NOVEL WEB Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Babel Academy.
A gathering place for geniuses known as the superhumans who aspire to become hunters, and the main stage of Rolling Hunters, with state-of-the-art facilities.
‘I can’t believe I got into Babel.’
Sitting on one of the auditorium chairs lined up the slope, I looked down at the incoming freshmen.
‘I never thought I’d see the Babel uniforms up close, the ones I only saw in the game.’
A white dress shirt with a beige blazer. The emblem of crossed swords, Babel’s symbol, was embroidered on the chest. The tie and skirt were blue, creating a design that exuded warmth.
I was also one of the new freshmen this year.
This guy, Seol Ha-baek, must have really wanted to get into Babel, as he had already completed all the entrance exams.
In a way, getting Seol Baek-san’s permission was the final hurdle.
[Humans swarming like insects.]
Yomi frowned as it looked down at the crowded freshmen.
[It’s only a matter of time before they all bow before me.]
“Finding people willing to bow to a fluffball might be difficult.”
Leaving Yomi lost in its delusions, I looked up at the stage.
“Our Babel seeks to cultivate elite members to stand as the vanguard protecting humanity—”
The principal’s monotonous speech was just as dull as it had been in-game. The only difference now was that I couldn’t skip through it.
Among the students dozing off, I propped my chin up and fell into thought.
‘Let’s organize this.’
I’ve come this far. Now, I have to figure out how to navigate through this with this fluffball in tow.
Rolling Hunters was a game that had never been cleared.
Though the quests provided a forced guide due to their nature, which was reassuring, if we follow this path, the final quest is predetermined.
‘So the goal is to build up enough strength by the final chapter.’
The problem is how to overcome the obstacles ahead as the extra character, Seol Ha-baek…
[Seol Ha-baek]
– Strength: 2
– Agility: 4
– Magic Power: 0
– Intelligence: 3
– Luck: 1
…
After the tutorial ended, the character status window that was unlocked was a complete mess.
While the average adult male typically has a total stat sum of around 20, Seol Ha-baek’s base stats only amounted to 10, barely half of that.
Most notably, his Magic Power was listed as 0, a stat even infants would have.
Although the stats were no better than those of common mobs, the situation wasn’t entirely hopeless.
…
…
– Luck: 1
– Spiritual Power: 5
A new stat called Spiritual Power, which I had never seen before, was set at a substantial 5. Thanks to this peculiar stat, Seol Ha-baek’s total stats managed to reach 15.
‘Still below the average for an adult.’
I had a rough guess about the Spiritual Power.
It’s likely a substitute for the Magic Power used by spirit-type awakeners. Just as Magic Power determines the output of mana, Spiritual Power probably determines the output of spiritual energy—referred to as yeonggi (靈氣) or spiritual qi.
If my assumption is correct, this Spiritual Power stat will be crucial for physical enhancements or ability manifestations.
I’ll also need to steadily grow the total of my other stats…
‘But first, there’s something I need to check.’
Just as the principal’s speech was finishing, the burly student supervisor tapped the microphone.
“Freshmen representatives, to the podium!”
It had always been a question.
Now that I, a player, have become an extra, does the main character Han Yu-seong still exist in this reality?
Soon, two students emerged from among the seated crowd and ascended the podium.
“Freshmen representatives Han Yu-seong and Cheon Tae-seong.”
There he is! Han Yu-seong, the protagonist of RollHun.
His fluttering blonde hair and sharp jawline gave him strikingly handsome features, exuding a warm charisma while maintaining a kind expression—an odd yet fascinating character.
At least Han Yu-seong exists. Just like the original, he entered as the top student and stood as the freshman representative on the podium.
Originally, I should have been that lucky guy…
[That person—are you really the same age as them?]
“Han Yu-seong?”
[Is that silver-haired one named Han Yu-seong?]
Yomi narrowed its eyes, focusing on the podium. But Yomi wasn’t looking at Han Yu-seong.
Next to Han Yu-seong, a boy with a sharp expression was scowling intensely.
“Cheon Tae-seong.”
With his faded hair color and piercing eyes, standing as the freshman representative was an honor, yet he never smiled.
[-Though there was not a hint of emotion on his handsome face, you felt an unsettling chill down your spine.]
This was the narrative text that appeared when Han Yu-seong stood beside Cheon Tae-seong on the podium in the story.
Like a grand star, a Tae-seong (太星), he exuded an overwhelming presence. His usual stern expression was because he lost interest in anything inferior to himself.
Few people knew his true nature. That boy was Cheon Tae-seong, the character who would become Han Yu-seong’s rival throughout the game.
As Han Yu-seong’s rival, Cheon Tae-seong believed that everyone should be beneath him due to his overwhelming talent since childhood.
In addition, Cheon Tae-seong was the eldest son of Tae-seong Group, a large corporation dealing in military supplies, walking a path fundamentally opposite to Han Yu-seong in both origin and temperament.
In summary, he’s a powerful psycho with a broken personality.
The odd thing was that Yomi, who was seeing Cheon Tae-seong for the first time, was visibly unnerved by him…
‘Should I test it?’
It’s not like I was just idly waiting for the entrance ceremony to happen.
Spirit Sight (C)
– Enables the detection of spirits.
Upon activating the skill, I felt pressure on my eyes. The world around me became enveloped in a hazy mist, adding a foggy layer to my vision.
As I focused on the particularly foggy areas, shapes gradually started to become visible…
“…!!”
The moment I looked at Cheon Tae-seong, I couldn’t help but flinch.
‘What is that?’
Surrounding Cheon Tae-seong were grotesque figures, clinging to his shoulders and ankles.
The faces were so contorted one could barely recognize them as faces with gaping holes for eyes, nose, and mouth.
Twisted and intertwined like pretzels, they clung to Cheon Tae-seong and emitted low groans.
“What is that?”
[That is a type of curse called ‘Sa-nyeom’.]
While it was a new concept unheard of in RollHun, it wasn’t unfamiliar to Seol Ha-baek.
Sa-nyeom (死念).
The grudge of the deceased, the lingering resentment of those who experienced unjust deaths.
Among the numerous freshmen gathered here, only Cheon Tae-seong was adorned with these resentful entities.
‘Could it be…’
It was certainly unusual.
Other freshmen or teachers who had cut down countless monsters didn’t have such resentful entities attached to them.
As if to confirm my thoughts, Yomi let out a short breath.
[How many have he killed?]
The resentful entities clinging to Cheon Tae-seong are not from monsters. Among the lives he’s taken, many were not monsters.
‘He’s more of a psycho than I thought.’
A complete narcissist.
He was born into one of the most prominent families and wielded absolute power, resulting in a psycho with a ruined personality.
It seems Cheon Tae-seong is more dangerous than I initially thought.
[In any case, if you don’t want a short life, it’s best to avoid getting involved with him.]
Yomi snickered quietly. Apparently, this fluffball couldn’t be seen by people without spiritual energy…
‘It’s not like I want to get involved with him.’
Following the main storyline, Seol Ha-baek inevitably gets entangled with Cheon Tae-seong. That’s because the gang that persistently bullied Seol Ha-baek was a group of underlings centered around Cheon Tae-seong.
“I didn’t expect a path of roses, but I didn’t think it would be a path of flames.”
What kind of school life had Seol Ha-baek been enduring? I already felt dizzy thinking about it.
“Now, that concludes the entrance ceremony.”
The long entrance ceremony ended, and applause erupted. The principal waited for the applause to fade before adding a final word.
“Freshmen, please return to your respective classes. Feel free to explore the campus for the remaining hour. Dismissed!”
One by one, students rose from their seats.
Some looked lonely, others grouped together. Each of them was beginning a new school life at Babel.
Only I remained fixed in my seat, unable to move while the others left.
[Why are you dawdling?]
Noticing my odd behavior, Yomi urged me impatiently. I answered in a low voice.
“I’m not dawdling.”
I kept my head down and waited. Until the person I saw on the stage earlier passed by me.
“Phew, that was exhausting. Let’s explore a bit before classes start.”
Han Yu-seong brushed past me.
It wasn’t until he left the auditorium that I finally stood up.
Now that the entrance ceremony was over, the protagonist, Han Yu-seong, would begin the main tutorial of RollHun.
I wanted to see if Han Yu-seong, now free from the player’s control, would follow the original RollHun storyline.
Depending on whether he deviated from the predetermined storyline, my future actions would change accordingly.
“Just biding my time.”
I quickly left the auditorium.
I needed to follow Han Yu-seong.
* * *
Like any other game, RollHun also has a tutorial prepared.
In the original game, the tutorial for Han Yu-seong went like this:
Tutorial Quest
Q: Persuade the delinquent students to put out their cigarettes.
The persuasion turns into a fight where you end up beating them up halfway through.
Anyway, if my memory serves me right, Han Yu-seong, exploring the campus, should soon encounter the delinquents.
[Is there a reason you’re following that kid?]
“Shh.”
Even though no one else could hear Yomi’s voice, I crouched and put my index finger to my lips.
Just a few steps ahead, Han Yu-seong walked around the campus with a face full of curiosity.
‘Yes, this is the right direction.’
To the right of the magic power measurement room, the third tree-lined alley stretched out. Just as Han Yu-seong was passing by, he suddenly halted and glared at the spot.
“You guys!”
Peering into the alley, Han Yu-seong shouted. I knew exactly what he would say next.
“Students smoking is not good.”
“Students smoking is not good!”
Then came the mocking laughter from the alley.
No matter which world you look at, there are always a few idiots who think such delinquency looks cool. That’s why these clichés are so ubiquitous.
“No choice then. I’ll just have to make you put out those cigarettes by force!”
Han Yu-seong began loosening up, readying himself.
Spouting lines that sounded like something out of a shonen manga, he charged into the alley.
As soon as Han Yu-seong disappeared from my sight, the sounds of fighting echoed from the alley.
‘It’s progressing as it should.’
Sweat formed on my palm.
In the end, Han Yu-seong stuck to RollHun’s scenario. The fact that he was merely repeating the tutorial of the main storyline was proof of that.
“He’s really giving them a beating.”
Peeking into the alley, I saw Han Yu-seong punching his way through while leaning against a wall.
‘Even if I had started as Han Yu-seong, I wouldn’t have moved like that.’
In any case, I had checked everything I wanted to during the entrance ceremony.
Now I had my own choices to make. Whether to follow the main storyline or to turn it upside down.
With this freedom, something else came to mind that I wanted to verify.
‘There should be another troublemaker around this time.’
The storyline of the main characters flashed quickly through my mind.
Yes, there was someone who liked fighting even more than Han Yu-seong.
While I couldn’t witness it firsthand in the game since it overlapped with Han Yu-seong’s timeline, it was different now.
In an alley, a few blocks from here, an incident that was only part of the setting offered me the chance to see it with my own eyes.
[What are you up to now?]
Sensing something off, Yomi poked its head out.
When the students had poured out after the entrance ceremony, I had been eyeing not just Han Yu-seong.
“There’s one more thing I want to check.”
Shin Seo-ha.
The girl with a rough attitude both in her fists and her mouth was the first main heroine of Roll Hunt, known for being a fierce fighter.