Proving Myself (1)
Can't hold back against a Grade 2, huh~
Lee Yoo-seong cheered inwardly.
It was none other than the Academy System.
A power that let him train freely and even manipulate midterms.
Of course, it came with conditions depending on the situation. For something like midterms, there were restrictions.
But for him, the novel's transmigrator, it was an immense strength.
He knew the future to some extent.
Knowing the story's framework meant he could block most incoming threats.
Anyway.
Lee Yoo-seong met the eyes of the woman staring at him in surprise.
Yang Sae-rom. Red hair and eyes.
She was a character he knew well. In a word, a supporting role.
A woman who appeared occasionally as a professor in the swordsmanship department.
Of course, he hadn't deduced that from her past. Lee Yoo-seong was a seasoned hunter.
Three years at the academy, two years as a hunter. And not just with anyone, but alongside Lee Seol-ah, so he was on a whole different level from ordinary F-rank hunters.
"Sh-shall we g-go...?"
"How do you know it's not scary?"
"......"
This must be part of the qualification proof too. And from no one less than Yang Sae-rom. A rigid stickler for principles. She could seem downright foolish in her stubbornness at times, so getting past her was a key to academy life.
Humans were creatures of adaptation, weren't they? When he'd first stepped out alone, he'd been trembling and shuffling along.
But this was his old school, after all. Seeing familiar faces helped, and his innate shut-in tendencies were fading bit by bit.
The tremor in his voice had eased.
"Right leg."
"......"
"Y-your b-body's tilted just a bit. Means you took an injury there... and even after treatment, the pain lingers."
Lee Yoo-seong explained. The injured area, the residual pain even after healing.
He could infer the fight she'd been in just from her posture, movements, and scar shape.
It was thanks to his eyes, really.
His eyes were a little special, letting him spot tiny details and piece together clues from accumulated info.
In truth, Lee Yoo-seong was more detective than anything, synthesizing information and deducing.
"...Understood. Let's go for now."
Yang Sae-rom decided to let it slide. This guy was no ordinary person, that much was clear.
A prodigy? Younger than her, yet already possessing such analytical skills—it was extraordinary.
She was almost convinced. Still, heading to the training hall was out of curiosity.
What would this man show her?
A moment later.
They arrived at the training hall. With the principal's authority, the full Academy System unlocked.
Holograms shifted. A mana-based virtual world materialized.
Their bodies stayed the same. But the environment changed.
"...A gate?"
What appeared before them was a gate. Lee Yoo-seong's mouth fell open.
"Monster Response Studies."
"......"
The tremor in his voice faded completely. This wasn't everyday life. This was the real deal.
Lee Yoo-seong slipped into a kind of self-hypnosis. A battlefield like the one where his wife had died.
Was that why? The timid man who whimpered and stammered began to change.
To the casual eye, it was like flipping a coin—front to back in an instant.
"How to face monsters safely and efficiently. That's the concept."
"......"
"That's what I'll teach my students."
"Yes."
Ryu Ga-young, the academy principal, smiled in satisfaction.
He was coming back. Or at least, in this moment, he had returned.
He hadn't shown anything yet, but his shifted demeanor and aura matched what she'd seen back at the academy.
"The gate with the Hell Hounds—did you clear it?"
"...Failed."
"Record?"
"Took down 10, about 45 minutes..."
"Bad matchup, right?"
Yang Sae-rom nodded. Her sword was strong. But the matchup sucked.
Dogs made of lava all over. Even slashing through with mana, lava would immediately cover and regenerate.
Like stabbing a chopstick into soup-filled bowl and pulling it out—the hole vanishes right away.
Experience told her she needed to shatter the gem near the heart to kill a Hell Hound.
That was why Hell Hounds were swordsmen's nightmares.
Chop the throat? It doesn't die. Tough spike collar anyway, and lava seals it right up.
Aim for the heart? Canine anatomy makes the position tricky.
Was that why?
"Want to feel it for yourself?"
"What...?"
Pat pat pat. Lee Yoo-seong approached Yang Sae-rom.
Gulp. The closing distance made her swallow unconsciously.
"All judgments and orders come from me."
"......"
"Pull when I say pull, slash when I say slash. Entrust your body to my command."
Arrogant words. Brazen, even pride-wounding.
Yet as the man closed in, anticipation bloomed in Yang Sae-rom.
Could he really...? Without even knowing her style or his own abilities.
Still, she wanted to. It was training, after all.
The academy's system was famous. It would recreate the exact Hell Hound gate.
"...Fine. That'll prove your qualifications."
"...Good."
His lips curved up. Yang Sae-rom felt like a fool.
And no wonder.
That man with his faint smile was so damn attractive.
She'd even forgotten this was a qualification test.
That instant.
"Wh-what are you doing?!"
Twitch, twitch. Yang Sae-rom stepped back a couple paces.
Of course. The man before her had suddenly started unbuttoning his robe.
Not exposing skin, but... for a lifelong public servant like her, it was shocking.
Smooth neckline emerging. Pale skin. Collarbone, white tee.
"Before the raid... one bit of info. Memorize it."
"...What?"
Thump, thump. Why, why is this...?
Yang Sae-rom's heart raced. Those violet eyes on her?
Or the thrill from his unpredictable words and actions?
That moment, Yang Sae-rom's eyes widened round.
Her chest tightened more and more.
Because of the changed man before her.
"Th-that's..."
A spiked dog collar. Black, fitted snug around his neck.
And a single red leash connecting it.
"Ah, my bad."
The leash vanished. That was the academy system.
"See it?"
"Wh-what the hell..."
Hard to look down. Her face burned.
If it were blatant seduction, she'd handle it.
But his eyes, tone, demeanor—dead serious, explaining monster weak points.
Spiked collar hugging that white neck. The vanished red leash lingered in her mind.
That visual kept teasing a woman's heart.
Stirring bad thoughts, lewd imaginings.
"Look closely."
"Y-yes...!"
His finger pressed her chin. Urging her to look properly. A demanding gesture.
"Here. See above and below the collar?"
"......"
She saw. Skin that looked impossibly soft. Width of a finger above and below the dog collar.
Adam's apple shifting on every swallow, faint veins visible.
Crystal clear.
"Target here, no need for the gem..."
"......"
"There?"
"Ah, yes..."
Her eyes glazed over. Swimming in a dream haze.
Lee Yoo-seong sighed at her slow nod.
Could she raid like this?
"Get ready. Put this on."
"Yes, yes."
Yang Sae-rom donned the earpiece.
Lucky, maybe. The real fight snapped her back.
The training hall shifted live. The gate she'd entered and returned from days ago appeared.
"...You reeled in Seol-ah like this, huh?"
"Senior, what're you saying."
"...Kidding. Don't look at me like that, Yoo-seong junior."
Anyway. System prep complete.
Now Yang Sae-rom just had to move. Mana rose gradually.
Gate raid ready. Her body warmed up quick.
"Ready."
Vision shifted. Gate raid began.
And.
"Loud and clear."
His voice echoed through the earpiece.
Then.
The moment three Hell Hounds appeared ahead.
"Y-yes...?"
Twitch, twitch. Chill, chill.
Her whole body prickled with goosebumps.
The atmosphere had flipped. Earlier, just the timidity gone. Now, he seemed a different person. Cold male voice. Dry on surface, laced with coercive charisma underneath.
Her heart sped up.
"Y-yes, got it..."
"Yes...!"
Wh-what's wrong with my body? Heart pounding, face heating up.
...This was Yang Sae-rom's gateway to a new world.