Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Awakener Special School, Rank 0
Episode 100
Early the next morning.
Ji-u left the Dormitory and headed toward the Chasm.
‘That shadow I saw that day still bothers me.’
During the break when there were almost no students, a suspicious shadow had been loitering near the Chasm.
According to what Yun So-young had told him at the Main Family House, it seemed that Gaon was connected to Seol Ji-hyo’s incident in some form or another.
Even the smallest doubt could become a clue if he grasped it; once the exchange began, searching would become difficult for a while.
However.
‘…It’s another dead end, isn’t it.’
Ji-u stopped walking.
Checking the time on his smartphone, it was already time to prepare for school.
He was about to turn around to head back the way he’d come when—
Crackle—
“……!”
The sound of brush rustling nearby reached his ears.
Without hesitation, Ji-u turned quickly.
He pushed through the dense trees and parted the thicket from which the sound had come.
There, he discovered ‘someone.’
“You are…….”
Thud.
Ji-u’s feet stopped.
The boy standing before him was a face he’d never seen before.
Hair the color of a ripe tangerine, bronze skin, a well-muscled frame…….
‘A foreigner?’
What’s more, he was wearing a school uniform of a design Ji-u had never seen—not a Gaon uniform.
…And his height was no trifle. He looked to be a towering two meters or more.
“Hey there.”
The foreign boy, having spotted Ji-u, lifted his head abruptly and spoke in English.
“Sorry, but could you help me out?”
He seemed to be in some kind of predicament.
When Ji-u didn’t respond immediately, the boy tilted his head.
“…Do you not speak English?”
In truth, Ji-u understood everything the boy was saying.
Let anyone receive ten years of one-on-one tutoring in English from Yun So-young, a former elite researcher. By then, English alone—not to mention a minimum of five other languages—would come naturally.
The reason Ji-u hadn’t answered right away was something else entirely.
‘What is this kid doing here?’
The person before him seemed to have no connection whatsoever to the ‘clue’ Ji-u had been searching for.
Still, a foreign student loitering near the Chasm was suspicious enough.
“What? My pronunciation shouldn’t have been wrong.”
Meanwhile, the boy stood motionless, his mouth closed, and murmured seriously.
Then, as if struck by resolve, he lifted his head solemnly.
“Help.”
“…….”
Short and clumsy Korean.
It seemed he’d decided that Ji-u didn’t understand English.
Ji-u decided to open his mouth before the misunderstanding grew worse.
“…What are you doing here?”
The boy brightened upon realizing his words were understood.
“Oh! Right. I thought so—the kids at Gaon are supposed to be excellent, so I figured they’d all understand English at this level.”
The boy flashed his canines in a grin.
“I’m Zik Adlon.”
…Zik Adlon.
So he really was a foreigner.
Which meant—
“Is it you—the one who came for the exchange?”
“That’s right.”
“So? Why is a visiting student from a sister school here because of the exchange?”
“Well, I heard there was a Chasm in this area. Gaon is the only Awakener school in the entire world that possesses a Chasm, right? I stopped by to have a look. But—”
But?
“I got lost. I had no idea the Chasm would be surrounded by forest.”
Zik let out a groan and crossed his arms.
“It looks like you’re a student here. Could you guide me? Just to the High School Building.”
Ji-u hesitated for a moment.
School would be starting soon, though. He needed to stop by the Dormitory to grab his bag.
But leaving him here also didn’t sit right.
He didn’t seem to be lying, but he was suspicious nonetheless.
If he went with him to the High School Building at least, he could check whether the boy wandered off in another direction.
Having thought it through, Ji-u spoke.
“Follow me.”
So Ji-u headed toward the High School Building with Zik.
Or rather, tried to.
“…Wait.”
Suddenly, he stopped and drew a sharp breath.
“……?”
Ji-u reflexively stopped as well.
The moment he glanced back, Zik’s eyes narrowed keenly.
“Shh. I sense something.”
“Sense something?”
“A thing I ran into once on the way here. I didn’t think it would follow me this far…”
Indeed, wondering if this was one of Korea’s ‘creatures,’ Zik muttered while droplets of nervous sweat beaded on his temples.
His mouth twisted with a bitter edge as he stared intently ahead.
‘An Infected Being?’
Ji-u, alert now, turned to follow Zik’s gaze.
And there he found it.
Coo, coo, coo…….
A cooing pigeon.
“Ha.”
Right beside him, Zik let out a hollow laugh.
“These winged germ-sacs infest every country. They’re a real plague.”
“…….”
He glanced back over his shoulder.
The towering boy, easily two meters tall, had crouched down and hidden behind Ji-u.
…What was he doing now.
‘Did he actually get scared?’
He turned quietly forward again. The pigeon peacefully pecked at a fallen seed on the ground.
Ji-u walked briskly toward the pigeon.
“Wait! Don’t provoke them carelessly!”
Zik shouted from behind.
But Ji-u ignored him and gave the ground a light kick.
That alone was enough for the pigeons to startle and flutter into the air with a whoosh.
“Ahhh!”
The foreign boy cried out in alarm.
…What an idiot.
For a moment, Ji-u felt a little embarrassed for having suspected him at all.
Looking at him silently, Ji-u swallowed his sigh and turned away.
“Go to the High School Building on your own.”
“…What?”
Zik’s face went pale as if struck by lightning.
“I’m running short on time. I have to stop by the Dormitory too.”
“So? You’re telling me to cut through this dangerous forest alone now?”
“…If you follow this path straight, you’ll find a red stone wall in the middle. Follow that and you’ll reach the Bus Stop. Just take the bus from there.”
“Take the bus?”
“That’s probably your best bet. There won’t be any pigeons inside the bus. And—”
Ji-u gave the ground another light kick.
A pigeon crouched behind the brush flew up with another whoosh.
“See? A light kick like that is all it takes for them to panic and fly away. The pigeons here in the forest aren’t used to people like the ones in the city.”
Ji-u turned, his task complete.
“That technique you have…….”
A deeply impressed voice came from behind.
He quickly caught up with Ji-u.
“Wait. Your name! Tell me your name!”
“…Seol Ji-hyo.”
“Seol Ji-hyo. Hmm. You seem to be in the high school division too—what grade are you?”
“First year.”
“Really? Which class?”
“…Class 2.”
“Class 2?”
Class 2. Hmm, Class 2, is it…….
Zik seemed to recall something, and his expression immediately hardened as he folded his arms.
“Ah, I remember now. That’s where she is. Tsk, that’ll be rough then…”
What was this guy mumbling about?
Ji-u walked on without giving Zik a second glance.
He really did need to hurry now.
“Seol Ji-hyo, right? Thanks!”
His voice rang out loud and clear, and the forest seemed to shake. Birds resting on branches startled and flew up in a fluster.
“Next time we meet, I’ll definitely… Ahhh!!”
A piercing shriek followed.
…He really was kind of an idiot.
Ji-u hurried toward the Dormitory.
* * *
“Let me see.”
The High School Building, Staff Office.
By the time Zik had safely arrived after taking the bus as Ji-u had advised—
Two teachers of different races were huddled together in the Staff Office.
Beside them, Clara Weber, a first-year from Falke like Zik, had already arrived.
“Oh, Clara!”
Zik’s face lit up at the sight of her.
But Clara’s expression turned cold and dismissive.
“Why are you just now arriving? Didn’t you check the time?”
“Sorry. I stopped by the Chasm for a bit…”
“Why would you go there?”
“Well, since I came all this way, I had to see it.”
“You have plenty of time.”
Clara turned her head completely away, signaling an end to the conversation.
Instead, she turned to the Leonhardt side teacher in front.
“Teacher, is it not time yet?”
“Hm? Wait a moment. We’re in the middle of talking.”
In response to Clara’s urging, the teacher leaned toward the Gaon-side teacher.
“So, which classes have members of the Special Unit, you said?”
“Classes 2 and 3.”
The Gaon teacher flipped through the student records as he added:
“The first-years from Falke are just these two students, correct?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Then the two of you can each decide which class you’d like to attend. We’ll exclude Class 1 since there are no Special Unit members there.”
As the teachers continued their conversation, the back door creaked open.
A boy entered the Staff Office at a leisurely pace.
It was Nam Rae-in.
“Teacher, what is it?”
He stood before the teacher with evident reluctance.
“Ah, Rae-in. You see these kids? They’re Falke from Leonhardt. One of them will be observing your class, so take them with you.”
“…….”
The violet eyes of the yawning Nam Rae-in glanced toward Zik and Clara.
But at that moment—
“Oh, found it. Here.”
Zik, having casually flipped through the student records on the desk, suddenly opened to one page.
“Zik, what are you doing?”
“This one here. Seol Ji-hyo.”
Zik pointed directly at the blue-eyed girl in the ID photo.
“I want to go to her class.”
As he spoke, Nam Rae-in’s eyes, standing behind the teacher, fell on the student records.
“…….”
For a moment, Nam Rae-in’s eyes narrowed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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