Episode 7: Unit (4)
Yohan’s sharp gaze didn’t last long.
The intense way he had been staring at me quickly subsided, and he returned to the bright expression people associated with the “hero” Yohan.
‘Not quite yet, huh.’
It seemed his obsession with Cheon Yeoul was far from reaching its breaking point—or so I thought, if only for a moment.
Yohan suddenly shot up from his seat, as if making a decision, and started walking toward me.
Though his demeanor had softened, his gaze was still squarely fixed on me.
However, Cheon Yeoul was quicker. She stood up with a sharp expression and grabbed Yohan’s shoulder.
Her short, flowing hair shook slightly, but there wasn’t a hint of hesitation on her face.
The two seemed to be having a tense argument at close range.
Even from a distance, I could see Yohan’s expression stiffening while Cheon Yeoul exuded a progressively fiercer aura.
“What are they doing?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk furrowed his brow and muttered quietly next to me.
It seemed the two couldn’t come to an agreement. Yohan suddenly grabbed Cheon Yeoul’s arm firmly.
But Cheon Yeoul broke free from his grip in one swift motion and, without hesitation, raised her right hand and slapped him hard across the face.
Whap!
“Whoa… so it was true.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk murmured in a small voice, his eyes widening in surprise.
Yohan stood there silently, his cheek still stinging from the slap.
Cheon Yeoul turned away as if she had no more interest in him and walked off.
I had no idea what had just transpired between them, but one thing became clear.
Even with his head lowered, Yohan’s gaze remained locked on me.
I instinctively felt it.
‘It’s me.’
It seemed I was now Yohan’s target.
***
Above the training grounds, a giant screen displayed the progress of each team, making it easy to check who had advanced to what stage.
‘Where’s Sung Siwoo?’
I was curious about the protagonist’s whereabouts.
As the protagonist, his basic stats wouldn’t be bad. If his team had the full five members, they shouldn’t be late in arriving.
“Wow… there’s a fight over there too,”
Lee Sang-bong and Kim Dae-hyun pointed to the opposite screen, their voices tinged with astonishment.
On the screen, a heated argument was unfolding.
It wasn’t surprising—when strategies falter and frustrations build up, arguments are inevitable.
Especially for students, a lapse in teamwork often leads to conflicts and disputes.
I shifted my gaze to the other screen to take a look.
“What?”
The screen wasn’t showing goblins but instead a fight breaking out among the team members.
But that wasn’t the real problem.
The person at the center of the fight? None other than our esteemed protagonist, Sung Siwoo.
‘What’s he doing now?’
Sung Siwoo was yelling, locked in a shouting match with another male student as they grabbed each other by the collar.
Thankfully, their teammates intervened before things escalated into a physical brawl.
‘This might be a headache.’
It didn’t seem like the protagonist had an easygoing personality.
In a game, a protagonist’s personality might vary depending on the player’s choices, but in this world, it seemed completely random.
His confident demeanor from day one and his current actions hinted that dealing with him wouldn’t be simple.
Not long after the screen showed Sung Siwoo’s fight, teams started trickling into the safe zone one by one.
Some were gasping for air, while others collapsed to the ground, wiping away sweat—all of them showing clear signs of exhaustion.
“I’m dead tired.”
“I’m never doing this again…”
Voices of complaint and relief mixed together in the air.
The students who had been buzzing about the fights earlier were now boisterously sharing tales of their grueling battles.
‘Is everyone almost here?’
I glanced back at the screen. It showed the last team nearing the safe zone.
The final group had only two members.
At that moment, one of the assistants clutched some documents and hurried over to whisper something to the instructor.
The instructor, upon hearing the report, quickly looked up at the screen.
A bad feeling crept over me, so I turned my attention back to the screen.
And then it happened.
Bang!
One of the cameras filming the forest exploded.
Bang! Bang!
The cameras capturing the same path began exploding one after another.
The students, sensing that something was wrong, turned their attention to the screen as well.
‘…No way.’
For a brief moment, just before the cameras were destroyed, something was captured on screen.
Black mana erupted, shattering both the goblins and the cameras in its wake.
Abnormal speed and monstrous mana control.
There was only one person among the students who could deliver such a performance.
As all the cameras exploded and an eerie silence filled the safe zone—
Creeeeak!
One of the multiple exits leading to the safe zone suddenly opened.
The students and the instructor simultaneously turned their heads.
Smoke and debris scattered from where the loud noise had erupted.
“Sorry for being late~”
A stranger’s voice rang out, and a female student with long black hair tied high appeared leisurely.
Her forehead glistened with faint sweat, her deep red eyes glimmered ominously, and she wore a sleeveless black top under a dark jacket.
I’d never seen her before, but I immediately guessed who she was.
Kang Arin.
She was the top-ranking freshman of Gaon Academy, the number one student upon admission.
The protagonist’s rival and the final heroine of the game, following Cheon Yeoul and Yu Hana.
I had assumed she wasn’t in the same class since I hadn’t seen her on the first day.
“Are you late?”
The instructor broke the silence.
With a casual smile, she replied in an airy tone.
“Yes. I had some family business to attend to, so I only arrived today~”
Family business.
Kang Arin was the heiress of “Glory,” the top corporation in South Korea and one of the world’s most influential companies.
If anyone could delay their admission to Gaon Academy under the excuse of “family business,” it would be someone like her.
“Did you go through the forest alone?”
“There was no one there.”
Her words left the surrounding students in shock.
The strongest.
And also the most unpredictable.
Until the protagonist’s growth reached its peak, she was a heroine that couldn’t be easily controlled.
The instructor, flipping through some documents, spoke again.
“Please refrain from causing property damage.”
Kang Arin responded with a faint smirk, lifting one corner of her mouth.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Even while standing under the spotlight, with all eyes on her like a stage, Kang Arin maintained an air of effortless composure.
After their brief exchange, the instructor cleared his throat.
“That concludes today’s training. Based on the results, teams will be randomly assigned. Please keep that in mind.”
At his signal, the exits of the training ground opened. The students, looking utterly exhausted, hurried toward the exits in a noisy rush.
I stood by the window, watching the crowd disperse.
‘I should get going too.’
Today’s class ended with this session alone. Being the most significant class, it had taken up the entire day.
But that didn’t mean I had time to relax. There were things to prepare starting today, so I had plenty to do.
As I moved to leave, my eyes caught a glimpse of a black jacket at the far end of the central aisle.
It was Kang Arin. Her tall frame and black hair were noticeable, but she seemed to be looking for someone, her head slightly lowered.
Since she was such an unpredictable figure, I decided not to pay her any mind and walked past.
After all, as the heiress of “Glory,” there was no way I’d get involved with her even if I wanted to.
But then… memories of the strange incidents over the past few days flashed through my mind.
Trusting my instincts, I stopped in my tracks and glanced back at Kang Arin.
At the same moment, her eyes locked onto mine.
With a short exhale of surprise, she muttered, “Ah…” Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open into a bright, radiant smile.
Her face lit up as though she had found someone she’d been searching for a long time.
But that radiant smile didn’t even last half a second.
Her expression suddenly crumpled, and tears began welling up in her eyes.
‘What do I do…?’
Was this really happening?
Now people are bursting into tears just by looking at my face?
I was so taken aback that I instinctively took a step toward her.
But it was too late.
Kang Arin whipped her head around and fled down another corridor.
Her black jacket disappeared out of sight, leaving a vivid image in my mind.
This was utterly maddening.
Nothing was going as planned, and now everyone was acting strangely.
At least Cheon Yeoul and Yu Hana were cooperative, but this? This was a whole new case.
‘What do you do when a woman starts crying and runs away the moment she sees you?’
Moments like these made me regret my 20 years of isolation before ending up in this world. I needed professional help.
I pulled out my smartwatch and tapped on the first contact in my list.
If medicine should come from a pharmacist, then advice about women should come from a childhood friend.
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Kang Arin------------------------------------------------- |
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