A heavy fatigue weighed on .
I slowly opened my eyes and sat up from the bed.
Then, I quickly checked...
“Ah.”
Good morning.
Truly.
Nothing happened.
I let out a sigh without realizing it.
Thankfully, the worst-case scenario hadn’t occurred.
Before sleeping, just in case, I’d suppressed a bit of the yang energy within my body.
The heat that had spread throughout my body had definitely settled compared to yesterday.
“It’s temporary, but...”
It’s only a temporary suppression—I’ll need to properly regulate it soon.
Right now, it’s like sitting on a volcano that could erupt at any mont.
I got out of bed and started stretching.
This morning was a little more relaxed than usual.
I had woken up early, as always, but there was no morning training session with Yu Hana.
That’s because she had entered closed-door training at the Yu household’s secret grounds.
When I turned on my watch, a ssage that had arrived earlier caught my eye.
[OnE]: Haein, hi? If you’re reading this ssage, it hopefully ans you’ve woken up?
[OnE]: Once you’re up and see this, contact through this number.
When I called in response to that ssage, the one who picked up was her attendant.
Apparently, as soon as Yu Hana finished her treatnt, she went straight into training.
‘Fast.’
Compared to the original, the timing was quicker than expected. Maybe she found so clue for growth during the battle with the Apostle.
That’s a good sign. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I hope it brings aningful growth.
I closed the watch.
Now, it was ti to attend class again after a long while.
I left the dorm a little later than usual and walked slowly.
Walking across the campus in the calm morning air felt strangely refreshing.
After the Apostle subjugation, the fact that I had returned to everyday life was finally sinking in.
The ti was exactly 9:00 a.m.
I opened the classroom door and slowly scanned the room.
Inside, as always, there was the vibrant energy of students.
But within that familiar background, a few unfamiliar faces caught my attention.
‘Huh?’
Two people.
Yoon Chaeha.
And Ju Seojun.
Ju Seojun stood out right away, sitting in the very front row, chatting energetically with other students.
He was casually patting soone’s shoulder, joking around quite naturally.
Yoon Chaeha, on the other hand, was in the back corner near the classroom’s rear door, just slightly away from the window.
She was lying face-down on the desk.
I couldn’t see her face, but the long, golden hair made it clear who she was.
I smiled a little to myself.
As expected, once a personality is set, it doesn’t change.
I ca to a stop quietly behind her.
Just then, Yoon Chaeha’s shoulders twitched slightly.
“!”
She suddenly sat up and turned her head toward . Our eyes t.
I gave a small smile and waved lightly.
“Long ti no see.”
Today, instead of my usual seat by the window, I headed for the one next to Yoon Chaeha’s—back row, near the door.
“You chose Class B?”
It seed that the supplentary classes for the students transferring from Kalos were over.
Now, they were being officially assigned to their respective classes at Gaon.
Based on grades, they could choose their desired class and major subjects.
There was probably no one who could beat her if she had a goal in mind. She must’ve taken first place.
“Yeah.”
A short reply.
Then, without expression, she pointed a straight finger forward.
A strangely dry attitude—but clearly a boast.
“First place.”
Yoon Chaeha stared straight at for a mont, then looked over from head to toe before quietly asking,
“Is your body... okay?”
“For now.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
I answered calmly. Yoon Chaeha hesitated, then let out a small sigh.
“I was going to visit the hospital.”
“Huh?”
“I heard you were hospitalized.”
She averted her gaze slightly as she continued.
“They said you got seriously injured sohow. The professor didn’t seem to know much either, so I barely managed to find the hospital and get there, but...”
But then, sothing strange—an intense gaze pierced .
A distinct sensation crawled down the back of my neck.
I slowly turned my head.
My usual seat, the window-side corner.
Cheon Yeoul was sitting there.
A stunned expression.
She looked at like she had lost the world.
‘Why are you sitting there...?’
That expression.
But there was nothing I could do. If I sat next to Cheon Yeoul right now, I’d beco overly conscious of her.
Not intentionally—just an unavoidable physiological reaction due to the yang energy.
Yoon Chaeha must have followed my gaze, because she leaned in close and whispered quietly.
“She was... blocking the entrance... on the first floor.”
‘So it was her, after all.’
It was strange that she personally did it, but soone needed to.
The floor I was hospitalized on was likely treating injured personnel from multiple groups.
And since the battle with the Apostle was classified, even if not Cheon Yeoul, security would have stopped anyone.
Yoon Chaeha furrowed her brow as she continued.
“But if a blockade was enough to stop , I wouldn’t have gone in the first place.”
Then, she added in a low voice,
“So I teleported to the top °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° floor sowhere.”
‘What?’
I take back what I said about security being enough.
“The problem is... there was an illusion barrier up there. If you lost focus for even a mont, you could’ve ended up lost forever. In the end, I couldn’t get in.”
Yoon Chaeha looked visibly displeased, like her pride had been wounded.
She crossed her arms and stared straight at , then whispered,
“What happened?”
A direct question.
It was understandable. There hadn’t been much official information released about the incident.
“Mm... you’ll find out soon.”
It was a little tricky for to explain it myself.
But the Association would probably announce sothing soon anyway.
They wouldn’t reveal everything exactly as it happened, so it was best for to follow their lead.
Yoon Chaeha looked like she wanted to dig deeper, but when I shook my head, she closed her lips.
Just then, a short silence settled in the classroom.
The door opened, and an instructor walked in.
A familiar gait. Relaxed deanor.
A face I hadn’t seen in a while.
It was Instructor Do Hanseong.
The students' murmuring naturally faded as all eyes turned to the front.
His gaze swept the classroom, then landed on .
“Good to see you all, students... Oh.”
The instructor paused mid-sentence.
Then, with a soft smile, he added more strength to his voice.
“It’s been a while, Jeong Haein. I was quite worried, but I’m glad to see you’ve made a safe recovery.”
At that remark, all the students’ eyes turned to again.
Most of them looked surprised.
As Instructor Do Hanseong observed the room for a mont, he clapped his palms lightly to draw attention back.
“Before we begin today’s lesson, there’s an announcent.”
The students naturally began to focus.
Unusually, the instructor seed a bit excited.
“Finally, after all this ti, the formal exchange match will be held in two weeks.”
Instructor Do continued slowly.
“This exchange match will consist of both individual and team battles.”
His head turned, and his gaze stopped on a specific pair.
“There are two students from Class B here too. Yes, yes.”
Ju Seojun smiled and waved cheerfully.
Do Hanseong nodded before returning to the topic.
“First, the individual battles are simple. They’re sparring matches between all participants of the exchange event. What’s important is that the matches are held regardless of affiliation.”
A murmur passed through the students.
“In other words, whether you’re from Gaon or Kalos, as long as you’ve been transferred to the exchange venue, you’ll be facing off. Even if you currently attend the sa academy.”
That’s right.
The core of the exchange match wasn’t just about testing individual strength.
It was about which academy—Gaon or Kalos—had the superior educational infrastructure.
That was the main objective.
So even students from the sa academy had to fight each other.
The performance shown in those duels would be directly translated into each school’s asured educational success.
“In short, the goal of the individual match is simple. To determine the first place winner.”
“......”
Yoon Chaeha, sitting next to , showed no particular reaction.
Instructor Do Hanseong spoke again.
“Now, the second. The team match. In the team match, students transferred to the exchange venue will be grouped with students from both schools to form teams. Details about the team composition will be posted in the announcents soon.”
He slightly raised the corner of his mouth as he continued.
“And the details of the team match... are classified.”
But there are no real secrets in this world.
Well, there are—but not for .
‘The team match...’
There’s not much I need to prepare this ti.
There won’t be a demon invasion, nor any unexpected variables.
The instructor casually brushed aside the students’ reactions and clapped his hands.
“Well then, let’s begin the lesson.”
Just monts ago, while explaining the exchange match, he had been sowhat excited—but as soon as class began, his mood plumted.
And the students’ moods weren’t any better.
“Wake up when it’s over...”
The mont class started, Yoon Chaeha dropped her head onto the desk.
I let out a light sigh.
“Ah.”
“In regard to the founder of swordsmanship, there’s still no academic consensus, and in ancient records—”
The instructor’s lecture flowed on in a calm tone.
I had thought that attending class again after so long might be fun.
It wasn’t.
—Bzzzt.
My watch vibrated slightly.
[1000_y]: You’re not coming?
[1000_y]: This isn’t fair ㅠㅠ
Two ssages.
From Cheon Yeoul.
“...”
She was definitely watching right now.
Without saying a word, I quietly closed the watch.
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