The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2

Chapter 29

***

“I’m going back to school.”

“School?”

During the dinner, Yoon Seah brought up her decision to return to school.

“Didn’t the teacher say you could take a week off?”

“I’m the student council president. It’s a school with no vacations, so I can’t take a break.””

“…There are no vacations?”

“Uncle! Don’t tell me you don’t even know which school your niece goes to?”

“Of course I know. It’s the BattleNet Academy.”

The BattleNet Academy.

A school established after the appearance of BattleNet on Earth in 2010, receiving comprehensive support at a national level. Especially the Apgujeong Academy located in Gangnam’s Apgujeong-dong, despite being recently built, was very popular, attended by rich kids from prominent families.

‘It’s said that if you receive education from an academy, the probability of receiving a gift increases.’

After turning 18, everyone receives player qualifications, but not everyone receives a gift.

The number of people receiving gifts is very small, around 1% of the entire population according to statistics.

‘That’s why receiving a gift or not can determine the potential to become a BattleNet pro in the future.’

In the current BattleNet world, receiving a gift is like winning the lottery within the lottery.

However, receiving education from the BattleNet Academy increases the chances of winning that lottery, as was the government’s official explanation.

“So, is there anything special about the education at the academy?”

“Something special? Um… We have physical training and theoretical classes on how to handle magic power.”

“Mhm, I see.”

It sounded like an education you could get anywhere. Why would attending that school raise your chances of getting a Gift?

Seeing Seong Jihan’s puzzled expression, Yoon Seah smiled and said, “Hehe, honestly, these classes are just extras… The most important thing is to receive blessings at the Gift Hall once a week.”

“The Gift Hall?”

“Yeah, it’s a room packed with Gift Gems. They say if you receive blessings there, you can get good gifts. So, even those who don’t attend classes regularly show up on that day.”

Hearing that, Seong Jihan recalled the situation from his previous life that he had buried deep in his heart.

‘….’

August 8, 2020, a much more desperate situation than now.

Seong Jihan fell into panic due to the migration of the Sword King, indulging in alcohol and gambling.

Meanwhile, Yoon Seah, to her pitiful uncle, prepared meals and diligently went to school.

– Seah, I want to eat meat today.

– Okay, Uncle. I’ll go buy some!

She acted happy even when Seong Jihan, who was stuck in a corner of the house, lay on the sofa and made naive complaints.

– The lady who came to cook last time was good… Should we hire someone again?

– That’s… you know our current situation.

– The house is so big that cleaning is difficult, right?

– It’s fine since I clean the areas we use.

Even when he made innocent remarks, lamenting the absence of servants.

Yoon Seah responded with a bright smile, not showing any signs of irritation.

‘Around this time… Seah was being pointed at by the entire nation while she was taking care of her useless uncle. She was only able to endure it all because…’

She had been looking forward to her Gift.

The gift she would receive on her birthday, August 22nd, was the last hope of the desperate Yoon Seah.

So, even after such a big incident occurred and even though the teacher said she could take a break, she chose to go to school voluntarily to consistently obtain blessings from the Gift Gem, hoping to obtain good gifts and change the situation at least a bit.

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That’s right.

She had to travel by foot since she didn’t have a driver, and she often had eggs thrown at her as well.

Back then, he hadn’t done anything to fix the situation. He’d just watched TV while lying on the sofa.

– Seah, wouldn’t it be better to rest more at home?

– …It’s okay, Uncle. I am good…

Every time she returned from school with dirty clothes, Jihan suggested that she should rest, But she still went to school resolutely.

Because that was Yoon Seah’s last hope.

I already know what will happen…’

She would get a Gift with a bad ranking.

A F-rank Gift was the worst-ranking Gift, and people often said it would be better to receive nothing at all.

What remained in Pandora’s box was despair disguised as hope.

After that day, Yoon Seah gradually deteriorated…

‘I won’t let it go that way this time.’

Seong Jihan looked at Yoon Seah.

Her expectations regarding her gift, even in the significantly changed circumstances, seemed to be the same.

Because of that, he couldn’t straightforwardly say, ‘Your gift is an F-grade,’ in the current situation.

So, until her birthday, he needed to gradually lower Yoon Seah’s expectations about her gift.

“Will you be going to school from tomorrow?”

“Yeah, it’s Monday tomorrow.”

“Got it. Then I’ll give you a ride from now on.”

“Uh… Uncle? It’s okay. I’m not a kid.”

“You are aware of the situation.”

Yoon Seah scratched her cheek in a somewhat awkward manner.

“Uncle, you’re already busy because of BattleNet. You don’t really need to… ”

“You saw today’s game, right? A single BattleNet Game doesn’t take long, so I have plenty of time to take you. Don’t worry.”

“Still…”

“It’s decided already. Let’s eat now.”

Seong Jihan cut off Yoon Seah’s words as she continued to hesitate and picked up his chopsticks.

“What’s with the sudden change in attitude…?”

Yoon Seah looked at Seong Jihan’s appearance and pouted, but still, a faint smile appeared on her face, as if she was grateful.

* * *

The next morning.

Yoon Seah, who woke up at 6 a.m., rubbed her eyes and headed to the kitchen, only to be surprised.

“Huh, Uncle? Why are you up so early…?”

“You should eat breakfast before going to school.”

“You know how to cook?”

“It’s just toast.”

Yoon Seah looked at the toast placed in front of her.

The toast Seong Jihan made wasn’t just a slice of bread with jam spread on it, but a hearty morning dish with eggs and bacon, a satisfying source of protein.

“It looks delicious…!”

Yoon Seah smiled brightly and picked up her fork with excitement.

It was a different smile from the forced ones she usually made. It was warm and innocent.

Seeing her like that, Seong Jihan felt regret.

‘I should have done this earlier.’ He had been so focused on BattleNet that he had neglected the household situation.

‘How difficult must it have been for her to handle household chores alone in this vast house. Once the situation improves, I should hire someone again.’

“Ah, Uncle. I’m a bit touched. To think you’d cook for me…”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a master of women’s hearts.”

“…If you hadn’t said that, the touch would have lasted longer. Okay, Shall we taste it?”

Yoon Seah looked at Seong Jihan with a fluttering heart and took a bite of the toast.

“Wow…! It’s really delicious.”

Bacon toast was a combination that couldn’t be tasteless, but Seong Jihan’s version was much tastier than the regular bacon toast.

Seeing Yoon Seah’s surprised eyes, he shrugged.

“I’m good at Western cuisine.”

At the time when he lost his family and sought refuge in the United States, Seong Jihan’s heart was filled with deep loneliness and regret. In order to somehow fill that empty space and forget, he learned various things besides BattleNet.

One of the activities he deeply immersed himself in was cooking.

Having received direct guidance from a famous chef in New York, Seong Jihan’s cooking skills were considerable, to the point where even Yoon Seah, who grew up eating only good things, was impressed.

“You’re not lying; it’s really delicious! Uncle, are you good at all kinds of Western dishes?”

“Of course. Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it for you.”

“Okay, then. How about making steak for my birthday?”

Yoon Seah’s 18th birthday.

Thinking about the time when she had lost all hope and had been endlessly desperate, Seong Jihan briefly hesitated, but then he smiled.

“Will a steak be enough?”

“Oh, well…”

“I’ll show you what a proper full course meal is.”

“A full course meal? Seriously? Hehe, it’s the day I receive my gift, so please make it delicious!”

She’s still looking forward to her Gift.

“Hehe… Okay, You’ll will be surprised.”

Seong Jihan hid his inner thoughts and confidently replied.

* * *

It was time to go to school.

Seong Jihan and Yoon Seah got on the elevator.

[Basement 7th floor. The door is closing.]

There was a parking lot exclusively for the Sword King’s use on the 7th floor basement, which was full of Saejin’s supercars.

Yoon Seah looked at Seong Jihan with an uneasy expression.

“Uncle… Do you really know how to drive? Um, you have a license, right?”

“Of course I do. How bad do you think I am?”

“Hehe, there’s no way I’d think that. It’s just that, Uncle, you’ve stayed inside the house for too long, so I asked just in case.”

Yoon Seah’s eyes still held disbelief.

It was because she had never seen her uncle drive before.

“We could just take the bus then…”

“Have you ridden the bus before?”

“There’s a first time for everything…”

“Forget about it, but don’t think of asking me to keep driving for you after you graduate.”

Seong Jihan took light steps and walked ahead.

One of the hobbies he developed in the United States was collecting cars, and he was secretly excited.

“Hehe… I’ll get to drive a supercar after a long time.”

The car key was likely already inserted. He just had to choose a car he liked and drive it.

With that buoyant feeling, Seong Jihan’s face stiffened as he stepped out of the elevator.

“Sigh…”

Those numerous supercars…

There wasn’t a single car left there.

“Uh… The article said that Dad’s car collection got cleared out. But to think he‘d get rid of all of them.”

“Seah, what about the car you used to commute in? Don’t tell me he got rid of it too?”

“The driver took care of that… Now that I think about it, I got a text saying that the rental contract was terminated.”

Having sold all the cars and fled to Japan, including all the cars, it was reaching a point where even his meticulousness was worthy of admiration.

He was walking around the garage just in case when…

“Uncle! Let’s just take the bus!”

Yoon Seah said in a bright voice.

“Hehe, I always wanted to ride a bus too!”

Seeing through her transparent cheerfulness, Seong Jihan furrowed his brow.

He hadn’t brought her along to show her this kind of situation.

‘It’s my fault.’

Then, a car parked in the far corner caught Jihan’s attention.

“Wait. There’s a car there!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that one…”

Recognizing the car from a distance, Seong Jihan’s gaze deepened.

The last remaining car was an old yellow domestic compact car.

That was…

‘That’s the car noona used to drive, from before BattleNet was even around…’

Before BattleNet was introduced, it was the car Yoon Seah’s sister used to drive when she was struggling to make ends meet.

He hadn’t expected to find it here, placed in the corner of a place filled with supercars.

“He didn’t sell this one.”

No, even if he had tried to sell it, it wouldn’t have fetched much, so he probably left it alone.

Seong Jihan walked toward the compact car.

“Are we taking that…?”

“Let’s see if it starts first.”

Seong Jihan started the car with the key inserted.

Vroom-vroom!

Surprisingly, the engine started without any problem.

Despite being quite old, the lack of vibration suggested that it had been well-maintained until recently.

Seong Jihan rolled down the window and gestured.

“Let’s go, Seah.”

“Um… Uncle, how about just taking the bus?”

“Why? Oh, is it not suitable?”

Being the BattleNet Academy in Apgujeong, a place where the privileged kids of wealthy families gathered, there was a concern that bringing a compact car might attract unwanted attention.

“That’s not an issue… but I think you’ll get into trouble if you take that to my school.”

“Trouble? I’m fine. I was worried you might be embarrassed.”

“There’s no way I’d be embarrassed. That was Mom’s car.”

“Are you really okay?”

“As long as it’s not that, I’m really okay.”

Seong Jihan and Yoon Seah looked at each other and chuckled.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Sure.”

They reached the BattleNet Academy 20 minutes later.

“Hey! How dare you park that piece of junk here!”

“…”

As Yoon Seah had expected, Seong Jihan found himself in trouble, just as she thought he might.