Chapter 17

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As I sat down, Lee Myung-Joon looked at me with calmer eyes than before.

"We've met before, haven't we?"

"Well, I've seen you a lot on TV and the Internet, but it's my first time seeing you in person."

"Really?"

For some reason, I had a foreboding that if I affirmed it here, it would be quite annoying.

So when I took it off as if I didn't know, Lee Myung-Joon nodded slightly as if he was feeling awkward.

Obviously, he didn't mean it that way, but he had such a fierce impression that it felt as if he was glaring at me.

"Then, from now on, I'm just talking to myself, won't you listen to me a little bit? Since I misunderstood you, I wouldn't mind if I was a little more embarrassed."

“Yes, what… .”

Before I could answer, Lee Myung-Joon took out the necklace around his neck and showed it to me.

I was well aware of what that was.

It was originally an item that would have been in Isabelle Gaudi's dungeon, but since he didn't die, it still seemed to remain in his possession.

“This is the necklace I got from catching a Banshee in the past. If you hold it and imbue it with mana, it can repel various magical evils. I haven't tried it, but I've heard it can also prevent a banshee from crying."

Looking at the silvery necklace that looked like it was roughly pieced together with bone fragments, I could vaguely recall what it was.

'It's Banshee necklace, I think.'

I can't remember the details, but it was about increasing the magic resistance and giving complete immunity to the Banshee's Cry.

There were very few things that could cause instant death in Clouds on the Horizon, but without resistance, no matter how strong you were, you could often die suddenly and instantly.

And the most representative was Banshee's cry and Mandragora's Scream.

“Has it been a month or so? I almost got into a lot of trouble while fighting with one villain. I always pledged not to let my guard down, but I couldn't deny that I had this thing with me and I let myself get loose without even knowing it and made my defense poor."

“I don’t know what it is, but I'm glad you were able to figure it out.”

"Yes, I'm glad. I could have died without being able to do anything."

As he said that, he looked at me as if he already knew everything.

“Mandragora, Who would have thought that she would have that legendary herb?”

"Oh… .”

"In addition, it would be unbelievable if other people were to hear that there was someone who could warn me about the existence of a Mandragora."

Lee Myung-Joon exhaled heavily as he said this.

It was only then that I realized that he was already convinced.

“I don’t know who he is, but I just wanted to tell him that I’m really grateful if we meet again.”

“…  .”

I knew very well why he was doing this.

As he said before, someone saved him from the brink of death, but Lee Myung-Joon lost his own best friend to Isabel Gaudi, who was a witch and a necromancer.

And originally he would have been looking for her to let his friend rest comfortably and would've ended up in a similar situation.

"I hope we can meet."

“I hope so.”

Lee Myung-Joon said so and scratched the back of his head.

He then looked at the clock in an embarrassed manner.

"Oh, no. We really don't have much time left. I'm sorry, I'm not very good at talking... .”

“May I go now, then?”

“Oh, of course. I'm sorry I kept you for a long time."

He got up from his seat and opened the door and smiled fondly at me.

I smiled awkwardly and turned to leave.

As expected, I found the people who approached me with such fondness to be extremely uncomfortable.

In that sense, Choi Hyun-Woo felt uncomfortable, too.

On the contrary, it was more comfortable to deal with Han Soo-Young, who behaved in a more calculated way.

Anyway, even though it was a favor that I deserved, I just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible because of the awkwardness.

Just before I walked out through the open door, Lee Myung-Joon's arm stretched out as if blocking my way.

When I looked up to see what it was, I saw the Banshee Necklace he had just shown me in his hand.

"This… ?”

"Can you keep it for me, please?"

"What?"

Saying that, Lee Myung-Joon semi-forcibly handed it over to me.

“If you meet that person later, you can give him this. And I hope you'll pass on these words as well. I'm really grateful for your help at that time, and I'll always help you if you ever need my help."

* * *

'I forgot about it, but I never thought I'd get it like this.’

I fiddled with the necklace around my neck.

The clunky necklace was so crude that I had nothing to say even if it made viewers think I had a unique taste.

However, knowing the effectiveness of this necklace, I was able to tolerate that kind of gaze.

Banshee's Necklace (Rare)

Banshees are originally known as guardian elves(fairies), but not all banshees are like that.

Some banshees are hostile to humans, demonstrating hostility to all that come near them.

However, they all have one thing in common: they cry over the death of someone, they let out a shrill scream, or they walk around clapping their hands while crying, and they make bat noises and fly around in the night sky.

Also, We should not forget that there is the fact that people who hear their screams become the object of their grief and mourn on the spot.

This necklace, made from the essence of their hearts and tears, will lead them to escape the death they mourn.

― Greatly increases the owner's resistance to instant death from 'Banshee's Cry'.

― Resistance to magical status abnormalities is increased.

― The weak spirit's protection permeates the owner.

(Limited to once a day / Choice)

― When infused with mana, resistance to all 'instant death' conditions increases.

― When infused with mana, most of the status abnormalities applied to the owner are removed.

― When infused with mana, weakens a single opponent who is hostile to the owner.

When I checked the information again with my cell phone, I was able to confirm that it had several additional effects that I hadn't known about.

However, I already knew very well that the Banshee's necklace itself was such a valuable magical tool that not many people had it, and I knew those who did.

Originally, I didn't want to attract other people's attention for the time being, but Lee Myung-Joon's will was so stubborn that I couldn't beat it.

And to be honest, the Banshee necklace was one of those things that was almost a must-have, so I pretended that I couldn't win and got the necklace from him.

When I returned after taking the banshee necklace, Choi Hyun-Woo and Han Soo-Young, who had already changed into sparring clothes, were waiting for me. [ '대련' - Spar ]

Thanks to changing clothes in a hurry and running like crazy, I managed to arrive at the Sparring Room on time. 

'Since it's an outdoor class from the first period... I think it's that.’

As I was catching my breath, I had a rough idea of what this class would be like.

In fact, if it was the first class in the Sparring room at Orhe Academy, it was nothing other than this.

‘Advisor Selection Class.’

In Clouds on the Horizon, many of the characters, including the playable characters, were divided into seven categories.

Vanguard.

Knight.

Guard.

Sniper.

Caster.

Supporter.

And specialists.

Vanguard, Knight, and Guard.

These three occupational groups are responsible for the front row.

And snipers, casters, and supporters take up the back row.

Finally, specialists, who have not been categorized anywhere in the previous six, meant people with unusual professions or roles.

In a good way, it's a Joker-like role, but in a bad way, it's a perfect role to be in the middle.

‘The vanguard takes the role of the spearhead, the knight is the core of the attack, and the guard protects the rear… Also… .'

In fact, it was mentioned many times in the game, as well as in the setting book, that these roles themselves were categorized to make them somewhat easier to understand.

In fact, once the story progressed a bit, these classifications became meaningless.

'But at the academy, they teach you to specialize in one thing first.'

It was the policy of the Academy to find and refine one's specialization first, and then develop one's skills by focusing on it.

For this reason, we would select classes for our advisors so that we could have a more effective and in-depth education.

At some point, the students who were buzzing became quiet in an instant.

As I turned my eyes, a middle-aged professor was walking up to the podium with elegant steps.

"Good morning. Guys. Have you had a good breakfast?"

"Yes!"

He smiled in satisfaction at the strong reply.

Then he instantly looked over at us with a stern expression.

“Today will probably be the first real combat class for all of you here at the Orhe Academy. Yesterday you were only given a general briefing on the academy here and assigned your main armament, so this class is practically the first of its kind.”

His voice was still and quiet, but it was accurately transmitted to all of the nearly 100 students.

There must have been some sort of method of bonding mana and ki, but I couldn't tell exactly what kind of method it was.

This was because the game never mentions such a skill in detail.

“The reason why this class is the first class is that this class is considered the most important here at Orhe Academy. So I want you to keep that in mind and at least try to take this class as seriously as you can.”

He said so and lightly fiddled with his mustache.

“If not, it will be a great loss to yourselves, and this will also be a problem for you to bear on your own.”

I could feel some of the students changing their posture at his direct warning.

And the middle-aged professor didn't smile, as if he really liked the sharpness.

“Some of you may have guessed roughly what the class will be about today from the words to change into your Sparring clothes and bring the training weapons that the academy had distributed."

Pausing for a moment, he looked around at the students once more.

“Today is a class to select advisors who will be in charge the actual battle for you, who will become heroes of the future. Even though you will be sparring with safety gear on your weapons, one wrong move could lead to a serious accident, so I want you all to concentrate and work hard."

And he shouted in a voice that was louder than before.

“From now on, those who have chosen the main armament suitable of the front-guards gather to my right, and those who belong to the rear-guards to my left!”

At his words, the students moved wildly, and although it looked the same, there seemed to be slightly more people who chose to be a front-guards.

“In the Sparring room here, there are twelve small Sparring areas in total. Six of them will be used. If you move in front of it, the names of the people who will enter the Sparring area will appear on the electronic display. If there is a mistake, don't hesitate to speak up immediately! And the students on the rear-guard side will be classified in a little more detail, so wait!"

At his words, the group of students, including me, moved to where he said.

Several professors were sitting on the bleachers overlooking the area where each of the Sparring areas were located, watching us.

‘Oh, I remember.’

We would each spar with a partner here, and the data observed there, combined with the opinions of the professors, would be used to select several candidates for the professor who would be teaching the student.

In fact, even in-game, the range of the advisors varied depending on the score we received in this spar.

‘…Who will I compete with?’

I knew how to use a dagger, but to be honest, I was nothing short of an amateur.

Fortunately, my actual abilities were stronger than the physical abilities known here at the academy.

When you engage in a spar, you will see the overall ability of the opponent, so you can see the strength of the opponent.

‘To be honest, as long as it's not Choi Hyun-woo or another playable character, I think I'll be okay… .'

"Oh. Ji-Hyuk. Your name came up.”

At the words of Choi Hyun-Woo, who was standing next to me, I looked at the electronic display.

“Tsk… .”

Unlike me, who clicked my tongue in frustration and annoyance, I felt someone smiling at me in a bad way.

[Yoo Ji-Hyuk (RANK E) VS Na Il-Jun (RANK C)]

That was definitely what showed up on the electronic display.

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