Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 26

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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
26
What in the world were they doing over there?
And the person standing next to Jo Bitna…….
‘Isn’t that Yong Myeongju, the third-year senior?’
Rumors had been circulating that Jo Bitna, having broken up with Gu Minjae, had found a new boyfriend.
But there was another reason that senior was famous.
It was that he’d received an invitation to join the Special Division.
The Special Division was an organization determined by the director’s recommendation, granted permission to enter Narak.
An elite minority with outstanding Cores among students at Gaon itself.
There were rumors that Yong Myeongju, currently a third-year student, had declined entry to the Special Division due to his future plans.
Lim Risa instinctively pressed herself into the corner, watching them.
“Hey, isn’t it true that dogs die if they eat chocolate?”
…A dog?
Only then did Risa notice the small shadow surrounded by Jo Bitna’s group.
It was a tiny dog with snow-white fur.
More pressingly—chocolate?
‘Could they be trying to hurt Somi?’
She clamped her hand over her mouth.
What should I do? What can I do?
As Risa’s eyes darted about frantically, she spotted an insect fluttering near her.
‘I have to tell Ji Hyo.’
As if the small insect had sensed Risa’s intent, it suddenly darted away.
After that, Risa pressed herself back against the corner, curling into a ball.
She didn’t have the courage to rush out. They were what people called “bullies.”
And if Yong Myeongju was with them, the thought of standing up to them never even crossed her mind.
Under normal circumstances, she would have pretended not to see and fled immediately. But if that dog was the “Somi” that Ji Hyo had mentioned…….
“Come on, guys, hurry up. I’m thirsty.”
Jo Bitna, who had been combing her hair while looking in a compact mirror, urged them along.
Hurry up and do what……?
Her heart began pounding.
Could it be that chocolate thing they mentioned earlier?
As far as Risa knew, chocolate was basically poison to dogs. Did they not know that?
‘What do I do, what do I do.’
Her body trembled faintly.
She had sent a signal to Ji Hyo using her Core, but whether Ji Hyo would catch on was uncertain.
Even if Ji Hyo did understand, it would be faster for them to feed Somi the chocolate right now than for Ji Hyo to come running here.
She knew. She knew, but…….
‘What if I step in and get punished for it?’
If it ended there, that would almost be a relief.
If she got marked by them because of this, school life could become even harder than it already was.
The students of Gaon weren’t afraid of adults.
They knew how to exploit school rules, and they understood well that nothing that happened within the school walls would easily reach the outside world.
That’s why they were even crueler and more vicious.
So staying quiet was the best course. She just had to endure for three more years, until graduation from the high school division.
Then surely.
Surely…….
……
Risa’s trembling stopped abruptly.
If she just quietly endured these three years, would something actually be resolved? The thought struck her.
When that time comes, will I be able to be saved?
Can I become the adult I’ve always dreamed of, without any regrets?
I don’t know. I haven’t experienced it.
But…….
“Come on, puppy, be good. This is super tasty.”
One of Jo Bitna’s group crouched down in front of Somi, taking the lead.
It was Kim Yeonhui, a girl from the same class.
“That’s right, come here.”
With a rustling sound, Kim Yeonhui produced something.
The moment Risa spotted the chocolate in that hand, her vision went white.
At the same time, she heard something shatter inside her with a tremendous crash.
“No, this can’t happen!”
By the time she realized what she was doing, she was already pushing off and dashing forward.
Kim Yeonhui’s face twisted in annoyance at the sudden intruder.
“Hey, get out of the way, why don’t you?”
Thwack!
She threw an irritable kick, but the shadow huddled beneath her feet refused to budge.
…Because kicks meant nothing to her right now.
Lim Risa cradled the puppy, Somi, protectively in her arms.
Having already swallowed all the chocolate, Somi hung her legs limply, trembling faintly.
Something was wrong. By Risa’s understanding, a dog shouldn’t show a reaction this quickly just from eating chocolate…….
‘Could it be……a Core?’
An ominous premonition suddenly struck her.
As it was known, Kim Yeonhui’s Core was Poison.
It was certainly a threatening Core, but fortunately her ability to control it wasn’t exceptional enough to produce a lethal dose of poison, or so they said.
But that was only by human standards.
If this small creature had swallowed chocolate laced with poison…….
‘I have to get her to a hospital right away.’
But was there even an animal hospital on the Campus……? Her mind went blank.
Meanwhile, the kicks aimed at Risa were growing increasingly fierce.
“Damn it, why is this thing so tough? Let go! You want to get your ass kicked that badly?”
“Stop! Don’t hurt Somi!”
“Whose dog is it? Why are you butting in?”
The other children behind Kim Yeonhui didn’t hide their snickers at her words.
“Hey, the doggy’s yours or something?”
“Heh, what a pain.”
“Why… why are you doing this?”
Risa glared at the children, her eyes glistening with tears.
Of course, it had no effect.
“Move.”
Then, the largest boy among them stepped forward suddenly.
Yong Myeongju. The third-year senior.
The moment Risa saw that harsh face, her shoulders gave a violent flinch.
“Senior, the puppy’s dying.”
“Oh, don’t hit her. Don’t hit her. Bitna said she had something to say.”
Yong Myeongju waved his hand dismissively, backing the others off. As if parting the Red Sea, Jo Bitna stepped through the gap, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
“Thank you, senior.”
Flashing a smile at Yong Myeongju, Jo Bitna swayed her hair and stood in front of Risa.
“Risa, are you okay?”
“B, Bitna…….”
“I think there was some misunderstanding. We were just playing with the puppy a little. It seemed hungry, so we gave it something to eat. Was that something she shouldn’t have had?”
Tilting her head slightly with a blinking gaze, she looked the very picture of innocence.
Lim Risa swallowed slowly.
“D, dogs can’t eat chocolate…….”
“This isn’t chocolate. It just looks like chocolate.”
Jo Bitna gently waved the extra chocolate in front of Risa’s eyes.
“Look closely. It’s not, right?”
Her eyes, as red and fragrant as a rose, swirled hypnotically.
Staring into those eyes made her feel intoxicated, dizzy.
Risa’s gaze grew progressively hazy.
Now that she looked closer, it really didn’t seem like chocolate…….
‘No, don’t be fooled.’
Risa snapped back to attention with effort, shaking her head sharply.
That had been close. She’d almost fallen for it.
Risa pulled Somi even deeper into her embrace.
“You’re… you’re lying.”
……
Jo Bitna’s eyes shifted subtly.
* * *
‘It’s not here either.’
Ji Woo, searching for her lost Keyring, finally returned to the Dormitory.
She searched every corner of the room but found nothing of note.
‘If I can’t find it even after looking this hard, it really does seem like Jo Bitna stole it.’
But she still had no grounds to confront Jo Bitna about it directly.
‘What should I say to Ji Hyo next time I see her…….’
More than the fact that she’d skipped class, that thought weighed on her.
…But I shouldn’t just sit here. Let me search a bit more. I haven’t checked the back drawers yet.
Now that she thought about it, she’d never touched those drawers since moving in. So the chance of the Keyring being there was zero.
But, grasping at straws, she opened the drawer anyway.
As expected, the Keyring wasn’t there.
In fact, the drawer was almost completely empty.
Except for one unfamiliar object.
‘…A Smartphone?’
Now that she thought about it, she’d heard that Gaon distributed special Smartphones to enrolled students.
Which meant Ji Hyo had one too.
Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? If she’d known earlier, she would have searched for the Smartphone first.
Of course, snooping through Ji Hyo’s privacy without permission would gnaw at her conscience…….
But with this, she could easily find out what kind of school life Ji Hyo lived, who she communicated with.
In other words, narrowing down the “target” would become much easier.
……
After hesitating briefly, Ji Woo slowly reached out and grasped the Smartphone.
The moment she pressed the power button, text appeared on the black screen.
[Loading…….]
‘I’m sorry, Ji Hyo. Your sister will just take a look.’
The hourglass icon that had been spinning around stopped with a click.
Finally, the screen lit up completely.
Just as she was about to open the messages with a hardened expression.
Crackle—
……?
She heard a sound like sparks flying from somewhere.
Glancing up, she saw something flying near the light bulb.
…A moth? A fly? A mosquito? In any case, a small insect.
‘The weather’s warming up, so bugs are coming out.’
Unable to help it, she set the Smartphone down for a moment and pulled out a tissue from nearby.
…But wait a second.
Looking more closely, that bug seemed a bit odd.
It went to the right,
then to the left,
then right again.
The insect moved slowly, as if sending some kind of signal, but at a consistent speed.
‘What is it?’
Ji Woo stared intently at the insect.
After circling the vicinity for a while at that steady pace, the insect flew out through the slightly open window.
For a moment she thought it was escaping, but instead it stopped mid-air.
Looking more carefully, its rear end glowed softly, almost like a firefly—.
‘Wait, a firefly?’
Ji Woo’s eyes changed instantly.
…In that moment, a face flashed through her mind like lightning.

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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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