TRPM 137

chapter 137

When we arrived at school, buses for going to the airport were already prepared by class.

Seeing that, I headed toward the bus where our class teacher was waiting.

“Hmm…? Geonwoo, didn’t you bring an umbrella or a raincoat…?”

The teacher, noticing me, asked in a slightly flustered tone.

“I can just block the rain with an aura barrier.”

“I know that… but still, I guess for an aura master, making a barrier with aura wouldn’t consume much energy, huh?”

It wasn’t exactly like that, but since our class teacher wasn’t an aura user, they accepted my answer roughly as it was.

“Still, there are disposable raincoats prepared by the school in the front seats of the bus, so make sure to take one of those.”

“Okay.”

After saying that, I put my suitcase in the bus’s luggage compartment and got on the bus.

I had arrived a bit early myself, but perhaps because I was excited for the school trip, quite a few kids had already taken their seats.

“Geonwoo! Come here!”
“…Eating snacks before even leaving?”

I sat next to Lee Ha-eun, who called me over, and said this. She proudly opened a pocket dimension, revealing countless snacks inside.

“I prepared so many, so it’s fine to start eating now!”
“…Really?”

For reference, Lee Ha-eun didn’t have a pocket dimension artifact. The space she opened was one she created with her own magic. I had explained the theory to her after reverse-engineering pocket dimension artifacts.

‘Looks like she’s using it well.’

It would be interesting to see how other mages would react to her carrying snacks in there, but I let it slide for now. She handed me a bag of snacks, and I started eating as well.

“We’re here!”
“Hi, Geonwoo. Ha-eun.”
“You guys made it?”

While eating snacks, the white-haired twins, Ryu Ah-young and Ryu Ah-min, got on the bus. They each carried black bags filled with goodies.

“…Are those all snacks?”
“Yes! The adults sent them.”
“When they heard we were going on a school trip, they sent snacks from all over the world for us to eat on the bus…”

The global network of ability users still functioned independently, solely to support Ryu Ah-young, whose abilities elevated the status of manifestation powers. Hearing about her school trip, ability users from different countries sent their local snacks.

“Oh, I’ve seen this in the world snack store.”
“Me too. Never tried it, though. I wonder how it tastes?”

Kids showed interest in the snacks the twins took out, and as expected, Ryu Ah-young and Ryu Ah-min handed some out.

After a while of everyone snacking, all our classmates were on the bus. Our teacher did a headcount and reported to the head of the grade. Once all students from other classes had boarded, the bus finally started moving.

‘It’ll take a while to get to the airport…’

Not only was the distance to the airport considerable, but it was also rush hour, so traffic would be heavy. Though it wouldn’t make us miss the flight.

‘Maybe I’ll just sleep a bit.’

Thinking that, I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. I’d wake up when we arrived…

“Geonwoo! We’ve arrived at the airport!”
“…?”

Hearing Ha-eun’s voice, I opened my eyes. Glancing out the window, I confirmed we had indeed reached the airport. Kids were preparing to get off the bus.

‘…I knew it, but I really must have been tired.’

No way I’d pass out as soon as I leaned back in my seat. Well, last night I practically stayed up all night. My body was in bed, but my mind had been awake controlling my doll in the US. The fatigue from all that had caught up to me.

“Why, Geonwoo?”
“Just… I went to bed late yesterday.”

Technically, I hadn’t slept at all, but I said that anyway.

“Ah, me too! I packed my clothes for the trip, put snacks into my pocket dimension… and even when lying in bed, I couldn’t sleep and stayed up until dawn!”
“I was the same. Couldn’t sleep, so I played games until morning.”

The kids talked about what they did the night before as they started getting off the bus. I wanted to tell them to sleep early, but recalling my own sleepless night, I stayed quiet. I can’t tell others to sleep early when I didn’t.

“Make sure you take your own luggage, check you haven’t forgotten anything, and get off, okay?”
“Yes!”
“Okay~.”

Following the teacher’s instructions, the kids gathered their things. I took my suitcase from the luggage compartment and headed toward our class teacher. The teacher hadn’t said anything yet, but it seemed we needed to gather by class.

“Everyone, gather by class once you’ve got your luggage!”

As expected, the head teacher said so. The students lined up in front of their homeroom teachers, and after checking for any items left behind, our teacher led us toward one side of the airport.

“Bring your suitcases over here.”

I opened my suitcase to take out the kimbap inside. I had sealed it in the morning to stop air from getting in and even stopped time, but the magic could break during the flight.

‘I can’t take kimbap onto the plane, so better eat it now.’

I handed the suitcase to the airline staff and bit into a roll of kimbap. Other kids came over and asked:

“Kimbap? What’s inside?”
“Can I have a little too?”

…Weren’t you just eating tons of snacks? What about lunch? I thought to myself but summoned a bit of inner energy, cut the remaining kimbap with it, and naturally, the cut pieces went to the kids around me.

“…Hmm?”

While watching them eat and waiting for the flight, a familiar face caught my attention.

“Mm… as you all know, this dungeon is… well, big, but handle it casually like usual…”

A visibly tired woman was speaking to the awakened around her. Those must be…

‘The Cleaner Guild master Song Eun-ji and her subordinates.’

The Cleaner Guild. A small number of elite members, the guild with the most dungeon completions in Korea. It seemed a slightly dangerous dungeon had appeared that ordinary guilds couldn’t handle.

“Ah… while you’re in Jeju, buy some tangerines too…”
“…Yes…”

…Of all places, our school trip is going to Jeju. Judging from appearances, Song Eun-ji herself wouldn’t intervene, but with the Cleaner Guild present, the dungeon would be quickly dealt with.

‘Though somehow I have a feeling this dungeon might still cause trouble…’

Some time later, our plane arrived in Jeju. Nothing special happened on the flight. No lightning strikes, no terrorist attacks, no monsters from black fog attacking the plane.

‘Looks like it’s raining heavily in Jeju too.’

Not as severe as thunderstorms in Seoul, but still heavy rain.

“Those who’ve collected their luggage, come this way!”
“Step aside so you don’t block others while collecting luggage!”

I watched our school teachers controlling the students as I grabbed my suitcase from the conveyor belt.

“Hey, hasn’t your luggage come out yet?”
“Don’t know, but it should be soon.”
“Mine isn’t out yet either.”

I noticed these voices next to me. They were members of the Cleaner Guild. Since their destination was Jeju too, they must have been on the same flight.

‘…I hope they’re not staying at the same dorm as us.’

Even if they were, it didn’t concern me. I decided to blend into the crowd of kids under teacher supervision. It would take time for all luggage to come out and for everyone to gather.

Swoosh…
“?”

A gust of wind brushed my cheek. It wasn’t from the airport air conditioner, but natural.

‘…Is this spirit energy?’

The aura in the wind felt familiar—the same as that of the wind spirit controlled by Elena, the princess of England. Of course, she wasn’t here.

I looked toward the Cleaner Guild side. The spirit energy originated there.

‘Trying to sense this area?’

I’m known as an aura master, and many people believe that. But some people won’t believe anything without seeing it themselves.

“What did you just do?”
“Just… the famous youngest aura master kid is over there, so I played a little prank.”
“…Are you insane? You provoked an aura master for fun?”

The man next to a hooded woman was shocked.

“Why? It’s fine to play with juniors. Besides, is he really an aura master? He didn’t even notice my wind.”
“…I don’t know.”

The man shook his head and gestured to show he had nothing to do with it.

‘Normally I’d laugh it off…’

But I’m more tired than usual today, more sensitive and easily irritated.

‘Then take this curse.’

Since they sent wind as a prank, I decided to send a curse back as a prank. Wind and curses are different, you say? Who cares.