I closed my eyes on instinct. A few seconds passed, but nothing happened.
I thought he was going to hit me. Did he get second thoughts, maybe?
"W-What are you doing?!" I heard Ja Chungho stutter, sounding like he was having some trouble.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing that came into my view was a patch of blue, which reminded me of a certain character on a manhwa cover.
Nam Kyung was holding Ja Chungho's wrist, stopping his hand mid-swing.
It's a manhwa world. Of course, the Hero is the main character. I should've expected this.
After he recovered from the sudden shock, Ja Chungho turned to face the protagonist. "You don't even have a rank? Why don't you protect yourself first?" He seemed smug despite stuttering a few seconds ago.
Now that I'm standing next to Nam Kyung instead of sitting on the other side of the classroom I realize that his badge didn't have a letter. It was blank.
Ja Chungho tried to pull his hand away, but his expression betrayed the fact that Nam Kyung was stronger than he had anticipated. After a moment of struggling, he finally broke free.
"Isn't that Nam Kyung?" I heard one of the bystanders' whisper.
"The first place on the entrance exam?"
"He's that strong?"
"I heard he's strong enough to tear steel like paper."
I can see the flags. Ah yes, the popular main character cliché who is completely oblivious about his own popularity.
I glanced at Ja Chungho and was awed by his courage... and his stupidity.
If I messed with the person who had already surpassed a handful of S-ranks, the same person that was going to kill the demon lord or whatever, I would rather die on the spot.
Ja Chungho pointed at Nam Kyung defiantly. "So what if you're the first in the combat exam? The top Solstice student is my sister and my father is the CEO of Farrier Inc! You'll regret messing with me!"
What's a Solstice?
[Ding! Apogees are the first-year students of TREE, Solstices are the second-year students, and Equinoxes are the third-year.]
Top second-year student? Is that good?
Ja Chungho humphed, turned around, and stomped away, arrogantly.
That guy might as well be a walking flag. As long as I don't go anywhere near him, I should be safe.
"Are you alright?" Nam Kyung asked, turning to face me. Before, I could only glance at him across the classroom. Now I've gotten a better view. I found that he doesn't have a single pimple or visible pore on his face. Unlike my current face, he doesn't have baby fat. Most importantly, my height only reaches his nose.
This body is only 16, so I should have a growth spurt soon.
[Ding! Due to the Skill "Immortality," the Host will not grow or age.]
For the first time, I felt an overwhelming sense of panic and dread.
"Who is that guy? He looks so ungrateful!" No, I'm not ungrateful. I'm simply going through a calamity that would affect me not just for the rest of my life, but forever.
"I want to be in his place." I overheard a girl say.
Switch with me then! He is so perfect that I can't even look at him anymore! I'll go blind!
I reminded myself that the main characters always bring disasters with them. One day, I'm going to get killed because I was breathing the same air as him.
Then he opened his mouth. "Is there anything wro-"
"Catastrophe catnip!" I shouted as I rushed away, crawling backward.
[Ding! Title approved.]
I could hear the smirks. It seems like the crowd was amused.
Amused by what? My struggles?
I kept retreating until my back hit a wall. Or- what seemed to be a wall.
I looked up. "Did you guys enjoy your fun?" Son Tae's booming voice came down on me like a thunderstorm.
Flustered, I got up, stepped to the side, and gave my greeting. "I apologize, Mr. Son Tae."
"Son Tae? The seventh in the nation?"
"How does an F-rank know him?"
Is there a way to remove my excellent hearing? I never asked to listen to pointless whispers from a bunch of kids.
[Ding! Would the Host like to obliterate his hearing?]
No thanks, I would like to listen to stuff.
Son Tae excused himself from the crowd of students. Being two meters tall, he looked extremely awkward. I noticed Son Tae's face doesn't match any of his actions.
When He arrived on top of the stage, he coughed twice and waited for everyone to quiet down.
"During the entrance exam, all of you used the Appraisal Machine (AM) and had your Skills evaluated. You have received a badge with the mark of your highest-ranked Skill in a certain color. Red for offense Skills, blue for defense Skills, and yellow for supporting Skills" Son Tae continued, "The score for the writing section of the entrance exam will be revealed no later than this Friday."
Without further explanation, Son Tae walked off the stage. A student raised his hand to ask a question, but the "Cucoooo, cucoooo" echoed in the combat center. Without another word, Son Tae leaves the crowd, rejecting the student in cold blood.
Never mind, his face matches his personality perfectly.
After class, I planned to go explore or train myself since I had the time. If I could, maybe find a way to pay the debt back.
Of course, it wouldn't be that simple
As I turned toward the exit, I noticed a lot of people whispering to each other. Curiously, I raised my ear to listen to what they were talking about.
"Did he cheat his way into TREE with money?"
"He's the only F-rank in all the three classes."
Oh great. They were talking about me.
I've had enough gossip for the day. I thought up a plan to avoid the attention.
When I used Shadow Inventory in the hospital room, the System told me Hu Jung-Lee was outside, but she didn't notice the mana dispersing. Since Shadow Step and Shadow Inventory need the same amount of mana, I practiced Shadow Step.
The System warned me not to activate or deactivate the Art when a lot of people had their attention on me, so I decided to blend into the crowd first. After I muttered "Shadow Step," all colors lost their saturation.
The System didn't mention the side effects while using the Skill... In fact, a lot of things weren't mentioned. The System went into detail whenever it wanted to. Is the gray scale permanent?
[Ding! Side effects while using Shadow Steps are not permanent.]
I took a sigh of relief and continued to leave through the entrance. When I accidentally bumped into someone's elbow, the person grumbled about how his axe was too heavy.
I continued to squeeze between the gaps in the crowd, bumping into people either on purpose or by accident. No one noticed me and instead complained about either the wind blowing too harshly, the sun being too hot and making them feel uncomfortable, or anything that didn't involve me or another human being.
When I reached the edge of the dome, I went inside the restroom and turned Shadow Step off, in case someone noticed that I appeared out of thin air.