ReLife Player

[new friend].

It was two weeks into elementary school. The socialization that had been going so smoothly between the kids was reaching a lull. The kids who had settled into cliques were now hanging out among themselves.

«Yum! Captain, this is so delicious today!»

«Be careful. Can’t you eat it without spilling it?»

«Eunha, do you want some barley tea?»

«Yeah, I’ll have a bite too.»

«Here~»

«Thank you.»

The same was true for Eunha, Eunhyuk, Minji, and Hayang, who were in class 4. Eunha, who was not interested in the children’s relationships from the beginning, and Eunhyuk, who became friends with the boys through exercise, did not join the groups. Since the concept of groups was vague among the boys from the beginning, the two were free to spend their days.

«Hayang…. Hayang, can I have some barley tea?»

«Yes, here you go. It’s good to eat together after a long time. Hehe.»

On the other hand, Minji and Hayang were in the process of joining a clique. Minji had gotten to know the girls in her class from the first day of school, so she hung out with kids with similar personalities. Hayang had also joined Minji’s clique and would often walk with the girls to the restroom during recess.

«Well…, it’s nice sometimes.»

«You should be grateful. If it weren’t for us, you’d be eating alone.»

«Yeah, yeah – if you’re not going to eat that, give it to me.»

«No! I’m saving this for last!»

«Ahem~! I ate it!»

«Eunhyuk Choi, you~!»

Children are taught to play by gender from the time they enter elementary school.

The first graders at Doan Elementary School were no different. The girls actively formed cliques and ran around in circles, while the boys kicked a ball around and played ball games, forcing them to accept their differences.

The four didn’t talk much in class. They spent time with their friends, and there were many days when they couldn’t hang out with each other.

«We should…! Let’s have lunch together every Wednesday!

If this continued, they might scatter in a month.

Hayang felt alarmed, and uncharacteristically, she proposed to the four of them.

They agreed to have lunch together every Wednesday.

«By the way, this school seems to have a lot of money.»

«Huh? What did you say, captain?»

«Nothing.»

Eunha shook his head at Eunhyeok as he stared at his steamed egg.

This school has better facilities than the one I went to before.

Having attended elementary school in Incheon before the regression, Eunha couldn’t help but compare it to his current school.

Doan Elementary School was indeed a recognizable elementary school in Seongbuk-gu. Most of the children living in Seongbuk-dong attended the school, and the school was financially supported by alumni from Seongbuk-dong, so the facilities were comfortable.

The cafeteria alone is a high, open structure with glass windows on all sides, offering a view of the mountains below.

What about the school lunches? You can choose between A and B meals, and the basic side dishes and rice are free to share. Eunhyuk had already eaten two bowls.

This is the level of the academy.

The facilities at the player academy were better, but the quality of the food was no less than the academy.

«Captain, I’ll scoop up some more rice!»

«It’s already your third bowl. The lady will remember you.»

«Wow! How did you know? She already knows my name!»

«Haaa. What are you going to do, No Eunha? …I’m going to get some more.»

Eun-hyuk ran with his tray, while Minji got up quietly from her seat. She blushed slightly as she noticed Eun-ha’s gaze.

Eunha wasn’t going to miss this great opportunity.

«Okay, see you later. You glutton~»

«I’m not a glutton! I just got a little more earlier! Right, Hayang?»

«Uh, yeah! This time it was Eunha who was mean.»

«Sigh, okay, okay.»

Two weeks ago, Hayang was worried about making friends, but after getting to know the girls, her personality became a little more active. She stood up and followed her to get more food.

It’s a growing thing.

Although Eunha teased her for being a glutton, they were at an age where they needed a lot of energy, especially since they spent a lot of energy learning martial arts.

It was inevitable that they would eat a lot.

«I…, haaa, I shouldn’t leave, should I?»

As much as he wanted to clear the table and go back to the classroom, he couldn’t leave the children alone.

He had to stay put.

Suddenly, the noisy cafeteria fell silent, as if a promise had been made.

Is that her?

Wow, does she have a tail?

Why did she come to my school?

A girl with fox ears and a tail entered the cafeteria. Jin-seo received the children’s cold stares and shrank her body. Her tail drooped down.

Her face grew darker and darker. There was no way she could not hear the children’s gossip.

But she knew where she stood: she was the weakest person in the school, the only minority.

So she listened to their criticisms and protests in silence, and kept her head down as she ate her meal.

«…Bad timing today.»

Minji frowned as she received her extra lunch.

«What?»

Eunha demanded an answer. He didn’t want to overlook her childhood friend’s prejudice towards Ain.

«It’s about Seo-na. She usually comes in during off-hours when no one’s around to eat lunch, but today the restaurant’s opening was delayed.»

«…I’m sorry.»

«Yeah? For what?»

«You know, something like that.»

Apparently, Eunha had gotten the wrong idea about Minji. Flustered, he shrugged it off as nothing.

He was right. The cafeteria was packed with kids, even though it was nearing the end of the lunch period due to the delayed lunch today.

She had no choice but to carry her plate and look for a place to sit, under the watchful eyes of many children.

«Oh….»

Naturally, they wouldn’t give her a seat, and when she tried to sit down, the kids at the table glared at her.

Are you going to sit here?

They were eight years old, but no, the direct stares, without the complicated language, stung.

After a few rebuffs, Seo-na wandered off, embarrassed and unsure of where to sit.

«Over there….»

Finally, she found a table with one remaining seat and froze.

Seated and eating lunch were girls from class 4.

The problem was that they weren’t friendly with her. In fact, they were bullying her.

«…Hi, do you mind if I sit?»

Still, the table they grabbed was the only one available. Hesitantly, Seo-na asked the center of the group of girls.

«No, you can’t»

Her name was Jin-sena, and she was the girl after Seona in attendance.

«Ek, is that Jin-sena?»

Eunhyuk gulped down his milk and crumpled his face. With a white stubble in his mouth, he looked at Seona’s table with a disapproving gaze.

«Of al people….»

«Oh god….»

Minji and Hayang were also watching the situation and had a puzzled look on their faces.

It was inevitable.

Although Minji was very close to girls, she was only close to the girls who lived near her house.

She didn’t have a deep connection with the girls in Seongbuk-dong, or even the girls who attended Seongbuk Kindergarten. They were too bossy.

And the head of the class was Jin Sena.

«What are you, are you out of your mind?»

«Huh?»

«Who are you to sit at our table?»

Jin-sena was a girl who had never shown any interest in children, not even in Eunha’s name. Since the beginning of the semester, Jin-sena had boasted to the other kids that her parents were related to the CEO of a famous company and were among the top 10 executives in the industry.

Plus, her clothes, which resembled dresses, and her rolled-up hair were hard to miss.

«You should know you place.»

«Exactly. Where do you think you are?»

«You have nothing, yet you act like you belong.»

«What’s with your clothes? Did you pick them up at your church or something?»

Jin-sena’s attack was followed by the other girls at the table.

«…I’m sorry.»

Pale-faced, Seo-na’s tail and ears drooped. Her apology was pathetic as she bent down to hide her face.

«Ugh….»

Minji looked at Seo-na’s apology as if she were banging her head on the floor. She poked at the kimchi with her chopsticks as if it were Sena’s to express her frustration.

But she couldn’t reach out to Seo-na. She couldn’t turn her back on Jin-sena’s group, which had the strongest influence in the class. Seo-na was pitiful, but reaching out to her could only cause more harm than good.

«Captain….»

«Sigh….»

I had decided to be indifferent to them, but seeing them with my own eyes, I couldn’t be indifferent.

He even remembered his brother, an Ain, who had also suffered such treatment. (1)

‘Eunha, Ain people isn’t always a good guy just because he’s poor or rejected. People tend to think that those who are poor or rejected are kind-hearted. But that’s a lie. There may be some good people among them, including Ain. But there are more bad guys than good guys.’

‘But?’

‘But that’s a lie. There canbe good people among them. Yes, there can be good Ain, but there are more bad ones.’

‘So what?’

‘What I mean is, don’t try to be nice to Ain just because of me. Don’t try to take care of Ain more because of me…’

‘That’s not what I’m doing. Jin Parang do I seem like a fool or something?’

‘No, that’s not it.’

‘Do I seem like a pushover?’

‘No, that’s not it either. But why are you suddenly getting angry like that? It’s making me nervous….’

‘It’s because you come to the barracks in the middle of the night and make a scene. If you don’t want to die at my hands, go out and stand guard.’

‘Ah, I see.’

«…Why do I remember this?»

After thinking about Jin Parang, Eunha felt disappointed by the memories that came to mind.

Before the regression, a wolf-type Ain that belonged to the party led by Eunha.

Jin Parang. He was a year older than him, and when he drank and got drunk, he would tell stories of his struggles as an Ein.

He would silently help those who were struggling to get by, only to be tricked into returning empty-handed or naked.

He was one of the few people Eungha could trust completely. He may not have been a night owl, but he was a mood-setter for the team he led.

He fulfilled his role as telepath and hunter.

Until his death.

He cleared a path to the very depths of the Abyssal Dungeon.

‘Go, No Eunha…!’

‘Parang… hyung….’

‘Are you hesitating after coming this far…! Why, are you scared of your heart…?’

‘…Yoo-jung, take care of hyung….’

‘Shut up. My wounds… I know my condition, No Eunha… Have you forgotten already? The reason I’m dying…, the reason we’re dying… is to kill more monsters…! So, are you… hesitating here?’

‘…I got it. What’s the last thing you want to say?’

‘That, No Eunha…. What was it… you remember the thing I said a while ago?’

‘…I remember.’

‘Just remember that. There might be more bad Ains out there… But don’t turn away from them. Because… ‘

‘…’

‘…Because I’m no different from those guys… Now, I’m confessing it, but… I’m a really bad guy… That’s it…!’

Eunha remembered the words that Parang uttered before he died.

«Sigh.»

There was no need for Eunha, who was living his second life, to step forward. It was obvious that his elementary school life would be difficult if he did.

«…Minji.»

«Why?»

«I’m sorry. Please make room for me.»

«…Haaa, you are going to do something I don’t know about?»

Minji realized what Eunha was about to do. Sighing as if she had seen it coming, she went to get the chairs that were stacked in the corner with Hayang.

«Captain, do you want me to follow you?»

«You eat your meal.»

«Jin Seo-na!»

Getting up from the table, Eunha walked over to Seo-na, who was staring blankly at her plate.

No wonder the kids were staring.

What is he doing?

What is he trying to do?

Haa this is ridiculous.

Has he gone crazy?

He must be crazy.

«Ah….»

Seona’s ears perked up in confusion.

Eunha snatched the plate from her hand.

«There’s a seat over there. Let’s go.»

«…You know, this is a bit….»

Seo-na stiffened and grabbed at Eunha’s clothes, apologizing, «…I’m sorry,» as if she’d committed a sin, then quickly let go.

«That’s nice of you to say, but…, you’re going to have a hard time if you help me.»

Her words carried a lot of meaning.

But what can I do?

Who am I? If you want to try, try.

Eunha smiled wryly.

He was what they called an «undead» player who couldn’t die, a «berserker» player who was obsessed with killing monsters.

None of this scared him.

«Let’s go. My friend made a seat for you.»

The stares behind his back were stinging, and he didn’t have to turn around to know who was watching.

With this, Eunha had created an unbridgeable gap between himself and Jin Sena’s faction.

The same was true for the other children.

«Come on in. Isn’t No Eun-ha a little strange? That’s just the way he is. You’ll understand.»

«Hey, lunch is so good today!»

Minji and Eunhyuk greeted Seo-na with relaxed faces. They looked rather pleased with themselves.

«Hi….»

Seo-na, who had never been greeted by children before, greeted them awkwardly.

«Here, barley tea.»

Hayang poured barley tea from a thermos and handed it to her.

«…Thank you…whoa.»

Seona took the cup and awkwardly greeted her again.

«Let’s be friends from now on!» Hayang smiled and said in the brightest tone possible.

«Mhmm….»

It was the first time she had been called that since she entered elementary school. Seo-na’s eyes were red and she shed a tear while eating.

«…Eat slowly.»

«That’s right, we won’t steal it.»

«Don’t cry. Why are you crying?»

«Here’s a handkerchief. Use it to wipe it.»

The children treat her warmly as she eats with tears in her eyes.

I’ve made a friend. (E/N: I’m not crying)

Eunha smiled with satisfaction as he watched them.

Meanwhile, at one side of the school canteen.

«What kind of kindergarten are those kids from?»

«They said Doan Kindergarten. Do you want me to ask them what they do?»

«No, you don’t have to, I can tell they’re low-lifes by what they’re doing.»

«That girl is like a fox.»

«She flirts with guys and shakes her butt.»

«They’re ugly, really.»

«She’s such a disgrace.»