“Hey, over here!”
“This place feels like a fancy Daiso.”
We had just arrived at a lifestyle goods store.
Riding up the escalator, a vast store spread out before us.
Without hesitation, we began to browse the aisles.
Go Eun-bi was absolutely thrilled.
From the moment she stepped inside, her eyes sparkled nonstop.
“Guys, look at this! It’s a machine for making milk shaved ice! And here’s one for making waffles too!”
“…Weren’t we supposed to be buying things for living on our own? Why are you looking at stuff like that?”
“Because we’ll need it when we move out!”
“Ah… okay, sure…”
“There’s even a tool for making triangle kimbap! I think I’ll use this a lot!”
“…”
“Wow, they even have a ramen pot! This will definitely come in handy when I’m living alone.”
Go Eun-bi seemed ready to buy everything in the store.
I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
“Are you really going to buy all that? You’ll end up with no sponsorship money left.”
“Ugh… I know. What should I do? I’m so torn… Maybe I should just skip a meal?”
I didn’t understand why she was so conflicted.
Watching her come to her senses and rack her brain, I stuck out my tongue.
“Just buy what you really need.”
“They’re all necessary, though.”
“Yeah, just buy everything and go hungry.”
“…You’re looking at me with such pity.”
“You know me well.”
“But what am I supposed to do when I’m stuck? Haneul, tell me the answer! If you had to choose just one, what should I get?”
“Hmm? Let me think…”
“Haneul, don’t overthink it. These aren’t things we absolutely need.”
“That’s harsh.”
“I think I’d buy the waffle maker or the ramen pot. The shaved ice machine is seasonal and probably won’t get used much, and you can make triangle kimbap without special tools. But the waffle maker or ramen pot can probably be used in a bunch of ways beyond just waffles and ramen.”
“…That’s a very practical answer. You really are full of life skills, Haneul. By the way, what else can you make with a waffle maker besides waffles?”
“You can make scorched rice or mung bean pancakes with it. They’re easy and taste really good. I think I should get one too.”
Go Eun-bi looked amazed, as if she had been enlightened.
Ignoring that, Yeon-ha-neul dropped the waffle maker into the basket hanging from her arm.
I took the basket for her.
“Here, let me carry it.”
“Oh, it’s okay…”
“Then pick out my living essentials for me. You’re good at choosing.”
“Hmm… okay, I’ll pick for you.”
“Wow… Do-gyeon-woo, you’re sweet.”
“So Eun-bi, you’re not going to buy that? The waffle maker looks useful.”
“Don’t you think you’re saying something totally different than before?”
“No one else here is picking anything else, right? Let’s move to another section.”
“Wow, you just ignored me. Anyway, I’m going to grab one too. And let’s go look at electronics! There’s something I want to buy.”
“Why there?”
“I want to buy a projector.”
“…What for?”
“I’ll use it to watch anime or play games when I’m bored.”
“Ah… okay…”
Go Eun-bi spends money like water.
I made a mental note of a side of her that hadn’t shown up in games before.
“Just so you know, I’m buying this with my saved allowance, not sponsorship money.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Haneul, Lisa! Let’s have anime parties together in the dorm from now on!”
She dropped a projector into the basket.
Then we followed Yeon-ha-neul’s lead to the cleaning supplies corner.
“We absolutely have to get this and this… Oh, and this too.”
“Haneul, don’t you need magic sponges?”
“Are sponges there? Then Eun-bi, can you grab one for us each?”
“What’s a magic sponge?”
Lisa asked while putting cleaning supplies in the basket, rubbing the sponge Eun-bi brought.
“You wet this and use it to scrub. It cleans even stubborn grime well. Very handy for kitchen and bathroom cleaning.”
“…That’s impressive. It looks like just a simple sponge from the outside…”
“Lisa, put this in too.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a toilet cleaner. Way easier to use than a toilet brush.”
“Ah… I guess I have to start cleaning the toilet now…”
Lisa took the toilet cleaner, gripping the handle with a very gloomy expression.
She was unfamiliar with doing chores after always having been waited on.
“Do you think I can do it well…?”
“You learn one step at a time. Even if you think you’re bad at it now, living on your own will help you get better.”
“Haneul, can I ask you for advice if I don’t know something while living alone?”
“Sure, I’m fine with that. Don’t hesitate, just ask anytime.”
“Then I’ll treat you as my mentor.”
“…Alright then. I look forward to your guidance, Mentor Haneul.”
“Really… Do-gyeon-woo, don’t joke around so much.”
Yeon-ha-neul pinched my side while holding baskets in both hands, catching me off guard.
I subtly stepped away.
A little while later.
After finishing up in the cleaning section, we went to check out another corner.
At the doll section, the triplets were there.
“What are you guys doing here?”
“We’re looking for a doll to keep on our beds and hug when we sleep.”
“We want to buy one to commemorate coming to Academy City.”
“We’re still deciding which one to get.”
The triplets were determined to buy a doll.
Their serious eyes when choosing dolls were unusual, even compared to their usual training.
But they weren’t the only ones with intense eyes.
“…”
‘…What’s with them?’
Go Eun-bi, Lisa, Yeon-ha-neul.
They had the same sharp, hawk-like gaze at the doll section.
It was clear they intended to buy dolls as well.
Seeing everyone act like that made me feel out of place.
‘…This is going to take a while.’
I was right.
Everyone except me got absorbed in picking out a single doll.
“That Shiba Inu is cute. But I already have a Welsh Corgi doll in my room… Would they get along?”
Do dolls fight with each other?
They’re not real dogs.
I looked away from Go Eun-bi.
“Wow… This is a Golduck doll that’s only sold in Academy City. So cute.”
Lisa was staring at a yellow duck doll holding her head with both hands.
The doll had big eyes, but the pupils were oddly small.
It looked dumb, but the more you looked, the more charming it became.
Also, it had three strands of hair sticking out on its head.
I thought the same in my previous life—maybe Golduck is balding?
‘If it evolves into Poliwrath, it would be completely bald.’
Maybe it gave up its hair in exchange for intelligence.
You have to pay an equivalent price to gain something—basic alchemy principles.
Even Golduck and Poliwrath follow this law of equivalent exchange.
After some thought, Lisa seemed set on buying the duck doll.
She hugged it tightly.
Nearby, Yeon-ha-neul was examining a variety of rabbit dolls.
“Haneul, are you going to get one too?”
“Yeah, everyone seems to be buying a commemorative one, so I want one too. How about this?”
Yeon-ha-neul pulled a rabbit doll from the shelf at eye level.
She showed it to me.
It was a strange-looking rabbit doll, with a carrot sword in its mouth and wearing black sunglasses.
“That looks weird.”
“Don’t you think it looks like you?”
“This? It doesn’t look like me at all! Do I look like this?”
“I think it does… Yeah, now that I see it, you do look alike.”
Yeon-ha-neul nodded, holding the rabbit doll next to my face.
I was at a loss.
“Okay, I’ll pick this one. Do-gyeon-woo, aren’t you getting one?”
“I don’t sleep hugging dolls.”
“But still. It’d give the room a nice atmosphere, right? You’ve been choosing only functional, necessary things so far.”
“I’m not interested in decorating my room…”
“That won’t do. Let’s buy one now. I’ll pay for it.”
“Since when are you suddenly acting like a big sister?”
“Come on, just pick one. Or more if you want. I have enough allowance saved up to buy.”
“Use that money for something you need. But since you insist, maybe I’ll pick one.”
A doll…
In both my previous life and this one, I’d never bought a doll for myself before, so I hesitated.
Though I was grateful Yeon-ha-neul wanted to buy me one, I honestly didn’t care much for dolls.
Then, suddenly, one doll caught my eye.
“I’ll take this one.”
“The one next to the doll I picked? You didn’t just pick it randomly, right?”
“I looked at other dolls too, but this one caught my eye the most.”
“You really like rabbits.”
“Because it’s just like you.”
“Huh?”
It was a rabbit doll with a petal hairpin on its head.
Like Yeon-ha-neul did just now, I held the doll next to her face.
“Yeah, you really do look alike.”
“…Do I look like this?”
“In my eyes, yes.”
Yeon-ha-neul glared at my doll, then glanced at the doll she had said looked like her.
Quietly, she murmured,
“They make a perfect pair.”
The long, long shopping trip finally came to an end.
By the time we left the lifestyle store, evening had settled in.
Hungry from all the shopping, we decided to have dinner.
I took them to a place that Do Si-eun had recommended before.
“There are places like this in these alleys too? I guess only people living in Academy City know about this hidden gem.”
“The omelet rice sauce is really delicious. Just my taste. And it looks nice too…”
“Si-eun noona really has picky taste, so she knows all the hidden gems.”
“I thought you were going to bring us to a gukbap joint. Glad to know there are decent places like this too.”
It was a restaurant known for its signature omelet rice, and it also served excellent pasta.
Go Eun-bi, Lisa, and Yeon-ha-neul, who were seated at the same table as me, all gave the food high praise.
Off to one side, the triplets were at a separate table, eating with gusto.
“Do-gyeon-woo said he’s paying, right?”
“The food’s so good—let’s order more!”
“They’ve got fries too. Should we get some?”
Unlike us, who were savoring every bite…
The triplets were dead set on clearing every plate as fast as they could.
‘…If they eat until they burst, that’s not on me.’
I clicked my tongue as I glanced sideways at them.
Since we had so many bags, I figured we’d take a taxi back. As for the triplets, maybe I’d let them walk to help digest their food—and get in a bit of training while they’re at it.
With that thought, I cut into my omelet rice.
And that’s when Go Eun-bi brought up a new topic.
“By the way, did you hear? I heard this back at the dorm—apparently, the Disciple of Master Tu-gwi is enrolling this year. As a special case.”
She was talking about Kang Han-byeol, the protagonist of the game Brave Hearts.
True to her reputation for digging up urban legends, gossip, and info from the game, she had caught wind of it right away.
I quietly listened in.
“A special admission? I heard he didn’t even take the entrance exam. So he’s just… getting in?”
“I don’t know the details, but people are saying there might’ve been some kind of arrangement between Master Tu-gwi and the principal. And apparently, the disciple even met with the principal today. Up until now, no one knew who Tu-gwi’s disciple really was, but if he ends up in our year, we might actually get to see him.”
“This was when I was a child, but the Grace Empire received a great deal of help from Master Tu-gwi. I personally benefited too. If his disciple is joining us as a classmate… I would very much like to meet him.”
Brave Hearts.
If Kang Han-byeol had gone to meet So Hye-yul, then the game’s storyline had just begun.
‘Or maybe we’re still in the tutorial.’
After losing his family in a tragic accident and falling into despair, Kang Han-byeol meets Seo Jeong-jin, the legendary Tu-gwi. Through him, Han-byeol gains a new lease on life. His journey from Mount Taebaek to the Academy City served as the game’s prologue.
Gaining So Hye-yul’s approval for admission was essentially the playable tutorial before the main game truly began.
‘He’s probably clearing a gate right now to prove himself.’
In the tutorial, the player learns the basics—how to move, how to fight, how to pick up loot.
It was just a tutorial, so the difficulty was low.
Almost no one died in it, especially not Kang Han-byeol.
His stats alone made that clear.
He’d finish So Hye-yul’s test without issue.
I wasn’t particularly worried.
“Yeah, I want to meet him too.”
The day we’d meet the protagonist wasn’t far off.
And I was looking forward to it.
Gray Gate — Hobgoblin’s Lair
Damp and humid, the cave reeked of rot.
Kang Han-byeol had been summoned there, and per the Gate’s instructions, he now had to clear it.
There were three objectives.
Along the way, he would face multiple attacks from 1-rank goblins and 2-rank hobgoblins.
At the end, he had to defeat the 2-rank boss monster: the Hobgoblin Chieftain deep within the lair.
Kiirruk…
“…Whew.”
There were no delays in the operation.
Kang Han-byeol didn’t panic. He took advantage of the cave’s narrow layout to eliminate the monsters efficiently.
And finally, he brought down the boss monster.
The creature’s pressure had been overwhelming, but he managed to defeat it nonetheless.
Just then—
[Gate Cleared]
The notification appeared before his eyes as particles of light gathered and condensed.
The light formed a Gate Key, which landed gently in Han-byeol’s palm.
He held up the now-transparent key handle and showed it to Oh Seung-ah.
“So this is it, right? That was my first gate. Pretty fascinating—and fun, actually. Here’s the key.”
“…There’s no need to test your skills further. I’ll report to the principal.”
She hadn’t expected him to clear the gate.
Most first-years couldn’t handle a solo clear of even a gray-ranked gate.
Especially not on their first attempt.
So Oh Seung-ah had only planned to get a rough assessment of his abilities.
If it looked like he couldn’t manage, she had been ready to step in.
But that never became necessary.
He’d only used the potions she’d given him beforehand.
‘He’s more than capable of competing with the incoming noble families. I guess being Tu-gwi’s disciple means something after all.’
Oh Seung-ah accepted the gate key.
With that level of skill, even the board members who had opposed his special admission would have no choice but to accept.
He had passed.
After exiting the gate, So Hye-yul reviewed the report and came to the same conclusion.
“Congratulations on your admission to Geumgang Academy, Kang Han-byeol.”
Meanwhile, a hidden status window updated with a new message.
[You have acquired a skill.]
[Grit Lv 1]
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