Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 507

◈ 507. Deep in Discussion

If I study hard, a path will open. Let’s think positively. Resolved, Rembrary decided to focus on his classes.

Fortunately, the basic tools needed for studying were provided, so all he had to do was steel his resolve.

‘What is that sound?’

However, after attending classes until the fifth period, Rembrary began to feel dazed.

‘I don’t understand what they’re saying.’

At least the subjects that could be managed by simply memorizing were okay somehow. Even if he didn’t understand, he could just memorize it.

The problem was the subjects where a foundation was important.

For those subjects, Rembrary couldn’t keep up even when he concentrated without missing a single word.

Rembrary wasn’t the only one in trouble.

“Hey, transfer student.”

For Ardor, who was supposed to be a model student, delinquents from other classes appeared frequently to pick fights.

One would come during the 1st-period break, and if none came, one or two would show up during the 2nd-period break.

As Ardor beat them all down as they came, eventually, a student with a particularly nasty and delinquent look came and even gave a threatening warning.

“Stay in the classroom after school.”

“Ardor, you mustn’t accept any confessions [romantic advances].”

The delinquent student who had left came back in and grabbed Rembrary by the collar, causing another commotion, and Wooyeonwoo, who was watching, clicked his tongue.

“Wow. You might not be a model student, but you’ve definitely been marked as a delinquent.”

That was true.

In just one day, Ardor’s image was becoming very delinquent.

The children tried not to make eye contact with Ardor, and the sparks flew to Rembrary, Wooyeonwoo, and Hwasa, who were treated as Ardor’s gang.

The evaluations of Rembrary, Wooyeonwoo, and Hwasa weren’t displayed above their heads, but you could tell just by looking at the students’ eyes.

They were regarded as birds of a feather.

Unable to watch any longer, Ardor began to devise a trick.

“High Priest, what if we try a reverse approach?”

“A reverse approach?”

“I will take care of all the delinquents in this school. Then the students who hate those kids will think of me as a model student.”

“That’s not likely. They’ll just think you’re the strongest of the bad guys.”

Ardor tried to grab Hwasa by the collar, and Wooyeonwoo, not wanting to get involved, moved far away, causing another commotion for a while.

Because Ardor’s image had already fallen to the worst, other students didn’t even try to come near them during that time.

At that moment. Hwasa, who had been using Rembrary as a shield from Ardor, suddenly frowned and said, “Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

When Rembrary asked, Ardor also stopped targeting Hwasa and sat down on the desk for now.

“No, but isn’t it strange?”

“There are so many strange things that I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Only Ardor is periodically getting into fights.”

“?”

“That guy’s impression is dog-like, but he’s not the type to be flashy. He’s not dressed in a way that would attract delinquents like a magnet every day. That’s how it is in our country.”

After speaking, Hwasa tilted his head as if he found it even stranger.

It seemed plausible after listening, so Ardor also fell into thought blankly.

“Indeed. It’s strange that only Ardor, who is playing the role of a model student, is getting into fights.”

“Right?”

“The classes are the same. Judging by the high difficulty, it seemed like they were teaching on purpose to prevent me from being in the top 3.”

“No, that’s not it, High Priest. The difficulty of the classes was normal.”

“!”

* * *

10 minutes later. An already bad situation was compounded by another bad situation.

“Tomorrow is the class president election.”

The next class was a subject taught by the homeroom teacher, and the first thing he said upon entering was a story that drastically moved up Wooyeonwoo’s mission deadline.

Wooyeonwoo’s heart shrank to the size of a bean, and he trembled. As soon as the class ended, he went to Rembrary and complained.

“If I lose in tomorrow’s class president election… When is the next class president election? Is it maybe in half a year? Do I have to stay here alone for half a year?”

“I’ll talk to Woosungwoo for you.”

“Don’t start saying your goodbyes already!”

Wooyeonwoo muttered that he shouldn’t have come here and became half-soulless.

In the meantime, Ardor was still busy dealing with those who came to pick fights.

Hwasa watched this situation and clicked his tongue.

“This is quite a sight.”

He was deliberately not carrying out his mission to coordinate the timing of leaving with his companions.

Seeing how the other companions were returning, it seemed like he would have to leave alone later on.

Wooyeonwoo continued to sob to Rembrary.

“It’s all because of your fanatics. Because that guy is causing such a mess, the other kids see me as part of the gang too. If I run in tomorrow’s class president election, even if I vote for myself, the maximum I’ll get is four votes!”

“Don’t give up and try to treat the other students well even now. And Ardor is not my follower, but a follower of Redrin.”

“I tried to treat them well! I tried to be kind! But I’ve already made a bad impression! They hate me so much that they get serious just when I get near them!”

As Wooyeonwoo was in great pain, Rembrary, though he was in a difficult situation himself, decided to come up with a good idea for the weak-hearted Wooyeonwoo.

“Then let’s do this.”

“How?”

“The class president is someone who is popular, right? But the kids hate you, so it’s become difficult for you to become class president, right?”

“Yeah. So what.”

“You can use that.”

“?”

“Ardor can declare that he will kill the class president. Then the kids will vote for you. Because they hate you.”

“!”

Wooyeonwoo wanted to use Rembrary as a punching bag. Wasn’t it a very unpleasant method?

What he disliked even more was that it was strangely convincing.

If he could become class president that way, he would be able to leave this dungeon.

Hwasa clicked his tongue repeatedly at Rembrary’s brilliant suggestion and Wooyeonwoo’s apparent agreement.

“Then how is Ardor supposed to get a model student image?”

“How about you threaten them, since you don’t need to be a model student?”

“……What about you.”

“I have to study.”

* * *

Seeing Sajae Jeongseok’s serious face as he refused the students’ requests to ‘show us an example!’ during art class, Hwasa thought it wouldn’t work and suggested to Rembrary.

“I’ll tutor you. What part is difficult to study alone?”

Rembrary held the math book upside down and tried to understand the formula, then asked brightly.

“Are you good at studying?”

“I got first grade in everything on the college entrance exam except for one subject. That one subject isn’t math or science. Hold the book right.”

Rembrary couldn’t distinguish whether first grade was good or bad, but Wooyeonwoo was disgusted that he was worse at studying than Hwasa and shuddered.

Strangely, his pride was hurt.

But Rembrary had already thought of an even better method.

“I’ve come up with a faster method, Lion.”

“If you’re going to say something strange again, stop.”

“We can prevent everyone except the four of us and two others from taking the test. After all, they’re not real people.”

“What?”

“If they can’t take the test, all the other students will be treated as having given up. If you three deliberately ruin the test, I’ll be at least 3rd place. Right?”

“……”

Rembrary smiled kindly.

* * *

A text message arrived.

Rembrary, who was standing in the cafeteria line to eat dinner, took out his cell phone.

He thought it was a text from Sajae Jeongseok, who had gone into the cafeteria first and was waiting, but unexpectedly, it was a text from Jang Taeri.

[Is it going well?]

“It seems like I can contact the outside.”

Rembrary exclaimed at the unexpected discovery.

“Really?”

Wooyeonwoo asked urgently. His voice was very excited.

“Yeah. I got a text from Taeri.”

Rembrary answered and briefly explained the situation here to Jang Taeri.

Jang Taeri heard that this illusion zone was a school and the escape conditions, and then conveyed her thoughts in one line.

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Ms. Taeri……]

[Hehe, sorry. It reminded me of the old days. I should have taken Jo Woon with me.]

[Did Anchovy do well in school life?]

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

The number of ㅋㅋㅋ increased further. Did he do well?

As Rembrary was unable to interpret Jang Taeri’s laughter, another text came.

[Is it co-ed there?]

[Yes. Why?]

[Yeonwoo was an idol. Use your idol experience to get the girls’ votes. Wouldn’t that be a bit more possible?]

[The 1st graders are in separate classes for boys and girls, Ms. Taeri.]

[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

Wooyeonwoo, who was watching the text from behind, frowned.

“Isn’t this person enjoying it too much?”

Before Jang Taeri could be of much help, it was his turn to get food.

After receiving his food, he found Sajae Jeongseok sitting in the furthest corner, but fortunately, there was no one around him.

Rembrary and his group all went there, sat around Sajae Jeongseok, and exchanged their achievements.

Sajae Jeongseok also had as little to gain as Rembrary’s group had expected.

However, while continuing the meaningless conversation, Sajae Jeongseok repeated the group’s words that ‘Ardor is getting into fights a lot’ and muttered with a serious expression.

“I also think it’s strange that this crazy priest is getting into fights a lot. His face is slightly crazy, but he doesn’t usually get into fights no matter where you put him.”

Hwasa exclaimed, “Ah.”

“Could someone be deliberately inducing him to pick fights?”

Ardor was about to get angry at Sajae Jeongseok, but stopped and nodded.

“High Priest, if you think about it, it’s a bit strange that everyone is being given missions that seem impossible. Isn’t that Warlion or whatever watching and strongly interfering like before?”

When the conversation progressed to that point. Rembrary remembered something and moved his chopsticks quickly.

“What’s wrong?”

Sajae Jeongseok asked in bewilderment at the sight.

“It’s him. The demon.”

“Demon?”

“The demon was watching us even in the illusion zone. He’s definitely still watching. And interfering. So that the mission difficulty goes up.”

“!”

Rembrary put down his chopsticks on the not-so-clean cafeteria tray and smiled.

“Let’s catch him.”

Wooyeonwoo immediately hesitated negatively.

“If we catch him? The way to get out of here is to escape according to the rules. Not killing some unrelated demon.”

“That’s right. But if Warlion is raising the difficulty arbitrarily, we can at least lower the difficulty.”

* * *

Inside the crystal ball, the conversation between Rembrary and his group was shown as it was.

But Warlion couldn’t look into the crystal ball and curse or laugh at the High Priest as usual.

“The High Priest is too much.”

Because of the quiet lament coming from behind.

To be exact, because the one making that lament was the Demon King he feared.

Of course, even the Demon King was weaker now than in his original world.

The privilege of those who have been expelled from the position of God is that even if they manifest, they are not as restricted in power and action as the gods.

But an important piece of the Demon King had crossed over to another world, making it impossible to manifest for at least thousands of years, or even hundreds of thousands of years.

The Demon King had become weaker.

However, the weakening of the Demon King’s power was only a relative weakness compared to his original power.

It wouldn’t be enough to destroy the world in an instant, but with his current power alone, it was enough to make the original gods here nervous.

It was enough to make Warlion tremble.

“W-What do you mean?”

At Warlion’s polite question, the Demon King leaned on his head like a cane and smiled.

“Why is he trying so hard to run away? He didn’t used to be like that.”