Gate Field Trip - 1
I opened my eyes eight hours later.
The moment I woke up, the sorry state of my studio apartment filled my vision. Every surface was crusted with dried bodily fluids from all the sex we'd had. Cleaning up this disaster zone was entirely on me.
"Ughhh, I'm gonna die."
No matter how much of a physical labor job being a Hunter was, nearly twelve straight hours of sex was nothing short of brutal work. My lower back muscles, which had burned like flames, were now screaming from being packed full of lactic acid. My arms and hands, which had tormented Lee Ji-ah over and over, were trembling uncontrollably.
I had to loosen up my stiffened body somehow and deal with this mess while she was still asleep. The bed was the worst offender. The sheets, battered by my savage pistoning and Lee Ji-ah's repeated squirting, had long since lost all functionality. Thankfully the mattress itself was a waterproof model and had survived the onslaught.
Did Lee Ji-ah wake up first?
There wasn't a single sign of anyone else in the studio. She must have left for home already. As I pushed myself up and sat on the edge of the bed, the soles of my feet landed on the rock-hard traces of her dried love juices.
"We really went at it, huh."
Even animals probably wouldn't go this far. Fortunately, I had a spare set of bed sheets. It had come as a set when I bought the mattress—a black one I'd stuffed away in the corner. When I pulled the dust-covered package out, a single sheet of paper fluttered to the floor.
It was the product manual. After skimming it, I saw that it really was completely waterproof.
This should work.
I swapped in the new sheet, tossed the ruined old one into the washing machine, and started the cycle. No matter how dirty it was, I couldn't just throw it away. After finishing the room cleanup and tackling the bathroom as well, I finally had time to check my smartphone.
When I looked through my missed messages, there was one from an unknown contact.
Reading the message, I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. After getting wrecked like that, she still wanted to come back for more? She must have really enjoyed it.
I tossed my phone aside and threw myself onto the bed. After that marathon sex session followed by cleaning the entire apartment, my body felt completely drained. I tossed and turned for a bit before slipping into a deep sleep.
Strike while the iron is hot. That saying applied to college students too.
Countless assignments to push through, major classes that felt like ASMR designed to induce sleep. A diploma was like a mountain every college student had to climb. That was especially true for the Hunter Department.
The weekend passed, and another week of fiercely grinding through university life began. Jangwon University's Hunter Department was no exception.
As one of the most promising new career paths, the Hunter Department occupied an entire sleek eight-story building—five floors above ground and three below. To train Awakened abilities, focus on academics, and produce outstanding Hunters, you needed plenty of space.
I was currently rolling around on the floor of a private training room on the second basement level.
Every Awakened's abilities manifested differently. Some could spew massive flames, others gained telekinesis, and some could read the memories contained in objects they touched. The more powerful Awakened usually possessed multiple special abilities. Those operating at a world-class level were said to have dozens or even hundreds of unique powers.
These special abilities could be inborn, but they could also awaken through self-development. Yes, self-development. Sometimes they would bloom from ordinary activities like reading or exercising, but the most reliable method was awakening them in real combat.
"Huff, huff!"
"Too slow. Faster."
"...Yes!"
The wooden sword in my hands felt like it weighed a ton. Beyond my trembling blade, the supervising professor's eyes were coldly calm. Unlike me gripping a sword, she was completely bare-handed.
There was a saying in kendo: a person with a sword and a person with bare hands have a three-fold difference in strength. But that saying clearly didn't apply to the person standing in front of me right now.
Her black hair was tied up in a high ponytail that fluttered freely in the wind. Her sleek, perfectly proportioned body stood ready to handle my next attack with ease. With a casual flick of her fingers, she radiated elegance in a navy blue dress shirt that contrasted beautifully with her snow-white skin and perfectly fitted black jeans.
Baek Seol-hee. The youngest professor in Jangwon University's Hunter Department. She had Awakened at the age of seven during the Great Awakening and was one of the legendary Original 5 who had traveled the chaotic world, personally sealing Gates with her own hands. She was so beautiful that ordinary people couldn't even compete, which made her incredibly popular among the students. She wasn't particularly talkative, but she was famous for taking good care of her students. Maybe it was because she was close to our age group.
"Aren't you coming?"
Professor Baek Seol-hee, who had been waiting for me in a relaxed stance, spoke in her husky voice.
"......"
Even though she was standing naturally, I couldn't see a single opening to exploit. Every sword path I imagined in my head was instantly blocked by Professor Baek Seol-hee.
"Then I'll come to you."
The low words seemed almost like she was giving me time to prepare. In that instant, the professor vanished.
"!?"
I quickly scanned left and right, but there was no trace of her.
Behind me!
I reflexively dropped into a crouch and spun around, but her shoe was already slamming into my arm. I somehow managed to wedge my wooden sword between us, but the impact that traveled through the blade was more than enough to rattle my skull and send me flying.
"Ugh!"
I tried to steady my thrown body and get up, but my shaken brain was protesting. There was no time to be nauseous in the middle of combat. I somehow calmed myself and raised my wooden sword again, but Professor Baek Seol-hee had already moved outside my field of vision.
Where is she?
I needed to sharpen all my senses. Relying on sight alone wasn't enough to keep up with Professor Baek Seol-hee's movements. The sound of the wind, the smell of reinforced concrete, the vibration of the air. Suddenly, goosebumps erupted across the back of my neck.
Behind me again!
The moment I turned and tried to swing my wooden sword down, the world flipped upside down.
BAM!
The impact echoed through my entire body. The weight on my waist and the screaming pain in my twisted shoulder told me everything I needed to know. Pinned face-down against the concrete floor in a submission hold, I opened my mouth.
"I lost."
The moment I dropped my sword and signaled surrender, the pain in my shoulder vanished. As I tried to get up, I realized the weight on my waist hadn't disappeared.
"Um, Professor?"
"What?"
"Shouldn't you get off so I can stand up?"
"I don't think so?"
The professor leaned her face close to mine as I lay prone and spoke. Even though we'd just been sparring, instead of sweat I caught a refreshing, clean scent.
"Even if I get off, you won't be able to stand. I threw you so you couldn't."
"What kind of special ability is that?"
"It's not a special ability. It's a technique."
"A technique? Can I learn it too?"
"Hmm."
Her husky voice rang right beside my ear, combining with the warmth of her body pressing against my back. My penis almost embarrassingly hardened without permission. The professor, still straddling my squirming form, began poking my cheek with her finger.
"You have the talent. But it's still too early."
"How early exactly?"
"About ten years."
"Ugh..."
After poking my cheek for a while, Professor Baek Seol-hee finally stood up, allowing me to get to my feet as well. I tried to discreetly adjust myself so she wouldn't notice my half-erection. She held out a single sheet of paper.
"Hyun-do, would you like to try this?"
"What is it?"
The paper I took read Gate Field Trip Proposal. In short, it was a plan to gather first-year Hunter Department students, show them the real atmosphere of the field, and help them discover their aptitudes.
"It'll be helpful."
The professor waved her hand casually and left. All that remained in my hands were the proposal and my muscle pain.
A Gate field trip didn't seem like a bad choice. Even the weak had to find their own path somehow, right? Experiencing many different things would definitely help me decide my future career more clearly.
More than anything else, there's no way something Professor Baek Seol-hee personally recommended could be a bad idea.
Professor Baek Seol-hee was famous for taking good care of her students. While she rarely formed personal relationships with them, unlike some professors who just coasted by, she was extremely dedicated to her role.
The Gate field trip had a limit of thirty applicants. There was no guarantee others wouldn't have the same idea, so I needed to apply as quickly as possible.
The application... is done online, huh.
There were public computers in the library, so I could apply there. I looked down at my training clothes, which had gotten filthy from all the rolling around.
First, I should change and wash up. My whole body was soaked in sweat and I felt gross.
After washing off the sweat and stepping out of the shower room, my eyes met Lee Ji-ah's as she was drinking a sports drink. The sight of her lips on the bottle brought back the intense kiss from a few days ago.
It had tasted so sweet back then.