“Good morning, everyone!”

With a lively voice, our homeroom teacher stepped into the classroom, smiling brightly as she stood at the podium and looked over us.

I couldn’t help but wonder where she found the energy to beam like that on the very first day of the semester.

“Let’s start with roll call, shall we?”

Jeong Yeongyeong began calling out names one by one, and before long, it was my turn.

“Nam Yein.”

“Yes.”

“Come to think of it, Yein, you did something quite remarkable over the break, didn’t you?”

At her words, every gaze in the classroom turned toward me.

“Ah… it just sort of happened that way.”

The class burst into laughter at my awkward reply.

“What do you mean ‘just sort of happened’? How many students end up stopping terrorists by accident?”

Her face carried a look of exasperated disbelief.

What had happened last week was something everyone in this room—and probably every student and teacher in the academy—already knew.

Not because I had bragged about it, nor because Lumina had.

And certainly not because of interviews.

I had refused every interview request. After all, saying yes wouldn’t drop me loot or raise my experience points.

The reason the teachers and students knew about what happened with Lumina and me at the Porter Department Store boiled down to two things.

First, the news had broadcast CCTV footage of the confrontation with Margaret inside the store, along with the moment a man carrying his child thanked me.

Second, the very next day, Chairman Porter himself—who should have been in London—suddenly came to Gwangcheon Academy to meet Lumina and me.

Chairman Porter was an elderly man with snowy white hair and beard, his warm smile suiting him perfectly.

He sincerely thanked us, then offered to become our supporter—our sponsor.

The Porter Group controlled a vast portion of global distribution, often considered one of the world’s top three conglomerates alongside Forward and Crystal.

Of course, the truth was that Porter Group ranked a step below the other two, but still—if its chairman personally offered to sponsor an aspiring Hunter, who in their right mind would refuse?

Most would have leapt at the chance.

But I turned him down.

“It wasn’t something I did in hopes of receiving a reward,” I told him.

Though the real reason was HAUT.

If I had a sponsor before even entering HAUT, half the purpose of participating would already be lost.

So I added, “HAUT will soon begin in Seoul. If, after seeing me and my teammates there, you still feel the same, then please bring up sponsorship again.”

Chairman Porter agreed, promising to attend HAUT, and left.

With events like that, it was no surprise rumors spread through both dormitories and faculty alike.

Which meant that Meiling and Seo Yui had also heard about what Lumina and I had gone through.

Seo Yui had simply said things like, “I’m glad nothing worse happened,” and, “If I had been there, I could have helped too.”

Later, while heading to the auditorium for the opening ceremony after homeroom, Lumina and I crossed paths with Meiling in the hallway.

“Ah, Meiling…”

“Hmph.”

Lumina called out, but Meiling only snorted and turned her head away.

“Meiling…”

Seeing Lumina’s face crumple as if she might cry, I sighed softly.

Meiling was sulking.

She was upset we hadn’t told her anything and had gone out just the two of us.

Honestly, I’d expected her to pout if Lumina and I went somewhere alone.

But I hadn’t thought it would last a whole week.

And truthfully, she had already improved.

At first she had shouted in anger, then ignored us completely—scurrying off like a startled squirrel whenever we tried to approach her.

HAUT is coming up soon. If this keeps up, it’ll cause problems.

I walked up to her.

“What do you want?”

She glared at me fiercely the moment I stopped beside her.

“We’ll make it up to you. Ask for something, anything. We admit it was wrong not to invite you, so let us apologize properly.”

“…”

Meiling pressed her lips together and stared at Lumina and me.

Then, in a small voice, she muttered, “Next time, take me with you.”

Once again, her answer caught me off guard.

I had half-expected her to demand we always go out as a group from now on, forbid us from ever hanging out alone, or even, like the first time we met, insist I kneel and lick her shoes.

“Alright. We promise. Next time, you’ll come with us.”

“Y-yeah. Promise.”

Hearing our replies, Meiling snorted again and turned around.

“We’ll be late. Let’s go.”

Lumina and I exchanged a glance, then took our places on either side of her as we walked to the auditorium.

[…Now, we will hear from the principal.]

The voice boomed through the microphone as Im Seongyeon appeared on the stage.

“With the end of summer vacation, a new semester begins. Though the sun’s heat still lingers, it is time to awaken minds and bodies that may have grown sluggish, and prepare ourselves for new experiences…”

I let her words pass through one ear and out the other while my mind wandered to the upcoming events of the semester.

What I had realized from the incidents of the first semester and summer vacation was this—events didn’t follow Latessae’s original timeline.

The Dungeon Transfer, my encounter with Persilla… things that should have happened later were occurring ahead of schedule for reasons I didn’t understand.

That was why I had spent the vacation raising the levels and gear of Lumina, Meiling, and Seo Yui as much as possible.

With their specs, and my knowledge of the game, I have to survive until Phase 2. After that, the path to further growth will open…

“Ye-Yein…!”

Lumina tugged at my arm, snapping me back to reality.

“What’s wrong? …Oh?”

Only then did I notice that everyone in the auditorium—students and teachers alike—was staring at me.

[Ahem! Nam Yein, Lumina Cueva. Please come up to the stage.]

Great.

I quickly stood and walked up with Lumina.

“What were you thinking so hard about?” the principal asked, mic turned off.

“Sorry,” I answered.

She said nothing more, only switched the mic back on and accepted two plaques from a teacher.

“Nam Yein. Lumina Cueva. These two students courageously stood against the terrorists who attacked Porter Department Store, saving countless lives from harm. For their valor, we present them with the Righteous Citizen Award. On behalf of Mayor Cheon Jiweon.”

She handed each of us a plaque, and applause thundered through the auditorium.

“You both have done something extraordinary. As principal, I am very proud.”

Then she addressed the audience.

“I hope all of you will follow their example and use your strength for meaningful purposes.”

Her words rang oddly in my ears.

Knowing her personality, she probably meant “profitable purposes,” not “meaningful ones.”

After the ceremony, we received our new schedules and announcements from our homeroom teacher, and the day’s official program ended.

Though the cafeteria had reopened, our squad decided to eat out. A privilege of those free to leave campus at will.

“So, what’s this Righteous Citizen Award even good for?” Meiling asked as we walked down the street.

“I checked online. You get free admission to places like the National Museum, and sometimes invitations to city events.”

“What? That’s useless. If waving the plaque around let you order people around, that would be something.”

“That would make you a medieval noble, not a citizen awardee.”

I shook my head at her logic.

What I didn’t say was that the real reward wasn’t the plaque or the free tickets.

It was that Cheon Jiweon’s suspicion of me had completely disappeared—and I had gained his recognition.

About two hours later, as the four of us were walking back after dinner, my phone rang. It was our homeroom teacher.

“Hello?”

[Ah, Yein. It’s me.]

“Yes, teacher. What is it?”

[I just got word from the HAUT executive committee.]

“The HAUT executive committee?”

The moment I said it, the three beside me widened their eyes slightly.

[Yes. This Friday, Crystal Academy will be hosting an orientation covering this year’s HAUT schedule and locations. I wanted to make sure you knew. Tell your squadmates too.]

“Understood.”

As I hung up, the three immediately closed in around me.

“What was that call about?”

Meiling asked, narrowing her eyes.

“They said the HAUT orientation will be held at Crystal Academy this Friday. Just letting us know in advance.”

“I-It’s finally starting…”

Lumina’s face tensed with nervous anticipation.

“But the actual start is in September, right?”

Seo Yui turned toward me.

“Yes. HAUT always begins in early September. During that period, instead of regular classes here at the academy, we’ll be receiving training directly through HAUT.”

“That means those rude brats will be there too.”

Meiling’s eyes sharpened. She was talking about the twin representatives of Magicka—Zen and Rune.

“You can’t fight at orientation. If you do, they might disqualify you. Just hold out until September.”

“I know that! Do you think I’m some mindless brawler?”

That’s rich, I thought. This from the same person who nearly pointed her wand at them inside the dungeon.

“It’s alright, Yein.”

Seo Yui looked at me with a serious expression.

“If Meiling loses control, I’ll stop her like last time.”

Instantly, Meiling’s face crumpled.

I pictured her again—hauled out of the dungeon like baggage, arms and legs pinned by Lumina and Seo Yui.

“Yes. I’ll leave it to you.” I smiled.

“Don’t you dare ask for something like that, you idiot!”

Meiling exploded.

“Ahaha…” Lumina could only laugh awkwardly at the sight.

Friday.

We skipped afternoon classes and left Gwangcheon, heading to Crystal Academy for the HAUT orientation.

“Why Crystal Academy of all places? Couldn’t they rent some neutral venue instead of using a rival academy?”

Meiling grumbled from the backseat.

“The chairman of HAUT’s executive committee is personally close with Crystal’s principal. And besides, Crystal Academy’s facilities are among the best. It’s also ideal for inviting Hunters.”

I glanced toward the driver’s seat.

“Should you really be telling students about the chairman’s personal connections with academy heads?”

“You’re not ordinary students,” replied Kim Sang-sik, our chaperone, as he drove. “I figured you could handle that much.”

This car, too, was his.

“How’s Jodie doing these days?” Seo Yui asked.

“Thanks to you all, she’s safe at my place. Living as an ordinary person now.”

“That’s a relief.”

“She bathes regularly these days?” Meiling asked bluntly.

Kim Sang-sik gave a short chuckle. “Yes. Several times a day, even. To the point where it feels excessive.”

Apparently, Meiling’s sharp words had left more of a scar on Jodie than we thought.

Before long, we arrived at Crystal Academy.

It wasn’t far from Gwangcheon, since both were located in Yongsan. Crystal, however, stood proudly on Namsan.

“…Wow.”

Lumina gasped, unable to tear her eyes away from the surrounding buildings.

Meiling and Seo Yui also looked around, wide-eyed.

Now this looks like a real academy.

Unlike Gwangcheon Academy, which had only dorms, the main hall, and training grounds, Crystal Academy was a sprawling complex of countless buildings.

“Why are there so many? Do they have that many students?” Meiling asked.

“Not all the buildings are for students.” I pointed to one nearby. “That one’s a research institute for materials from the Demon Realm. Next to it is the Skill Gem Institute. Behind that is a training ground where both applicants and researchers test skills. Crystal Academy hosts all kinds of Hunter-related research facilities, with researchers staying here too. Their findings directly support applicants—helping them grow faster, providing new forms of assistance.”

“S-So there’s an academy like that…” Lumina murmured in awe.

“It’s not just Crystal. Magica has research labs for magical skills and abilities. Martial God Academy has a combat techniques institute. Ucheon Academy runs an item research facility. Professors and artisans from the markets guide applicants. But Crystal Academy is exceptional—it has all of these types of institutes under one roof.”

“You sure know a lot,” Kim Sang-sik commented, glancing at me.

“I did some research on academies.” I answered casually.

“…No wonder Gwangcheon gets called a dump,” Meiling muttered.

“M-Meiling…” Lumina whispered, darting a nervous look at Kim Sang-sik.

“You don’t need to worry,” he said calmly. “It’s no secret that Gwangcheon’s educational standards lag behind.

“Honestly, it’s almost a shame. Students as talented as you should be somewhere that nurtures those gifts. That’s why I want you to absorb as much as you can from HAUT.”

“Y-Yes, sir!” Lumina straightened into a stiff salute.

Just then, voices came from behind us.

Oh no.

I turned and muttered under my breath.

Rune and Zen. Behind them trailed other Magica Academy students and teachers.

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

Our voices overlapped as we locked eyes.

(End of Chapter)

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