“Next.”
The moment Kim Gapjun, who had been endlessly tapping at the air, laid eyes on Sehyun and Jaeyoung, his face twisted in distaste. But he only sighed heavily and resumed his finger movements.
“When are you two going to undergo Awakening? If you’re not going to, say so now. Ah, hurry it up! Without Awakening, your positions don’t show. Never mind—state your positions first. I need to know what you are before I can assign you.”
“My, our great Pithecus seems awfully talkative.”
“What, wh-what?! Pithecus?! You little bastard—!”
Kim Gapjun raised his hand, about to slap him, but Sehyun didn’t even flinch. In the end, Kim Gapjun just clutched at the back of his own neck again.
“You little brat… damn it! At this rate I’ll die of rage, fuck! Just state your position!”
“I think I was support class.”
“Which support class.”
“It’s been so long I don’t remember. Besides, I don’t plan on Awakening.”
That was a lie. Kim Gapjun shot him a suspicious glare, but since Sehyun hadn’t awakened, there was no way to check his skills or position. He had no choice but to accept it.
“Fine, then you’re both in the Mana Stone Squad. Next.”
“Leave the kid out of it, at least.”
“A kid? You’re still wet behind the ears yourself. Next.”
“Just change the boy’s assignment to something within the village.”
This time Sehyun spoke with real seriousness. The Mana Stone Squad was what people called the raiding parties for the Tower — they went in to fight monsters and mine the mana stones inside. The work was dangerous, far more lethal than other jobs.
“Why would I? Why should I bother with non-residents? Enough. Next! Next person, step up!”
“No, listen here, you Pi—”
“Hyung! I’m fine! I’m fine, so don’t.”
The one who stopped Sehyun was none other than Jaeyoung, the one being treated unfairly. He grabbed Sehyun’s arm and pulled him aside, then went to the nearby well to fetch cold water.
“Jaeyoung, you know what the Mana Stone Squad means. It’s dangerous.”
“Hyung, I’m combat class. It’s fine.”
“You’re still too young. I’ll go to the head later and change it to something inside the village. Don’t tell anyone you’re combat class, understood?”
“I won’t… but I’m telling you, you don’t need to change it.”
In the end, Sehyun had to argue back and forth with Jaeyoung about it until sundown. As a result, he never got the chance to speak to the head before night fell.
As expected, the smallest, shabbiest house in the village had been assigned to the four temporary residents. If there had been even one more of them, they would have had to curl up just to fit. Even now, lying shoulder to shoulder, their arms brushed.
“My name is Gwak Junghan. I’m sorry for taking up so much space. Ah, and I hope we get along while we’re staying here.”
The first to break the silence was, of course, Gwak Junghan. He glanced apologetically at the cramped room as he spoke. He was easily the largest of the four, with muscles so dense they looked impenetrable.
“Baek Dohyun. As long as you don’t cause trouble, I’ll put up with you. But don’t expect me to do favors.”
Next was the paper man. Still cross-legged, his face expressionless, he spat out his words bluntly. He still hadn’t let go of the bundle of documents. Sehyun wondered what could possibly be in them, but kept the thought to himself.
“I’m Do Sehyun. Just treat me however you like. I’m probably younger than both of you anyway.”
“How old?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Baek Dohyun. Thirty-four.”
Ah, yes. Sehyun only nodded, quietly avoiding the awkward need to respond to Baek Dohyun’s insistence on reintroducing himself with his age. Next was Jaeyoung, who sat pressed against Sehyun’s side. Sehyun figured at least a self-introduction he could handle, but even after a long silence, no words came.
Only then did both Gwak Junghan and Baek Dohyun turn their eyes toward him. And at that moment, Sehyun heard something shocking.
“What the fuck are you looking at.”
…Jaeyoung?
Sehyun instantly clapped a hand over the boy’s mouth. Silence dropped into the tiny room like a stone. Smiling with forced cheer, Sehyun scrambled to cover for him.
“He’s fourteen. His name’s Lee Jaeyoung. Looks like he logged into Elix out of curiosity and ended up here. Given the circumstances, I’m sure he’s just overwhelmed, haha…”
Thanks to Sehyun’s desperate defense, Gwak Junghan sent Jaeyoung a sympathetic look, while Baek Dohyun only scowled and turned his head away in disinterest.
Of course, Jaeyoung himself was no less disgruntled. But with Sehyun’s hand blocking him, he could only frown.
“Let’s just get some sleep. Tomorrow we’ll have to work according to the assigned roles… Speaking of which, Junghan, why did you ask to be a temporary resident? You originally put yourself forward for village head.”
At Sehyun’s question, Gwak Junghan fetched a bundle of dried grass, apparently to lay on the floor as bedding.
“Someone beside me gave me advice. They said if the head makes wrongful decisions, it’s easier to oust him from this position. Residents are bound to obey whatever orders the head gives. I still don’t fully understand, but temporary residents are freer and better positioned to demand correction or stage a coup. I agreed that it would be better.”
In other words, he had chosen to become a temporary resident so that if the head turned tyrant, he could rise up and depose him. A man upright to the bone.
“What squad were you assigned to, Sehyun?”
As he spoke, Gwak Junghan spread out the grass with surprising neatness, his massive frame moving with careful precision. It looked oddly like he was doing cat’s cradle with that size.
“Jaeyoung and I were put in the Mana Stone Squad. That’s… well—”
“I heard the basic explanation from the head. He gathered people to explain things. I was assigned to the food procurement squad. There’s a lake nearby, so since I can swim, they sent me there.”
Since arriving, Sehyun had noticed people’s speech patterns changing slightly. Most of those who had awakened spoke differently. Their mannerisms seemed altered by merging with their character’s race.
From what Sehyun knew, Gwak Junghan had always been polite, but not this excessively formal. That level of politeness likely came from his awakened race itself. Though, of course, it was hard to judge just from media appearances.
“You can gather food without tools, then?”
“I haven’t tried yet, but I believe so.”
As soon as he said it, his hands shifted into sharp, webbed fins. His claws were long and pointed, gleaming with a dangerous sharpness.
Clearly combat class. You could usually tell at a glance. If someone had that much muscle and a body fit for attacking, they were combat.
“You’re combat class. Still, you shouldn’t show that so openly.”
“Is it bad to reveal it?”
“Yes. Better to hide it. No one knows what the future holds, and concealing your strength is an advantage.”
“…I see.”
Perhaps because of Sehyun’s words, Gwak Junghan refrained from saying more about combat. Instead, he offered the bedding he had prepared.
“Sehyun, you sleep here. As for Jaeyoung… well, you’re still very young, so I’ll just call you by name.”
“Fuck off.”
“Alright, then, Jaeyoung, let’s spread this grass here with your hyung.”
Even Jaeyoung’s sharp retort didn’t faze him. Smiling gently, he handed over the bedding. Grumbling, Jaeyoung still helped spread it beside Sehyun. The sight made Sehyun smile faintly.
“What sub-squad within the Mana Stone Squad are you assigned to?”
The question came from Baek Dohyun, who sat with arms crossed, watching Sehyun with a tilted head.
“I don’t know yet. Why?”
“So I don’t end up in the same one.”
At that, Sehyun chuckled. He lay back down on the grass and replied,
“Seems like we’re of the same mind, then.”
A roundabout way of saying I don’t like you either.
From the fact that Baek Dohyun had also been placed in the Mana Stone Squad, it was obvious he was combat class. But since he’d said he couldn’t awaken because of losing his Easy, he wouldn’t be able to use any of his character’s combat skills.
Come to think of it, Sehyun was the only one here who wasn’t combat class.
Support classes were rarer, but they were difficult to raise early on and widely avoided. Only much later did they become valued. In contrast, combat classes were useful from the start and only grew more valuable over time. The comparison was hardly fair.
Once everyone had more or less settled down, Gwak Junghan extinguished the last candle lighting the room and lay down. The moment the darkness closed in, Sehyun quietly opened his eyes again.