Wild Partners
“Unnie. Oppa’s last lecture notes, I think.”
Sion was looking at the group message, just like Clara.
They were lying side by side on Rohan’s dorm bed, chatting away, but the girls’ expressions were endlessly serious and grave.
“Hmm...”
Sion and Clara weren’t fully ready to accept Rohan’s absence yet.
They’d even seriously debated hiding themselves and tailing him.
Sion was confident in suppressing her presence, even if not quite to Clara’s level.
They had professional observation gear, too.
And wasn’t there a pretext, even if it was forced?
‘Rohan has a habit of getting dragged into incidents on his own.’
With that in mind, Sion had subtly brought it up, but Clara—who’d faced Juyeon before—already knew.
Reality wouldn’t bend to their whims so easily.
At that moment, Rohan was deep into his written exam.
The two girls had taken a stroll and ended up near Orion Academy.
That’s when Sion realized why Clara had said observation would be tough.
‘As expected of Orion Academy.’
The people inside were on another level entirely. They had to be the instructors training the cadets.
One in particular stood out with an especially prominent aura.
They hadn’t even set foot in the academy, yet someone had perfectly sensed Sion and Clara.
“...”
The existence Clara had mentioned—Juyeon. Sion felt a massive wall.
Having someone like that by Rohan’s side was reassuring, yet it also delivered a powerful jolt.
A mix of envy and jealousy, in a way.
Bitterness over her own lack of ability.
‘I need to ramp up my training intensity.’
Sion realized it then.
Clara’s yearning for the top probably stemmed largely from having faced Juyeon.
Unsettling Peace
Quest Details: You’ve observed the shadows lurking in the world. Though you sense the turbid flows and impurities trying to blend into the current, as a cadet, you must diligently complete your midterms.
Type: Main Story
Success Reward: Tiered payout based on ranking and contribution
Failure Penalty: None
The alert window popped up before his eyes.
Rohan opened his eyes at the quest trigger and sat up in the ship’s lounge, packed with male cadets.
He glanced outside.
‘I can see it.’
Even under the dim sky, his mana-enhanced eyes precisely captured the boundary between water and land.
An island far larger in volume than expected.
The uninhabited island where Orion Academy cadets would spend five days.
‘If I move sloppily, I won’t run into any monsters at all.’
As he took in the terrain as much as possible with that impression.
Juyeon’s voice echoed through the ship’s broadcast.
─ This is a broadcast for Class 1 cadets. Assemble at the 2nd-floor cafeteria in 10 minutes. Repeating. Class 1 cadets, assemble at the 2nd-floor cafeteria in 10 minutes.
─ If you see any friends still sleeping, wake them up. End of broadcast.
Click! The broadcast ended with a sound.
Rohan nudged Gilbert—who was snoring away—with his foot to wake him, then got up from the floor and hurried to prepare.
“...”
The cadets rose silently and continued preparing.
They gathered on the 2nd floor with time to spare before assembly.
“Don’t act rowdy. Find your partner first. Once you’ve met up, gather in front of an instructor.”
Rohan approached Ichinose, who’d claimed a spot right up front.
Conversation started naturally.
“How’s your condition?”
“No issues. Noah and I caught some shut-eye until now.”
He turned his head, and there was Noah.
Still groggy from sleep, she wobbled as she headed to find her partner.
The cadet paired with Noah Frozenheart was one of Class 1’s vanguards.
A female cadet named Corin.
Not a playable character in Abyss City, nor exceptionally skilled. Rohan had no particular info on her.
“Any cadets who haven’t found their partner?”
“““...”””
Silence.
Confirming no issues, Juyeon launched straight into the explanation.
“Before landing on the island, your instructors mentioned measures to prevent surviving five days on mana alone.”
With that, Juyeon held up a translucent sticker.
Tiny in volume, it bore geometric script fit for a talisman.
‘So that’s it.’
The other cadets might not know, but Rohan had anticipated this item.
“Stick this on your skin, and it has three effects.”
“...”
“You’ll get hungry, thirsty, and sleepy. That’s it.”
The quietly listening cadets flinched.
Five days already felt daunting.
“You won’t feel it right away, but sleep and hunger cycles come faster than usual. And they hit harder. That’s a bonus.”
Rohan eyed the sticker with a strange feeling.
The debuff from Abyss City that lowered recovery and speed had taken physical form.
“But no need to worry. This sticker comes off easily with mana.”
Juyeon unhesitatingly stuck one on the back of her hand.
It wouldn’t budge from scratching without mana or getting wet.
After showing it to the cadets once, Juyeon gathered mana in her finger and peeled it off.
“As you see, it loses effect the moment it comes off. Once used, it loses adhesion—can’t reapply, and forcing it shows.”
Juyeon tossed the now-gooey sticker into a nearby trash bin.
“Instructors will check and collect them after the exam. Keep it on until then.”
A bunch of stickers emerged from Juyeon’s pocket.
“I’ll apply them one by one. Show your napes.”
Stick! Stick! The sounds rang out briefly, then stopped.
It took seconds to sticker the entire Class 1.
“If you can’t endure island life, peel it off—no problem. It just affects your score.”
At Juyeon’s order to prepare to disembark, Rohan checked gear with Ichinose.
He even opened his status window and rolled his eyes.
Name: Rohan
Health: 99%
Mana: 98%
Affiliated Nation:Southern Ruins' Remnant
Affiliated Group:Orion Academy
Attributes: [Physical] [Fire]
Status: Desire Amplification
Remaining Points: 16,098P
‘...Desire Amplification.’
The name felt oddly impure somewhere, but what was Orion Academy?
This sticker on his nape clearly targeted only sleep and hunger.
“We’ll drop you in non-overlapping spots. The transport will hug the land, so disembark in called order. Understood?”
“““Yes!”””
Juyeon contacted the other instructors via the ship’s communicator.
Something extra came up, and she spoke again.
“One last thing: ignore anyone floating in the sky. They’re here for cadet safety—support staff.”
Forces to quickly rescue cadets sending distress signals and prevent unforeseen incidents.
From the Sepia Archipelago, a combat unit using floatstone gear to fly freely.
By sunrise next day, cadets would spot their armor and guess the supporting unit.
“Altitude’s low enough. Everyone to the deck.”
..
..
Rohan and Ichinose were third off the ship.
Salt air filled the atmosphere.
At the sea-island boundary, damp sand and soil crunched underfoot.
“Ichinose. How’s your condition?”
“Nothing yet.”
The girl with closed eyes fiddled with the sticker on her nape.
“Same here for now... but we should find a spot to rest first.”
“Heading into the forest?”
“Feels like they’d hide food and water inside rather than out here in the open. What do you think?”
“...”
The girl tapped the ground with her supply longsword—not her cherished Yoru.
“I can advance without issue even in the dark.”
“Not to your level, but I can see decently too.”
“Then before diving deep... let’s skim the surface, keeping the sea in sight.”
“Good call.”
The closer they got to the forest ahead, the fainter the waves sounded.
Stepping into a sunless forest might seem foolish, but for Ichinose—who lived in darkness—it was no different from day.
A chance to claim supplies faster than other cadets, too.
‘Save the Shop skill as much as possible.’
Mid-swing to clear vines with his sword and make a path.
Ichinose halted.
Rohan had sensed the presence too, so he didn’t ask why.
“There’s one.”
Without hesitation, the girl drew from her sheath.
────Fwee! She slashed.
─ Kreeek!
A bizarre shriek, and a bird tumbled from the tree.
Its severed head bore a sharp horn.
[+1P]
As Ichinose sheathed her sword, points came in.
“Hornbird.”
Official name: Hornbird. Hornbird was the Samhwa Nation term.
Rohan picked up the cleanly decapitated Hornbird.
“This Hornbird...”
“Problem?”
“It’s edible, right?”
Rohan’s voice lit up like he’d struck gold.
The girl froze in flustered shock.
Heir to Samhwa Nation’s largest conglomerate, Cheonoecheon.
Ichinose Yui, who’d lived far from the wild.
“Eh...?”
The prim girl’s tone and expression crumbled.