Good morning~ Pa-pa-pa-bam-bam~♬

I reached above my head and turned off the alarm on my phone.

“Ugh… I keep saying I’ll change this damn morning call, but I always forget…”

I got out of bed and stretched.

Looking out the window, the outside world was still shrouded in darkness, the sun yet to rise.

Today, I had to wake up earlier than usual.

After all, today was the day for the ‘Practical Gate Training’.

Once a week, the students of Velvet Academy spent a full day clearing Gates.

While the day of the week varied depending on their schedules, it was mandatory for all students to participate at least once a week.

After getting ready, I left the dormitory.

“Ah, Soup must be waiting for me.”

I wished Kang Do-hee and Shin Se-hee could join us, but according to our schedules, the only one whose day for Practical Gate Training aligned with mine was Soup.

It had been a while since we had done something together; we hadn’t had the chance to hang out lately. The anticipation filled my chest.

As I exited the dormitory of the Hall of Bravery, I spotted Soup standing at the entrance with her eyebrows shaped like a ‘V’ and her arms crossed.

She must have been waiting for quite some time, as there was a drawing at her feet, seemingly drawn with her foot.

It was a bizarre-looking man’s face.

‘She can’t draw, can she?’

I thought to myself as I approached Lee Yoo-ri.

She glared at me.

“You’re late.”

“You’re just too early. And don’t men usually take longer to get ready?”

I said with a snicker.

“You only use being a man as an excuse when it’s convenient for you.”

Yoo-ri said in a grumpy tone.

“If you’re jealous, be born a man next time.”

“What are you talking about? Come on, let’s go. We’ll be late if we don’t leave now.”

Yoo-ri quickened her pace, walking slightly ahead of me.

“It’s just the two of us, reminds me of the old times, huh? When we used to clear Gates together.”

I said as I walked beside her.

“It wasn’t that long ago…”

“Aren’t the Gate trainings done in groups?”

“Yep. Even though it’s a training session, we’re actually entering real Gates, so we need to form parties.”

“Hmm, I wonder who we’ll be grouped with…”

She glanced at me with an expectant look.

“I think there’s a pretty good tanker I know…”

I teased, glancing sideways.

“That person is quite picky, though. Do you think she’ll accept us?”

“Wha, of course they will! And I’m not picky!”

Yoo-ri stuttered slightly in her response.

“Huh? Why are you answering for them?”

I asked, puzzled.

“…”

Yoo-ri bit her lip and quickened her pace.

I hurried to catch up with her.

“Come on, let’s go together. I was just joking.”

“Hey!”

“It’s been a while since we’ve done something together, like back in Carmela’s Forest. Our party activities are only possible on weekends, and I’ve wanted to be in the same group as you, too.”

Yoo-ri’s cheeks twitched slightly, but she soon composed herself, her pride seemingly getting in the way of immediately forgiving me.

“Who said I’d want to…?”

“Please, just this once! Won’t you join me, our party’s one and only, reliable as hell, Soup-like tanker? I’m doomed without you!”

I pleaded, lowering my stance.

She cleared her throat and puffed out her chest.

“Hrmph! Fine, just this once!”

This girl is just too easy.

I let out a soft laugh.

.

.

.

We headed towards the central plaza.

Already, about a hundred people had gathered there.

Among them were not only freshmen like us but also some upperclassmen.

As the dormitories were separated, we hadn’t had the chance to meet these seniors before.

It was easy to distinguish between the freshmen and the upperclassmen.

“Hey, where are the Mad Dog and the Cheonhwa?”

“I think their Gate clearance day isn’t today.”

“Damn it! Are they ditching? Without them, we’re screwed. Why do we have to babysit these newbies anyway?!”

Those who were frantically searching for useful freshmen among the crowd were mostly upperclassmen, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Among them, one person caught my eye.

A green-haired woman with a gentle expression, standing alone and wearing a faint smile while others scurried around.

Just then,

The short-haired woman with a foul temper approached us.

She pushed my shoulder aside as she walked past and addressed Yoo-ri.

“Are you Lee Yoo-ri?”

“Yes.”

“I heard you were the top tanker in the recent position training.”

“Yes, but…”

“Ugh. Newbies are all the same, but whatever. When we pick our team members later, come to me.”

The woman gave Yoo-ri a condescending once-over.

“Uh, um…”

Yoo-ri hesitated, unsure how to respond to this unfamiliar senior.

“What’s there to think about? Just do as I say.”

“Who are you…?”

“I’m an A-grade Hunter, Kim Soo-hyun.”

At her words, Yoo-ri wore a confused expression.

‘Yoo-ri isn’t really that interested in the Hunter industry, to begin with.’

She had only vaguely heard of Shin Se-hee and Kang Do-hee, who were often talked about here and there.

Seeing that Yoo-ri didn’t recognize her, the short-haired woman sighed in exasperation.

“Ugh, you really are a newbie who knows nothing about the Hunter world. Just do what your senior tells you.”

I felt annoyed at the way she kept speaking to my party member so rudely.

“Excuse me.”

As I tried to interject, she frowned and turned to face me.

“Hmm? And who are you? A man…?”

“Yoo-ri and I are planning to join another group.”

I placed my hand on Yoo-ri’s shoulder.

“What?”

The woman glared at me.

“We’re going to join that group over there.”

I pointed at the green-haired senior, who was smiling pleasantly.

“Are you crazy? You’re going to be in the same group as that retard?”

She let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Whatever. I don’t care if you come or not, but what about her? Is she yours or something?”

“Yes, she’s my party member.”

I met her gaze head-on as I responded.

“What?”

Yoo-ri turned to look at me, and I squeezed her shoulder tighter.

“And I think that senior over there is much better than you.”

“You fucking—”

This girl is just too easy.

I let out a soft laugh.

But,

Click-clack~

“Are you all here?”

With Lina’s arrival, the short-haired woman huffed and walked away.

“You’re lucky.”

Unaware that Soup was already holding her shield, she considered herself fortunate.

Anyway,

I turned my head and shifted my gaze to the small girl with purple twin tails.

‘Oh, so the Practical Gate Training is conducted by Chairman Lina?’

It made sense.

Even though it was a training session, it was still a real-world mission involving freshmen.

To ensure the safety of the students, it was only natural that Chairman Lina would oversee this training.

“Welcome, students. You all know what this training is about, right?”

“Yes!”

The students nodded in response.

“The Practical Gate Training is the very foundation of our Velvet Hunter Academy. Through this training, you can truly call yourselves students of this Academy.”

Chairman Lina’s words filled the students with pride, and they puffed out their chests.

The Practical Gate Training.

This was one of the reasons why Velvet Academy was recognized worldwide.

The system of sending students into Gates for periodic clearances.

When Gates first appeared on Earth, some countries even faced destruction. However, South Korea quickly recovered thanks to the twin pillars of the ‘Velvet Hunter Academy’ and the ‘Hunter Management Bureau’.

As a result, other countries adopted Velvet Academy’s system, and numerous academies sprang up.

Yet, none have achieved the same level of success as South Korea.

It’s no wonder that Velvet Hunter Academy is known as the world’s best.

“Anyway, there’s no need to waste time repeating what everyone already knows. Let’s get straight to it. Sophomores, step forward and form your parties.”

Twenty upperclassmen stepped forward and stood before us.

“Each of you, come forward and state your position. Then, the seniors will choose an appropriate combination.”

A buzz of excitement filled the air among the freshmen.

They had finally realized the reason behind the seniors’ frantic search earlier.

As for the senior who had been rude to Yoo-ri earlier,

Whether it was true that she was famous among Hunters or not, she had the longest line of freshmen waiting before her.

“Next!”

The short-haired woman listened to the position of the freshman in front of her and then clicked her tongue as if they weren’t worth her time.

“Next!”

“Tsk, next!”

“Isn’t there anyone decent? Next!”

She impatiently called for the next student, sifting through them like goods.

On the other hand, the green-haired woman I had been observing since the beginning still had no one standing before her.

“Soup.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go over there.”

I nodded towards the green-haired woman I had been eyeing.

“By the way, I’ve been wanting to ask. Do you know who that senior is? Are they someone you know?”

I paused to gather my thoughts before answering Yoo-ri’s question.

“Well, she’s quite…”

“Quite?”

“Remarkable…”

“Remarkable?”

“…Expensive”

“Expensive?”

Yoo-ri’s face hardened at my words.

I chuckled and grabbed her wrist, leading her along.

“You two will get along quite well.”

“I don’t think so?!”

Yoo-ri was dragged along like a calf being led to the slaughterhouse.

 P.S.
It’s VarieTL, I only wanted to say that I added a new picture in illustration so that you can see Lim Ga-eul! or you can see her in my Ko-fi: Lim Ga-eul