Chapter 5 : Quest (3)

I was caught up in the biggest dilemma of my life.

Regression? Possession?

It was obvious the kids wouldn’t listen to me!

They already thought they were the best—why would they bother learning from someone else?

At this rate, the world’s destruction was inevitable.

Just from Han Yuseong’s explanation alone, the world had already been destroyed eight times.

‘The system probably needs my S-rank skill, Investment Genius.’

The system’s intent must be for me to use my skill to help the kids grow as strong as possible.

I understood the system’s goal, but unfortunately, I couldn’t use my skill right now.

S-rank skill Investment Genius required trust to reveal its true potential.

But trust? These kids didn’t even care about me.

I couldn’t raise their stats much if they didn’t trust me.

‘They need to grow with high trust so their investment cap increases.’

How do I raise their trust?

‘Damn it, my head hurts.’

Yet, somehow, food still went down just fine.

Since it was lunchtime, I had taken refuge in the staff break room.

Staying in the classroom wouldn’t help me think, nor would it help me get closer to the kids.
I needed to befriend them, but here I was, just eating my packed lunch.

A laugh of helplessness escaped me.

“Why is this place so rundown?”

Dust covered the floor, and the only couch had torn upholstery.

It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in ten years.

But considering the only staff members were the principal and me, it was no surprise it was in such a state.

Chomp—

It felt like I was eating half dust with every bite.

As I chewed, I checked the documents the principal had left behind.

They listed each lesson the kids needed to take in detail.

After lunch, it was time for P.E.

Since it was an elementary school, the schedule wasn’t too packed.

“But why can’t the kids use any of their powers?”

The thought suddenly struck me.

Heavenly Demon, Hero, Regressor—

It wouldn’t have been strange if they had already surpassed S-rank strength.

Yet, they were just helpless little kids.

[The future saviors of the world are currently in the bodies of young children. Their past powers have been sealed, and even their personalities have been affected.]

How very considerate.

The system dumped some weird skills on me, but now it was acting all wise.

Even just to spite this annoying system, I was determined to complete my quest.

I started forming a plan in my mind.

Each of these kids, who had the potential to become top-tier hunters, was incredibly prideful and reluctant to open up to others.

And yet, I had been the one to make S-ranks open their hearts before.

From experience, I knew that trying to befriend them all at once was pointless.

For now, I needed to focus on just one.

“I need to slowly seep into their lives.”

But who should I start with?

Maybe the youngest, Shin A-yoon?

No, winning over a kid who openly despised me would be harder than with the others.

I decided to push her to a later priority.

Just as I was deep in thought, the old door swung open, and the Reincarnator, Seong Tae-yoon, walked in.

He was holding a book in his arms, and the moment our eyes met, he flinched.

“Oh! I’m sorry! I always come here since no one’s ever around.”

It seemed he had been looking for a quiet place to read.

With this space usually empty, my presence had caught him off guard.

‘Wait… isn’t this actually an opportunity?’

Spending time together in the same space was a great way to build familiarity.

“You can come in and read.”

I stopped Seong Tae-yoon as he hesitated, flashing a warm smile.

‘No way I’m letting this chance slip away.’

Still cautious, he sat down on the couch, maintaining some distance while glancing at me warily.

‘You’re the first one I’m going to befriend.’

Seong Tae-yoon was a quiet kid.

He was so absorbed in his book that he kept letting out little exclamations without realizing I was there.

His small feet tapped against the floor in excitement.

‘Is it that interesting?’

I glanced at the title and immediately frowned.

Wait… isn’t that Theological Theory?

A 13-year-old reading Theological Theory? Even if he had reincarnated, this was unexpected.
I had enough of theology already.

One of my former students had awakened as a priest and would constantly rant about it next to me.

I had heard so much that I practically memorized the text.

“I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”

I muttered without thinking.

After hearing it so often, it just came out automatically.

Seong Tae-yoon’s ears perked up.

His eyes sparkled as he turned to me.

“Teacher, have you studied theology?”

“No, I just picked up a bit here and there.”

His face instantly fell in disappointment.

Since he had been reincarnated by a god, he seemed to be living as a devout believer.

Well, if I had met a god, I’d probably convert, too.

“…Teacher, you don’t have to try so hard to get close to us. You’ll be leaving soon anyway.”

He gave a bitter smile.

What the—? The mood was good just a second ago!

“Why do you think I’ll leave?”

“Well, that’s what all the other teachers did.”

He wasn’t wrong.

A normal teacher would’ve packed up and left the moment they realized what these kids really were.

Children acting strangely—

People instinctively avoided things they couldn’t understand.

Adults were no exception.

“It’s unpleasant. You guys make things difficult. That’s what they all said before they left.”

The once-excited sparkle in his eyes dulled into cold distrust.
It was a clear refusal to get attached to an adult who was just going to leave anyway.

[“They’ll leave soon, anyway.”]

Because of my skill I Can Hear Your Heart, I could hear his thoughts.

Without a word, I placed a hand on Seong Tae-yoon’s head.

“…Teacher?”

Oh, crap. My habit slipped out.

S-rank hunters were physically strong, but mentally, they weren’t much different from ordinary people.

Whenever they showed their wounds, I used to ruffle their hair to comfort them.

And now, Seong Tae-yoon had given me that same look…

“Whoa!”

Ah, screw it.

I ruffled his hair even more.

His hair stuck up in all directions as he sat there in shock, unsure of what had just happened.

“Listen, there are people out there even weirder than you guys. There are ones who snap spines with hugs or plan radioactive terrorism just for fun.”

“T-that’s a thing?”

“Yeah. Compared to them, you guys are normal.”

At least these kids wouldn’t hack a nuclear power plant just because they were bored.
Just remembering that time made my shoulder ache.

“I took this job, so I’m your teacher now. Got it?”

“…Yes.”

Seong Tae-yoon answered absentmindedly.

What a remarkable kid.

After ruffling his hair once more, I prepared to go outside.

“Tell the others to come out after lunch.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s P.E. time.”

I stepped out of the break room to change into more comfortable clothes.

Do I have anything suitable to wear?

The package with my stuff is arriving tomorrow…

Since I moved to the countryside so quickly, this is the only outfit I have left.

“Well, I’ll figure something out.”

★★★

Left alone in the break room, Seong Tae-yoon smoothed down his messy hair with his hand as best as he could.

He was still dazed.

“Weird person…”

In both his past life and this one, he had never met someone like that.

People usually feared and rejected outsiders.

That rule applied to every world.

But that person—rather than fearing them—looked at them as if they were just ordinary children.

‘When was the last time someone patted my head?’

He could only find the answer in old, forgotten memories.

“…Weird.”

That was all Seong Tae-yoon could say.

Name: Seong Tae-yoon

Trait: Reincarnator
Trust Level: 0% → 5%

[Stats]

Strength: 6

Agility: 5

Stamina: 5

Magic: 16

Perception: 12

Investment Limit: 0 → 10 points
Current Investment Points: 0 points

★★★

The students had mixed reactions to the new teacher.

Kim Seo-geon was still scheming about how to mess with him.

‘That guy never changes.’

Of all the teachers who had left, nine out of ten were because of Kim Seo-geon.

Shin Ah-yoon, who found it all amusing and egged him on, was another problem.

She giggled alongside him, though what was so funny, he couldn’t tell.

‘Pathetic.’

Han Yoo-seong turned his head to the window, expression indifferent.

He had no intention of getting close to those two.

A year from now, this school would be attacked.

Every student and teacher would die.

He had no plans to save them.

Before his regression and even now, his trust in others had always been nonexistent.

Especially Shin Ah-yoon.

She looked like a normal kid, but in a year, she would become the most dangerous of them all.

‘I have to get stronger before then.’

His fist clenched tightly.

‘This time, no matter what, I will take down the one who leads the world to ruin.’

And for that, he needed an artifact that would appear in a small dungeon opening behind the school today.

‘But why? Even after living through this loop so many times, the memories of this new teacher are strangely blurry.’

Maybe it was because he never paid attention to teachers before.

His brows furrowed.

‘I’m sure there was something… But why can’t I remember?’

★★★

“Ugh, why are we doing this in this heat…?”

The students grumbled as they stepped outside for P.E., squinting under the harsh sunlight.

They clearly didn’t want to be there.

‘Well, I’d feel the same way in their position.’

Even standing still, the heat was oppressive. No wonder they’d rather stay inside.

But I couldn’t waste this opportunity.

The best way to bond with boys was through sports.

“Let’s just rest in the shade.”

“Should we sneak back inside?”

Just as I expected, their enthusiasm was low.

Only Seong Tae-yoon was looking at me, while the others didn’t care.

“How about a bet?” I asked.

“A bet?”

Kim Seo-geon perked up.

I had already mastered how to handle kids.

“You guys form a team and pick a game—soccer, basketball, anything. If you win even once, I’ll grant you a wish.”

“And if we lose?”

A smirk tugged at my lips.

“You cause as little trouble as possible in school.”

Kim Seo-geon hesitated, calculating the odds.

“Alright!”

He seemed thrilled at the chance to mess with me.

They probably thought they had the advantage, given their numbers and the fact that they could keep playing until they won.

They weren’t considering the variables.

The match began.

Even though I was only an E-rank Hunter, my physical abilities far exceeded those of normal people.

And my opponents?

Kids who hadn’t even awakened their powers yet.

It was almost unfair.

Having trained S-rank Hunters, my body was in great shape—better than most E-ranks, I’d say.

Not that I’d ever compared myself directly, but I had a general idea from observing other Hunters’ stats.

“Hey, Yoon Cheon-woo! The ball’s rolling away!”

Despite Kim Seo-geon’s yelling, Yoon Cheon-woo simply watched the ball drift away.

“What are you doing!?”

“The great I do not chase after mere rolling balls. It is best to let them follow the flow of life itself…”

“What the hell are you talking about!?”

Their teamwork was a mess.

Shin Ah-yoon had long since retreated to the shade.

Seong Tae-yoon looked exhausted.

The only one still trying was Kim Seo-geon.

‘Guess the match is already decided.’

Kim Seo-geon seemed determined to keep playing, though.

As I glanced around at the kids, I noticed Han Yoo-seong sneaking off toward the back mountain.

Where was he going?

There was nothing but forest back there. No reason to go.

[“I have to get to the dungeon behind the mountain—fast.”]

‘Dungeon!?’

Before I could call out to him, Han Yoo-seong disappeared into the trees.