52 – Field Experience Learning (1)
* * *
A few months ago, there was a video uploaded on a video-sharing website.
In the video, a mysterious man kills a black demon with a single stroke of his sword.
The sudden occurrence of a dimensional portal event, which should have happened according to history, was blocked and stopped because of him.
If that man hadn’t existed.
However, even just its existence alone, the special demon has the ability to contaminate its surroundings.
Due to the appearance of that demon in the city, even at a school, severe damage occurs.
As a result, the already uneasy atmosphere of society worsens to the extreme, with the death of Yang Jiwoo, the practical leader of the group of returnees known as the “Returners,” causing the weakening of the returnee faction’s unity, and doubts about the fundamental safety of dimensional portals.
However, for reasons unknown to the current protagonist, both events that should have happened never occurred.
Society still suffers from a lack of safety awareness.
They remain oblivious to the fact that this peace is precariously balanced on a sharpened blade.
Why didn’t these events happen?
Even if the identity of the mysterious man from a previous life is irrelevant, there were no incidents related to Yang Jiwoo’s death, to the extent that there was not even a single report.
Because of that, it was clear that the course of history would change quite a bit.
For example, the closest upcoming incident.
An unauthorized group of superhumans known as villains, taking advantage of the uneasy atmosphere, attack the field trip site of a specialized high school for superhumans in Korea.
Their reason for launching the attack, each for their own motives, is to gain recognition by attacking the largest and most famous superhuman training institution in Korea. It was to increase the size of their organization.
However, there were doubts about whether this emerging villainous group could cause any harm when faced with the presence of powerful superhumans among the teaching staff at Hancho High School.
In response to that doubt, they answered that the superhumans on Yang Jiwoo’s side would not hesitate to resort to any dirty means necessary.
Not only to the teachers, but also causing numerous casualties among the students.
As a result, society fell into further desolation.
It was uncertain whether these incidents would actually happen as originally planned.
The future had already changed too much.
However, as expected.
There was no harm in being prepared.
If he took advantage of this incident well, he could build a strong camaraderie with the students who would grow into immensely powerful superhumans in the future.
Preventing the incident from happening at all was also within his capabilities.
But unfortunately, he had no intention of doing so.
This peaceful society needed to realize that it was becoming slightly more uneasy and that the current world was not as safe as it seemed.
Innocent people may die, but…
The current society was unsuitable for facing the impending disaster that lay ahead.
Finally, it was the morning of the field trip that had been eagerly anticipated. As usual, Yeoul went to school.
Buses lined up in the narrow parking lot, and students gathered together, chatting away.
The plan was for all the first-year students of the proximity department, who were the main characters in the experiential learning, to travel by bus together to the location.
The students were filled with excitement.
And why wouldn’t they be? It was their first time engaging in an activity outside of school since they enrolled.
Regardless of what activity they were going to do, just the fact that they were stepping outside of the school was enough to make them thrilled.
In the midst of such a lively atmosphere, the teacher, Su-yeong, poured cold water.
“We’re not going for a field trip, so don’t get too excited.”
They were going to experience firsthand the danger of dimensional gates and monsters, even if it meant allocating time for it.
Her scolding dampened the mood a little, but it couldn’t extinguish the laughter that blossomed on the students’ faces.
After taking attendance, the students got on the bus.
By chance, Lyeoun ended up on the same bus as Yeoul. He exchanged a brief glance with her.
He had no intention of pretending to know her and announcing to those around him that she was his younger sister.
As all the students boarded the bus, Yeoul sat in the front seat with Su-yeong.
The door closed, and the bus started moving.
Both Su-yeong and Yeoul were not talkative, so silence settled between them. But the back seats were filled with lively chatter.
There were even the sounds of rustling and munching, as if someone had brought snacks.
The destination wasn’t too far, so they wouldn’t be on the bus for a long time, but they had still brought provisions.
Yeoul recalled a time when she had done the same thing, many years ago.
With their own thoughts, the bus continued toward its destination.
The bus came to a stop.
They had arrived at their destination, the open dimensional gate.
The door opened, and following Su-yeong and Yeoul, the students stepped off the bus.
The empty parking lot quickly filled with people.
Since all the first-year students of the proximity department had come out for the experiential learning, there were quite a few of them.
Yeoul, along with Su-yeong and the other teachers, worked together to take charge of the large group of students.
They gathered by class and started organizing themselves to take attendance.
“From the front, in order.”
-One!
-Two!
-Three!
Turning his gaze away from the familiar landscape, Yeoul looked around.
Overall, it looked similar to the open dimensional gates he had been to before, but there were several differences.
From Noble mtl dot com
Unlike the raw feeling of the construction site, these seemed to be more casually decorated.
It seemed that the focus was more on the experience of specialized schools for supernaturals rather than a hunter’s workplace.
However, the security was much stricter than elsewhere.
A zone blocked by thick walls instead of iron fences.
Even the people who looked like security guards were quite numerous, and they were all heavily armed.
It seemed like they were prepared for a possible terrorist attack targeting the students.
Still, the overall atmosphere was relaxed.
The security guards, armed as they were, engaged in casual conversations among themselves, and the inspections didn’t seem too strict.
There was a strong sense of showmanship.
Perhaps they had never experienced a terrorist attack before.
As Yeoul surveyed his surroundings, he finished gauging the number of people.
The students were neatly arranged without a single outlier.
Leading them, as if reminding one of chicks, they finally crossed over the high wall and entered the zone of the open dimensional gate.
“Wow….”
Exclamations burst from among the students.
Immediately, there unfolded the serene sounds and fresh air.
Truly, the theme of this particular dimensional gate, which was the most common and pleasant environment to experience, seemed to be a ‘forest’.
Perhaps because it was a completely different environment from the city they had been in.
The students looked around with widened eyes.
As soon as they crossed the sturdy iron gate, a vast open space spread out before them.
Even at a glance, it seemed artificial, as if the trees that would have normally grown thickly had been completely pushed away.
The open dimensional gate continued to erode its surroundings, so even if you pushed them away like this, it would soon return to its original environment. Seeing that they had done this, it seemed that they were constantly maintaining it.
Truly a dimensional gate for the purpose of experience.
Beyond the spacious open space that could accommodate hundreds of people, there were several paths that split through the forest.
The road, divided by densely grown trees, seemed to be a path for experiencing something.
“As I mentioned before, gather in your respective groups.”
Upon Suyeong’s words, the students scattered without any hesitation.
It was not possible for all these students to experience the same thing at once.
Not only was the width of the branching path narrow, but if there were too many people, they might not be able to experience the danger of monsters firsthand, and it would also be inefficient to manage the danger with a large group.
That is why they formed groups.
Based on their entrance exam scores, five groups of students were formed, with an effort to balance their abilities.
“Group 1 to Group 5, stand in front of the path in order.”
Then, the students with stern expressions stood in front of the forest path without exchanging any conversation.
Until just a while ago, there was an excited atmosphere among the students, even on the bus. But as they entered the territory of the dimensional portal and realized that they would soon encounter monsters under the pretense of “experiencing,” they seemed to be tense.
It was understandable, considering that most of the students had never even seen a monster, let alone come face to face with them, in the open dimensional portal.
Those fearsome and powerful monsters that had been reported in the news.
The teachers, including Suyeong, who were tired of seeing that sight.
“Don’t be afraid, kids. The monsters here are weak enough for you to hunt, and even if something happens, the teachers are watching your backs.”
Still.
“Don’t be scared, but don’t let your guard down either. Even if we are teachers, we might not be able to prevent unforeseen accidents. However, if you all remain vigilant, nothing will happen. Understand?”
Yes…!
Together with the voices of the students answering as one.
The actual experience began.
And the shadow cast upon them-
A black shadow.