Chapter 55: Class Reunion (2)

“Xbal, why are the Elves attacking us?”

“That weird window popped up earlier! There’s a Doppelganger among us, but since they can’t find it, they’re attacking everyone.”

“Xbal, weren’t Elves supposed to be good guys?”

People who were caught up in the Gate without even knowing why chattered like that.

There had already been five battles.

The number of attacking Elves kept increasing.

First, there were five. Then ten. Then fifteen, and so on.

As the Elves increased, their ranks diversified too.

Some wielded greatswords, and some were decked out entirely in black.

It was enough to make any ordinary person feel threatened.

But instead, they felt a sense of security, or even a thrill similar to excitement.

There was only one reason.

“Wow, that’s insane. Seriously.”

“Is he even human? I heard porters are supposed to be weak?”

Without giving a single opening,

Lee Hyunbin was fighting off the attacking Elves by himself.

Even when the entire race charged at him, Lee Hyunbin continuously swept through them with skilled, lightning-fast movements.

“Xshindeul. Are you guys surprised that an internet café part-timer can cook ramen well? Of course he’s good at his job, it’s his job.”

“Then why aren’t you out there fighting? Go on, swing that sword.”

“I don’t have a weapon, you jerk!”

No one believed the delinquent. Annoyed, he scowled deeply and grabbed the collar of the classmate who was heckling him.

“You’re getting on my nerves, you know?”

“W-What, what’s wrong?”

“What do you think? Am I a joke to you?”

The delinquent’s anger flared.

The news of the sudden alumni reunion came out of nowhere.

The reason was simple.

Everyone had learned that Lee Hyunbin, the hero of the Seoul Station Earth Dragon Incident that was rocking the country, was an alumnus.

That evening, a group chat was made for the reunion.

Even in the group chat, all the talk was about Lee Hyunbin.

Some become famous in just a few months, while others remain a D-rank porter for years.

“How long has it been since graduation and you’re still acting like a delinquent?”

“You couldn’t even make eye contact with me in school, you jerk.”

The unfairness left a bitter taste.

What are those guys doing.

Sure, I’m here, but they’re fighting among themselves.

The Elves had stopped attacking. Over fifty of them had already fallen to me alone.

They probably wouldn’t attack anymore today.

Time to leave the Gate. There’s no point staying now that they’re not coming.

I leveled up Karin as planned, and it’s almost time for our meeting.

“Alright, everyone gather up. Let’s get ready to head out.”

“Did you find the Doppelganger?”

People’s faces brightened at the thought of being able to leave.

“No.”

Their faces changed again, as if that brightness never existed. This is actually kind of fun.

“I’ve thought of a way to find it. The thing about Doppelgangers is, their specialty is perfectly imitating people.”

They’re such a famous monster, everyone knows this much.

“But not only do they copy someone’s face, they can even imitate clothes and accessories down to the tiniest detail. Why do you think that is?”

The cells of a Doppelganger can transform at will. They can even mimic a person’s clothing.

In other words, it may look like clothing on the outside, but it’s actually skin tissue.

“Just pulling out a single hair is enough to check.”

“Just that…?”

“Yes, just that.”

Cells separated from the main body revert to their original form.

I’d known this from the start, but I didn’t do it on purpose.

After all, I needed to party up with Karin and raise her experience.

“Isn’t this person the Doppelganger?”

“Yeah! This person doesn’t even have any hair to pull!”

Like Moses parting the Red Sea, people backed away from the Director.

Only the Director, with his shiny head, looked around before fixing his gaze on me.

His eyes glinted with killing intent, making everyone around him tremble in fear.

“Ah, right. Director, you don’t need to pull out any hair.”

Hyunbin, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you…?

The bald Director stared at me with a wounded look. I hadn’t meant to. If you really want to pull something, maybe try your eyebrows.

But even after my words, people couldn’t shake off their suspicion.

With a wry smile, I spoke to my classmates.

“Don’t worry about useless stuff, just pull your own hair.”

Mind your own business.

“Why can’t you pull any?”

Let’s not bully the poor bald guy.

For a moment, silence fell.

Then my classmates, their true colors revealed, bared their nails and lunged at me.

“You guys…”

Good to see you, friends!

In the end, most of the people who entered the Gate turned out to be Doppelgangers.

Except for a few, like the delinquent and the class president.

“Kkeuup, Hyunbin… Are you doing this because I never accepted your confession…?”

She’s really sticking to her act.

The brown-haired classmate—no, the female Doppelganger—was still throwing herself at me.

If you’re going to keep up the act, at least fix that transformed face.

It’s just horrible to hear such lines from a monstrous face.

“At least be good for experience.”

“You jerk!”

-The Gate Core has been destroyed.

-You have leveled up.

-The Gate will disappear in 5 minutes.

Outside, the building was silent.

Armed soldiers guarded the Gate’s perimeter behind safety fences.

From what I could see, a few Elves had been shot and killed.

“Oh, Lee Hyunbin’s coming out!”

People, kept at a distance by the authorities, shouted when they saw me.

“Hey, Lee Hyunbin! Hey!”

“I know him! Can’t I go through? The Gate is gone now!”

The brown-haired female classmate was trying to come toward me. Doppelgangers basically absorb a person’s memories, so their behavioral patterns are similar too.

“Have fun, everyone.”

I patted the shoulder of the delinquent, who was sitting on the ground.

He probably needed a change of pants, but I decided to leave him be.

He looked pretty shaken…

But remembering the things he used to do in high school, I didn’t feel like helping him.

“S-Sorry, but…”

If you don’t want to feel sorry, don’t do things you’ll regret.

Ignoring the delinquent’s pitiful voice, I left the scene.

Sizzle, sizzle.

The pork belly on the grill made a satisfying sound as it browned deliciously.

“Finally, I can show off my grilling skills as Kim Samgyeop!”

Kim Taeyang complimented himself every time he flipped the meat at the perfect timing.

Karin, who’d eat anything as long as it was cooked well, kept popping lettuce wraps into her mouth.

“You always eat so heartily.”

“Heheh. There’s not enough meat.”

Karin’s voracious eating somehow seemed cute to him.

Kim Taeyang’s eyes must be broken.

Look at Kim Inho sitting across from me.

Seeing Karin eat seemed to make his eyes flicker with agitation, not knowing where to look.

After pouring soju into each other’s glasses, I spoke up.

“Now that I think about it, this is our first team dinner.”

“If only Seohyeonji noona was here, it’d be perfect. What a shame.”

I let out a wry smile at Kim Taeyang’s words.

“We can see Seohyeonji again when she’s free. For today, there’s something I want to say to you two Hunters.”

“Aw, Team Leader, it’s about time you spoke to us more comfortably.”

“That’s right. Please, just relax.”

“I guess formal speech is just stuck in my mouth now.”

I said that, and then asked them both,

“Why did you two become Hunters?”

Glasses clinked.

“Well, if you ask like that… I was in martial arts, you know? Wanted to see who was the strongest? And then it turned out I had Hunter talent, so I jumped into this world.”

Kim Taeyang’s answer was as simple and straightforward as ever.

“Honestly, I just needed the money.”

Kim Inho replied honestly as well.

“What about you, Team Leader?”

“My answer’s kind of a mix of yours.”

Back when I first fell into the other world, I wasn’t interested in getting stronger. But as time went by, I started to care about how strong I was.

Who would have thought that a quiet, studious guy like me would have such a competitive streak?

I knocked back my glass, gripped the soju bottle label, and refilled both their glasses.

“I’ve taught a lot of people, but you two are really good. You’ll both keep getting stronger, for sure.”

“That’s all thanks to your help, Team Leader.”

“I guess I really am something, huh.”

A few drinks in, Kim Taeyang’s face turned red and he started boasting.

I chuckled and continued.

“I’m going to get even stronger and more famous from here on out.”

Honestly, if I’d said this just a while ago, people would’ve called me a braggart. But now, the whole country knows my name.

Even outside the restaurant window, I could see people starting to lift their phones.

“We need people who’ll get stronger, and people with conviction.”

I can’t do everything alone.

I remembered what the Demon King once said to me: that I should create the Order of Knights again.

I wanted to.

But I’m still hesitating about forming the Order of Knights.

There’s a line I haven’t crossed. I didn’t cross it, and I didn’t let anyone else cross it toward me, either.

The soju went down smooth.

My Order of Knights. The people who always stayed by my side, who shared everything with me—they’re gone now.

Not because I crossed into another world.

“You two are doing your Ability enhancements every day, right?”

“Yes, just like you said, every day.”

“Every other day for me?”

“Ah, looks like Hunter Kim Taeyang here needs special management.”

“E-Every day, I’m doing it every day!”

The abilities and skills you get from Awakening are practically your lifeline.

Even Rank 1 Flame Lord earned that nickname because his Ability is fire-based, and as for me, being a porter is… well, even if there are a lot of lame nicknames, ‘Delivery Man’ is a bit much… Suddenly, I feel empty.

“But Team Leader, how did you figure out how to enhance Abilities?”

“Yeah, I thought you were joking at first.”

Modern society doesn’t really have a proper concept of status windows yet.

Civilization is more advanced here, but the Awakening System is far more developed over there.

“It’s hard to explain exactly, but I know a lot of things. And there’s much more I know as well.”

I looked at the two, their faces full of burning curiosity, and smiled slyly as I tossed them some bait.

“Want to try something different?”

“Uh, that sounds kind of dangerous for some reason.”

Maybe they were remembering their hellish training, because both of them looked instantly nervous.

I activated the Order of Knights Skill.

-Order of Knights conditions satisfied.

-Order of Knights conditions satisfied.

As expected, they were well-suited for me. Both immediately met the requirements.

“The Order of Knights System is something that links us through the System.” “Like a Party?”

“It’s similar, I suppose.”

Except I can tear apart the data of anyone affiliated with me.

I gave them a rough explanation of the advantages.

We could forcibly set growth targets, manage stats. That way, they’ll keep getting stronger.

“What are the downsides, then?”

“There are some, of course.”

Kim Taeyang looked like he expected as much. Was he worried he’d have to sell his soul or something? He looked concerned.

Hey, what kind of person do you take me for!

“Ten percent of the experience of any Hunter linked to me comes to me. And…”

“And?”

“You won’t be able to attack me.”

Kim Taeyang made a regretful face.

You little…?

“Of course, I can still attack you.”

“That’s cheating! I’m not doing it! No way!”

“I’ll do it!”

“What? Hey! You traitor!”

Kim Inho got linked to me through the System. And one second later, Kim Taeyang followed suit.

I hadn’t intended to make an Order of Knights. But from now on, I’d need people. If I wanted to draw the picture I imagined.

Smiling, I clinked glasses with the two of them.

“Let’s do well together from now on, you two.”

I think I can finally speak to them without holding back.