First Day of Classes - Part 2
Since I’d arrived so early, maybe I was the first one here.
With that thought, I slid the door open with a drrrk!
Someone’s already here?
The only other person in the classroom was a male cadet meticulously tending to a modern-style crossbow.
Our eyes met. The air filled with an awkward silence.
Just as I opened my mouth to greet him first, his head snapped away, and he dove back into maintaining his crossbow.
“...”
His reaction sent my greeting right back down my throat.
I stood behind him and scanned the room.
Can I just sit wherever?
A few desks had bags claiming them like place markers, but since it was early, plenty of seats were still open.
Wanting to actually pay attention in class, I headed to the front and took an empty spot.
I was rereading the orientation guide from the academy when cadets started trickling in one by one.
Everyone’s so diligent.
I’d only glanced away for a moment, and already more than half the seats were taken.
Maybe they’d all come early with the same excited anticipation I had.
Either way, it was great. As cadets filled the seats, the room buzzed with energy.
The silence that had dominated the class melted away thanks to groups who seemed to already know each other well.
The chatter created a comfortable vibe, and I was satisfied.
— Class 1 is the best class, right?
— You think the academy would straight-up make us feel inferior like that? Look at you—you got wrecked by Ben, and he’s in Class 5.
— ...
— Forget that. I’m more curious who the instructor’s gonna be.
Observing the growing crowd riding the wave of the atmosphere, I suddenly realized something.
There were hardly any familiar faces—mostly strangers.
Tsk... In the game, there were only about 30 cadets you could even talk to, right? Come to think of it, that was still just a fraction of the whole academy.
So were these the kids who’d just been shadowy background fillers in the game?
The thought stirred an indescribable feeling. I shifted my gaze to another group.
What was that guy’s name again?
I was mentally cataloging these vaguely familiar faces—ones I recognized but had never really interacted with—when a booming voice hit my ear.
“Boy.”
“?”
Turning to find the source, I saw a hulking figure in cadet uniform standing there, arms crossed.
He was easily over 2 meters tall at a glance.
If not for the uniform, I’d have mistaken him for an instructor.
“Is the seat beside you free?”
“Uh... yeah, it is.”
“Splendid news! Might I take it?”
I pulled out the chair, telling him to make himself at home.
The giant plopped down next to me with a “Thank thee in advance.” The chair groaned under his weight with a creeeak.
Why’s this guy got such a different art style?
His features were so sharply defined, it was like they’d been inked in. His personality was already standing out strong.
He looked like he’d just come back from some bizarre adventure.
“Boy, what be thy name?”
“Rohan.”
“Rohan, eh? A fine, resonant name.”
What’s with this speech pattern? Calling a fellow cadet ‘boy’ is pretty eccentric.
Intrigued by this unique type I’d never encountered before, I asked,
“What should I call you? ‘Boy’ work for you?”
“Gilbert Carniat. Prithee, call me Gilbert.”
I mulled over the name, rapidly searching my mental database.
Gilbert...
No info. First time hearing it. A name I’d never come across in Abyss City.
Probably the same for the vast majority of these unfamiliar cadets.
“Now that I know thy name as Rohan, no need to call thee ‘boy’ any longer.”
With that, Gilbert briskly unpacked items from his bag with precise movements, placing them neatly on the desk.
He let out a satisfied snort, nodded, then abruptly stood and headed out the front door.
At the same moment, the back door burst open with a clunk!
Passing the baton from Gilbert, Ichinose and Noah entered the class.
“Haaawwn! So sleeeepy...”
“Noah. Cover your mouth when you yawn.”
All eyes shot toward them like arrows.
You could really feel they were celebrities.
But few cadets tried to approach for a chance to chat or gazed at them with admiration.
Most Orion Academy cadets took pride in their own skills, so instead, they eyed the pair with competitive fire.
The most notable exception?
The beastkin cadets from Tigrova, who avoided eye contact with their royal, Noah Frozenheart.
“Nose~ I’m sleepy... Carry me.”
Noah staggered sleepily, trying to scoop up Ichinose’s petite frame, but
Ichinose gracefully dodged her hands, eyes still closed.
“Don’t be ridiculous. At least go wash your face.”
“So heartless!”
Ichinose ignored Noah’s grumbling from behind and kept looking for a seat—until she stopped.
She tilted her head gently,
cracked one eye open slightly, and greeted me.
“Good morning.”
“Yeah. Morning.”
I returned the greeting casually, but inside, I was flipping somersaults with joy.
Having everyday chit-chat with Ichinose Yui still felt like a dream.
And the sight of those two was heartwarming no matter how many times I saw it.
“Hm?”
Noah Frozenheart, who’d been following Ichinose in a daze, blinked her eyes.
Her blue eyes sharpened as if awakening from slumber. Her perky nose twitched, along with her round ears.
Then she stared straight at me and strode over.
“Noah! Where are you going now?!”
Ignoring Ichinose’s instruction to sit here, Noah planted herself in front of me.
I met her clear gaze head-on, her tail swishing gently.
“Hmm?”
Noah tilted her head quizzically at me sitting there.
The girl started sniffing around me, head bobbing this way and that.
Unable to comprehend her behavior, I just watched quietly.
After a thorough sniff, Noah straightened up.
She licked her lips, moistening them, and spoke.
“You smell delicious. Fun.”
“Me?”
“Yeah!”
Her reaction was so bluntly honest, without a hint of pretense. I just smiled back at her gaze.
I’d half-expected something like this.
Does the jerky smell linger that much?
Maybe because she was a beastkin whose fangs were practically gleaming—it didn’t feel like a joke at all, which was hilarious.
“Noah!”
Ichinose, who’d set down her bag and approached, tugged her arm in flustered embarrassment at the comment.
Noah resisted with an aggrieved look and urged Ichinose,
“For real! Nose, you sniff too.”
“W-what kind of indecent behavior is that?!”
Watching them bicker right in front of me made me itch to whip out my phone and record it.
Suppressing the urge, I reached into my bag.
Just as I opened it to share some jerky with Noah—
The hulking Gilbert returned, casting a shadow.
“Girls, the instructor will arrive soon. Prithee, step aside.”
“Whoa! Why’re you so huge? Max burgers—how many?”
“Noah...! Mind your manners!”
In Abyss City, it was rare to see flustered Ichinose Yui. These precious moments were piling up.
The chaos was dizzying, but I was enjoying the situation.
“Burgers? A maximum of three.”
“Light eater, huh. How many you eat?”
I just waved her off with a “See ya,” since Noah was already being dragged away by Ichinose’s hand.
“The daughter of the Snow Tiger Emperor—I’d expected an icy, aloof image. Yet she’s a storm of a girl.”
Gilbert sat back down with a stern face, crossed his arms, and shared his impressions.
Knowing the public image of Tigrova’s royals, I just listened quietly.
“Rohan. Art thou acquainted with those girls?”
“Just met Ichinose once.”
As I added that Noah Frozenheart seemed super approachable,
Gilbert touched his shadowed face with the gravest expression in the world.
“Have I been trapped in a coffin of ignorance, shackled by the prejudices society instilled in me...?”
Looking at Gilbert, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
This guy’s got some standout personality.
A spoonful of chit-chat with Gilbert, a spoonful of academy info exchange, a spoonful of rumors about new cadets’ curriculum.
As we talked amid the bustling class—
“Instructor?”
“So it seems.”
The lively space fell into hush.
The cadets had sensed it. Someone with an overwhelming presence was approaching.
Drk!
The door opened, and a woman in a suit stepped in.
More striking than her red hair was her razor-sharp gaze. Her emanating aura stole the breath from the room.
“Greetings.”
The cadets stared intently as she took position at the podium, her heels clicking.
Those who recognized her froze in shock.
Especially the cadets from Samhwa Nation—they couldn’t not know that face.
Even Ichinose’s eyes widened, her emotions plain on her face.
“I am Juyeon, your instructor for Class 1.”
Encountered the Dragon Slayer.
Achievement accomplished.