Chapter 42: Gourmet Club (2)
Since the mock battle with the monsters, Eisel had gained more confidence and could now walk around with her head held high. Hardly any student ignored her anymore.
Even though the Morph family was known as traitors to the public, it didn't matter in the magical society where everything was proven by magic alone.
Eisel’s exceptional magical skills were enough to make her impervious to any criticism.
As a result, she could now write about such things with confidence:
[My father]
The magic academy wasn’t just about magic classes. It was a place that focused on various things like mental, physical, artistic, and cultural activities, making sure to care for its students in different ways.
In the mental aspect, they often discussed the reasons for learning magic, the mindset required to confront dark magic, and other things.
This assignment was about upbringing.
If there was anyone who had the greatest influence on Eisel’s upbringing, it was undoubtedly her father.
In the past, she would have been hesitant and afraid to confidently write about her father.
But now, she had nothing to be ashamed of.
She was a brilliant mage, more wise and insightful than any of them. She could proudly say, ‘My father is not a traitor. He, Isaac Morph, was a great mage until his very last moment.’
As she finished writing, Eisel suppressed a chuckle.
Of course, she couldn't let her guard down yet. She knew her assignment was provocative and would raise eyebrows among other professors.
But that was precisely why she took on the challenge.
This was just the first step in clearing her father's name. She was determined to start from here.
‘By the way…’
Eisel looked at Baek Yu-Seol, who was lying down and sleeping far away from her.
While everyone else had placed their assignments on the desk, he had not brought anything.
Nothing at all.
She owed him a lot, so she felt she should give him a gentle reminder.
"Hey there."
"... Hmm?"
Baek Yu-Seol turned his head, his eyelids parting to reveal sleepy eyes. He looked like a corpse, and if Eisel didn’t know better, she would have mistaken him as such.
"Did you bring your assignment?"
"What assignment?"
"If you don't bring it today, you'll get an F."
"Whatever...." Baek Yu-Seol replied before flopping back down.
A moment later, he spoke again.
“F? An F?"
Suddenly, he raised his head and grabbed his hair, yanking on it as he bit down on his lip.
"Ugh, I’m already so busy I can die. Why do they assign so much homework? Do they think this is the only class I’m taking?"
“Well, I told you, so...”
Eisel trailed off, realizing she had never actually seen Baek Yu-Seol do any of his assignments. She had been worried that he would receive an academic warning, but it seemed like she did the right thing by reminding him.
As Eisel returned to her seat, Baek Yu-Seol frantically pulled out a sheet of paper.
‘What was the assignment again?’ he muttered.
Fortunately, even this trivial part was recorded in his glasses.
‘Write about things related to your upbringing...?’
He had no choice but to jot down some quick ideas, as class was about to start and he had nothing prepared.
In a hurry, Baek Yu-Seol scribbled down the first thing that came to mind: the lyrics of a song he used to listen to when he lived in Korea.
It was by the band G.O.D, titled "Dear Mom."
The song that made Korea cry in the 20th century.
Immediately after jotting down the title [Dear Mother], Baek Yu-Seol quickly scribbled down the lyrics of the song.
"Are your assignments ready?"
"Yes!"
The students replied with a loud voice. Baek Yu-Seol felt anxious and sweated profusely as he hastily wrote down the lyrics, barely managing to complete it just before the deadline.
"Phew..."
In the end, he had written just enough that he wouldn't fail.
With a sense of relief, Baek Yu-Seol once again leaned over his desk. He had no interest in the rest of the lecture.
After the lecture, he and Eisel coincidentally ended up taking the same route back.
"Why are you following me?" he asked her as she walked close beside him.
"I have something to do in this direction as well."
"I see."
Side by side, they made their way through the winding corridor, eventually arriving at the classroom gate after passing through a makeshift warp hole.
Coincidentally, they had the same destination. Even the item they were both looking at happened to be the same.
[Club Promotion Board]
"Are you also thinking about joining a club? Haven't you joined one yet?"
"Why not? You can still join, can't you?"
"Well, you don’t have any friends either."
"What? No, I mean, I was offered admission into a club a few days ago."
Upon hearing this, Baek Yu-Seol stared at Eisel, trying to remember what could have happened.
‘Hmm… Jeremy?’
But it turned out that she didn't join Jeremy's club and was considering other clubs instead.
‘Well, that’s okay. It doesn’t really matter.’
[Traditional Sports for Mages! Join the Soul Chess Club! There's nothing better for brain exercise!]
[Join the Rune Writing Club. Study and go to college.]
[This is the Writing Club. Welcoming all applicants.]
[For everyone who loves and cherishes books! Join the Reading Club!]
There were many clubs in Stella, but there were not many clubs that were allowed to engage in special external activities, and there were many unnecessary conditions attached to membership.
One of the reasons they left Kashif Derek alone was because, despite being a jerk, he came from a well-respected family and had enough influence to create a special club that allowed hunting and dungeon exploration.
If they were to try to take his club away, it would be a win-win situation for them. However, this plan was on hold for now.
Taking away the club of a senior member would not only be difficult but also draw a lot of unwanted attention. It would be used only as a last resort.
‘First things first,’ Baek Yu-Seol thought to himself as he looked at the list of club members.
Hong Bi-Yeon was in the Crimson Eagle Club; Jeremy, the Skalven Club; Hae Won-Ryang, the Hanaban Research Club; Flame, the Healing Camp Club; and Eisel, who was unaffiliated.
Most of them belonged to large clubs with second- or third-year students as leaders.
Jeremy was the only one who led his club. It seemed that he wasn't interested in any other clubs.
Although one could establish a club in the first year, there was little point if he created it late. Few people would join, and obtaining special outing permits would be even more difficult.
"Hey, don't you have a lot of connections?"
She looked genuinely bewildered at that question. "Do you not know who I am?"
"Eisel."
"Well, that's true, but..." She let out a deep sigh. "Ask someone else..."
"But you've been quite popular lately."
"Ahem, is that so?" she asked, surprised. Her magical abilities had recently gained her popularity, and people seemed to look at her more favorably.
"However, I'm not at the point where I can start a club. And the same goes for you, doesn't it?" she added.
"That's true," he replied with a sigh.
As they pondered their options, they sensed someone approaching from the side.
They turned their heads discreetly and saw Ma Yu-Seong standing there with a gentle smile.
He spoke calmly in a low voice, "Yu-Seol, are you done with the class?"
"Uh. Why?"
"I saw you in the mock battle. You were amazing. And leading a necro hunt at your age?"
"I'm pretty awesome, aren’t I?"
"It seems you have a different way of thinking than others."
Baek Yu-Seol flinched. The sharp remark caught him off guard.
"Do you often have deep thoughts like that?"
"Well, I have nothing to do on weekends. And as you know, I'm a commoner, so I'm always thinking of ways to improve myself."
"I see. You spend your time very rewardingly." Saying that, Ma Yu-Seong chuckled bitterly. "I also try to make the most of my weekends."
Baek Yu-Seol seized the opportunity to ask a question that had been bothering him for a while.
"What do you usually do on weekends?"
He smiled coolly and replied, "Study."
"I see. Thank you for answering formally to my formal question."
Ma Yu-Seong was taken aback and waved his hand in the air in surprise. It was the first time Baek Yu-Seol had seen him like this.
"No, I'm serious. That’s it. I study... and I even started practicing."
"What? Practicing what?" Upon hearing this, Baek Yu-Seol stared intently into his eyes, his expression growing tense. "But... you're not really into that kind of thing, are you?"
"No, I'm not, but I've been doing it lately," he replied with a hint of hesitation.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Ma Yu-Seong wandering around after school as much as he used to.
"I didn't know this about myself, but I hate losing.”
As expected, something had happened.
Ma Yu-Seong wasn’t due to start practicing until much later, but a variable had already been introduced.
‘What could that variable be?’
Eisel quickly provided an answer. "Dungeon practicum. Since then, he's been particularly interested in it. His competitive spirit is quite strong, isn't it?"
"That's right. If this lady hadn’t interrupted us, I wouldn't have been able to hold my head high in front of Hae Won-Ryang again. I used to tease him all the time," Ma Yu-Seong added.
‘Ah, now it makes sense.’
If things had gone as they should have, Ma Yu-Seong wouldn't have ended up fighting Hae Won-Ryang alone during the dungeon training.
Ma Yu-Seong sometimes teamed up with Flame, so even if he had to fight against Hae Won-Ryang, he would have easily won, or he might not have fought at all.
However, due to Baek Yu-Seol interfering in the dungeon training, Flame was tied up, and Ma Yu-Seong was left alone to face Hae Won-Ryang.
‘Hae Won-Ryang has been a bit strange. Was it because of this?’
If it were 2 to 1, it would have been different, but since Hae Won-Ryang, who had thoroughly prepared for a 1-on-1 battle, was unable to win, he must have been mentally broken.
However, this was not a bad thing.
No, it was a very good omen.
Hae Won-Ryang, with his competitive nature, would train himself even more harshly, and the fact that Ma Yu-Seong started training a few years earlier than planned meant that they could get closer to a True Ending.
‘Unlike me, who’s half-baked, Ma Yu-Seong and Hae Won-Ryang are talents that will be the focal points of the future.’
If these two people could become stronger faster than expected, it would be an excellent thing.
In addition, Hong Bi-Yeon and Eisel were growing at a much faster rate compared to the original game.
This was truly a positive thing, so he smiled genuinely.
"And Yu-Seol, I lost to you properly, so I have been trying pretty hard lately."
"What? When did you lose to me?"
"In the last mock battle, you scored higher than my team."
"Oh... Is that so?"
He had no idea and hadn’t been paying attention.
"Thanks. I appreciate it. You've been a big help to me in many ways."
"Really…?"
‘I really don’t understand what this kid is trying to say.’
"Your motivation to train is really unique. Normally, people who lose once can't hold their heads up."
“I can’t help it. It seems different for you, though.”
"I've heard that a lot."
"By the way, don't call me ‘this lady,’" Eisel said, taking a step back as she did.
"Yu-Seol. Are you trying to join a club? Haven't you joined one yet?"
He pointed outside the window.
It was springtime when cherry blossoms bloomed in a pink hue and love stories of youth filled the air.
But it was an exception for Baek Yu-Seol.
New students were starting to create their own clubs.
It was rather unique that people like Baek Yu-Seol and Eisel hadn’t joined any clubs yet.
There was no disadvantage to joining late. There was still a long way until the club performance assessment.
Most students joined a club early to build relationships or earn points through external activities.
"Yes?"
"Then, do you want us to join the same club? I haven't joined one yet."
"What club?"
It was out of the blue.
Even in the original game, he was always alone.
Ma Yu-Seong pointed to a few bulletin boards with his finger and said, "What about Soul Chess, the mages’ brain sport? I like brain games. There's also a logic club and a puzzle club."
Soul Chess.
Baek Yu-Seol was once so passionate about it that he became a champion in his own way, as he had to win battles using Soul Chess to break through some of the final gates left by the Progenitor Mage.
However, if he joined a club just for that, he would not be able to go on special outings, so he made up an excuse.
"I hate sitting down and using my brain."
"What? You?" Eisel said, a look of disgust on her face.
“Really? Then how about sports? There's soccer and basketball... Or what about league of spirits?”
League of Spirits was a sport that represented the magical world, and it was the ultimate sport that mages who had left the battlefields dreamt of.
However, sports were just sports.
‘To prevent any incidents that might occur in the league of spirits club, it might be worth considering joining this place later, but that’s for later.’
"Well, I'm thinking of joining a more productive club."
Even though Baek Yu-Seol had shot down all his ideas, Ma Yu-Seong still didn’t give up. "What kind of club do you want? I'll join whatever you choose."
His confident tone seemed to suggest that he would listen to anything.
"A club that's quiet because there aren't many people. A club with guaranteed insurance coverage, cheese fried pork cutlets for lunch every day, freedom to do extracurricular activities, respect for personal activities, no private meetings, special outing permission."
"Where in the world would you find a club like that?"
Of course, there wouldn't be. It was just a joke he made.
But then...
"Really? Then... should I create a club like that for you?"
"What?"
Baek Yu-Seol’s eyes widened at Ma Yu-Seong’s serious proposal.