Chapter 22 – GOY 22

#22

“Do ​not ​let ​your ​guard ​down ​just because this ​is ​a ​mock ​training ​session. Please approach this ​with ​the same caution ​as if it ​were ​a ​real-life ​operation.”

Professor ​Choi ​spoke seriously, but ​the ​atmosphere ​among the students ​was, frankly, relaxed.

The ‘mock ​battle training’ ​was truly ​a culmination ​of the ​latest ​modern ​technology.

Training took place ​in a ​special space that realistically ​replicated gates and monsters. ​It allowed for combat ​almost identical ​to ​reality, where one could defeat enemies ​using mana and utilize ​the ​terrain.

This ​was ​the ​system the Esper ​Academy took ​the ​most pride in, ​and ​it was the training the ​students loved ​the ​most.

It was possible ​to ​adjust ​the ​terrain ​or the ​difficulty ​of the ​monsters according to the Ability User’s rank, ​and above all, ​it was safe.

Even ​if they were attacked ​by a ​monster, they would ​only ​feel a tingling ​sensation; unauthorized copythey weren’t ​actually injured. ​Thus, ​free [visit our site]from ​the ​threat of ​death, ​they could ​enjoy ​the ​combat as if ​they ​were playing ​a ​game.

Furthermore, ​professors ​and Ability Users from the Center monitored every situation and immediately halted training if any dangerous scenario occurred, meaning accidents were rare.

Following Professor Choi, an A-Class Esper from the Center proceeded with the explanation of the mock training.

It was an excellent, concise explanation, but since everyone except the freshmen already knew the content, hardly anyone was listening intently.

Once the explanation ended, Professor Choi took the microphone again.

“Finally, I will announce the groups that will be training together for this semester.”

At that moment, the auditorium fell silent.

Depending on who you were grouped with, the mock training—which should have been the most enjoyable part—could turn into hell. Naturally, everyone was tense.

Everyone held their breath and stared at the monitor screen in the center.

White letters appeared on the black screen. In that instant, the auditorium began to stir again.

Group 1

S-Class Esper Joo Seung-hyuk

S-Class Guide Lee Yeon-soo

F-Rank Guide Kim Joon

“Joo Seung-hyuk and Lee Yeon-soo are in the same group? Are those two actually dating?”

“Didn’t you see earlier? He hugged him.”

“Maybe it was just Guiding!”

“But Joo Seung-hyuk smiled!”

“Ah, then they must really be dating.”

Is hugging around the waist just Guiding, but smiling means they’re dating?

I really can’t wrap my head around the common sense of the people in this world. No, maybe the problem is just Joo Seung-hyuk’s personality.

“Isn’t Lee Yeon-soo dating Geon-woo seonbae?”

“True.”

“Isn’t that just a rumor?”

“It’s probably legit. I saw them with a lot of couple items.”

“No way. They just coordinated their outfits.”

“Eh. It didn’t look like that to me.”

There are still people who believe the rumor that I’m [unauthorized copy]dating Park Geon-woo. That rumor stolen contenthas stolen contentrefused to disappear since middle school.

Please stop. That man is the sub seme. He needs to blossom into love with Kim Joon.

Besides, Park Geon-woo didn’t like me either.

As I shook my head, other conversations began to drift over.

“Why is an F-Rank mixed in there?”

“Look at an S and an F together. The mismatch is insane.”

“This is ridiculous. So many people want to be with Joo Seung-hyuk and Lee Yeon-soo, so why is that brat in there? What’s the criteria?”

However, as the subsequent groups were announced, the students’ interest naturally shifted to who their own teammates were.

Once the final group was announced, people moved to find their respective teammates. The number of members varied by group; the more the group consisted of mid-to-low ranks, the more members it had.

For lower-rank Espers, strategic and tactical execution as a unauthorized copyteammate [Read on Read BL Novels]was considered more important than mana or specific traits.

Therefore, unlike the high-rankers, mid-to-low rank Espers trained in teams of ten or more.

However, no matter how many high-ranking Ability Users were in a group, there was no other group with only three people like ours.

“Hello, seonbae.”

As I was looking for Kim Joon, he ran toward me first.

“Hi, Joon.”

“…….”

Kim Joon’s eyes widened.

“Joon, what’s wrong?”

“Ah, no. I was just surprised that seonbae called me by my name.”

“I called you before, too.”

I had called him by name when I introduced him to Joo Seung-hyuk that day.

“Ah, I thought I misheard. I didn’t think seonbae would know my name….”

Kim Joon scratched his temple.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re quite famous.”

“Right. Because I’m F-Rank….”

“That’s not what I meant. I have high expectations for you.”

“For me?”

“Yeah. You’re special. Your matching rate is high, too. By [Read on Read BL Novels]any chance, do you dislike [visit our site]me calling you by your name?”

“Ah, no! If you keep calling me that, I’d really love—no, I mean, it would be an honor!”

Kim Joon’s eyes sparkled.

It’s only natural for a seonbae to call a hubae by their name when they’re both Guides, yet he’s this moved. It must be because he was bullied by other seonbaes….

“Being in the same group as Yeon-soo seonbae feels like a dream. This isn’t just a one-time thing, right? We’re in the same group for the whole semester, right?”

Despite having heard all the other students criticizing him, Kim Joon didn’t seem discouraged at all. That’s a relief.

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“Thank goodness. I knew it, but I was worried just in case. Now I can relax.”

Kim Joon let out a sigh of relief and smiled brightly. He looked gentle yet cute.

With a handsome face, a good build, and [Read on Read BL Novels][unauthorized copy]a cute personality, stolen contentI could understand why Joo Seung-hyuk fell for him in the original story.

“I’m so, so happy to be in the same group as seonbae.”

“I’m happy too. Let’s do our best.”

“Yes! I’ll work hard.”

When I offered a handshake, Kim Joon looked surprised and vigorously rubbed his hand against his uniform.

Just as he was about to grasp my hand with a shy smile, a sharp scream suddenly rang out.

Startled, I turned toward the sound to find Espers collapsed on the floor. It was the group that had been talking about me dating Park Geon-woo.

“Joo Seung-hyuk! What do you think you’re doing!”

Professor Jeon, the head of the Esper department, shouted, but Joo Seung-hyuk didn’t even respond as he walked toward us.

“Get your filthy hand away.”

Joo Seung-hyuk brushed away Kim Joon’s hand, which was still frozen in a handshake position, and gripped my hand tightly.

“Seung-hyuk-ah….”

“Hyung, how could you not wait a second and go around getting filthy things on you?”

Joo Seung-hyuk wiped my hand with a black handkerchief. Since Espers often get blood on them while hunting monsters, they always carried handkerchiefs.

But I’ve never seen a handkerchief that pitch-black before.

“Seung-hyuk-ah….”

What did you do to those Espers? I wanted to ask.

However, the Espers only cursed, saying, “Ah, that son of a bitch Joo Seung-hyuk!” and then calmly settled the situation and began preparing for training.

As if this were a daily occurrence.

As expected, a certified lunatic is truly different. I watched the Espers being helped up and then turned away.

Regardless, I couldn’t let this monumental day—where the main seme and main uke became a team—be ruined like this.

I tried to soothe Joo Seung-hyuk, but Kim Joon, clutching his reddened hand, retorted boldly.

“Even if you’re a seonbae, isn’t this too rude?”

‘Ooh.’

I admired him inwardly. As expected of Kim Joon.

Kim Joon had a low rank, no money, no connections, and was always pushed around by mid-to-low rank Ability Users, but he was uniquely unafraid and stood his ground against the main seme, Joo Seung-hyuk.

He never bent, even amidst confinement and violence.

While reading the novel, I [unauthorized copy]often [unauthorized copy]thought, ‘I think I’d be most [visit our site]afraid of Joo Seung-hyuk, this kid is really something.’

But seeing it in person, he seemed even more impressive. Perhaps because he’s the main uke, he has no fear.

This was a very desirable attitude.

After all, Joo Seung-hyuk had fallen for Kim Joon’s bold nature—the way he didn’t shrink even in his presence.

“The only thing that’s rude here is your skill level.”

“…….”

However, unlike in the original, Joo Seung-hyuk ruthlessly crushed the main uke’s self-esteem this time.

Kim Joon shut his mouth tight, losing his gentle yet bold charm.

“Now, now, let’s head inside. We need to go to the 1st Gate Hall.”

The main seme and main uke are about [stolen content]to fight before we’ve even [Read on Read BL Novels]started. I spoke brightly on purpose to change the mood.

As we left the central hall and walked toward the Gate Hall, I explained the mock battles to Kim Joon.

“There are five Gate Halls in total.”

“Then only five groups can train at a time?”

“Yeah. Since it’s the first day, we’ll keep it short—about 30 minutes—so every group can train. From next time, each group will have a designated time….”

Suddenly, Joo Seung-hyuk pulled me toward him and spat coldly toward Kim Joon.

“Familiarize yourself with the basic details via the guidebook.”

“…Yes, seonbae.”

Kim Joon bowed his head.

This was a scene from the original, wasn’t it?

Before the first real-life training in the second semester, when a nervous Kim Joon asked various questions, Joo Seung-hyuk had coldly told him to look at the book.

Oh, it’s a great start.

We soon arrived at the 1st Gate Hall.

The 1st Gate Hall was the largest among the five mock training grounds. Originally, it was the gate assigned to teams with many members, but we were training there despite having the minimum number of people.

To an S-Class Esper like Joo Seung-hyuk, even the 1st Gate Hall probably felt cramped.

“I’ll be receiving Guiding from hyung today.”

Joo Seung-hyuk gripped my hand tightly.

Although we had continued to have relations after the first night, we had never done Guiding.

“You’ll be disappointed.”

“Why would I be disappointed?”

“Rank isn’t everything. There’s also the matching rate.”

“You’re worrying over nothing.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist. I glanced at Kim Joon and carefully pushed Joo Seung-hyuk’s body away.

“This is group training.”

“Indeed. I wonder why some unwelcome guest intruded?”

Joo Seung-hyuk was overtly hostile toward Kim Joon. But Kim Joon was not to be trifled with.

“Yeon-soo seonbae seems uncomfortable, so please stop.”

“What?”

“Can’t you see that seonbae dislikes it?”

Our main uke is as sharp and fearless as described in the original. And completely oblivious when it comes to the main seme…. Truly a ‘clueless uke.’

It’s good that he noticed I was uncomfortable, but I can’t believe he said it so bluntly.

“Kim Joon, you must want to die.”

“Since you can’t deny the fact that he dislikes it, I guess you’re aware of it?”

The conversation between the two was flowing similarly to the original.

Kim Joon develops a fantasy about Joo Seung-hyuk, who helped him several times. However, upon becoming his assigned Guide, he clashes with Joo Seung-hyuk in various ways, gradually realizes his true nature, and they fight over every little thing.

Yes, fighting like in the original is fine. But why are you fighting over me!

Erase my existence and just have your romantic quarrels between yourselves!!