Rankings, huh.
Honestly, it wasn’t completely unexpected. Even though this world was going off the rails like some chaotic mix of fantasy and magical girl nonsense, at its core it was still a web novel. So he figured rankings would show up at least once eventually. But…
He didn’t think it’d be an officially pushed setting.
Coughing as he wiped the water he’d spat out with the back of his hand, Sihyeon scanned his surroundings with blurred eyes. Unfortunately, he seemed to be the only one who found the word “ranking” strange.
Sparkling eyes. The students stared at Kang Donghyeok’s back as he stepped forward, their gazes filled with admiration, envy, and a hint of jealousy, all directed at his unimpressive figure. Sihyeon was the only one looking at him with blatant disdain.
Well, maybe Jung Dawoon too.
Sihyeon recalled how Dawoon, unlike the others, had reacted normally to cringeworthy elements like the Four Heavenly Kings, and watched Donghyeok step forward. When their eyes met, Kang Donghyeok tilted his chin up arrogantly. His puffed-up shoulders looked like they might pierce the sky.
Then, at the next announcement, a female student called as Rank 9 walked forward. As applause broke out across the field, Sihyeon felt like he might vomit from secondhand embarrassment. Goosebumps prickled across his entire body. More importantly, the real problem was…
He was going to be in that ranking.
He was in Class A—one of only eight students. If someone like him wasn’t in the rankings, that would be suspicious. Growing anxious, Sihyeon fiddled with his fingertips. If that mouth calling out ranks said his name along with a number… he might become the first person in the world to die of embarrassment.
It was humiliating. Pathetic.
This would easily rank at the top of the embarrassment he’d felt since transmigrating. As he covered his face, Haeun—who had been standing behind—trotted forward. He had been called as Rank 8. And if a Buffer like Haeun was Rank 8…
“Rank 7, Kang Sihyeon!”
Damn it.
His name was called after all. With everyone’s eyes on him, he had no choice but to step forward and stand beside Haeun. For a moment, he wanted to insist that he wasn’t Kang Sihyeon but Yoo Sihyeon, but he bit his lip instead. If he said that, he’d definitely be treated like a lunatic. Besides, whether Yoo Sihyeon or Kang Sihyeon, he was the one who used a Barrier to raise his score. There was no one else to blame.
His steps dragged as if he were walking to the execution platform. Making it painfully obvious he didn’t want to go, he trudged forward. The moment he did, Haeun waved energetically at him.
Haeun beamed. And the brighter that smile became, the darker Sihyeon’s expression grew.
If he’d known this would happen, he should’ve just made up an excuse about being sick and not even gotten the Healer class engraving. He was going to stay at school anyway—it’s not like he’d die. Why did he bother trying for it? He should’ve ignored how others saw him and just committed to the weak, fragile concept.
He felt like he could’ve handled being ostracized by jealous students. Though… if Awakened kids led the bullying, would it really be the same?
Useless thoughts drifted through his mind, regrets born from things already done.
I want to drop out.
A sincere wish that arose just two days after enrollment.
“Lucky seven.”
“You must be pretty lucky, Sihyeon!”
As soon as he stood next to Haeun, the boy leaned in and whispered. Ignoring the overly familiar tone of someone he barely knew, Sihyeon stared at the ninety or so students in front of him. There were a lot. It was his first time facing so many people head-on. Maybe that’s why his stomach churned again, and he clung once more to his grand dream of dropping out.
“Rank 6, Baek Geonwoo!”
At the call of his name, Geonwoo walked toward Sihyeon with an unchanged poker face. His long legs carried him forward in smooth strides—it looked like he was doing a model walk.
Glance. Geonwoo’s gaze flicked toward Haeun. Haeun lightly waved his hand as if fluttering, then placed it on Sihyeon’s shoulder. Seeing that, Geonwoo shifted his gaze to Sihyeon.
Smack—Sihyeon knocked Haeun’s hand away. Watching silently, Geonwoo slowly opened his mouth.
“Hi.”
“……”
At the sudden greeting, Sihyeon—who had been frowning at Haeun—froze. For a moment, he wondered if he’d imagined it. When he turned his head, their eyes met. That eye contact told him it hadn’t been a hallucination. An odd feeling swelled beneath his feet.
Before, he hadn’t said a single word. But today, what was with him—offering water and even greeting first? It felt both welcome and unwelcome at the same time. Trying not to get drawn in by the face staring straight at him, Sihyeon furrowed his brows. The blue-haired boy wore an indifferent expression. It was hard to read his intentions.
What is he thinking?
The question rose, and Sihyeon unconsciously pressed his lips together. The one who answered that unspoken confusion was the innocent boy beside him.
“I think he considers you a friend!”
“What?”
The incredulous response slipped out automatically. As Sihyeon made a dumbfounded expression, Dawoon—who had been called as Rank 5 and was walking over—heard Haeun and looked at Sihyeon with a strange expression.
Their eyes met. Sihyeon’s lips parted slightly. Click—Dawoon clicked her tongue, shook her head, and then turned to greet Jihye, who had been called as Rank 4. Seeing her turn away made him want to explain for no reason. He didn’t know what it was, but she was definitely misunderstanding something.
“What do you mean?”
Tearing his gaze away from Dawoon, he asked. Haeun shrugged and once again placed a hand on Sihyeon’s shoulder. Smack—Sihyeon quickly knocked it away. Judging by how he tried to sneak it back again, Kang Haeun seemed incapable of learning.
“I mean exactly what I said. You’re close with Seowoo, you’re friendly with me, and even Hamin’s interested in you—so Geonwoo probably thought of you as a friend.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Every bit of it was news to him.
And why would anyone decide friendships like that in the first place?
He couldn’t deny that Yoo Seowoo had stuck close to him, but strictly speaking, it had been completely one-sided. What was he supposed to do when one of the Four Heavenly Kings randomly latched onto him like a lunatic?
From Sihyeon’s perspective—having done everything he could to shake off Seowoo—it was completely unfair to hear Haeun talk as if they were close. The same went for Lee Hamin.
But more unfair than that was the claim that he and Haeun were close, when there was neither evidence nor even suspicion to support it.
“We’re not close.”
“You and me?”
“Yeah.”
“I like you, though.”
“I don’t like you.”
“That makes me like you even more!”
Is he insane?
He shot back immediately without leaving any gap, but instead of backing off, Haeun seemed delighted. The more he talked, the more he got dragged into Haeun’s pace. Sihyeon knew there was nothing to gain from talking to someone like this for long.
So he changed his conversation partner.
“We’re not close.”
“……”
At his words, Geonwoo fell silent. Those unreadable eyes stared at him. Sihyeon briefly considered whether it was better to deal with someone talkative and exhausting or someone silent and unsettling. In the end, he chose to end the conversation altogether.
Both options were terrible.
Kang Haeun was a cheerful lunatic, and Baek Geonwoo was a handsome man of few words.
While he was getting drained by pointless conversation with Haeun, Rank 3 was called—Yoo Seowoo—and Rank 2—Lee Hamin. As for Rank 1, it was obvious who it would be. Sihyeon’s gaze shifted to Haru, who was standing alone in the Class A line.
Hesitating awkwardly by himself, Haru came into view. Despite how ridiculous and cringeworthy all of this was, thinking that Haru was Rank 1 softened Sihyeon’s expression.
My puppy. No, my kid. No, my younger hyung is this impressive.
Back when they first formed a partner pairing, he hadn’t expected Haru to be this kind of person. But then again, Haru hadn’t expected him to be a Quadruple either, so he figured it evened out.
“Rank 1, Ban Haru!”
“Waaah—!”
Cheers erupted. As if it were his first time ever receiving applause, Haru looked around awkwardly before bowing his head and walking forward, staring at the ground. When he finally reached Sihyeon, he lifted his head—and without realizing it, Sihyeon’s lips curved upward into a pleased smile.
It felt like how an owner might feel when their puppy succeeds at a command for the first time, or how a parent feels when their child brings home their first award.
“Good job.”
As Haru passed by, Sihyeon whispered quietly. Startled, Haru flinched and turned around. For some reason, Sihyeon felt like if he lifted Haru’s hair right now, he’d see reddened ears underneath.
“Students ranked 1 through 10 will receive a Royal Badge that allows free use of the school store. Rankings may change at any time through monthly evaluations, so please continue to do your best.”
At the principal’s announcement, envious murmurs spread throughout the crowd. Whether rich or poor, Awakened or not, high school students seemed to be hungry 24/7, 365 days a year.
“Rank 1 will be granted a special privilege—the ability to have one wish fulfilled. Calling it a ‘wish ticket’ might make it easier to understand. Of course, only wishes approved by the faculty can be granted. Now then, Ban Haru?”
“…Y-yes?”
In front of the entire student body, Haru stuttered. Sihyeon pressed a hand to his forehead, resolving to fix that habit as soon as possible, and waited for the rest of the exchange.
“Is there a wish you’d like to make?”
“Ah… um… I don’t… don’t have one.”
What kind of nonsense is that?
Sihyeon’s brows furrowed slightly as he listened. He had expected it, but seeing Haru actually refuse the wish made it worse. The principal didn’t even try to persuade him again and simply coolly revoked the wish ticket. Feeling more regretful than the person involved, Sihyeon glanced at the dagger in Haru’s hand. At the very least, he could’ve asked for a better weapon.
It felt like watching a winning lottery ticket get flushed down the toilet.
If he was Rank 1, he would’ve immediately asked to abolish the ranking system.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Sihyeon licked his lips when the principal announced for the ranked students to return to their places. Hearing, “All ranked students, please return to your positions,” made his ears burn. Moving faster than anyone else, Sihyeon quickly returned to the Class A line. The stares that had been pouring onto him scattered. It felt like his breathing finally loosened, as if he’d undone a tight necktie.
“Students, you’ve all worked hard through this sudden Placement Test. To reward our exhausted new students, our ‘strongest high school’ has prepared a small gift. The weapons in your hands are that very gift from your teachers.”
Excuse me?
“For the next six months, you will undergo training to adapt to your abilities. Until then, the weapons assigned to you are yours to use freely—please use them well and improve your skills! It may be a modest gift, but do you like it?”
“Yes—!”
No.
Amid the excited voices, one dull response slipped in. Staring at the pink staff in his hand with a face like he’d just chewed on a bug, Sihyeon let out a hollow laugh. Who would even accept a gift like this?
Unfortunately, it seemed to be a mandatory assignment and mandatory acceptance.
While he was the only one openly displeased among the delighted students, the principal—who had been observing them—spoke again. The lively atmosphere subtly settled.
“Your official school life will begin tomorrow, in consideration of the effort you put into today’s Placement Test. Fighting Irregulars and using unfamiliar abilities must have left you with considerable fatigue. For the sake of proper class placement, this was an unavoidable decision on the school’s part, so I ask for your understanding.”
The principal briefly wore an apologetic expression before quickly smoothing it away and continuing.
“While observing, I noticed that some students utilized their abilities well, while others could only tremble in fear. It must have been frightening. I understand. However, you must remember that you are candidates to become future Mir military forces. We will face countless Irregulars, and we must protect the public. Please do not forget today’s experience—engrave it into yourselves.”
A heavy silence followed his words. Even Sihyeon found himself growing solemn in the atmosphere. As he swallowed, the principal offered a gentle smile, as if easing the tension.
“This concludes today’s schedule. Please follow your dorm supervisor to the dormitories, unpack your belongings, and take ample rest to recover from today’s exertion. Meals can be taken freely at the dining hall across from the dorms. Once again, I sincerely welcome you all to our strongest high school!”
“Waaah—!”
Like offering a carrot after the stick, the principal gave them sweet rest after pushing them hard, and cheers erupted. Since Sihyeon was both physically tired and mentally drained, it was welcome news. Letting out a languid breath, he watched as the dorm supervisor appeared and began guiding the students.
Students gathered in small groups and moved toward the dorms. Watching them quietly, the principal turned his gaze to the remaining teachers nearby. Their eyes met, and they nodded.
As if it were a signal, all the teachers began to move.
Dozens of footsteps headed toward the conference room. Click—the door opened, then closed.
Inside, a meeting began—one centered on the unprecedented Quadruple.
