Early Withdrawal (2)
Hana Rin lay on her bed in her sky-blue bear pajamas, idly rolling around. Her expression, however, was far from relaxed. It was serious and cold.
It was her very first day as a magic instructor at the Hunter Training Center, yet so much had changed. Her thoughts, her mindset.
At first, it had been the competitive spirit toward Hwang Ha-na that brought her here. But now there was someone who bothered her even more.
Even Hwang Ha-na had been surprised by her record in the Hunter category, yet now, in the field of magic where her own territory lay, a talent had appeared that surpassed even that.
Lee Do-hyeon.
A trainee whose talent rivaled the best in the world and went beyond Hana Rin’s own, and whose skill acquisition was even superior to Hwang Ha-na’s. It was no wonder her thoughts and mindset had changed.
The kind of talent that let her copy magic at a glance was something she couldn’t even imagine. That was why she felt it so keenly.
She had shown Hwang Ha-na her competitive spirit because she had been thinking only of climbing higher. But if she continued like this, she would be overtaken before she even reached the top.
That thought made Hana Rin stop rolling around on the bed and sit up.
I can’t let that happen.
Since she couldn’t just let herself be overtaken like that, Hana Rin changed her clothes. There had been nothing to do before dinner, so she had been resting comfortably in her room. But now was not the time.
There was nothing new to learn about magic itself, yet she was determined to study harder to advance even if she had missed something. She flipped through the magic books as she changed.
And then.
Ji Yu-chan, right?
Perhaps Ji Yu-chan, who seemed to have talent on a level similar to hers, would also be overtaken if he continued like this. He could lose first place to second, that was possible.
But third place? That was simply not going to happen.
With that resolve, Hana Rin practiced magic even more intently.
And she didn’t forget to contact the Magic Association either.
Hello? Ah, Director Park Hyun-woo. Sorry to bother you, but I have a favor to ask.
The moment she got to the point, Park Hyun-woo’s reaction was obvious. He sounded bewildered.
What kind of nonsense is this out of the blue?!
Hana Rin didn’t care. She told Park Hyun-woo again.
I’m about to enter the Black Gate. A party? Well, that’s…
When the Black Gate information class began, Kim A-reum once again explained from the beginning what she had already covered.
You remember what I said last time about entering Black Gates only as a party?
Some trainees nodded in response, and Kim A-reum continued with a nod. The rule that only parties could enter Black Gates was the basic premise.
And inside the Black Gate itself, the same rule applied.
You can’t enter any barrier or dungeon area usable inside the Black Gate unless you’re a party. For example, if a trainee like Lee Do-hyeon entered with his 1st party and went off on his own to hunt in the field, the rest of the 1st party couldn’t go to any dungeon or safe zone.
If you weren’t a party, you would be denied entry anywhere.
As I mentioned before, there was another reason for the forced party system.
And every dungeon and party inside the Black Gate left a record. The outside of the dungeon would have words like “A party from which dimension set the record.” It felt strangely like a game. The fact that there was no system like in novels or games was the weird part. If there had been, Korea would have been ranked much higher. What a pity.
The trainees who listened to the lecture nodded along without realizing it. If there had really been a system, wouldn’t Korean people have been flying around everywhere?
Of course, Lee Do-hyeon flinched slightly when he heard that, but no one else noticed.
Lee Do-hyeon listened to the lecture again and couldn’t help but think about the story.
Because only he could read the system.
Hmmm… Is this system not one I created myself, but something that already existed and is only visible to my eyes?
That was the thought that kept coming to him while listening.
Was his ability not making him able to view a system that already existed, but one that let him analyze and see it?
And wasn’t acquiring stats or skills simply through the process of analysis?
He could make such a guess. Whether true or false, it was the same, but Lee Do-hyeon thought about the Black Gate while he thought that. A world where parties were forced and competing with parties from other dimensions. It wasn’t just competition.
If you ranked inside the top of the record competition, you would naturally get a large amount of points. As everyone knows, without those points, the Black Gate would release monsters. It was quite a nasty death game.
He didn’t know who had created it, but it was cruel.
Still, Lee Do-hyeon felt confident. With only his Analysis, he could win any competition.
Until now, no one, not even the S-class Hwang Ha-na, Ji Yu-chan, or Hana Rin, had been able to match his ability. He would be able to exert his power among the other-dimensional species as well.
Earlier he had worried what would happen if an overwhelming stronger opponent appeared, but after the lecture he no longer felt that worry.
After promotion, one could not enter the Black Gate of the previous rank, so it was somewhat well-managed. If you possessed power that went beyond that zone, the difficulty would naturally rise and move on to the next zone with a load that gradually increased pressure.
Knowledge was power, as they said.
Lee Do-hyeon finished listening to the class with that peace of mind.
Of course, that meant they would form parties with similar strength that could be promoted together. Usually, after withdrawing from the training center and joining a guild, the guild would assign parties, or if not affiliated with a guild, the Association would manage it.
Listening to that, Lee Do-hyeon suddenly wondered who he would party with. According to Hwang Ha-na, they would need the Association’s help for the time being, so he looked forward to forming a party under Association management.
It would be nice if I could get new skills too.
After the information class ended, it was time for dinner. The trainees gathered to eat.
At lunch they had eaten by class, but now there was no point in that. Both the 1st and 2nd classes had gathered together to eat as one.
It was silly to have separate dining areas in a wide dining hall, and splitting up among adults like that was even funnier.
So they gathered and ate, and naturally the conversation flowed.
Everyone, what are you guys doing after dinner?
Hmmm, just resting. Whoa, today was tough too…
Yeah, getting up from dawn is never easy. I’m tired too.
Yeah, the wake-up time in the society is honestly impossible.
Hehe, honestly, we’re all god-born.
As they chatted, their eyes naturally turned toward Lee Do-hyeon and Ji Yu-chan, who drew so much attention.
It was an instinct they couldn’t help. Handsome, talented, and physically fit Ji Yu-chan and the Korean, no, world’s best talent Lee Do-hyeon.
When the other trainees sent questioning looks as if asking what they would do later, Ji Yu-chan glanced at them quietly.
I’m just doing physical training.
Whoa, tough guy.
Whoa, oppa Ji Yu-chan is amazing…
Since he was the third oldest among them, Kim Yong-chan and Park Dong-wook reacted as if it was great.
Park Dong-wook had become quite dejected since the practical training and was apologizing to Ji Yu-chan, so he looked a bit pitiful, but no one pitied him over it.
Anyway, the other trainees nodded in agreement with Ji Yu-chan’s words.
Huuung~ Ji Yu-chan oppa is so diligent, right?
Even a genius works hard… What do we eat to live.
Hyung, please calm down… If hyung says that, then I have to too, don’t I?
That’s right, Ji Yu-chan oppa. Rest when you rest.
Some of them joked with Ji Yu-chan, and Ji Yu-chan just smiled faintly and didn’t say anything.
Then some turned to look at the one sitting quietly next to him, Lee Do-hyeon, and asked.
Then what about Do-hyeon oppa?
Oppa training too?
Sigh, you don’t know oppa Ji Yu-chan, but real oppa Do-hyeon should rest.
…Exactly.
Hyung, please act human and rest.
Just as everyone told Lee Do-hyeon to rest like a human, someone walked into the trainee dining hall.
The crisp sound of footsteps and the faint but unmistakable chill that made the air of the dining hall feel cold made everyone turn their heads. There, someone unexpected had entered.
Hana Rin, still with her cold expression and icy blue light flickering in her hair and eyes, had appeared. The trainees buzzed with sudden noise.
Hana Rin… Instructor?
Why is Instructor Narin…?
Umm?
The unexpected arrival caused a stir, but Hana Rin paid it no mind.
She looked at Lee Do-hyeon and said.
Lee Do-hyeon trainee, after dinner come to the magic training ground. I’ll do the class I couldn’t do earlier.
Yes, understood.
Lee Do-hyeon was a bit taken aback, but recalling that he had only listened to the skill class earlier and hadn’t been able to attend the magic one, he nodded.
The time after dinner was free, but even though time had been taken away it wasn’t a huge loss if he could learn magic.
Lee Do-hyeon answered casually, and Hana Rin turned as if her business was done. Then she suddenly turned toward Lee Do-hyeon.
She gave him a quick glance and said.
See you later.
…?
What’s with her now? Lee Do-hyeon scratched his cheek, thinking she might have been a bit too much earlier.
She seemed annoyed, so he didn’t take it to heart and went back to eating. But after Hana Rin left, the other trainees started making a fuss.
What, what!
What’s between the two of them?
Come to think of it, you acted like you knew her earlier… ___
Haha, what’s the relationship with Instructor Hana Rin, Lee Do-hyeon!
Talent plus Instructor Hana Rin!
Ehehe?
Is there really something with oppa Do-hyeon?
…No way.
The men looked at Lee Do-hyeon with tears in their eyes as if they were about to cry, and the women looked at him with strange eyes as if asking what kind of atmosphere this was.
Lee Do-hyeon looked at the fussing people with a dumbfounded expression and muttered.
It’s just about doing a magic class.
…It doesn’t seem like just that.
Even Ji Yu-chan said that, and Lee Do-hyeon shook his head in annoyance.
Why are they acting like this over just a class.
With that exact expression, the other men had never shown that much jealousy toward the talented Lee Do-hyeon before, but now they were closing their eyes tightly and fuming. The women were looking at him with strange expressions too.
Even Ji Yu-chan was looking at him with that same strange look.