The next morning.
Instead of heading to Class 1-B’s room, I walked down the opposite hallway.
That was where the classrooms for Class 2-A and 2-B were.
Peering through the window of 2-A’s classroom, I spotted my target.
‘There she is.’
By the window on the training field side, sitting quietly in her seat.
Noting that horoom wouldn’t start for a while, I carefully stepped inside.
“Oh? Isn’t that Nam Yein?”
“What, did you change your mind?”
“You ca to invite soone to your squad, didn’t you?”
The mont I entered, a few students recognized and started calling out.
“What? Nam Yein’s here?”
“No way!”
“Why’d he co?”
In seconds the room erupted, and soon I was surrounded by curious second-years, eyes full of questions and anticipation.
“Excuse . Just passing through.”
I squeezed through the crowd toward the window seats.
Though nearly everyone had gathered to see , my target hadn’t moved at all.
Her long pink hair fell to her waist, tied back only with a plain headband.
I stopped by her side and spoke.
“You must be Senior Seo Yui.”
The classroom stirred.
“He ca to see Seo Yui?”
“Why her of all people?”
“Does he even know what she’s like?”
“If he didn’t, would he have co?”
“Then why, if he does know?”
Ignoring the whispers behind , I waited until our eyes t.
Half-lidded, downturned eyes. A hollow, listless expression, like her soul had drifted away.
Exactly as Seo Yui appeared in the ga.
“…Who are you.”
Her voice matched her face—weak and drained of energy.
“I’m Nam Yein from Class 1-B. I ca to ask a favor of you, Senior.”
“What favor?”
“You were chosen as a HAUT mber, weren’t you? Two of my friends, both first-years, were also selected this ti.”
“Ah. Those kids. I rember now.”
She must have been recalling the award ceremony after we returned alive from the seventh floor of the dungeon.
“I was hoping you might join our squad. It would be good to prepare together before HAUT.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
The rejection ca instantly.
“If you know about , then you should also know—I don’t join any squad.”
She was right.
Since enrollnt, even now in her second year, Seo Yui had never ford a squad with anyone.
By common sense, she should’ve been held back.
After all, relying only on dungeon drills and training sessions wasn’t nearly enough to gain the levels required to advance.
Yet not only had she progressed to the second year, she had also taken the top rank in her grade.
Rumors said she received special support to enter outside dungeons, or that the school gave her privileges—at least, that’s how her character description in Latesai explained it.
“Even so, I wanted to at least extend the invitation.”
“Sorry, but I have no intention of joining a squad. And I won’t be going to HAUT either. I turned down the selection.”
The classroom filled with sighs from the second-years.
“What the hell?”
“Then give your spot!”
“Idiot. Do you think the principal would send you just because Seo Yui declined?”
While everyone else lanted, she herself looked perfectly indifferent.
“If you understand, then leave.”
Still with that drained voice, she turned her gaze back out the window.
“I understand. Then I’ll co again another ti.”
She glanced back at .
“I just told you not to.”
I answered with a smile, gave a slight bow, and headed for the door.
“Hey, Nam Yein, how about instead? I’d join your squad right away.”
“We’re all level 23. We can boost you to 23 in no ti!”
Several second-years tried to stop with offers.
“Sorry. I only have Senior Seo Yui in mind.”
Silence dropped over the classroom.
I was sure, inwardly, they were cursing as so arrogant bastard.
But my rule was simple: if I didn’t know the character from Latesai, they weren’t an option.
‘Better they lose interest and leave alone. That’d save trouble.’
Without looking back, I left the classroom.
As expected, I caught the muttered curses behind .
When I stepped into my own classroom, Lumina spotted and waved.
“You’re late today.”
“Yeah. I stopped by the second-years’ classroom.”
“Huh?” Her eyes widened.
“To invite soone into the squad.”
“So the person you wanted to add was a second-year?”
I nodded.
“What kind of person?”
“Her na’s Seo Yui. She’s ranked first in the second year.”
“Wha—?! First in her grade? So… what happened?”
“She refused. Said she doesn’t join squads.”
“Seriously? Even as a second-year? Then how does she go on independent practice?”
“Who knows?”
The truth was, she didn’t need to. Seo Yui had another way to level up.
Though it wasn’t a path she’d chosen herself.
“So if she rejected you, will you look for soone else?”
“No. I expected her to refuse. Today was just to introduce myself and leave an impression.”
“You went even though you knew you’d be rejected…?”
Her face showed nothing but confusion.
‘Unlike you, Seo Yui has a prerequisite quest.’
Just like with iling.
Until her problem was solved, she couldn’t beco a companion.
‘Though judging by how it went with iling, I might not need to follow the ga to the letter.’
After school, I spoke to both iling and Lumina.
“For now, you two handle the dungeons yourselves. Since we’ve already ford a squad, it’s fine if just the two of you go.”
“Huh?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
They both stared at in shock.
“Because I need to spend so ti recruiting. There’s a mber I want to bring in.”
“Recruiting? Isn’t it enough to just ask them to join?” iling asked.
“I already did. And got rejected.”
“What?! Who is it?”
“A senior nad Seo Yui. She’s first in the second year. Says she never joins squads. And it’s true—she’s still not in one.”
“What a weirdo.”
‘You’re the last person who should say that,’ I almost retorted, but held it in.
“So why her? Why does it have to be her?”
“Because her ability is solid.”
And because she was a defined Latesai character. That mattered too.
“In any case, leave the tank recruitnt to . You two just keep building experience in dungeons. Stick to the second floor of the Bag Toter Mine for now.”
Then I stepped closer to Lumina and lowered my voice—loud enough for iling to still hear.
“Make sure iling doesn’t sneak back into the third floor. After last ti, I bet she’s itching to try again out of spite.”
“Huh, um…” Lumina looked flustered.
On purpose, I’d said it clearly enough for iling’s ears.
“Hey! You think I’m stupid?!”
As expected, iling snapped.
“I don’t throw my life away so recklessly!”
“Good. I’ll trust you on that.”
With a wave, I left them and headed back to the dorm.
After changing into the luxury suit iling had once bought , I left the academy.
My first stop, by taxi, was the bank.
When I ca out again and flagged down another cab, the driver looked puzzled as I gave him the destination.
“Sir, what business could you have out there in the middle of nowhere?”
“There’s soone I want to et,” I answered calmly.
“Hm.”
He didn’t ask further and pulled away from the curb.
About thirty minutes later, we reached a place even beyond Seoul’s outskirts.
Like the ruins where I’d once gone to look for iling, here too the marks of monster destruction scarred the landscape.
The difference was that, while that place had mostly low, abandoned houses, this one was filled with the husks of once-crowded office buildings—jagged steel fras and shattered glass windows glaring at the sky.
I slipped on the raccoon mask, a costu item I’d prepared beforehand.
‘Let’s see… there should be a marker.’
Recalling what I’d seen in the ga, I scanned the surroundings. Soon I found it.
Sword, spear, and shield.
A neat line of symbols, as if pointing toward a hunter supply shop.
But this marker didn’t lead to anything so legitimate.
Following the trail for ten minutes—
“Found it.”
Nestled between the skeletal towers was a small prefab shack.
Circling around to the back, I found a stairwell leading underground.
I used my phone’s flashlight as I descended, until the wall lamps flickered to life.
“Stop.”
The word ca from a burly man standing before a steel door.
Another equally large man stood beside him, both with guns holstered at their waists. Clearly not hunters or awakened.
Their eyes ran over my suit, uncertain what to make of .
“How’d you hear about this place?”
“A friend told . Said I could see sothing interesting here.”
I kept my tone even.
“You got a letter of introduction?”
I shook my head. Their faces hardened instantly.
“No introduction, no entry. Leave.”
“An introduction, huh.”
I muttered, slipping a hand into my pocket. At once, their hands twitched toward their guns.
“I figured I could buy one here.”
Their eyes widened as I pulled out a fat stack of cash—the money I’d withdrawn earlier.
“Well? Will you sell?”
In Latesai, non-hunters were always starving for money. Hunters only had to dive into a dungeon to make a living; ordinary people weren’t so lucky.
A mont later, I was waved through the steel door.
The corridor stretched long and bare, until suddenly it opened into a lavishly decorated hall.
Ornate lighting, carpets, and gilded fixtures gave it the feel of an upscale bar.
“Welco, sir. Here alone?”
A man in a suit approached. His red hair and eyepatch stood out.
He smiled warmly, like a friendly neighbor, but in truth he was a level 50 hunter.
“Yes. Where are the spectator seats?”
“This way, please.”
I followed him to an inner door.
“Enjoy your evening,” he said, opening it.
Inside, masked figures filled the chamber.
Their clothing glittered with wealth: expensive suits, jeweled accessories, luxury watches instead of smartwatches.
It was like staring at a collection of walking billboards boasting, I’m rich.
Through the massive glass wall at the front, the arena lay below.
A dirt floor, high walls impossible to scale, barred gates on either side—
The picture of a gladiator’s pit.
Screens hung from the ceiling, displaying live feeds from caras aid at the field.
“I hear tonight’s full of fresh recruits.”
“Curious how many will make it out alive.”
n in suits murmured to one another.
“I’ve bet a hundred chips on the Champion.”
“I put two hundred on the Challenger. Had a good dream last night. I think the arena’s about to see a new era.”
Nearby, won in evening gowns chatted brightly.
Before long, a flamboyantly dressed announcer strode to the center of the pit.
“Ladies and gentlen, thank you for waiting. Tonight, we begin the matches for the fourth week of April!”
Polite applause rippled through the seats.
“Our first bout: a five-on-five clash of bright-eyed newcors! After that, Iron Armor Olivia will face Fla Fist Peng in a battle for survival! And finally, tonight’s main event—the April Championship Match! Our reigning champion, Lena Jeonhee, versus the Masked Fighter, Yumi!”
At the word “championship,” the spectators’ excitent spiked.
“Let us now welco the newcors!”
On the monitors, the barred gates creaked open.
The crowd erupted in cheers as the fighters stepped out.
“…”
Good thing I was wearing a mask.
Otherwise everyone would have seen the sour look twisting my face.
Because the so-called “fighters” erging from those gates were nothing but children—barely in their early teens.
(End of Chapter)
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