The Weight of Our Calling
"Alright, this is my name."
Thud. Thud.
The classroom fell silent as the homeroom teacher wrote her name across the blackboard in large, bold strokes with a marker, then rapped the board sharply a couple of times. On it, three characters were written in black: Jin So-hye.
"I'll be in charge of Class A for the next year. I look forward to working with you all."
Clap clap clap—
A round of enthusiastic applause echoed through the room. Narae and I glanced around nervously before offering a few timid claps of our own. The teacher placed both hands on the lectern and continued, her gaze sweeping across the class.
"Before we get into anything else… everyone, reach under your desk and take out the tablet you'll find there."
Huh? There was something like that?
I looked around and saw that several students had already pulled theirs out and were whispering about what they might be. I quickly reached down, felt a smooth rectangular object, and placed it on my desk. It was a sleek, high-end-looking obsidian-black pad of just the right size.
Whoa. Are they really giving one of these to every student?
"Th-this… it's a Daeseong product…."
"Wait, seriously?"
Narae leaned into me and whispered. I sucked in a breath. A Daeseong tablet? Those were insanely expensive. Sure, Baekhwa Academy's tuition was already steep, but handing these out like candy? That was on another level.
"The… Baekhwa Academy is sponsored by the Daeseong Group, so… that must be why."
"Ah, I see… Thank you for telling me."
I made a mental note to look up everything I could about Baekhwa Academy the moment I got back to the dorm. No matter what, it was the school I'd be attending for the next few years. Staying this clueless felt irresponsible.
"The tablet doesn't need charging, so keep it with you at all times. Tap it twice to turn it on. Once the screen lights up, enter your name and date of birth… then follow the prompts for facial recognition and fingerprint scan. … Everyone done?"
"Yes!"
"Good. Now look. You should see your personal schedule, right? I'll only explain this once, so listen carefully. Mornings are reserved for required courses. These are subjects every student must take without exception—things like Introduction to Supernatural Abilities, Ether Combat Techniques, and Ether Control Methods. Afternoons are for core courses and electives. Core courses are specialized classes assigned according to each student's ability type. They're broadly divided into 'Combat' and 'Support.' You'll take classes within those categories that help develop your specific power. I teach Comprehensive Theory of Supernatural Abilities among the required courses, and Tactical Doctrine and Joint Combat Tactics among the core ones. You'll probably be seeing a lot of me. Electives are exactly what they sound like—subjects you choose yourselves. They're less directly related to the required or core curriculum, but grades are still calculated the same way, so don't slack off. Also, every Friday afternoon is club time instead of core or elective classes. After this week's club fair, you'll each have the chance to pick one that suits you."
As I listened to the teacher, I checked my own schedule. The core courses were filled with titles like Understanding and Application of Healing Abilities and Support and Enhancement of Supernatural Abilities. Below each slot was the location, like "Mongnyeon Hall, Room 206." Convenient. For reference, the building our classroom was in was called Baekryeon Hall.
For electives…
"Seol-ah, which of these do you want to take?"
"Umm…? I don't want to do any of them… What even are these…?"
"Shut up and pick already. You only need two."
"Then… psychology… and animals? Wait, what is this…? Is it like psychological testing?"
"…."
I narrowed my eyes at the slots labeled Psychological Approaches to Supernatural Abilities and Understanding Dimensional Beasts. I didn't remember choosing anything, but apparently students were supposed to pick for themselves. So this was what Aunt had chosen for me last time. Couldn't she have just explained it normally?
"Um… I'm taking Understanding Dimensional Beasts too… hehe…."
"Oh, really? That's a relief."
Narae, who had been watching me squint at the enlarged tablet, smiled as she spoke. Was this what it felt like for a freshman to meet a friendly face during orientation in college? Not that I'd ever been to college, and I wasn't exactly best friends with Narae yet, and I was basically an elementary school dropout, but… still.
After giving us enough time to look over our tablets, the teacher continued.
"Got the general idea? The tablets don't need to be charged separately, so carry them with you everywhere. We won't take responsibility if you lose or break them."
Ugh. I knew they were expensive so I had to be careful, but the way she put it made them suddenly feel like a burden. I'd have to make sure I didn't drop or shatter it in my excitement.
"Now then… let's get to the real talk. What do you all think the academy is for?"
The moment the teacher brought up such a heavy topic, the atmosphere in the classroom shifted completely. Students who had been chatting warmly while comparing schedules, talking about famous spots in Seoyeon Special City, or making plans to hang out after class—all of them fell silent in an instant.
No… it wasn't just the mood that changed. The entire flow of the room had shifted. It felt like someone was pressing down on our shoulders with tremendous force. The air itself grew thick and heavy, filling the classroom. I could sense a few of the less experienced students beginning to breathe harder.
This was…
"Supernatural ability users are respected by the public. Everywhere they go, people look up to them. They receive high salaries and effortlessly accomplish things ordinary people could never dream of. The academy is an institution that trains such ability users to fulfill their proper roles. So what exactly should ability users do? Appear on TV chasing public popularity? Use abilities no one else has to make a fortune and live happily? Or perhaps refrain from using their powers altogether and blend into society like everyone else, living an ordinary life? Wrong. None of the above! What ability users must do is none of those things."
Her steel prosthetic hand pulled down the eyepatch, revealing what lay beneath. The vivid red scar that slashed across her eye and stretched all the way to the corner of her opposite lip seemed almost trivial compared to the 'thing' residing in her left eye socket. There was nothing but endless darkness there.
"Along with supernatural abilities, Dimensional Erosion appeared in our world. We don't know when, where, how, why, or for what purpose it occurs. The one thing we can be absolutely certain of is that both the erosion itself and its byproducts—the Dimensional Beasts—harbor an absolute hatred for humanity. These beasts slip through the cracks in our world, attack innocent people, and take lives. They create countless victims. And only ability users can eliminate the Dimensional Beasts and close the erosions. Do you understand? You have been chosen! For what purpose? To close Dimensional Erosions and save people!"
It was like the complete darkness before your eyes adjust to the dark on a pitch-black night with no stars, right before you fall asleep with the lights off. You can't see anything. You don't know how deep it goes, what might be inside, or what that thing even is… An unknown something whose true nature cannot be grasped.
"So cast aside your foolish mindsets! What you will learn at this academy is how to fight Dimensional Beasts, how to kill them, how to close Dimensional Erosions, and how to clear away anything that stands in your way while doing so. Abandon who you were before! Become a soldier and annihilate humanity's enemies! Become a warrior and fight for what must be protected! That is the mission given to you!"
'That thing' began to draw everything around it inward. Among the things being sucked in were awareness and gaze. As the minds of the countless students in the classroom converged on a single point, her words lashed across them like a steel whip, carving indelible scars and engraving unbreakable laws.
All ability users must pay the price for the power they have received. Because there is a reason it was given to them.
All supernatural abilities must be used to eradicate Dimensional Erosion. Because that is the duty they carry.
And…
Tap.
The moment her prosthetic hand moved the eyepatch back into place, everything began to move again.
"Huk!"
"Ah, ugh…."
"Haa… haa…."
The heavy pressure that had been crushing the classroom vanished in an instant, replaced by the students' groans filling the space. Most of them were breathing hard and ragged, like they'd been holding their breath underwater and finally surfaced.
"…Hmph."
"Oh my."
Only the princess and Wi Ha-yeon acted as if nothing had happened, one letting out a small snort and the other giving a faint laugh. The students around them seemed far less affected than everyone else, too…
"Heek… heek…."
I was panting just as hard, head bowed, unable to even look at the teacher. What in the world had that 'thing' been just now? The initial pressure that froze and crushed the students must have been ether controlled by the teacher. I'd felt it plenty at home, so I was familiar with the sensation of ether. But after she removed the eyepatch, what came after that was…
"Haa… haa…."
"…Narae!"
I whipped my head toward her in alarm. She was hunched over, clutching her shoulders with both hands, trembling violently. Tears were streaming down her face—tears she herself didn't seem to notice. Her breathing was frantic, as if she'd forgotten how to breathe properly. I hurriedly grabbed her hand.
"…!"
Seeing her unable to even hold herself upright through the painful groans, my ability activated on its own. Sparkling ether particles bloomed around us and settled over her body. Gradually, her labored breathing calmed, and the tension drained from her limbs.
"A-are you okay?"
"…Ah, yeah… Thank you… Th-that just now…."
I watched her worriedly as she slumped in her chair like a drenched puppy. Then I felt the teacher's gaze on us. When I looked up in a panic and met her eyes, she raised one eyebrow in clear displeasure before turning away.
"If you can't even endure this much, you'll never survive a Dimensional Erosion, let alone the lowest-grade Dimensional Beasts that come out of them. Over the next four years at this academy, through countless drills and real battles, you will grow into proper ability users capable of responding to Dimensional Erosion. Do not forget the sensation you just experienced. Train with the resolve to face death. Understood?!"
"Y-yes…."
"I can't hear you!"
"Yes!"
Most of the students were still reeling from the aftereffects, but from the area where the princess and Wi Ha-yeon sat, a surprisingly loud response rang out. Amazing. Did they train to handle situations like this on a regular basis…?
"Good. I believe you've all now understood what kind of person I am and what you are supposed to do here."
Clap—
The teacher clapped her hands together loudly and looked down at the students.
"We'll begin first period shortly. Introduction to Supernatural Abilities will be held jointly with Class B in Mongnyeon Hall, Room 305. Take a short break and assemble there by nine o'clock."
With that, she shuffled out of the classroom the same way she'd entered, opened the door with a rattle, and left.
"…Wow."
"What the hell was that? Insane. I seriously couldn't breathe…."
"Hehe, as expected of an academy instructor. That was masterful ether manipulation. It could rival the teachers from our family."
"More importantly, was I the only one curious about that eye…?"
All sorts of chatter exploded at once, filling the room with noise. While everyone was blurting out their impressions and questions, I carefully turned to look at Narae. She looked much better than before, though still a bit dazed. When our eyes met, she gave me a small smile.
"Th-thank you… Was that… your ability, Seol-ah?"
"Yes…. Are you feeling better now? You really scared me earlier."
Aside from students like the princess and Wi Ha-yeon, most had struggled under the pressure, finding it hard to breathe. But thanks to the teacher adjusting her power, no one seemed to have been in serious danger or unbearable pain. Still, Narae had clearly suffered far more than the others. Could she have some kind of trauma…?
…Whatever the problem was, it would be rude of me to pry…
"Mmm… I'm okay…. …I'll be okay. Anyway… we'll be late for class…. You'll walk with me, right?"
Narae squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again and asking shyly. I nodded. I could ask her about it after we got closer. For now, getting to class on time was the priority.
I gently took Narae's hand. From her small, calloused palm—still trembling faintly—came a warm, comforting heat.
"…Shall we go?"