Chapter 11: You started it – 2

“I must have come to the wrong classroom, why is nobody here?”

Nervously, I opened the door, only to find the classroom empty.

“Class 1-2… this is definitely the right one, then.”

“Maybe I just arrived early.”

It seems I’m the first one here.

Back in my school days, I always tended to arrive early, and it looks like that habit has continued in this world.

However, there’s nothing wrong with arriving early.

Seizing the opportunity of an empty classroom, I quickly took a seat at the back near the window.

Just like an early bird catching the worm, being early means securing a good spot.

Thunk.

Sitting in the pre-emptive window seat, I looked around the empty classroom.

“The classroom looks really nice.”

The simple yet neat interior and the ambiance were superb.

If you could bring the illustration of a well-kept classroom to life, it would probably feel like this.

Leaning my chin on my hand, I savoured the cozy atmosphere of the empty classroom.

Drrr.

At that moment, the door at the front of the quiet classroom creaked open with noise.

“Oh, you’re here so early?”

“It’s better to come early and wait than to be late, isn’t it?”

“You’re diligent.”

Surprisingly, the second person to enter the classroom was Cheon Yuhwa.

With her free-spirited nature, I had thought she might be the type to wander around aimlessly.

Or maybe she just happened to come early like me.

“And we’re in the same class.”

Just like when I first entered the classroom, Cheon Yuhwa also scanned the interior of the room, then hesitantly settled next to me.

“Hmm, this looks like a good spot.”

She plopped down next to me without hesitation.

I couldn’t help but wonder why she chose to sit next to me out of all the empty seats in the room.

As Cheon Yoohwa turned her head to look at me, I was filled with question marks.

Was she silently asking me to move from the window seat?

As these doubts crept in, Cheon Yuhwa broke the silence.

“You’ve gotten stronger, haven’t you? It’s only been three days, but you seem stronger than when we met at the auditorium.”

“H-how did you know?”

I stammered, feeling a sudden chill run down my spine.

How did she find out?

Cheon Yuhwa just smirked and pointed at her own eyes.

“You’ll see if you look closely. I’m not just strong physically.”

Was she wearing a scouter or something?

I mentally listed dozens of questions but couldn’t bring myself to voice any of them.

I didn’t want to embarrass myself or risk collapsing like a folding chair.

So, I simply stared at Cheon Yuhwa with a bewildered expression.

“It’s not such a remarkable skill. Anyone can do it with a little focus.”

As Cheon Yuhwa leaned toward me, she explained how she gauged my strength by various indicators: the rhythm and method of my breathing, the tremors in my muscles, the direction of my gaze from my pupils, and the confidence emanating from me and the feeling of presence when our eyes met.

Although I was listening attentively, I still couldn’t grasp how such things could measure someone’s strength.

“It’s not like reading minds or seeing through walls, and yet, you can gauge someone’s strength with that?”

I wondered how sharp one’s eyes would need to be for that to work.

The expression on Cheon Yuhwa’s face subtly stiffened as if it had hardened slightly due to the lack of response, leaving her looking somewhat crestfallen.

Somehow, an awkward atmosphere had arisen between her and me.

‘It’s uncomfortable…!’

Inside, I screamed in frustration at the suffocating tension.

But thankfully, before long, students assigned to Class 2 began to enter the classroom one by one.

The subtle tension between Cheon Yuhwa and me, along with the awkward atmosphere, gradually dissipated under the growing crowd.

“Have you heard what the morning lecture is about?”

“I haven’t heard yet.”

“Do you think the professor in charge will do it?”

“So who is the professor in charge then?”

“How would I know?”

Before I knew it, most of the students had gathered in the classroom, chatting away.

As it was our first class at Eden after enrolment, most of the conversation revolved around the lecture or the professor in charge.

‘The professor in charge…?’

Surely, the assignment of class professors in the game was completely random.

That means, even as the possessed, I couldn’t know who would be the professor for which class.

Time passed relentlessly, and soon it was time for the first lecture to begin at 9 a.m.

Drrrk.

As the front door opened, a white-haired woman in a black polo coat entered.

Her legs, stretching out beneath the contrasting black coat, didn’t falter in their stride.

A few clicks of heels echoed as she walked.

It didn’t take her long to reach the lectern.

With her wide strides, she reached the lectern in just a few steps.

As she stood at the lectern, her crimson eyes swept across the classroom.

The murmurs among the students gradually grew louder.

Keywords like Weapon Master, retirement, and Amazon Conquest resonated in my ears.

She was someone I knew too.

Karia Rayfelt.

A hunter who mastered every kind of weapon in existence.

An expert in monster battles, she also demonstrated outstanding skills in one-on-one combat during her active years as a hunter. She held a high ranking in the global hunter rankings, but she retired from the industry after suffering a fatal injury during the Amazon Conquest a few years ago.

“Welcome, students of Eden.”

As soon as she spoke, all the students fell silent as if it had been planned in advance.

The murmurs ceased in an instant.

In the absence of voices, a quiet stillness settled in.

“I am Karia Rayfelt, the professor in charge of weapon techniques at Eden, and I will be the professor for Class 2 of the first year this year.”

Weapon techniques, one of the most popular courses at Eden, taken by almost all students.

Moreover, it was a course directly created by the Weapon Master herself, the top-ranked player, specializing in weapon techniques and combat skills.

‘Of course, I plan to learn as well.’

Although I will focus on barrier and magic skills, I have no intention of neglecting my direct combat abilities like weapon and martial arts skills.

In fact, I chose a barrier mage with insufficient combat skills, so I need to enhance my own combat abilities even more.

“Those of you who have come to Eden are confident in your abilities and take pride in yourselves.”

It was a natural statement, but no student responded to her words, of course.

Professor Karia scanned the students seated, including me.

Thud, thud.

“For you freshmen at Eden, I’m sure self-introductions or ordinary orientations from the first day of enrolment would be boring, right?”

She began light stretching exercises and smiled at us.

Some students seemed tense.

I expanded the detection barrier across the entire classroom due to the inexplicable anxiety.

While stretching her legs, Professor Karia spoke with her knees bent.

“Ten seconds.”

At that moment, the corners of Cheon Yuhwa’s mouth twitched.

When I raised my eyes to meet hers, I saw a hopeful expression on her face.

It was the fiery gaze of someone burning with ambition.

‘Oh, could it be?’

The first lecture in the game, instead of a rare occurrence of an orientation, there was a probabilistic hidden event that rarely occurred in each professor’s class in their own unique way.

When Professor Karia started stretching, it was a good idea to have the barrier up.

Her sudden actions and stretching were harbingers of the hidden event.

“For ten seconds, try to attack me as if you’re ready to kill me.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the chair next to me shook slightly.

It was such a small noise that even the faint rustle was barely audible.

“Alright.”

In the next moment, Cheon Yuhwa, who had been sitting next to me, suddenly appeared right in front of Professor Karia.

Professor Karia’s eyes widened.

From her surprised expression, it seemed that even she was taken aback by Cheon Yuhwa’s speed, which she hadn’t expected.

“No apologies.”

[Detection barrier forcibly removed due to (Fantasy of Murder).]

Instead of checking the notification in the status window, Cheon Yuhwa’s pre-emptive attack erupted towards Professor Karia.