Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 93

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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 Ranking 0
Chapter 93
After the Jeju Island Abyss mission.
A heavy silence hung over the Principal’s Office at Gaon Academy.
Four people had departed for Jeju Island on the mission.
Only three had returned.
All except Captain Tae Ga-young.
“…I see.”
Orion, the principal who had just heard the detailed report, gazed quietly downward.
Such reports typically fell to the third-years, and this time was no exception.
The one who had brought the report to the principal was not Ji-u, who had entered the Abyss with Tae Ga-young, but La Jun-hyeok, a third-year who had been part of the Jeju Island deployment.
“Ji-hyo, is what I’ve heard accurate?”
Orion’s gaze fell on Ji-u, standing in the back.
Ji-u nodded quietly, and at the same moment, Orion’s expression darkened.
…….
He said nothing.
As the silence stretched, the air in the principal’s office grew heavier.
No one moved to speak first.
They likely all felt something similar.
Of course, this was not the first casualty among the Special Class.
Since Gaon’s founding, there had been too many accidents within the Special Class to count on one hand.
But this one… was a particularly bitter loss.
They had lost such a precious talent.
The captain of this Special Class.
An orchid beside the desk trembled, and a single white petal fell.
In the silence, the man in formal attire beside Orion carefully opened his mouth.
“…Principal, shall I prepare a memorial stone?”
“A memorial stone?”
The one who responded was Do Min-ki, the vice-captain standing at the very front of the Special Class members across the room.
“We have not yet confirmed whether the captain is dead. Rather than inscribing the captain’s name on a memorial stone at once, please authorize an additional search operation.”
“An additional search?”
“Yes. There is still time before the semester begins. If you would permit it, all of us in the Special Class here would go once more—”
“Don’t you all have work to do here?”
Orion straightened his gaze and looked directly at Do Min-ki.
“It’s understandable that you’re more agitated than usual. I fully understand.”
“Then, sir…”
“I’ll request additional support from the government search team. You should leave the rest to the adults.”
It was a clear signal for them to step back.
…Only at times like this were they treated as minors.
Yet from the moment they had entered the Abyss as the “Special Class,” hadn’t they already been given the authority and responsibility of adult Awakeners?
“Then I’ll go alone.”
“That’s not possible.”
Orion was firm.
“Without Ga-young, you’re the only one who can lead the Special Class. Surely you understand that.”
…….
Do Min-ki faltered.
Behind his glasses, his gaze drifted to the remaining Special Class members behind him.
Having suddenly lost their captain, they all bore expressions of darkness.
Particularly Seol Ji-hyo, who had entered the Abyss with Tae Ga-young, kept her head bowed so low that her face was completely hidden.
And now he stood at the head of such a group.
“For now, you’ll serve as the interim captain of the Special Class. At least until a permanent successor is decided.”
“…Yes.”
In the end, Do Min-ki had no choice but to answer thus.
“Everyone, please leave now.”
At Orion’s words, the Special Class, including Do Min-ki, withdrew—
And only then did Orion lean back in his chair and let out the sigh he’d been holding.
“What rotten timing, at such a crucial moment…”
“Principal, shall I contact St. Leonhard now?”
St. Leonhard Akademie
(St. Leonhard Akademie).
It was an Awakener-exclusive special school overseas and a long-standing sister institution with Gaon Academy under a formal agreement.
Gaon and Leonhard held an annual Exchange Event once a year to foster friendship.
Typically in late winter, specifically the week before Christmas.
But the problem was—
‘Why of all times did the Exchange Event move up?’
It was the perfect storm.
About a week ago, Leonhard had sent a proposal asking if this year’s Exchange Event could be moved forward.
Apparently a papal nuncio’s visit had been scheduled for this Christmas season.
For Leonhard, which valued religious ideology, it was a major event that took priority over the Exchange Event itself.
Knowing this, Orion had readily agreed to reschedule, and Leonhard was to visit Gaon right after the second semester began.
But here another problem arose.
“Without Student Tae Ga-young, won’t there be an issue with fielding competitors?”
The Exchange Event was not merely a friendship gathering.
Leonhard, like Gaon, was a special school for underage Awakeners.
And so the two institutions shared many similarities.
Their founding purpose, educational philosophy, teaching system.
And beyond that, one more thing.
Just as Gaon had its Special Class, Leonhard had its own elite organization.
Falke.
An elite cadre of handpicked students who possessed authority equivalent to that of national-level Awakeners.
The students visiting from that institution for the Exchange Event belonged to Falke.
—Yes. This Exchange Event was what they called a Friendly Match.
Special Class versus Falke.
It was a friendly competition in which each group selected its three highest-ranking members to compete.
Now, at the threshold of this important match on which the school’s honor rested, Gaon had lost its Special Class’s strongest soldier, Tae Ga-young.
“Is there any student who could replace Student Ga-young…?”
The man in formal attire seemed deeply worried.
“As for Vice-Captain Min-ki, his Core is not suited for combat. Even if he were to compete in the Exchange Event, it would be difficult to secure victory.”
“Hmm. I do have someone in mind, actually.”
“Yes? Who might that be?”
Orion drummed his fingers on the desk.
“I’ll need a bit more time to think it over. More pressing is that we should convene the board soon.”
Orion sprang from his chair as he said this.
“We need to discuss how to fill the vacant position in the Special Class first.”
* * *
The members who left the principal’s office didn’t open their mouths.
They returned to the Annex Building through the dark silence.
In the lobby where they always gathered, an empty red sofa was visible.
Tae Ga-young’s seat.
Do Min-ki, who had been staring blankly at it, sat down in his own spot beside it.
After some difficulty finding his words, he finally seemed to steel himself and raised his head.
“…It’s not what I want to say amid this atmosphere, but while those were deployed to Jeju Island, there were some issues here as well. You all heard in the principal’s office. There’s work left for us to do here.”
Everyone’s attention turned to Do Min-ki.
“As you all know, signs of Backflow have appeared in the Campus Abyss as well. The one saving grace is that the semester hasn’t ended yet, so there are fewer students on campus…but we mustn’t let our guard down.”
No missing persons had been confirmed yet, but someone could have been caught up in it.
Do Min-ki rubbed his forehead slightly, as if his head ached.
“Therefore, we’ll need campus-wide stabilization and search operations starting tomorrow…but for today, I think it best we all go home and rest.”
It was extremely rare for him to call for dismissal so quickly.
Yet today, no one questioned it.
The Special Class members, except for Do Min-ki, quietly left the Annex Building one by one.
…Much later.
Do Min-ki, left alone, finally rose slowly from his seat as the sun was setting.
He hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed.
Whether from sitting vacant-minded for so long, a strange dizziness came over him.
– You’ve been sitting so long you’ll sprout horns on your backside. Min-ki, why not stop by the Training Grounds on your way home?
He froze.
Do Min-ki’s steps halted.
– The blisters from training last time haven’t even fully healed yet.
– Perfect. Blisters are exactly what make proper calluses when you grip a sword.
– I don’t even have the strength to hold a pen, let alone a sword.
It seemed he could hear Tae Ga-young’s hearty laughter from somewhere.
– Stop complaining. Then go do some cleaning.
– Cleaning? Where exactly?
– Where else? Here in the Annex.
– …All of a sudden?
– Cleaning or training, moving your body is the same. When your surroundings are tidy, your body and spirit grow tidy too. What are you doing? Get the broom.
…….
A crimson sunset was pouring through the Annex’s full-length windows.
Across the reddened hallway, Do Min-ki’s shadow stretched long, frozen in place.
He looked up suddenly and saw someone’s silhouette at the far end.
‘…Ji-hyo?’

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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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