-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Everyone Has a Plausible Plan
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The cadets took their places. Like privates standing rigidly at attention, they formed five neat rows in front of Class A's homeroom teacher, Ryu Ji-ah. There were thirty cadets in Class A.
'Early part of the novel.'
An awkward atmosphere hung in the air. Invisible walls seemed to separate the cadets from one another. Even Ryu Ji-ah, their homeroom teacher, appeared ill at ease around them.
The most important thing was that there was no class president yet. Since they hadn't appointed one, it naturally pointed to the story's opening act.
The entrance ceremony had just wrapped up, and the first class was one-on-one sparring—a total cliché. It was a sensible setup all around: the protagonist picking a weapon or showing off his abilities, and so on.
'This is where Lee Do-jun screws up.'
Lee Do-jun couldn't fully control his Evil-attribute spirit. No way he could. He'd barely managed to contract it thanks to protagonist protection.
In his sparring match against Kim Sang-hyuk, as Lee Do-jun started falling behind, the Evil-attribute spirit Demonis would rear its head to flaunt its power. That's how the bad blood with Kim Sang-hyuk's gang began.
'Will it play out the same way?'
I snuck a glance at Kim Sang-hyuk's crew. They were lounging at the back as if it were their due. Back row was a symbol of power at this age. Their slacker attitudes were seriously off-putting.
The black body of Black Johnson Anaconda—huge and imposing. Maybe because this physique represented the pinnacle of masculinity, Kim Sang-hyuk's gang came off as downright childish.
'Should I help Lee Do-jun?'
It'd make things easier later if the story followed what I knew. The future could twist anywhere, anytime, but starting from scratch would be worse.
Stepping in now would be a bad move. Lee Do-jun was supposed to take a beating. That's what got him bullied by Kim Sang-hyuk's gang and created his connection with Dokgo Hwaryeon.
'Gotta steer things so he meets the heroines.'
No steering needed. If I just stayed put, it'd follow the original plot.
"Warm up first, then I'll announce the pairings. Hwaryeon, up front. Standard formation."
Ryu Ji-ah pointed at Dokgo Hwaryeon as she spoke.
"Standard!"
"Attention in formation!"
Dokgo Hwaryeon thrust her right arm straight out and shouted. They quickly scattered into calisthenics formation. Maybe because it was a Korean webnovel, all these little details felt just like the real world I'd known.
We ran through calisthenics as a warm-up. The cadets followed Ryu Ji-ah's commands. The only PT I knew was range-of-motion exercises, so this felt pretty foreign.
Would it actually loosen us up? Who knew. After finishing the warm-up, she announced the pairings. Ryu Ji-ah watched the cadets closely, matching them up one by one.
'Just as I predicted.'
The novel's opener quickly parades the characters who'll tangle with the protagonist. Can't describe them all one by one right away, so cram 'em into one scene.
Lee Do-jun vs. Kim Sang-hyuk. The punk who torments Lee Do-jun at the Academy—not an extra, but not some major villain either.
Gong Su-ji vs. Wang Ja-hee. A clash between two heroine characters. Gong Su-ji's calm and cool-headed, while Wang Ja-hee's arrogant and trashy. Just a teaser of their spirits.
And Black Johnson Anaconda vs. Dokgo Hwaryeon. The black guy character made for NTR, ironically facing off against Dokgo Hwaryeon, the hot-blooded heroine and his ally.
Now I had to actually carry out that 1v1 spar I'd only read about in text. Honestly? Scared shitless. Just an hour ago, I was a regular guy—how the hell was I supposed to face Dokgo Hwaryeon?
'Flame spirit's gotta be hot. Super hot.'
But I wouldn't die. Black Johnson Anaconda only had defense-specialized attributes. Like an absolutely invincible shield.
Crises where protagonist Lee Do-jun might die? Black Johnson blocks them. Heroine about to get kidnapped or worse? Black Johnson saves her.
Black Johnson was the author's go-to cheat key, overused as hell. To keep the story on track in this novel world, I had to follow that script. And pull it off myself.
"Proceed in order."
Ryu Ji-ah fiddled with her system device. A blue barrier unfurled across the open-ceiling gym field. Basic safety measure.
Pairs stepped up one by one. Best way? By number order. Numbers weren't alphabetical—they were admission rankings.
First place got Class A #1, second got Class B #1, and so on. Ten classes total per grade, three hundred cadets grinding to get stronger.
Gong Su-ji and Wang Ja-hee took the field. Standing like in an arena, they drew their weapons: staff for Gong Su-ji, sword for Wang Ja-hee.
'Style changes with armament. Spirits demand it—no refusing.'
Weapons chosen based on contracted spirit's attribute and temperament. Plenty of spirits hated links, so even heroes couldn't just grab any old sword or spear.
Not everyone, though. Elite heroes picked their spirits and took control. Wang Ja-hee was one such case.
A breeze swirled around Gong Su-ji. The gentle wind lingered by her side, making its presence felt.
"Wind-attribute spirit. And I hear you've got another one?"
Wang Ja-hee oozed confidence. She layered translucent Void-attribute spirits onto her blade and smirked. One way to wield spirit power.
Top-level heroes could link with spirits. The reason heroes fought as superhumans. A raw display of spirit affinity. Embodying the spirit in your body.
Link with a spirit, and humans could unleash the full might of nature's forces. True transcendence. Actual superhumans.
"Hmph."
Gong Su-ji showed no fear against Wang Ja-hee. She rolled her eyes like it was laughable and prepared for battle.
Her water-blue hair, neatly tied up, swayed. Beneath it, her pale nape stretched straight. Her calm black eyes seemed to pierce right through her opponent.
'Seeing her in person, Gong Su-ji's hot. Right up my alley.'
Wang Ja-hee gripped her sword and assumed her stance. A smile played on her face, but she looked a tad tense. Mutual disdain. Loser would eat serious humiliation.
Whiiik—!
Ryu Ji-ah blew the whistle. Wang Ja-hee lunged. A raging gust. The wind spirit hammered her forward relentlessly.
'Wang Ja-hee loses this one.'
She wasn't perfect. Her Void spirits lacked quality and quantity, diluting the link's potency. No countering Gong Su-ji's winds.
Would've been better to manifest Void power as physical force, but she sucked at that too. Best she could do, but way short.
"...I'll crush you someday."
"You? Me?"
"You bitch."
Wang Ja-hee glared from the floor, while Gong Su-ji looked down like she was vermin. These two heroines clashed constantly.
"Next..."
Ryu Ji-ah called the next pair. Nameless extras. They gave it their all, but it didn't register with me.
I watched the heroes and their spirits battle. Pondered how to beat Dokgo Hwaryeon. Recalled the 1v1 descriptions. Memories spotty as hell.
'Who remembers the opener that clearly from way back?'
Should be doable with Black Johnson Anaconda's contracted spirits. They had perfect matchup against Dokgo Hwaryeon. If I steeled my will and awakened them, plenty possible.
'Black Johnson contracted three spirits total.'
Earth/Soil-attribute, Stone/Rock-attribute, Iron-attribute. Pure tank—that summed up Black Johnson Anaconda. He existed to block attacks.
No attack Black Johnson couldn't stop. Not even the strongest villain could break him. I trusted that power.
'Link first.'
Link-capable cadets were rare. Line between main characters and extras. One-offs couldn't touch it.
Black Johnson was crucial. Ally busting his ass to help protagonist Lee Do-jun avert world destruction. Linking? Obviously.
'Black Johnson teaches Lee Do-jun linking. Knew it from this very 1v1.'
There was a scene blocking Dokgo Hwaryeon's flames. Memory surfaced. Only possible via spirit embodiment link. So I had to pull it off.
with spirits, affinity—that was key. I awakened Black Johnson Anaconda's spirits. Tried a mental word.
Imitated the novel's descriptions exactly. Mimicking how Lee Do-jun tamed Demonis. Had to rein them in somehow.
'You guys?'
The spirits sensed my will and reacted. Three attributes manifested in my white palm. Impossible without high affinity, but Black Johnson Anaconda's body enabled it from the start.
'You're Earth/Soil, you're Stone/Rock, you're Iron.'
Ditch the names Black Johnson gave 'em. I was owner now—renaming reestablished the contracts. No big changes. They were friendly toward me.
'Feelings coming through.'
Wild. Lee Do-jun's descriptions of stuffy, sticky sensations? Got it now. Made sense.
Half-watched spars while testing stuff. Handling spirits, drawing power, even spirit possession links.
'Ready.'
Confidence surged. No doubts now. I wouldn't lose to Dokgo Hwaryeon.
"Black Johnson Anaconda and Dokgo Hwaryeon."
My name got called. Dokgo Hwaryeon had already dashed out like an arrow. I tested the link as I stepped onto the field.
"Nice to spar with you, Johnson."
"Yeah, same to you, Hwaryeon."
No real hostility. Just matched up, so we'd give it our all.
'Doesn't mean full throttle.'
In the novel, Dokgo Hwaryeon kept crossing paths with Black Johnson Anaconda. After losing here, she'd beg him to teach her linking.
Too big a gap, and she'd cling harder. So I'd tone it down from the novel and still win. That was the plan.
'All for protagonist Lee Do-jun.'
Main heroines go to him, subs to me. Black Johnson had the creds.
'Taking meat shield hits for other characters? Deserves some rewards.'
Whiiik!
Whistle blew, flames shot out. I embodied 「Earth/Soil」 into my body—linked. A slight burn. Bearable.