I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 24 : Spy (1)

"Why are you grinning like that?"

A junior instructor asked Oh Chang-seong, who had returned after finishing the afternoon class.

"Hehe. Am I smiling right now?"

"You're practically beaming."

Oh Chang-seong said with a cheerful face.

"You know Jeong Su-hyeon."

"Ah yes. The dark horse of Class 1, right?"

"That kid's a boxing genius."

"What?"

"Hong In-hyeon got completely trashed and lost by KO."

"Huh? That guy?"

Hong In-hyeon, who had distinguished himself in boxing competitions before enrollment, was one of the cadets Oh Chang-seong had high expectations for.

"Was it just a fluke win?"

"Fluke? He took a few hits at first, but then hardly got hit at all."

"The difference in skill was that great?"

Oh Chang-seong giggled at his junior's incredulous reaction.

"You should have seen it. The kid does boxing like an art form."

For a man of Oh Chang-seong's caliber to praise someone that highly?

The junior instructor blinked with a puzzled expression.

'He didn't praise him this much during the entrance exam.'

"It's not just his skill, but his fighting style is like... Yeah. It felt like he was trained through intense real combat."

Oh Chang-seong muttered.

"Who could his trainer be? With that level of skill, I should have heard the name......"

His thoughts were surprisingly close to the truth.

After all, the techniques Su-hyeon employed were actually ones that Oh Chang-seong himself had honed through blood and sweat training.

"Is Jeong Su-hyeon really that good?"

Instructor Kang Jun-man, who had become interested in their conversation, joined in with two instant coffees.

"Oh, I'll enjoy this."

"It's nothing."

Oh Chang-seong, a tiger still belonging to the feline family, blew on his coffee before drinking and said.

"From my perspective, how should I put it, he had composure. Hong In-hyeon may have elite-level boxing skills among his peers, but after reading his timing, Su-hyeon was toying with him while beating him up."

"Hooo."

"He has talent for martial arts. In other words, he has good eyes and abundant sense."

"For someone like Instructor Oh to rate him so highly."

Instructor Kang Jun-man stroked his smooth chin with interest.

"Instructor Kim Cheol-han's high evaluation might be true. I can vouch that he's at least sharper and has a unique flavor in his approach compared to others."

"If such a guy combines boxing with jiu-jitsu, he'd be truly frightening, right?"

"Call dibs on him. I've already staked my claim."

Just then.

"Hmm! Everyone seems to be giving high evaluations, but wouldn't it be different if characteristics were used?"

Another instructor jumped into the conversation among the three.

"Instructor Jang Gi-seok."

"From what I've observed, Cadet Jeong Su-hyeon has shown prominence in several specific situations."

Instructor Jang Gi-seok, with his strict and gaunt face, emphasized the expression "specific situations."

"However, as long as there are excellent instructors like myself and all of you at this academy, skills like improvisation, responsiveness, and understanding of characteristics can be taught. On the other hand!"

His glasses, raised with discipline, caught the light and flashed.

"Once those intangible skills surpass a certain level, what ultimately becomes important is the superiority of characteristics. Therefore, from my perspective, cadets like Jeong Su-hyeon often see their merits fade as time passes."

"I see....... That's what you think."

"Of course. In the end, the cadets who shine more as time passes are those like Seo Jun-seong, who have grown up with exceptional individual skills, outstanding characteristics, and the table education of great parents......."

'Here he goes again, taking Seo Jun-seong's side.'

'At this point, it should be called love.'

Instructor Oh Chang-seong, looking slightly tired of Instructor Jang Gi-seok's passionate speech, shrugged.

"Well, who knows. One thing is clear: Jeong Su-hyeon still has hidden skills that we don't fully know about."

Kang Jun-man added his own comment.

"Moreover, that cadet's characteristic, regardless of his current ability, is one with no limit to its ceiling (potential). I think there's no need to jump to conclusions."

Uncomfortable with the two's rebuttal, Jang Gi-seok said.

"Hmm! We'll see whose judgment is correct."

"Of course, that's our duty."

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"Hey, you."

Kwon Seung-yeon approached me as I was working out, once again under the gazes of the gym rats.

Her face seemed to be saying something like 'This guy is amazing!' or 'We must work out together!'

"How's your workout going?"

"Just so-so."

"What about your meal plan?"

"......I eat regular food for lunch, and for dinner I'm planning to go to the special cafeteria that sells workout meals."

"Ah, that place?"

Perhaps she had been planning to make a deal regarding the meal plan, as the confidence on Kwon Seung-yeon's face completely disappeared.

"That place is good. But don't you find some things lacking? Like the carbs-protein-fat ratio, or, uh, the taste. Or how expensive it is."

Not particularly.

'The cafeteria is managed by professional nutritionists.'

But.

"It is a bit expensive."

I said that, feeling like I was being generous.

"Right!?"

Kwon Seung-yeon's eyes lit up as if she'd found an angle to work with.

"I make my own salads and combine them with protein, eggs, and stuff."

"......Sounds delicious."

And it wasn't just empty words.

Kwon Seung-yeon was a specialist in workout meal plans.

"But as you know, making it for just one person leads to a lot of waste."

'Now we get to the main point.'

"Want to see this? It's a photo of the salad I made, I used oriental dressing to get the taste right, and......."

Kwon Seung-yeon actively appealed to me, showing me photos directly on her phone.

"Looks tasty."

"Right? Ji-su liked it too! Her taste is so refined that......."

Seeing that my expression wasn't negative, Kwon Seung-yeon finally made her proposal.

"If you'd like, want to eat it too? If we split the cost fifty-fifty, I'll do the making."

"That would make me feel bad."

"In return, let's work out together. I've been watching you, and I think your style matches mine."

'Just what I was waiting for.'

Working out with Kwon Seung-yeon is helpful in many ways.

'Kang Geon-woo or Kwon Seung-yeon would be the best synergistic combinations as workout partners.'

Taking my silence as hesitation, Kwon Seung-yeon continued, gesturing with her hands.

"I was actually impressed by your athletic ability during boxing. It's not just that you're strong, but I could feel the effort you've put into evenly developing all aspects of your physical functions like flexibility, agility, and stamina."

'She has a good eye.'

"That's right."

"See? That's the direction I want to pursue too."

People here focus too much on muscle mass, don't they? Kwon Seung-yeon whispered.

"I want to increase my performance within the range of not losing agility."

"Hmm."

"I've looked into it, and there are large gyms like this one, and also small training rooms that can be reserved for two or more people. They even have gravity control, which is good for high-intensity bodyweight exercises......"

I apologize to Kwon Seung-yeon, who was giving me an enthusiastic briefing, but of course, I already knew all this.

"Alright. Let's do it together then."

"Yes!"

She punched the air, as if she had finally succeeded.

"Looking forward to it!"

"Me too."

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Lee Un-hak, Lee Yu-jin's grandfather, is a swordsman who left a legendary reputation and one of South Korea's top Hunters.

His granddaughter, Lee Yu-jin, received plenty of her grandfather's affection since childhood due to her talent and perseverance with the sword.

It was perhaps only natural that she came to deeply respect and follow her grandfather.

"So, Grandfather. Su-hyeon......"

Such a telephone relationship between grandparent and grandchild wasn't particularly common.

"From what I've heard, this Jeong Su-hyeon child sounds quite interesting."

"Do you think so too, Grandfather?"

"Of course. Though I haven't seen him directly, being that adept at fighting is a level that can't be achieved through sparring alone."

The Sword God, who had fought demonic beasts by washing blood with blood, had convictions shaped by time.

"Hasn't your grandfather repeatedly said?"

"......You said that 'sparring like real combat' is an illusion. It's still just within the category of sparring."

"A sword is a weapon that cuts people. That's the essence of a sword. You cannot reach the state of unity between sword and mind by fighting with restraint using a sword made 'not to cut.'"

"......."

Sometimes.

Lee Yu-jin found her grandfather's firm convictions chilling.

"The anecdote from the entrance exam, and today's event too. The aspects that this Su-hyeon child shows are undoubtedly forged through countless life-and-death battles."

"......Since there's nothing known about Su-hyeon's activities after the Samcheok incident."

"Your grandfather thinks."

The Sword God said.

"The time that this Jeong Su-hyeon child has spent since that incident until now might have been completely different days from those of his peers."

"......."

Whatever that time was, it was probably lonely and difficult enough to kill him, wasn't it?

Lee Yu-jin's expression became a bit complicated.

'I should talk to him after all.'

After picking up and putting down her phone several times while deliberating, Lee Yu-jin made up her mind.

'Sparring among cadets is even encouraged within the academy.'

She thought she could improve her skills through sparring with Su-hyeon.

'Su-hyeon. He should be at the gym now.'

Instead, she left a private message.

-Su-hyeon, are you working out?

-Please message me when you're done

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Meanwhile.

A man was walking down a secluded path in the academy, where darkness had fallen heavily, relying on a flashlight.

Step, step.

The shouts of cadets absorbed in training, forgetting the night, could be faintly heard, but the man's footsteps were probably disturbing the sleep of nocturnal wild animals more.

"This path is always quiet."

His voice was so soft that even his self-muttering revealed his gentle nature.

The man's name was Jo Jin-myeong.

He was an assistant who had been working at EFAC for 4 years already.

Besides him, many other assistants at the academy were helping instructors with classes and handling various administrative tasks.

Among them, some were building experience and skills to aim for instructor positions, and many were ex-members who had retired from the Execution Force due to injuries and found re-employment.

"This area is clear too."

Patrolling inside the academy to guard against intrusions was also a duty assigned to assistants like now.

But.

'He's finally here.'

There was a pair of eyes watching him from afar.

'I knew he would appear at this time.'

Current time: 22:08.

Su-hyeon, who had chosen a deserted route on his way back after finishing exercise, was looking down at Jo Jin-myeong while hiding in a tree like a skilled assassin.

Assistant Jo Jin-myeong, who maintained good interpersonal relationships all around with his diligent attitude and gentle, kind personality.

His true identity was a spy with connections to some Ma-in organization.

'It's a mistake to think only our side can plant spies.'

Just as the Execution Force operates numerous intelligence agents to monitor the movements of Ma-in organizations.

Someone among the Ma-in had also planted this man like a wedge.

'Well, well.'

Su-hyeon, who knew what he was aiming for, twisted his lips.

A transparent barrier is spread around the academy.

The person who installed the barrier was a great mage who had deeply researched various magics and pioneered his own realm.

The barrier, which he had put his heart and soul into creating, was structured to first activate physical force and sound an alarm if there was any entity trying to intrude from outside without entering through the main gate.

Also, to constantly maintain that barrier, there are magical stones placed at each point in the form of a magic circle.

They are hidden in small facilities to prevent any possible destruction or damage, and regularly checking for abnormalities is also part of a patrolling assistant's duty.

'It's a perfect alibi that wouldn't raise suspicion even if someone happened to see him.'

So, there was no one who could stop Jo Jin-myeong from damaging the magical stones and barrier at this time, in this location.

Except for Su-hyeon, that is.

'No need to kill him.'

In Su-hyeon's opinion, Jo Jin-myeong was a character who, if kept alive, would have value for future use.

Rather than directly engaging in threatening behavior from within, he was closer to the type who, while blending in well, carried out small operations like this or passed on various information.

'It's better to leave him be than eliminate him at once and raise the other side's vigilance.'

The first reason was that it wouldn't be difficult to eliminate him if Su-hyeon decided to.

'Since I'm aware of his identity, I can easily have him disposed of in case of emergency by just informing the instructors.'

The other was a practical reason.

'Such channels are essential, even for leaking reverse information later.'

However.

'This is too early.'

If significant damage were done to the magical stones maintaining the barrier, a main event that would become a great tragedy would occur sometime later.

'Delaying that timing helps my gameplay.'

Therefore, Su-hyeon decided to delay the timing of pulling the trigger according to his will.

"Excuse me."

A voice heard on a path where there shouldn't be anyone.

"!"

Jo Jin-myeong turned his head sharply, and a kind smile soon appeared on his face.

"Cadet Jeong Su-hyeon? What a surprise meeting you here. What brings you here?"

"Ah. I was on my way back after finishing training and saw you, Assistant."

Su-hyeon scratched his head, acting as if all this was a coincidence and he felt awkward meeting the assistant.

"......."

A moment of silence.

A strange tension, like a powder keg ready to explode, flowed between the assistant and the cadet.

'He's quite skilled at suppressing his killing intent.'

Su-hyeon inwardly smiled.

'It must be hard holding back with that nasty personality.'

"Cadet Jeong Su-hyeon is diligent, staying out late. That's a good attitude."

"Thank you."

"But don't people usually take the main road instead of this path? It's well-lit, wider, and closer."

To this probing question, Su-hyeon played it off.

"That's true, but this shortcut is quiet and gives me a feeling of taking a stroll, which I like."

"Ah, I see."

Jo Jin-myeong's expression hardened slightly.

"I also enjoy this area when patrolling because it's so serene."

"I see."

Su-hyeon's smiling face as he replied was somewhere between mockery and audacity.

"Then would it be alright if we meet like this occasionally and exchange greetings?"

"......Hahaha. Of course."

"Thank you for saying so."

"I should be the one thanking you. Patrolling can get boring sometimes."

Looking at Jo Jin-myeong's kind smiling face, Su-hyeon thought.

'Your eyes aren't smiling.'

It was the appearance of someone who couldn't completely suppress their inner irritation.

'Sorry, but.'

Su-hyeon looked into Jo Jin-myeong's eyes with a smiling face and thought.

'It seems you'll have to suffer from your superiors for a while.'

And those superiors would be savage enough to chew up Jo Jin-myeong's head without a second thought if necessary.