’
He was also good at running away during mock battles. There’s no need to bother Teacher Yang after two or three times.
This was the daily life of a student with an F-class soul.
The school’s only class, maybe the only one in the country, which had an F-class that was so trashy it had no room for recovery. An insignificant level where all you have to do is give out a small dagger as a failed soul.
The grade of Edeya does not necessarily reflect the actual combat grade. However, the F-class was a waste of effort to invest.
Park Jinsung, who had been beaten all the way, said with chapped lips.
“Kugh. Did you all get a hit?”
“Huff huff. Why is this bastard’s body so hard?”
“Because he was beaten every day, he must have gotten stronger.”
Park Jinsung, who had been beaten, recovered faster than the four people who was beating him.
“Hey, F-class. Why are you getting up?”
“Erm. Didn’t you all get a hit?”
“Huu. Let me hit you until you can’t get up at all.”
“Aigo. It’s okay. You already hit enough. Can’t you just let it go? The teacher will come soon.”
Puk.
Nam Hakwoo, who was in the front, slammed Park Jinsung in the stomach.
“Ow, my stomach. Hey, guys. The reason you lost wasn’t necessarily because of me, right? I mean.”
“Fuck. This kid is real.”
The angry students began the violence again.
***
A person can only have one meaning of existence that is allowed to him or her. Directly engraved into the soul, fundamental change can never be achieved.
Edeyass usually appear in the form of words or sentences. The ability itself cannot be changed, but it can be strengthened.
If your Edeya is ‘freely wielding an ax the size of a man’, you can refine the modifier ‘of a man’.
Schools in modern society place great emphasis on this reinforcement.
How many good Edeyas, how many can you have.
Of course, the outstanding soul was easy to strengthen or grow.
Whether it’s the combat squad, the first aid squad, or the life squad, how superior is your soul to other people’s souls?
How many people are in A class, and how many are in the level above it?
But Park Jinsung thought.
‘There is no grade for the soul.’
It wasn’t because he’s an F class. It wasn’t because he had a garbage Edeya that couldn’t even be recycled.
Park Jinsung simply thought that there was no such thing as a pure soul.
As soon as the class bell rang, the homeroom teacher, with his head shaved, rushed over. He looked excited about something.
“Hey! Attention attention!!”
Park Jinsung still prostrated himself on his desk, merely sticking his head out.
The students, who didn’t like the class, rushed at the teacher at this time.
“Sir! Why are you in such high tension today? Sir, are you finally getting married?”
“Oh my god. Is there a buffet?”
“Noisy! Be quiet!”
“Hihi! Pay attention to Sir!”
The teacher whose tension went up made the students go up as well.
‘What. I feel anxious.’
Park Jinsung felt an unusual chill.
Kwang kwang.
The teacher tapped the blackboard several times and spoke in a very uplifted tone.
“Thanks to all of you, our school has finally been recognized for its competence.”
“Phew. Teacher, did you bring in another strange system? Can you not do something like that?”
The student sitting at the very back said in a very disrespectful manner.
Byun Kiyoung.
Based on overall combat ability, he is a typical bully who ranks 144th out of the 367 students in the entire school. Both of his parents were combat civil servants with A class combat powers, so he was quite famous.
Because he took the last in each class as subordinates, the students in the middle ranks were afraid of him.
“Eh? Teacher! Can we not do it!”
“I’m not asking you to do it, so it’d be better to adapt. And, strictly speaking, your third year seniors were more effective than all of you.”
“Tsk. Seniors?”
Byun Kiyoung clicked his tongue and looked away.
“From today, our school will introduce a military system on a trial basis. It means that you are given a rank that matches your skills.”
The entire classroom became quiet as if water had been poured down. They seemed lost in thought for a while, trying to accept reality.
The teacher laughed and drove the students.
“You have no friends at school anymore. Everyone is a comrade now, okay? Each class teacher also received the rank of platoon leader. Now, when calling teacher, call me 10th Platoon Leader.”
“It’s class 10, so it’s the 10th platoon? Gosh. What are you doing with your students? I just want to stay in second grade, class 10.”
This situation was closer to disaster than Park Jinsung thought.
“It’s government led, so make sure you to do it well. Headhunters will come and go from time to time now, okay? The way you speak should be polite, okay? Do you understand? You are all soldiers now.”
“…”
Even Byun Kiyoung, who was spirited, became mute.
“Teacher, what if I don’t want to?”
Park Jinsung, who had been watching silently, spoke softly. It was an almost inaudible decibel, but all the students’ eyes focused.
“Of course, I’m not forcing you to do it. If you don’t want to, the government will transfer you to another school.”
“Transfer?”
“Yes. Jinsung, I hope you consider it especially. The reason is…you already know, right?”
“What kind of wind suddenly blows and introduces the military system? Still, I want to know why.”
“I told you. Your third year seniors are special. With the introduction of the military school this time, all of them received the rank of Sergeant.”
The teacher started pulling some rank insignia out of the pocket of his jacket.
“Seargent…all students?”
“Yes. All of the third graders were recognized as talented people who will bring glory to our country.”
Park Jinsung carefully observed the rank insignias that the teacher had brought out.
There were many with one and two sticks, ones with three or four weren’t seen at all.
It was only when he saw the black rank insignia that the teacher’s words gained strength.
The students were all bewildered and received the rank badges handed out by the teacher.
“Soldiers who think their rank and level don’t match can request a retest from their platoon leaders. Come by anytime. As much as your future is at stake, I will set it up with all my heart.”
“Teacher, but mine.”
Only Park Jinsung did not receive any rank insignia. But the homeroom teacher didn’t care at all.
“If you have received a badge of rank, put it on the name tag on your uniform. Meticulously stitch it. Digital combat uniforms will be issued soon.”
“Teacher! I haven’t received it yet.”
The teacher’s gaze turned very cold. His eyes were completely unrelenting.
“There is only one person in the whole school, including the first year. There is a student who didn’t even get the rank of private.”
“…”
“Jinsung, you’re starting as a trainee.”
***
Haewoon High School, First Floor, Teacher’s Office.
In order to become a teacher in an Edeya-centric school, you must have an Edeya equivalent to at least B class.
B class souls were treated as experts everywhere.
Even before the discovery of Edeya, the profession of a teacher was very great. But now, it has become a collection of unquestionable talented people.
Park Jinsung opened the door to the teacher’s office with an oppressive atmosphere.
“Oh, Jinsung is here?”
“Teacher, why did you call me earlier?”
“Uh. Nothing much, I thought we should discuss your future.”
A green epaulet was attached to the homeroom teacher’s shoulder. The diamond mark in the middle of the shoulder strap was impressive.
The homeroom teacher of class 10 in the second grade and the Platoon Leader of the 10th Platoon continued to touch the papers without even looking at Park Jinsung.
“Teacher?”
“I won’t say anything else. Why don’t you just go to another school?”
“…”
Park Jinsung’s shoulders stiffened.
“As you know, Jinsung, you are a very lucky case. According to the 13th curriculum, you cannot even enter here.”
“Yes…”
“You barely got into school because the 12th and 13th overlapped. Even now, school classes are difficult, but if it’s even changed to a military academy, you might not be able to endure it any longer.”
“I’m fine.”
“You should consider other students as well. Think of the kids who will play mock battles with you. Headhunters will also visit the school unexpectedly, so should we just think about you?”
“You think I’m only thinking of myself?”
Park Jinsung recalled his school life.
He had never harmed the other students before.
Park Jinsung, who was F class from birth, was always treated as baggage even before he started.
It’s true he thought it was a handicap but he was bullied at will.
He didn’t even have a chance to prove it properly. In fact, he didn’t even have the will to prove it.
“Teacher, can’t I just graduate somehow? As long as I can graduate, I don’t care what happens.”
“Let me see.”
He saw that the homeroom teacher, who had become the 10th Platoon Leader, openly expressed his annoyance.
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