Episode 1: New World / Chapter 2: Ring of Rebirth (2)  

The third period was the same as any other day.

Suddenly, everything changed.

At first, Choi Hyuk thought that the student next to him was pushing him. That wasn’t the case. The student was being pushed as well. The middle of the classroom distorted and the students were roughly pushed towards the walls along with their desks.

Shrieks, screams and smashing sounds were mixed together until it suddenly became quiet.

In the middle of the classroom, a ring that took up half the classroom started to appear. It was similar to a boxing ring, however, there was a semi-transparent wall that wrapped around it and it was floating at waist height.

As soon as the ring had completely materialized, the sounds erupted again.

“It hurts...”

Female students who had severely collided into something groaned.

There were many students that were easily injured as they didn’t exercise regularly.

Even in this situation, everyone looked for their phones.

“Ah... the frame cracked!”

Someone threw a fit. Behind him, others sympathized with him.

“Huh? Mine too.”

“Mine as well!”

There were only noises of people supporting their phones.

The classroom door wouldn’t open.

“It really won’t open!”

Although the know-it-all bastard, Lee Mingi, tried his best, the sliding door wouldn’t budge. It didn’t even wobble.

“Move.”

Lee Mingi was surprised at Kang Minho’s shout and moved aside.

At the same time Mingi moved aside, Kang Minho ran and kicked the door. If Mingi didn’t avoid it at the right time, he would have been hit instead of the door. Kang Minho raised his knee up to his chest before striking out in front of him. It contained the full force of 190cm tall man. However...

Crash!

The sound wasn’t refreshing.

The sliding door didn’t even move a bit.

‘How could it be like that?’

Choi Hyuk was completely surprised. It did not follow the laws of physics. He felt an enormous sense of inconsistency.

It looked like Kang Minho’s leg hurt as he walked with a slight limp. Although he quickly stood like nothing was wrong, his expression darkened.

“Quiet! Quiet! Stay calm. Kang Minho, go sit in your seat.”

The stocky authoritative teacher who appeared to be in his forties tried to control the students. However, it wasn’t an easy task to complete amidst the confusion.

“Teacher! Something’s written in front of the ring!”

Once a student near the blackboard shouted, the students all gathered towards the front of the classroom. The ring was in the middle of the classroom and it was too cramped and chaotic for 30 students to gather around it.

Only after everyone had pushed him away with no concern did Choi Hyuk slowly make his way to the front. There were words written on the semi-transparent wall. Fortunately, there were no students taller than him besides Kang Minho, so he had no trouble reading from the back.

{The Ring of Rebirth}

Karma will be distributed when you climb into the ring.

The first person to climb up can choose their opponent. Unless someone substitutes for the chosen person, that person will stand in the ring.

Only when you kill more than one person on the ring are you permitted to leave.

You can kill up to five people.

You have no choice. Kill. Only then will you kill.

“Murder? Kill someone?”

A female student was astonished.

“Fuck, is this real? Goddamn, fucking damn. What a fucking scoop.”

Bae Hyunsung shouted with a loud voice.

“Quiet, quiet! Stay still until we fully understand the situation!”

Although the math teacher wanted to keep the situation under control, the female students protested.

“How are we supposed to understand the situation when our phones are dead?!”

The math teacher who wasn’t good at handling female students couldn’t find a solution. It was only chaotic, there was no one that was properly analyzing the situation.

Choi Hyuk quietly sat in a corner. At a glance, he looked like he was scared. However, his thoughts were complicated.

‘If what is written is true, what should I do?’

The students had already checked the windows. They wouldn’t open. Nor would they break. They didn’t even budge.

‘If I can’t leave here, will I starve to death? No, before I die how would I get rid of my piss and shit?’

It was a critical problem.

“Quiet! Bae Hyunsung, you bastard! Aren’t you going to sit?”

The math teacher seemed to have made up his mind as he personally grabbed the students’ arms and forcefully sat them down in their seats. He didn’t even let the female students off. Although Bae Hyunsung and a few others had a dissatisfied look, they still had the common sense to not pick a fight with their teacher. And the math teacher had a strong build.

A scene unfolded where students listened to their teacher, sat down in their chairs and conversed with each other. While constantly checking their phones.

‘I don’t think that it’ll be solved like that.’

Choi Hyuk’s heart slowly started to beat harder.

‘Would it really be solved by waiting? What if, like the words written on the ring, we could only leave by killing someone?’

Choi Hyuk forcefully tried to control his thumping heart.

‘Would I have to live by killing someone?’

Choi Hyuk couldn’t forget that day his mother cried endlessly. He never fought after that day. It came to a point where he would shake his head at the thought of hitting someone. It had already become not a belief or a decision but a hardened habit.

Choi Hyuk made up his mind.

‘If... everyone plans to starve to death, I will too.’

But, what if they didn’t? What would he do? Choi Hyuk hadn’t thought that far. Perhaps he had unconsciously avoided that thought.

However, his heart was constantly beating dangerously. His hands were trembling. Rather than fear or anxiety...

‘No...’

Choi Hyuk shook his head uncontrollably.

And the humans who could never stay put started to become interested in the ring.

“Can we really get in?”

Lee Mingi said while pushing down on the semi-transparent wall with both hands. When he pushed with his hands, the semi-transparent wall pressed down like a rubber ball.

“Fuck, I’m telling you that it’s as those words say! That we can only leave after we kill someone!”

Bae Hyunsung sought approval from Kang Minho.

Kang Minho didn’t say a word.

“Lee Mingi! Don’t touch that!”

The math teacher yelled at Lee Mingi. After glancing at the math teacher, Lee Mingi pushed the wall harder and said.

“We have to see what this is. And I have to go to the washroom.”

Swoosh.

After pushing the wall past a certain point, it suddenly let Lee Mingi in. As soon as Lee Mingi entered, the semi-transparent wall became clear.

“Lee Mingi!”

The math teacher sprang up but Lee Mingi was already in the ring. It was like he was standing on a stage. He calmly looked at his classmates before dancing frivolously.

Although the math teacher’s face became red with anger, he could not step into the precarious ring.

“You come out here right now!”

He could only shout. Lee Mingi acted as if he couldn’t hear him and continued to dance.

“Keke, this stupid bastard.”

Bae Hyunsung chuckled.

After dancing for a while, Lee Mingi tilted his head as he stopped. He blankly stood there staring into space.

“What is this? Power, Speed, Control...”

Lee Mingi who was mumbling to himself suddenly jumped in place.

Crash!

The students’ eyes looked up at the ceiling.

Lee Mingi just did an 80cm Sargent jump. It was on the level of top class basketball players.

Lee Mingi was surprised.

“Wow... I am exploding with power! Is this what they call karma?”

Everyone became surprised. It was because, even though he was somewhat of a bully and a know-it-all, they knew he didn’t have that sort of physical ability.

The blank Lee Mingi suddenly smiled playfully.

“Ah, but. Since I’m in the ring, I will need an opponent. It’s weird just standing here. I’m going to test it out.”

With a slightly excited voice, Mingi indicated.

“Gilsoo, get up here.”

Everyone instinctively looked at Yang Gilsoo. The one who was ranked the lowest in the class.

At first, Gilsoo was still. However, suddenly, as if something was pushing him from the back, his feet headed towards the ring.

“Wow... Fuck... I’m getting goose bumps.”

Bae Hyunsung exclaimed.

“Huh? Huh?”

As if something was pushing him, Gilsoo was constantly being pushed towards the ring.

“No! No! Don’t!”

Yang Gilsoo’s face filled with fear. Everyone, even the math teacher, was stricken with fear as they blankly watched the scene in front of them.

At that moment.

Grab.

Someone grabbed Gilsoo’s waist.

“Everyone grab him!”

It was the class president, Jung Minji. She was trying her best to prevent Gilsoo from being dragged towards the ring.

Choi Hyuk followed behind her and pulled on Gilsoo. Only then did everyone wake up from their stupor and tried to help Gilsoo. However...

Crash!

Gilsoo was eventually sucked into the ring while everyone else bounced off the transparent wall and rolled onto the floor.

“Eyaa... Gilsoo must be happy. Minji hugged your waist.”

Inside the ring, Mingi chuckled while spectating.

“Hyukie grabbed you after Minji. You have no real friends besides your fellow gopher, Hyukie, right? Or maybe not? Maybe Hyukie was coming onto her?”

Lee Mingi shameless put his arm around the trembling Yang Gilsoo who was stricken with fear. Very relaxed and natural.

However, the one who was the most frightened was, in fact, Lee Mingi.

‘It’s real. It really happened like it said it would...’

Lee Mingi tensed his trembling knees.

‘I don’t want to die.’

That was why the first person to enter the ring was the frivolously acting Lee Mingi. It was a simple calculation. Although he would act rashly as a bully, he knew better than anyone else that his fighting skills were nothing to look at.

If it was like the written rules, then no one would be able to leave unless they killed a person. It would be the end of him if he dawdled and was chosen by someone who was stronger than him.

So he was the first to enter and had chosen Yang Gilsoo.

‘It worked out well. It really did.’

On top of that, Lee Mingi currently had his arm around Gilsoo. The best position. He had already personally experienced his strength rise when he entered the ring.

‘Yang Gilsoo probably got stronger as well. Even if it is Yang Gilsoo, there’s no need for me to look down on him and suffer. Let’s do it in one shot. One shot.’

Lee Mingi slipped his arm that was around Gilsoo’s shoulders and wrapped it around his neck.

Crash!

“Gasp!”

He took him down onto the floor and fiercely started to strangle his neck.