Bear Grizzly's Survival Cooking Class
"No way, if there's no instructor, just cancel the class. Does it make any sense to go all the way outside the academy for a substitute lesson, Boss?"
Jinwoo kept grumbling even after we'd left the academy grounds, clearly still pissed about the whole thing.
"Isn't it way better than sitting around studying, though?"
I genuinely preferred these experiential classes, so I meant it. But Jinwoo just stared at me like I was speaking another language.
"Nah, skipping academy altogether is the best option! Ugh... the world is really out to get me..."
Why did he hate the academy so much?
"Is it because of the mentoring? Artemis Guild members are famous for their looks, after all. Didn't their guild master Han Yeo-eun have a million fan club members?"
It was a pretty well-known story on the community forums, so I remembered it clearly. She always topped the polls for hottest NPC.
"What?! That witch has a fan club?! What, like a gathering of water buffaloes or something?"
Sea-a, who'd been walking ahead, whipped around and grabbed Jinwoo by the collar at his words.
"You! What did you just call our goddess Han Yeo-eun?!"
"Ack?! What's your deal all of a sudden?"
"You said 'water buffalo' just now!"
"You... you're a fan of that witch?"
"Goddess, not witch! That's blasphemy!!"
...Who knew Sea-a was in Artemis's fan club, the Moonlight Squad. I didn't have great memories of that woman myself, but I should probably watch my mouth around Sea-a.
"Anyway, the security's still tight even outside the academy."
I looked around to avoid watching their bickering. There were things I'd never noticed before: hidden CCTVs, drones everywhere, and private security guards. They must've ramped up after yesterday's incident and today's event.
"Oh, that? I heard the parents' association chipped in. The families of the academy's big shots are no joke."
Sea-a explained while shaking Jinwoo by the collar.
"Especially the first-years' parents—they were super intense. Instructor said one even threatened to tear the place apart if security didn't shape up."
Hmm... hard to comment on that.
My family's partly to blame, after all.
Parnello had told me this morning that Dad had chewed out the president.
My gaze drifted to the new black fog ability I'd just acquired.
...I kinda felt bad for the president.
But he'd had my back during today's event, so maybe I'd paid off a bit of that debt.
"Still, I was shocked. Never thought I'd meet the legendary Gwak Chunsik in person."
"The old man's not some monster from a legend."
"Not like that, obviously! It was just... overwhelming. You know? He's been hard to see since that incident a few years back."
Ah, that one.
"He's coming on as a teacher soon anyway. You'll see him whether you like it or not."
Sea-a, who'd been marching steadily, froze in place.
"Pardon?"
"Huh? Didn't I mention?"
I'd planned to bring him in from the start; the terror incident just delayed it. According to him, he'd sort things out step by step and join the academy staff.
For the president, with his current mess, getting Gwak Chunsik on board would feel like reinforcements from heaven. The old man had bad blood with the association and the raw power to crush them outright—a huge asset.
"Gwak Chunsik joining as an instructor? That'd cause a huge stir. It's no exaggeration to say he basically defined modern aura operation."
Youngje and Jinwoo nodded in agreement with Sea-a.
That's when it came from the front.
"Everyone, halt! Gather around."
We'd reached the destination. The instructor's voice boomed.
We clustered as ordered. He scanned us with a sweep of his eyes, then launched into the lesson with a thunderous voice.
"Welcome to survival class, rookies."
We were at the entrance to the mountain behind the academy. Speaking to us was one of the instructors, the dungeon survival expert known as Bear Grizzly.
...So that's what the class was. Survival training.
Survival classes taught how to endure any environment—essential curriculum for heroes who dove into dungeons constantly.
"You should've heard why we're doing practicals outside. With seniors like the Nine Skies backing it, even the president and other instructors couldn't say no. Hope you'll cut us some slack."
He snapped to parade rest with a sharp crack.
"That's why this instructor marched you here—to set up a near-real battlefield. What you'll face today will become the flesh and blood of your future survival skills."
The other students gulped, faces tense. It was the first time Bear Grizzly had come outside and looked this serious.
As everyone stared nervously and he silently scanned us with an unreadable expression, he shifted back to attention and pulled a knife from his pocket. He jammed it into a tree in front of him.
"Assume you've steeled yourselves. Here's today's lesson."
Tension peaked.
"...This instructor will be conducting a cooking class."
"Huh?"
Confused voices echoed from all around.
...Cooking class, huh.
I'd suspected as much heading to the back mountains, but now that it was real, I was getting a little excited.
"As you felt yesterday, dungeons can go berserk and suck you in anytime. Some even form their own ecosystems."
Dungeons came in all shapes: towers, underground lairs like yesterday's, and fully self-sustaining ones.
Knowing their traits and survival tactics was crucial.
"Surviving a dungeon ain't hard! Just tell edible from inedible—that's half the battle. And good food boosts morale big time."
He drew a baton from his belt and pointed sharply at the mountain behind him with perfect form.
"You know this as the academy's back mountains. Full of training dungeons, its vibes and remnants from past clears created a unique ecosystem—a mini demon realm, you could say."
But! He continued.
"Academy staff are stationed inside to bail you out before things get dicey. No need to worry."
That explained the heavy presence earlier. Smart planning.
In-game, it was just a low-mob forest anyway—not dangerous.
Perfect for studying dungeon ecosystems. A tutorial spot, basically.
"Alright, first: find your cooking partner. Pair up in twos. Pick someone you like. Go!"
Kids started teaming up with their usual buddies.
Easy—I'd go with the club members. For foraging ingredients and scouting terrain with minimal effort, teaming with detection expert Sea-a made sense.
I scanned for her... but.
"Team with me! Me! I'll die without youuu!!"
"Why me?! Go with someone else! Teaming with Eugene means guaranteed perfect score—why cling to me?!"
"Have you seen the boss cook? I suck at it! Save me! Please! I'll hook you up with Han Yeo-eun! Pleeease!!"
Jinwoo was already begging on his knees. Maybe too much baggage for a team.
Then Youngje...
"No partner? Sure, let's team up."
"Whoa! Thanks, class rep! You saved me!"
Youngje had gotten picked as class rep, apparently.
Who was left...
"U-um, H-Han Yujin?"
"Hm?"
I turned at the voice behind me. A black-haired girl with flushed cheeks.
She was...
"Mari Nate?"
"Y-yes! Y-you remember my name?"
"...You're the vice class rep. I memorize all the class names."
"Oh... right!"
She was usually silent, barely noticeable. Long curly black hair in ponytails, always clutching a doll. Her eyes were hidden by bangs, but calling her name flustered her.
"...So, what's up?"
Never spoken to her before, so why call me now?
"Y-yes... um... y-yeah?"
"You called my name."
"Ah, r-right! It's just... I'm kinda scared of stuff... S-sorry! Th-the truth is, I don't have a partner... C-could you maybe team with me...?"
She peeked from behind her doll, hesitant despite approaching first.
Teaming with Mari Nate for survival cooking...
"Sure."
"I-I see. As expected... Huh? F-for real?"
She jumped at my answer.
"What, was it a joke?"
"N-no! Of course not!"
"You want to team up, right?"
"Y-yes!"
"Good. Looking forward to it, Mari Nate."
Truth is, I needed you too.