Spring Again (3)

Rumors quickly spread in the school that Kang Shin-hyuk, vice-captain of the Wyvern Knights, had scouted Oh Hye-na the very first day of the new semester. Now there were very undesirable rumors that Kang Shin-hyuk was targeting Oh Hye-na. It was even said that he had already seduced Lee Na-hee and Eleanor, so now he was aiming for Hye-na.

“I thought I would…no, what kind of crazy guy is that?!”

“Shinyuk, why is your image working?”

“You flirt.”

“Increase the weight to 10 kilos.”

“Ahhh! Ahhh!”

Kang Shin-hyuk, Baek In-ha, and Oh Hye-na had begun training together at dawn. He already had finished his morning training in his room, but he received a very serious request from Oh Hye-na. As a bonus, he decided to gather and practice with Baek while he was at it.

“No, it’s scary. I’m holding weights that I shouldn’t be able to lift…!”

“It’s natural because you’re getting a buff. Your status will only grow when your limit is overcome.”

“But what if I break my arms?!”

“You won’t. Add three times more.”

“Ahhh!”

“Control your breathing. Exhale when you’re under pressure.”

Even when they gathered together to practice, it was nothing special. With Kang Shin-hyuk’s trait, he supported all of them, effectively doing physical training and trait training at the same time. However, it wasn’t a bad thing as the closer they were to him, the greater the effect of his trait, so they were able to grow faster than if they were alone.”

“Shinyuk, the contract.”

Baek In-ha, who was lifting weights next to him, finished on set and opened his mouth in dissatisfaction.

“Did you have to use such a magic tool on Hye-na? Even entering high-level gates these days, it’s not enough to use such expendable magic tools casually.”

The magic tool he referred to was, of course, the soul contract sold by the Hero Universe. If he could really trust her, he wouldn’t need one, but he didn’t yet, so he had her sign a contract with tight conditions for Masked Bacchus’s activities and secrecy. It was impressive that she signed without hesitation even though Baek, an observer, hesitated at the powerful magic the contract emanated. It seemed there was no room for hesitation because she knew her growth was good when she trained with Kang Shin-hyuk.

“I told you that my trait evolves other traits.”

“You did.”

“You understand how dangerous it is, right?’

“Right.”

“That’s why I need a confidentiality contract. In the first place, I’ve no intention of recruiting everyone.”

“Ugh.”

He was blaming Baek, who had confessed his plans to expand the Masked Bacchus personnel. Of course, Oh Hye-na already knew the two were a part of Masked Bacchus, and she was as close to Baek as a sibling. He didn’t even talk about traits at all, so it didn’t matter that much.

“I still believe there will be nothing more than this.”

“I’m sorry. Because Hye-na is special…”

Kang Shin-hyuk also knew already.

“You say it like that because you know I hate it.”

“Yes.”

“Just get married, get married.”

“What are you talking about? She’s like a younger sibling.”

The moment Baek responded with a bloody smile, Oh Hye-na, who was pretending not to listen, missed the barbell because her grip loosened. Kang Shin-hyuk extended his arm to grab it.

“Add 30 more times.”

“Devil!”

“When exercising, focus only on that.”

“Evil!”

“Then, I should exercise too.”

Kang Shin-hyuk started with an ultra-heavy barbell specially developed for high rankers. Oh Hye-na went back to her own exercise while looking at the two hundred kilogram barbell he was using. Baek smiled gently as he watched them, convinced that he had made the best choice for her.

***

Although the conquest of Africa was unsuccessful and the mercenaries had suffered severe damage, the superhumans didn’t suffer much harm on the expedition. Rather, the business that was carried out based on the corpses of the monsters they collected caused a great boom. Not only were the superhuman armaments upgraded in general, but artificial artifacts of rank A or higher were released in a large amount on the market. That resulted in an improvement in the power of superhumans in each country, making it more feasible to cope with the occurrence of higher grade gates. Therefore, Shinyoung’s students were able to focus on their school curriculum. The students were delighted to spend their days like students finally, but that joy ended in exactly two days.

“Oh, the classes are boring. I liked the gate practice…”

“If I became an official superhuman, I’d be active like Shin Eun-hyuk with the women.”

“He’s No. 2 in the world.”

“What? He’s already ranked second?”

“They said he was a big player in Africa. Britain’s royal family was saved by him.”

Kang Shin-hyuk smiled at the gossip happening behind him, but more and more stories about him began to flow.

“Red Shoes jumped up to fourth place. But isn’t she in Korea now?”

“What, she’s also stuck with Shin Eun-hyuk! Maybe she’ll join Masked Bacchus.”

“So the No. 1, 2, and 4 are in Korea? How magnificent…”

“I remembered it because she was with Masked Bacchus, but what about that R woman? Isn’t she ranked seventh now? How ridiculous.”

“When it comes to Masked Bacchus, it’s not a sham. They’ve been active for half a year, idiot. Masked Bacchus has been recognized by the association, so obviously they’ll be high rankers.”

“But she said she likes Shin Eun-hyuk.”

“Are you crazy? He’s already got the Empress and the Alchemist.”

Kang Shin-hyuk crumpled a bit. He was clearly dating the Alchemist, but he couldn’t go ahead and explain it!

“But there are similar people in our class.”

“Ah, is it not enough to have Miss Shinyoung and the British princess, so on the first day he went after a first-year?”

“Kang Shin-hyuk…”

However, he could explain this. Kang Shin-hyuk looked back at the ones talking behind him.

“That’s not how it is.”

“No, what’s not, the rumors! You went to school with her today!”

“No, Baek was with you.”

“Baek will be on our side!”

Didn’t they want to focus their aggravations on him? Kang Shin-hyuk sighed and raised his left hand. When the students saw the shining silver ring on his ring finger, they stiffened instantly.

“Uh…”

“What’s that? A fashion ring?”

“Couple’s ring.”

In response to Kang Shin-hyuk’s bold response, not only the boys talking to him but all the students in the classroom stiffened. He momentarily wondered if he had awakened the toper of the world, but it seemed that time hadn’t stopped.

“Couples ring?”

“Kang Shin-hyuk?”

“With whom?”

“Hey, with whom?”

Kang Shin-hyuk felt impressed. By this time last year, he was getting this gaze from all the students. Of course, it was one filled with contempt and irritation…

“You won’t know if I tell you because she’s outside the school.”

“OMG?!”

“It isn’t Lee Na-hee?”

“Not Algiers senior?!”

“No. I have a girlfriend.”

Yes, this was it. He was waiting for the chance to announce the existence of his girlfriend naturally! Until now, he was worried about revealing the connection between himself and Claire, so he was hiding it. But it wasn’t very pleasant to keep repeating the same situations, so he eventually took this as a means to reassure Claire. For reference, the ring had a simple function, which was to change into a designated shape. Not only the color but also the design completely changed.

“No, really?”

“Is she prettier than Lee Na-hee?”

“Of course.”

“You’re really dating another girl? Ha…”

“Then, the seniors?”

“I already know.”

Kang Shin-hyuk shook his hand so everyone could see it clearly.

“So don’t spread bullshit in the future.”

“Then can I flirt with Lee Na-hee?”

“Ask her, not me.”

“This is ridiculous.”

The effect was sure. Although his name occupied the school community, the existence of his girlfriend was now being mentioned.

“So, who is his girlfriend?”

“An active superhuman?”

“I don’t think it’s a normal person.”

“Oh, don’t pay unnecessary attention to it!”

***

Although a lot of noisy things occurred from the start of the semester, the more intense classes and practice soon claimed the students’ overly eager minds. Oh Hye-na, who joined both the student council and the Wyvern Knights, was able to adjust to school without causing any more problems. The other first-years were quick to realize Oh Hye-na’s excellence. Although they weren’t afraid of Vanguard outside of the school, they were afraid of the Wyvern Knights and the student council, so they quickly became passive. Oh Hye-na pulled the less passive ones out to the battlefield and destroyed them one after another. Kang Shin-hyuk was satisfied that she was doing things according to his instructions.

The Wyvern Knights started much more vigorously than the previous year. Eleanor was pretty but also strong and cold, so she was an unrivaled existence, leading the Wyvern knights smoothly in securing talented freshmen. Masked Bacchus was also still active. As all of them enjoyed the benefits of Kang Shin-hyuk’s Guardian Golden Dragon, they were growing remarkably fast. Their achievements were clear to see, and their positions in society grew every day. Oh Hye-na secretly asked when she would get her mask, but Kang Shin-hyuk dismissed her expectations by saying that all her stats needed to be S-rank. On the other hand, Bridget Poulsen kept asking Shin Eunah, Kang Shin-hyuk, and Claire about participating in Masked Bacchus. Her application was under review.

For the student council, there wasn’t much room for their active participation in the new semester. Their main task was to post a newspaper containing Shinyoung’s various news and announcements, but aside from their early reports on who Kang Shin-hyuk’s girlfriend was, nothing happened.

Then, it finally became time for the student council to get busy. After the midterm exams, May arrived in an instant…

The athletic meeting was to be held.