I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius

I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 19

EP.19 Friends (4)

Out of the blue, a sudden death sentence made Plain Smoothie catch in her throat.

“Eck! Puff!?”

Jin Se-rin sprayed the white smoothie like a fountain.

The cafe’s wooden floor was stained white by the smoothie.

“Cough! Cough!”

Kang Seo-Jun offered tissues from the table.

“………… Are you okay? Take the tissues.”

“Uh… yeah… just a moment… cough!”

Jin Se-rin covered her mouth with one hand and took the tissues.

The smoothie was dripping from her chin.

Her nose was itchy from the backward flow of the smoothie, and tears involuntarily welled up.

She quickly turned her head, wiped her face hastily, and cleared the remaining residue with a fake cough.

“Hmm! Hmph!”

After a couple of deep breaths, as if her shoulders were rising and falling, she asked.

“Am I… going to die?”

“Yes. At this rate, it’ll be within a few years.”

In the original [Grand Hunter Academy], Jin Se-rin couldn’t awaken until the player managed her.

Unable to accept her fate until the end, Jin Se-rin ultimately failed to grow, losing everything she had as the game progressed towards the latter part.

“W-What… do you mean…”

Jin Se-rin made a bewildered expression.

It was clear from her eyes that she couldn’t accept it at all.

Of course. In the famous meme of the five stages of accepting death, denial is the first reaction when faced with an unbearable truth.

Adding an unbelievable story here would only make it more awkward for Jin Se-rin.

But how she accepts it is Jin Se-rin’s responsibility.

Kang Seo-Jun merely answered the question he asked, knowing it well.

“Sometimes you’ll have nightmares. There is a hand that shine.”

“That! How can that be…”

“That’s a prophecy. You die there.”

“Hmm! Hoo…”

She opened her mouth wide, then lowered her head halfway, lost in thought.

As the unexpected story poured out, it was overwhelmingly confusing.

She had come to find a way to survive, only to receive a death sentence out of nowhere.

It was absurd.

However, she didn’t doubt him.

How many experts had come and gone in the past two years to solve the mystery of her growth identity?

Yet, this issue remained unsolved, with not even the cause properly identified.

It wasn’t due to the limits of growth, and she had received multiple diagnoses ruling out malicious curses from others.

He effortlessly resolved this perplexing problem in just a few days, treating it like a trivial matter.

Moreover, she was the one who approached him first, so doubting him made no sense at all.

Accurate diagnosis. Precise handling. And even a solution.

This man was undoubtedly an expert.

If he said, ‘you die,’ it was probably an undeniable fact.

Probably. That’s why it was agonizing.

This man even knew about her intensely personal nightmares.

She had thought those were just nightmares stemming from the uneasiness of her growth identity, but there might be some connection after all.

And it was even a prophecy.

Believing his words meant accepting not only the approaching nightmares but also the impending truth.

For her, it was not an easy problem.

So, Jin Se-rin asked, hoping her trust was audible.

Hoping for any slight error that would allow her to doubt him.

“How do you know such a thing…?”

Kang Seo-Jun replied promptly.

“Isn’t it better to ask about the future rather than me right now?”

An answer so suspiciously avoiding the disclosure of his background.

But it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Ultimately, the conversation could only go in one of two directions.

Either dismiss everything as nonsense and leave this place, or, having received Kang Seo-Jun’s diagnosis, continue to listen to what he has to say about what to do next.

If she had to choose one, the latter would be a more rational decision.

Whether Jin Se-rin believed Kang Seo-Jun’s words or not, she could at least listen to the story for now. But she was afraid. Afraid that the moment she heard his words, she would be facing an unbearable fate.

‘Unnie….’

Jin Se-rin desperately felt the absence of Seo Eun-ha, who wasn’t present in this moment.

“Hmm.”

Kang Seo-Jun also sighed silently.

“You don’t have to be so serious. As I mentioned, it’s only if things continue like this.”

“Even if you say that…”

“With just the crystal, you can raise your abilities. Just become stronger in the same way.”

“That’s… hng….”

Jin Se-rin made a choked sound. She had feared that such words would come out.

Of course, thanks to Kang Seo-Jun, she had found a path for her growth. But the means seemed too vague to her.

Finding the dungeon where that peculiar crystal appeared was a problem in itself, and even after finding the dungeon, it was still a problem.

Despite overcoming the life-threatening crisis in the hidden Dungeon, her growth was merely a meager strength increase of +1. Her current average ability level was at best C rank.

To elevate this poor ability, long since stagnated, to a level where she could survive in those nightmares, she had no idea how many crises she had to face, how many precious people she had to put in danger, and how many sacrifices she had to make.

“Hmm. You’re quite pessimistic.”

Kang Seo-Jun roughly guessed Jin Se-rin’s inner thoughts. So, thinking it might be a bit early but prepared in advance, he took out a trump card.

“I didn’t give you a death sentence. First, take this.”

– Thud! –

Kang Seo-Jun placed something on the table. Jin Se-rin’s eyes widened when she saw it. What Kang Seo-Jun had put down were purified soul fragments, not just one but two.

“I-Is this…! Were there more!?”

“It’s not easy to obtain these, but it’s not that difficult either. So, there’s no need for you to be so pessimistic.”

Jin Se-rin looked at the crystal, her lips trembling.

“H-How many do you have!? I want to buy them! If possible, every time the goods come in!”

Kang Seo-Jun scratched the back of his neck.

“You’re speaking too casually. I don’t even know how much to sell these for.”

“….. Ah!”

Purified soul fragments could be easily obtained from the dimensional shop, but the problem was the price. It wasn’t outrageously expensive, but it wasn’t cheap either, making it a bit of a dilemma for Kang Seo-Jun on how to handle the situation.

Of course, there was room for negotiation. From Kang Seo-Jun’s perspective, it would be good if Jin Se-rin could grow.

“Well, how much… would it be?”

Jin Se-rin asked in a voice that was gradually becoming more subdued.

“Well, can you put a value on this in terms of money?”

“Hng….”

Jin Se-rin stammered. He decided to stop teasing her.

Kang Seo-Jun pushed the two crystals toward Jin Se-rin.

“Just take them.”

“Huh? Huh? Really?”

Jin Se-rin alternated her gaze between the crystals and Kang Seo-Jun with a bewildered expression.

Potions and artifacts that enhance abilities are very expensive, especially when the available artifacts are limited, as in Jin Se-rin’s case. Giving away such items for free was unheard of.

“It doesn’t make sense…”

Anxiety filled Jin Se-rin’s eyes.

Kang Seo-Jun nodded.

Sure, it would be good for her to receive material compensation. But once money or artifacts were exchanged, the relationship ended.

“Of course, it’s not without price.”

“Well, what should I give you?”

Something more valuable than money or artifacts. A strong bond formed through goodwill. For the price of these crystals, that seemed appropriate. If money and artifacts were immediate gains, a strong bond was a more long-term investment. Especially in this case, with Jin Se-rin, who had a strong connection to Seo Eun-ha. It wasn’t unreasonable to expect more than just money or artifacts from this bond. She wasn’t the type to forget favors, making it a reliable investment.

This, too, was a result calculated rationally.

“Let’s become best friends.”

“……… What?”

“This is the friendship fee…”

“Oh, no… Please don’t joke.”

Jin Se-rin sighed.

“That’s not a proper compensation…”

“I’m serious.”

“… What exactly does it mean to be your ‘best friend’?”

To Kang Seo-Jun’s surprise, his expression stiffened at this unexpected question. He never thought she would ask such a thing.

Kang Seo-Jun suddenly fell into deep thought. What does being a best friend mean? Something you can trust each other… No. A solid alliance… No. For Kang Seo-Jun, who didn’t have friends even in his past life, it was an exceedingly difficult definition.

Rather than understanding based on reason, it’s about sticking together out of loyalty… that’s not it either. The more he thought about it, the more it felt like falling into a maze. However, justice eventually led to a conclusion.

“Taking good care of each other.”

It couldn’t be the correct definition for a best friend. Taking care of each other wasn’t just a friend’s criterion. It could be the criterion for lovers, family, or even colleagues. But for Kang Seo-Jun, such definitions didn’t matter.

What he needed was an ally who had goodwill toward him. If it was at that level, it was enough.

“Taking good care of each other…”

A vague and ambiguous compensation that didn’t demand anything specific. The standard for taking care of each other wasn’t just the friend’s criterion, it could be the criterion for lovers, family, or even colleagues. But for Kang Seo-Jun, such definitions didn’t matter.

“If we take good care of each other…”

When asked again, it’s natural for anyone to feel a bit awkward in responding.

It seemed that Kang Seo-Jun never expected such a question. What is a best friend? A question he never thought would be asked. The answer was unclear, and the criterion for taking good care of each other wasn’t solely based on his own feelings.

Jin Se-rin, looking at the crystal in her hand, asked hesitantly, “Does that really work…?”

“If you don’t like it, just say so.”

“Oh, no! It’s not that I don’t like it… I-I like it!”

Kang Seo-Jun nodded.

“Then, next time we meet, let’s drop the formalities, okay?”

The first meeting was a transaction, so they used formal language, but from now on, she would be a classmate for the next few years. It felt awkward to continue using formal language.

“Y-yes! Next time, we’ll speak informally! And…”

Jin Se-rin continued with a newfound determination.

“I’ll do my best!”

What exactly she meant by doing her best was unclear, but Kang Seo-Jun nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Then, the deal is sealed.”

In [Grand Hunter Academy], among numerous playable characters, Jin Se-rin was quite powerful. If managed well, she could be a reliable performer anywhere, despite the pitiful fate of players who couldn’t awaken if left unattended.

Thus, Kang Seo-Jun gained an ally to face the impending global disaster. Getting a friend to share the happy life of the second round of life was a bonus.

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That night, after returning home, Jin Se-rin searched for the literal meaning of taking good care of each other, the original form of ‘taking care of’, appeared instead. [(챙겨주다). The linguistic dictionary showed the original form ‘챙기다’ instead of ‘챙겨주다’.]

▶ Take care [Verb] (챙기다)

1. To find and prepare necessary items.

2. To gather well without leaving anything behind.

3. To take as one’s own.

Jin Se-rin pondered over the literal meanings from 1 to 3 with her chin resting on her hand. Her gaze lingered a bit longer on the third meaning.

“To take as one’s own…”

Jin Se-rin casually turned off the linguistic dictionary.

That night, Jin Se-rin had no idea what Kang Seo-Jun meant by ‘taking good care of each other’ and ‘best friend’.

In the not-too-distant future,

What she would come to consider the most important wasn’t 1 or 2 but the third meaning. And with that, she would accumulate numerous rivals.