Qualifying

8 years later...

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(A.N) lololol sorry if you think this is a bit of a jump, but I wanted to get to the action straight away. I figured that the MC being 15 is much more interesting than the MC being 8 or 9.

If you don't like it....well, I already wrote the chapter so....sorry. Now! Back to the story!

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In the changing room of RF Middle School, the Mantas were just talking about their amazing day today. Right before this they won at least one medal in all of the categories.

And for the freestyle 100 meters, freestyle 200 meters and butterfly 100 meters, they got gold and silver medals.

As their coach enters the locker room to congratulate the team, they hear the loud cheering of the parents and some fans from the swimming pool.

Right now, the finals for the middle school women's swimming tournament just ended. Everyone is happy, not because it ended, but because it's the final day of school as well.

Well...there was another tournament happening...the men's tournament. Since the women's cup finished already, the show up rate to the tournaments have changed a lot.

From the statistics, throughout the women's tournament, the attendance rate was somewhere around 60%-65% of middle school boys who apparently, really really appreciate women's swimming that they come without parents.

But today, the start of the qualifying for the men's tournament and the finals for the women's tournament, the attendance rate was nearly a 50/50 split between middle school boys and middle school girls.

It's probably because of the children now are more appreciating of swimming athlete. It really brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it? Seeing the kids so engaged with the sport...

"Alrighty! You girls did amazing today! As your coach, I am required by myself to reward you with something...so, what do you want?"

With the Mantas coach, Coach Lee, offering anything in reward for their superb performance, they all start yelling out their fantasies.

"Cheat day!"

"Mixer with the basketball team!"

"No no, mixer with the swimming team!"

""OHOH! A WOMAN OF CULTURE!""

Hearing their rediculous requests, Coach Lee shakes her head with a wry smile. The only request she can do is a cheat day.

The boys swimming team is busy with the championship and the basketball team is currently at a summer camp to learn more.

So, Coach Lee decides to make them regret their decision.

"Alrighty then, we will do the swimming team mixer!"

""WOOOHOOO-""

"But!...You need to beat So-young first. She decides if Min-chul can go"

"Aiiishhh, then forget it..."

"Yeah, this is hopeless. Cheat day is a pretty good suggestion"

"Coach! Cheat day!"

Coach Lee almost bursts out laughing seeing the drastic change in their attitudes. As a woman, she can admit that Min-chul looks good.

She won't try anything, but he's good looking. She also understands that her pupils all see him as a potential boyfriend...excluding for the fact that a woman named So-young is extremely protective of him.

She has seen first hand and from stories of So-young's father and the newly appointed coach of the Sharks, Coach Seung-ri, how obsessed So-young is with Min-chul.

So with this in mind, who would dare beat So-young when it came to Min-chul?

It would be an absolute massacre. So-young might get shipped off in a padded room to Geneva to discuss her actions if they decided to race So-young.

"Then....a cheat 3 days it is!"

""WOOOHOOO!""

"Coach! Are you gonna watch the qualifying?"

"Huh? Of course! Did you forget I have a son or something, eh?"

"Ahhhh, makes sense makes sense"

As Coach Lee and some of the other girls follow her to the swimming pool, they get front row seats as they are a part of the swim team.

(MC POV)

As I wait for my turn to qualify for the 100 meter freestyle, I see all the girls emerge from their little locker room. Waving my hand, they all wave at me with smiles on their faces.

'Aahahaha.....did they forget about So-young or something?'

To pass the time, I check my stats.

'Feelie. Status'

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Name: Kim Min-chul

Age: 15

Titles:

Cutest Meat Shield (Charm x1%) [IN USE]

Little Snitch ( Charm -10%, Social Skills -5%)

HP: 16/16

STR: 62+31 (LOCKED) RES: 55+15 (LOCKED)

SPD: 50+17 (LOCKED) STAMI: 62+15 (LOCKED)

INT: 121

₲Coins: ₲10,320 (TAX 25% OF EARNINGS)

———Gear———

Head: Slightly Larger Brain ┃ INT +4 ┃ Charm x2%

Torso: Steel Cast Abs ┃ (Steel Set) COMPLETE +2 ALL STATS┃ STR +11 RES +9 ┃ Charm x12%

Arms: Steel Molded Arms ┃ (Steel Set) COMPLETE +2 ALL STATS┃ STR +14 ┃ Push x22% ┃ Pull x22%

Legs: Steel Made Thighs ┃ (Steel Set) COMPLETE +2 ALL STATS┃ SPD +11 STAMI +9 ┃ Kicking Power x10%

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That's right, I have taxes now. Freaking. Taxes.

'What the hell, Feelie?'

I've asked him this too many times to count, but I even though I don't like it, it's better this way. If there were no taxes, I guess the system would be too overpowered.

[for the nth time Min-chul, it's to balance your stupid progress out. Think of it as a sacrifice to make the higher-ups happy]

As I start chatting to Feelie about trivial subjects, I get interrupted by Coach Kwan.

"Oy kid. Whatcha thinking 'bout?"

"Oh, nothing uncle Seung-ri. Just...I'm a bit bored"

"Bored? Ahahaha, seems like you. Feeling bored in the qualifying for the national championships...this freaking kid. How'd my daughter even come to like you?"

"Please, uncle. You flatter"

After I reached 13, Seung-ri became the official vice-coach for the RF Sharks and he got popular fairly quickly with his massive biceps.

When he became the coach, he would frequently mention about how So-young likes me. Since I don't really have any plans with her, I've not tried anything.

I'm sure that, with her currently attitude towards me, if I ever get back with Mi-young later in life, she'd definitely kill her. Well, 99% sure.

The other 1% is that So-young kills me.

As I start wiping my hands on my knees, I stand up from my seat and start stretching to prepare for my turn, which is next up.

While I'm doing my toe touches, the crowd, more specifically the females, go wild. Woah, I guess the qualifying started? Is that why they're cheering?

I turn my head and right after, I hear the loud buzzer that signals the first round of qualifying.

The point of qualifying is to thin out the competition so only the best of the best can compete. The schools in the top 10 qualify while 11 and below are in the B leagues.

There's lower than the B leagues such as the C leagues for schools at rank 20 and below, D leagues for rank 40 and below, etc etc. but nobody cares about them except for their parents.

It's the truth. Nobody watches high school football matches save for talent scouts, parents, bored friends and some teachers, right? Same thing with swimming.

On a totally unrelated note, as I gre up, I only got hotter. The steel abs only made it better...or worse. I attracted A LOT of talent scouts attentions, but I decided to model at high school or somewhere around that time.

It's because the view of middle school models and high school models are very different. High school models are closer to idols, even if they are freshmen in their first year.

Meanwhile, even 3rd year middle school students like me won't be viewed as 'influencers' and will just be a vase. That isn't good for my future image.

Yeah yeah, I'm prepared for my future sponsors!

I take my chair and flip it around, so that I have a little rest for my head while I'm watching the qualifying for the 100 meter froggy kick.

In our competition pool, there are 10 lanes. In each lane is a student from a different school and the top 10 fastest times advance their school to the A league.

Top 20 is B league and you get the idea. Each student gets two tries to get their fastest time and their best time is the time the officials count.

Even though I've been scouted by the under-16 Olympics team, I was explicit ply advised by Feelie to not accept.

Obviously, I was confused since he was a swimming system. Shouldn't you want my success? However, when I asked him, all I got was.

[trust me. Join the under-16 team and you will absolutely get crushed. Those kids aren't there for no reason. I shouldn't be telling you this, but their stats would probably be over 80]

And so, I declined. Mom and dad was fine with it since they thought I would handle the pressure, but So-young, Jung and literally everone else was confused.

...this sort of worked out for me however, since some rumor spread around the school that I didn't accept it because I wanted to represent my school for the middle school competition.

It was slightly stupid but hey, I got really popular with the teachers. My grades were higher than they've ever been and I'm living the life.

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(A.N) yo! So I hope you're okay with this timeskip. I tried to make this chapter a sort of 50/50 between a summary of the past events you missed and the current outlook of things.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and if you REALLY enjoyed, do consider supporting me with your comments and powerstones! Thanks so much and peace ✌️! Love ya!