Hint (1)
Hint (1)
Friday afternoon.
"That concludes today's lecture."
At Baek Woo-jin's declaration, the students, who had been rigid with concentration as they took notes, slowly let the tension drain from their shoulders.
Instead of a practical session, the theory lecture had been held to help them manage their conditioning ahead of next week's Grade Evaluation.
Normally, everyone would have preferred hands-on practice to theory—theory always came with hellish assignments—but today was an exception.
"There's no assignment. Focus on the Grade Evaluation next week."
With no assignment looming, there was no reason to dread a theory lecture.
Lee Seol and the new students who had joined this semester looked a little surprised. The returning students who had been in his classes since last year already knew the drill; their fists curled up in quiet celebration.
Anyone who took his course last year understood that, for all his apparent strictness about principles and rules, he was a professor who took care of his students when it mattered.
"Baek Ha-na, Yoon I-seul, Jane Moore. You three, come to the Control Room after class."
"Yes, Professor."
"Understood."
"Ah, yes, yes!!"
After acknowledging their answers, Baek Woo-jin gathered his things and left the lecture hall.
The atmosphere in the room immediately lightened. Tightly closed lips began to loosen, and within moments the place was buzzing.
"You're on duty again today, huh."
"Yeah. Last one this month."
Baek Ha-na answered Nam Seo-hee's question, a hint of excitement in her voice.
"But why do you think he called those two in?"
"......Who knows?"
Still packing her bag, Baek Ha-na glanced over at Jane Moore, who was sticking close to Yoon I-seul, her face full of enthusiasm.
She was an exchange student, and despite exchanging contact information, they hadn't once met up in private.
There were occasional mentions of her visiting the Student Council room to help the president, Yoon I-seul, but outside of Guidance Department duties, she never joined any Student Council events. They had never once run into each other outside of the lecture hall.
'...Maybe I should try reaching out.'
It wasn't just Jane Moore. She hadn't properly exchanged letters with any of the students she'd befriended at the Royal Academy's party, either.
Not that she'd ignored all the mail they sent. That really would have been rude, so she had sent polite, if somewhat formal, replies.
After that, the letters stopped coming, except from three people: Yuzuki Mio from Japan, Ekaterina Klimova from Russia, and Jaina Swift from America.
'Japan's close. Maybe I can visit during the summer?'
Those three had all asked her, right before they parted, to be sure to visit during the break.
'I'll have to ask Woo-jin about it later.'
Thinking about the ride home on his back tomorrow, Baek Ha-na finished packing her things with a light, eager heart.
**
"Urrp~ Now I feel human again."
"This girl...."
Idni had cleaned her plate, right down to dessert, and let out a tiny burp. Maria, seated beside her, frowned and smacked Idni's adorably bloated stomach.
"Hey, what did you two decide to do?"
She was referring to the Artificial Rift Raid scheduled for the final day of the Grade Evaluation.
Originally, a team was meant to form around Baek Ha-na with Lee Na-young, Na Ju-hee, and Im Gyeong-su, but that plan fell apart when an announcement went out on Monday evening that Baek Ha-na would be excluded from the exam.
"I'm just doing it with Na-young."
"You're brutal, you know that?"
Idni clicked her tongue and shook her head at Nam Seo-hee's reply.
"Even Baek Ha-na says it's fine. How about you finally make up with Na Ju-hee?"
"We're not exactly fighting."
"Then why do you hate her so much?"
"Maybe we were enemies in a past life."
"So brutal. So cold."
Idni shook her head again at Nam Seo-hee's unchanging response.
"And that sweetheart Lee Na-young just keeps nodding her head, too busy reading the room to say anything."
"Heh, heheh...."
"That wasn't a compliment, dummy."
"Why are you picking on Na-young when she's just sitting there?"
At Maria's scolding, Idni snorted and leaned back in her chair.
"You were acting like you'd scarf your food and bolt. What's with the slow pace?"
"Big Sis I-seul said she'd go with me."
Baek Ha-na, who had been savoring a dense, rich slice of ganache cake, answered with one cheek puffed out like a chipmunk's.
Poke.
"......?"
Nam Seo-hee suddenly reached out and pressed a finger into that puffed cheek. Baek Ha-na blinked for a moment, then used her fork to push the last piece of cake into her mouth.
"I'll be heading off now."
"See you tomorrow."
After saying goodbye to her friends, Baek Ha-na cleared her dishes and left the cafeteria, making her way to the main building.
"Ha-na."
"Ha-na!!"
She found Yoon I-seul and Jane Moore sitting on a bench in front of the main entrance.
"Were you waiting long?"
"No. We just got here."
"Exactly!!"
The composed Yoon I-seul and the perpetually high-energy Jane Moore.
They were polar opposites, but Baek Ha-na thought the two of them fit together surprisingly well.
As they passed through the main lobby and waited for the elevator, Yoon I-seul spoke to Baek Ha-na.
"I heard you made quite a splash on your first day with the Guidance Department."
"First day... Ah, the new students."
"Fufu, that's right."
At Baek Ha-na's answer, Yoon I-seul's eyes narrowed as she continued.
"There was an unspoken rule: you don't touch the children of the major guilds. No matter how skilled you are, if you get on their bad side, you'll be isolated from society in a flash. What can you do?"
"...Is that so?"
Yoon I-seul nodded, that characteristically unsettling smile on her face.
"But thanks to you, Ha-na, we've managed to restore some discipline in the academy."
"......?"
Ding—
The elevator arrived just in time.
As Yoon I-seul stepped inside, she whispered very quietly.
"I know it's thanks to you that Professor Baek Woo-jin accepted the position of Head Professor of the Guidance Department."
"Umm...."
Baek Ha-na's eyes rolled around in her head, and Yoon I-seul let out a small laugh.
"With Professor Baek as our responsible professor, everyone's staying put without a peep."
The fight between Baek Woo-jin and Ben Stiller, broadcast live across the entire world thanks to Vuar's prank.
How many people could watch him handle a world ranker like a helpless child and still dare to hold their heads high?
What's more, he was officially the lover of the God of Amusement's representative, a person unofficially estimated to rank at least within the top ten. Very few power players would want to test his patience.
The corrupt professors had been rooted out completely last year, but illegal misconduct by the children of high-ranking officials and major guilds had continued unchecked.
That changed when Baek Woo-jin took over as Head Professor of the Guidance Department. News spread that children from the major guilds—including the newly selected Top 10 guilds Fantasia and Black Lion—had been hit with near-expulsion-level penalty points and a ban on leaving campus or staying out overnight. Those who had been running wild like boars suddenly started watching their step.
Thanks to that, Yoon I-seul's workload had nearly halved. Life had gotten a little more comfortable.
"Please, just keep doing what you're doing."
"Suuure...."
Ding—
The elevator doors opened again, and the three walked down the corridor to the Control Room, located next to the Administration Department.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Professor. May we come in?"
Baek Ha-na knocked on behalf of the group and asked.
-Come in.
Despite the thick door between them, the permission came through as clearly as a whisper right beside her. Baek Ha-na opened the door and stepped inside.
There he was, seated at his desk and looking over documents as usual.
"Sit."
At Baek Woo-jin's gesture, the three took their seats, sitting in a neat row on the sofa across from his desk.
Baek Woo-jin, who had been studying the paperwork, lifted his head and addressed them.
"Yoon I-seul, Jane Moore. I called you here to make you an offer."
"An... offer?"
"I'll do anything you ashk?!"
Jane Moore's hand shot up to accept the offer before she'd even heard it, but Yoon I-seul clamped both hands tightly over her mouth.
Baek Woo-jin watched the two of them for a quiet moment, then resumed speaking.
"You're aware that the final assessment for both first- and second-years involves clearing a Rift."
"Hard not to. It's famous."
Even the upperclassmen, who preferred the devil they knew, had petitioned to include it as an evaluation item. It was the kind of information even someone who wasn't the Student Council president couldn't have missed.
"I intend to assign you the role of 'Guardians.' You'll be working alongside Baek Ha-na to intercept the other students."
Guardian.
A superior entity created to protect the Crystal, possessing intelligence beyond that of a human.
"...Sounds fun, but what about balance? Is it okay?"
For most seniors, the Grade Evaluation was practically their last chance, but that wasn't the case for already-proven talents like Yoon I-seul and Jane Moore. Yoon I-seul asked the question with a look of genuine curiosity.
"You and the professors will enter the Rift wearing Restraint Devices."
"Restraint Devices... that does sound interesting. I'll do it."
Yoon I-seul didn't need long to think.
Normally, she was the type to dissect every potential gain before accepting any proposal, but she had a very accurate grasp of her place. She skipped any remarks that might spoil the mood and got straight to the point.
"Me too! I'll do it too!!"
Jane Moore, finally freed from Yoon I-seul's grip, thrust her hand in the air and made her intentions forcefully clear.
"...So then, Ha-na will handle the second-years, while Jane and I will be in charge of the first-years?"
Even if a Restraint Device limited their power, Yoon I-seul was seriously confident that if the three of them moved together, they could beat every student in the academy combined.
But Baek Woo-jin's answer made her blink.
"The three of you will work as a unit."
Swoosh.
A blank sheet of white paper flew through the air and landed in each of their hands.
【First- and Second-Year Cooperation Evaluation.】
The corner of Yoon I-seul's mouth lifted slightly at a title that promised to be more enjoyable than she had anticipated.