Next day I woke up at 7:20. This time I won’t be super early to classes. Being Tuesday, we just had regular theory classes, but today and tomorrow would be club promotion, so afternoons were surely going to be exciting. For my part, I’ll look around today, see what other clubs are there, and what does this world has to offer.

After that, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll choose today, or maybe I’ll wait for Hajin, and also do it tomorrow.

Anyway. I’ve been thinking about going out. Explore a little of this world’s Korea. See what can I learn. Where I can go to hunt some monsters. Even maybe trying to pass by some of the bigger guilds in Korea, after all, at least in this world. Korea has the biggest and more important guilds in the world. So it wouldn’t do any bad to look around a little bit.

While thinking about all that, I finish eating my breakfast and start going to classes. Right on time at just 8:18. That way I won’t get there before 8:25, and won’t have to wait that long.

I would love to get there exactly at 8:30, but don’t know how punctual the teachers are here. Being the most important training facility for heroes, I don’t think they’re really lenient when it comes to things like these. So better be safe than sorry.

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I enter the classroom at 8:27. Nice. Just 3 minutes for classes to start. While going on my way to my seat, I hold up my hand saluting Hajin who already saw me. He answered with his own hand and a nod.

Almost getting there, I catch the eyes of another cadet. Olivia. I forgot that girl was on my class. Well. Not that we are friends, so better look straight to my set, or so I thought, when she suddenly nods her head.

“I don’t want to have anything to do with you. You’re goddamn intense girl.”- I thought. But still giving a nod back. “It’s not like we’re friends just for nodding to each other, right? Just acquaintances. Yes. Only that”- I thought, trying to comfort myself before sitting down on my seat.

“Thought you weren’t coming today.”-Said Hajin right beside me.

“Nah, just didn’t want to come here so early…”

“But, if I remember correctly, you’ve been coming here pretty early.”

“Those were mistakes man. MISTAKES. I don’t like to have to wait for classes to start. So I won’t be coming here earlier next time. Not unless necessary.”

“Oh well, that’s fine. It’s not like we can’t talk after classes.”

“Exactly. And after all, you have my contact info. Any problem, just send a text.”

“That’s true.”

“Oh, by the way, are you selecting any club today?”- I ask Hajin.

“No. Not today, I’ll think about it calmly today and tomorrow I’ll choose my clubs. What about you?”

“Mmmm… Don’t know. I’ll look around a little bit. But I’ll probably choose tomorrow. I do have two clubs in mind. But I’ll tell you later.”

Right when I finished saying that last part to Hajin, the teacher entered the classroom, and classes started. As I said, today was just theory classes, so I’ll probably be sleeping or doing something else on my notebook, just like the girl in front of me, that’s dozing off even before the beginning of classes.

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Classes just finished. So right now, I’m picking up my things and putting them inside my bag.

“Hey, you going to check up the clubs?”-Asked Hajin besides me.

“Yeah man, I’m really curious about all the things you planned but didn’t write about”- I murmured, so only Hajin could be able to listen to me.

“I know what you mean… Well, let’s go out. I’m on my way to the training room, so maybe we could talk a bit about what you thought of the clubs.”

“Sure. Let’s go.”-I said while picking up my bag, and getting out of the classroom.

We exited from the back door of the room, and just while we’re getting out, I see a pair of dark brown, almost coffee, eyes looking directly into mine, being adorned with a loose long auburn hair, and slightly chubby cheeks.

“Olivia.”-I said, nodding slightly while stopping in front of the same intense girl that’s been bothering me since yesterday. Hajin’s just beside me looking at her with a surprised face.

“Hey. I just want to know if you’re going tonight to the training center.”-Asks her.

“Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. Why? Need me to bring you more water?”

“Ha… Ha… So funny. But no. Just wanted to know.”

“Well, sorry, but you’ll have to wait for tonight for the answer.”

“Would it really kill you to answer any of my questions?”-Asks her.

“Would it really kill you to be a little more polite when talking with someone you just met?”-Answered I, with a question of my own. You’re not winning this one kid. “Also. Whether I go or not, what does it have to do with you?”

“…”- She suddenly stays quiet, which actually feels weird since I’ve rarely seen her so quiet in front of me this short time we’ve met. She slightly glances at Hajin beside me and then turn her eyes to me again.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Nothing. It has nothing to do with me.”-She finally said, while turning away and leaving to the dorms.

“Everything good man?”-Asked Hajin after Olivia left

“Yeah, why you ask?”

“Well… That seemed like a couples’ quarrel”

“…”-I stare blankly at him.

“What?”

“You better work on your jokes man. You’re not funny.”

“Wasn’t trying to be. It really looked like that.”

“Well, for being a sharpshooter, you sure have bad eyes.”

“It would surprise you how good my eyes are.”

“I truly doubt it. But hey, who am I to judge? Let’s go. You’re going to be late to your training, and I can’t wait to see all those clubs that waits for us in the Hero Park.”

“Ok man, just hope everything’s good with your girlfriend.”

“Stop. She’s not.”

“Well, if you say so.”-He said, finally shutting up while we start going out of the building.

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Once on our way, with no one close enough to listen to us, we start to talk about the clubs.

“Look, I’ve been thinking, and I’ll join both Travel and Hunting club. Forget the Academics and the Reading one. I’m not joining it.”- I said, telling him my plan for tomorrow.

“Mmm… We’ll be almost in the same clubs, except one. I’ve also been thinking about those two and the Academics. After all, they have the mayor number of principal characters from the novel, there will be even an important event at the Academics one. About Rachel… Well, she’s not really accessible right now. We barely have any contact. But, I do want to ask, why not choosing the academics too? There’s an upcoming event there and it’s not like there’s a problem with the schedule.”

“I just don’t like it. I mean, I know why you’re going there. And I do think that you should keep to that. But me? No thanks. I hate the kind of guys that loves to gather women’s attention. More so if it’s someone that deserves to die. So, I’ll leave that to you, friend.”

“Sure… Give me the hard work… Oh well, I guess I’ll think of something.”

“You sure can. I have my trust on you.”

“By the way. Why can’t you just kill him? I mean. You’re strong enough right? And that way we could save some lives.”

Good question. I thought he’ll never ask. And really. I also thought about getting rid of that small problem by myself. It’s just that Hajin’s going to need his connection with Yoo Yeonha. And it all starts with that event. I can’t let it pass by, but I also can’t tell him the truth, at least not all of it.

“Look. I just don’t want to deviate too much from the original novel. I’m no hero. And I’m certainly not risking a known path for people I don’t know. And yes. Call me cold, heartless, or even a bastard if you wish. But right now, when you don’t even have the power to protect yourself and I know shit of how all of this is going to end, is better to keep to the original setting.”-I said, while looking sternly at him while frowning my brows.

“…”-He looks back at me, but somehow his face relaxes. “I guess you’re right. We shouldn’t risk it too much for the moment. Not until there’s nothing else that can be a threat to us, and I don’t even know if that day will come.”

“Give me a few years. Maybe less. And there will be basically no one here to be a threat against me. Well. Maybe. I still don’t know the final boss.”-I lied, once again, to the only one going through the same thing as me.

“Sure. Well, we part ways here. Over there is the Hero Park. So, I’m going this way.”-Said Hajin while leaving through the path to the training center after signaling the path to the park with a lot more people.

“Ok, have a nice training man. And trust me. If I had any other choice, I would surely try to save those people. But right now. It’s impossible.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m not disappointed in you or anything, it’s not even your fault to begin with. And also, it’s not like I don’t see where you’re coming from.”

I watch as he goes away to the training center. Feeling weird inside.

I’m not really a hero. I never was, nor thought about becoming one. If anything. I’m a selfish and broken asshole.

Lying became really easy for me with time, fuck, even since I was a child, I was a good liar.

That’s what you become when you need to fake how you truly feel or think in order to blend in with people, even your own family.

But somehow, these last years it has become harder. Not the lying part mind you. But the part about caring enough to lie. Though, it isn’t that I don’t care about anything at all either.

And right now, I feel like I care. Thus, here I am. Lying constantly, or well, what I would call telling half-truths. Just to keep someone for going insane. Funny right? Lying, because you care enough to do it.

What would Hajin thinks if he discovers that he’s not inside his novel, but inside a novel’s novel? And that he’s the true protagonist, or more of an antihero. Or any of the things he will need to go through?

{I’m sorry man. I can’t be totally honest with you. But, if anything. At least know that I’m doing this for your own good.}-I thought, not really knowing if I’m thinking this as a consolation to Hajin, one he would never hear; or as a way to justify myself.

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I finally got to Cube’s Hero Park, a social place for every cadet who got nothing to do after classes. Though, that barely happens. And you can see a lot of clubs all around the park. Really. A lot.

I know that Hajin said that he thought about 100 clubs or so, but man. For barely 5.000 cadets, this is a lot of clubs. Even considering that third years have almost no time to spent on their club. So you could imagine how many people actually uses the clubs. With that said, you can imagine why more than a hundred clubs feels a little weird.

You can find almost any kind, from distraction, to training clubs, or even some weird ones that I would call questionable. I’m talking about you ‘Boobs’ Appreciation club’. I’m only looking at you.

After I go around a bit, I found the clubs I was initially interested and picked each of their application forms. They truly don’t look too good at those under the 800th rank, always thought it was just because Hajin was the famous ‘gunner’, though it may also be an addition to his rank.

I also took the application form from the ‘Boobs’ Appreciation club’. I’m not thinking of joining. I just want to be sure if this club is legal. After all. Who would permit it.

{Yes. It’s not like I’m thinking of actually joining it or anything.}-I think as I start going to some of the seats that are in the park.

Once I sat down, I start looking through the application forms.

{Well, it’s not that hard to fill really, just like any university’s club back on my world. I thought that it at least would be any different.}

The forms weren’t anything special. Just a little bit of info you have to put and nothing else. Name, last name, year, class, and little more, things like hobbies or what would be a little description of yourself.

“I don’t really know what I was expecting.”- I murmur just for myself to hear.

What was really interesting, was the variety of clubs. I even thought about joining a few of them, like the VR club or the Magic Engineering club, they looked kind of interesting, and you can’t never learn too much. But, thinking about it. What would I do in so many clubs? I will probably have my hands full with all the plot and stuff like that.

After filling the club application forms, I keep them inside my backpack and stand up.

{I’m not being looked down twice in the same day. I’ll come with Hajin tomorrow to give these. Well, maybe I’ll throw away the Boobs’ Appreciation Club’s one… But I’ll consult it with the pillow.}-Thinking that, I start my way back to my room. It’s almost 21:00, so I’ll just have a little time to change, make something to eat, and prepare things to go to the training center.

“Though I should probably go a little later. Don’t know if that girl would be waiting for me there at the same time.”-I say to myself while walking.