The after-party began modestly.

“Ahem.”

Baek Ahrin, as the top-ranked first-year student who organized this event, made a few brief remarks from the stage, acknowledging everyone’s hard work.

Baek Ahrin’s small cough echoed through the hall via the microphone.

Confirming the attention directed at her, Baek Ahrin nodded and began to speak.

“What need is there for anything grand? You’ve all done well in The Tower of Growth. Eat, drink, and enjoy yourselves! Let’s get started quickly!”

– Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Her brisk toast was met with applause. A few of Baek Ahrin’s closer acquaintances playfully whistled along.

Baek Ahrin grinned and continued.

“The events will start once the atmosphere warms up, so for now, feel free to drink to your heart’s content!”

With that, Baek Ahrin stepped down from the stage.

Simultaneously, lively music started playing from the speakers hung near the ceiling.

Energetic and lively tunes began to flow, prompting activity at the tables.

Most notably, everyone seemed busy opening bottles of alcohol. Most of them were wine-like, contained within bottles.

Corks popped off in various corners of the room.

“Ooh… that smells good.”

A cadet paused to appreciate the rising aroma of the alcohol before beginning to pour it into his glass.

The transparent glass filled up with a red liquid. The beverage, gleaming with the reflected light of the room’s illumination, appeared similar to a soft drink to the naked eye.

Initially, such drinks cannot be identified without sniffing or tasting them.

At a glance, soju and water look remarkably similar, which is why bottles are designed in different shapes and colors or labeled to differentiate them.

Meaning, for someone like me without a sense of smell or taste, distinguishing them is difficult. Unless there’s a difference in viscosity, I can’t tell them apart even after tasting.

‘……’

A wave of revulsion surged through me. My head throbbed, my stomach churning.

Involuntarily, my eyebrows furrowed.

Without a sense of smell or taste, how am I to distinguish them?

Moreover, how do you differentiate when they’re uncorked from such a distance?

I don’t know why. It’s just an instinctive ability to differentiate them.

That’s alcohol. My intuition screams a warning, sensing that a single sip might be lethal. It’s an absurd talent.

And it’s that very ability that induces my aversion.

I suppressed a mild disgust. Thankfully, it was manageable.

As long as I’m not being force-fed, I can handle it.

In a way, it’s expected. Modern life inevitably brings one into contact with alcohol and cigarettes.

Even if I don’t drink, I’ll encounter people who do, smell the alcohol.

I don’t smoke, but there are plenty of smokers around, and I can’t help but smell the tobacco.

That was the case when I worked at a convenience store. The best-selling items were alcohol and cigarettes.

Customers looking for these products always reeked of their respective odors.

It was a sensation that naturally induced nausea, but back then, I could cope.

Quite unlike when I was with Professor Atra.

‘Back then…’

It was an overreaction. No matter how much I may dislike alcohol and cigarettes, I wouldn’t faint as long as I wasn’t forced to consume them.

However, merely being near Professor Atra had me vomiting and passing out.

It was a clearly abnormal reaction. Despite pondering over it, my mind was too muddled to find a reason.

Now… though it’s uncertain, I have some suspicions.

– …! …!!

Lost in thought, the noise around me rose to a tumult.

Using spatial perception, I surveyed the crowd. The atmosphere was generally lively.

There were tables where people enjoyed various types of food, and others where they indulged in different drinks to their hearts’ content.

Some tables had set aside food in favor of playing card or board games, gathering people to join.

My table was a small one tucked away in a corner.

There were tables of various sizes in the hall, including tiny ones that could fit only one person in the secluded spots.

Suddenly, I felt thirsty.

I reached out and grabbed a glass placed on the table.

Without needing spatial perception to analyze, my intuition informed me it wasn’t alcohol. I drank the cool water, and with it, a slight repulsion washed away.

‘It’s noisy…’

A little time had passed since the after-party had started.

The area was, in truth, a playground.

Although the environment was similar, the atmosphere was quite different from the composed and orderly freshman welcoming party.

The welcoming party hadn’t been too formal either, but since it was hosted by Shio-ram’s main academy, there was an unspoken level of decorum.

Not so with this after-party.

This time, the banquet hall was opened upon the request of the cadets.

Moreover, the purpose was different.

While the welcoming party was about ‘getting to know each other’s faces as we’re new,’ the after-party was ‘let’s have fun since we’ve worked hard.’

Hence, everyone was enjoying themselves without much concern for appearances.

Heroes and Hunters.

While the internet media might spin tales of humanity’s shield and craft a certain image, fundamentally, they involve professions that wield power to slay monsters or villains.

It’s not just about killing.

They crawl through dungeons or battlefronts, unknown places where monsters spring forth and inscrutable traps lie in wait.

It’s not uncommon to witness the death of a comrade in such ordeals.

Death is frequent, either for comrades or oneself. Surviving often means living on with some form of disability.

Of course, no profession exists without the risk of death, but heroes and hunters are particularly close to it.

That’s why it’s vital to learn to enjoy these diversions.

Unwinding with fun is a stress reliever.

Even the mandatory lectures emphasize the importance of cultivating habits to manage one’s mental state.

‘…When should I leave?’

I joined the after-party out of obligation to make an appearance, with the freedom to participate.

But once there, I found myself without anything to do. Sitting alone at a secluded table, sipping water, I wondered what I was even doing here.

And besides.

‘Where are Hong Yeon-hwa and Elia? Surely they didn’t skip?’

According to the original story, Hong Yeon-hwa, who enjoyed drinking, and Elia, who had a broad circle of acquaintances among the cadets, would definitely attend such an after-party.

But as I continuously checked with spatial perception, I couldn’t find them.

Could they really not have come? I had assumed they would certainly be here.

Taking the ‘participation is optional’ at face value, there seemed to be a significant number of absentees.

While the physical injuries were healed, mental fatigue lingered, and those who preferred solitude stayed away.

…I’m one of those types.

‘Did I come out for nothing?’

Maybe I should have stayed and trained instead of worrying about making an appearance. I was beginning to regret it.

‘I should just greet people and leave.’

That was the conclusion I reached. Staying here seemed like a waste of time, and having made my presence known was satisfying enough.

I’d just say hello to those I knew… like Atila, Aidan, Nam Yeon-jung, and then head back.

With that thought, I got up from my seat.

– Twitch

Heads turned in my direction from the tables where groups of cadets were enjoying themselves. The sudden flood of attention halted my movements.

The noisy space had suddenly quieted down. I swallowed hard, the sound seeming unusually loud.

‘What’s this?’

Did I do something wrong?

Is getting up now a breach of etiquette? But that couldn’t be right, since other cadets were also moving between tables.

Standing awkwardly, I tried to gauge the room when a few cadets cautiously approached.

There was something off about the feeling. Even though they were just coming over normally, it felt like a carnivorous animal stalking its prey.

Yet without any apparent malice, there was no reason to jump and flee in panic.

“Hello? We came over from the next table~”

‘?’

“If you’re bored, you can join us over here…”

They addressed me with a seemingly hospitable attitude.

Before I knew it, while listening to their smooth chatter, I found myself sitting at a large table.

Oh.

.
.
.

“After a tumultuous whirlwind…”

Baek Ahrin, sitting opposite me, chuckled as she explained.

“Seeing Hayul sitting alone by the side from the beginning, everyone waited for the moment to pounce as soon as you got up.”

With a gesture like a beast biting into something, Baek Ahrin snickered.

Her teasing manner was clear as I slumped over the table.

In a flash, I had been surrounded by cadets and hauled around from place to place.

One table was set up for board games, while another enthusiastically played some strange card game.

Not just the tables in the hall, but cadets were also enjoying themselves in the adjoining facilities like the ping pong tables, volleyball courts, and bowling alleys.

I strenuously avoided the tables where drinking games and bets were rampant, but the overall fatigue was piling up…

It was just moments ago when Baek Ahrin had rescued me from this circuit of tables and facilities.

“Why didn’t you refuse if you were so tired?”

Baek Ahrin, still smiling, subtly slid a glass towards me. It was filled with ice-cold water. As my stomach was feeling queasy, I gratefully accepted it.

[Thank you.]

“No need to thank me for such a trivial thing. But if you’re going to be grateful, I wish you’d show a bit more appreciation!”

I gulped down the cold water. The chill filled my body, seemingly calming the scorching heat within.

But my head still felt dizzy.

It was a strange sensation, dizzying yet distant, sinking while also oddly exhilarating?

The feeling intensified with time. I hadn’t noticed while being swept up in the whirlwind earlier, but now that I was sitting quietly, it was more pronounced.

– Sniff, sniff

My nose kept twitching. It had been like this for a while, especially when I got close to tables where alcohol flowed.

I didn’t understand why. Annoyed by the itch, I rubbed my nose.

Rubbing the itchy spot brought that peculiar sense of relief. I took the opportunity to rub my face with my sleeve.

Baek Ahrin laughed at my actions. Her clear laughter filled my ears.

It was just laughter, but somehow, I felt displeased.

[Why are you laughing?]

“I didn’t laugh?”

[You just laughed now.]

“No, I didn’t?”

[You did laugh.]

Begrudgingly, I tapped on my smartwatch responding to Baek Ahrin’s unconvincing denials. She tilted her head inquiringly.

“Have you been drinking?”

[I haven’t drunk at all.]

“Hmm?”

Questioned thus, Baek Ahrin examined my face. I inspected myself as well, wondering if there was something wrong.

Apart from my flushed face, there was nothing unusual. It was a bit red, but I’ve had moments when I blushed like this due to warmth.

That’s when it happened. Suddenly, my shoulders jerked.

– Hiccup!

“Oh my?”

My mouth opened involuntarily, and hiccups began. Fearing the curse of silence might strike, I clapped my hands over my mouth in a start.

“You seem a bit tipsy?”

– Shake, shake

At the absurd suggestion, I shook my head vehemently. Me, drink? I would have spit it out on the spot and rolled on the ground.

“Hmm…”

Baek Ahrin, pondering as she tapped the table with her fingers, suddenly stood up.

Then she circled the table and approached me, grabbing my sleeve.

My body was pulled up by the fabric.

As I looked at her quizzically, Baek Ahrin pointed towards the window.

Beyond the window, a walkway lay bathed in a soft light, despite the encroaching darkness outside.

“You seem off, let’s get some fresh air outside.”

[Didn’t I tell you I haven’t drunk?]

“Yes, yes~ Actually, I just want to take a walk myself. Please accompany me~”

With my sleeve in her grasp, I was led out of the banquet hall.

I followed behind Baek Ahrin with quick steps.