Chapter 16
“Ah, shit. Looking at it again, I’m totally screwed, aren’t I?”
“At this point, isn’t it the computer’s fault?”
Earlier, he was too shocked and busy looking at his own screen to notice, but now he saw that the place was packed with students trying to register for courses. Since this PC room was near the university, it was naturally filled with both students living in rentals and dormitories. Hearing negative comments from all around, Ji-won wondered if there was really some bad energy flowing through this place.
“Where did Cha Hyun-ju go?”
“She went to the counter to pay by card.”
As Ji-won was slowly getting up and organizing his things, he quickly flipped his cap on hearing a familiar classmate’s name nearby. He didn’t want to run into anyone looking like this.
After hurriedly leaving the PC room, instead of going straight home, Ji-won stopped by a large supermarket a little distance away. Since he was out for the first time in a while, he bought plenty of ramen, bottled water, and snacks to keep at home, requested delivery, and then headed straight home.
A little way off, he spotted a man walking with his cap pulled down, hands shoved in his pockets. He didn’t seem drunk or looking at his phone, but the way he was striding with his tall figure suggested he wasn’t watching where he was going at all. Feeling like they might collide, Ji-won moved his feet slightly to the side first.
Just when he thought they had barely brushed past each other, the man suddenly stopped. Did he drop something? His phone was still in his pocket… They hadn’t bumped into each other. Somehow feeling like the man was staring at him from behind, Ji-won pretended not to notice and walked as fast as possible. He wanted to avoid any unnecessary confrontation.
When he finally looked back after walking much further, fortunately, no one was there. That feeling of being watched must have been his imagination. With his mind at ease, Ji-won arrived home with light steps.
He immediately turned on the game and accessed his YouTube channel for the first time in a while. It had been a long time since he had stopped uploading videos, busy just playing the game with HolyKnightKnight. There were no new bosses to challenge, and he had already uploaded all the tips for newbies. He suddenly felt that Jung-hoon, who consistently broadcasted, was amazing. He must have had a hard time coming up with content.
After emptying his mind and watching various recommended videos, he felt a bit better and uploaded a new post on Instagram for the first time in a while. He attached a photo of his uniquely shaped schedule that had just been completed today, though it wasn’t planned that way.
[┗ You’ve gone crazy lolololololol]
[┗ Sewon University Failed Schedule Competition, let’s go]
Is there really such a competition? Sighing, Ji-won refreshed the page to check the comments appearing in real-time, then got up from his bed and sat at his desk. Nothing felt better when he was in a bad mood than just staring at his character. But even that became boring after 5 minutes, so Ji-won scanned the list of connected guild members and immediately sent a whisper.
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: Sasa-nim, want to go to a dungeon?]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: I think I’ll focus on hunting for a while..]
He had always gone with them to fill the daily entry limit for lower dungeons and focus on item farming, as that was what the guild members had taught as the proper attitude for a newbie, so he naturally expected the same today. Come to think of it, they were at a hunting ground when he logged in earlier, and they’re still there.
Well, it’s better to focus on hunting for a long time… With a feeling that they probably wouldn’t be in personal contact for a while, Ji-won added a comment.
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: Good luck with hunting haha]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: Ah]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: Did your course registration go well?]
Come to think of it, he had said he was going to register for courses and then left right away. Grateful that they asked first, even though he had left without proper explanation or help, Ji-won immediately replied.
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: No lolol it was a disaster]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: Ah..]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: It seems more difficult than expected]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: Everyone seems to have trouble getting what they want]
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: If you’re just a little late, only unpopular courses remain ㅠㅠ]
If he had known it would be like this, he would have just done it comfortably at home. Remembering the nightmare-like experience, Ji-won clicked on a crying emoticon.
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: You said your course registration is next week, right?]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: Yes]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: I think mine will be plentiful]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: So I plan to do it leisurely]
How can course registration be plentiful? To get good times and good lectures, you have to hold your mouse and tremble with tension for quite a while. He had a moment of doubt, but there could be differences between schools, so it might not be difficult for them. Just looking at his friends from other universities, they had course baskets, mileage systems, and various other things. Plus, they were a freshman.
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: Sasa-nim, get everything you want including my share]
[Hando>>HolyKnightKnight: If you succeed, you can brag about it]
[HolyKnightKnight>>Hando: lololol okay]
After that, the conversation ended, and Ji-won left without hesitation to find other guild members to go to dungeons with.
* * *
[Watermelon Doctor: Sigh,, my schedule is totally ruined]
[Watermelon Doctor: Being a junior is killing me]
[Ddaji: That’s why I told you to go to the military this year lololol]
As the start of the semester approached, real-life talk became more frequent among guild members. Although the dates varied slightly between schools, they were all similar, so everyone seemed to start and end their days begging for the vacation not to end.
Today too, Watermelon Doctor was spewing words full of despair from the morning. Just as Ji-won was about to add a comment, Watermelon Doctor beat him to it with a question.
[Watermelon Doctor: Guild Master, didn’t you already do your course registration?]
[Watermelon Doctor: Did it go well?]
[Hando: Haha they say regular wake-up times keep your body healthy]
[Ddaji: Stop crying and tell us..]
Ddaji’s character made a shoulder-patting motion as if understanding without being told, and Ji-won responded with a hugging motion. After this small exchange of comfort, Ji-won saw Watermelon Doctor asking if our baby did well with course registration yesterday. Ji-won had already heard about this.
[HolyKnightKnight: I registered for what I wanted]
[Watermelon Doctor: Wow ㅠ I’m so jealous]
[Watermelon Doctor: Want to switch with me?? I have first period from Monday ㅠ]
[HolyKnightKnight: lololol should we?]
It was quite heartwarming to see the freshman dealing with a junior’s whining. Ddaji advised not to even joke about switching with Monday’s first period, but HolyKnightKnight just kept laughing. They seemed much stiffer at first, but these days the letter ‘ㅋ’ appeared frequently above their character.
[Ddaji: I’m taking another leave of absence this year lol]
[Chelling: What, again???]
[Ppojjo: Ddaji-leave]
[Ppojjo: Ddaji is taking another leave]
[Ddaji: This is how life turned out~ㅎ]
[Ddaji: When everyone is busy with real life!! Someone has to guard the guild, right?]
[Watermelon Doctor: Maybe you should guard your real life first??]
Ddaji, the student on leave who was logged in all day except during part-time job hours, apparently wasn’t going to return to school this year either. At least I won’t be lonely after the semester starts, with guild members like this on standby…
[Chelling: Anyway, we all gather in the evening again anyway ㅋㅅㅋ]
[Ppojjo: It’s just that we’ll have less time for fooling around…..?]
[Watermelon Doctor: hahahaha]
Well, it’s not like everyone is on vacation every day, and these are people who have managed well while living their real lives. The end of vacation wasn’t that surprising. Based on past experience, even after the semester started, only the login time would decrease, without much else changing.
The guild members talking now would probably all log in around the evening similarly… Ah.
[Hando: Sasa-nim, you’ll log in less frequently after the semester starts, right?]
[HolyKnightKnight: Yes, probably]
As a freshman, they would naturally have various events and be busy building networks, so it was only natural that they would neglect the game even more. They would also take many courses, so they would be doubly busy.
It was a shame that they could have reached max level if the vacation had lasted just two more weeks, but actually, it wasn’t even their account, so there was no reason for Ji-won to feel regretful. Being busy, finding it more fun to hang out with friends at university, studying—for various reasons, game logins might become sporadic or even stop completely, and there would be nothing to say. In fact, if he exaggerated, there would be a truckload of guild members who had left like that until now.
[Hando: Good luck with university life lol]
[HolyKnightKnight: Yes, thank you]
After this warm conversation, the day of the new semester arrived, with everyone barely meeting each other as they were busy with leveling up and running dungeons.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
