Monday morning.
After a dormitory breakfast—just bread and milk—I headed toward the main building of Gwangcheon Academy.
Following my classmates to the eastern end of the third floor, I saw two signs: ‘1-A’ and ‘1-B.’
Just before stepping into Class B, I peeked through the window into Class A.
Not here…
There were two characters in Class 1-A that the protagonist could recruit as companions.
But neither of them was present.
One of them was my main target.
Well, I’ll meet them soon enough.
And if they didn’t come to me, I’d simply go to them.
As I stepped into Class B, a flash of green hair caught my eye.
“Ah, Yein!”
Lumina, sitting by the window on the left side of the classroom, waved cheerfully.
As other students turned their gaze toward her, she lowered her hand a bit, but didn’t look away from me.
She’s growing in a good direction.
I walked over to her.
“Morning.”
“Yeah, good morning.” Lumina beamed brightly.
“Hey, Lumina. This might sound weird, but can I ask you something?”
“Huh?”
I leaned in and whispered near her ear.
“Where’s my seat again?”
“…Huh??”
Her face was a picture of confusion.
“You know, like how sometimes you forget something obvious? Like your own password or something?”
I said it like it was no big deal.
“Ah, ahh~ Yeah, that happens.”
Thankfully, Lumina didn’t suspect anything and nodded.
“Your seat’s three rows behind mine.”
I thanked her, walked over, and set my bag down at Nam Yein’s desk.
Then I pulled out my tablet.
As the screen lit up, the Gwangcheon emblem flashed before the home screen appeared.
I’d already checked the schedule earlier, but I looked over it once more.
Gwangcheon Academy’s classes were structured quite differently from a normal school.
Classes started at 9:00 AM, and the morning was made up of 40-minute sessions with 10-minute breaks, covering basic general education: Korean, Math, History, and Science.
Lunch ran from 11:20 to 12:30.
After that, the real hunter training began.
The hunter-related subjects listed on the schedule were:
Of course, not all of these were taught every afternoon.
Theory classes like Demonology and Monsterology were 50 minutes long, while training courses ran for two hours each.
Mock Combat and Dungeon Practicum were much longer—three and five hours respectively.
Hunter classes ran straight through until 7:00 PM.
So that’s why the game focused so heavily on training and fieldwork.
When I first realized I’d have to live like this for three years, I nearly gave up on the spot.
But here, quitting meant death—so I had no choice but to accept it.
At 8:30, our homeroom teacher walked in.
“Did everyone have a good weekend?”
Standing at the front of the class with a gentle voice was a woman in her mid-20s, dressed in a suit.
She had soft, downturned eyes and sleek black hair falling to her shoulders.
I already knew her name.
Jung Yeonkyung.
In Gwangcheon’s scenario, she’s the homeroom teacher of Class 1-B, where the protagonist belongs.
She also teaches Demonology.
After taking attendance, she set her tablet down and looked at us.
“You all had supplementary training last Saturday, right?”
The air in the classroom froze.
Everyone—except Lumina and me—had failed that training.
Jeong Jooil’s voice echoed in my head.
“Even your homeroom teacher’s not enough. She’s stuck with hopeless candidates like you.”
The students all stared at her nervously.
“Don’t be too discouraged by the results!” She said brightly, “That training was just the beginning, not the end. I get that you’re frustrated, but people can’t realize their weaknesses unless they fail first.”
“Teacher…”
“Ugh…”
Their expressions softened. The atmosphere quickly warmed.
“If you’re lacking, just fix it. I believe that as long as you don’t give up, the path will always be there.”
She smiled and raised her fist with determination.
Every student looked moved. One even lowered their head and began to cry.
As expected, she’s one of the only bright lights in this rotten swamp.
I looked at her face and muttered inwardly.
Out of all the teachers at Gwangcheon, only two weren’t corrupt. Jung Yeonkyung was one of them.
“Alright, let’s all do our best this week. Oh, Yein.”
Huh?
She suddenly called my name.
“Would you come with me for a moment?”
Everyone turned to look. Even Lumina had a startled expression as she glanced my way.
“…Yes, ma’am.”
I stood and followed her out the front door.
She led me to the stairwell and raised her tablet.
“I heard you did great in Friday and Saturday’s training. Especially in the supplementary one—you were the only student to pass Jeong Jooil’s test, right?”
“Yes. I passed together with Lumina.”
I answered, slightly tense.
I had a feeling where this was going.
Nam Yein originally had physical, energy, and mental aptitude levels of F, F, and C—a weakling hunter.
In the original story, he was so unremarkable he died without even getting a proper mention.
But now he was standing out, and that would raise suspicion.
Jung glanced around to make sure we were alone, then whispered,
“It’s okay. Be honest with me—are you hiding your real ability?”
Ah.
That made sense.
If a student with trash stats starts performing well, the school would assume it was due to a hidden ability.
“I’m not here to punish or deduct points. But teachers need to know your actual abilities so we can give proper support.”
This was a chance.
I didn’t know what Nam Yein’s original ability was.
But I did know it wasn’t Craftsman.
The other students had seen me using spiked bombs or turning items into icons and assumed I’d been hiding my real ability.
That was proof enough that the original Nam Yein and I had different powers.
“I’m sorry, teacher.”
I bowed my head.
“My actual ability is Spiked Explosion. I hid it because I didn’t want my weakness to be known.”
“I knew it.” She nodded, looking satisfied, “No need to worry. The other teachers say there are a few students like you.”
She raised a finger to her lips.
“I’ll keep it a secret from the others. But since some students already saw it, it’ll be hard to keep it completely hidden.”
“Yes. I figured that much.”
She smiled and tapped something on her tablet—likely updating my profile.
“Sorry for taking your time. You can go back now. Pay attention in class.”
“Thank you.”
I turned and walked up the stairs.
One problem solved.
Now, Nam Yein’s registered ability was Spiked Explosion. I wouldn’t have to worry about being exposed.
And I could continue hiding my real ability.
When I returned and sat down, Lumina leaned over.
“What did she want?”
I could feel the other students watching us.
I whispered to her,
“I’ll tell you later—just the two of us.”
“Ah, o-okay…”
Lumina nodded and went back to her seat.
A few disappointed faces turned away.
I’d have to remind Lumina again later that my ability was a secret.
The general education classes we had in the morning felt like middle school level.
Considering most hunter trainees were in their late teens, it wasn’t appropriate at all.
I wonder if that’s just how hunter academies are… or if it’s just Gwangcheon. I’d need to visit others to know for sure.
The game had mostly focused on hunter-related subjects.
And judging by the completely disinterested faces of the general education teachers, this might be a Gwangcheon-specific problem.
Math was just theory for five minutes, then self-study.
Korean class was literally just watching old movies the entire time under the excuse of “video-based learning.”
“Hey Lumina, want to go grab lunch?”
“Ah, yeah!”
Lumina quickly packed away her tablet and notebook and stood up.
On the way back from the cafeteria, I explained everything that had happened with the homeroom teacher, including the details about my ability.
“So basically, we have to keep your real ability hidden as much as possible so others can’t figure out your weaknesses?”
“Exactly. From now on, my official ability is Spiked Explosion. It won’t be easy, but I’m counting on you. The other students are probably going to pry.”
Lumina nodded as she listened, then suddenly clapped her hands like something occurred to her.
“Oh! Yein, we should hurry back.”
“Why?”
“Our first afternoon class is Energy Training. We need to change into our combat uniforms and head to the training field.”
“Ah, right.”
From the afternoon onward, the real hunter-related courses would begin.
In Latessai, training courses were all done as minigames… I wonder how it works in real life.
We quickly returned to class and headed to our respective locker rooms.
The changing room was already packed with students getting into their uniforms.
But something felt… off.
There are definitely more guys here than we have in our class.
I glanced around—and then froze.
There it was. Bright, spiky blond hair so dazzling it almost glowed.
That spiky hair, the muscular build, the scar on his cheek…
All of it matched the face etched in my memory.
No way… Is this class—?
An unexpected opportunity for contact had arrived.
About ten minutes later, nearly all of the first-years—around fifty students—were gathered in front of the academy’s main training ground.
“I always feel small whenever we have joint classes with Class A…”
Lumina muttered with a subdued voice. She wore the same combat uniform from the last training.
Standing a short distance away from our group was another cluster of students—Class A.
“I bet every single one of them has better stats than me…”
She mumbled.
At Gwangcheon, class divisions were based on ability.
Level, ability type, physical/mental/spiritual aptitude—those were assigned numerical values and added together. Students were then sorted by score.
Why even split into classes in a school with barely 50 students per grade?
It was like comparing peanuts—except for four of them.
Class A had a few pinecones mixed in.
I glanced at the blond guy I’d seen in the changing room earlier.
Two male students were chatting with him.
Only three… Did someone from their group not show up?
Unfortunately, the person I was really looking for wasn’t among them.
Then the blond guy turned his head—as if he’d sensed my gaze—and looked directly at me.
“…?”
He scanned both Lumina and me, then smirked slightly at one corner of his mouth.
He leaned in and whispered something to the two next to him.
“Attention!”
A stern male voice rang out.
An adult man in a suit and glasses now stood before us. His aura didn’t match the dusty training field at all—he looked more like an expensive lawyer in a high-end office.
That’s Kim Sangsik, Class A’s homeroom teacher.
Exactly as I remembered him from the game.
“Each class, form into five-row formations.”
The students immediately moved into place.
Lumina and I took a spot near the back.
“Class reps from both A and B, count your members and report.”
From each line, one student stepped out to count. Our rep was a girl with braided hair.
“Good. We’ll begin class now. Front row from each class, step forward to receive equipment. One per person.”
Kim Sangsik reached into the inventory bag at his waist and began distributing items.
Eventually, one of the students in front handed me mine.
It was an arm guard with several slots carved into it—clearly designed to insert something.
So this is the real thing…
My heart pounded.
This was my first time touching a skill slot in this world.
“Today, we’ll be practicing one attack, one defense, and one movement skill each.”
Kim Sangsik held up three colored gems—red, blue, and green—between his fingers.
“After one hour of practice, we’ll have a one-hour test using only skills. The top three students will receive store points, so take it seriously.”
Immediately, groans erupted from Class B while Class A murmured with excitement.
“Here.”
The student in front of me handed me the same colored gems, looking glum.
As soon as I touched the red gem, my Craftsman ability activated and revealed its stats.
[Mana Shot]
<Level 3>
Fires a projectile made of mana.
Damage: 50% of Magic Attack
MP Cost: 4
Cooldown: 0.5 seconds
I slotted the red gem into the arm guard.
In that instant, the usage instructions of the skill were engraved into my body and mind.
So this is how it feels in real life…
It was a strange, fascinating sensation I’d never experienced before.
“For attack skills, use the targets on the left side of the field. For defense, use the rubber bullet launcher over here. Anyone practicing movement skills, head to the center,” Kim Sangsik instructed.
“Lumina, let’s go to the attack zone.”
“Okay.”
We walked toward the area with the target boards.
“…?”
As we walked, I felt something strange and turned to look.
Students from Class A were also moving—in the same direction.
Hmm…
The blond guy and the two students with him were following along.
“Lumina.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s switch. Let’s go to the defense side.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
I grabbed Lumina’s wrist and changed direction.
Sure enough, the three of them adjusted their path as well—following us toward the defense zone.
Looks like I’d need to be ready for whatever came next.
(End of Chapter)