The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2 Novel

"I'm going back to school."

"To school?"

At the dining table.

Yoon Sae-ah, who had finished setting the side dishes and sat down, spoke about returning to school.

"Didn't the teacher say I could take a week off?"

"I'm the student council president. It's a school without vacations, so I can't just keep taking breaks."

"...There's no vacation?"

"Wow, Uncle! You must know the school my nephew goes to, right?"

"Of course I do. It's the BattleNet Academy."

BattleNet Academy.

It was a school established after the arrival of BattleNet on Earth in 2010, and it received full support from the government at a national level.

Especially the Apgujeong Academy located in Gangnam, Apgujeong-dong, was popular enough for the children of wealthy families to attend, despite being newly built.

"I heard that if you receive education at the academy, the chances of receiving a gift increase."

After turning 18, everyone is given the qualification of a player, but not everyone receives a gift.

The number of people receiving gifts is very small, with only about 1% of the total population receiving gifts according to statistics.

"That's why receiving a gift or not can determine the possibility of becoming a BattleNet pro in the future."

Now that the world of BattleNet has arrived, receiving a gift is like winning the lottery among lotteries.

However, the official explanation from the government was that receiving education at the BattleNet Academy increases the chances of winning this lottery.

So it's only natural that the popularity would increase.

"Is there anything special about the education at the academy?"

"Something special? Um... like physical training. And theory classes on how to handle magic power."

"Hmm, I see."

With that level of education, it seems like you could receive education anywhere without having to attend the academy.

What does that have to do with receiving a gift?

With a puzzled expression, Sung JiHan smiled and said.

"Hehe, honestly, those classes are just side dishes... The most important thing is to receive blessings from the Gift Hall once a week."

"The Gift Hall?"

"Yes, it's a room filled with gift gems. If you receive blessings there, you can receive good gifts. So even those who don't attend classes diligently come on that day."

Upon hearing that story, Sung JiHan recalled the situation from his previous life that he had buried deep in his heart.

"...."

It was August 2020, a much more desperate situation than now.

Sung JiHan fell into panic due to the transfer of the Sword Emperor, and indulged in alcohol and gambling.

Yoon Sae-ah, on the other hand, cooked meals for her pitiful uncle and diligently went to school.

-Sae-ah, I want to eat meat today.

-Okay, Uncle. I'll go buy it!

Even when Sung JiHan lay on the sofa, sulking, stuck in a corner of the house.

-The lady who used to work here cooked well... Should we hire someone again?

-That's a bit... You know the atmosphere these days.

-The house is too big, so it's hard to clean, right?

-It's okay. I'm taking care of the area we use.

Even when he made naive remarks, longing for the absence of the servants.

Yoon Sae-ah smiled brightly without a hint of a frown and accepted all those words.

"...During this time when even the entire nation was pointing fingers, and even with a burden like my pitiful uncle, Sae-ah was able to endure."

Gift.

The gift she would receive on her birthday, August 22nd, was Yoon Sae-ah's last hope in the abyss of despair.

So even after the incident, even though the teacher said she could take a break, she voluntarily went to school.

She wanted to consistently receive the blessings of the gift gem and obtain a good gift to try and change this situation even a little.

Yes.

She walked to school on foot because there was no driver and got hit by eggs from people.

Uncle Sung JiHan lay on the sofa, staring at the TV without any intention of solving anything.

"Se-ah, wouldn't it be better for you to rest at home?"

"...No, uncle. I'm fine. I..."

Sung JiHan had always urged Yoon Se-ah to rest more when she came home from school, her clothes dirty every time.

But she still went to school steadfastly.

Because that was Yoon Se-ah's last hope as a human.

"...I already know the essence of that hope."

Her report card was dismal.

Grade F.

The worst grade, worse than not receiving anything at all.

What was left in Pandora's box was despair disguised as hope.

Since that day, Yoon Se-ah had been deteriorating little by little...

"I won't let it happen like that this time."

Sung JiHan looked at Yoon Se-ah.

Her expectations for her own gift seemed to be the same even though the situation had changed significantly.

That's why he couldn't straightforwardly say, "Your gift is an F grade," in this situation.

So, until her birthday, he had to gradually lower Yoon Se-ah's expectations for the gift she possessed.

"So, are you going to school starting tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it's Monday."

"Alright. Then I'll take you from now on."

"Huh... Uncle? It's fine. I'm not a kid."

"It's a situation, you know."

Yoon Se-ah scratched her cheek as if she was sulking.

"Uncle, you're already busy because of Battle.net. You don't have to..."

"Did you see the content today? A game on Battle.net only takes a short time. You'll have plenty of time to take you, so don't worry."

"But still..."

"It's decided already. Let's eat now."

Sung JiHan cut off Yoon Se-ah's words, who kept trying to decline, and moved his chopsticks.

"What's this? Why are you suddenly cosplaying as a gentleman..."

Yoon Se-ah grumbled while looking at Sung JiHan like that, but...

Still, she seemed grateful, as a faint smile appeared on her face.

* * *

The next morning.

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

"Uh, uncle. Why so early..."

"You have to eat breakfast before going to school."

"You know how to cook?"

"Just toast."

Yoon Se-ah looked at the toast in front of her.

The toast Sung JiHan made wasn't just a slice of bread with jam spread on it, but a hearty breakfast with eggs, bacon, and other protein-rich ingredients.

"It looks delicious...!"

Yoon Se-ah smiled brightly and picked up her fork.

A warm and innocent smile, different from the forced ones she usually made.

Sung JiHan regretted it when he saw that.

"I should have done this earlier."

He had been too focused on Battle.net and hadn't thought about the household situation.

How difficult must it have been for her to do all the housework alone in this spacious house?

Once the atmosphere improved, he would have to hire someone again.

"But until then, I have to do it."

Sung JiHan made up his mind as he looked at his niece's happy face.

"Hey, Uncle. I was really touched. 'You' cooking for me...."

"What did I say? I told you I'm a master of women's hearts."

"...If you hadn't said that, I would have been touched for a long time. Well then! Shall we taste it?"

Yoon Sae-ah said excitedly, taking a bite of the toast.

"Wow...! It's really delicious."

Bacon toast.

It was a combination that couldn't be tasteless, but Sung JiHan's bacon toast was even more delicious than regular bacon toast.

When Yoon Sae-ah looked at Sung JiHan with surprised eyes, he shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm good at Western cuisine."

At the time when he lost his family and sought refuge in the United States.

Sung JiHan's heart was filled with deep loneliness and regret.

In an attempt to fill that empty space and forget, he learned various things besides Battle.net.

One of the activities he immersed himself in was cooking.

Sung JiHan's cooking skills, which he learned directly from a famous chef in New York, were considerable, and even Yoon Sae-ah, who had grown up eating only good food, was amazed.

"It's really delicious without lying! Uncle, are you good at all kinds of Western cuisine?"

"Well, just say whatever you want. I'll make it all for you."

"Then, for my birthday, can you make steak?"

Yoon Sae-ah's 18th birthday.

When she lost all hope and was endlessly desperate, Sung JiHan paused for a moment, but soon smiled.

"Only steak?"

"Oh, then..."

"I'll show you what a proper course meal is."

"A course meal? Really? Hehe, it's a special day when I receive gifts. Please make it delicious!"

Gift.

She's definitely looking forward to it.

"Hehe... Show me something."

Sung JiHan replied confidently, hiding his inner thoughts.

* * *

Time to go to school.

Sung JiHan and Yoon Sae-ah got on the elevator.

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

In the basement 7th floor of the penthouse, there was a private parking lot for the Sword Emperor, where Yoon Sae-jin had collected his supercars as a hobby.

Yoon Sae-ah looked at Sung JiHan with an anxious look.

"Uncle... Do you really know how to drive? Um, do you have a driver's license?"

"Of course I do. How much of a trash am I in your eyes?"

"Hehehe, trash. What a harsh word. I'm just saying that you've been staying at home for a long time, so I was just wondering."

Yoon Sae-ah, who said that, still had a look of disbelief.

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

"You can just take the bus..."

"Have you ever taken the bus?"

"I'm experiencing it for the first time today."

"Alright, don't ask me to give you a ride after you graduate."

Sung JiHan walked ahead with light steps.

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

"Hehe... I'll finally get to ride a supercar after a long time."

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

With that excited heart, Sung JiHan's face soon hardened as he stepped out of the elevator.

"Ugh..."

There were so many supercars.

There wasn't even one left.

"Uh... I saw an article saying that Dad cleaned up the cars. He got rid of all of them."

"...Huh, Se-ah, where is the car you used to take to school? Don't tell me that too?"

"That one was being managed by the driver... Oh, now that I think about it, I received a text message. It said the rental contract was terminated."

They sold off all the cars and flew to Japan.

At this point, Sung JiHan was even amazed at their thoroughness.

But still, just in case, he was looking around the parking lot.

"Uncle! Let's just take the bus!"

Yoon Se-ah said with a bright voice.

"Hehe, I wanted to ride the bus too!"

With his obvious enthusiasm, Sung JiHan furrowed his brow.

He didn't bring them here to show them this kind of situation.

"It's my fault."

Regretting not checking in advance, Sung JiHan's gaze fell on the car placed in the corner of the parking lot.

"Wait. There's a car!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, that one..."

Sung JiHan's eyes sank deeply as he confirmed the car from a distance.

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

That...

"The car from before, the one my sister used... before BattleNet was created."

Before BattleNet was created, it was the car they didn't know when their sister and Yoon Se-jin struggled to make a living.

He didn't expect it to be placed in a corner of B7, where only supercars were displayed.

"She didn't sell that."

No, even if she did, it wouldn't have been worth much, so she probably just left it alone.

Sung JiHan walked towards the compact car.

"...Should we ride that?"

"Let's see if it starts."

Sung JiHan started the engine with the key inserted into the vehicle.

Kururur-!

Surprisingly, the engine started without any problems.

Despite being quite old, the vibration was minimal, indicating that the car had been maintained until recently.

Sung JiHan rolled down the window and gestured.

"Let's go, Se-ah."

"Hmm... Uncle, should we just take the bus?"

"Why? Ah, is it because of this car?"

The BattleNet Academy located in Apgujeong.

Since it was a place where the children of well-off families gathered, there was a concern that bringing a compact car might attract unwanted attention.

"It doesn't matter... Uncle, I'm worried that if you go to school in this car, you might get into trouble."

"Trouble? It's okay. The problem is whether you would feel embarrassed."

"Well, it is embarrassing. It's Mom's car, after all."

"Are you really okay with it?"

"Other than that, I'm really okay with it."

Sung JiHan and Yoon Se-ah looked at each other and chuckled.

"Then let's go."

"Yeah."

And 20 minutes later, at BattleNet Academy.

"Hey! How dare you park such a shitty car here!"

"..."

As Yoon Se-ah expected, Sung JiHan got into trouble.