BORING SCHOOL

"… The first human remains found in Korea date back to around 500,000 years ago. According to tradition, in 2333 BC, Tangun founded the kingdom of Gojoseon, but after numerous wars, this kingdom disintegrated. Following this…"

Today was history class, and the old professor was reading a passage from the textbook to all the students.

However, most of them were completely ignoring him.

Only a very few seemed to be paying attention, with Robert being one of them.

Yet, it was only on the surface, as many things were swirling in his mind.

And no wonder, because today brought him a big surprise.

He couldn't imagine that a person, someone like that woman named Anna Jin, could have such strength!

Having 800% the average strength of a man was not something an average human could achieve.

Unless you were Ronnie Coleman, it would be quite extraordinary.

'I think I need to reassess my goals... a terrible miscalculation indeed... it's less likely that I should prepare for possible encounters with real monsters.'

After his encounter with those wolf-like beasts and his subsequent time in the army barracks, Robert had come to the mistaken conclusion of what the standard average strength would be in this new world.

With a [Strength] of 35, he had been sufficient to face those supernatural beasts, and at a value of 40, his strength was above the average of all the 'strong' people he had trained with.

That's why his goal was to measure the strength of Ijin, the special forces guarding General Kim and the president of the NIS, and even some former members of special forces about whom several legends were woven.

After all, this was a normal world, right?

The incident with the wolves was likely just an isolated event, so there was no need to worry for now.

And even if some fantastic things were to happen, Robert believed that by then he would have reached a level that surpassed everyone.

'However, seeing the woman's level was like being slapped in the face!'

Right now, in this world, some people are that strong!

And to top it off, was she hiding from a martial arts master?

So this woman with extraordinary strength was hiding from someone stronger?

Isn't this supposed to be a world without fantastic things?

'Well... I think I need to reconsider if getting involved with them right now is the best decision I could make

Robert smiled calmly on the surface.

It's not that our protagonist is cowardly, but he needs to be more cautious than he had been.

Spending half a year in the barracks had dulled his instincts of caution, and the system giving him almost no help during that time didn't help much.

Now, however, things were different.

'Show me my status,' our protagonist spoke mentally as his gaze turned to the holographic screen that had suddenly appeared.

Ding, ding, ding

[Status]

>Basic Information:

Name: Robert Jovanovich-Lee

Age: 19 years

Race: Human (95%) / Transcendent (5%)

HP: 90 MP: 80

Strength: 40 Agility: 35 Vitality: 400 Intelligence: 25 Perception: 25 Fatigue: 0

Average Human Value: 10

Additional Points: 19

>Passive Abilities:

[Unknown lvl max] [World Traveler lvl 1] [Indomitable Spirit lvl 1] [Immaculate Body lvl 1] [Advanced Combat Arts lvl 3] [Vitality Absorption (locked)]

>Active Abilities:

[Sprint lvl 1] [Physical Resistance lvl 2]

'I see my HP and MP increased, I suppose it's from the missions I've been undertaking... now, I think I should invest my 19 points wisely.'

Robert began to analyze which stats needed boosting to balance them out.

He could just put all his points into [Strength] and make a complete leap in that statistic, but that would be counterproductive.

What good would explosive strength do if his [Agility] was lacking?

Similarly, his [Intelligence] and [Perception] needed to increase because he had begun to suspect the system had a very peculiar way of distributing missions, so he needed to be more perceptive about the decisions he would make in the future.

With a mental command, he distributed the points and his stats ended up a bit more balanced.

HP: 90 MP: 80

Strength: 45 Agility: 40 Vitality: 400 Intelligence: 30 Perception: 29 Fatigue: 0

'Hmm... I think this is good, at least strength is at the forefront and will help me get out of some tight spots.'

After distributing his points and outlining some plans, he noticed how most of the students were so unconcerned; some were even sleeping, while the old professor continued to talk about historical events.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"Oh, class is over, I guess we'll continue next week, don't forget to read the pages-"

"Let's hurry to the store before the filled buns run out!"

"So, tell me, how did it go yesterday with the game I lent you?"

"I told you, Cheol didn't know anything, man."

As soon as the bell for break sounded, all the students started chatting or leaving the classroom, not letting the teacher finish his sentence.

'Well, it's time to go find new protagonists and accumulate more points.'

Robert stood up to head out and walk around the entire school to see who he could run into. Since his system had been updating yesterday, he wasn't sure if he had encountered any other protagonists or main characters from different stories. Today, he would try to meet some of them and collect some points.

"Hey, guy with the weird name, you ignored me yesterday, huh?"

Suddenly, Eunice, the purple-haired girl sitting in front of him, also stood up and approached our protagonist.

Most of the boys and girls sitting in the back of the classroom looked curiously at this scene. It was well known that Eunice was a very troublesome and conceited girl who always sought to be the center of attention.

They also knew she liked interesting guys, whether handsome or with a good physique, but she quickly got bored and ended the relationship when she lost interest, which is why she had had many boyfriends in the past.

She even tried something with Gunner, one of the most famous boys in school, but was flatly rejected as he was (and is) in a relationship with Sophie.

Now, with a new guy in school, Eunice wouldn't waste any time trying to make him her new boyfriend.

"Haha, it wasn't like that, it was just my first day and I wasn't quite used to it" - Robert replied with a calm smile.

"Well then, how about you accompany me and I show you around the school? I'm sure we can find something interesting"

Seeing our protagonist's relaxed reaction, Eunice became more direct in her proposal, which caught the attention of some present.

"I'm flattered that you want to do that for me, but right now I'm going to see my tutor for necessary guidance, maybe some other time"

With a short and calm response, Robert walked and left the classroom, paying no attention to a surprised Eunice, who gradually began to frown at this outcome.

"Hehe, looks like you're not so popular anymore, huh Eunice" - Sophie suddenly teased, seeing the annoyance on the Purplehead's face.

"Shut up, bitch, this is none of your business" - Eunice responded angrily.

"Who are you calling a bitch?! Try saying it again and-"

"Silence!"

Just as Sophie was getting up, Gunner, the redhead, raised his voice and silenced both girls, as well as most of the classroom.

"Sophie quit messing around, this isn't your affair" - The redhead's gaze fell on his girlfriend, causing her to shrug and feel remorseful.

"And you, Eunice, I see you have the guts to call Sophie a bitch in front of me eh ... although it was her fault, I'll let you get away with it this time"

"Y-yes, Gunner."

Eunice, who until a moment ago was upset at being so obviously rejected, now had a face full of anxiety mixed with fear. And not for nothing, since she had just remembered who was sitting behind Sophie!

Cheol Gunner, the most violent person in the preparatory school, who even during his first year had managed to defeat the seniors of the third year!

He had even managed to beat several students who were practicing different fighting styles professionally!

Anyone who opposed him ended up with broken bones and bruised skin.

His fame was such that it was even said that some local criminal bands had invited him to join their ranks, but Gunner had turned them all down.

"Bitch! Damn you, Sophie! You're a lucky one! If not for Gunner, I would break that nasty smile of yours!"

Eunice bit her lip with frustration and turned to leave the room. At that moment, she saw all her classmates looking at her.

"Now I want to tell you to go to hell because not only did you witness how the new boy rejected me, but you also saw Gunner shouting at me!"

............

"Damn, what a troublesome girl... If it were just for a fling, I wouldn't mind getting close to her, but it'd be more trouble than it's worth if I did... I better start thinking about how the hell I'm going to increase my stats."

Walking down the crowded hallway, Robert muttered to himself while sipping from a juice box. In one hand, he carried a package, of his new textbooks, as he was indeed on his way to see his tutor to collect them. With no rush to return, he strolled through the bustling corridor, hoping to encounter another relevant character.

Bam!

Suddenly, he heard a loud noise coming from a third-year classroom, where a large group had gathered. Among them was Yu Dayun, who had slight traces of dirt on his clothes and looked with astonishment and surprise into the room.

Ding, ding, ding

[Congratulations on meeting a main character: Kim Hee-jin from 'Teenage Mercenary,' you have earned 1 additional point]

Just as our protagonist approached, the system screen appeared with a new message.

"Oh, free money"

He joked upon seeing the yellow-haired girl standing next to Dayun, whom the system was identifying as Hee-jin.

This girl, unlike Dayun, had a slightly scared expression as she slowly turned to see the newcomer, surprised to encounter our protagonist.

Robert, however, paid her little mind and peeked through the door to see what had happened inside the classroom. What he saw made his eyebrows raise in mild surprise.

On the floor were four students who had been beaten, especially one of them, a short-haired brown-haired guy whose nose was still bleeding. And amidst them all, Ijin stood, as impassive as ever, but her gaze was fixed on the blonde girl named Hee-jin, which quickly shifted when she saw Robert had appeared.

Ding, ding, ding

[Congratulations on meeting a main character: Kim Ki-soo from 'Teenage Mercenary,' you have earned 1 additional point]

"Looks like, in the end, you were the one who couldn't keep your promise" - Robert joked as he entered the classroom.

"Well... they started it" - Ijin replied calmly.

As the newcomer entered, murmurs began to ripple through the room.

"Who is this guy?"

"Oh, he's the other foreign student who transferred on the same day as Yu-soo"

"Damn, are all foreign students models or something? Why are they so handsome?"

Everyone in the room started chatting among themselves, with many others typing on their phones.

Ding, ding, ding

[Congratulations on meeting a main character: Lee Jaeh-yung from 'Teenage Mercenary,' you have earned 1 additional point]

[Congratulations on meeting a main character: Ju Hyuk-jin from 'Teenage Mercenary,' you have earned 1 additional point]

[Congratulations on meeting a main character: Park Yung-chan from 'Teenage Mercenary,' you have earned 1 additional point]

"And what did these guys do to you?"

Robert, who wasn't interested in looking at the guys on the floor anymore, began scanning the classroom with his eyes, encountering several characters from Ijin's story and thus collecting points.

"It's not what they did to me, but to Dayun"

Ijin, who hadn't been distracted in the least by this conversation, started walking toward the classroom door, right where her sister and the girl named Hee-jin stood.

"O-Oppa, stop!"

At that moment, Dayun stepped forward and grabbed Ijin's arm, who seemed about to go and give the blonde-haired girl a good punch.

"Dayun" - Ijin looked at her sister - "aren't these the guys who have been bothering you all this time?"

"Well, that would piss him off quite a bit" - Robert thought upon hearing Dayun's words - "Finding out his little sister is being bullied at school... these guys are lucky not to be murdered"

It was well known to everyone in the military that what Ijin longed for the most was to be back with his family, to have that sense of belonging and peace.

"Huh? H-How did you... How did you find out?" - Dayun was surprised to hear her brother's words.

Right now, she didn't know where to hide because she was embarrassed. She didn't think her brother would be fighting for her, defending her.

A warm feeling welled up inside her, a feeling that made her feel at peace.

"I-I'm okay now" - Dayun tried to smile - "I'm fine, so... please stop, okay?"

"Alright" - Ijin looked at her for a moment before speaking - "Let's go, I'll walk you to your classroom"

"This... okay"

Dayun, blushing a bit, accepted what her brother said, and started following him.

"Whoa, what the hell just happened?"

"Did Kim Ki-soo's gang get beaten by one person?"

People started murmuring again as they saw the four boys still unconscious.

"Damn... that transfer student is freaking strong"

Jaeh-yung, the reddish-haired guy, spoke with a hint of fear in his voice.

His companion, Hyuk-jin, who had yellow-dyed hair, nodded dumbly in response. And no wonder, both guys had wanted to bully Ijin for being a newcomer.

"I would have been screwed if I tried to fight him" - was what both guys were thinking right now.

"Well, I think that kid Ijin was a bit lenient with these guys" - suddenly, Robert spoke as he also headed towards the door.

Everyone paid attention to the words spoken by our protagonist, as he dared to call the kid who had just defeated one of the school's most famous groups a "kid!"

"W-What do you mean?" Yung-chan, the short-haired guy, timidly asked.

Yung-chan was the only one who had spoken to Ijin since yesterday. He knew that both Ijin and this new guy had known each other before and had been transferred to this school at the same time.

That's why he was interested in knowing what our protagonist had to say.

"Um, I mean, if I had decided to, I could have easily broken their leg or arm... at least that's what I would have done if I found out they were bullying my sister."

Robert, who was about to cross the door, stopped and spoke deliberately as he looked at the yellow-haired girl named Hee-jin.

This girl, who had been enduring the frustration of seeing how easily the guys who were supposed to beat up Dayun's brother were defeated, quickly turned around to yell at this new guy to stop being stupid.

But the instant she saw his eyes, the words got stuck in her throat!

And it's that right now, for a moment, Robert's eyes seemed to transmit an inexplicable sense of fear!

While Ijin's gaze conveyed an unusual calm, the newcomer's eyes sent a cold sensation down her spine and filled her with fear!

What the hell did that mean?!

"L-Let's go"

The girl named Hee-jin mechanically turned around and almost ran out of the classroom, followed by a girl with a bun in her hair, making everyone wonder what the hell had just happened.

Robert, who just laughed at this action, left the classroom and walked calmly towards his class.

But why had he said and done all that?

Well, the answer lies in the system screen.

[Kim Hee-jin - human race: She is the first antagonist of the webtoon 'Teenage Mercenary'. She is the daughter of current congressman Kim Wan-jee, so she feels entitled to abuse everyone, especially Dayun, whom she resents ever since a boy she liked rejected her to confess to Dayun.]

[Statistics: Human race / HP: 10; MP: 00; Strength: 5; Agility: 5; Intelligence: 10; Perception: 10; Vitality: 10; Fatigue: 2]

'Daughter of a congressman, huh... where there's politics there's always dirt... and where there's dirt there's always gains... Let's see how dirty this girl's father is.'

Our protagonist was now plotting a new course of action in his mind, one that could yield some juicy benefits.