“Does this suit ? Or this one?”
Yu Serin stood in front of the mirror, holding up two outfits and comparing them.
They were clothes she used to wear when she road the field and battlefield.
Functional, yet stylish—designed with both utility and aesthetics in mind.
Her secretary, with her usual expressionless face, pointed not at either of the two options, but at a dark-colored suit hanging on a nearby rack.
“Ah... that one...?”
What the secretary pointed to was her covert attire.
It fit her body best, but... didn’t look particularly appealing.
Skin-tight tights, deep purple in color.
“That’s a bit much...”
“Then I recomnd the one on the right. It looks a little less threatening.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Yu Serin gave a quiet chuckle.
An exam she normally wouldn’t care about in the slightest—but now, she had decided to participate directly, unusually, as a Black Bell.
She pulled a dark charcoal-gray coat from the rack.
The fabric flowed smoothly along her shoulders, its lines wrapping snugly around her slender waist.
Always a sophisticated design.
“I’ll go with this one.”
The secretary nodded and added a short follow-up.
“You’ve... made your decision, then.”
Yu Serin dusted off the coat and responded.
That sentence wasn’t just about clothes—and she knew it.
As she quietly stared into the mirror, she adjusted her collar and smiled faintly.
“Yeah. More or less.”
She slung the polished coat over her arm.
The luxurious fabric brushed against her skin with every movent.
“But I can’t just walk out without a word.”
The secretary lowered her head slightly.
Most of the people in their departnt were Yu Serin’s loyal followers.
If she walked out like this, those left behind would be in a precarious position.
She understood that.
Turning around quietly, she flashed a familiar smile.
“Don’t worry.”
Their eyes t.
“I’ll carve out a path for you.”
At so point, she had stopped speaking formally.
Not as Vice Guildmaster Yu Serin—just Yu Serin.
Almost like an older sister saying goodbye for the last ti.
Her tone was gentle, but strangely unwavering.
“Clinging and breaking? Not really my style.”
She looked at the mirror once more.
Half expectation, half fear.
And then, she stepped into the unknown.
***
Under the central display board of Gaon Academy’s main auditorium—
With countless eyes focused on the stage, the announcer’s voice rang out.
“Representatives of each team, please step forward.”
Two people stepped out toward the stage.
Representing the Blue Team, Rank 1 in the odd-numbered rankings: Kang Arin.
Representing the White Team, Rank 2 in the even-numbered rankings: Johan.
As tradition dictated, the thod was simple—rock-paper-scissors.
“Rock... paper...”
Following the announcer’s cue, both raised their hands.
“Scissors!”
At the final call, both revealed their hands.
Kang Arin’s hand was clenched into a firm fist.
Johan’s fingers were spread into scissors.
“Wooooaaaah!!”
The Blue Team’s cheers filled the auditorium.
“Blue Team, would you like to attack first or defend first?”
At the announcer’s question, Kang Arin touched her chin thoughtfully.
“Go defense! Start with defense!”
“No way, we should attack first!”
Voices clashed from different corners of the Blue Team.
I folded my arms and watched her silently.
...Either option wasn’t wrong. Both had their advantages.
Starting with defense bought ti.
They could defeat boss monsters and rack up points before the attackers ca in.
Starting with offense, on the other hand?
They could pressure an unscattered defense team to grab early points.
It all ca down to how they planned to operate.
After a short mont, Kang Arin raised her head.
“I choose... to defend.”
Kang Arin chose defense.
A massive ssage appeared on the display board:
[Blue Team – Defense / White Team – Offense]
Then ca the instructor’s announcent.
“In five minutes, teleportation will begin. All students must wear their Bells and take their designated positions.”
They called them Bells, but in reality, it was a program installed on the watches.
If you subdued soone and touched their watch for a certain duration, a ‘ding’ sound would signal the Bell being stolen.
I quietly checked my watch.
A red border indicated the Bell was activated.
Above it, the remaining ti countdown blinked.
Around , students began checking their gear one by one.
“See you later,” Cheon Yeoul said first.
“Yeah.”
I smiled as I replied.
Beside her, Yoon Chaeha spoke softly.
She was standing right next to .
“Co to the spot.”
We had agreed to et in front of the Heavenly Martial Pavilion.
We promised to arrive before the first offense-defense switch.
“Got it.”
They both headed to their positions.
Each student scattered, walking into their assigned teleportation circles within the auditorium.
I checked my watch one last ti, then expressionlessly walked to my designated circle.
Below , a faint magic circle began to glow.
Three seconds.
Two seconds.
One.
– Zzzk!
A burst of light sliced through my vision, tearing the scenery apart.
When I opened my eyes, I looked around.
“...Hah.”
I let out a quiet laugh.
The space before was my own first-year classroom.
Randomly teleporting over 500 students—only Gaon could pull that off.
I stood up carefully. Sitting by the window, I had a clear view of the entire room.
And just then, I spotted soone sitting by the front door, near the corner.
Our eyes t instantly.
Startled, he jumped to his feet.
He twisted his left arm back and showed his armband.
“Haein! I’m—I’m on the White Team! Sa team as you!”
An armband.
White, sa as mine.
We were on the sa team.
I smiled faintly and nodded.
So close to scoring a quick 10 points—what a sha.
For reference: capturing a Bell earns you 10 points.
Boss monsters give points based on difficulty, distributed proportionally to contribution.
By the end of the exam, gathering 150 points would probably place you in the top tier.
“I’m heading out! Good luck!”
The student in front of scurried out of the classroom.
I slowly turned on my watch.
[Ti Remaining Until Team Switch: 58:40]
Ti kept ticking.
Once it hit zero, the teams would switch roles.
I walked outside.
The ti for offense had begun.
Out in the wide-open area, only White Team students with white armbands were moving through the streets.
Most were sticking together in groups.
I technically had a group too, but we hadn’t scheduled our # Nоvеlight # etup yet.
No need to head to the hidden shop yet, either.
You needed points to buy anything there anyway.
The defense students were likely hiding in various buildings—or in the mountains.
Or hunting bosses.
But offense teams couldn’t recklessly storm boss zones.
If a boss noticed you before you spotted a defender...
You’d get steamrolled and eliminated by an unshackled boss.
I headed toward Gaon’s main training facility.
According to the map, there was one Silver Bell boss and one Copper Bell boss nearby.
The defense team would absolutely want to claim this territory.
Which ant it would be a hot zone.
I arrived early and set up an ambush.
“No one’s here. It’s quiet.”
“Hurry, we just need to enter the boss zone.”
Just as expected, I heard voices approaching.
“I’m right here.”
I stepped out casually.
“Whoa! Crap!”
“Dude, keep it down...!”
Two guys, two girls. A squad.
The armbands on their arms? Blue—clearly.
“Wait, are you alone?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing that I was alone, their expressions relaxed.
Smiling, they subtly shifted into formation.
Their intention was obvious: take out in one swoop and head into the boss room.
“Get him!”
With one guy’s shout, they all lunged at at once.
And then—
[10 pt!]
[10 pt!]
[10 pt!]
[10 pt!]
“Thanks.”
They were probably so of the first eliminations today.
Forty points, just like that.
I collected my loot and quietly moved to another building.
Thanks to the noise, no one else was likely to co this way anyti soon.
But then—
“...This scent.”
A faint fragrance brushed the tip of my nose.
So familiar.
I hadn’t noticed it recently because of the exams, but I used to sll it every morning—a gentle floral scent.
Yu Hana’s scent.
My body reacted before my mind caught up.
While my brain wavered in doubt, my steps were already heading toward Gaon’s training hall.
The place where she and I had trained, sweating side by side, exchanging blades.
From the basics of the Flower Butterfly Sword to practical sparring, we’d crossed swords there dozens of tis.
There was no reason for it—but I was oddly certain.
Yu Hana would be there.
I quietly opened the door.
– Creak.
The sight before unfolded.
Yu Hana, dressed neatly in a martial arts uniform.
The sheath of the Callia Sword at her waist glowed faintly with a dull, heavy light.
Kneeling properly, she looked straight at .
Her blue armband was clearly visible.
Our eyes t.
She quietly lifted the corners of her mouth.
Then, staring into my eyes, she slowly lowered her posture.
– Swish.
The collar of her uniform brushed against the floor.
Kneeling on the dojo’s wooden floor, she bowed her head.
“To my Master.”
Her voice was low, but clear.
“This disciple humbly requests a spar after so long.”
I simply stared at her.
It was Yu Hana who had been waiting for .
Her body was lowered, but her spirit soared high.
‘A student challenges her teacher.’
That thought hit first.
“You called for ?”
I still wasn’t entirely sure.
At my words, Yu Hana raised her head and smiled again.
“I knew you’d co. It’s a familiar scent, after all.”
Now I was certain.
She had called here.
A challenge—issued by a defender to an attacker.
A very Yu Hana-like move.
She stood up quietly after saying that.
“Let’s see how much you’ve improved.”
I smiled and spoke.
I was curious.
How much she had grown.
And whether she was worthy of reaching the next fragnt.
I walked to the side of the dojo and picked up a training sword.
Reviews
All reviews (0)