Fall (2)
Kang Hyun wakes in the twilight of dawn. A world of indigo, before the morning breaks. His eyes always open at this exact moment. As if bound by a promise with someone, as if dying and being reborn again.
His routine is obsessive.
The moment he gets out of bed, his morning workout begins. Forty-five minutes of Mana Breathing and forty-five minutes of mana training. In between, he mixes in hundreds of push-ups and bodyweight exercises using equipment.
For breakfast, he precisely weighs out 60 grams of oatmeal, 40 grams of protein powder, 60 grams of blueberries, 120 grams of tomatoes, and 120 grams of bananas, then dumps them into a blender with water.
Whirrrr.
After gulping down the liquid shake straight from the blender, he prepares something to chew. He greases a frying pan and lays down 400 grams of beef sirloin.
Sssssssss.
His dull, vacant eyes stare at the sizzling pan. Just as the outside of the beef is lightly seared and the blood begins to seep out, he transfers it to a plate.
Blue rare.
He cuts and eats the dripping, bloody meat just like that.
Next, his shower always starts from the head.
He washes his hair with shampoo, cleanses his face with foaming cleanser, and scrubs his body with body wash. He applies the exact same toner and lotion to his face, and the exact same body lotion to his body, just as he has for the past ten years.
When his precise 130-minute morning routine ends, the morning sun finally peeks its head out.
Kang Hyun dresses, grabs his sword, and steps outside.
Always stepping out with his right foot first. His broadsword resting on the left side of his waist.
There is not a single millimeter of error in any of his actions.
A routine that the human named Kang Hyun has repeated every single day without fail since childhood.
But this time, it is slightly different.
Because he is not at home.
Leaving his room, he encounters quite a few people. Lee Jun-ho, Seo Ji-woo, Ryu Yeon-hwa, Yun Hwa-rim, Im Hae-jun, Jo Woon, and so on... They offer him greetings, and Kang Hyun returns them with a faint smile, but once outside the dormitory, his expression hardens into a cold mask.
He has already forgotten what he just said, or even what greetings he received.
He stops in front of the first-floor exit.
Checking his watch here, it is exactly 6:33 AM.
Kang Hyun counts the numbers in his head.
One.
Two.
Three.
Turning his head to the side, he spots someone climbing the Back Mountain.
It is Seol Ha-woon.
He always climbs up there at 6:33 AM. What he does on the mountain remains unknown, but it has somehow become integrated into Kang Hyun's routine.
Kang Hyun suddenly wonders.
Is he of the same kind as me?
There is no way to know yet.
Perhaps he will never know, for eternity.
Two days after the Cargo Labyrinth raid.
The day of the mentors' feedback had arrived. The ninety-six aspiring explorers stood on the set, each wearing a tense expression. The mentors, including Yu Ji-in, sat in the judges' seats.
“Team A1-B11, please step forward.”
First, Lee Jun-ho's alliance team lined up before them in their uniforms.
The Warrior mentor, Kim Yoon-jun, picked up his microphone.
“I quite enjoyed watching this team's raid. The Lizard Spawning Pool can be tricky because it's hard to predict the monster count, but you handled it well. The disappointing part... was that you all seemed to play separately?”
Mentor Kim Yoon-jun pointed out their lack of teamwork. His gaze locked onto Lee Jun-ho.
“Warrior Lee Jun-ho. I understand your desire to showcase your individual performance. However, it is also important to adjust your pace so your teammates can keep up.”
Lee Jun-ho managed his expression and nodded. However, the tight set of his lips made it clear he wasn't entirely pleased.
The Martial Artist mentor, DK, spoke up, giving voice to his discontent.
“Well, I don't think it's Warrior Lee Jun-ho's fault that the others couldn't keep up with his speed. Working together is great, but if there's a more definitive way to win, isn't the ability to read the room and facilitate that also important?”
DK swept his gaze over the other team members, excluding Lee Jun-ho.
“In fact, I disliked how the other teammates just stood around waiting for Lee Jun-ho to carry them. Even if Lee Jun-ho is fast and strong, couldn't you have helped more proactively? You could have easily lent a hand. At the very least, you could have served him a drink... Ah, that's a joke, of course.”
Lee Jun-ho bowed his head as if holding back a laugh. Warrior Kim Yoon-jun put down his microphone, clearly wishing to avoid any unnecessary conflict between mentors.
“We will now reveal the mentors' evaluation scores for Team A1-B11.”
Team A1-B11
Kim Yoon-jun: 93 | DK: 98 | Yu Yul: 82 | Kim Ji-an: 95
Total Score: 368
Lee Jun-ho seemed flustered by Yu Yul's low score.
The mentors' evaluations were surprisingly crucial. They served as the baseline for calculating explorer tiers, influenced voter counts, and if the score was too low, carried the risk of elimination.
“Team A4-B12. Please step forward.”
The next turn was Kang Hyun and Im Hae-jun's team—in other words, my team.
We walked out together and stood side by side.
“Yes. This team is...”
Warrior Kim Yoon-jun chuckled, looking at me. The eyes of the other mentors were also entirely fixed on me.
“We had an unexpected performance from a spellcaster. Sniping an Orc Shaman from such a long distance. Was that a Cognitive Image you conceived during your military service?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
Beside him, Kim Ji-an chimed in with a hint of regret.
“He has the talent to be an archer...”
“But still. I can't help but think you had it quite easy.”
On the other hand, Martial Artist mentor DK seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
“While the other teammates were dragging the cargo, slashing orcs, and running around like crazy, you just sat up there giving orders, didn't you?”
I nodded. It was true. It was also my fatal weakness as a spellcaster.
Because spellcasters operate from a distance, mobility is actually paramount. Since they are the most targeted position, they must be able to constantly shift their location.
“Well, I suppose that's better than being a nuisance down below. And you did provide decisive assistance from above. That smoke bomb was quite interesting. Though it was a rather shallow trick...”
DK trailed off, shifting his gaze. It was toward Yun Hwa-rim.
Kim Yoon-jun picked up the microphone again.
“Spellcaster Yun Hwa-rim?”
“Y-Yes.”
Yun Hwa-rim clenched her fists, knowing the moment of reckoning had come.
“You put your team in grave danger by falling asleep at the wheel.”
The mentors had likely received an edited cut from the staff. A video tailored to fit the narrative the production team wanted to push.
No matter how sharp their eyes were, they wouldn't have caught Kang Hyun's subtle sabotage.
To be even colder, they would have ignored it even if they did know.
“I'm sorry...”
“This isn't something that can be resolved with a simple apology.”
“If you weren't a team, it was a situation where you could have ended up killing each other.”
Martial Artist DK chimed in. Yun Hwa-rim's face turned pale as death.
At that moment, Yu Ji-in redirected the question.
“What does the escort team think about this?”
Im Hae-jun raised his hand first.
“...It was tough, but I believe it was an ordeal we were meant to overcome!”
He was defending Yun Hwa-rim. After all, he couldn't exactly say on broadcast that he almost died because of her.
Still, Im Hae-jun was a good kid.
This time, Yu Yul took the microphone.
“What about Spellcaster Seol Ha-woon?”
The question was directed at me. All my teammates turned to look at me. I gave a brief reply.
“I didn't have any particular thoughts on it.”
“...None? You should at least make your lies believable.”
DK interjected again.
“She completely ruined the operation. Soldiers are usually sensitive to that kind of thing.”
“No. It is quite the opposite. If a variable arises, we simply adapt to it.”
I countered calmly. DK's brow furrowed.
“Ha. Aren't you trying a bit too hard to look like the good guy?”
“...Did you not feel any resentment?”
Kim Yoon-jun asked once more.
I gave a textbook answer.
“Why would I resent a teammate?”
And then, I turned to look at Kang Hyun.
“Furthermore, to say it was solely her fault ignores the fact that there were three other people on that cart.”
Suddenly, Kang Hyun met my eyes. His pupils were as transparent as ever. Even under the bright stage lights, his eyes stood out like solitary stars.
No matter what I said, the color of those eyes probably wouldn't change.
Even if I exposed his actions right now, he might simply admit to it without bothering to make an excuse.
“If even one of the four... no, one of the five, including myself watching from above, had been paying proper attention, we could have corrected it immediately. Therefore, it is everyone's fault.”
However, I chose not to push it that far.
Because I still didn't know who he was.
And there is nothing more foolish than making an enemy of someone whose depths you cannot fathom.
“That is all.”
I cut my words short. Yun Hwa-rim had buried her face in her hands. The faint sound of sniffling echoed intermittently.
Yu Ji-in nodded.
“...Next. Mr. Im Hae-jun?”
“Y-Yes! What Seol Ha-woon just said is exactly my opinion as the team leader! I also think—”
“No, not that. I'm going to ask a different question now.”
“Ah, ah... Yes.”
The mentors made a few more comments about other scenes before grading us.
Team A4-B12
Kim Yoon-jun: 95 | DK: 93 | Yu Yul: 90 | Kim Ji-an: 97
Total Score: 375
With a total of 375 points, we easily beat Lee Jun-ho's team.
As soon as the filming ended, I was caught by the staff again. This time, I was dragged into a pitch-black interview room.
“You mentioned that you didn't have any particular thoughts regarding Yun Hwa-rim falling asleep at the wheel.”
The writer asked about the statements I had just made.
I glanced at the camera and replied.
“Yes. If the mission succeeded, then everything else is just a minor incident.”
Yun Hwa-rim was a scapegoat.
Of course, from my personal perspective, was she an annoying spellcaster? Absolutely. But that didn't mean she deserved to be unilaterally thrown under the bus.
“Still, a mission that could have ended smoothly became twice as hard. Be honest with us. People might actually criticize you, Seol Ha-woon, for being too excessively sweet.”
She claimed this interview was for my benefit. The writer seemed eager to pry something dramatic out of me.
However, this person didn't understand the true depth of the situation. She didn't know that this wasn't a simple mistake, but a deliberate act of sabotage.
I spoke in a low, quiet voice.
“...Spellcaster Yun Hwa-rim is an elite. You can tell just by looking at the spells she casts.”
Yun Hwa-rim was undoubtedly an elite. Among the explorers who wouldn't make the debut group, she would stand out the most.
“Those who don't understand spellcasting might not grasp it, but I do. I know how precise and high-quality her formulas are. Without a doubt, her raw ability as a spellcaster is far superior to mine.”
“......”
The writer, listening silently, lowered her pen.
“Driving the cart is a task that requires an immense amount of mana. It might look easy to an observer, but that's an illusion.”
It was no coincidence that cargo transport was a prominent part of the magic academy's curriculum. Just because someone makes it look easy doesn't mean it is a simple task.
“If Yun Hwa-rim was the driver, the other teammates were the passengers in the co-pilot seats. Yet, not a single one of them fulfilled their role as assistants. They failed to ease her burden.”
A lie that bordered on the truth.
Without even realizing it, I was spinning a narrative to cover up Kang Hyun's bullshit.
My conscience was dead, and Kang Hyun now owed me a debt.
I will collect on this payment, one way or another.
“I am simply stating a very obvious fact.”
“...I see.”
The writer nodded. A satisfied smirk played at the corner of her mouth.
“Thank you for your hard work. You must be exhausted, so please go get some rest.”
5:00 PM.
After a brief rest, the contestants were summoned to another set. It was a space decorated to look like a classroom.
“Everyone, please take a seat.”
At PD Kim A-rang's instruction, the explorers sat down in random seats.
Soon, the clapperboard snapped, and the cue sign was given.
“Nice to see you all~”
The main host was, as always, Yu Ji-in. She had already changed her outfit again, this time wearing a teacher-like ensemble. The male contestants let out a massive cheer, reacting as if they were seeing her for the very first time today.
Yu Ji-in smiled brightly and turned on the beam projector. Text began to appear on the green chalkboard.
“This week, we have the Mentor Classes.”
• Martial Artist Mentor DK:Improvisation Using Mental Images
• Warrior Mentor Kim Yoon-jun:A Clear Mind. How to Take a Hit Without Hurting.
• Spellcaster Mentor Yu Yul:Circuit Refining
• Archer Mentor Kim Ji-an:How to Use Double Slots
“You can handpick and attend the special lectures of the mentors you want.”
“Mentor Yu Ji-in, aren't you hosting a class?!”
A man shouted loudly. It was Lee Jong-su—the warrior from Kang Hyun's team.
“Unfortunately, not yet for me.”
Not yet implied she would do one later. In fact, around the midpoint of the show, there was an assignment themed entirely around Yu Ji-in herself.
How incredibly narcissistic.
“Everyone, please choose the lecture you want. You don't necessarily have to choose a mentor who matches your class. Just because you're a warrior doesn't mean you don't need a spellcaster's knowledge, and just because you're a spellcaster doesn't mean you don't need a warrior's wisdom.”
She tossed a stack of papers into the air. Ninety-six application forms drifted down, landing perfectly at each seat.
“Feel free to discuss among yourselves~”
The contestants bustled about, standing up to coordinate their classes with those they had grown close to.
“Hyung! Hyung!”
Naturally, I had no need for that.
I immediately checked Yu Yul's Circuit Refining.
“Hyung! Hyung!”
The moment I checked her name, someone grabbed my sleeve. It was Im Hae-jun.
So he was the one who had been chattering in my ear for a while now.
Im Hae-jun asked.
“Hyung, which one are you doing?”
“I'm doing Circuit Refining.”
“Uh... why?”
“What do you mean, why? I'm a spellcaster.”
“But still, she's a complete unknown. Mentor Yu Yul.”
Yu Yul's name value was incredibly low. It wasn't just low; most people here had probably never heard of her before this show.
“What about you?”
“Uh... actually, I was thinking of taking this Circuit Refining class too.”
Im Hae-jun pointed his finger toward Yu Yul's name.
“Just take the archer one.”
“Ah... no. My small mana pool is a weakness for me too. This Circuit Refining class looks pretty good, doesn't it?”
I shook my head.
“Don't do it. You'll regret it.”
“Why?”
“I hear it hurts like hell.”
Im Hae-jun flinched and asked back.
“How... how much does it hurt?”
“Hmm...”
I answered, visualizing it roughly.
“Imagine bungee jumping from a height of three hundred meters, but you accidentally forgot the cord.”
“...That's just dying.”