Memorize Chapter 215

“I promise. I won’t ever abandon you guys again. So, help me out. No, just trust me one more time. If we can work together, it’ll be a huge help for the vague plans I have right now. If you can’t trust me, that’s fine. Your girlfriend came to me directly, so you can just trust her, right?”

“Y-you… mean me…?”

“Yeah. On the first night, while we were keeping watch together, you told me about her. The girl who’s been devoted to you since you were kids. You can’t even trust her?”

“Ugh… that’s…”

Baek Hangeol let out a faint groan, stammering as he spoke. Perhaps thinking he’d almost won him over, a subtle smile flickered across Park Hwan-Hee’s face. Just as Baek Hangeol’s hand, gripping the ground, began to move slightly, I felt someone gently push my back. Startled, I turned to see An-Sol, fists clenched, cheering me on with a ‘Fighting!’ gesture.

‘This kid?’

“Ah.”

I stumbled forward from the push but regained my balance within two steps. However, the sound of my footsteps echoed in the quiet surroundings, inevitably drawing the attention of the two.

Park Hwan-Hee, who had been smirking triumphantly, and Baek Hangeol, who had been hesitating, both turned to me with surprised expressions. Meeting their gazes, I looked back at them with a calm face.

“This is a pretty remote spot. How did new players end up here?”

“M-Mercenary Clan Lord, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“H-Hic.”

‘Look at this guy.’

Park Hwan-Hee briefly showed a flustered expression but quickly regained his composure and stood up. I couldn’t help but feel a slight admiration for the guy who accurately stated my clan name and position. Though I didn’t know the details of his so-called plan, it was clear he was already making some kind of move.

After shooting Park Hwan-Hee a sharp glance, I slowly opened my mouth.

“You’re not wrong, but you shouldn’t address me like that given your position. I’m a strict training instructor right now.”

“Oh, my apologies. I’ve just heard so much about you from the other instructors. Haha. I’ve been dying to meet you.”

Compared to Park Hwan-Hee, who spoke with easy charm, Baek Hangeol was swallowing hard, staring at me. I hadn’t noticed from behind, but seeing his face up close, I could tell he had a gentle, refined appearance. But since I’d already checked his player information, there was no mistaking his gender. For the record, he was still crouched on the ground.

‘With a personality like that, it must’ve been tough to get past the boss monster in the Rite of Passage… Tsk. Is he the type who’s usually like this but flips a switch when he gets serious?’

Looking at Baek Hangeol reminded me of An-Sol on the first day of the Rite of Passage. I clicked my tongue inwardly, then subtly channeled some mana as I spoke.

“You’ll see me plenty during the upcoming mental training sessions, whether you like it or not. By the way, this isn’t a place even instructors come to often. Mind if I ask why you two are here?”

“W-Well, that’s…”

“Oh, is it about that? It’s fine, just tell me.”

“No way, it’s not like that! I have a perfectly normal view on relationships, haha!”

When I deliberately left an opening, Park Hwan-Hee quickly slipped through it. I let out a small chuckle before continuing in a slightly sterner tone.

“Good to hear if that’s the case. Anyway, it’s fine to wander around the dorms a bit, but new players hanging out in a remote place like this doesn’t look great.”

“Yes, sorry about that. We’ll head back right away. Come on, Hangeol, let’s go.”

“I-I…”

Park Hwan-Hee responded immediately, looking down at Baek Hangeol. However, Baek Hangeol just stood there, his face full of uncertainty, his lips trembling. Park Hwan-Hee glanced back and forth between me and him for a moment but soon bowed deeply and began walking away. Despite how close he seemed to sealing the deal, he showed surprising decisiveness in leaving.

As Park Hwan-Hee disappeared into the distance, I heard Baek Hangeol let out a sigh of relief. He must have been dead set against taking that hand, but the mention of his girlfriend had shaken him, and he nearly got swept up in the moment. Seeing that he ultimately didn’t take Park Hwan-Hee’s hand allowed me to make some guesses.

For now, the troublemaker was gone. Only then could I take a closer look at Baek Hangeol.

Awakened Secret Class: Divine Shield. There wasn’t much difference between an Awakened Secret Class and a regular Secret Class. The main distinction lay in how the class was obtained.

Typically, Secret Classes are acquired through items like equipment, books, or gems that contain specific settings. In that sense, they’re not much different from Rare Classes. However, Awakened Secret or Awakened Rare Classes don’t require such items. I understood that meeting certain conditions could trigger the evolution of a class without needing a specific item.

That was the extent of what I knew about Awakened Secret Classes. Beyond that, I didn’t have any detailed knowledge. In my first life, Awakened Secret Classes had only appeared twice. Even then, the Awakened players only mentioned that the difference was in the acquisition method, never elaborating on the specifics.

After roughly organizing my thoughts about Awakened Classes, I let out a sigh and looked down at the player in front of me.

‘Baek Hangeol is a must-recruit.’

Given that he possessed a secret support-type class rather than a standard combat one, his value was immense. In other words, he was someone I absolutely had to recruit.

Of course, there were some unclear points. The biggest one was that Divine Shield had appeared now. In my first life, I remembered this class emerging years later. And back then, the player who inherited the Divine Shield was definitely female.

‘Ugh. I don’t know.’

My head swirled with questions about what was going on, but I decided to push them aside for now. The future had been altered more than once, and there was something far more important in front of me right now.

I had personally experienced the overwhelming power of Divine Shield in group battles during my first life. Regardless of the timeline, finding this class now meant I had to recruit him no matter what.

Suddenly, I felt a hesitant gaze looking up at me. I softened the stern expression I’d used with Park Hwan-Hee, adopting a much gentler one. Speaking in a kind tone, I helped Baek Hangeol to his feet.

“Why are you still sitting there? Are you hurt? Feeling unwell?”

“N-No? I-I’m sorry! So, so, so sorry!”

He flinched in surprise as I pulled him up, shrinking into himself. I patted his shoulder a few times to reassure him. Baek Hangeol gave an awkward smile, cautiously watching me before speaking in a timid voice.

“Um… are you really the Mercenary Clan Lord?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“Y-Yes! I heard a lot from the instructors. They said that even though you’re a Year 0 player like us, you’ve achieved incredible things… especially that you’re a Secret Class…”

Baek Hangeol emphasized the words ‘Secret Class’ with particular weight. Guessing his intentions, I gave a faint smile and let out a small laugh. Nodding lightly, I responded to his words.

“Haha. It’s not that big a deal, but I’m a bit embarrassed hearing you say that. If you guys work hard, you can definitely reach my level.”

“Really?”

“Of course. It’s probably pretty confusing for you right now, though. I heard all the new recruits this time are working hard. Anyway, I arrived just now and don’t know the full story… Were you being bullied or anything?”

“Huh? N-No, absolutely not! It was just a little argument…”

“Well, if that’s the case, fine. Anyway, I’ll be joining the mental training sessions regularly, so we’ll see each other a lot. If there’s something you don’t want to talk about now, you can tell me later. I’m not just a training instructor; I handle both education and daily life. You can send me a signal during training, or you can come to my quarters. For your information, my room is on the first floor.”

“Oh, y-yes! Thank you.”

Baek Hangeol nodded repeatedly, as if it were a great honor. In his gaze, there was a strange sense of camaraderie. I thought this wasn’t a bad start. Rather than rushing in, it seemed better to hint at our similarities (though, honestly, we weren’t similar at all) and approach him slowly, leaving room for connection.

Acting like a friendly older brother, I encouraged Baek Hangeol. Fortunately, it seemed to work to some extent, as he shed some of his initial awkwardness and even flashed a genuine smile once or twice.

“It’s almost dinner time. Head back early, and since training starts again tomorrow, give it your all.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you. I’ll head back now…!”

I offered to walk him to the dorms, but he waved his hands frantically, so I had no choice but to let him go alone. Watching him practically jog to the left, I let out a big sigh the moment he disappeared down the narrow path.

*

“Good job, oppa.”

“Good job? You’re the one who worked harder.”

“Hehe. Did I do well?”

“Yeah, yeah. Our lucky charm is the best.”

Thanks to An-Sol’s perfectly timed push, I was able to thwart Park Hwan-Hee’s scheme. On top of that, I managed to make some progress on the frustrating matters that had been stalled for so long.

Park Hwan-Hee’s plan. The cooperation of new players. Some kind of deal. And Divine Shield, Baek Hangeol. I had gathered a ton of information today, and I needed time to sort it all out calmly. There were also a few things to add to my future plans. With the sudden increase in tasks, I couldn’t help but hum a cheerful tune.

“Hehe. Seeing you in a good mood makes me happy too, oppa.”

An-Sol kept saying sweet things, clinging to me playfully. The sharp demeanor she’d shown earlier was gone, and she was back to her usual innocent self. I gently patted her head as we walked out of the narrow path. An-Sol wrapped her arms around my waist, making my steps a bit awkward, but for today, I decided to let it slide.

As we stepped outside, the sun was already beginning to set. The rest area, once bustling with new players, was now noticeably quieter. It was about time for dinner, so everyone seemed to be preparing.

It was time to send Go Yeon-Joo and An-Sol off. By now, Go Yeon-Joo had probably finished her business and was waiting at the Easter Egg. Thinking she might have been waiting for a while, I started to head in that direction.

Tap! Tap! tap!

“Sob.”

Suddenly, I heard someone sobbing and the sound of footsteps rushing out from a nearby narrow path. Startled, I turned to see a familiar player. It was Kim Han-Byeol, who hadn’t been seen since this morning. It seemed she emerged from the right path shortly after I came out from the left.

In that moment, I recalled the path I hadn’t chosen earlier. If I had taken the front path back then…

She must have noticed me while running, as she hesitated and turned her head. The moment I saw her face, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow slightly.

She was covering her mouth with one hand. Her usually cold and aloof eyes were filled with sorrow, and her cheeks were streaked with tear tracks. That wasn’t all. Though she tried to cover it, I could still see the faint red handprint peeking out from her hand.

“Ah…!”

“Ah…?”

Kim Han-Byeol and An-Sol recognized each other, letting out surprised exclamations at the same time. Han-Byeol’s gaze shifted from An-Sol to me. She bit her lip hard, then turned and started running forward.

“O-Oppa… Was that just… Han-Byeol unnie?”

I didn’t answer. I just gently patted An-Sol’s head a few times, staring blankly at Han-Byeol’s forlorn figure as she ran.