New Faces: The Sloppy Teacher and the Icelandic Transfer Student
A new week dawned, with the demon and the transfer student. Yoo Seha and Dahong walked side by side. A spring breeze scattered cherry blossoms. Ruby wagged her tail in Dahong's arms, watching the petals drift down. A peaceful morning.
For most people, anyway.
"Yoo Seha."
"...Y-Yes."
"Did you sort and put away all the laundry yesterday?"
"...You'd know if there's nothing left on the balcony."
"My underwear too?"
"Dahong!" Seha's face turned bright red.
Dahong kept walking ahead, her expression blank. But the corner of her mouth twitched upward ever so slightly. She played innocent.
"What's wrong? It's just laundry talk."
"You're doing this on purpose."
"Doing what?"
"......"
Seha let out a deep sigh. It was his own fault for getting caught—he had no choice but to endure Dahong's teasing for a while.
"You shouldn't bring it to school."
"I don't!" Seha yelped.
"Don't bring what?"
"!"
Seha whipped around in surprise. Han Isol stood there, eyes wide as saucers.
"Huh?"
"N-Nothing!"
Isol tilted her head. Dahong drawled lazily, her tail drooping.
"The day before yesterday, Seha~."
"Whoa!" Seha lunged to cover Dahong's mouth. Isol stifled a laugh at the sight.
Ever since Dahong arrived, Seha seemed... different. More lively, more confident. Brighter, maybe. She wasn't sure exactly, but it felt like a positive change. Good for him.
The three entered the classroom. Yoon Harin and Park Jinho were already seated.
"Oh, hey."
Jinho raised a hand. Seha waved back and took his seat. Dahong settled into the empty desk behind him—her usual spot.
The bell rang. Students shuffled to their places, chatter dying down. The front door opened. Kang Seoyeonn stepped in. But something was off about her vibe today. No attendance book in hand.
"I have something to say today."
"...?"
The room fell silent.
"As of today, I'm stepping down as homeroom teacher."
A murmur rippled through the class.
"What?"
"Like I said at the start, I was only temporary. The term's up."
"Aww—"
"Teacher Seoyeonn—"
A few girls voiced their disappointment. Seoyeonn chuckled softly and raised a hand to quiet them.
"But we have a new homeroom teacher starting today."
"New teacher?"
Curiosity lit up some faces. Regret was one thing—gossip was another.
Seoyeonn glanced at the door.
"Come on in."
The door opened. A man entered. Skinny build. Wrinkled shirt. Loosely knotted tie. Scruffy beard. Unkempt hair flopping over his forehead. Half-lidded eyes that looked utterly exhausted.
In one word: a total mess.
The classroom vibe turned icy.
Seoyeonn nodded to him.
"Please introduce yourself."
The man stood at the podium, scanning the room with dull eyes.
"Name's Baek Sian. Your homeroom teacher from today. Nice to meet you."
Silence. Someone clapped reluctantly, and the sound trickled out one by one.
Seoyeonn cleared her throat lightly.
"Teacher Baek is an A-rank hunter. He's got a sharper eye for teaching than I do, and he's great in every way. Listen to him."
"......"
No one bought it.
"Who is that guy?"
"Teacher Seoyeonn was a hundred times better."
"Shave that beard, dude."
Baek Sian ignored them, shoving his hands in his pockets. Seoyeonn eyed the class.
"I personally asked him to take this. Play nice."
"Yeeeah..."
The responses were half-hearted at best.
"And one more thing."
Heads perked up. Seoyeonn called toward the door.
"Come in."
The door opened again. A blonde girl entered. Long hair down to her waist. Big eyes. Pale skin. The class buzzed.
"Foreigner?"
"She's pretty."
"Transfer student?"
The girl stood tensely at the podium.
"Exchange student from Iceland. Go ahead and introduce yourself."
She bowed awkwardly.
"Ariella Sigrín Jónasdóttir... desu."
Her Korean was stiff, unnatural.
"From Iceland... I came. Korean... studied for two weeks. Still not good. Kamsahamnida."
Each word came out labored.
"Two weeks and she can say that much?"
"She's a genius...?"
Seoyeonn patted Ariella's shoulder.
"She was supposed to go to Greenwich Royal Academy in England, but personal reasons brought her here. Take good care of her, everyone."
The murmurs shifted tone.
"Greenwich? Isn't that Europe's top academy?"
"She got into there and came here?"
"What personal reasons?"
Ariella scanned for an empty seat. Her eyes met Isol's. Isol had been staring wide-eyed since she walked in.
"Ah!"
Ariella recognized her too.
"Isol!?"
"Jajangmyeon!"
Isol beamed and waved. Ariella grinned, hurrying to her side.
"You know her?"
Seha asked.
"We helped her when she got lost over the weekend. With Harin and Big Sis Dahong."
"Ah, got it."
That explained where Dahong had gone that day—they'd hung out with these two.
Then Ariella's gaze drifted to the back of the room. Window seat. White hair. Horns. Red eyes.
Dahong stared out the window. Ariella's face hardened.
"You... that time..."
Dahong turned to her. Ariella panicked. Why was a demon in the classroom? And why was everyone acting like it was normal? Sitting there, attending class like it was nothing?
Seoyeonn stepped in, diffusing the tension.
"Take the empty seat next to Isol. Ariella, ask your classmates if you need anything."
"Ah, yes!"
Ariella sat beside Isol—opposite Seha.
"Alright, listen up in class."
Seoyeonn left. Baek Sian stood at the podium, staring at the students for a long moment. As they exchanged baffled looks, he finally spoke.
"Good."
Thud. He planted both hands on the desk and leaned forward.
"To the training ground."
"...Pardon?"
The students gawked at Baek Sian.
"On the first day?"
"First day, yeah. Gotta see what you can do. Professors'll handle theory anyway."
Baek Sian stepped down from the podium, hands in pockets, and walked out without looking back.
The students blinked at each other.
"...We should go, right?"
"Probably?"
Chairs scraped. They grabbed their gear and followed awkwardly.
Outdoor training ground. Students lined up by roll call number. Ariella stood at the very end as a temp.
Baek Sian swept his weary gaze over them.
"Sparring. I'll pair you up. Keep it light—no need for full power."
"...?"
How could a new teacher pair them so confidently? Skill levels in Class A varied wildly—from top students like Isol to bare-minimum passers.
The students eyed each other uneasily. But as Baek Sian started calling pairs, their doubts faded.
"Yoon Harin, Choi Wonhyuk."
Harin grabbed her training axe and stepped up. Her opponent wielded a greatsword—a strong student, group two leader, though not quite Isol or Harin level.
"Park Jinho, Lee Taemin."
Jinho hefted his mace and shield. Taemin was a dual-wield frontliner dealer.
"Huh..."
"They're matching similar skill levels...?"
Students tilted their heads. Then.
"Han Isol."
Isol stepped forward.
"Ariella."
The class buzzed. Isol was undisputed first-year top dog—solid B-rank, maybe higher. She'd only ranked second because Sangjun's salamander had better growth potential, not because she was weaker.
And now she was up against the new transfer student? Harin usually sparred with her—Isol always won, but still.
Most students shot worried glances at Ariella. Isol would hold back, but accidents happened.
Ariella advanced with a determined face—nothing like the girl scarfing jajangmyeon.
"Yoo Seha."
Seha turned.
"Jo Hyein."
A quiet girl with black bobbed hair stepped forward softly. Necromancer who summoned skeletons, right? Seha hadn't talked to her much.
"Nice to meet you."
Hyein said in a small voice.
"Ah, yeah. You too."
Seha replied awkwardly.
Baek Sian stood in the center and clapped.
"Begin."
Seha faced Hyein. She thrust her hands out quick—a black magic circle bloomed on the ground.
Crack, grind. Bones assembled. Two sword skeletons, one shieldbearer, one archer. Balanced team.
Seha deployed his own summoning circle. No Ruby or Dahong—they were too dangerous for sparring. Demon Fly, Shadow Imp, and Paldalis popped out. The Shadow Imp immediately melted into the shadows.
'Gotta rely on myself—time to grow.'
A bit vague for a summoner, but Seha stroked Paldalis's back. The black lizard exhaled smoke.
Hyein tensed, ordering her skeletons.
"Go!"
Clatter. They shambled forward. Seha launched the Demon Fly and had Paldalis keep smoking. The air filled with glittering haze.
'What? Stealth?'
Hyein wondered. Everyone knew Seha barely had summons—bottom of the class on day one because of it. But now three new ones? She tensed up.
Still, Seha wasn't attacking—just doing weird stuff.
'If they won't come, I'll go to them!'
Hyein waited cautiously for the smoke to clear. But when it did, she jolted.
All skeletons—gone.
"What!?"
She tried resummoning frantically, but the ritual said they were already out.
'How?'
Then Seha charged. Mana condensed at his fingertips—visible. But so obvious? No way she'd take it head-on. She prepped to dodge.
Except Seha didn't charge her—he fired a mana shot into the air.
Crack!
"!?"
Something solid shattered. Clatter, crumble. Bones collapsed.
'Not dispelled—they were just disguised invisible!'
Hyein urgently commanded her sword skeletons. They swung wildly—clank—but Seha was already out of range.
Too late for mana detection now; her eyes couldn't be trusted.
Then.
"Eep!"
A giggle from behind. Hyein dodged—the Shadow Imp's tiny trident smashed her spot.
"Ugh...!"
Seha smashed another skeleton in the gap. Hyein dodged attacks frantically before tripping. Precisely when Seha crushed the last one.
"...I lose."
Hyein admitted defeat. Seha offered a hand.
"Maybe keep one skeleton hidden as backup."
Hyein took it and stood.
"Thanks for the tip. Never seen a summoner who charges in like that."
She was genuinely impressed.
"Haha, well, no solid summons left..."
Seha smiled wryly.
Then—boom! An explosion, followed by shocked voices.
"No way?"
"For real...?"
Seha and Hyein turned. Behind them, Isol slumped on the ground with Ariella. Isol's wooden sword lay far off.
"Huh?"
"Isol... lost?"
Baek Sian watched impassively, arms crossed.