“Oh.”

Fresh from my shower, I stepped into the dorm room and blinked at the sight.

Cleaning robots were busy tidying up.

On the bunks, small round bots were scrubbing, while larger ones with arms cleaned between the beds.

When finished, the arm-equipped bot picked up two of the smaller ones and carried them out.

So that’s how they handle cleaning here, huh.

It was a little detail never shown in the game, and my heart raced at the glimpse of real life here.

After putting away my toiletries and sitting down for a moment, an announcement rang out.

“[The current time is 9:20 p.m. All candidates are to remain in their rooms by 9:30. Anyone absent will cause their squad to receive a penalty. Once again, the time is…]”

Jang Jinseong’s voice echoed through the dorms.

“…I’ll step out for just a bit. I’ll be right back,” Rio said quickly, slipping out of the room.

Probably checking on his teammates.

Maria, Bella, and Ha Yugeun.

All three were headstrong in different ways. Bella was the worst of the bunch. Maria at least cared about group morale, making her something of a rare “puppy” type in Ucheon. Yugeun usually followed orders but would never compromise on his own principles.

Rio, though leader now, was in truth nearly as reckless as Bella.

Reminds me of my last playthrough.

I recalled my “craftsman build” run before arriving in this world.

Ucheon had been the best academy for that concept. Their curriculum included item-crafting skills, and resources were easy to gather.

And the companions there were eccentric enough that they never got boring.

Three minutes later, Rio returned, looking relieved. His squad must all have been present.

I, of course, hadn’t thought to check. Lumina would obey orders without question, so no worries there. Meiling was the problem child, but Seo Yui would keep her in line.

Though Lumina must be feeling lonely, stuck with strangers.

Timid, with nearly supernatural lack of presence, she’d hardly be able to strike up conversation. At least Maria was in her room. With her outgoing nature, Lumina would be alright.

Soon enough, at 9:30 sharp, another announcement came.

“[Starting from Room 1, we will now conduct a roll call. All candidates remain where you are.]”

Moments later, footsteps sounded in the hall. Jang Jinseong entered with a tablet.

“…Everyone’s here. Unlikely, but does anyone feel unwell or need medicine?”

Zen and Rio chuckled softly. Asking that here was like asking fish if they needed scuba gear.

“Any other issues to report to me or HAUT?”

Silence.

“Then remain here until I’ve finished roll call for the other rooms.”

He left.

“Nam Yein, what’s wrong?” Jin Cheongryong asked, noticing my face.

“You don’t look well. If you need to speak up, I’ll call the committee member back.”

“No. I’m fine.”

Just old memories souring my mood.

Ten minutes later, the speakers crackled again.

“[The time is now 9:42 p.m. Lights-out is at 10 p.m. Wake-up is 6 a.m. tomorrow. From this moment, no one may leave the dorm building. Thank you.]”

“Fwaaah~!”

Zen stretched out, arms high.

“Finally! Day’s over. But huh, they’re giving us more sleep than I thought.”

“Yeah. I figured they’d wake us up at dawn for training,” Rio replied.

“Huh? What the—” Zen stared.

Toby was unrolling his mattress.

“You’re going to sleep already?”

“There’s nothing else to do. And considering today, they might yank us out in the middle of the night for some surprise drill.”

Toby spread his blanket. Thankfully, it wasn’t some drab army-issue thing but a comfy summer quilt with a thicker option provided. Even the pillows were soft sponge.

“Boring… Wait, you too?” Zen looked at me.

“Best to rest while we can,” I answered, lying down.

“They’re right,” Cheongryong said, already preparing his bed. “Skipping rest just means worse performance later.”

Jang Taeil from Dai had also quietly lain down.

“Brother Rio, you going to sleep too?” Zen asked desperately.

Funny—since when was he calling Rio Brother?

“Of course not. No way I’m wasting this chance,” Rio said with a mischievous grin.

“How often do different academies stay under one roof, boys and girls, in the middle of the night?”

“Knew it! You’re the best, Brother Rio!” Zen’s head bobbed rapidly.

“Let’s go, my little brother!”

“Yeah, Brother!”

The two bounded out in perfect sync.

“…Unacceptable.”

Cheongryong threw off his blanket, stood, and marched out.

Not long later, all three returned.

Cheongryong’s face was unreadable, but Rio and Zen’s were clouded with despair.

“What happened?” I asked.

“…Got penalized,” Rio muttered.

“That guy in the office checked us first, but as soon as we stepped into the girls’ room, our smartwatches buzzed. Auto-penalty.”

Zen buried his face in his hands.

“I’m doomed. What do I tell Rune tomorrow?”

“And what do I say to the squad? Damn it…” Rio groaned.

They slumped onto their bunks and listlessly unrolled their bedding.

“You brought it on yourselves,” Cheongryong said flatly, lying back down.

And I agreed.

At 10 p.m., the lights shut off automatically, replaced by soft amber night lamps.

I closed my eyes, uneasy.

Tonight, I was bound to dream of things I’d rather not see.

♪ ~ ♫ ~ ♬

Classical music drifted in. My eyes opened to a sky still tinged with pre-dawn blue.

“[This is the office. The current time is 6 a.m. Candidates, please wash up and assemble in full combat gear by 6:30 in front of the dorm. Any squad late will be penalized.]”

At the word penalty, Rio and Zen bolted upright, moving faster than anyone else. They tidied their bunks in record time and rushed for the showers with toiletries in hand.

Not that their teammates will forgive them so easily.

I folded my mattress.

By 6:25, every student at HAUT was gathered at the dorm entrance.

“Penalty? Is it true, you idiots went into the girls’ room?”

“T-That’s… yeah.”

“You moron!!”

“Ow!”

Thwacks echoed from the Magicka squad.

“Hmph. Pathetic,” Meiling muttered behind me.

Rio stood stiff, drenched in sweat under Maria’s silent glare. Arms crossed, she hadn’t spoken a word, but her eyes alone carried enough weight to make even me uncomfortable.

Then the entrance doors opened, and Jang Jinseong appeared with a tablet in hand.

“Good morning, everyone. Did you sleep well?”

Jang Jinseong looked us over, as if counting heads.

“Everyone’s here. We’ll move to the cafeteria.”

At that, a ripple of tension crossed the students’ faces. After yesterday, most of us assumed they wouldn’t just hand out meal tickets.

When we reached the cafeteria, Jang Jinseong spoke again.

“Starting from the academy on the far left, enter in order. Breakfast runs until 7:30.”

Surprised looks popped up all around.

“Are we not doing a meal-ticket race?” Maria asked, hand raised high.

“There’s no training during breakfast. Everyone may eat at ease.”

Relief bloomed across the room.

“Thank goodness,” Seo Yui murmured.

“What, were you worried we’d lose?” Meiling asked.

“No. I don’t like seeing anyone go without food.”

“Hmph. If they’re going to do it, they should stick to it. Why feed us in the morning but not at lunch?”

“If people keep missing meals and can’t train properly, that defeats the point of HAUT,” I said. “Let’s go in.”

After we ate and returned to the dorm building, we saw Jang Jinseong and Abel talking by the office.

“I’ll take my leave,” Jang said.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Abel replied.

We bowed to Jang Jinseong as he passed us at the entrance; he returned the bow and exited.

“Did you all eat your fill?” Abel suddenly asked us.

“Ah—uh—I—um—” Lumina flustered so hard she practically tied her own tongue in knots. Abel only smiled gently and continued.

“I hope you did. Starting today, combat training begins. It’s going to be tough.”

Just then, the Ucheon kids filed in.

“Ah! Instructor Abel!!” Maria beamed and jogged over. Behind her, Rio sagged with visible relief, exhaling like a man reprieved from execution.

At exactly 7:30, as breakfast ended, Abel called us to assemble by the entrance and ordered us into the Level-30 training armor we’d been issued.

“Alright, head down to the outdoor training grounds. This morning is close-quarters combat practice!”

The Martial God students’ eyes lit up.

They’re thinking this is their specialty and they’ll rack up points, I thought.

That won’t be easy. I don’t intend to let them take everything.

Once we’d formed up on the grounds, Abel tapped his tablet.

Panels opened along the edge of the field, and dozens of robots rose up—wolfish quadrupeds, wheeled gun-platforms, even humanoid models.

“Before we get into it, a quick quiz,” Abel said with a grin. “Why do Hunters fight in close quarters when safe magic skills exist?”

Ao’s hand shot up.

“Because depending on one’s affinities, melee can output greater destructive power.”

“Correct. One point to Martial God.”

A chime sounded from the watches on Martial God-Crystal’s wrists.

“As Ao just said, when your Physical Fitness Affinity outstrips your Stamina Affinity, using close-combat skills is more efficient than magic. If everyone had S in both, you could do whatever you wanted—but those god-tier affinities are extremely rare. For instance, Mayor Cheon Jiwon, one of the Seven Pioneers, is said to have S in both.”

A few students couldn’t help gasping.

Cheon Jiwon’s strength really is broken-tier, I thought.

“Next question.”

The air tightened as everyone focused. After seeing Martial God earn a point, no one wanted to miss their chance.

“Outside of affinities, what situations would force you to fight in close quarters?”

Faces went stiff. Even the Martial God squad looked uncertain.

I raised my hand before the moment slipped by.

“When your innate ability is a melee technique; when you’ve run out of MP; when you’re afflicted by Silence and can’t use skills; when you encounter monsters with Magic Reflection or high Magic Resistance, and so on.”

The answers rolled out of me without pause. I’d run HAUT so many times in the game that these quiz items were etched into my skull.

“Excellent. Three points to Gwangcheon.”

Our watches chimed.

“Wow,” Lumina breathed beside me, eyes shining.

“As you can see, close combat is essential to a Hunter’s work. If you neglect it because your Physical Fitness Affinity is low or you want to avoid direct clashes, you may face an irreversible situation in the field. Of course, to prevent that, you should always know your party’s capabilities and balance your team before entering a dungeon. But anything can happen in there. Now, the final question.”

I felt eyes from the Martial God side—Ao and Jin Cheongryong watching us. Not like yesterday’s camaraderie, but like rivals sighting a target.

“Who’s more likely to win in melee: a Level 50 Hunter with Physical Fitness Affinity S, or a Level 30 with Physical Fitness Affinity B?”

Hands flew up across the grounds.

I, the four from Martial God, and Crystal’s Iris and Toby alone stayed quiet, watching Abel.

“Me!” Zen hopped in place.

“Go ahead, Zen Maya.”

“Obviously the Level 50 with S in Physical Fitness!”

“I see. Any other opinions?”

Zen’s face froze. Around him, raised hands withdrew, their owners looking rattled.

“With only those conditions, you can’t determine the winner,” said a cool voice.

I turned. Iris stood with arms crossed, looking straight at Abel.

“Correct. You can’t know. In fact, that question has no answer—so no points.”

A chorus of sighs and incredulous stares followed.

“Many trainees—and even active Hunters—assume you can assess combat power by level and affinities alone. But they aren’t absolute. Even if your level is lower, the equipment you carry, the techniques you’ve honed, and the strategy you employ can let you defeat someone stronger on paper. Which brings us to today’s lesson.”

Abel raised a simple iron longsword.

“Everyone, put away your personal weapons and shields. Take one of these—Level-20, Normal-grade, wrought-iron.”

He tapped his tablet. The robots’ eyes glowed red.

“From this moment, your abilities and skills are sealed. With these Level-20 Normal weapons, you must subdue monsters rated around Level 30.”

He smiled at us.

“So—what squad wants to go first?”

I shot my hand up before anyone else.

A successful first attempt earns bonus points.

“Hic!”

Lumina hiccupped softly beside me.

“Good. Gwangcheon squad, step forward!” Abel called, looking straight at me.

(End of Chapter)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.