Chapter 4
Chapter 4 - Transcendent Academy (1)
Someone said that.
Life is a comedy seen from a distance, and a tragedy seen from close up.
So, in order to truly smile, you have to be able to endure pain, and furthermore, you have to be able to see far away.
So I endured it.
In a world where there is no one to rely on, even though it was hard and the body was hard, I endured it and endured it again.
Also looked away. It was a daily life that rolled like a treadmill without any hope, but I didn't see it.
Instead, he saw a future in which he would one day enter the Hunter Academy, pass the pro hunter test, and be active as a hunter.
I endured and looked at it for 9 years like that.
and approaching reality.
“The nerve in the leg was necrotic. As the bone breaks and regenerates, it seems to get tangled towards the nerve. Since he is an Awakener, his recovery is fast...”
Someone said that.
Life is a comedy seen from a distance, and a tragedy seen from close up.
Literally, the coming comedy was far away and the tragedy to be faced was so close.
It was only now that Seo-joon was able to realize the true meaning of those words.
“If I were a normal person, I could have been unable to use my legs for the rest of my life, but… Rather, as an awakened person, if I had surgery, there would be no problem.”
The doctor smiled as if he was very fortunate, but Seo-joon wanted to tear the doctor's mouth open if he could.
The cost of the operation is 40 million won.
Everything about Seo-joon that Seo-joon has collected over the past 9 years, patiently enduring the near tragedies.
Seo-joon, a doctor who could easily say something that would destroy everything in an instant, was so mean.
I went to the foreman and complained. Since it was an injury caused by an accident while working, please support the treatment cost.
However, the head of the work team, Kim Tae-soo, kicked Seo-joon out with resentment.
Wouldn't it have been better if you had gone to the hospital right away?
I went to the hospital and gave him money to treat me well, but you didn't go, so why are you arguing with me now?
Seojun objected. It was only one day. Not a month wasted, but only one day.
It was a fact that the surgery had been decided the moment the accident occurred in the first place.
However, Kim Tae-soo was reckless.
The people he worked with looked at Kim Tae-soo and turned away from Seo-jun, and only Man-cheol shouted like Seo-jun, but to no avail.
The world did not listen to the cries of Seo-jun and Man-cheol.
“If it is too late, the nerves and bones become stuck and there is no turning back. You need to have surgery soon.”
eventually underwent surgery.
That's how Seo-joon lost nine years of time.
“Sea Pearl. Good things should flow to people like you. The world is really… fucking going around.”
Mancheol slumped down on a chair provided in the hospital room. The sound he spat out as he sat down was loud, but since it was a single room, the only person listening was Seo-joon lying on the bed.
“Kim Tae-soo, you bastard. Are you shutting your mouth for the cost of a single room? and Sea Pearl. If you're going to do it, do it until the end or what's only one week?”
Sea Pearl. The more Mancheol thought about it, the more he cursed at him.
Man-cheol looked at Seo-joon lying on the bed after flirting several times.
A bandage wrapped around the leg along with the patient's gown.
And Seo-joon's eyes are empty somewhere.
It must be because it was right after the major surgery, so Mancheol decided to think that way.
Mancheol took out a small envelope from his pocket. And he indifferently pushed it out to Seo-joon who was lying down.
“What's this?”
“What is this envelope?”
Seo-joon gently opened the envelope.
Then a bunch of money in it. Surprised, Seo-jun returned the envelope to Man-cheol.
“No sir. You're having a hard time too... More than anything, you have to send Soo-yeon to college.”
Mancheol had a daughter who was just graduating from high school. Man-cheol is raising his daughter alone, leaving behind his wife, who died 10 years ago.
Just as Man-cheol knew Seo-jun's situation well, Seo-jun also knew Man-cheol's circumstances well, so Seo-jun could not bear to accept this envelope.
“Take it.”
However, Mancheol did not return the envelope.
After a scuffle continued, Seo-joon was able to get his hands on the envelope only after hearing the threat that he would never see him again if he didn't accept it.
“...thank you. mister.”
“Thanks Seapearl.”
Manchul raised his voice slightly and said.
“If you’re thankful, brush up and get up dude. like nothing. You just have to collect them again.”
“yes. Sure. I'm fine. The surgery went well, and you can do it again as you said.”
Seojun had a smile on his face.
‘young. Even if I complain about it being difficult, no one can say
anything about it...' Mancheol had a lot to say, but stopped.
“Yeah, you would be fine. Whoa... I'm leaving. take good care of yourself Stop by often.”
“yes. Uncle, be careful.”
When Mancheol left, an empty silence settled in the hospital room.
I didn't know when the season was full, but as I stood in the silence, endless thoughts kept coming.
It was 9 years.
The time I lived far away with just the thought of becoming a professional hunter.
The time when I lost my parents in an accident and lived alone.
Seo-joon's family was not very well-to-do. In fact, most people's families are not wealthy, so they live with debt in the name of loans.
Seo-jun's family had only a little more debt than others. And the young Seo-joon just didn't know that.
That was the only sin that Seo-joon had committed throughout his life.
A sin you didn't know about.
It was when Seo-jun graduated from high school and turned 20 that he knew that.
It was then that Seo-joon first learned about debt collection and took on all of his parents' debts.
He appealed to the court, but to no avail.
There was ample time for giving up inheritance and granting limited approval.
The court's ruling was that those who sleep on rights are not entitled to enjoy rights.
It was unfair and helpless, but Seo-joon did not sit down.
The self who was a natural awakener. He had a stronger body and youth than others, so he could rise again at any time.
Life is a comedy seen from a distance, and a tragedy seen from close up.
That's how I worked to transport monster corpses, paying off my debts, and collecting money step by step.
And now. Nine years have passed and Seo-jun is lying in the hospital room.
“are you okay. You can do it again. Fortunately, your body is fine. Start over again...”
Can I?
Seojun stopped thinking and threw a question mark.
when do you start over? It still took 9 years. Seo-joon's age is 36 even if we count at least 9 years into the future.
Can I really do it even then?
Last year, the competition rate for the pro hunter test was 197:1.
If it goes higher in the future, it will increase, not decrease. As much as that, the competitors get younger and fiercer, but Seo-joon gets older and continues to be weeded out.
can i do it again
“...”
For the first time, Seo-joon couldn't answer the question.
It was then.
belt ring. belt ring. belt ring.
Suddenly, I heard a loud notification on my smartphone that a message had arrived.
Seo-joon reached out to find his smartphone on the table.
“what. Is Mancheol the old man?”
It occurred to me that maybe they were debt collectors.
After hearing the news that Seo-joon had surgery, a message urging him to receive the remaining money. Because debt collectors get such news faster than anyone else.
Seojun checked the contents of the message.
However, the contents were far from Seo-jun's expectations.
< The past of transcendentalists is always pitiful! >
< A very special price discount event for beginners! >
< If you sign up now, you will receive a free pass voucher! >
“What am I saying again?”
Seo-joon turned off his smartphone, feeling that his Mac was draining all the time.
But that's for a while.
“A price discount and a free pass?”
Seo-joon could not hold back his curiosity and turned on his smartphone again.
And I accessed the link that came with the message.
Then, I saw the transcendent academy site that I saw last time and tried to find later, but couldn't find.
A pop-up window pops up at the same time.
< We are measuring the user's appropriate membership subscription fee by calculating the causal rate... >
.
.
.
< Current membership registration fee: 3,000,000 ? >
(Please note that tuition after membership registration may vary depending on the member's situation and causal rate.)
3 million won?
“Didn’t the day before yesterday say that it was 40 million won?”
And that 40 million won is now all gone.
no way?
Seo-joon checked the envelope Man-cheol had given him. One, two... It was exactly 3 million won.
“How...? Are you asking for everything I have?”
Looking at it like this, it was like that with 40 million won.
For some people, 40 million won might be a small amount of money, but to Seo-joon, 40 million won was everything Seo-joon dreamed of.
“...”
For some reason, Seo-jun could find himself hesitating. yourself thinking about something.
“Should I just sign up?”
Seojun eventually decided to try signing up as a member. I still had the idea that it was a fraudulent advertisement, but it was because I had a bit of curiosity and just in case.
Above all, the fact that there was no money left in the current account and there was no way to withdraw money from him immediately played a big part.
Hold on.
< Member sign-up process in progress... >
< We collect your information according to the causal rate. >
.
.
.
< Final Confirmation - Do you agree to become a member of Transcendent Academy? >
< If you agree to the final confirmation, membership registration is complete. >
“Can I not create an ID?”
Seo-joon thought about it once again, but the curiosity that came rushing in was too intense to turn back now.
Hold on.
That was the moment I pressed the sign up button.
Cheer up!
Suddenly, a loud sound came from the envelope Mancheol had given him.
Seo-jun checked the inside of the envelope, wanting something.
“uh? The money in the envelope...?”
For some reason, the 3 million won that was in it just a moment ago was not there.
“What is going on with this...”
< Welcome to becoming a member of Transcendent Academy! >
It was then.
Pop!
< Nice to meet you! You are Seojun Kim, right? >
“Wow! It's a surprise!”
Suddenly, a small person popped out of the smartphone screen.
A man so small that one might think that he is like a citizen of the country of dwarfs in Gulliver's Travels.
It was something translucent like that of the hologram, but his figure was definitely like that.
< Oops, did I appear too suddenly? It's been so long since I've been a human member, so I guess I was excited. Ha ha ha. >
He smiled and scratched the back of his head.
Seo-joon swallowed his bewildered feelings as much as he could and asked.
“Hey… who are you?”
Then the little man lowered his back and head like a jovial gentleman and said:
< Ah! My introduction is late. Nice to meet you! I am a mentor mentor who was in charge of Seojun Kim's early learning guidance. >