7

### Episode 7: The Stormy Transfer Student, Baek Taeyang (2)

* * *

'Opening the door myself would be the worst-case scenario.'

It couldn't be the person being scolded who opens the door while being reprimanded in the disciplinary office.

Opening the door nonchalantly while being punished? That's logically impossible.

'They must think I've already subdued Yoo Sujin.'

There was a meticulous calculation behind the seemingly simple words.

The fortunate thing was that the people outside couldn't hear what was being said inside.

My mind was racing. I had to get out of this situation.

Sujin, still not fully conscious, was slowly getting dressed.

Her disheveled hair and glistening lips clearly wouldn't be tidied up in time.

If there was no immediate solution, I had to come up with a new method.

The best method I could find at this moment was to reopen the notification window I had previously closed!

'This is the moment of destiny.'

I trust my notification window!

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**Quest Clear!**

**Reward: Licking Eyes (B) is granted!**

**Licking Eyes (B): Allows you to know basic information about the other person.**

**(Name, height, weight, basic description, etc. / Penalty: Your gaze becomes sticky while using it)**

**Please look forward to the next quest!**

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'What's there to look forward to?'

I already knew that the guaranteed reward couldn't be used in this situation.

What I could rely on were the Virgin Bomber and the achievement rewards.

'If they're not opening the door right away, they're waiting.'

This was a judgment based on the information about Jang Ducheol in Baek Taeyang's memory.

He was a first-class hunter who appeared on TV frequently and was a man expected to lead the second generation, so his personality and beliefs were well-known.

'Please!'

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**Virgin Bombing Success! Direct hit!**

**Copying Yoo Minhyuk's [Sub Skill] Cleanup (F), the man who loves Yoo Sujin the most!**

**Cleanup (F): Neatly tidies up a messy space.**

**(Limited to actions that can be done with one's own body, consumes stamina proportional to the amount of cleanup done)**

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'Got it!'

It was a jackpot. The most needed skill appeared at the right time.

This could resolve the entire situation.

'But Yoo Minhyuk? They have the same last name?'

The relationship between Yoo Sujin and Yoo Minhyuk's names felt somewhat chilling.

Could he be her father? It could be her brother, but since they don't share a generational name, the father seemed more likely.

'The category of love is incredibly broad... Is it Agape? Or something that doesn't consider such distinctions?'

While it was good to have a solution, I suddenly felt guilty.

It felt somewhat unsettling.

Like the feeling of meeting your girlfriend's parents after spending a hot night at a motel.

'It's not like I did anything wrong...'

I felt like a damned bastard.

The picture of reaching out to family members to obtain the desired skill beyond the relationship between men and women was forming.

'I hope I never have to meet Sujin's parents.'

The chances of meeting a cadet's parents within the academy seemed slim, but if it happened, I would definitely feel guilty.

Considering he loves her the most, he was undoubtedly a doting father. But if he found out that a white-haired, tanned delinquent took her first...

'Wouldn't he want to tear me apart?'

The easiest way to rescue a daughter caught by a scoundrel was, of course, to beat up the scoundrel.

'If such a situation ever arises, I must run away.'

After organizing my thoughts, I checked the next skill.

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**Achievement! [Tore it up on the first meeting] achieved!**

**Reward: [Sub Skill] Playboy Memory (C) obtained!**

**Playboy Memory (C): A skill linked with the Virgin Bomber.**

**The first experience of a virgin is remembered by the other person as 'at least not terrible.'**

**(Always active, the memory and feeling can change based on subsequent actions)**

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This skill wasn't bad either.

It felt like having minimal insurance even if I swung my dick around recklessly.

It seemed to actively encourage such behavior.

It read like a supportive message saying, "Don't worry, even if you poke around recklessly, it won't be remembered as a bad experience."

But Playboy?

I had never enjoyed pleasure without responsibility.

'Before coming here, I was only known for being responsible...'

Even if the ending wasn't good, I had never eaten and ditched anyone, so I felt unfairly accused.

Anyway, I finished checking the skills, and now it was time to resolve the situation.

"Senior, please open the door."

"Huh? Me?"

As I activated Cleanup, the murky white liquid pooled on the floor disappeared.

The room looked even cleaner than when I first came to the disciplinary office.

If necessary, I could even use the excuse that I was cleaning while being reprimanded.

Sujin's face also became clean, showing the versatility of Cleanup.

Although it felt like I had moved my body a lot, the cost-effectiveness was amazing.

It was a moment to once again realize the power of the skill.

'If it's not marked as always active, does that mean it's an activation skill?'

Maybe the always active ones were marked because they were special.

I searched Baek Taeyang's memory, but no information came up.

Was this character created just to be a golden sun?

'But he couldn't even make an appearance because his abilities were lacking...'

Baek Taeyang was shaped as a character to see how he would fare as a rival.

Moreover, I hadn't read the novel from start to finish, so I lacked a lot of knowledge.

Being inside an academy novel with only basic information was really unkind.

I wanted to think more about this, but there was no time.

"And I'll pretend to reflect in the back."

"Then I'll handle the rest."

Sujin was very quick-witted.

The conversation that followed after opening the door was smooth, with no room for suspicion.

Although she couldn't hide her flushed face, Jang Ducheol didn't find it strange.

It was a success.

+++

I recalled how many situations had passed in less than a minute while shaking hands.

'I'm glad it went well.'

I sighed in relief inwardly and looked at Jang Ducheol.

He looked like a man carved out of stone.

His overall body was thick, and he had a different feel to his drawing style.

'If I had to compare, he looked like someone who would go on a bizarre adventure...'

A scar running straight from his neck to his left cheek and hands full of calluses.

The buttons on his instructor uniform seemed to be crying for help due to his muscles.

"Cadet Baek Taeyang, you can call me Instructor Jang comfortably. I'll guide you to your class."

Follow me.

As soon as he finished speaking, Jang Ducheol turned and started walking.

As I was about to follow, Sujin grabbed my collar.

When I turned around, Sujin was making a phone gesture with her hand and smiling.

'Contact me.'

She mouthed the words, looking so cute I could die.

Her slightly flushed smile, black hair spread like petals, and cherry-like lips moving.

Maybe because I had seen her without glasses, she looked pretty even with them on.

I nodded in agreement and followed Jang Ducheol, but then I realized.

'I didn't exchange numbers.'

All we exchanged were our bodies.

Here is the English translation:

'His back looks like two people combined.'

It wasn't for no reason that he was known as a giant in the world. 

If you asked him about experiences he found troublesome in life, the people around him would say he had an overwhelming presence that made them think he was kind!

Even just walking behind him gave me a feeling of my combat power increasing suddenly. 

He had a physique that made me confident no one would pick a fight with me.

'But where are we going now?'

We had been walking for at least ten minutes with no end in sight. 

I didn't know anything about the structure of Victory Academy, but it was clear we weren't heading to an ordinary place.

Classrooms with students were visible just by turning my head, but we kept walking without entering? It was enough to raise suspicion.

'I'm following since he told me to...' 

When I followed Sujin to the disciplinary office, there were many classes and I occasionally saw instructors. 

But now the number of cadets was decreasing while the instructors were increasing.

'Are they going to experiment on me biologically?'

Could it be that Victory Academy actually trains cadets through some special brainwashing process unknown to ordinary people? 

Should I try to escape? Am I going to get torn apart on my very first day as a transfer student?

With every step I took, I kept passing through security checkpoints, and I was slowly becoming genuinely anxious.

"Don't worry, we're not going anywhere strange," Ducheol said, as if reading my thoughts.

"You must know the danger of always-active skills too. The Fatboy Massacre is an actual case."

The Fatboy Massacre. 

It was a major incident in Baek Taeyang's memory as well.

The person who caused the massacre was 17-year-old Johnny Fraise. 

Johnny was an ordinary student living in Ariaju, America.

The only thing different about him was that he was overweight, but his school friends used that as an excuse to start bullying him.

The bullying, which began when he was 12, lasted a whopping 5 years and only grew more intense over time. 

Johnny tried to seek help as the bullying intensified, but the helplessness rooted deep inside prevented him from taking any action.

His parents were busy working, so they neglected their child, and the teachers didn't pay close attention to the class either. 

Eventually, the school violence spilled over outside of school, leading to the death of Johnny's only emotional support - his dog - at the hands of the bullies.

Johnny lost his sanity in anger and lashed out. But the accumulated helplessness and being outnumbered led to him being brutally beaten. 

Pushed to the brink of death, Johnny made a last desperate struggle, gritting his teeth, and at that moment, he awakened his ability like a savior.

But salvation can sometimes be merciless. 

A huge fire instantly engulfed an entire neighborhood. 

It truly happened in the blink of an eye. Everything turned to ashes in that short time.

An always-active skill was a curse.

Being always active meant the power could be minimized but never eliminated entirely. 

Moreover, at that time, education and preparedness for those who awakened abilities later in life were extremely inadequate, so Johnny didn't know how to handle himself.

At first, he was happy that those who bullied him were gone, but soon he realized he had killed everyone and fell into despair. 

His emotions seeped into the skill, and the flames began growing out of control.

Within 30 minutes of the incident, Ariaju was consumed by the massive blaze. 

Any phenomenon caused by a skill could only be resolved by that skill. Outwardly it looked like fire, but it was actually 'something' that looked like fire.

The U.S. government's judgment was very quick. They didn't even consider trying to calm Johnny down. 

The only directive was to kill Johnny, the so-called Fatboy Operation. 

A team of fifteen first-class hunters entered Ariaju and killed Johnny, suffering three deaths and five injuries. 

The confirmed death toll was 723,178, but including those whose bodies couldn't be identified or went missing, the number exceeded 900,000.

This incident prompted serious global discussions on preparedness, education, and management of always-active skills for those who awaken abilities later in life.

"Following that incident, many places researched controlling always-active skills," Ducheol said as he stopped walking.

In front of us was a large case. 

It had triple locking mechanisms, and the heavy jet-black metal case was undoubtedly very heavy without even lifting it.

"And this is the result."

The case began opening with a whooshing sound. 

Taking a step forward to look inside, I saw it contained a rubber ring about the size of a bracelet.

Its shape was like...

"By the way, it's not a condom. It's an ability control bracelet."

Is this what they mean by 'the thief gets an itch'?

I looked at Ducheol with an incredulous expression. 

He wants me to wear this? Is he serious?

Ducheol nodded very seriously and repeated himself once more.

"It's not a condom."

Put it on your arm.

It was in cursive.