Rule 1. The leader does not arrive late (1)

 

Beep, beep, the unpleasant alarm sound crushed the chirping of the birds outside the window.

 

I rose from bed with precision and quickly turned off the alarm. It was a habitual action.
Once silence fell, I felt the urge to lie back down.

 

Slap!

 

A dry face wash, as good as a slap, quickly cut off the temptation.

 

‘Get a grip. You have to go to school.’

 

I had barely slept, studying late into the night.

 

During the vacation, I had been appointed as the Disciplinary Committee Leader. It was clear that the workload would be heavy, leaving very little time for academics.

 

Hence, I had to thoroughly prepare during the break, enduring each day on minimal sleep.

 

But being late would be putting the cart before the horse.

 

A Disciplinary Committee Leader, of all people, should adhere to school rules strictly!

 

‘Oh, I’m so sleepy…’

 

No matter how much I pushed myself, the aftermath of the intense preparation during the break was strong.

 

Fatigue clung to me like a leech, refusing to let go.

 

My eyes naturally fell on the clock on my smartphone.

 

‘…Just 5 more minutes should be okay.’

 

Absolutely.

 

I should never have thought that.

 

I lay down for a moment and blinked.

 

Forty-seven minutes had passed.

 

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

 

“…Ah.”

 

My hand automatically went to my forehead.

 

This was… a disaster.

 

‘Aaaah…!’

 

I hurriedly began preparing for school.

 

I washed faster than anyone, changed into my uniform, grabbed my bag, and the official hat, which was part of our school’s attire, and rushed out of the house… only to come back.

 

I grabbed my dried flower amulet. It was made from purple peonies. I had to carry it with me.

 

I dashed out of the house again, putting on my hat as I ran through the streets.

 

‘It takes an average of 35 minutes to get to school. Time left: 30 minutes and 45 seconds…!

 

If I shorten it by about 5 minutes by running, I can just barely avoid being late!’

 

I calculated the time on my smartphone clock.

 

I couldn’t afford to be late.

 

Today was the start of the first semester of my second year. It was also my first day as the Disciplinary Committee Leader.

 

If I were late on such a day, I could already picture the consequences in my mind.

 

‘The Disciplinary Committee Leader being late on the first day? How unreliable.’

 

‘Why did they choose someone like that as the Leader…?’

 

‘The Disciplinary Committee Leader should be a role model. To make such a mistake from the start…’

 

‘The Leader broke the rules on the first day? Are they serious?’

 

I could already hear the murmurs of my members like an auditory hallucination.

 

‘I must not be late…! Especially not on the first day!’

 

The Disciplinary Committee of my high school, ‘Ahsung High School,’ was evaluated as the strongest among the committees of this academy city.

 

Of course, this was merely a comprehensive assessment by analysts. Who knew what would happen if the committees clashed.
Anyway, it was a fact that it was a strong group.

 

Because of that, Ahsung High’s Disciplinary Committee had a meritocratic culture.

 

However, I was nothing more than an NPC or an extra in terms of game storyline importance.

 

I had no innate talent.

 

I was just a standout among the mediocre.

 

Thanks to utilizing game knowledge, I had been consistently repeating and mastering an efficient magic training method since a very young age.

 

‘There are still many who feel doubtful about my role as the Disciplinary Committee Leader. Some even question my capabilities…!’

 

I remembered this year’s Disciplinary Committee Leader from the game.

 

That guy was a third-rate villain who couldn’t become the Leader because of me, the new rising star.

 

That was one of the reasons I chose Ahsung High’s Disciplinary Committee.

 

While other Leaders were exceptional, I thought I could at least surpass that third-rate guy. The timing was good.

 

But.

 

‘There’s a risk of betrayal.’

 

In the game, members who doubted the third-rate Leader’s capabilities eventually betrayed him.

 

They pulled him down.

 

They thought they were superior in terms of capabilities.

 

From the start, the members didn’t follow his orders properly, and morale was utterly shattered.

 

I didn’t want to experience such things while I was the Leader.

 

‘So, I need to be perfect.’

 

Even if I wasn’t smart, I had to show good results while pretending to be relaxed and be called a genius.

 

If I didn’t follow the rules, I had to act as if I’d commit seppuku immediately.

 

As the Disciplinary Committee Leader of Ahsung High, I had to only show a charismatic side.

 

Only then would the nearly 400-strong group follow me properly.

 

But, being late on the first day of Leader activities?

 

My reputation.

 

My reputation as the Disciplinary Committee Leader would be tarnished from the start…!

 

‘Alright, the train is here!’

 

I arrived at the station and hurriedly boarded the train.

 

My destination was Ahsung High School, where I was enrolled.

 

But, even though the train had arrived promptly…

 

‘Why is it so slow…. Please hurry up, please….’

 

The train moved as slowly as a snail. I felt like I was going to explode from frustration.

 

Soon, the polite voice of the robotic conductor came over the announcement system.

 

─ We are temporarily slowing the train to adjust the interval between this train and the one ahead. We ask for your understanding, dear passengers.

 

What’s the train ahead doing!?

 

At this rate, the advantage of getting on the train immediately disappears.

 

‘Should I just run?’

 

Wouldn’t it work if I strengthened my body with magic and sprinted all the way?

 

‘No.’

 

The distance wasn’t exactly short.

 

It would be difficult to outrun the train to my destination.

 

“Hmm?”

 

As I fidgeted, I suddenly saw a familiar face.

 

It was a mixed-race male student dressed in the white uniform of an elite school.

 

‘Is that the protagonist?’

 

Seventeen years since I reincarnated in this world, but that guy remained clearly etched in my memory.

 

The original protagonist, Lee Taesung.

 

He was happily chatting with the tsundere female student, the official heroine, enjoying a moment of youth.

 

Since I became a high school freshman last year, the main scenario had been progressing in earnest.

 

It was convenient to grasp how things were unfolding since Lee Taesung and I were the same age.

 

Just last year, his school had been attacked by a villain group, a mysterious black tower had suddenly risen, and all sorts of events had happened.

 

Surely, he must have gained good fortune and diligently built up the affection of the heroines through various incidents. Not to mention, it’s not a monogamous game, so he would eventually marry all the heroines….

 

‘Not that it matters to me.’

 

For some reason, probably because I had seen him in the game, I was interested in his movements.

 

But what good would it do for me to get involved?

 

After all, Lee Taesung attended a different school.

 

As long as it didn’t cause any harm to me, I had no intention of intervening in the original scenario.

 

Still, it seemed even the protagonist used public transportation when running late.

 

Well, his school is nearby.

 

It must be the perfect time for him to head to school.

 

“?”

 

Our protagonist, Lee Taesung, glanced in my direction as if sensing my gaze.

 

He sure has an uncanny knack for noticing things like this. By now, his skills should be quite honed.

 

I lowered my head, pulling down the brim of my hat to cover my eyes.

 

Nice to see you, but let’s not get involved.

 

At that moment.

 

Screeeeech!!

 

“Whoa!”

 

“What the!?”

 

Suddenly, the train came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the tracks.

 

Fortunately, it wasn’t moving fast, or we would have been thrown off balance by the dramatic halt. The students yelped in surprise.

 

‘What’s going on!?’

 

I was equally shocked.

 

Had an accident occurred?

 

Soon, all the train doors opened.

 

Students wearing combat uniforms over their school uniforms began to enter one by one.

 

‘Crazy….’

 

I knew exactly what was happening.

 

The other students, each wearing anxious expressions, seemed to understand as well.

 

Thud, thud. The armed students took positions in the center aisle.

 

“Attention.”

 

Bang!

 

A male student in a combat uniform, with a skull tattoo on his chin, slammed a long axe onto the floor, causing the students to flinch.

 

The doors closed, and the train started moving again.

 

“From now on, this train is under our control. If you don’t do anything stupid, we won’t hurt you, so stay put.”

 

His tone was intimidating.

 

‘Ah… right.’

 

A fact that I had overlooked for 17 years came to mind. Just as juvenile detective Kim Jeon○ and famous detective Co○ encounter murder cases wherever they go, the protagonist brings about thrilling events wherever he goes.

 

‘Aagh, gah…!’

 

I felt like screaming.

 

Why…!

 

Why today, of all days!

 

Oh, heavens!!

 

“What, what’s going on?”

 

“Is it a villain…!?”

 

“A dropout? Or an expelled student…?”

 

The students on the train were terrified.

 

Though it might be a prejudice issue, dropouts and expelled students are often regarded with fear.

 

The villains committing these acts of terrorism were usually such people.

 

Especially in a city where academies were highly significant, the mindset of someone who dropped out or was expelled was unpredictable.

 

No wonder there were so many urban legends and webtoons or web novels featuring dropouts or expelled students as villains circulating on the internet.

 

“That logo, it’s ‘Anomia’…!”

 

A male student spoke with a trembling voice.

 

‘Of course, it’s Anomia….’

 

Anomia.

 

A Greek word meaning the absence of God’s will and law.

 

Despite their cringe-worthy name, they were one of the larger villain groups.
Those who had taken over the train were part of Anomia’s forces.

 

These guys were particularly troublesome.

 

Their goal was to overthrow the academy city’s system and rules, creating a city where everyone was equal and free.

 

They were driven more by their beliefs than by practical considerations.

 

“You there!”

 

“!”

 

The tattooed male student roared with magical power, causing the students to flinch.

 

He approached a female student sitting down.

 

“Were you trying to record a video just now?”

 

“N-no! That’s not it…! Ah!”

 

The tattooed male student growled like a beast, roughly snatching the smartphone from the female student.

 

Then, smash! He crushed it underfoot.

 

The female student began to tear up.

 

“My phone….”

 

“Listen up, all of you. As long as you stay quiet and behave, you won’t get hurt. But if anyone tries anything funny, next time it won’t be your phones getting smashed, but your heads!”

 

The tattooed male student threatened, roaring at the passengers.

 

The students’ faces were painted with anxiety.

 

Clunk, clunk!

 

“Where are we going…?”

 

“I’m scared….”

 

The students whispered among themselves.

 

The train suddenly changed its course and headed down an unfamiliar track.

 

It seemed Anomia had taken control of the cockpit as well.
They had likely subdued the driver and were operating the train themselves.

 

More importantly, this…

 

‘I remember now. This is the train event….’

 

I shut my eyes tight.

 

I really wanted to cry.

 

Although I had recorded and memorized my game knowledge, I couldn’t remember the exact date and time of every event.

 

This event… It happens today, on the first day of the second-year opening ceremony.
So, ultimately.

 

‘I’m definitely going to be late….’

 

While resigning myself to this, I imagined the relentless gossiping of the disciplinary committee members.

 

That the 45th Disciplinary Committee Leader was a fool who was late on the first day, a guy who breaks the rules himself, unfit to be a leader….

 

The reputation of Disciplinary Committee Leader Ahn Woo-jin was plummeting rapidly.

 

‘…Let’s sort out my thoughts.’

 

No matter how much I regretted it, nothing would change.
What’s done is done.

 

I took a deep breath quietly, calming my emotions.

 

‘What was the purpose of the train event again?’

 

I racked my brain.

 

‘…Kidnapping. Their target was a student on the train. Who was it again?’

 

I couldn’t quite remember.

 

Was it a freshman from a certain school?

 

Since the train event wasn’t a major part of the game and was only mentioned, it was hard to recall.

 

But after racking my brain, I remembered something about the target.

 

Anomia’s target usually commuted to school in a car with an escort.

 

But for some reason, the car broke down on the first day of high school. It was Anomia’s doing.

 

So she decided to take the train to experience the thrill of her first day of school.
And that happened to be on this train.

 

‘I remember that the Mafia valued her highly.’

 

The academy city’s Mafia… well, it was more like a group of young people playing house, but still.

 

It wasn’t an organization to be underestimated.

 

‘Indeed, around this time, the Mafia and Anomia clashed, didn’t they? This situation was part of their conflict. But why did they occupy the train? …Ah, it was to avoid facing too many enemies.’

 

In the academy city, crime surveillance drone CCTVs constantly hovered in the sky, exchanging information with patrol robots roaming the streets.

 

If they tried to kidnap the target directly, they’d be caught by the drones first and then confronted by the patrol robots.

 

Even if they managed to defeat the robots, next they’d have to deal with the police academy or the Disciplinary Committees of the local schools.

 

Kidnapping in the usual way without significant force was akin to a s*****e mission.

 

However, if they kidnapped the target by hijacking a moving train, the issues Anomia worried about would be immediately resolved.

 

Of course, if they didn’t achieve their goal quickly, they would eventually have to face the very enemies they were trying to avoid.

 

“What are your intentions…?”

 

Our righteous protagonist, Lee Taesung, stepped forward. He seemed to have decided to confront them out of sheer frustration.

 

His expression, tone, and words were all very protagonist-like.

 

Swoosh.

 

“Stay put. Or you’ll get hurt.”

 

The tattooed male student extended his axe threateningly under the protagonist’s chin.
Lee Taesung tilted his head back, frowning.

 

The axe blade was imbued with magic, the same dark purple as the wielder’s eyes.
Magic influences the iris pigment, overlaying the owner’s eye color with its own.

 

‘They’ll just have a little staring contest and be done with it.’

 

How could the protagonist’s group handle these guys?

 

The train event needed to progress a bit further before there’d be an opportunity to counterattack.
Students from the police academy, responsible for public places and remote areas, would rush to provide support.

 

And a female student from the police academy would join as a heroine.

 

“Grr…”

 

The protagonist, engaged in a staring contest, cautiously assessed the situation and then stepped back, frustration evident on his face.

 

“Alright, I’ll let you off this time. But there won’t be a next.”

 

The tattooed male student mocked the retreating protagonist.

 

‘Should I intervene?’

 

I gripped the brim of my hat, pondering.

 

This was another school’s district. If I, as a Disciplinary Committee Leader, intervened without a justifiable reason, it could be considered interference, making post-event handling very troublesome.

 

However, it seemed better to resolve this situation right now.

 

‘Hmm?’

 

I caught a glimpse of a familiar clock tower outside the window.

 

It was a structure that should be in the jurisdiction of Ahsung High School.

 

‘Why am I seeing that already?’

 

I quickly realized why.

 

The train had veered off onto a wrong track and was speeding along like a runaway train.
Which meant.

 

‘This is our school’s jurisdiction?’

 

…So, I didn’t have to worry about jurisdictional interference.

 

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

 

‘Wait, this….’

 

I couldn’t help but smile.

 

Maybe I could make up for being late.

 

I pulled down my hat and approached the tattooed male student.

 

* * *

 

“What are you?”

 

The tattooed male student looked at me with fierce eyes, adopting a defensive posture.
A male student with his hat pulled down was approaching him.

 

Judging by the black uniform, he was clearly from Ahsung High School.
He was Ahn Woo-jin.

 

The tattooed male student involuntarily flinched as Woo-jin’s sharp gaze bore into him.
It was the poker face Woo-jin had honed to exude the dignity of a Disciplinary Committee Leader, but the tattooed male student had no way of knowing that.

 

There was an inexplicable aura of intimidation emanating from Woo-jin.
He appeared to be on a different level.

 

Feeling instinctive unease, the tattooed male student barely hid his agitation as he imbued his axe blade with magic.

 

“Get lost! I’m sure I warned you!”

 

“This is our jurisdiction from here on.”

 

“What?”

 

Woo-jin warned as he put on black gloves.

 

“I’m executing on-site detention and will severely punish any lawbreakers.”

 

It was the official declaration issued by the Disciplinary Committee when apprehending offenders.

 

His voice was as firm as a judge pronouncing a verdict.

 

“What are you saying, you bastard!”

 

The tattooed male student, feeling a primal sense of danger, swung his magic-imbued axe.
He had a gut feeling that if he didn’t deal with this guy immediately, things would get dangerous.

 

Whoosh, Woo-jin twisted his body sideways.

 

Slash!

 

The axe sliced through the air.

 

At an incredibly precise distance, the axe blade narrowly missed Woo-jin’s body, as if he had instinctively calculated its trajectory.

 

Simultaneously, Woo-jin stomped hard on the tattooed male student’s right foot.

 

Crack!

 

“Ugh!”

 

The train floor dented under the force. A chilling sound of breaking bones accompanied the crushing of the combat boots.

 

Woo-jin had used internal magic to strengthen his body. It was a skill anyone could use, but Woo-jin’s proficiency was on a different level than most students.

 

The tattooed male student felt intense pain.

 

At that moment, Woo-jin drew a black baton from his belt.
With a swift motion, he swung it downward.

 

Snap!

 

With a crisp sound, the baton extended into its full length, forming a truncheon.
It was a telescopic baton.

 

Woo-jin’s magic converted into a cyan electric current, infusing the baton’s magical circuit.
He swung the baton with immense force.

 

Boom!

 

Crackle!

 

“Ugh!”

 

The sound of the strike was almost unbelievable for a baton.

 

It was more like an explosion.

 

The heavy blow sent the tattooed male student flying toward the train door.

 

As the cyan electricity from the baton surged through the tattooed male student’s body, it caused severe electrocution before dissipating into the air.

 

Thud! The tattooed male student crashed into the door.

 

“Ugh…”

 

He clung to consciousness by a thread.

 

If he hadn’t reflexively channeled magic into his combat suit and skin to enhance his defense, he would have been knocked out instantly.

 

His arm and rib bones were fractured.

 

His entire body trembled from the electric currents coursing through it.

 

The tattooed male student couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

 

The other students on the train were equally stunned, unable to process what they had seen and heard.

 

It had all happened so quickly.

 

“Senior!”

 

“You crazy bastard!”

 

Other Anomia members shouted.

 

Their comrades from the adjacent car, having sensed the commotion, entered and took up fighting stances against Woo-jin.

 

But Woo-jin was unfazed.

 

He acted as if they were nothing.

 

Like insignificant insects.

 

With his eyes shaded by the brim of his hat, Woo-jin’s cyan eyes coolly surveyed the enemies.

 

“What… what are you?”

 

The tattooed male student gritted his teeth and managed to stand.

 

“Executing arrests, severe punishment… Who the hell do you think you are to say that!?”

 

‘Ah.’

 

Woo-jin realized.

 

In his haste, he hadn’t put on his armband.

 

It was necessary to visibly display his authority to arrest and detain.

 

Like how one wouldn’t question a police officer in uniform about their right to make an arrest.

 

Swoosh.

 

Woo-jin pulled out a red armband with a gold border from his pocket and fastened it to his left arm.

 

The red armband of the Disciplinary Committee.

 

It was a visible sign that he was on official duty.

 

The gold border symbolized his rank as the leader.

 

The Anomia members were all shocked upon seeing the armband.

 

“Disciplinary Committee.”

 

Woo-jin tapped the armband with his finger as he answered.