Chapter 38

■ Chapter 37. Group Project (1) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

Despite creating a black history for the first time in my life at the meeting, my daily routine remained unchanged. Although I suffered from a hangover throughout the weekend, it did not significantly hinder my writing. I just visited the bathroom more often. I had heard that wine causes a worse hangover than other alcoholic beverages, and I felt that acutely.

In any case, despite some issues, I could write as smoothly as a sailboat in the wind. The historical knowledge I learned while teaching writing to Cindy and the ecology of demons that Cecilie taught me were of great help. However, my free time has been reduced by more than half compared to when I was at home, so the progress is inevitably slow. When I was at home, I focused solely on writing, so this is a natural phenomenon.

‘Definitely… it will take at least two months for the next volume.’

At home, I could submit a manuscript as quickly as every two weeks and at most every month, but the current situation makes it very difficult. In fact, setting a goal of two months is already a very fast pace.

In such a situation, I often think, “How nice it would be if there were a typewriter or something like that?” The world has advanced in papermaking and printing technology to the point where newspapers are published, yet why are machines so weak?

‘What can I do? This world is still in the Middle Ages.’

In this world, there is not even the concept of ‘engineering’ as ‘machines’ have not properly appeared. The refrigerator, temperature control, and the magic pen I use are not engineering but ‘magic studies.’

Perhaps even if the Industrial Revolution is reached, it will not be a complete machine like in my previous life but will include some magic. I thought of the steam locomotive I wrote about in Volume 8 and shook my head.

‘That’s not something I need to worry about.’

I just need to do my job. I stopped writing with the magic pen my father gave me and thought,

‘Come to think of it, isn’t there a group project starting tomorrow?’

The thought of a group project made my brows furrow. In my previous life, I had no good memories of group projects.

It wasn’t like a miracle at the end of the line; during the group project period, my parents would be sick, I would have to attend a funeral, or my phone would break, making it impossible to communicate. Various reasons for not participating were common, and among them, there was even someone who had run away to the military.

The most frustrating was when I did everything alone, but the professor gave me a C. The memory of being scolded for not leading the group as the team leader still lingers in my mind.

All is well as long as such phenomena do not occur. If someone says they can’t do it, I’ll do it all, but I just want them to attend properly.

‘I’m a damn writer; can’t I even handle this?’

Thinking about the trauma from group projects, I couldn’t help but swear. I had only bad feelings about group projects.

Some might ask if this world is different since it’s a different place. However, unfortunately, the essence of ‘human’ does not change anywhere. Moreover, with the existence of classes, it could be even worse.

‘But there’s no PowerPoint here; what should I do? Should I draw pictures?’

Visual effects make a huge difference. As the saying goes, “A hundred words are not as good as one sight.” It’s better to show something once than to explain it a hundred times.

It would be wise to ask the professor about this later. If possible, I want to present with some rough drawings. After all, the higher the grade, the better.

‘I also need to choose a topic… It’s going to be harder than I thought.’

Of course, not for me. I put the group project aside and focused on writing. My priority now is to write the setting for the Seven Deadly Sins.

‘I’ll make Lust a demon. And the appearance…’

I stopped the hand that was playing with the magic pen. Thinking of a demon in charge of Lust, Cecilie came to mind, especially in the dress she wore at the meeting.

According to rumors I heard at the opening ceremony, she is a descendant of a succubus. Judging by her actions and seductive aura, it’s highly plausible.

‘…If I write this, I’ll be suspected, so I’ll describe it differently. Adding a setting where she was betrayed by a human man who treated her without discrimination as a demon would be good. Finally, the name…’

Of course, it’s Lilith. Since the name of the succubus in charge of Wrath is Satan, there’s no problem.

‘The succubus’s name is Satan. That’s…’

I chuckled to myself and wrote the story smoothly.

* * *

There is a saying about group projects:

When you stick together, you die; when you scatter, you live.

This saying is usually the opposite, but not for group projects. Paradoxically, the efficiency of work drops sharply the moment two or three people, who could have done it alone, get involved.

Of course, that’s just a saying. Group projects don’t always lead to bad outcomes. They can be an opportunity to build connections and even develop good relationships.

But every time I do a group project, I end up with a team of scoundrels, which makes me feel a deep-seated hatred for humanity.

In any case, to make a group project ‘somewhat’ efficient, the first step is to keep the team size small. This is a must.

As the saying goes, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Up to four people is fine, but problems start when the team reaches five. Many people just run away, thinking, “I’ll be fine on my own.”

These people are planned to be reported to the professor.

“Like I mentioned last time, today I will randomly form groups and assign a project. The topic is to predict the development of Xenon’s biography. Explain why the hypothesis emerged and provide evidence to support it.”

As Monday approached and the humanities class began, the professor started talking about the group project. As usual, I was sitting in the front row and smirked inwardly after hearing his words.

‘Finally, what had to come has come.’

Even in my previous life, where there were no classes, group projects were a perfect way to distrust humans. I was really curious about how it would be in this world.

The professor counted the number of students in the lecture hall one by one and then spoke in his usual gentle voice.

“There are exactly 46 students in my class. I will divide you into groups of four, and the remaining two will be randomly assigned. I will distribute pieces of paper, and you will write your names on them and put them in the box.”

Professor Virius finished speaking and handed a small stack of paper to the student at the front. I took one sheet and passed the rest to the back.

“I hope we end up in the same group. You’re the most comfortable to work with.”

As I was folding the paper with my name on it, Mari, who was sitting next to me, spoke. I nodded in complete agreement.

I would prefer to be in a group with someone I know rather than a stranger, even if I have to do it alone.

“I hope I end up in the same group as Isaac. Isaac probably knows everything about the development of Xenon’s biography.”

Hearing Mari’s words, Cecilie, who was sitting behind us, spoke in her usual playful tone. I couldn’t help but flinch when I heard what she said.

I didn’t know why she said that, but it wasn’t a good sign. Moreover, it seemed to carry some hidden meaning.

“Cecilie, are you saying you’ll just take Isaac’s help and do nothing?”

Lina, who was sitting next to Cecilie, asked in her usual soft voice. Cecilie shrugged nonchalantly in response.

“Who knows? What about you, Lina? Since you’re the princess of this country, others will do everything for you, right?”

“Well, that would be nice, but I have a conscience. I should help.”

As Lina spoke with a faint smile, Mari’s expression hardened. She turned to look at Lina and then turned back to the front.

She then muttered, revealing her discomfort.

“…Conscience? You’re saying things you don’t mean.”

“… …”

I pretended not to hear. Mari had expressed her displeasure with Lina many times, so I could now ignore it.

After a while, Professor Virius collected the papers with names and put them in a box. He shook the box to mix the papers and even stuck his hand in to stir them, as if making a mixed rice dish.

“Alright, let’s draw. The first person drawn is…”

As the professor unfolded the neatly folded paper, his eyes lit up and he looked directly at me. I had a hunch, but it seems to be true.

While I was thinking this, Professor Virius, with a look of interest, gently tugged at his mustache and called out the name.

“Isaac Duker Maishal. And the next one is…”

Please, let it be someone I know. Of course, not Jackson.

With a nervous heart, I waited as the professor pulled a paper from the box and called out the name in a strong voice.

“Aira Ben Matius.”

“Yes!”

A strong voice came from the back. Judging by the voice, it seemed to be a woman.

I turned my head to the back to see who my group member was. A girl with brown hair and a cute appearance raised her hand.

Of course, I didn’t know her face. Judging by her middle name, she seemed to be a noble.

“Next is Benjamin Blank.”

“Yes, yes!”

A response came from not far away. I stretched my neck to look at the side where the voice came from.

A boy with dark blonde, curly hair caught my eye. He seemed to be very nervous for some reason.

Unlike Aira and me, he didn’t have a middle name, so he seemed to be a commoner. I know that to enter the Halo Academy, especially the literature department, a commoner must go through a very difficult process.

Compared to my previous life, it’s like a student who has only completed middle school must be admitted to Seoul National University through the regular admission process. It’s almost impossible unless they are a genius.

That means he is at least not incompetent. I considered this a fortunate turn of events.

“Finally… Leona Lyons.”

Wait a minute. What?

I blinked when I heard the name called by the professor. The last name was new, but the first name was very familiar.

I looked around to find a face I knew and met the eyes of a girl. Her usually expressionless face was now filled with surprise.

Leona, the succubus whose identity I had discovered, was looking at me.

‘…I don’t know whether to be happy or not.’

If this is fate, then so be it. I met Leona’s eyes and, after some hesitation, waved my hand gently.

She quickly erased her surprised expression and turned her head away. I felt a bit hurt that my greeting was ignored, but I understood her position.

“Four people in one group. The next group is… Jackson Mirel Kerrison.”

As the group members were decided, the next person called was Jackson, whom I had been keeping an eye on. I was about to ignore him since he wasn’t in my group.

“Mari Hausen Rekilis.”

Surprisingly, Jackson and Mari ended up in the same group. Is this a coincidence?

I checked Mari’s reaction as soon as the professor called her full name.

“Of all people, that guy…”

Mari’s face was scrunched up, and she looked like she had eaten something bitter. After all, she had seen Jackson flirting with Lina and Cecilie with her own eyes.

To explain, Jackson had once hit on Mari, but he stopped after she cursed him. It was understandable.

However, the problem didn’t end there.

“Lina Urmie Christine.”

“Hmm?”

Mari’s least favorite person, Lina, was also in the same group. I glanced back and saw that Lina was also surprised, with one eyebrow raised.

This was already a problematic group, but the final touch came next.

“… …”

Professor Virius, who had been calm until Lina was chosen, hesitated when he saw the next paper. He then looked at me with a bewildered expression.

I waited, thinking, “Surely not,” until he spoke. And then…

“…Cecilie Drat Aisilia Bin.”

The ultimate probability was broken, and a grand chaos party was formed.