An Awkward Encounter

I woke up the next morning, ruffling my messy bedhead as I sat up in bed. The cut on my forearm had kept me tossing and turning all night from the pain, so it wasn't exactly the freshest start to the day. Still, I'd done some basic first aid, so I didn't have to worry about a secondary infection.

The message alert rang in my ear the moment I opened my eyes.

Useless spam first thing in the morning. Whether it's the heavenly realm or the human world, the quality's about the same, huh? Besides, everything in that shop is ridiculously overpriced anyway.

Hmm… Well, I had no plans to buy anything from the shop right now. But once I started racking up points later, I'd have to make active use of those perks.

I checked my broadcast info window. The points I'd earned yesterday from the daily mission and emergency mission had all gone into agility and charm. As a result, both stats had reached 4. Agility made sense, but the only reason I'd bothered raising charm was pure curiosity. …Yeah, even I can't help being human.

Still, when I looked in the mirror, I couldn't tell what had changed. Maybe something would shift if I kept raising it.

At exactly 6 a.m., I headed down to the first-floor cafeteria in the dormitory for a simple breakfast. Today's menu was a basic Western-style spread of toast, eggs, and bacon. Lens was drooling and staring intently from behind me, so I slipped him a piece of bacon before the other students noticed.

Since it looked like we'd be seeing a lot of each other from now on… I'd just think of him as a ridiculously oversized cat. It was easier on my mental state that way.

After finishing my meal, I washed up thoroughly in the communal shower room, returned to my dorm, and changed into my neatly ironed uniform. By the time I started tying my necktie, it was 7 a.m. That's when the narration echoed in my head.

At the same time, a translucent blue window appeared before my eyes.

Just as I expected, today I had to throw the first punch at someone. Tomorrow I'd have to beat someone up again… Even while thinking that, Lens's camera kept moving around, filming me from every angle.

Whirrr—

But they say humans are creatures of adaptation. At this point, I was starting to feel more familiar with the existence of angels than afraid of them.

I slung my bag over my shoulder.

"Well then, shall we get going?"

Either way, I still had to head to the academy today.

It was a clear day with a refreshing breeze. Thursday's first class was Emergency Treatment. Perfect timing. It was exactly the kind of class I needed, since I'd be doing nothing but fighting from now on.

But why was emergency treatment class being held in a place like this instead of a regular classroom?

In the northeast section of Raven Academy were various simulated dungeons designed to mimic real rifts. The academy boasted the world's best technology when it came to replicating dungeons of all shapes and sizes, along with the ecosystems found inside actual rifts. The place where Class 1 had gathered was a forest-themed simulated dungeon called the Shadow Forest. It was modeled after an area where goblins and moss golems typically lived.

At that moment, the graceful woman standing at the front broke the silence.

"Today we'll be learning about emergency treatment."

A beautiful woman with rose-colored hair wearing a black robe. The leather belt around her waist accentuated her voluptuous figure.

"Isn't that the 3rd-grade medical hunter, Seong Ji-eun?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Whoa…"

The male students' jaws kept dropping. But you couldn't judge her ability based on her appearance alone. The title of 3rd-grade medical hunter meant she was not someone to be underestimated.

A medical hunter was exactly what the name implied—a hunter responsible for a party's medical needs. They were hunters who had to be born with the Recovery skill, and their numbers were extremely rare. It was said that if your career path after graduation was to become a medical hunter, you got a free pass on guild interviews. While regular students needed at least a C-grade on the Hunter Qualifying Exam to become a hunter, medical-track students received special treatment and could become hunters even with lower scores. That's how vital medical hunters were to other hunters—they were top-priority talents that needed to be nurtured above all else.

Professor Seong Ji-eun continued.

"Of course, not all of you will have medical skills. But everyone must take this class! When you enter a rift, even if there's no medical hunter with you, whether you survive or not will depend on how well you paid attention in this class."

Seong Ji-eun pointed at the map spread out on the whiteboard and kept speaking. The green-tinted map had yellow stickers placed in various spots.

"Today, we'll be evaluating your ability to treat and rescue patients who couldn't escape the rift in time."

Her evaluation method was simple. Patient dummies had been placed throughout the Shadow Forest. The task was to find them, treat them, and transport them to the safe zone. Of course, swift and accurate first aid was mandatory.

But her next words lit a fire in the students' eyes.

"So first, we'll be choosing partners…"

"Partners?"

"My classes are always conducted in pairs. Since we're choosing anyway, it would be nice if you paired up boy-girl, right? There are more boys than girls, though…"

At the mention of choosing partners, the students began to buzz with excitement. They kept sneaking glances at the person of the opposite sex they'd been secretly interested in, their imaginations clearly running wild. So this was why Professor Seong Ji-eun was so popular with the students?

"Once pairs are decided, they'll stay together for the entire semester, so even if you don't like it, you'll have to deal with it. Your evaluation will be based on how well the two of you complete missions together."

"Also, we've prepared a special gift for the first-place team, so keep that in mind."

At the words "special gift," the students' eyes grew even wider. With that, Professor Seong Ji-eun began drawing lots. It was a simple method—just pulling papers with the students' names written on them.

I could faintly hear the boys whispering beside me.

"God, please! Let me be partners with Kim Jeong-a."

"I want Yu Hae-rin! Or Seung-hye! Or Ha-jeong! Or…"

That guy sure was asking for a lot…

And finally, the results of the drawing appeared.

"Yu Hae-rin?"

The moment the pairs were decided, the male students shot sharp glares in my direction. I could practically read what they were thinking.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

「You got paired with Yu Hae-rin? I got stuck with another guy!」

It wasn't like I asked for this.

「I'm so jealous! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Die!」

That was when Yu Hae-rin quietly slid up beside me. With eyes like a cat—or maybe a fox—she gave her new partner a once-over. Especially my face.

Just as the faint floral scent of her shampoo tickled my nose, I greeted her first.

"…Hey."

"Yeah, hey."

Looking at the situation, it seemed like the rest of the year was going to be painfully awkward. Honestly, there was a reason the guys were reacting like this. Yu Hae-rin really was incredibly pretty, after all.

At that moment, Yu Hae-rin snapped at me.

"What are you staring at?"

"Huh? Nothing, it's nothing."

"Don't look at me like that. It's uncomfortable."

Of course it is. Even so, the reason there wasn't a single guy around her was probably because of that prickly, haughty personality of hers. Though that probably wasn't the only reason…

That was when I heard the girls giggling from the side.

"Ha-jeong, you! You got paired with Lee Dae-han! What are you going to do?!"

The girls were just as excited as the boys.

"What do you mean, what am I going to do? This is your chance—go for it!"

"Looking like that? Take those hair rollers out first!"

Similar conversations were happening among the girls on the other side, but…

"Seung-hye! You got paired with Seo Geon-woo, right?"

"Y-yeah…"

They were all sneaking glances at Yu Hae-rin. The person in question didn't seem to care at all, though.

"Hello! You're Park Seung-hye, right?"

A deep, resonant voice rang out. Yu Hae-rin reacted immediately.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Seo Geon-woo."

A guy with sharp double eyelids and deep-set eyes, his neatly styled hair perfectly in place—Seo Geon-woo approached Park Seung-hye.

"Let's get along well from now on, yeah?"

Seo Geon-woo flashed a gentle smile and naturally placed a hand—holding a dagger—on Park ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Seung-hye's shoulder. Once someone fell for that captivating eye smile, it would be hard to come back. Park Seung-hye lowered her head, her face turning bright red.

"Yeah…"

Yu Hae-rin glanced at the scene before quickly looking away. Was it just my imagination, or did she look angry?

That was when Professor Seong Ji-eun's voice rang out.

"Alright, I assume you've all greeted the person who will be your partner for the year?"

"Yes!"

The students stood side by side with their respective partners. Some ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with people they didn't like, others with people they did.

"Hmm."

But it looked like I'd ended up paired with someone awkward.

Professor Seong Ji-eun said,

"Starting with Team 1, you'll enter the Shadow Forest in five-minute intervals…"

She raised her index finger and continued.

"But before that, I'll tell you the things you need to be careful about inside the Shadow Forest. Listen carefully from now on."

Her expression grew serious.