“Oh, what’s going on now?”
Park Jinsung eavesdropped on Kim Seyeon and Byun Kiyoung’s conversation while lying low. Despite the obvious tension, Kim Seyeon remained composed.
After classes ended, it was time for the afternoon club activities. As it was a happy Saturday, most clubs voluntarily disbanded, and students went home.
“Ugh, Kim Seyeon… If this goes on, I’ll have to exercise during lunchtime again.”
Of course, the HT (Hard Training) was still scheduled on Saturdays. Park Jinsung imagined a gloomy future as he quietly followed Kim Seyeon.
Creak, creak.
As expected, even though it was now called Haeun Special Education Brigade, the building hadn’t changed much. The wooden floors and surroundings were similar to other schools.
“Hmm, the rooftop again, just as I thought?”
The sound of footsteps continued upward. With no other students around, he moved freely to find a hiding spot.
“Gotcha.”
As the sound ceased, Park Jinsung also made his way to the rooftop.
Second floor, third floor, fourth floor.
As he ascended, the lighting grew dimmer. Relying only on fluorescent lights, he wasn’t sure if the brigade would close the doors anytime soon.
Park Jinsung grabbed the rooftop door. Through the crack, the light outside bore a reddish hue.
“Huh? Wait a minute.”
Park Jinsung’s hesitation was justified.
From the other side of the heavily worn rooftop door, he could sense an overwhelming presence. It was difficult to gauge the exact number of people present.
“No way.”
At this time, there couldn’t be so many people. Park Jinsung thought of one of the reasons why Byun Kiyoung was a dangerous guy.
While Park Jinsung hesitated for a moment, Kim Seyeon and Byun Kiyoung started their conversation. As both of them were right in front of the rooftop door, it created a peculiar situation.
“Hmph. So, what’s this discussion you want to have?”
“No need to pretend. By now, you should know even if you don’t like it.”
Including Byun Kiyoung, there were 30 people in total.
Byun Kiyoung had personally recruited students from each squad.
Ten were those who were bullied within their squads, fifteen were bought with money, and four were those with connections to Byun Kiyoung.
“Wow, impressive, our squad leader. Your popularity is unquestionable.”
“Someone like you is my squad member for now. I don’t have any intention of hurting you.”
“Lies. Since a while ago, you were planning on doing exactly that. Right?”
“Hehe, yes… I’m thinking of doing it now.”
Byun Kiyoung let out a twisted laugh. His face was marked with dark circles and appeared dry without a trace of moisture.
“If you don’t have any special business, then can I leave? Unlike the squad leader, the vice squad leader has plenty to do.”
“Why don’t I have it? You’re just trash. I was trying to give you a warning, but I guess it won’t work.”
“Hmph. What warning?”
“Sigh. Kim Seyeon, please stop acting so arrogant. I hope the vice squad leader will adhere to the squad leader’s orders.”
“Then just become stronger than me.”
“What…?”
“This is strictly a merit-based society, isn’t it? If you’re stronger than me, I’ll listen to you. Try it, and you’ll see how well I listen.”
*Puff.*
Listening in, Park Jinsung couldn’t help but let out a stifled laugh.
Kim Seyeon’s resistance to Byun Kiyoung’s commands wasn’t merely due to their differences in abilities. It was because each of Byun Kiyoung’s orders led the squad towards their deaths. A squad leader who didn’t prioritize the well-being of the squad was of no use to any squad.
“Heh, you’re right. It’s a merit-based system. So, from now on, I’ll show you that I’m right.”
“Can you handle it?”
Clatter.
The frontmost Ttommani (the nickname for Byun Kiyoung’s followers) each revealed their own Edeyas.
Sickles, hammers, and clubs—these were lower-tier Edeyas based on close combat. They had no complex sentences or special meanings, and even the words they possessed were of inferior compatibility.
“In the eyes of an arrogant fourth-year, these guys must look pretty disappointing here and there.”
“Not really.”
For the first time, Kim Seyeon wiped away her usual smile.
As an extraordinary Goblin who had received an A-rank evaluation, she had never once thought that there could be a difference in Edeyas within souls.
“These guys are weaklings, to say the least. It’s like I’m babysitting them.”
“Really?”
“They’re the type to become outcasts. If it weren’t for me, they would have dropped out a long time ago.”
The students who revealed their Edeyas couldn’t help but flinch at Byun Kiyoung’s words.
It was true.
The hierarchical society itself was a system that harbored many dark aspects. To bestow hierarchy upon students meant accepting a certain degree of unfairness.
In a merit-based system, there would inevitably be those who fell by the wayside. With a mix of half-hearted military play on top of that, the probability of surpassing a 100% pass rate lightly was almost non-existent.
Kim Seyeon spoke to the 30 potential losers:
“Ugh. You guys should watch and learn from our trainee.”
“What do you know, being an A-rank from birth!”
“I was a constant C— since I was ten! Do you think I didn’t put in effort?!”
“You heard that, right? It means weak people have their own ways of dealing with things, you trashy sub-leader.”
Byun Kiyoung believed that Kim Seyeon was just indulging in unnecessary arrogance.
Both sides were in a position where they couldn’t cause too much trouble at school.
Being an A-rank was impressive, but it meant nothing if they couldn’t use their Edeyas freely.
If they were to use their Edeyas to destroy school property, even someone like Kim Seyeon couldn’t escape punishment.
“Let’s show the Goblin some humiliation.”
On the other hand, their side consisted of souls so feeble that they could easily use their Edeyas. Gathering 29 souls who could barely use their Edeyas.
No matter how feeble they were, the presence or absence of Edeyas made a world of difference.
In other words, someone who couldn’t use their Edeyas would be at a much greater disadvantage compared to someone who could use their Edeyas effectively.
After finishing his thoughts, Byun Kiyoung flashed a smirk with a touch of messiness.
“Hehehe. You’ve been adapting quite well, but you wouldn’t want to get expelled in the early days of the semester, would you? Just take a hit and call it a day.”
“Even if you gather like this, it doesn’t look like much. Are you sure about this?”
Kim Seyeon said with an expression saying you guys are irredeemable.
“Have you finally grasped the situation and are ready to pee?”
“Squad leader, isn’t Corporal Ahn Sungho famous in our school? Don’t you guys feel anything even after seeing Corporal Ahn Sungho?”
“What nonsense.”
“You know my Edeya’s rank, right? Now, here’s the question. What is my overall combat ability rank?”
Kim Seyeon took a step closer, causing all 29 members to waver.
“Don’t be scared! You guys! If we capture Kim Seyeon here, other students won’t be able to easily take you down!”
“Hmph. Why don’t you lead like this during our previous squad battles?”
“This damn brat…!!”
“You learned during class, right? Typically, if 10 A-rank individuals gather, they can take on around 1,000 enemies below A-rank. Huh? But there are only 30 here?”
“Don’t boast for no reason… Even if you’re an A-rank, it’s hard to utilize that at school.”
“If you’re the type to shoot your mouth off, it might be true. But you… Have you ever seen me fight properly?”
Kim Seyeon lowered her face and let out a deep laugh.
The White Jade Goblin was faithful to its Edeya name. In comparison, she was similar to Ahn Sungho.
“Hehe. I need to show that girl the reality… Are you all just going to stand there like idiots…? Attack her! All of you attack!”
“From A-rank and above, we enter into asymmetric warfare. To even be evaluated as A-rank, you need to be capable of handling multiple opponents. Got it?”
A single horn, about a hand span long, protruded from Kim Seyeon’s forehead.
[White Jade Goblin]
World Soul Unit Rank System: A
The caster materializes the White Jade Goblin in their body.
Current Generation Goblin: Sword Expert Intermediate
The horn, fitting for her white skin, had a pure color without a hint of blemish. Under the glow of the sunset, it emitted a faint orange hue.
The horn imbued the young girl’s body, which was nothing more than that of a high school student, with strength and skills far surpassing that of an average adult.
“Ooo.”
“Th-that…”
Byun Kiyoung’s lackeys felt an indescribable sense of fear.
Before them stood undoubtedly another high school student, but their hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
“Alright! Oh, right, did I leave my sword at home?”
Kim Seyeon, now an Expert-level swordsman, stretched with a big yawn.
“I-if we capture Kim Seyeon…! If I can defeat Kim Seyeon, I’ll gain recognition!!”
One of the lackeys wielding a hammer rushed towards Kim Seyeon.
No matter how weak someone is, being in a group makes them stronger. Starting with the hammer, the other 28 surrounded Kim Seyeon simultaneously.
Byun Kiyoung stood at the rear and directed his lackeys with his voice.
“That girl doesn’t have her weapon now! Bury her with your Edeyas!!”
“That’s right. Weapons are important. As a swordsman, I need my sword no matter what I do or where I go.”
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”
“But isn’t it too cruel to kill such a pretty girl?”
With nowhere to run, they had no choice but to attack Kim Seyeon together. Some of them even piled on top of her to prevent any resistance.
“But haven’t you guys learned individual combat? If you spread out and attack, the asymmetric weapons won’t be able to catch you.”
As the lackeys fell from above, Kim Seyeon caught one and used him as a weapon to knock down another lackey in front of her.
Whoooooosh!
Strike. They fell like bowling pins without a single weapon strike.
“Yap.”
As the lackeys collapsed, Kim Seyeon quickly dashed forward.
“W-what, what is this!”
“She’s too fast!”
The lackeys’ ambitious attacks missed and only met empty air. The speed of the goblin’s steps was beyond their ability to react.
“Capture her!! Grab her!!”
Even Byun Kiyoung’s shouts were futile, only slicing through the empty air.
No one could catch up with Kim Seyeon’s movements. Even the slightest hesitation was a golden opportunity for her.
“Hey, you guys think I got to this level without putting in any effort? Is that what you think?”
Kim Seyeon stepped on the lackeys who were lying on the ground and crouched low. The lackeys who couldn’t swing their weapons vertically swayed for a brief moment.
“To become a swordsman at the Expert level, you know.”
“Ck!”
“Huff!”
The self-proclaimed asymmetric power didn’t miss the opportunity when their opponents staggered.
Throwing them to the ground, tripping them with her legs, and knocking them out with well-placed strikes, Kim Seyeon neutralized the lackeys with minimal effort.
“You see the advantage right in front of you! Why can’t you land a single hit! You pieces of trash!”
Byun Kiyoung couldn’t hold back and rolled his eyes.
“Aghhh…”
“Ugh. Too strong.”
“Truly an A-rank Edeya. It’s impossible now.”
About twelve students were writhing on the ground.
Whether they couldn’t get up or couldn’t even think about getting up, they had all completely given up on any resistance.
Kim Seyeon rested one hand on her hip, savoring the aftermath she had caused.
“Hmph. Keep talking about A-rank, A-rank all the time, and you guys will never be A-rank for the rest of your lives.”
“You were chosen before you were even born. You shouldn’t say things like that to people like us….”
The lackey who fell first held back tears as he spoke.
“Yeah, you’re right. Your words are justified. But you know what? Even I had a Comprehensive Combat Ability of D-rank at first.”
“Don’t lie… trash like you was chosen from the beginning…!”
Byun Kiyoung’s eyes flickered with madness.
“Hmph. My Edea is A-rank, but my Comprehensive Combat Ability is D. Does that make sense? I’m really not talented at all.”
“Don’t lie! Crush these useless mind games, you trash!!”
“I hate things like weapons. I hate fighting too. But I ended up becoming a swordsman anyway. It would have been better if I were in the defense category like armor.”
“Sob… Even though we gathered so many of us, we can’t even stand a chance against an A-rank…?”
The lackeys who were lying down started to show signs of hesitation. Seeing their reaction, Kim Seyeon sighed softly and said,
“Haa, you really don’t understand. Anyway, what the speaker in the main text is trying to say is this. You guys might deny the effort I’ve put in, but whether you deny it or not doesn’t matter.”
“What are you waiting for? Attack together! Are you just going to stand there?! It’s already too late to turn back!!”
Byun Kiyoung prodded the lackeys who were still standing.
“I’m still proving the efforts I’ve made even at this very moment. Even without my main weapon, you guys can’t be my match.”
“Shut up… Vice leader… This is an order.”
“Come at me. According to our squad leader’s orders, you guys are now beyond redemption.”
With one hand on her waist and the other flicking towards the lackeys, Kim Seyeon taunted them.
Unable to control his rising anger, Byun Kiyoung charged towards Kim Seyeon.
“I told you to shut up!!”
“What are you doing? Come on in, all of you. Sending only the squad leader? You said it’s already too late to turn back.”
“Ugh, Uwaaaah!”
“Don’t act tough!”
The rest of the lackeys also hurriedly rushed towards the seemingly fragile high school girl.
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