Opening Day Minus One

Before Orion Academy's opening day, the instructors had been holding meetings from morning till night for two straight days.

Long meetings during this period weren't particularly unusual.

Analyzing the new cadets who'd finished their placement exams and assigning them to the instructors with the highest growth potential took a considerable amount of time.

And on top of that.

The need to peacefully resolve differing opinions among the instructors through discussion was another reason the meetings dragged on.

Not just the cadets—the instructors hailed from different regions too.

With varying backgrounds from their pre-academy roles, their perspectives on evaluating cadets differed, making it no easy task to unify opinions.

"Then, Cadet Casey will be assigned to Instructor Carrot's class."

"Kyaa! What a cute cadet!"

Instructor Carrot's rabbit ears perked up as she beamed with joy.

And so, after another heated debate, one more cadet's class assignment was decided.

The staff member acting as moderator in the middle seat adjusted their glasses and pulled out the next file.

"Moving on. Cadet Noah Frozenheart."

"Top of both the entrance exam and placement practical. She goes to Instructor Juyeon."

The instructors nodded in agreement, no objections in sight.

Unlike cadets with middling scores, overwhelming results like hers made decisions swift.

"Cadet Noah Frozenheart is assigned to Instructor Juyeon's class. Any objections?"

The moderator wrapped it up neatly and moved to close the agenda.

The instructors signaled their approval.

As the moderator filled out the paperwork and stamped it, the casual chatter continued.

"Her practical was flawless, but she filled in 1 for every written question... Does she just like the number one?"

"Must be her innate bloodline."

At Orion Academy, low written scores didn't prevent graduation.

They affected scholarships and such, but there were no subject failures.

This stemmed from the academy's founding purpose: prioritizing combat training above all.

"Next up, Cadet Rohan."

As the moderator finished and distributed the next files, the instructors kept chatting while flipping through them.

"Instructor Ed, you handled that gym, right? How was Frozenheart?"

"Er... yeah, definitely the blood of the Snow Tiger Emperor. That's the vibe."

Instructor Ed stroked his stubbly beard—grown rough during the meetings—as he replied.

The other instructors perked up with interest.

"Cheonoecheon Chairman's daughter, Cadet Ichinose Yui, was there too, right? Heard she topped the written exams overall."

"Correct."

"As rumored—a genius?"

"No need to ask. A genius beyond the rumors."

The instructors scanned Ed's evaluation sheets in admiration, then furrowed their brows moments later.

"But you gave Cadet Ichinose Yui third in practicals?"

"Second was Rohan...?"

"Ah! The one from the Southern Ruins. Any reason for the ranking?"

This wasn't pressure to favor highborn cadets.

Here, they were just genuinely curious and asked outright.

Knowing that, Instructor Ed scratched his messy hair and explained.

"For cadets who completely destroyed the test golems, I evaluated based on Orion Academy's goals."

Inter-nation wars and politics had long proven futile.

The era of viewing monsters merely as weapon materials was over.

Humanity's true threat was monsters—especially those special individuals endangering nations.

Everyone knew disunity could lead to the Southern Ruins' fate: overnight extinction.

Haunted by such catastrophes and variables, Orion Academy strove to foster camaraderie between nations and train monster-hunting specialists.

"Perfect timing—next is that Cadet Rohan."

Instructor Carrot set down her evaluation sheet and picked up the file, drawing all eyes to the papers before them.

"Hm, he bubbled 3 for every written question."

"Performance from overconfidence in his skills?"

Bubbling one answer per line wasn't shocking.

New cadets with quirks appeared every year.

"But his entrance scores... ahem."

"He barely scraped by on the entrance exam."

"Definitely unusual. Maybe he was off-form coming straight from the south that day..."

The mood hinted at a lengthy discussion.

Instructor Ed raised a hand to draw attention, then explained himself.

"Compared to Cadet Noah Frozenheart or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Cadet Ichinose Yui, Cadet Rohan lacks in total mana and physical stats."

"So what earned him such high marks from you, Instructor Ed?"

Instructor Carrot smiled as she asked.

Ed hummed, reminiscing, and shared his impressions.

"If Cadet Ichinose Yui's sword dance was artistically pristine, Cadet Rohan's felt like a butcher's cleaver work."

"Heh..."

"From the south, maybe he's seen rough times. His knife work? He'd slaughter monsters no problem."

"Haha! Sounds promising."

"Anyway, he aligned closest to the academy's ideals. That's why second place."

His firm tone sparked intrigue in the instructors' eyes.

Ed praising a cadet was exceedingly rare.

"In my view, for Cadet Rohan to grow properly, Instructor Juyeon's class is best."

The opening day arrived amid repetitive preparations.

Rohan, having finished his dawn workout without fail, hurried to get ready for the academy.

"Hoo!"

Getting ready wasn't anything grand, really.

Just don the academy uniform, grab the bag prepped yesterday, and done.

Let's head out.

He slipped on his one pair of sneakers and turned the doorknob.

Clunk!

Cool air brushed his skin as the door opened.

A damp scent absent in the afternoons. Definitely morning.

Leaving the dorm earlier than required was unavoidable.

Even if he'd bombed the writtens, his practicals were solid. He was dying to know his class assignment.

And Rohan wasn't the only one buzzing with anticipation.

The Orion Circle board had been flooded lately with new cadets' questions and worries.

"Ssssh!"

Rohan filled his lungs with crisp air and strode forward, savoring the excitement.

Splurge a bit for breakfast today.

He opened the shop, stocked with points from his feats.

He hadn't spent a single point since buying the status window.

Stashing away for just one skillbook had built up a decent sum.

But today was an exception.

Time to treat himself to jerky with those precious points.

He'd skipped breakfast, and "high-protein" sounded perfect.

Like an opening-day celebration.

Plus, good to test how shop items were delivered.

Points ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deducted with a jingle the moment he bought it.

Space rippled before his eyes, fist-sized.

...What the?

As he wondered what that haze-like thing was.

His mind received instructions: reach into the space to claim it.

His hand was sucked into the void in a mystical pull, and he withdrew the item.

So that's how it works.

A white ziplock bag brimful of jerky.

No company name or origin on the packaging.

Heading to the academy, he unzipped it to munch a few—smoky aroma hit his nose.

Whoa, smells killer.

Jerky usually felt more like a snack than a meal.

Not something to expect in bulk, but this was generously packed. And tasty too.

"Mmm!"

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shoveled in a handful of perfectly sliced pieces, stowed the rest in his bag, and picked up the pace toward the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠academy gates coming into view.

··

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After checking the class assignments posted on the first floor of Orion Academy.

I froze, forgetting even to hunt for the protagonist's name first.

I'm in Class 1!?

Class 1 housed most major characters.

The starting point for Abyss City's protagonist. Familiar names everywhere at a glance.

If things followed the game, my instructor would be?

Instructor Juyeon!

Samhwa Nation's great general, a powerhouse.

All Orion instructors were elite, but she was unparalleled, a legendary figure beyond comparison.

Her taking an instructor role was thanks to the current academy head.

The Orion Academy head position rotated among the three great powers.

If it's on story rails, two years ago was Samhwa's turn for head... yeah, two years?

Baekunsan, the "gentleman of the military" of Samhwa, took the seat, coaxing her back through old ties.

This setup let the protagonist encounter heavenly aides amid trials and grow.

Ah! Gotta find that.

Suppressing excitement, I scanned the full list. No surprise the protagonist's name was absent.

Predicted it from days in Academy City and community browsing.

But my focus kept drifting elsewhere now.

"···."

Instructor Juyeon.

What would someone of her caliber feel like in person?

Heart pounding, I headed up to the class, gripped by anticipation.

And slid open the door to Class 1 with a rattle!