Let's Have a Spar
"...?"
Excuse me?
A massive question mark popped up in my head.
My friend, Milla.
Sure, she was incredibly strong and had a rather unique appearance, but she was a shy, sweet-tempered girl.
Granted, we had been friends for less than a minute.
But still.
"Really...?"
"Yeah."
She gave a short nod in response to my skeptical question.
The voice ringing in my ears was undoubtedly the Milla I knew.
But what was with her appearance?
How could someone change this much in the blink of an eye?
Unable to believe my eyes, I stepped closer to her.
I began to examine her face from every angle.
Mysterious dark-grey hair, grey horns with a strange texture, and above all, those amber, vertical-slit pupils that seemed to pierce right through me.
"U-um... Shina...?"
Under my relentless scrutiny, the mystical-looking girl's face flushed as red as an apple. Flustered, she slowly averted her gaze.
This shy, embarrassed reaction...
...Is it really Milla?
Seeing her react like this left no room for doubt.
Her outward appearance might have changed, but the soul inside was still the same bashful girl.
But why on earth did she suddenly transform like this...?
I stared at her unfamiliar features as she looked back at me, lost in thought.
Well...
I'm sure she has her reasons.
During my days as a hunter, I'd seen sights a thousand times more absurd than this.
And honestly, considering my own body had undergone a complete overhaul...
Whatever.
It's no big deal.
A change in appearance was about as shocking to me as someone changing their clothes.
I was the one who had swapped genders, aged backward, and had my level reset to one, after all...
Whatever her true identity was, the fact that we had agreed to be friends remained unchanged.
Shrugging it off, I turned back toward the classroom.
"Let's go. We're going to be late for class."
Her wings and tail fluttered gently as she followed behind me in her new form.
We walked back toward the quiet classroom as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
The moment we returned to the classroom and sat down, I felt a strange tension in the air.
The other kids were stealing glances, their eyes converging on a single spot.
For some reason, they seemed to be whispering about Milla next to me rather than about me.
Was it because her appearance had changed?
But at that moment—
Screeeeeeech!
An ear-splitting noise, like fingernails scraping down a blackboard, tore through the classroom.
"...!"
Immediately following that spine-chilling sound, the noisy classroom fell into a dead silence.
I leaned over and whispered softly to Milla, who was keeping her eyes glued to her desk.
"Everyone suddenly got really quiet..."
"Ahaha... Yeah."
I looked around the room and noticed the grim expressions on several of the kids' faces.
In particular, the boy who had been badmouthing Milla earlier was pale as a ghost, looking as if an invisible hand were choking him.
Yet, not everyone was paralyzed with fear.
Aside from Milla and me, three or four other kids sat perfectly calm, acting as if they hadn't heard a thing.
"..."
Well, it was probably nothing.
A moment later, the classroom door slid open, and a familiar face stepped inside.
"Hello, everyone! Are we all ready for class? My... you're all awfully quiet today."
Entering with a bright smile, the teacher, Jung Ah-young, brushed off the heavy silence in the room.
"Let's begin today's lesson. Oh, Shina, you don't have your textbook yet, right? Come by the teacher's office after school to pick it up. For today, just share with Milla."
I nodded quietly.
The teacher immediately pressed a piece of chalk to the blackboard and continued.
"Alright, let's get started. Where did we leave off yesterday?"
I stole a glance at Milla.
Her vertical pupils were glowing as she looked back at me.
With gentle hands, she pulled a book from her desk drawer and slid it toward me.
"Thanks."
With those words, I pulled my chair a bit closer to hers.
"U-uh, sure..."
With our sudden proximity, Milla's face flushed crimson once more as she looked away.
She really was as shy as ever.
Now then... let's see what elementary schoolers actually learn these days.
I casually looked down at the textbook in front of me.
But the moment I saw the illustrations and text on the open page, my brain short-circuited.
It was all too familiar.
No, "familiar" was an understatement. I had seen this stuff so many times I was utterly sick of it.
With a sinking feeling, I closed the book to check the title on the cover.
Dungeons and Monsters for Beginners
"Now, class, today we're going to learn about the ecology and weaknesses of the E-rank monster, the Goblin!"
As the teacher's cheerful voice echoed from the podium, I stared blankly and muttered under my breath.
"What in the world is this...?"
"Huh...? It's our Dungeons and Monsters class. We're literally learning about dungeons and monsters...?"
I stared blankly at the goblin's weaknesses written on the blackboard, lost in thought.
Those hideous abominations I used to slice down as easily as breathing inside the gates...
They were absolutely repulsive.
But...
Why on earth are they teaching this in school...???
Dungeons and monsters.
They were exhausting words.
I had spent the better part of my life crossing the line between life and death alongside them.
The foul stench, the sound of flesh tearing, the squelch of sticky blood—things far more gruesome than any crude illustration of a goblin in a textbook could ever convey.
My entire existence had been forged in that reality.
And yet...
Was it really okay for kids to be learning this?
A brief wave of ethical concern washed over me, but I quickly shook it off.
Come to think of it, every single child sitting in this classroom was an Awakened.
If they were destined to enter dungeons inside gates one day, memorizing a weakness or two beforehand would go a long way toward keeping them alive.
Well, not that I had any intention of ever stepping foot in one again.
Resting my chin on my hand, I let the teacher's enthusiastic lecture go in one ear and out the other.
Right, let's look on the bright side. Positively.
The material she was explaining was common sense already engraved into my very bones.
In other words, I was an expert among experts in this field.
At the very least... I wouldn't have to worry about my grades, right?
"Alright, everyone! Good job in class today. Next period is PE, so let's head over to the gym so we're not late!"
With a cheerful farewell, the teacher left the classroom.
One by one, the kids stood up and swarmed toward the back door.
Still unfamiliar with the school's layout, I turned to Milla, who was packing up her books next to me.
"Milla, where's the gym?"
"Oh, I'll show you the way. Follow me..."
Milla replied, her tail wagging gently.
Following her, I walked down the hallway and through the corridor leading to the annex.
And the moment the massive doors of the gym swung open—
"...Wow."
An exclamation of awe escaped my lips before I could stop it.
The sight before me completely shattered my expectations of what a school gym should look like.
Shock-absorbent flooring, high-durability reinforced walls...
No matter how I looked at it...
This was a spitting image of the training facilities I used during my active duty days.
In fact, considering the meticulous finishes and state-of-the-art equipment, this place might actually be a cut above.
This... is the standard for elementary schools nowadays?
If an elementary school gym is this advanced...
Then what on earth do middle and high schools look like...?
Soon, the bell signaling the start of class rang through the gym.
Once the kids had gathered, the teacher, now changed into a tracksuit, blew her whistle and began taking attendance.
After finishing the roll call, she clapped her hands together.
"Alright, before we get into the main activity! Let's pair up in groups of two and do some light warm-up stretches!"
The moment the words left her mouth, the kids scrambled, eyeing each other to find partners.
But I didn't even have to think about it.
I naturally turned my head to the right...
And there was Milla, her eyes already locked onto me.
The moment our eyes met, a relieved smile spread across her face, and she quickly stepped closer.
"You'll... partner with me, right?"
"Yeah. Of course."
"T-then... should I push you first...?"
Milla shuffled over and carefully positioned herself behind me.
Her voice carried her trademark timidity.
"Yep. Ready!"
As I sat on the floor, spreading my short legs to the sides, Milla placed her small palms against my back.
Through the thin fabric of my T-shirt, I could feel a faint warmth radiating from her hands.
And then...
Squeeeeeze!
"...!!!"
The sudden, immense pressure forced all the air out of my lungs, making me gasp.
As Milla leaned her weight into her tiny frame, my upper body was helplessly pressed flat against the floor.
"A-are you okay? Does it hurt...?"
Milla poked her head over my shoulder, looking worried.
Her large eyes fluttered and blinked in panic right in front of my face.
"Yeah... I'm fine..."
Even though I was practically folded in half, a pleasant, languid sensation of my muscles stretching washed over me rather than pain.
It was a relief that this underdeveloped body was naturally flexible and light.
"Okay, my turn to push..."
"Okay...! Please go easy on me...?"
As we switched places, Milla took her position with a slightly tense expression.
She stretched out her smooth, pale legs and leaned forward.
Taking a deep breath, I reached out and placed both hands on Milla's back.
Puuush...
"...?"
But the sensation against my palms was completely different from what I had expected.
It looked like a small, cute back, but no matter how hard I pushed, it felt like trying to move a solid brick wall.
"Um, Shina... you're pushing, right...?"
Milla tilted her head and asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
Her voice was so calm that it actually sparked my competitive streak.
"U-uh, yeah... I'm going to push for real now."
Flustered, I planted my knees firmly on the floor, threw my entire body weight against her back, and pushed with all my might.
My arm muscles strained, and I dug my toes into the floor.
"Nnnrgh...!"
Pouring every ounce of strength into it until my tiny body trembled, Milla's upper body finally began to tilt forward, millimeter by millimeter.
At the same time, I saw the back of her fair neck gradually flush a deep pink.
"Ah... Ow, ow, ow...!"
Her previous composure vanished instantly.
A soft groan escaped Milla's lips.
The slight trembling of her back vibrated directly through my palms.
"Haa... Haa..."
The moment I let go, Milla sat back up and turned to look at me as I panted heavily.
"Shina... are you okay? Your face is super red..."
She stared in confusion at the beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
"Y-yeah... I'm fine. It's... nothing..."
I tried to sound nonchalant as I caught my breath, but my trembling limbs betrayed my desperate attempt to act cool.
"Alright... today, we're going to do a sparring demonstration!"
Addressing the children gathered after the warm-up, the teacher spoke in her usual gentle voice.
Sparring...?
Isn't that a bit dangerous for kids...?
As if echoing the doubt in my mind, a nearby student raised their hand with a worried look.
"Teacher...! What if someone gets seriously hurt during the spar?"
"It's alright~ Don't worry. Your teacher is actually quite strong, you know!"
She continued, her eyes curved into crescent crescents as she smiled.
"Now then... I've randomly selected the opponents, so please come forward when your name is called."
Her finger stopped as she scanned the attendance sheet.
"Kim Shina. And Lee Jae-min."
I'm up first?
I stood up, feeling a strange mix of anticipation and awkwardness.
Beside me, Milla clenched her fists, silently cheering me on.
But when I walked out to the center of the sparring ring and faced my opponent...
It was a familiar face.
The very punk who had been whispering nasty rumors about Milla earlier.
"What? It's you?"
His name was Lee Jae-min.
Whatever terror had made him turn pale earlier was completely gone, replaced by his trademark smug, irritating smirk.
"..."
Not even finding him worth a response, I let his provocative words slide right past me, maintaining my silence.
Sparring...
I'd certainly done my fair share of this in the past.
But I knew very well that this situation was vastly different. At the very least, this wasn't a brutal battlefield reeking of blood.
As I stood there lost in thought, the teacher approached me and asked gently.
"Shina... do you happen to know how to use any weapons? Ah, you don't have to use one, of course, I was just curious..."
"I'm fine."
I gave a brief reply, casting a flat gaze forward.
Why on earth would I need a weapon to deal with a punk like him?
In front of me, Lee Jae-min was showing off, swinging a wooden practice sword around with a cocky grin.
Watching his sloppy movements and arrogant eyes, the corners of my mouth naturally twitched upward.
A text conversation I'd had with Ethan before coming to school flashed through my mind.
'Right, still...'
'First impressions are all about establishing dominance.'
Establishing dominance...
I looked at the boy and let out a smirk. I like the sound of that.
"Hmm...?"
The teacher, Jung Ah-young, suddenly felt an ominous chill run down her spine, causing her brow to furrow involuntarily.
The air surrounding the transfer student, Shina, as she prepared to spar, was subtly vibrating.
The young girl's quiet muttering faintly reached Ah-young's ears.
"What would be best... I wonder..."
As if weighing a delightful set of options, Shina whispered with a deep, knowing smile playing on her lips.
"Would a single Lightning Strike be enough?"