I Became a Troublemaker at the Academy

[Self-study]

‘Self-study? How strange.’

Kim Baram looked at the word ‘Self-study’ written boldly on the classroom blackboard and thought to himself, ‘Did something happen to Cha Joohyuk? I don’t remember anything in particular, though.’

Clatter.

“… Hi.”

While lost in his thoughts, he instinctively turned his head at the familiar voice coming from his left. Sitting there was Ko Jooyeon, who stared intently at him from the seat next to his.

“Oh, hi… Do you know why we’re doing self-study today?”

She shook her head.

Kim Baram, who had also sat down, greeted her and asked if she knew the reason for today’s self-study session.

As expected, Ko Jooyeon, who wasn’t particularly interested in others, had no clue either.

‘Oh! Maybe I should check the academy community on my smartwatch.’

Thinking it was a pretty good idea, he immediately started fiddling with his smartwatch to log into the academy’s community page.

But before he could do so, Ko Jooyeon suddenly grabbed hold of his left wrist, making him stop.

He looked at her with a curious expression on his face.

“Yesterday… fun?”

“Are you asking if yesterday was fun?”

She nodded her head.

“… Not really. It wasn’t as fun as I expected.”

For some reason, Kim Baram felt that if he said it was fun, Ko Jooyeon, who had been left behind, might feel hurt. So, he answered that it wasn’t. 

Fortunately, his judgment appeared to be right, as Ko Jooyeon’s lips curled into a faint smile, her expression now satisfied.

‘Now that I think about it, she smiles a lot more than when we first met. That’s a good sign, right? Oh, and the macarons I bought for her…’

Suddenly remembering the macarons he had bought from the Witch’s City Dungeon as a gift for Ko Jooyeon, Kim Baram reached into his crossbody bag to take them out. But just then, another familiar voice came from his right.

Clatter.

“Hi, Baram. Did you get home safely yesterday?”

Han Suyeon greeted him cheerfully as she sat down in the seat to his right. Her sudden appearance made Kim Baram hesitate somewhat. 

‘Now isn’t the best time to give the macarons.’

So, for now, he put the macarons back into his bag, nodded toward Han Suyeon, who was waiting for his reply, and said, “Yeah. I got home fine, I guess.”

At that moment, every male cadet in the classroom, except for Ma Jinseok, directed their envious and hostile gazes toward Kim Baram. 

Among them, the glare from Lee Dohyeok was especially intense, to the point of being somewhat frightening.

Ding.

[Player ‘Kim Baram’s unique ability has been activated.]

[You have lost affection from the character ‘Lee Dohyeok’. You have earned 50 VP. Lee Dohyeok’s current affection for Kim Baram: “Hatred.”]

‘Wait, I just answered a question…’

It seemed like Lee Dohyeok had overheard Kim Baram and Han Suyeon’s conversation and once again misunderstood something.

That aside, a thought suddenly struck Kim Baram. Since Han Suyeon was a regressor, maybe she knew something about today’s self-study session. So, he immediately asked her if she knew the reason.

“Han Suyeon, do you know why we’re having self-study today?”

“…”

Han Suyeon didn’t answer verbally. Instead, she manipulated her smartwatch and showed Kim Baram a post from the community. 

Meanwhile, Ko Jooyeon, who was also subtly curious about why they were having self-study instead of a lesson, rested her chin lightly on his shoulder and looked at the post with them.

– Title: Do you guys know why all the grades are having self-study today?

– Content: One of my friends in the Alchemist Clan told me that a female cadet committed suicide in the Alchemist Clan’s room yesterday. Her name was S. Y., and she was a third-year. That’s why the academy is investigating right now, and everyone is doing self-study.

– But something feels off. They say it was a suicide, but I was in the same class as S. Y., and she didn’t seem like someone who would commit suicide. Maybe that’s why they’re also investigating if it was murder.

– I don’t think it was murder. I’m in the same clan, and Instructor Lim Eunah from the medical team said so herself that there were no signs of foul play.

– Want some juicy info? Because of this incident, the Tower of Truth guild master is here to investigate. Does anyone want to go check her out with me? She’s one of the top four beauties in Korea. She’s gorgeous even in photos.

– Who are the top four beauties? Is it the four guild masters: Salvation, White Flower, Tower of Truth, and Geumseong?

– Isn’t it the top five beauties? Why are you leaving out the Empress? She’s a total goddess.

– True, the Empress is definitely legit. If it’s just about looks, the Empress might actually be the top. Once she matures a bit more, she’ll easily outshine the other four.

As Kim Baram quickly skimmed through the post that Han Suyeon showed him, one word stood out: suicide.

The moment the word ‘suicide’ appeared, he felt as though scattered pieces of a puzzle were beginning to fall into place in his mind.

‘That’s right. Around this time, a suicide incident happened. In the novel, Han Suyeon briefly took an interest in this suicide early on, but later, she didn’t pay any attention to it, so even I had completely forgotten about it.’

The academy’s female cadet suicide incidents. There were two suicides this year, once in March and again in April. 

Unfortunately, there was very little information about these incidents, even for Kim Baram, since the academy had strictly controlled access to the matter and conducted a secret investigation in the meantime.

Even Han Suyeon, who was just a cadet, couldn’t bypass the academy’s surveillance to investigate further. 

In the end, the academy officially concluded after their investigation that there were no traces of murder or mental manipulation magic, or skills, and it was declared a suicide.

‘The reason why the Tower of Truth guild master mentioned in the community post is here today must be to investigate the possibility of mental magic. And the reason Shin Yul summoned us urgently today is probably also related to this suicide investigation.’

Indeed, during the mid-chapters of the novel, when Han Suyeon was active in the Fixer Clan, Shin Yul had similarly contacted the clan members regarding the investigation of this incident. 

However, since Han Suyeon already knew it was a simple suicide, she didn’t participate in the investigation and instead focused on her training. Eventually, even the internal investigation by the Fixer Clan concluded that it was a suicide.

‘The reason Shin Yul specifically mentioned me in the chat yesterday might be because she thinks I can figure out the truth behind this case, just like how I noticed her disguise.’

But the truth of the matter was that Kim Baram only recognized Shin Yul’s disguise because he already knew about her from the novel. 

Since this suicide case was barely mentioned in the novel, it was fair to say that Kim Baram didn’t have much information on it either.

‘Hmm… This is tricky.’

Since he hadn’t experienced this incident firsthand, Kim Baram wasn’t sure if he could uncover the truth, especially since it could very well have been a simple suicide. 

Still, there was also one piece of the puzzle he had just personally confirmed.

It was that the senior from his group, Oh Sehee, whom he met during the dungeon clearing, was the second suicide victim who would die in April.

***

“Ah, sorry. I can’t go today.”

“Why? Do you have something else to do?”

After self-study ended, Kim Baram, Joo Jinyong, and Ko Jooyeon naturally gathered to have lunch together, as usual. 

The conversation naturally turned to the Fixer Clan’s request for later in the afternoon.

However, Joo Jinyong, who was, as usual, devouring dumplings, unexpectedly announced that he wouldn’t be participating.

“… I’ve got something else to take care of.”

Kim Baram wanted to ask more, but the atmosphere around Joo Jinyong was different from usual — he seemed somewhat downcast and dark — so he didn’t want to press him further.

‘Judging by the mood, it’s probably something to do with China. I wonder what happened.’

Still, in the novel, Joo Jinyong never caused any major incidents during his academy days, only quietly gathering information. 

So Kim Baram decided not to think too deeply about it and concluded that it wasn’t something he should be really concerned about.

‘Ko Jooyeon will probably come with me.’

Just in case, Kim Baram turned to Ko Jooyeon, who was sitting next to him, lightly swinging her legs back and forth, looking unusually happy while eating sushi.

“Ko Jooyeon, you’re coming with me today, right?”

Ko Jooyeon turned her head and stared at him for a moment. 

Then, with a small smile and a voice more energetic than usual, she replied, “Yeah, of course.”

‘Why is she so excited today? Is the sushi really that good?’

Unable to figure out why Ko Jooyeon seemed so happy today, Kim Baram tilted his head with confusion swirling in his eyes.

Meanwhile, after answering Kim Baram, Ko Jooyeon glanced at Joo Jinyong with her gray eyes, and with a triumphant smile, she muttered softly, “Today, I won.”

***

“Hello, Yuseong. It’s been a while. You’re here to throw away the trash too? I’m here for the same reason.”

In a secluded corner of the academy, at the quiet recycling area, a small, shady-looking male cadet approached Baek Yuseong and spoke casually.

Baek Yuseong quickly scanned the surroundings. Then, instead of his usual smiling expression, he approached the shady cadet with a cold, stern look and grabbed him by the collar.

Grip.

“… Didn’t I tell you not to approach me in the academy? Especially today. My master is here. What do you think will happen if we get caught…?”

“Wow, you caught on. Yuseong, don’t worry too much. Even your oh-so-great master won’t be able to recognize my abilities. Up until now, no one has figured it out… except for her.”

Grit.

“… In any case, you reek so badly it’s enough to knock someone out. So just stay quiet and out of sight.”

“Really…? That smell, it seems like it’s coming from you too, Yuseong. Maybe you’ve become just like us now.”

Despite having his collar grabbed, the shady-looking cadet didn’t seem fazed by any of this at all. He sniffed the air exaggeratedly, taunting Baek Yuseong with a mocking tone.

“Don’t compare me to the likes of you, ‘Nameless.’ Why did you ignore my warning and approach me again?”

The cadet, referred to as Nameless, shrugged nonchalantly in response to Baek Yuseong’s fierce threat, showing absolutely no signs of losing his composure.

“You should already know the reason, Yuseong. That female cadet I killed this time, she wasn’t a ‘Fragment,’ contrary to what you thought.”

“… You and your kind should know better than anyone that it’s nearly impossible to find a ‘Fragment’ with the limited information you provided.”

“Hehehe, of course. We know that very well. But you know what…?”

Nameless continued with a wide grin, directing his words at Baek Yuseong.

“I have a hunch that the girl you’ve been so desperately protecting, Jin Sua, might just be a ‘Fragment.'”

Bang!

As soon as the name Jin Sua left Nameless’s lips, Baek Yuseong’s rising fury got the better of him. Unable to control his anger, he slammed Nameless against the wall, still clutching his collar tightly.

Blood began to trickle down from Nameless’s head and mouth due to being violently slammed against the wall. But Nameless didn’t care at all about his wounds – he merely sneered as if he found the whole thing to be utterly amusing.

“Heh… now that you’ve gained a bit of power, you’re playing executioner? I’m curious to see how long that self-righteousness will last. If you don’t deliver results, He will take that power back from you. Hehehe.”

“… Just wait a bit longer. I’ll check again.”

Baek Yuseong’s face hardened, and he answered curtly before quickly leaving the recycling area.

Meanwhile, Nameless, now freed from Baek Yuseong’s grasp, checked the state of his body with a neutral expression. 

After that, in a tone filled with dissatisfaction, he muttered to himself.

“Damn! He could’ve taken it easy. At this rate, I’ll have to discard this body soon. And I’m the captain of the Black Wing, no less.”