Chapter 27 : Main Quest Madness #6 - No Kidding, I’m an Extra

ㅡDing. [Strength has increased by 1] "Oh! What is this?" As soon as I woke up this morning, a wave of sheer happiness enveloped me! It's the kind of news that really opens your eyes! I quickly checked my status window and saw the rise in my strength reflected there. "Heh heh heh." Thanks to my dedicated gym sessions lately, it seems my muscles have recovered overnight. I'm feeling pretty upbeat this morning. Wait a second. Did my strength just increase? If my strength surpasses its limits, won't I literally become a 'Martial God'? I'm already starting to worry. About my 'strength'. If I become excessively powerful, won't everything just feel meaningless? "It would definitely feel vacant. Such is the life of the strongest." The thought brought my soaring mood crashing down. I've always said that absolute power comes with loneliness. Becoming that strong and feeling a sense of emptiness about everything... That prospect terrifies me. The idea of getting stronger scares me... Anyway. "What about the main quest?" [???????] It's still full of question marks. There must be conditions for unlocking it. Do I need to use the shop again? But nothing's specifically triggered any quests since then. Without a way to earn coins, I'm stuck. If only I could earn coins through something like hunting. Isn't there anywhere around here where monsters might show up? There should be more than a few if I search. Just checking the news on my phone reveals headlines about gate appearances, almost as frequently as car accident news. Gates open with the frequency of car accidents, apparently. On a national scale, they happen every day. "Come to think of it." Is tomorrow Saturday? A day off. Now that I think about it, I haven't been outside the school, have I? Ever since I dropped in on the first day of the entrance ceremony, I've stayed in the dorm. Alright, time to drag Sihoo out and see the world beyond school tomorrow. I’m not particularly interested in internet cafes. Maybe I'll hit up a pool hall first, then head to a karaoke room, and have a meal after. Just as I was about to close the main quest window, it happened. ㅡDing. With that familiar notification sound. [????****] "Huh?" [********] "What the-?!" Something's happening! The question marks disappeared, and letters began to appear! ㅡDing! __________________________ [Main Quest: Prelude] [A prelude to an F-rank gate opening has been detected in a nearby city area. Eliminate the monster leader.] [Time] [Reward: 2,500 Coin.] ___________________________ "What the?!" Suddenly, the quest window filled with text! Oh my...! Once I calmed down from the shock, I carefully read the content. It said a gate would appear in a nearby city area. And if I handle it, I'd get coins. "Then it's a must-do!" An F-rank gate will likely have similar creatures to the ones I thrashed in the training grounds, like those antazoras. I learned in class that the grade of a gate is determined by the creature inside with the highest energy level. This can apparently be told by the waves emitted when a gate appears... let's skip that for now. Anyway, I could handle it if it's a small-scale F-rank monster situation. "I can handle this." And they’re offering 2,500 coins. Just 500 more coins, and I can level up a stat again. "But 'Time'?" [Time] Clicking on 'Time' revealed... "Wow." ...It’s set for tomorrow afternoon. Not sure about the exact location. "A bit of guidance on where to go would be nice, wouldn't it?" Anyhow, I was planning to hang out tomorrow, so I might as well scout it out. But the main quest is ominously titled [Prelude]. Sounds like something major might be happening... Anyway. "Sihoo." I'll go with Sihoo. This kind of thing should definitely be done with a friend. What’s the use of having friends otherwise? "Exactly right." Sihoo is incredibly strong. With him, there's nothing to worry about. And if it gets dicey, we can always run. It is a main quest after all, so I’m a bit anxious, but if I can't manage, I can't manage, right? Time to head out. It's almost time for school. ㅡCreak. I opened the door and went straight over to Sihoo's door to knock. ㅡKnock knock! "Sihoo! Let's go to school!" "Ah...! Just a moment!" A voice echoed from inside. ㅡCreak! "I'm not fully ready yet!" Sihoo's face peeked out through the door, still damp from a shower, judging by his bare shoulder and the scent of shampoo lingering around him. He seemed to be in the middle of drying his hair. Well, I'll just wait inside then. "Really? Then just open the door, man. I'll wait inside." As I reached for the doorknob. "Wah?!" ㅡBang! The door slammed shut with impressive force! "Hey man! Open up!" "No way! Geun Cheol, wait there! I haven't even dressed yet!" "What does it matter?! We're both guys, who cares?!" "Geun Cheol...! It's difficult when you show such interest in my body! We're friends, but if you're so curious about my body, I don't know how to handle you!" Why would I want to look at your body?! "What the heck! Stop with the nonsense! Fine, I won't come in! Happy?!" What a picky fellow! I've never met someone so picky in my life! He's worrying like a girl over this?! As I grumbled and waited, the door finally opened. "Geun Cheol? You waited, huh? Let's go now." "Hah... this finicky guy. Why didn't you just open the door instead of telling me to wait?" "I had no choice. Geun Cheol, you came way too early. What do you expect when I’m not ready yet? Let's set a time to meet in the future." "Alright, fine. We'll meet at a fixed time from now on." Continuing to discuss matters like this would just lead to absurd misunderstandings. Even though Sihoo might have slightly feminine features, I have absolutely no interest in his body. Anyway, with that out of the way, Sihoo and I left the dorm together. "Hey, Sihoo." "Yeah?" Sihoo, walking beside me, tilted his head as he replied. "Want to hang out tomorrow since it's the weekend?" "What?!" "Why? What's the surprise?" Why is he so startled? "Hang out?!" "Yeah. Are you not free?" "No, no! I'm free! When should we meet?" Sihoo looked almost thrilled, his eyes sparkling. Has he never gone out in his life? Why is he so excited? "Let's meet in the morning. I don't know this area well, so I thought I'd explore a bit." "Oh, is that it? Actually, I'm the same. This is my first time in the area too. So walking around tomorrow with you, Geun Cheol, to explore sounds perfect." "Hehe, let's do it." I didn't mention anything about the gate. Sorry, Sihoo. Help me out this once. I'll buy you some chicken. "Hehe, hey, Geun Cheol. Have you ever been to a karaoke place?" "Haven't I?" "I haven't... If there's one of those coin karaoke booths, let’s check it out together. Does that sound good?" How can someone have never been to a karaoke room? But judging by how much he's anticipating it, it looks like I have no choice but to take him. "Sure, let's go. There should be one around." "I'm excited. I've always wanted to go." "You could always go by yourself." "That's not quite the same." With a smiling Sihoo in tow, we headed to the academy. Suddenly, a swanky limousine rolled up in front of us. ㅡClick clack. And out stepped Leona, walking with confident strides. What in the world...! A high schooler coming to school in a limousine! "Wow! Look over there, Ark Angel Leona! You arriving in a limo! This is more like a divine descent rather than just going to school!" "Huh? What's this? Oh, no...!" I greeted her warmly, but for some reason, she seemed utterly flustered. "Is this a morning appearance of that weird Geun Cheol?! Where are all the heroes when you need them? Brace yourself!" "Stop treating me like some weirdo!" She's a master at getting under my skin, I swear. "More importantly, a limo to school? Do you not stay in the dorm?" "Dormitory?" Leona stood with her legs shoulder-width apart, placed a hand over her heart, and replied with a haughty look. "Hmph. A dormitory? There's no way someone like me, Leona Kainus, would live in such a cramped, uncomfortable place without any staff." "I've never seen a wealthier person!" "Surprised, aren't you?" Leona spoke with the condescending air typical of the rich, exuding confidence. "That's the difference in class between you and me, Geun Cheol. Just abandon any foolish ambitions about getting those meal tickets back and focus on filling your hungry stomach instead." "How can you spin it like that? Whatever the case, I'm planning to get them back, so you should give up. Just accept it, please." "I won’t until poor, starving Geun Cheol's hunger is sated. Anyway, let's go. School starts soon. And Sihoo? Good morning." "Oh, uh, good morning to you too, Leona." Thus, the three of us headed to school together. Going to school with friends, it truly gives me that high school feeling. ㅡCreak. As I opened the classroom door, a different scene greeted me compared to yesterday. Surprisingly, sitting in the seat behind mine was none other than the often-absent Ryu Cheon Hwi. This guy, after taking that soda yesterday, he didn’t seem too bad. If he's of that caliber, we could definitely become friends. "Hey, Ryu Cheon Hwi. You came to school today?" So I approached him and spoke up. ㅡFlash! Ryu Cheon Hwi opened his eyes wide, as if he had achieved enlightenment after some intense Taoist training, then violently removed his earphones and hurled them aside. "You there!" Abruptly, he rose from his seat with a low growl. "What? Why?" "I've been waiting for you to arrive!" "You were waiting... for me?" Why...? "To think you dared to hand me a bomb!!!" "What?" A bomb? "You wretched civilian can drink exploded! You dare commit an act of terrorism on me...! Today we shall end this!" A soda can exploded? Did this guy shake it? Oh. It became apparent that it was due to it being dropped. But honestly, he took that soda yesterday and didn't come back to school the entire day? Did he just head straight home and it burst on him there? "You clumsy idiot! Hey! Did you shake the drink?" "What?" "Sodas explode when they're shaken, you fool! Why did you shake it, causing it to explode and then show up spewing nonsense this morning?!" "The one spewing nonsense is you! You Taliban-like scoundrel!" Who’s he calling Taliban?! "That's ridiculous, seriously! Hey! Wait there a moment!" "Ahh! Geun Cheol!" I quickly dashed outside the classroom and grabbed another can of cola from the vending machine. This guy kept calling it ‘civilian’ stuff, but does he really not know how a carbonated drink works?