Chapter 896

After parting ways with Moon Saeron near the classroom, I checked the device message alone.

[Yeom Jun-yeol] Hey, Eui-shin.

[Yeom Jun-yeol] The weather is expected to be clear, just like yesterday. There are a few clouds, but I don’t think we’ll need to worry about rain.

I had been worried about what kind of message I would receive, but it was just a usual morning greeting and a note about the weather.

The message from my disciple was the same.

‘I was worried he might be upset about losing yesterday. I hope he’s okay.’

Yesterday’s match was mentioned too.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[Yeom Jun-yeol] I heard that you’ll be covering the main event commentary for the newspaper club. I really enjoy the analysis articles you write—they’re easy to understand and packed with useful insights, so I’m looking forward to reading your article.

[Yeom Jun-yeol] I’ll do my best to show an even better performance next time, taking your commentary into account.

I had been concerned that he might be feeling down like when he missed the top spot, but Yeom Jun-yeol was different.

Through the text, I could almost hear his voice full of motivation.

Seeing Yeom Jun-yeol putting in effort like this, I began to feel like my worries had been unfounded.

I was moved by the fact that he was eagerly anticipating an article that would include painful content, without any ulterior motive.

‘I have to write the article really well.’

Moon Saeron, who had also checked the message, said something similar to Yeom Jun-yeol.

The article would be about the match between the title hero and my disciple, so I had no intention of slacking off, but with so many people looking forward to it, I’d have to pay even more attention.

“You didn’t also interview the applicants for the support section, did you? You’re really busy.”

“Yeah, after watching yesterday’s match, I did a remote interview through the device.”

While talking about the match that took place with the class members yesterday, Dokomiro, who was scheduled to compete in the finals today, spoke.

As Dokomiro said, I was also responsible for the support section.

Since the support section recruits in a way other than direct competition, I decided to take it on as it wouldn’t be too much trouble.

‘It’s a lot of work now, but there’s value in selecting a good support player. Since the Youth Exchange will be a team event, having a support player will make things easier.’

Among the players, those with healing abilities are extremely rare, and there are fewer with support-related abilities compared to attack abilities.

So, even though players are taught to form offensive and defensive teams under the assumption that there will be no dedicated support player, having one is much more convenient.

With that in mind, the selection will be divided into two sections.

One is the dealer section, supported by Ju Su-hyeok and Yeom Jun-yeol, and the other is the support section.

‘If someone like Yoo Sang-hee or Yoon Yeo-rang had applied, their valuable healing abilities would have been immediately recognized, and they would have been recruited.’

Yoo Sang-hee had graduated, and Yoon Yeo-rang was busy with matters related to the Dragon Palace, so they couldn’t apply.

Although not a healing ability, several of my playable characters with combat-related abilities had applied.

At the forefront was Huh Chae-ah, the current president of the general club.

Huh Chae-ah, who would be busy with general club matters, had apparently applied after receiving recommendations from others.

When we had the interview, I had this conversation with Huh Chae-ah.

―Actually, I was planning not to apply because I was thinking about the cadet school exchange event in the fall. Since the exchange event is focused on clubs and small groups…

―I heard that the exchange event is getting bigger this year, and with more clubs and small groups, it's really busy.

―Right, but I didn’t want to leave everything to Jun-yeol, so I asked the club and small group leaders to share the workload.

It seemed like Huh Chae-ah took action because of her sense of responsibility as the head of the student council.

Among those who initially applied for the selection, it was said that only Yeom Jun-yeol was the representative of the student council.

Due to internal issues within the TC Group and collaboration with the aristocracy, he had declined despite numerous recommendations from others.

It was unfortunate that we wouldn’t see Cheon Dong-ha's efforts, but I knew how busy he was, so I couldn’t press him.

Currently, Cheon Dong-ha was the only one who could oversee the TC Group’s internal affairs and move in full cooperation with the aristocracy. No one could replace him.

‘Do Won-woo is trustworthy too, but because of his lone assault on the TC Research Institute, it’s hard for him to move quietly. He’s probably being watched by the opposing factions. Cheon Dong-ha would have been selected as either a dealer or a support player, but it’s unfortunate.’

Meanwhile, the current president of the student council, Hyun Ji-ik, was struggling with managing the students in the dormitory and their living areas.

There was some debate about whether his abilities were simply too outstanding, making him seem relatively incompetent, or if there was an actual issue with Hyun Ji-ik.

In my opinion, both could be true, but the latter seemed more likely.

The first-year students in Class 0, who were clearly more well-behaved and kind compared to the graduates from the Ugiwan group, were still struggling. It was just that their abilities were lacking.

‘Moreover, there are rumors that he’s more focused on other matters than managing the student council. Huh Chae-ah, despite being busy, applied for the selection with such a great attitude, and she’s now being compared.’

Huh Chae-ah had applied because she knew that Yeom Jun-yeol was the only representative of the student council.

Even if she were to be eliminated in the middle, her goal was to show that the head of the student council, elected by the students, actively participated in school events.

Finally, Huh Chae-ah said this.

―I think I was lucky to make it to the finals since there weren’t many people who applied for the support section. I’m planning to suggest recruiting more participants before the training camp begins. If it goes well, could the newspaper club help promote it?

There were fewer than ten applicants for the support section.

Since the selection process was based on a simple interview and verification of the authenticity of the documents, no scouts were assigned.

If the selection had been held on a stage like the dealer section, with a performance of their abilities in places like the gym or playground, scouts and spectators would have been more plentiful, and there might have been more applicants.

It might be a good idea to think of other methods for the additional recruitment.

I nodded at Huh Chae-ah’s suggestion.

―Of course. Once the additional recruitment is confirmed, I’ll write an article about it right away.

―Thanks.

―No, thank you for agreeing to the interview.

I was just as grateful for having the chance to speak with Huh Chae-ah, with whom I didn’t often have the opportunity to talk.

It seemed almost certain that Huh Chae-ah would be selected as the representative for the support section at Yeonggwang High.

As I thought of the excellent individuals who were being selected as representatives for Yeonggwang High, my heart swelled, but there was a hint of regret.

A few people who I wished had applied were missing.

‘I wish Ma Jin-seung had applied for the support section. He has the Gwangrim, and his skills are great. There’s also someone else I wanted to apply…’

The other person was Park Seung-hyun.

Park Seung-hyun’s Gwangrim, "The March of the Troops Led by the Commander," was a support-type ability that he used often during the Plamago days.

That Gwangrim, which enhances the physical abilities and power output of allies within range, was wide in scope and had great effects.

Although Park Seung-hyun had been greatly troubled by the unfair admission process, which led to a decline in his physical abilities, he was definitely worth developing.

Now, there were no obstacles like that for him, so participating as a representative for the school in the support section would have been a good fit, but he didn’t apply for the selection this time.

Knowing this, I asked Park Seung-hyun.

―I thought you would apply for the support section, but your name isn’t on the list. Is the student council work keeping you busy?

Based on Park Seung-hyun’s answer, I was planning to decide whether to press him about the student council matters or not.

Park Seung-hyun answered awkwardly.

―It’s not just the student council work… uh…

I observed him to figure out whether it was truly because of the student council or if he was just not showing how difficult it was for him.

From experience, when someone from the "Gye" faction passes off work and imposes unreasonable punishment, they would also make sure to keep things quiet.

If the word got out, the bullying would only get worse, so those who tried to help would also keep their mouths shut.

Thinking about how Sergeant Choi, who was moderate, had left after his discharge, I couldn’t help but pay attention to the situation in the student council after Seong Si-wan’s graduation.

Though he claimed to have reflected and changed, it’s hard to believe someone could reform so easily after just a few years.

―...Actually, I was hesitating and missed the right time. I’ve been practicing with Gwangrim, but it’s not going well.

Luckily, it seemed like Park Seung-hyun wasn’t being bullied.

After carefully observing him, I felt relieved that there were no signs of him hiding anything.

Park Seung-hyun opened up about his struggles with Gwangrim.

―I heard there’s someone who handles a power similar to mine, but much stronger. I’ve been trying to imitate them, and it’s been a bit better, but it’s still tough...

Someone who handles power similar to Park Seung-hyun’s, but much stronger.

I had seen Park Seung-hyun use his Gwangrim a few times in the presence of people related to Yeonggwang High, so it had been on my mind.

‘If he improved by imitating me, maybe I could give him some direct advice, and it would get better.’

I thought about how I could help Park Seung-hyun in a natural way, and if the additional recruitment proposal that Huh Chae-ah suggested passes, it seems like there will be a chance.

There were many issues surrounding the selection, but the article was updated smoothly by the afternoon.

As expected, the article about the match between Ju Su-hyeok and Yeom Jun-yeol received high viewership and great feedback.

The senior members of Class 0 sent me complaints, saying the article about the ghost of the Old School Building got overshadowed, but what could they do about it?

Without the absurd story about the ghost, my playable characters’ match would have obviously overshadowed it.

‘Rather, it’s the comments that bother me.’

In my article, I hadn’t mentioned Anda-in at all, but his name was mentioned several times in the comments.

It wasn’t unusual for a well-known player to be mentioned frequently online, but it bothered me that his name kept appearing in unrelated articles’ comments.

And it wasn’t anything positive.

The comments were comparing Anda-in to Ju Su-hyeok and Yeom Jun-yeol, belittling one of them while praising the other. It seemed like an attempt to stir up trouble between their fanbases.

‘It looks like primitive provocation. They’re trying to start a fight.’

I suspected it was an attempt by malicious commenters to create division and stir up conflict between the fanbases of Ju Su-hyeok, Yeom Jun-yeol, and Anda-in.

One of the classic tactics of trolls is to mention the opponent in unrelated comments to sow discord.

Fortunately, someone stepped in with a comment like, "Why do you keep mentioning Anda-in?" before the comments could escalate.

It was almost as if someone was managing the flow of the comments, and I was lucky.

But I couldn’t just rely on luck and leave it unchecked.

‘If this keeps happening in places unrelated to Anda-in, it will eventually become a bigger problem.’

Though it was still a small spark, it could turn into a larger issue during the Korea-China-Japan Youth Exchange.

Besides the articles related to Anda-in, I decided to keep an eye on all major player articles from Yeonggwang High.

I also began thinking of using the influence of Anda-in’s family if necessary.

‘If the number of problematic comments increases and it seems like the opponent is working as a group, I’ll inform the aristocracy right away. The more people on our side, the better.’

And on the night transitioning from Tuesday to Wednesday, at midnight.

PlayerZ officially launched.