Waiting Number In The 1000s?

Ro-un had no particular feelings about Bukhan Academy.
Until just a moment ago, that is.
Now, a new feeling was growing rapidly.
All kinds of children of powerful people gathered at Bukhan Academy.
That meant it was the place where the children of the bastards who had received Ro-un’s ‘health checkup’ gathered the most.

‘They don’t even know how their parents treated me, yet they dare say things like they’ll let me into some group I don’t even know?’

His mood twisted.
The way those guys acted was laughable.
Something he had pressed down hard and pretended to forget swelled in size.
Ro-un swept a cold gaze over the children of the five-term Seocho-gu assemblyman, Seongjin Group, Hosan Hospital, and the Korean Awakener Association director, then opened his mouth.

“So. You’re saying you’ll ‘let me into’ your group? How ‘gracious’ of you?”

Unaware of Ro-un’s displeased mood, the students from Bukhan Academy answered as if they had expected Ro-un to react.

“You don’t have to be too moved, Lee Ro-un. You’re an excellent enough Awakener to deserve this level of treatment. There wasn’t a single person in our group who opposed your addition.”
“Agreed.”
“Well, it does seem like there are some people in the group who don’t welcome you inside, but if we stand behind you, no one will openly pick a fight.”
“Puhua! Who would dare do that to the Saint! Saint! I will deal with those bastards myself, hweb! Mmmph! Mmph!”
“Quiet.”

An Mi-ru said coldly and covered Tae Seong-ho’s mouth.
All of this felt like watching a play.

‘They don’t even seem to imagine that I might refuse.’

Children from wealthy families who had never failed once.
Bastards who mistook that for their own ability.
And yet, laughably, they acted superior as if they were something special.

It was ridiculous.
The fact that Ro-un had not heard of them even three years later meant those guys never appeared on the day of calamity in the end.

‘They probably left this land together with their parents. And yet they’re saying what now?’

He felt something boiling inside him like lava.

“Hey, heeey. Doesn’t Lee Ro-un seem angry?”
“Hmm! Correct! Lee Ro-un is angry.”

He heard Joo Hee-jun and Cheon Su-ho whispering.
It was not a particularly important conversation, so he erased it from his mind.
Ro-un looked at the naive greenhorns who didn’t know how the world worked and asked in a gentle voice, putting on his ‘student council president smile.’

“I’m curious who’s in this group. Is there anyone who has received a title?”

At Ro-un’s words, they paused for a moment.
Of course. He had not even heard of them three years later, so there was no way there would be.
Ro-un’s mood twisted even further.

“Lee Ro-un. They haven’t received titles yet like you, but there are many children of companies and high-ranking figures in our group whose family names anyone would recognize. You’ve probably heard of them too.”

Kim Jun-tae spoke while barely suppressing his displeasure, but to Ro-un’s eyes, his wounded pride was clearly visible.
It was a trait of people who lived lives where no one dared point things out to them.
So in the end, even though they hadn’t earned titles themselves and were merely the children of the dogs and pigs who had been treated by me, they dared come all the way to our city and cause a disturbance, saying they would let me join that group?

‘Good. You’re all out.’

His ‘student council president smile’ deepened.
Seeing that, Joo Hee-jun skittered back as if he had seen a cockroach.
Cheon Su-ho moved his head left and right as if thinking about something, then asked.

“So does that mean there is no one who has received a title?”

At the innocent question from Cheon Su-ho, who had received the title ‘Hero’ in the future that was also the past, Ro-un almost burst into laughter, forgetting that he had been angry.
That was exactly what I wanted to say.

“Lee Ro-un. Do you know?”
“Who knows. I’m not sure.”
“Joo Hee-jun. What about you? Aren’t you immensely interested in Awakeners?”

That guy. He seemed to live without thinking, but he was fairly observant.
At Cheon Su-ho’s sharp question, Ro-un smiled faintly and turned to Joo Hee-jun.
Receiving both of their gazes, Joo Hee-jun stammered.

“Uh, um. I’m not really sure….”
“Then they are Awakeners without titles!”
“Pfft!”

Cheon Su-ho clearly summarized the situation.
Ro-un could not hold back and burst into laughter.

‘He lacks tact, but what a commendable guy!’

Cheon Su-ho had merely confirmed the fact that ‘there was no one in the group who had received a title.’
But they would think differently.
Just as Ro-un thought, the Bukhan Academy bastards who took Cheon Su-ho’s remark as provocation reacted sensitively, as if they had been insulted.

“How rude on our first meeting.”
“My. How can even a provocation be that vulgar?”
“Low class.”
“Mmmph!”

The four young men and women, who had seemed to look down from above until just a moment ago, flared up at one remark from Cheon Su-ho.
Well, considering their backgrounds, they had probably never been treated like that before.
Moreover, all of them were Awakeners who had received A-rank or higher traits.
With their powerful backgrounds and the pride that they would become high-ranking Awakeners, there had likely not been a single person who treated them like this to their faces.

“Is asking because I was curious a rude question? If so, I apologize! I didn’t know that asking whether someone had a title or not was that impolite!”
“Pfft!”
“Kheup.”

Seeing them lose their words at Cheon Su-ho’s quick apology, Ro-un burst into laughter again.
This time, even Joo Hee-jun seemed unable to hold it in.
Of course.

‘Oh dear. They’ll cry at this rate.’

Seeing the young masters and ladies of Bukhan Academy tremble without being able to refute a single word from Cheon Su-ho, Ro-un wiped away tears.
Innocence without malice had pierced their inferiority complex.

‘Right. They praised one another as amazing, but in the end, they’re nothing more than frogs in a well who mistake their parents’ authority for their own.’

The citizens who had followed out of worry for Ro-un were bewildered by the situation they couldn’t understand.

“What’s going on right now?”
“Can someone summarize?”
“So those students over there are trying to take our Saint away to their academy, aren’t they?”
“No, those pro-Japanese traitor-like bastards!”

How dare those bastards try to take our Saint!

The people who realized the Bukhan Academy students’ intentions flared up and glared at the four young men and women in white uniforms.
But an unexpected counterattack came from this side.

“Then they are Awakeners without titles!”

Cheon Su-ho’s one sentence spread among the people.

“Huh? He’s right.”
“Was there any juvenile Awakener who made their name as known as our Saint?”
“There are probably only a few in Korea.”
“I heard the Swift Swordsman and the Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter received titles.”
“Still, it’s rare for juvenile Awakeners to receive titles.”
“That’s right. Because of the Juvenile Awakener Protection Act, passage entry is very strict. Most Awakeners who received titles are probably students who were active in passage collapses or disaster sites.”

The people murmured.
At that moment, the other side shouted loudly.

“How rude.”
“My. How can even a provocation be that vulgar?”
“Low class.”
“Mmmph!”

The people of the academy city became angry.
Even if they only caused trouble, skipped class, and could not properly distinguish themselves as Awakeners, they were still the students of their town.
They already didn’t like that bastards whose only merit was having good parents had left their town’s kids a mess like chewed-up gum, but they dared raise their voices in someone else’s town?
The people’s gazes grew sharp enough to cut paper.
At that moment, Cheon Su-ho poured cold water into the fire burning inside the people.

“Is asking because I was curious a rude question? If so, I apologize! I didn’t know that asking whether someone had a title or not was that impolite!”
“That’s right!”
“Well said!”
“Hear, hear!”

That fine-looking guy sure knew how to talk!
Seeing as they hadn’t seen his face often, he must not be one of the guys who came down to the city and caused trouble!
Among the academy residents, their favor toward Cheon Su-ho rose sharply.
The city people clenched their fists and cheered with the feeling of supporting their team.

Kim Jun-tae realized that the situation was not flowing in their favor.
Having followed his politician father, he was well-versed in reading citizens’ reactions.
He muttered quietly to himself.

“This is why we shouldn’t have talked with low-grade things.”

It seemed they had made the matter too big.
He had thought that if they showed themselves recruiting the Saint in front of everyone, the group’s name and his position in the group would both rise, but the Saint’s reaction was unexpected.
His partners beside him had the same reaction.

“Exactly! We just came to see the Saint, so why are those things here?”
“Seong-ho’s fault.

Hwang Yu-na and An Mi-ru didn’t hide their displeasure.
Seeing the two full of dissatisfaction, Kim Jun-tae’s gaze sank.
Now that things had turned out this way, there was no choice but to divert attention.
Kim Jun-tae’s gaze moved here and there before fixing on Joo Hee-jun, who was hiding behind Lee Ro-un and Cheon Su-ho.

‘Right, there was that.’

A fallen-behind bastard was useful at times like this.
Kim Jun-tae suppressed the smile about to bloom and pointed at Joo Hee-jun.

“I’m disappointed. We simply came to make a good offer, yet to think we’d receive this kind of treatment.”

At the sudden change in tone, Ro-un’s eyes narrowed.
What are they trying to pull now?

“Lee Ro-un. Compared to you, our group certainly has fewer public activities. That’s because, due to the Juvenile Awakener Protection Act, we cannot recklessly clear passages. Still, since you keep Joo Hee-jun by your side, I thought you would feel favorably toward our group.”

He was suddenly bringing up Joo Hee-jun?
While Ro-un grasped Kim Jun-tae’s intention, Hwang Yu-na, who realized Kim Jun-tae’s meaning before he did, began supporting fire.

“Surely, Joo Hee-jun, you didn’t deliberately speak badly about our group just because your older brother is in it, did you? I know you have an inferiority complex toward your older brother and want to enter our group, but… you know, don’t you? To enter our group, you have to be a student of our academy and, at the same time, an Awakener with an A-rank or higher trait!”

Hwang Yu-na and Kim Jun-tae exchanged glances.
Ro-un caught that sight.

These guys… were trying to use Joo Hee-jun to get out of this?

Joo Hee-jun faltered and stepped back as he spoke.

“I, I never did that.”
“Joo Hee-jun. Pathetic.”
“Pfft! So that was it? That’s why the Saint thought our group was… Saint, that’s not true! It’s all slander!”

Tae Seong-ho, freed from An Mi-ru’s hand, appealed his innocence.

“No! I never did that!”

Joo Hee-jun’s protest did not get through to them.
The murmuring among the crowd gradually spread.
The malice of the Bukhan students, who thought they had skillfully shifted the target, focused on Joo Hee-jun.

“Joo Hee-jun. How ugly.”
“Even if you awakened with an S-rank trait, an unstable trait like that would have made it impossible for you to enter our academy, let alone our group. You said you failed because of your older brother, didn’t you? Han-jun said his younger brother was misunderstanding him, and now that I see this, I understand.”
“My older brother is the one who!”
“Were you that jealous? Male jealousy. It’s so pathetic I could die.”
“Pathetic. Even if it’s S-rank, it’s a defective product.”
“Saint! This is a misunderstanding. Our group is a volunteer group where juvenile Awakeners also participate in passage clearing and try to contribute to society.”

Seeing them corner Joo Hee-jun without properly listening to a single word, Ro-un could tell what they thought of Joo Hee-jun.
Now he could also understand why Joo Hee-jun had flinched when he saw them.
Joo Hee-jun couldn’t properly argue back and was driven into a corner.
That was truly unpleasant to watch.

‘I can’t listen to this anymore.’

Ro-un took one step and blocked Joo Hee-jun from them.
The gazes of the four gathered on Ro-un.

“Contributing to society through passage clearing… The goal is good. But if it’s a place where people gather who have the discernment to call Joo Hee-jun someone with an inferiority complex, a defective product, and ugly with jealousy, I think I can tell what level it is. Sorry, but I don’t think it’s a place that suits the rank I’ll receive in the future.”

Ro-un rejected their offer through Awakener “rank,” matching their level.
At Ro-un’s words filled with ridicule, cracks appeared on the faces of the four who had been confident.
Kim Jun-tae spoke on behalf of the group.

“Lee Ro-un. That makes it sound as if Joo Hee-jun is better than us, Awakeners with proper A-rank traits.”
“Seeing as you understood, you’re not a complete idiot.”
“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

Kim Jun-tae said in a low, sunken voice, as if threatening him.
It seemed he had properly touched his pride.
The corner of Ro-un’s mouth rose pleasantly.

“Lee Ro-un. You’d better think again. Are you saying you’re going to choose that ugly bastard over us?”
“Jiri Academy and Bukhan Academy. Joo Hee-jun and us. There’s no comparison.”
“Saaaint. You’re not really throwing away the chance to join our group because of Joo Hee-jun, right? Right? There’s no way that you, the Saint, would choose Joo Hee-jun, who failed to awaken a proper trait, over us.”

Unlike Kim Jun-tae, the others did not seem to have given up their sales pitch yet.
Ro-un looked back at Kim Jun-tae, who was presumed to be their leader, and made it clear that his intention had not changed.

“That’s right. Joo Hee-jun is better than you.”
“So you really mean you’re choosing Joo Hee-jun.”

Low anger lay beneath his quietly sunken voice.
Why? He could call someone else a defective product and whatnot, but he never imagined he might hear that he himself was nothing special?

“Honestly, there are far too many places that want to take me. Even if you come here so recklessly, cause a disturbance, and throw a tantrum, I can’t exactly join your little game of playing house, can I?”
“Playing house?”

Perhaps because he had considerable pride in the group, Kim Jun-tae even threw off the mask that had made him look likable and twisted his face at Ro-un’s words that dismissed it as nothing more than playing house.

“I mean I can’t join a children’s game where you don’t fight the otherworld invasion as Awakeners and only rank yourselves by whose house is better off.”
“Lee Ro-un! Even if you’re a Saint, we can’t let that statement pass! Our group is not that sort of childish game!”
“Then prove your results. If you produce results as a proper group, then I’ll put you on the waiting list.”
“Waiting list?”

Kim Jun-tae, who had flared up at Ro-un’s sarcasm, paused at the unexpected words.

“W-what number?”
“Tae Seong-ho, you idiot! Is that what you’re curious about right now?”

Hwang Yu-na scolded Tae Seong-ho.
However, Ro-un looked at the eyes still filled with admiration and willingly answered the question.

“Somewhere in the 1000s?”
“T-the 1000s? Not even a single digit, but four digits?”

They were thinking far too highly of a mere group of young masters and ladies.
When Ro-un smiled faintly, mocking their immaturity and ignorance, even the forced smile Kim Jun-tae had been wearing disappeared, and he opened his mouth.

“Lee Ro-un. You’d better not provoke us too much.”

But he had not even started provoking them yet.
Ro-un decided to tell them the cruel reality.