The day for the academy lecture was approaching.

Though it was the second session, the first had merely ended with a simple introduction.  
So, today could essentially be considered the first official lecture.

To try some new food for lunch, she left home early.  
While looking around the restaurants near the academy, she impulsively bought kimbap.

It hadn’t been her intention to eat this from the start...  
But it had been a while since she last had it, so she couldn’t resist.

“Hmm...”

She took a bite of the kimbap.

*Crunch, crunch.*

She also drank a carbonated beverage she had picked up from a vending machine on her way.  
Comfortably, she continued her meal in the professor’s office.  
Having her own space was such a joy. Hehe...

Back in college, she used to do this in the club room.  
Since it was a department club, there were often fewer people, and it would be empty sometimes.  
...That, too, is a memory, I suppose.

*Munch, munch.*

She savored the taste of tuna in the kimbap while recalling her memories.  
Noisy sounds came from the open window she had left ajar for ventilation.

She could hear the sounds of people exercising hard in the somewhat distant sports field.  
She also heard students greeting each other, perhaps having planned to meet near the building.

It felt like a place where people lived.  
This is what vitality must feel like.

There was still a bit of time left before the lecture started.  
She had already finished all her preparations.

She lightly checked today’s agenda in her head.

She would conduct a two-hour lecture.  
After the lecture, she would head to the main gate to meet the Wings Guild members and enter the dungeon.  
Once the dungeon exploration was done, she would return home to have dinner with Si-yoon.

*Hmm! Nice and neat!*  
Packing her day full of tasks. Perfect.  
She would have to run the dungeon a few more times, but minimizing outings would be more comfortable. Hehe...

Furthermore, while she had taken public transportation to get to the academy,  
the Wings Guild had said they would give her a ride to the dungeon and back home.

They even promised to pick her up and drop her off whenever she went to the dungeon afterward.  
She was very pleased with the benefits provided by the Wings Guild.

Rustling.

She tossed the kimbap wrapper and bag into the trash.  
It was almost time to head to the lecture.

……

Suddenly, a thought came to mind that she hadn’t considered until now.  
I remember that the course correction period ended this week.  
Would all the students... show up?

Hah, it would be okay if one or two were absent.  
No, it wouldn’t be fine, but she figured it wouldn’t bother her too much.

But what if everyone suddenly decided to leave and the classroom was completely empty...?  
No way, surely not. 

During the first lecture, she had received plenty of questions and showcased the charm of her lecture!  
Um, um. It couldn’t be possible.  
Her adorable students would surely stay without making any changes.

...... They would, right?

Once the floodgates of worry opened, her thoughts swirled chaotically in her mind.

While having a room full of students was a bit much,  
having just enough students to count on one hand felt a bit...

Tutoring wasn’t bad, but this was meant to be a college lecture...

No, no, no. Stop right there!  
She would find out once she went. There was no need to worry needlessly. Yes.

With slightly hurried steps, she left the professor’s office.

---

**Outside the Academy**

“Contact me when you’re done.”  
“Okay, I’ll be off.”

In front of the academy’s main gate, a young woman sitting in the passenger seat of a car checked her hair in the mirror.  
She lightly greeted her father in the driver’s seat before getting out of the car.

Her youthful skin glistened in the warm spring sunlight, shining brightly.  
With a spirited stride, she passed through the academy’s main gate.

As she walked along the sidewalk, she stopped under a large tree.  
With a serious expression, she checked the time for a moment and took in the surrounding scenery.

She lifted her left toes up and down repeatedly, checking the time again.  
After a moment, her expression softened as a young woman with glasses approached.

“I-I’m sorry...! I’m a bit late, aren’t I?”  
“It’s okay. Let’s go.”

The two women moved forward together.

“Uh, Eunbyeol. D-Did you print the lecture materials?”  
“The Introduction to Monsters?”  
“Yeah, that one.”  
“No? Was it really necessary to print it? There wasn’t anything special in it.”  
“That’s true, but…”

The young woman with glasses, Ah-reum, timidly trailed off.  
It was a coincidence that she had ended up attending the academy with Eunbyeol.

As a support-type hunter, she took lectures alongside magic-type hunters at the academy.  
Since there were so few hunters, there were no professors, and the basic theories were similar.

With her meticulous nature, Ah-reum had carefully taken the Introduction to Monsters course.  
There, she met Eunbyeol, who was studying the same major.  
Such coincidences led to the two becoming college friends.

Of course, there were differences.  
When she asked how Eunbyeol ended up in the Introduction to Monsters course,  
the cool response was:

“Why? I just signed up for it because it was at the top.”

Ah-reum found that response distinctly different from her own reasons for taking the class.

Thus, the two women with contrasting personalities entered a building where the close-combat hunters mostly gathered.  
Passing men glanced at Eunbyeol and Ah-reum out of the corner of their eyes.

Though they had contrasting personalities and appearances, they shared one common trait: both were quite pretty.

The two women entered the lecture room.  
Since it was a liberal arts class and there was still time before the lecture,  
only one tall, handsome man sat in the classroom.

When the man casually turned around, their eyes met.  
They exchanged brief nods as they passed by.

Eunbyeol and Ah-reum took seats on the opposite side by the window from the man, Kwon Jae-woo.

“Uh, Eunbyeol.”  
“Yeah? What?”  
“Y-You said all your family members are hunters except for your mom, right?”  

As Ah-reum asked, Eunbyeol nodded lightly and replied.

“Yeah, that’s right. Have you heard of the Dawn Guild?”  
“Of course! That’s a really famous guild!”  
“Everyone belongs to that guild.”  
“Wow…”

Eunbyeol spoke matter-of-factly, but Ah-reum's eyes widened in surprise.  
The Dawn Guild! It was one of the top five large guilds in Korea.  
In other words, it meant that it wasn’t something anyone could just join.

The number of hunters was already low.  
To have three out of four family members awakened and two belonging to the Dawn Guild?  
They were an extraordinary family indeed.

Ah-reum thought that if she were to express this using a trope from the novels she often read, this would fit the description of a ‘noble family.’

Would Eunbyeol also enter the Dawn Guild once she raised her rank?  
Ah-reum felt a flutter in her heart and spoke up.

“W-Well, there must be high-ranking support-type hunters in the Dawn Guild, right...?”  
“Yeah? You didn’t know? The only A-rank support-type hunter in Korea belongs to the Dawn Guild.”  
“Ah, I didn’t have any interest in hunters before awakening... I see now.”  

An A-rank support-type hunter would be among the top hunters in the world.  
That was because the number of hunters was so low and most of them had low ranks.

Even if they were high-ranking, many were B-rank, and even that was scarce.  
Most were C-rank or lower.

“You’re a support-type too, so if you just put in the effort, they’ll treat you well everywhere.”  
“Is that so... Hehe...”  

Ah-reum smiled timidly.  
For now, monsters and dungeons still scared her.

At least she heard that formal support-type hunters were given escorts.  
That was the decisive reason Ah-reum was able to enroll in the academy.

“Ugh, liberal arts classes are so annoying. Can’t we just study on our own and take exams?”  
“Hey... that’s a bit much.”  
“Ahaha! I was just saying that.”  

It was true that she found it annoying. Eunbyeol muttered softly.

After that, Ah-reum and Eunbyeol exchanged trivial conversations.  
During that time, students began to gather in the lecture room.

A little time passed, and soon the lecture room was filled with students.

Clack, clack—  
With the light sound of heels echoing down the hallway, the front door of the lecture room opened.

The professor for the Introduction to Monsters, Si-hyun, entered the classroom.  
The students who had been chatting suddenly focused their attention on her.

Standing behind the lectern, Si-hyun checked the time.  
Confirming that it was precisely on schedule, she lightly nodded her head.

Efficiently setting up the projector and screen, she prepared for the lecture.  
During the boot

ing time of the machine, she took attendance.

Once she confirmed that the 15-member quota was met, a small, bright smile bloomed on her previously expressionless face.

A few students couldn’t help but be captivated by that smile.  
Especially those who had taken the front row praised their own choice.

*I’m so glad I came a little early!*

Good-looking rice cakes are good to eat.  
Since the professor is beautiful and charming, the lecture already feels fulfilling.

“Everyone brought the materials posted on the internet, right?”  
“Yes!”

At the enthusiastic response from some students, Si-hyun smiled lightly.  
She displayed the prepared materials on the screen.

“Today, we’ll first look at the overview of monster studies and then proceed to the topic of goblins, which you will encounter most often.”

Si-hyun’s lecture began in earnest.

Starting with the concept of monsters, she moved on to the ranking and classification tables.  
She lightly explained the basic content.

Ah-reum adjusted her glasses and focused on the lecture.  
Since she had made the decision to attend the academy, she intended to do her best to gain knowledge from whatever lectures she could.

On the other hand, Eunbyeol propped her chin up with one hand and yawned lightly.  
Though she had only recently awakened, she had already visited the dungeons a few times.

As for the overview of monsters and goblins, she had learned enough from her high-ranking hunter father and older brother.

While she would do her best in the major lectures, she didn’t want to exert herself too much in a liberal arts class.

But...

“The causes of monster occurrences have various theories. Among the most representative—”

Si-hyun continued the lecture in a calm tone.

But soon, several students, including Ah-reum and Eunbyeol, had their eyes widen in surprise.

“When viewed from this perspective, monsters can also be classified as living beings.”  
Si-hyun casually continued her lecture.

“Goblins are social structure monsters that form tribes by gathering in groups.”  
The students fell into confusion.

It was strange. The lecture was far too peculiar.

The materials were clearly ordinary, and the introduction was simple.  
Yet the details coming from the professor’s mouth were excessively detailed.

From the very first class, it had been suspicious.  

While others speculated about the causes of gate occurrences,  
how on earth did this professor come to make assumptions about the origins of monsters?

“Many dismiss this, but goblins are intelligent monsters.”  
How could she be so knowledgeable about monsters?

Could it be that this information was factual in the first place?

The lecture content felt like something out of a novel, yet it was infused with an essay-like detail.

Because of the excessive detail, the students felt their heads spinning.  
Everyone blinked in astonishment as they concentrated on the lecture.

That much was clear: it was a bizarre yet captivating lecture.

Ah-reum, who had been paying close attention from the beginning, wrote down Si-hyun's explanations in her notes with bright eyes.

And there was another person.

Eunbyeol felt her hands trembling slightly.  
There was nothing on her desk.

Thus, to take notes on the lecture content, she had to open her bag.

Eunbyeol hesitated for a moment.  
After all, it was just a liberal arts class; she didn’t want to expend too much energy.

“While this isn’t what we’ll explain today, the same monsters can also appear in dungeons of different ranks.”  
She didn’t want to concentrate.

She just wanted to leisurely pass the time.

“When goblins appear that fight too systematically, what should we think?”  
Si-hyun scanned the room.

When the students blinked in confusion and offered no responses, she called on one of them.

Ah-reum jumped up in surprise and answered.  
“Is there a leader?!”

“Correct! That’s right. We can’t simply conclude, ‘These goblins are strong.’ We also need to consider the possibility of a higher-ranking being directing them.”  
Eunbyeol quickly pulled out her writing utensils and notebook from her bag.

Though she hadn’t printed the lecture materials, she had to at least jot down the lecture content.

Whatever she missed, she would ask Ah-reum about later.  
She could just treat her to some delicious snacks at the cafeteria afterward.

For now, the most important thing was to focus her utmost on the Introduction to Monsters lecture.

Eunbyeol unconsciously thought, *From now on, I must remember to print the materials in advance.*