The Enrollment Ceremony
[Ding!]
Bound with the White Tiger. The golden energy (?), seeps into the body.
**********
"......I'm not some pathetic pussy."
"I've never made such a filthy noise in my life."
"I only sat next to you. I didn't grope your groin and make a fuss."
"I've never come the instant it went in, or trembled like a dog while spraying on command."
"And I'm not the kind who gets off watching Cheonghwa and Yuyeon."
"......What exactly do you think I am?"
"Seolhye, instead of making excuses, change into your uniform. Didn't they say you need to wear your dress uniform for the enrollment ceremony?"
"Ughhh..."
When she woke up in the morning, Seolhye tried to deny last night's events, but it was swept aside without a second thought.
"Yuyeon. Why are your clothes like that again?"
"...I run hot, don't I. I had them hemmed to be shorter, but... I didn't expect them to turn out this short."
"Then you didn't check before submitting them? Wipe the cum off your pubic hair first."
"Tch... Damn it, Hwanhyeon. How cheap are you? You said you'd clean it off earlier, but it keeps coming out."
Yeah, I went at it too much last night. Midway through, the semen was starting to thin out, but when I pulled Yuyeon into my arms, it got thick again.
"How is that my fault? You're the one who kept making me hard. Anyway, are you really going out looking like that?"
"...I don't think anything's going to feel cooler than this."
"Right now, the outfit isn't the issue. At least put on my clothes."
"Honestly, it might not be that bad..."
"...I think I understand why Jujak Hall gets such strange reviews."
While they were bickering, a unfamiliar voice cut in.
"Hya... hyaaack!"
The moment Jinyul revealed her appearance, she let out a shriek while staring at Yuyeon.
The long skirt covering her knees, buttons fastened all the way to her neck. But inside, there was definitely a obscene pair of breasts hiding.
"...I'll change."
Jinyul's horrified expression must have been shocking, because Yuyeon could only take the clothes from Cheonghwa with a helpless look.
—Whoosh!
"Um... uh..."
"What? We've already seen everything there is to see, haven't we?"
She was right, but stripping down that suddenly was bound to catch you off guard.
"We need to hurry before it's too late. Move quickly."
**********
—Next up is a greeting speech from the Principal.
After passing through all manner of empty formalities, it was finally the turn of Aunt Yeoryeong.
"Fuck... when is this going to end."
Yuyeon had been restless since earlier. Maybe after changing into Cheonghwa's clothes, heat had been building in her body, because she couldn't sit still for even a moment.
"Yuyeon, be quiet. We need to listen to the Heavenly Fox teacher's words."
"Shee... tell that old woman to hurry up and get off the stage."
—Click. Click. Click.
Sharp heels echoed through the microphone.
—S-rank Hunter 'Gold Miss'! What a spectacle!
Gold Miss. That was the alias of the S-rank hunter who had always worn a mask, gaining immense popularity through her distinctive speech patterns and cold demeanor.
"So Aunt Yeoryeong is that hunter..."
After some point, whenever the topic of hunters made me uncomfortable, I'd tried to avoid the industry news altogether. Yet even without looking closely, I could tell they were related. I just hadn't known my aunt was that hunter until Cheonghwa introduced her.
| Ah, can everyone hear me? |
| Wearing a mask all the time gets uncomfortable. There's no need for it anymore. |
—Swish.
Her first action upon stepping onto the stage was to cast aside the mask she hadn't removed in twenty years.
—Ooooh...
What was revealed was a stunning beauty of the cool-beauty archetype with a perfectly expressionless face.
Gasps erupted from all around. It was understandable — after all, she was a fox spirit capable of bewitching people and draining their vital energy.
Called a "Heavenly Fox" for her beauty that rivaled the heavens, but that beauty hadn't gone anywhere.
| Everyone, rise. Pay respects to the Principal. |
—Snap!
—Immediately.
Hundreds of people stood at once and bowed in unison. A sight that might appear in news headlines a few hours later.
| Be seated. |
A heavy, scratching sound of someone stroking their throat echoed.
Now the real show begins.
Aunt glanced around the hall. In the process, I got the feeling our eyes met.
"It seemed like you were just watching us. Perhaps confirming that the Master is doing well?"
"Mm. I wasn't the only one who felt that."
Then Aunt opened her mouth.
| You are all weak. |
—Murmuring.
The hall erupted into noise. Panic and resentment spread from the sudden provocation.
| The entrance exam — barely anyone dies from a D-rank gate, you can count the deaths on two hands. |
| Of course, there may be someone among you who will one day match a hero in strength. |
But not yet.
Right now, even if every last one of you charged at me from this very spot, not a single one of you would reach my fingertips.
| If you cannot survive, no power will keep its light forever. |
| So survive. |
| With your comrades, |
| Overcome any hardship and adversity |
| With a strong will. |
| Trust the student beside you. |
| Don't let the competition blind you, |
| Don't come to hate them. |
| Never forget that the comrade who will face the gates beside you |
| is always the one who matters. |
The murmuring settled. First drawing attention with provocative words, then revealing the true intent — a textbook motivational speech.
| Ah, |
| Congratulations on your enrollment in the Academy. |
| That is all. |
—Bim-ba-bam!!!
Marching music rang out, and Aunt left the stage.
"Hey. Can I leave now? I'll head to the dorm and come back."
"Um...?"
And Yuyeon vanished before I could even react.
"Master, it seems Jinyul has also disappeared."
"Hm... perhaps it was still too much to be out in the open like this. Jinyul may need more time. I hope the Master will graciously understand."
"Phew... so it's just the two of you left."
Jinyul had disappeared too, without either of us noticing.
For the next three hours, the enrollment ceremony stretched on — and we three were the only ones left to endure it.
| Before we finish... |
| And finally... |
| And lastly... |
**********
"Kyaah... how many times do they say 'lastly'...?"
I thought I was going insane. Aunt Yeoryeong kept it short, but everyone else droned on forever.
"What a time I never want to experience again."
"Same here."
—The First Division students, please report. Gather at the designated location one hour from now. |
—Kim Jong-wook, Il Lena Cartesia...
"It looks like they split us into groups based on division. If it's Il Lena Cartesia... she'd probably end up in the top division, huh."
"Is she famous?"
"Mm, I heard she came from the Vatican. Apparently she's practically the best among everyone here. I heard even if she became an A-rank hunter right away, it wouldn't be surprising — she's that kind of powerhouse."
"She was quite the topic of conversation when she enrolled in the Korean Academy this time."
The name I'd let slide so casually apparently carried quite a bit of weight.
"Can the division you're assigned change later?"
"I'm not sure, but I think I heard they reorganize based on written and practical exam scores."
"Ugh... that's brutal."
Aunt's warning about not letting competition blind you and turn you against each other made a lot of sense. After graduation, the invitations from various guilds would vary wildly depending on Academy performance, so there were probably plenty of people who fixated only on grades and forgot about camaraderie.
—...Hwanhyeon, Yu Cheonghwa, Ju Yuyeon, Baek Seolhye, Mu Jinyul...
"Huh?"
That was strange. The person who had just called Il Lena's name was now calling out our kids too, all at once.
"Fine, you four I can accept... but why am I lumped into your group?"
"Master, have you forgotten your own abilities? Simply summoning the four of us already makes your value at least higher than the combined worth of all four of us. That should be obvious."
"She's right. It's impossible for someone who commands me to be lower-ranked than me. Now do you understand, Master?"
"Mm..."
That doesn't work.
'Status Window.'
Name: Hwanhyeon
Age: 20
Stats:
Stamina: 12
Strength: 11
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 10
Resistance: 10
Spirit Power: 15
Skills:
Sense (?)
Hwanguk Sword Method (E)
Wood (?)
Fire (?)
Metal (?)
Even after unlocking the first form of the Hwanguk Sword Method, my stats had risen a bit.
Still, by Academy standards, I was probably someone who should be in the lowest division.
[Metal (?)
One of the Five Elements. The energy governed by the White Tiger. Assists in the use of weapons.
Metal descends and converges, signifying the energy that bears fruit. Metal lies deep in the earth and is hard, so it carries the energy that gathers below.]
I checked the new skill I'd gained from "eating" Seolhye. It seemed to give a slight boost when wielding a sword...
"With just this, I don't think I can hold my own."
"The Master's training has been lacking. Either way, since the division is already set, I'll train you properly. You should prepare yourself."
"......"
It was good that my stats were rising quickly, but the endless treadmill of Seolhye's training was agonizing.
On top of that, the healing enhanced by Cheonghwa's fire energy had side effects, and the pain only multiplied.
"Cheonghwa-mong... please save me..."
"...I'm sorry. I desperately need Seolhye's help for the Master's sake."
"You too, Cheonghwa?!"
Even Cheonghwa, whom I trusted, abandoned me. Well, there was no choice — I had to train seriously and get stronger.
"Great attitude! Haha!"
While discussing the hell that awaited us in the future, we left the auditorium.
—Whoosh-rrrrrll!!
"Kraaaaah!! Fuck... somebody stop this crazy bitch!!"
Yuyeon's figure was visible, wearing the obscene outfit I'd seen that morning, trying to set someone on fire.