Name ─ Jin Yuha (☆)
Gender ─ Male (20)

Stats
Strength ─ 53
Spirit ─ 58(+5)
Magic ─ 56
Endurance ─ 56
Agility ─ 59
Charm ─ 70(+1)

Specialization ─ Swordsmanship S

Titles ─ Flower on Cliff [Cliff Flower]
─ Sword Genius [Sword Demon]

Skills ─ [Single Strike], [Lampo], [Sword Dance], [New Moon (When wearing Moonlight Earrings)]

Traits ─ [Perception], [Awakened Eye], [Intuition]

Exclusive Weapon ─ Moonlight

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Is… is this for real?”

With astonished eyes, I read the words on the status window several times.

There had been no changes to my stats during the three weeks of basic training, but now, there were noticeable improvements.

Spirit had increased, and the amount of growth was not insignificant. It had risen by ‘5’.

Charm had also increased by ‘1’ for some reason, but that wasn’t important right now, so I decided to ignore it.

In the game, even if you attended classes for an entire semester, the increase in stats was often minimal, sometimes only ’10’. This made it clear how significant this growth was.

‘So, the stat increases from classes usually became meaningful in the latter half of the game… But with just one class…?’

“Right now, it’s only Spirit that has increased… If I continue taking Instructor Baek Seol-hee’s class, will the other stats also rise like this…?”

Gulp─

Saliva involuntarily slid down my throat.

As a former Velvets player, my instincts were screaming at me. This was a class that I absolutely should not miss out on.

If this class had been implemented in the game, it probably would have been protested as being overpowered and breaking the balance.

In a game where rerolling for desired characters was already a tedious process, this class would have added another layer of rerolling.

‘The gap between students who take this class and those who don’t will be too significant…’

I wanted to enroll my entire party in Instructor Baek Seol-hee’s class. But I soon shook my head.

‘…She’ll probably refuse that.’

She already knew about Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee, the special admission students. She had even personally trained them for three weeks. Despite that, I was the only student under her charge, indicating that she had her own strict criteria. She was probably the type of instructor who only taught those who met her standards.

Swoosh.

Seeing the increase in my stats now, I couldn’t help but feel greedy. Especially since there was no gacha in this world, and I had no means of obtaining growth resources. Perhaps this could be an alternative?

“Ah, then what if I completely internalize Instructor Baek Seol-hee’s class and teach it to the other party members myself…?”

It was a sudden thought, but it made perfect sense! This wasn’t just because I felt resentful about enduring this class alone. Absolutely not.

The motivation that had sunk after the swordsmanship class rose again.

However, reality was cruel.

“But just following the class is already challenging. Internalize it? Can I really do that?”

Based on my experience today, this class was indeed burdensome for an ordinary vessel who hadn’t lived in the hunter world.

At my current level, I doubted if I could even properly follow the class, let alone internalize it.

‘Hmm, is there any way…?’

As I continued to ponder, my gaze suddenly shifted to a corner of the room.

There, a large moving box sat alone.

It contained the items and resources the GM had sent me when I first possessed Jin Yuha. Of course, I had already used up most of the convenient items.

But there were still quite a few things left for Alice, and even some valuable common items.

I stared at the box for a moment before speaking.

“Hmm, Alice is supposed to become a playable character after the final chapter of the main story, right?”

In the main story, Alice does play a significant role, but she appears as a non-playable character. In other words, she’s designed solely for PVP.

“And it’ll still be a while before she enrolls in the Academy… Do I really need to…?”

As if in a trance, I got up and walked towards the box.

“Hmm, but I feel bad using up everything… So…”

And so…

…Alice’s share was once again being whittled down bit by bit.

.

.

.

In the early hours of that day.

Kang Do-hee, unable to sleep, stepped outside to smoke a cigarette.

Tap. Tap.

“Tsk, all out, huh.”

Shaking the cigarette case yielded only crumbs.

“I’ll have to go buy some.”

Kang Do-hee turned away from the smoking area and headed towards the convenience store.

“Are you out of Daize too?”

“Yes, we’re sold out and restocking at the moment.”

Here, Kang Do-hee hesitated. Should she just buy Sol’s eye and cigarettes and go back, or should she go to another convenience store?

It was a combination that Jin Yuha had recommended as delicious.

Sol’s Snow and Daize.

To be honest, it wasn’t to her taste at all.

The two flavors clashed in her mouth.

Daize was too sweet, and Sol’s eye was too intense.

It was like putting mint and chocolate separately in your mouth and chewing them together.

To be frank, when she first tried it, she thought Jin Yuha’s taste buds were out of whack. But at the time, he had been looking at her with expectant eyes, so she didn’t show her dislike and forced it down anyway.

‘You have weird taste, Yuha…’

If it had just been Sol’s Eye, she could have washed it down with a cigarette, but with the cookies, she couldn’t smoke.

Moreover, the other convenience stores were quite a walk from here.

After a moment’s hesitation, Kang Do-hee turned away.

“I’ll have to look for another convenience store…”

And so, she began an unexpected late-night walk.

The cool morning air brushed against her face, providing a pleasant cooling sensation.

As she walked, Kang Do-hee spotted an unwelcome figure across the street.

Shin Se-hee, dressed in a black dress and a black hat, walked with clicking heels. Accompanying her was a man in a suit, carrying a large bundle that squirmed and made unintelligible sounds as if its mouth was gagged.

‘ὣὄἤἨὊᾼṇḩḄ!!!’

“Shush, you’re squealing like a pig. Be quiet, someone might hear.”

Squeak─

Shin Se-hee gave the bundle a suspicious injection.

The vigorously resisting bundle soon went limp.

“Hmm… Isn’t Jin Yuha being a bit too much?”

“Huh? Huh?”

“Huhuhu. When he said that I could do whatever I wanted, did he really mean it? Isn’t he ashamed to say such things when he already knows what kind of person I am? Do you know what did he say?”

“Yes, he already knows what kind of person you are, so there’s no need to be disappointed or for his feelings to change… Huh?”

At that, Shin Se-hee glared at the man.

“So, you don’t want to hear it?”

“No, please continue.”

Kang Do-hee frowned at the mention of Jin Yuha’s name in this suspicious conversation.

‘…Did that fool send you?’

But then she shook her head. She had already made that mistake once before and knew better.

Nothing could be confirmed until all the circumstances were clear.

Crunch─

Kang Do-hee stepped forward, making her presence known.

“Shin Se-hee.”

Shin Se-hee, startled by Kang Do-hee’s presence, widened her eyes.

“Oh my, Kang Do-hee? What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I want to hear that story too.”

Shin Se-hee hesitated for a moment, then turned her head away.

“Kim Secretary, didn’t you confirm that no one else was around at this time?”

“Huh? Yes. I checked everyone.”

“But Do-hee is out, isn’t she?”

“…”

Shin Se-hee rubbed her temples as if she had a headache.

“Tsk, it’s a relief that it’s Do-hee who caught me.”

Shin Se-hee turned to face Kang Do-hee, sizing her up.

“Hmm, and I already made a promise with Jin Yuha… Well, it’s not unrelated to you, so…”

“Related?”

“Yes, it’s about that blonde, tanned girl who swung an ax at Jin Yuha.”

Thump. Thump.

Shin Se-hee tapped the bundle as she spoke.

Kang Do-hee could picture the woman’s face—the one with blonde hair and a tan who had hit on Jin Yuha on the first day of moving into the dormitory, only to be smashed by Kang Do-hee.

“Was it Kim Ja-ok? I think that was her weird name.”

Kang Do-hee furrowed her brows.

“…So, are you threatening to kidnap her? Any student involved in a crime will be expelled.”

“Oh, I’m not thinking of doing anything that drastic.”

“…”

“I just want to teach her a lesson and then let her go. For example, spreading false rumors in the community or planning revenge; I want to stop her from doing such useless things.”

“…”

“To be honest, all of this is your fault, Kang Do-hee. I’m the one who has to manage things behind the scenes, so could you at least consider the person who has to clean up your mess before you act?”

Kang Do-hee’s lips sealed shut as if she’d eaten honey.

“Anyway, I’ll handle this so that it doesn’t cause any problems. You can just pretend you didn’t see anything.”

“Are you really not going to do anything strange?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll just give her a warning and let her go. Later, I’ll report everything to Jin Yu-ha, so you can confirm it with him if you want.”

Tsk.

Kang Do-hee clicked her tongue.

As expected, she didn’t want to get involved with this girl. She walked past Shin Se-hee and headed back toward the convenience store.

Screech!

This time, a strange noise came from the alley up ahead.

“Kuh-huh-huh!”

Screech!

“Keh-huk!”

It was the sound of someone being brutally beaten.

Moreover, the sound of the punches was unusual.

It was someone of equal or greater strength.

“Kyaaah! Please, spare me… I’ve already learned my lesson…”

‘A murder within the Academy…?’

Kang Do-hee’s expression turned grim as she quickened her pace towards the alley entrance.

What she saw was unexpected.

‘Baek Seol-hee, the instructor…?’

In front of her was Baek Seol-hee, brutally assaulting someone.

“Hey, you hiding back there. Come out.”

Unlike Shin Se-hee, Baek Seol-hee immediately sensed her presence and spoke up.

Reluctantly, Kang Do-hee stepped out into the alley.

Baek Seol-hee raised an eyebrow, looking surprised.

“Hmm? Kang Do-hee, is that you?”

“…”

“I’m sorry, but could you please mind your own business and be on your way?”

“What about that person?”

Kang Do-hee gestured towards the woman who lay battered and bruised at Baek Seol-hee’s feet.

“She’s an instructor.”

“An instructor…?”

“Yes, this is just a traditional way for instructors to settle disputes among themselves.”

As she narrowed her eyes to get a better look, she could indeed make out the instructor’s uniform.

An instructor fighting another instructor.

Kang Do-hee thought it best to stay out of this; getting involved wouldn’t do her any favors.

“Very well, I understand.”

Kang Do-hee nodded and started walking towards the convenience store.

She could feel a pitiful gaze on her back, but she chose to ignore it.

Jingle~

“That’ll be 8,200 won for the cigarettes, drink, and snacks.”

“Here you go.”

After a long journey, Kang Do-hee finally arrived at the convenience store and paid for her items.

She then popped a snack into her mouth.

Crunch~

“It seems like I’m the only normal girl around Jin Yuha…”

She swallowed a mouthful of the sweet snack.

As expected, it tasted disgusting.