How to Use an A-Rank Key
A new day had arrived. Mornings at Raven Academy always began with the chirping of sparrows. Despite its nickname as Crow Academy, there were actually more sparrows here than crows.
Chirp! Chirp!—
The moment I stepped out of the dormitory, the morning sunlight gently wrapped around my face. A refreshing sensation, different from last night, tingled across my skin. I’d woken up a little late today, so I ended up heading to class with everyone else. Students from all three dormitories usually poured out at this hour, filling the paths with morning greetings.
I yawned and glanced around. The route to school was as noisy as ever.
“Songa, good morning!”
“Yeah! Good morning!”
“Hey, Chae Wonjun! Why the hell are you so late, man?”
“Yaaawn—sorry.”
The hunter academy’s day truly began the instant you left the dormitory.
That was when someone slapped my shoulder.
“Yo, Ha Yeonjun!”
It was Cheol-i. The rest of the Citizen Hall crowd was with him—the group known as the Scavengers. The idiot-looking one was their leader, Cheol-i. The chubby guy with a spoon in his mouth was Fatso, and the one wearing that perpetual perverted grin was Melchi.
Cheol-i had once invited me to join the Scavengers, but I’d shot him down immediately. Their group’s goal sounded ridiculously unproductive. Apparently their only purpose during their school years was to get girlfriends. Since they knew they had zero popularity, they loudly declared that any girl would be welcomed with open arms. Pathetic, really.
Cheol-i grinned slyly at me.
“Hey, Yeonjun! You heard it last night too, right?”
“Heard what?”
“What do you mean, what? The dorm lady got wasted and cried her eyes out. What’s with that face? Don’t tell me you missed it?”
That was when Melchi cut in.
“Yeonjun probably didn’t hear anything. He wasn’t in the dormitory last night…”
Melchi said it casually, then went back to staring at the pretty-girl figurine in his hands. I forced a smile, trying to hide my panic.
…What the hell is this guy on about?
Cheol-i turned to Melchi. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Yeonjun wasn’t in the dorm last night. That night, I randomly felt like looking outside. And guess what I saw? Yeonjun sneaking out of the dormitory…”
“Sneaking out?” Cheol-i whipped his head toward me, eyes wide.
Fatso jumped in right on cue. “Lately Melchi’s hobby is keeping watch outside at midnight.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because something very special has been happening in the academy every night lately, that’s why.”
Cheol-i’s attention instantly shifted to Fatso. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“What kind of special event?” Cheol-i asked, eyes sparkling.
Fatso smirked, lowering his voice. “There’s a rumor going around that a woman’s been walking around the academy completely naked every night…”
“For real?”
“Shut up! Someone might hear. We can’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. This stays between us. Everyone clear?”
Melchi, listening from behind, blushed and gave a silent nod. Cheol-i nodded vigorously too. When Fatso shot me a sharp look, I unconsciously nodded along.
“Good. Now let’s change the subject.”
Fatso stepped back with a solemn expression. Cheol-i cleared his throat and switched topics.
“Anyway, Yeonjun, you preparing for the sparring match?”
“Sparring?”
“The Practical Combat Drill is in a few weeks. Ugh, I’m so nervous I can’t even sleep.”
Oh. So it was already that time. In truth, the real highlight of Raven Academy was the combat drills—the one day when hunter cadets could show off their full potential. Naturally, guild scouts and association evaluators would all gather to assess the students. Civilians were barred from entry, of course.
I simply shrugged at Cheol-i’s question. I hadn’t prepared at all.
Fatso spoke up again, looking pessimistic. “I’m not expecting anything anyway.”
“Fatso…?”
“Every mock match between Citizen Hall and the other dorms has ended in total defeat. Even the upperclassmen got crushed. Might as well not get your hopes up. It’s better for your mental health.”
He pushed up his glasses with an enlightened expression. The mood instantly grew heavy. Well, this was the usual atmosphere for Citizen Hall students. In a world that demanded overwhelming talent from Awakeners, Citizen Hall was where they gathered all the talentless ones. Everyone knew it, but no one usually mentioned it outright. The moment direct comparisons appeared, though, everything changed.
Even the ever-positive Cheol-i wore a bitter smile. “It sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
He patted my shoulder. “Still, I hope a miracle happens this time.”
I stayed silent.
That was when the Emperor Hall dormitory door opened with a smooth mechanical whirr. Three guys descended the luxurious staircase: the young master Seo Geon-woo, his lackey Jo Min-hyeok, and Park Dong-soo, who had just been discharged from the hospital.
When our eyes met, they smirked with those annoying expressions. Only Park Dong-soo avoided my gaze. Both his ears were still wrapped in bandages, probably from lingering side effects. His deflated posture was an added bonus.
Seo Geon-woo spat on the ground and spoke loud enough for me to hear clearly.
“Now that I think about it, the Practical Combat Drill is right around the corner, isn’t it?”
“Probably in a week?” Jo Min-hyeok answered.
Seo Geon-woo snorted. “Hmph. Should be fun.”
He glanced at me with a twisted smile. The other two lackeys did the same before turning away.
“Let’s go.”
Whirr—
At the same time, the Emperor Hall door opened again. The next students to emerge were the genius Lee Dae-han and vice-president Kim Jeong-a.
“Ugh! Ha Yeonjun…!”
Lee Dae-han scratched his head awkwardly and spun away. Kim Jeong-a frowned the moment she saw me.
I recalled what had happened last night.
The previous evening, I had asked him, Why did you come to me about Kim Jeong-a?
That’s…
Lee Dae-han hesitated, then spoke with difficulty. Ha Yeonjun, what do you think about Kim Jeong-a…
Kim Jeong-a is coming right now.
Huh?
I didn’t wait for him to finish. I simply pointed behind him. The very person he was looking for was walking toward us.
She lifted her head. Ha Yeonjun? Lee Dae-han…?
Lee Dae-han shut his mouth. Kim Jeong-a’s gaze, however, stayed locked solely on me. Even now, in this moment, her eyes were fixed in my direction. They narrowed slightly.
“Hmm.”
I crossed my arms and deliberately looked elsewhere.
But at the Nobility Hall entrance, someone was staring this way with wide, round eyes.
It was Ju Si-eun, the popular girl from Class 2.
When our eyes met, she broke into a bright smile and waved.
“H-hey, Yeonjun! Good morning…!”
The entire Scavenger crew whipped their heads toward me at once.
*
“Yes, so…”
The large lecture hall in the education building was deep into class. First-year students sat at their integrated desks, listening to the notoriously boring ‘Rune Character Interpretation’ lecture. Most of them were dozing off.
Snore—
Professor Moon—nicknamed the human sleeping pill—didn’t care in the slightest. He simply continued his lesson with stubborn determination.
“Interpreting the ‘ᛥᛋᚠ’ shown here…”
While he droned on, I pulled the Red Key from my pocket for the first time in a while. It was about the size of my index finger.
…An A-Rank Key.
I had never figured out how to use this item until now. But recently, after my Insight skill leveled up, I had finally grasped its purpose.
Unique Skill 'Insight lv.4' activated.
This item can only be used in specific areas.
Enhanced Insight activated!
It appears the tip of the key indicates direction.
That made sense.
I glanced around, then secretly placed the key on my open palm. The A-Rank Key floated gently into the air and began spinning like a compass. Its tip finally settled, pointing out the window to my left—southwest of the academy.
Since I was sitting by the window, I followed its direction. A blue building nestled within an oak forest. Of all places, the key was reacting to the most secretive location in all of Raven Academy.