An immediate commotion.
Lee paused and looked over to see the same guy that was sleeping during class holding up a gun.
'Huh. So that's Kim Hajin, is it?'
Completely unremarkable. That was Lee's first impression of Hajin. Literally, a random Korean teenager that you'd be able to see sitting in a PC Bang or something and playing league. Not only that, but his build was pretty unremarkable too. Thin, and DEFINITELY not trained.
...No, that was being a bit harsh.
Hajin looked athletic... but he didn't look like combat-trained athletic.
In short... he stuck out by virtue of being 'normal' in appearance.
'I never thought about that, actually...'
Hajin called himself an 'extra' in the story. But come to think of it...
'Being an extra at Cube requires you to look a bit more like me.'
Lee's body was well trained. Broad shoulders, a tall body, arms clearly used to swinging around heavy weights, and then sturdy legs to round it all off.
Although it was a bit bigger in physique than the average Cube cadet by virtue of the fact that Lee couldn't use mana very well, it was within the average range.
In comparison, Hajin, who looked like a guy you'd see walking the streets of Seoul back on the Earth that Lee came from... THAT was what stood out.
Rather than being an 'extra' here...
'Isn't he like, completely standing out as the MC?'
Maybe it was the benefit of having an outside perspective looking in, but in Lee's eyes, Hajin was VERY much MC material. If only by the virtue of the fact that he DIDN'T blend in.
If this was a game and you came across him, the player would definitely flag him as 'ah, hidden character or party member.'
He just stuck out that much.
And now, holding a gun in a place where everyone around was clearly wielding either a melee weapon or a bow...
Rachel frowned and murmured, "Is he trying to gather infamy?"
...Yeah. That was the logical conclusion.
And Rachel wasn't wrong too.
If Lee recalled correctly, although part of the reason why Hajin chose a gun was because he apparently NEVER did blade training...
Which Lee called bull on since CQB was DEFINITELY standard military training.
But anyway, although part of the reason Hajin chose a gun was because he was familiar with firearms from his military training, the main reason was his cheat of getting story points... or something.
Basically, it was like a reputation system in games. The more achievements you got, the more you could spend it on things to power up.
'Honestly, if I had that level of cheat available to me...'
The number of shenanigans he could pull. So many shenanigans.
But nope, Lee had to stick to training the old fashioned way instead: grit, patience, intuition, self-reflection, and time.
Rachel shook her head as Instructor Soohyuk explicitly denounced liability for Kim Hajin's future as a cadet. Then she looked at Lee and said, "What do you think? Does he have an ulterior motive for it?"
"Well-"
"Cadet Lee Shin!"
Before Lee could respond, Instructor Soohyuk called out in Korean. "Selecting a halberd when you use a spear... Like I stated to Cadet Kim Hajin, a cadet is free to select their own weapon. But the consequences are yours to bear."
"Oh." Lee saluted Instructor Soohyuk and replied in kind. "Rest assured, Instructor! I'm simply selecting a spare. I already have a normal training spear for ordinary use cases, so I figured I'd pick up a halberd in the event slashing is better."
Hearing that response, Instructor Soohyuk's sharp gaze relaxed a bit. "...Good! So it's for training purposes instead of proper deployment... Understandable." His eyes flitted towards Hajin for a moment before looking back at Lee. "Then I will register your selected weapon as a halberd."
"That'd be great."
Instructor Soohyuk nodded and then glanced at Rachel, making a quick note on his datapad before continuing the rounds with the rest of the cadets.
After Instructor Soohyuk left earshot, Rachel smiled and said in English, "It seems that our peer is not the only one who will gain infamy today, Lee."
Lee chuckled, already seeing the center of attention shift from Hajin back to himself as everyone was reminded of how close he was to Rachel. "Well." He idly twirled the halberd and then hung it on his back from the leather loop he usually wore to hold his spear. "For a Hero, infamy can turn to fame in the blink of an eye and vice-versa. Also, it's funny." He leaned in close and did a stage whisper. "Have you realized? It looks like no one here is fluent in English."
Rachel laughed and then said, "Oh, you have NO fear, do you, Lee?" She smiled, placing a hand over her mouth, as if surprised by her own happiness. "...You realize that by associating with me you have made a great deal of enemies, yes?"
Lee smiled and said, "Well, that's simply life. Better clear enemies and loyal allies rather than wishywashy acquaintances, no?" After that, he started walking out of the armory, following the crowd headed towards the dorms.
Rachel followed beside him and said, "That is true. It does make life quite a bit easier-"
"Hey!"
An energetic female voice called out from behind in Korean.
When Lee glanced back, he saw a beautiful young woman with shoulder-length chestnut hair and light brown eyes walking over. A bow rested on her back, her clear weapon of choice.
"You're Lady Rachel, right? And you... must be her friend?" The girl looked over at Lee and waved. "I'm Chae Nayun. But seriously, did you change your weapon too like that guy?" She stuck a thumb back towards Hajin, who was walking behind a group of the other male cadets, drifting like a random student following the crowd after orienation.
Rachel frowned and then reflexively took a step closer towards Lee.
Chae Nayun blinked and then said, "Oh, right! Sorry. Don't mean to be too nosy."
A captivating and charming voice echoed, followed by the appearance of a beautiful young woman with long silky hair. "Nayun. Making friends is good, but it's important to know when people don't wish to be disturbed. Although..." She shifted her gaze towards Lee and then said, "...Yoo Yeonha. Though I'm sure you know that. Who might you be?"
Lee nodded in greeting and said, "A pleasure to meet you."
He deliberately didn't confirm knowing who Yoo Yeonha was... though he vaguely remembered her being an important character. Maybe? Probably.
But anyway, instead of focusing on that, he responded and said, "Lee Shin. My surname is Shin, given name, Lee."
"I see... Then you must be American." Yeonha smiled and then shifted to a slightly accented English. "What was it about no one here being fluent in English?"
Rachel quickly hid her mouth behind her hand and glanced away.
Lee laughed and replied in English as well. "Well, my mistake. Judging from the confused looks people gave us... and ARE giving us, it seems pretty rare. Right, Nayun?"
Nayun flinched and quickly stammered in stilted English. "A-Ah. Yes. English. Understand it... mostly. Korean better though."
Yeonha sighed and switched back to Korean. "This is why I tell you that you need to study more, Nayun. Even though Korean is fine, international Heroes would only benefit from knowing English. Especially considering your lineage."
Nayun pursed her lips, not able to reject Yeonha's words, but also unable to accept them.
Lee waved his hand and said, "I'm sure it'll work itself out. But anyway..."
Someone was sending Lee a fierce glare. A handsome young man with white hair and golden eyes.
Considering that was CLEAR animosity there, and likely from interacting with either Yeonha or Nayun, Lee decided to cut the conversation short.
Shifting back to English, he started walking off with Rachel and said, "So, tell me about England, Rachel. Is it true that the sun never shines there because of the weather?"
Was it because she was relieved at escaping the social situation? Or that she didn't have to continue parsing Korean?
Either way, Rachel quickly moved to Lee's side and answered him. "The weather is not THAT terrible. But I suppose it is overcast most days... Still, I believe that would be preferable to constant sun."
"When you're as pale as you are, probably. But I think that'd just make you tired from the lack of Vitamin D, wouldn't it?"
===
Nayun watched Rachel and Lee walk away together. Then she said, "Huh. I was wondering if that guy was just hitting on the princess. But they like, genuinely get along, don't they, Yeonha?"
Yeonha hummed. "It seems so. If I remember right, Lee was a bit of a loner in the military academy as well, wasn't he?"
Nayun furrowed her brow. "...I think so? I don't remember him that well, but I think he was always training, wasn't he? Like, working on his body and stuff."
Yeonha stared at Lee's back and said, "Well. I suppose loners tend to gather together?"
"Right?" Nayun nodded. "Rachel does give off that kind of vibe... All aloof and stuff."
"Lady Rachel, Nayun." Yeonha corrected Nayun and started walking off after Rachel and Lee.
"Lady Rachel, whatever." Nayun placed her hands behind her neck and started walking beside Yeonha.
"That flippant attitude's going to get you in trouble one day."
"I'll deal with it when it happens, Yeonha."
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
"Sure, sure." Nayun hummed, staring at Lee. "But it's interesting."
"What is?"
Nayun stared at Lee some more, assessing his physique. "Hm... If I remember right, he sucked at mana control, didn't he? But he still made it into Cube."
Yeonha paused. "...Is that so?"
"Yeah." Nayun nodded. "I remember him being frustrated by it a bit? Maybe? Like I said, I don't remember TOO much about him. He didn't stand out that much back at the military academy. But..." She hummed. "...I'm curious, aren't you? If he's here, that means that he's good. Even if he's at the bottom of the ranks, to get here while being bad at mana control..."
"I see." Yeonha placed a hand on her chin. "...Perhaps that is why Lady Rachel has an interest in him?"
"Nope. I just think she has a crush." Nayun laughed.
Yeonha blinked. Then she said, "Lady Rachel. A crush. On that Lee?"
"What? You don't see it? She's all giggly around him. And isn't she notoriously cold to people?"
Yeonha stared at Nayun with mixed emotions.
Nayun noticed and tilted her head. "What?"
"...What do you think about Shin Jonghak?"
"Huh?" Nayun blinked. "What are you bringing THAT guy up all of a sudden? We're friends."
"...It's hopeless." Yeonha sighed. "...I don't know why I bother getting upset over it."
"???"