episode_0009

I came early so maybe I’m the first.

With that thought in mind, Rohan opened the door.

‘There it is?’

There was one male cadet in the class who was working on a modern crossbow.

Our eyes met. An awkward atmosphere filled the space.

Just as Rohan was about to open his mouth to say hello, his head suddenly turned and he began to focus on his crossbow again.

“···.”

Thanks to that, the greeting that was about to come out went back into my stomach.

Rohan stood behind and looked around the class.

‘Can I sit wherever I want?’

There were a few desks here and there with bags on them as if they were being stored away, but because it was early, there were a lot of empty seats.

Rohan went forward and sat in an empty seat, wanting to listen to the class properly.

As I was reading the notice from the academy again, the cadets started to come in one by one.

‘Everyone is so diligent.’

I just looked away for a moment and more than half of the seats were already filled.

Perhaps they too entered the academy early with similar excitement as I did.

Either way, it’s good. The class is starting to come to life as the students take their seats.

The silence that had dominated the class melted away thanks to the group that seemed to be close friends from the beginning.

Rohan was satisfied with the comfortable atmosphere created by the sound of conversation.

─ Is class 1 the best class?

─ Would the Academy deprive you of something so blatant? Even just looking at you makes you feel like a dog to Ben, but Ben went to class 5.

─ ···.

─ More than that, I’m curious about who the instructor is.

Rohan, who was observing the increasing number of cadets riding on the trend, realized something new.

Why are there so few familiar faces and so many unfamiliar faces?

‘Wow… I think there were about 30 cadets I could talk to in the game. Come to think of it, that was the entire academy.’

So are those kids the ones who are represented as shadows in the game and fill up the space?

Thinking about it like that, I feel something hard to explain. I shift my gaze to another group.

‘What was his name?’

While I was organizing information in my head while checking on cadets I only knew by face, without having raised them like that.

A thick voice struck my ears.

“Boy.”

“?”

When I turned my head to find the owner of the voice, a large man in a cadet uniform was standing there with his arms crossed.

Even at first glance, his height is ridiculously over 2 meters.

If it weren’t for the uniform, I would have definitely mistaken him for an instructor.

“Is the seat next to you empty?”

“Uh··· It’s empty?”

“That’s great news! Can I sit down?”

I pulled up a chair and told him to sit comfortably.

The giant sat down next to me, saying, “Please take care of me from now on.” The chair creaked under the weight and I screamed.

‘Why does this person’s drawing style look different?’

The facial lines are so thick that it looks like they were drawn with ink. You can already feel the distinct personality.

I feel like I’ve been on a strange adventure.

“Boy. What’s your name?”

“Rohan.”

“Rohan, you have a nice voice.”

What on earth is this speech? It’s strange to call a classmate a boy.

I asked, intrigued by this unique type I had never seen before.

“What should I call you? Should I call you Boy?”

“I’m Gilbert Kaniat. Please call me Gilbert.”

Rohan chewed on the name and quickly searched through the information in his head.

‘Gilbert···.’

Again, there is no information. This is the first time I’ve heard of it. It’s a name I’ve never heard of in Abyss City.

Aren’t the vast majority of cadets here like that?

“Now that you know the name Rohan, there’s no need to call him a boy.”

As he said that, Gilbert started taking things out of his bag with measured movements and placing them on the desk.

He nodded, snorting contentedly, then abruptly got up from his seat and disappeared through the front door.

At the same time, the back door slammed open!

Ichinose and Noah entered the class as if exchanging batons with Gilbert.

“Ahhhh! I’m so sleepy···.”

“Noah. Cover your mouth when you yawn.”

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the two people like arrows.

It really feels like I’m a celebrity.

However, it is rare to find a cadet who takes the opportunity to become close with you or looks at you with admiration.

Since most of the Orion Academy cadets are people who are proud of their own skills, watching the two of them gave off a strong feeling of competitive spirit.

If I were to name a notable exception among them,

The cadets from Tigrova avoid the gaze of the royal Noah Frozenheart.

“No-se~ I’m sleepy··· Carry me.”

Noah staggered from sleep and tried to hug Ichinose’s petite body.

Ichinose gracefully avoided Noah’s gestures with her eyes closed.

“Stop talking nonsense and go wash your face.”

“It’s spicy!”

Ichinose, who was looking for a seat without answering Noah’s grumbling from behind, stops walking.

He moved his head gently.

I opened one eye slightly and greeted Rohan.

“Good morning.”

“Uh. Good morning.”

Rohan greets them leisurely, but is so happy that he almost does a somersault inside.

The feeling of having a casual conversation with Ichinose Yui still felt like a dream.

Because the pictures the two of them showed always made me happy to see them.

“Huh?”

Noah Frozenheart, who was following Ichinose with a half-asleep expression, blinked.

As if he had just woken up from sleep, his blue eyes regained their light. His tall nose and round ears moved.

Then he stares at Rohan intently and approaches him with brisk strides.

“Noah! Where are you going now?!”

Noah Frozenheart stood in front of Rohan, ignoring Ichinose’s instructions to sit there.

Rohan faced Noah’s transparent gaze without avoiding it, his tail wagging.

“Huh?”

Noah looks at Rohan sitting in his seat with a questioning look on his face.

The girl started to move her head around and smell Rohan.

Rohan watched silently, not understanding the behavior.

Noah, who had been checking the smell for a while, straightens his back.

The girl moistened her lips with her tongue and moaned.

“Do you smell delicious? That’s fun.”

“Me?”

“Yeah!”

An honest reaction without any lies. I just met his gaze and smiled.

Because it was expected.

‘Does jerky smell that much?’

Perhaps it was because of the sparkling wisdom teeth, but it felt like something wasn’t a joke, which was really funny.

“Noah!”

Ichinose, who had put down her bag and approached me, was startled by those words and pulled my arm.

Noah resisted with a look of injustice on his face and advised Ichinose.

“I’m telling you, you’re real? Try Nose too.”

“What kind of shameless behavior is that!”

As I watch the two bickering in front of me, I feel the urge to take a picture of it with my phone and save it.

Rohan suppressed the strong urge and reached into his bag.

Just as I was about to open my bag and give Noah some jerky.

The shade-making giant Gilbert is back.

“Girls, the instructor will be here soon. Please step aside.”

“Wow! Why are you so big? How many hamburgers can you eat?”

“Noah···! Why are you being so rude!”

It’s not often you see Ichinose Yui looking flustered in Abyss City. There are a series of truly precious scenes.

It was a noisy and chaotic situation, but Rohan enjoyed it.

“Up to 3 hamburgers.”

“Hey, news. How many do you eat?”

Rohan simply waved goodbye to the questions directed at him.

Because Noah was already being dragged away by Ichinose’s hands.

“I expected her to be as cold as ice since she’s the daughter of the Great King Seolho. She’s a girl like a storm.”

Gilbert sat down with a solemn face, crossed his arms, and began to express his thoughts.

Knowing the public image of the Tigrova royal family, Rohan simply listened quietly.

“Rohan. Are you connected with those girls?”

“Ichinose and I only have a passing acquaintance.”

He continued by saying that Noah Frozenheart is obviously a friendly type.

Gilbert stroked his shadowy face with a serious expression on his face.

“Am I trapped in a coffin of ignorance, nailed to the stereotypes instilled in me by the world···.”

I looked at Gilbert and burst out laughing.

This guy really has an outstanding personality.

A spoonful of small talk with Gilbert, a spoonful of information exchange about the Academy, a spoonful of gossip about the curriculum for new cadets.

At that moment, I was mingling in the bustling class chatting like that.

“Instructor?”

“I guess so.”

The once vibrant space was filled with silence.

The cadets felt that someone with a huge presence was approaching.

Knock!

The door opened and a woman in a suit appeared.

What exudes intensity more than anything else is not the red hair, but the sharp eyes. The momentum flowing out of them makes you hold your breath.

“Nice to meet you.”

The students watched intently as the woman stood at the podium, making a clicking sound.

The cadets who realized who she was were frozen in surprise.

Especially, it is a face that students from Samhwaguk cannot help but recognize.

Ichinose also opened her eyes wide and expressed her emotions openly.

“I am the instructor in charge of class 1. I am the main character.”

At the same time, a notification window appeared before Rohan’s eyes.

[Face the Dragon Hunter. Achievement achieved.]

[You will receive 50P as an achievement reward.]