Chapter 377: Graduation Ceremony |
“Brother, wake up. You have to go to school.”
“Uuuhm... just a moment.”
“You said ‘just a moment’ a while ago too. Get up quickly.”
I felt my brother’s hands shaking my shoulders as I opened my eyes.
I fell asleep.
‘The infamous Black Scythe sleeping in? Have I become normal?’
In the past, when I was a player, I didn’t have time to sleep in.
Always at midnight, as usual, I was dragged to another world.
‘When I went to that other world, my body in reality was in a state similar to sleep, so I didn’t feel tired when I came back.’
Ryu Min, who gained the power of time from Kronos, returned to the past before his parents passed away.
Since then, he’s lived a normal life.
With his family.
“Did you get up?”
“Did you sleep well? Mother.”
“Go wash up quickly and come have breakfast. By the way, I never get used to you calling me mother.”
“Isn’t that a sign our Min has grown up? Haha, and he also gets good grades in school.”
My father’s laughter while having breakfast.
The sound of my mother chopping on the cutting board.
My brother pushing me to wash up quickly.
To Ryu Min, all of this felt like a dream.
‘It’s not a dream. It’s reality.’
This was an ideal world where there were no gods, demons, or angels.
World number 102.
A dimension that combined the advantages of the previous 101 dimensions, where no survival games occurred.
The 1.8 billion captured people also lived their normal lives.
‘I made it happen. Me.’
Normally, merging different dimensions isn’t allowed, but I wanted to experience life with my parents, so I took the risk.
“Brother, are you done washing up? Eat quickly and get ready. You haven’t forgotten what day it is, have you?”
“Of course not. It’s my graduation ceremony.”
Today was the middle school graduation ceremony.
An event I had never experienced after being dragged into the survival game.
I can’t explain how much I’ve been looking forward to this day.
‘Not just the graduation ceremony, but every day is precious.’
For Ryu Min, every day with his family was like a new event, making each day invaluable.
“Everyone’s coming, right?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course, we’re going to our son’s graduation. I even took the day off.”
“Are we going together?”
“No, you guys come a little later. I’ll go first.”
“Alright. Eat quickly and go.”
“Try the miso soup, brother. Mom made it really delicious today.”
In a warm and harmonious atmosphere, Ryu Min finished his meal with a smile.
It was truly the perfect start to a day.
——————–
“Min, you’re here? You’re a bit late today.”
“Yeah. Somehow, I overslept.”
“Overslept? Really? Were you nervous about the graduation ceremony?”
“I guess so.”
Upon entering the classroom, the person who greeted me was none other than Min Juri.
Min Juri, my classmate, has been my friend both in the other world and in this one.
‘The difference with the other dimension is... we became friends earlier.’
Before, we never spoke in class, but this time it was different.
‘I was the one who spoke first. I wanted to be her friend.’
I know her personality, likes, favorite food, family situation, everything.
Since I knew everything about her, we became friends quickly.
So much so that other students became jealous.
“Look how her face lights up when she sees her dear one.”
“Ah, come on. Don’t tease me.”
Ham Jeong-ah, the class president, teased Min Juri with playful eyes.
“Why are you embarrassed? Doesn’t everyone know you two are the official couple of our class?”
“W-what? Couple?”
“They said they went to see the New Year’s bell together. Just the two of them. If that’s not being a couple, what is it?”
As she deliberately spread that information, murmurs arose around them.
“They went to see the New Year’s bell together?”
“If they’re not a couple, why would they do that?”
“Aren’t they really dating?”
Min Juri blushed at the comments.
“Friends can go together too!”
“You’re clearly embarrassed. That’s suspicious.”
“S-suspicious? Who...?”
“Do you like Ryu Min?”
Ham Jeong-ah hit the mark, and Min Juri couldn’t respond.
Ryu Min covered his forehead, seeing her honest reaction.
‘Min Juri, staying quiet will only raise more suspicion...’
As expected, the class president grinned mischievously.
“I knew it. Is it unrequited love? Since when did you start liking him?”
“Ah, enough. Stop teasing me and saying weird things.”
“I’m saying it because I’m jealous, jealous.”
Though the class president joked, Ryu Min knew she was sincere.
-So envious. She can have a boyfriend while I have no one... And she’s better than me in everything. Popular and pretty... She has it all. Tch.
The class president envied Min Juri.
Ryu Min, with the Rune of True Feelings, knew better than anyone.
The thoughts of the other students weren’t much different.
They just didn’t show it.
-Aren’t they really dating?
-So envious. Min Juri is pretty and has a good personality...
-Even if they’re just friends, they seem very close. Damn it...
-If they’re just friends, there’s nothing to envy.
Everyone envied the friendship between Ryu Min and Min Juri.
And it was understandable; both competed for the top spots in class.
What about their appearances?
Min Juri, with her cheerful and adorable look, attracted boys without realizing it.
Ryu Min, although more reserved and quiet, was also handsome and excelled in studies, making him popular among girls.
The idea that these two might be dating was irritating to many.
Especially those with grudges.
-Look at him chatting with a girl.
-They’ve probably done everything already.
-That guy has a girlfriend, and when will I get one? Damn it.
The people with negative opinions were all friends of Hwang Yong-min. And Hwang Yong-min, of course, was no exception.
“Ryu Min, you damn bastard. You’re dead today.”
Hwang Yong-min glared at him with furious eyes.
When their gazes met, Ryu Min looked away and lowered his head.
‘He’s planning something.’
In the previous world, it was common for Hwang Yong-min and his friends to bully him, but here, it hadn’t happened.
Because he hadn’t allowed it.
‘Maybe I was too strong from the start? After showing my strength, they don’t even dare talk to me.’
On the first day, Hwang Yong-min and his gang tried to mess with him just because they were seated nearby. Ryu Min took them to the mountain behind the school and brutally beat them, making it clear what would happen if they messed with him.
Of course, he didn’t use player skills or any items.
He simply dominated them with sheer strength.
‘To them, I probably just seem like a student who knows how to fight.’
That’s why he occasionally received annoyed glances.
‘Though they’re intimidated, their eyes are full of hatred. Even when I read their thoughts, I can see it.’
It seems the lesson wasn’t clear enough.
I should’ve beaten them to the brink of death.
‘They’re waiting for an opportunity to get revenge... but they’re all in the palm of my hand.’
Ryu Min smiled slightly and soon headed to the gym following the teacher’s instructions.
The graduation ceremony was about to begin.
———————
“Hey, let’s smoke here.”
“Sure. There’s no one around, and it’s the perfect spot.”
Five boys gathered in a corner behind the gym.
They were Hwang Yong-min’s friends, gathering to smoke.
“Hey, but we don’t have to hide to smoke.”
“Yeah, we’re adults now.”
“We’re at school, so we have to hide, idiot. What if a teacher catches us?”
“Yeah. It’s not that we’re scared of trouble; it’s just annoying.”
“Better to avoid the lecture. Pff... Ahh...”
Hwang Yong-min and his friends exhaled smoke while enjoying a moment of relaxation before the graduation ceremony.
“Ah, this is great...”
“Finally, we’re adults.”
“No more damn school uniforms...”
“Today, I’ll start sleeping in. No one’s going to wake me up for class.”
“I didn’t even want to go to class, so why did they wake me up?”
“That’s the point.”
“By the way, don’t forget we have a big drinking party after graduation.”
“Now we can enter bars without any problem. Ha, ha.”
Everyone was excited about graduation, except for one who had a serious expression.
“Hwang Yong-min, why the long face?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with you?”
“Something at home?”
Hwang Yong-min, who had been silently smoking, spat forcefully on the ground.
“Pft! That bastard. Wasn’t he laughing at me before? Right?”
“Who are you talking about? Ryu Min?”
“Come on, let it go already.”
“You weren’t the only one who got hit. We all got beaten up.”
His friends understood well why Hwang Yong-min was angry.
When that nerd asked them to go up the mountain, they thought they’d give him a lesson, but it turned out he was a fighting expert. Who would have imagined?
“Hwang Yong-min took more hits than anyone, so it’s natural he’s this pissed.”
Though everyone had gotten beaten, they still held grudges against Ryu Min.
“Who would’ve thought he was that good at fighting?”
“Yeah, if it weren’t for that, he’d be our lackey right now.”
“He’s lucky. Now that we’re graduating, there’s nothing we can do. Just let it go.”
“Who said we’re letting it go?”
With a cold voice, Hwang Yong-min revealed eyes filled with malice.
“I didn’t tell you guys before, but today, I plan to beat that bastard.”
“What?”
“Beat him? You mean like rough him up?”
“This isn’t a joke, idiots.”
Seeing Hwang Yong-min’s hateful gaze, his friends got serious.
‘Is this guy serious...?’
‘He’s crazy. What’s he planning now...?’
‘Not surprising, he always said he wanted to be a gangster...’
‘He won’t go as far as stabbing him, right? That would be too much.’
Feeling the tension, one of the friends asked cautiously.
“What... what exactly are you planning?”
“Remember when I said I wanted to be a gangster?”
“Yeah, we remember.”
“I looked up some famous gangsters in Seoul.”
“What? You found some gangsters?”
“Yeah. There’s a famous organization called Chinese Food.”
“Chinese Food? Never heard of them.”
Hwang Yong-min frowned.
“Of course, you wouldn’t know. They’re a powerful group in this scene. My role models. I wanted to join them, so I went looking for them. I searched every place until I found them.”
“And... what happened?”
“I knelt before them and begged them to take me in. I had to prove myself to join, but that’s not the point... They decided to accept me.”
“Wow...!”
“For real? You’re already part of a gang?”
“I’m in the trial phase, but basically, yeah. Haha.”
Hwang Yong-min spoke proudly, as if he’d landed a job at a prestigious company.
“I asked them a favor. I told them there’s a bastard I want to beat. I asked them to come to the graduation ceremony today and help me.”
“That bastard is...?”
“Yeah. Ryu Min.”
Hwang Yong-min’s lips curled into a malicious grin.
“Ryu Min is dead. The brothers from the organization are coming today.”
His friends thought the same thing at the same time.
This maniac is finally about to do something stupid.