“That fox-looking tiny-eyed bastard is crazy!” I[1] yelled.

“Don’t cause trouble, Han Sora.”

“I’m really annoyed! He was talking as if he was high and mighty when he’s nothing but a potion-making alchemist! How dare he… he… discipline us?!” I screamed.

“I clearly warned you not to cause any trouble. We’re not in the tutorial dungeon anymore. We might’ve been kings in there, but here, we’re nothing but rookies. No matter what you think, it’s better to stay out of trouble as much as possible.”

“I know we’re rookies, but we’re rookies who received offers from large guilds.” I pointed out.

“Nothing has been finalized. Until we sign the contract, we don’t know what will happen. We may have gotten offers, but we still have the training and the demonstration. Not only that, but I also heard that some guilds have their own entrance tests, so don’t worry about anything else and just focus on the training. I do understand how you’re feeling, though…”

“You should know after hearing that bastard’s lesson, Oppa!” I shouted.

“I’m not sure. Even though I didn’t like him looking down on us, he didn’t seem all that bad as a person. He was being realistic, so I wasn’t offended by it. Of course, our class didn’t experience the oppressive atmosphere that your class experienced, but even the other instructors were showing their respect toward him…”

“It’s no surprise since he’s Miss Jung Ha-Yan’s boyfriend. It’s natural for them to treat him with respect,” I commented.

“Is that so?”

“Yup. That fox-looking, tiny-eyed bastard is Miss Jung Ha-Yan’s boyfriend, and I’m sure she made that flying sword of his. She’s a well-known mage in a large city, so I’m sure she has the ability to make him a sword. That cunning bastard. I’m sure his life improved because he got a great girlfriend,” I answered.

“I don’t know…”

“I can’t just stand by, Oppa,” I told him.

“I don’t really care what you do, but just make sure you don’t get us in trouble. For some reason, I have a bad feeling,” he started.

“About what?” I asked.

“That guy named Lee Ki-Young. I tried to find information about him, but nothing came up, and even the instructors are keeping quiet about him,” he replied.

“The instructors of the Red Mercenary Guild don’t accept personal questions. I’m sure you’re just misunderstanding it,” I reassured him.

“I hope it’s a misunderstanding… It seemed like they were intentionally trying not to leak any information about him, but whatever. You should try to look into him. I honestly don’t have the energy to do something like that. Just thinking about the entrance test is giving me a headache,” he said.

“Geez, you’re the one that said we were always going to be together as one in the tutorial dungeon…” I mentioned.

“Situations are bound to change. Stop focusing on strange things and just worry about the entrance test or the demonstration. Everyone else has been busy because of that. It’s time you grew up,” he nagged.

“Forget it. I’ll do it myself,” I declared.

“Just don’t cause us trouble,” he reminded me.

“I know!” I exclaimed.

I couldn’t help but be annoyed.

‘Be one my ass…’

I guess it was my misunderstanding to think that the comrades I was with during the tutorial dungeon were going to help me. I honestly wasn’t expecting much, but I had never imagined that they would react coldly like this.

‘Everyone’s dumb…’

Naturally, I felt frustrated because these idiots weren’t taking advantage of this opportunity.

‘Is there really a need to grovel like that?’

Of course, I understood that they wanted to join a large guild, but no matter how much I thought about it, there wasn’t a need to grovel. It was ideal to have a stable start by getting support from the guild, but they weren’t considering the treatment they were currently getting. The treatment the attack team was getting was different from the support team. It may not seem like a big difference on the outside, but it was undeniable and obvious that the attack team was receiving various benefits.

We were feeling anxious as well, but the guilds were trying their best to recruit us, and they had no choice but to recruit us. Unlike the survival group who couldn’t adapt and had wasted their time by trembling in fear in the dungeon, we had put our lives on the line, and we ended up getting what we wanted. When considering the fact that the guilds and clans wanted to recruit stronger and more talented people, it was important to play hard to get. If we negotiated after the fourteen of us grouped up together, then we may receive an even better offer, as we were wanted by many.

‘We’re the ones in control!’

Idiots.

‘Chang-Ryeol oppa said he wanted to join the Blue Guild… and I think Hye-Ja unnie wanted to join the Black Swan Guild… the rest wanted to join the Red Mercenary Guild or… Geez…’

If we had started the negotiations that the entire attack team claimed a guild, or that we wouldn’t join a different guild, then it would have been much better than the current situation.

“Shit…”

My face turned red when I recalled how I peed myself. When I angrily opened and closed the classroom door, I saw people looking at me, and of course, a few of the girls started to approach me. I didn’t really remember their names, but I was used to this kind of situation.

‘So they want to make a good impression.’

It was because I was one of the privileged players.

“Unnie, did things work out well?” a girl asked.

“No, I don’t think the guys are really interested this time. They’re all preparing for the entrance test and demonstration… I’m getting really annoyed,” I answered.

“Are they trying to join the Red Mercenary Guild?” they asked.

“Both the Red Mercenary and Blue Guild have entrance tests. The other guilds and clans have it too, but… Oh! You guys probably don’t know yet,” I said.

“Yeah, we haven’t heard anything,” they acknowledged.

“The Devil’s Guild and the Black Swan Guild have one as well. And the conditions of the mid-sized guilds don't seem that bad either…” I explained.

“Which guild are you planning on joining?” they asked.

“I’m not sure… I did hint to the guys that I had received an offer from the Red Mercenary Guild, and I had received an offer from the Devil’s Guild as well, so I don’t know yet… I thought about the Blue Guild, too…” I replied.

“If you continue to grow as a mage, then the Blue Guild wouldn’t be a bad choice either since Miss Jung Ha-Yan is part of that guild,” they pointed out.

“I haven’t met the executive members of the Blue Guild yet,” I confessed.

“What? Really? I-Is it really because of him?” they questioned.

“Probably…” I mumbled.

This was another reason why that alchemist annoyed me.

“It was probably intentional, right?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s most likely,” I answered.

“I guess… he’s pretty influential within the guild,” one of them commented.

“Influential my ass…” I muttered.

“You know… Yoo Ah-Young, right?” a girl asked.

“Who’s Yoo Ah-Young?” I asked.

“The girl with the big chest…” she answered.

“Ah… I know her.”

“I may be wrong, but she has supposedly received an offer from the Blue Guild,” they continued.

“What?” I asked.

“She even had an interview with the guild master of the Blue Guild,” the girl added.

I couldn’t help but clench my fist because it felt like the fire inside me was growing bigger and bigger. It was ridiculous how she had received an offer from the Blue Guild while I had received nothing, as the only thing that idiot had done during the tutorial dungeon was run away, but I think I knew why this happened.

‘That bastard is trying to get back at me.’

The reason was probably that I acted rudely during our first meeting. It was so ridiculously obvious that he was trying to exclude me from the recruitment. I was certain that something definitely happened without my knowledge.

‘He should at least wear the guild’s badge. How annoying…’

I couldn’t help but curse.

“Ha… shit. This is really ridiculous.”

“Seriously. If that really was the reason, don’t you think it’s really absurd? What’s so good about her that they’d want to recruit her… Her score wasn’t even that good. I think she did well in the stamina training, though…” the girl pointed out.

“Isn’t it obvious? They have dirty thoughts. Saying that he has influence over the guild is a bunch of bullshit, and the reason why Lee Ki-Young is acting all high and mighty here is all because of Miss Jung Ha-Yan… I’m sure it’s the same in the Blue Guild. He’s probably a major headache for the guild. Even if I get an offer from that guild, I’m going to decline it since it’s being controlled by that casanova,” I explained.

“You are?” a girl asked.

“...”

Of course, I was lying. The other large guilds weren’t bad, but if I were asked which guild I really wanted to join, I would choose the Blue Guild. I was sure I could learn a lot of things from the genius mage, Jung Ha-Yan, but the reason why I thought the Blue Guild was good was because of their background and its alliance with the Red Mercenary Guild. I was sure others had thought the same. Compared to being a member of the Red Mercenary Guild, it was more beneficial to join the Blue Guild, as it was still rising to the top and was steadily gaining power. Moreover, it was a mid-sized guild, so I was sure they would provide a more focused support to us rookies.

‘Everything’s messed up.’

I started to feel nervous at the thought that maybe Lee Ki-Young had told Miss Jung Ha-Yan about what had happened.

‘I have to do something…’

That was when the classroom door suddenly opened, and of course, I turned my attention towards it. The girls around me went back to their seats, and I waited for the instructor in front of us to greet us. Miss Jung Ha-Yan came in to give her lesson. She was different from the other times when she greeted us as soon as she entered. Instead of looking at us, she spoke as soon as she entered.

“Please sit down. Let’s skip the greeting and start the lesson.”

“Okay.”

“Continuing from the last lesson, try writing using your mana. If you’re unable to feel your mana, please step aside,” Jung Ha-Yan instructed.

“Yes, ma’am,” the trainees answered.

“W-We don’t have a lot of time, so p-please move fast!” she exclaimed.

“O-Okay!”

I noticed that she had become colder than last time. I started to get worried because I noticed her looking at me without caring about the trainees sitting in their seats. She also looked like she was unwell because she seemed like she had lost some weight, which made me think that maybe something had happened. Seeing her acting annoyed made me think about that sly bastard, and I was sure the trainees here were thinking the same thing.

‘I’m sure he talked to her in a way that’s beneficial for him.’

They didn’t look good together, so I couldn’t understand how they ended up together, but that wasn’t important here.

As Jung Ha-Yan continued the lesson, she wasn’t openly expressing her anger, but she seemed like she was on edge because…

“Y-You’re a bunch of idiots… D-Do it properly!”

Or…

“I was able to do it on my first try… I already explained it to you… you really are an idiot.”

Or…

“Why can’t you understand this? How annoying… Everyone knows how to do this.”

And…

“You idiots. You’re all stupid… really stupid…”

…she was mumbling these to herself.

The peaceful lesson had turned into a nerve-racking one. I was flustered by how different the atmosphere was compared to the last one, and even the way she was teaching the lesson had become unfriendly. Considering the fact that a small number of people were still trying to feel their mana, there was no way they would understand the lesson properly when the lesson itself was difficult for even a mage like her. However, what bothered me the most was that the mage was looking at me. I wasn’t sure why Jung Ha-Yan was looking at me, but her stare gave me goosebumps and for some reason, I started feeling desperate without realizing it.

I had never heard of or had done any training where you would use magic to write in the air, but I had to live up to her expectations, and I felt like I was barely keeping up with her lesson.

‘I need to beat them with my skills.’

People with talent would eventually show themselves. If I did my best, people would eventually acknowledge my worth.

‘This is nothing.’

I had to keep showing that I was special, so I could get special treatment. As such, I bit my lips and slowly materialized my mana to write in the air. I thought my mana was going to go away if I didn't stay on my toes, so when I focused on my mana while trembling, I noticed Miss Jung Ha-Yan slowly looking at me.

‘Huh?’

I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things, but she seemed annoyed. Actually, it was more like she was confused. I thought maybe I was doing it wrong, but I was still maintaining my mana. She seemed like she was thinking deeply about something.

‘What is she thinking about?’

The room immediately became quiet, and I couldn’t help but gulp. That was when I saw a surprised look on Jung Ha-Yan’s face as the corner of her lips went up.

‘Huuuh?’

I couldn’t describe the emotions on her face as she smiled. I started to get goosebumps all over my body, and not only was I covered in cold sweat, but my chin started to quiver as well. I had a bad feeling after seeing her grin, but the reason my body was acting strange was definitely not because of that grin.

‘What’s… going on…’

I might be seeing things, but Jung Ha-Yan’s eyes looked weird. It was as if she couldn’t understand something.

“Um… ah…”

“G-Good job, Han Sora,” she complimented me.

“Oh… thank you,” I said.

“You were better than the others here… It’s a relief… that you’re not an idiot…” she commented.

“Thank you,” I repeated.

“I think you can start receiving lessons separately… hehe…” she giggled.

“Oh… I see…” I muttered.

“If you have time… can I teach you a few things after class is over?” she asked.

Naturally, I thought that maybe she had noticed my potential, and I was sure she hadn’t made this offer to anyone. Not only was I happy, but I was proud. When I looked around, everyone looked at me enviously, and as expected, they were looking at me as if they had acknowledged that I was unique and that they longed for the same thing.

‘Of course, I should accept.’

Obviously, nodding was the right thing to do because this was my chance to get tutored by a genius mage who would only appear once every few centuries. But for some reason, I couldn’t give her my answer.

“I-I said that I’ll teach you!” Jung Ha-Yan exclaimed.

I couldn’t answer because when I looked up at her, a corner of her lips was twisted in a bizarre direction.

“I…”

1. Han Sora’s POV ☜