Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Forced Enrollment into the Academy
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Beep beep. Beep beep.
"Mm..."
I groped around for my smartphone blaring the alarm.
For some reason, it was harder to find today.
I could've sworn I left it in my usual spot.
As I pried open my heavy eyelids, my girlfriend Seo Yeon held out my smartphone toward me.
Her sky-blue hair framed skin so fair it was almost translucent, overlaid with white lingerie that caught my eye just a bit.
I knew the body underneath all too well.
"You have to open your eyes to find it, you idiot."
I reached out for the phone, but she ignored my hand and bonked it lightly against my forehead.
The slight impact jolted my eyes wide open.
"I usually find it with my eyes closed just fine."
"Sure, sure. How many times have I handed it to you now?"
Checking the time, it was February 10th, 7:20 AM.
Time to get up and prepare for the ability sealing procedure.
Time to say goodbye to this useless status window.
"Why are you looking at that? Checking your combat power?"
Seo Yeon asked me.
She had the same status window as me, and she was heading for the ability sealing procedure too.
People like us, who could see status windows but hated fighting, could opt for the sealing if no quests appeared by February 10th of our 20th year.
They said it was to increase the tiny number of quest holders, the chosen few, but the wait was nerve-wracking.
"Status Window."
Seo Yeon summoned hers too.
"Mine's 39. Yours is 43, right? Same as always?"
I nodded at her question.
"Doesn't it feel weird that we're only 4 points apart?"
"Guess my fists pack a punch."
She giggled and held out her fist.
That little fist had landed on me plenty of times, but it never really hurt.
I kicked off the bed, pulled Seo Yeon into my arms, and planted a few kisses on her cheek.
"Cut it out. We'll do more after the procedure today."
"Yeah. Guess I should wash up."
Before letting her go, I squeezed her breasts firmly with both hands. She slapped my back with her palm.
"Ow, ow."
Her palm stung more than her fist, for sure.
After last night's sex, we'd cleaned up nicely before sleeping, so I wasn't too dirty.
Still, better shower. There was already a handprint on my back...
Yeah, right there.
To avoid another smack, I turned on the shower.
I dressed neatly and left the studio apartment with Seo Yeon.
We'd both gotten into the same university, so our places were nearby. Hers felt more like home now.
Her place was like a warehouse, kinda.
I'd drop by hers occasionally to grab necessities.
Were we already shacked up?
The thought made me stare at her intently. She met my gaze, chuckled, and reached out to grip my hand tightly.
On the bus to the Ability Management Bureau, there were quite a few early-20s folks like us.
Probably all heading for sealing procedures.
No need if you planned to enroll in the Academy.
Even if only 1% of the population could see status windows, that still meant a lot of people.
Heck, I could hear someone quietly calling theirs from the back.
Young ability users like us had to go to that prison called the Academy.
Sure enough, everyone our age got off at the stop nearest the Bureau.
"We'll get swept along in this crowd and end up right there."
"Just follow the map."
Seo Yeon pulled up a map app on her phone to guide us. As expected, the crowd took us straight to the spot.
The Bureau building stood out, larger and fancier than others—supposedly from repeated reconstructions after destructions.
We lined up behind the crowd, IDs at the ready, waiting our turn.
While waiting, I picked up a pamphlet. It was about the Academy.
"Ugh..."
"No need to hate it that much. The benefits are pretty good."
"True."
It was packed with info on Global Academy, built in the middle of the ocean.
Free tuition was standard, plus hefty subsidies and hotel-like dorms.
Global Academy seemed perfect—except it omitted the part about risking your life to grow.
They said people averse to harming others couldn't adapt anyway, and once enrolled, you couldn't leave Global Academy.
More precisely, you couldn't leave the artificial island Utopia where it was built.
"Being over the ocean, the views must be nice."
Seo Yeon commented, looking at the pamphlet photos.
"Let's take a beach trip sometime."
"Before uni starts?"
"Sounds good. Got enough pocket money left?"
Time passed, and our turn approached.
Ding.
"Huh?"
A bright chime rang in my head. I shook my head.
Everyone else was still, but I looked weird, so Seo Yeon poked me from behind.
"Sian, what's with the fuss?"
"No, I heard a sound..."
I couldn't finish.
Blue text like the status window appeared before my eyes.
『Tutorial Quest』
Possess a being with 95%+ compatibility.
📍 Start Reward: Acquire [Skill] Possession
📍 Completion Reward: ??
"Oh, sh..."
"Hey? Why the curse?"
Seo Yeon glared, annoyed, but I was losing it.
This was a quest, right?
Why the hell now, to me?
"Status Window."
"Ah, damn it."
"Sian! Watch your...!"
Seo Yeon scolded me in a low voice, but it was already over.
The female clerk checking for quests before sealing strode right over.
"Got a quest? 0/1, fresh as can be? Hehe... hahaha... Found one!"
"No! Just do the sealing!"
"Call the Academy! Quest holder spotted!"
Her shout caused a stir in the Bureau.
Ability users popped out of nowhere, surrounding me without a shadow of warning.
"You... for real?"
"Seo Yeon, what do I do?"
Today was supposed to be sealing, then chilling at home with her, planning a beach trip.
We'd just started uni, planned to date as campus couples, graduate, and marry!
My life plan was ruined.
They dragged me alone to some strange room.
A huge TV upfront slid through Academy info in a slideshow.
It was just the pamphlet blown up big with voiceover—nothing new.
I sat there soullessly when someone opened the door.
They waved my ID—did I drop it, or did they snatch it?
With ability user physical prowess, snatching was easy.
"Yoo Sian, congratulations on being chosen by a quest."
"Can't you pretend you didn't see? My girlfriend and I got into the same uni. I wanna start that sweet campus life."
"Global Academy has all sorts of plants too."
"Ah, fuck..."
I muttered quietly, but they grinned ear to ear, thrilled.
"We've contacted the Academy and your parents. When did you get the quest?"
"Ten minutes ago?"
"That explains the 0/1. Hmm. Still, quest holders grow fast!"
What nonsense.
"Enroll, and your family gets tax breaks, protection, climbing the layers potential..."
Blah blah about family and world peace making Academy great. I cut in.
"What's in it for me?"
"You get strong!"
"No desire for that, hence the sealing. Just pretend it didn't happen."
"Sadly impossible. World Ability User Association wants quest holders bad. Enrollment's tight this time—more like you would help."
People worldwide itching to ruin lives? World deserves to end.
As the clerk brainwashed on about Academy perks, sky-blue hair flickered beyond the door.
I stood and approached Seo Yeon.
"What now? You know I have to go to the Academy."
"I don't know. If we separate once..."
"I hate that. And fighting sucks too..."
Our personalities weren't built for fights or violence.
Even with status-granted strength, we treaded carefully.
"Academy nurtures support abilities too. For the lady..."
"Kim Seo-yeon."
"Does Kim Seo-yeon have any skills?"
"No. None."
"That's perfect for growing into a support user. How about both of you head to the Academy?"
I'll remember this woman trying to drag us into blood and violence.
Demon bitch.
After agonizing, Seo Yeon called her parents.
They knew about us, so they accepted her Academy path.
And so, both of us were off to the Academy.