episode_0009

Continuing my delusion that the Status Window might be a sentient being, I stepped out of the exam hall only to find a man who appeared to be a proctor lazily yawning and slacking off.

“W-wait, you’re already done and leaving?”

“Yeah.”

I guess he didn’t expect anyone to leave the exam hall this soon.

He blinked rapidly, staring at me in disbelief.

“Ah… I see.”

But something about his gaze felt off.

It wasn’t the usual “Wow, finishing the exam this fast? This year’s freshmen must be something else.”

No, it was more like… “Ah… must’ve just guessed everything. Poor thing.”

I know.

I know better than anyone—after all, I was the one who scribbled straight lines and walked out.

Try getting isekai’d yourself and see how you’d fare.

“If you head that way, you’ll see a building with a red flag. That’s the training arena.”

“Thanks.”

Grumbling internally, I trudged toward the arena as instructed.

Not that I needed directions—I’d already memorized most of Providence’s layout from the game.

As I entered the arena, warm air greeted my skin.

It was still early March, so the outside weather was chilly, but stepping into the heated indoor space instantly lifted my mood.

“Looks just the same.”

The arena was divided into two main sections.

One side was the capsule zone, the other the live combat arena.

The capsule zone was filled with multiple human-sized pods.

Lying inside one would connect you to a virtual reality designed for training.

Students could experience various scenarios—exploring the Backworld, dealing with Corrosion phenomena, fighting villains, sparring, and more.

Since injuries or even death in VR had no real-world consequences, it was a safe way to gain practical experience.

‘And over there is the place for real men.’

The live combat arena on the opposite side was for those who wanted a truly visceral experience, safety be damned.

No matter how advanced VR technology got, it could never replicate reality perfectly.

Fighting in the live arena also yielded more EXP than VR sparring.

Of course, the major downside was the risk of actual injury, so it wasn’t exactly crowded.

I wandered around, idly poking at the capsules.

‘Did I come too early?’

Killing time in this deserted space was a bit boring.

‘Still, I didn’t come here without a reason.’

Even if I’d just scribbled through the exam, I could’ve left with the others—but I chose not to.

Because of a faint, lingering hope.

If I rushed out of the exam hall and straight to the arena, maybe I’d get to meet her—my favorite character.

Then—

“Oh my, I didn’t expect anyone to finish the written exam before me.”

A voice so languid it made me feel drowsy just hearing it came from behind.

I turned slowly to see—

“Are you an absurd genius… or an absurd fool?”

A brown-haired elf girl with a relaxed aura sauntered toward me.

Her most striking feature?

Her eyes were barely open.

A classic “sleepy-eyed” character.

Serena Eldraine.

An elf girl with unparalleled talent in swordsmanship.

Not to mention, as a scion of the prestigious Eldraine family—one of the most influential houses in Elvenheim, the land of elves and spirits—she’d lived a life of luxury most could only envy.

Beautiful, absurdly talented, from a great family, and with more mana than her peers.

But even she had one flaw.

She never took anything seriously.

She’d skip training whenever possible, blatantly sleep through classes.

In my past life, I’d never seen her put in honest effort.

Why she lacked motivation in everything remained a mystery.

Because I died before that plot point was resolved.

“Ah, most people like hearing that. Pity it didn’t work for you.”

As I stared blankly, Serena cracked a faint smile, scratching the back of her head with her left eye barely open.

“Not at all. I was just too amused to think of a comeback.”

Her half-lidded, crimson left eye was striking.

And my gaze kept drifting to the longsword at her waist—its blade wrapped in black cloth.

Serena always carried it, but I’d never once seen her use it.

As if it were purely ornamental, she only ever fought with an ordinary-looking dagger.

She was full of mysteries.

“Is that so? Haha, glad to hear it. Didn’t want to make a bad first impression.”

Her half-undone tie, the coat slipping off her shoulders, the slightly unbuttoned shirt—

If “laid-back” were personified, it’d be Serena.

I liked that about her.

In my past life, I’d been too busy exterminating Corruptors to ever relax.

She had the leisure I’d never known.

Maybe I’d admired her for that.

“I’ve seen you online. If I remember right… Park Junghyun? Was that it?”

“That’s my name.”

“Ah, thought so. Handsome humans like you are rare, so it was easy to recognize. Feel free to drop formalities. Forcing politeness is… annoying, right?”

“Works for me. I’ll keep it casual. You can do the same.”

“I like this way of speaking. I’ll just take the sentiment to heart.”

Her soft voice tickled my ears.

“Anyway, color me surprised.”

Serena closed her left eye again, smiling faintly.

“Junghyun, the rising star actor everyone idolizes, just guessing through the exam? If your fangirls found out, they’d be devastated.”

“Not ashamed. I had no time or means to study. I’ll learn as I go.”

“Ahaha, so motivated.”

She smirked wryly.

“What’s your name?”

“My, my, asking such a bold question so casually when we’ve just met. You’re quite the player.”

Serena giggled, tossing back a sly joke.

A playful urge surged in me.

Time to tease her back.

“Sorry, this is my first time talking one-on-one with an elf. In Elvenheim, asking names upfront is rude, right? I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Ah, n-no, that’s not—”

For a split second, Serena stammered, flustered.

“Just kidding.”

“…Haha, you’re sharp. No one’s ever flipped a joke on me like that before.”

Seeing Serena—who’d always spouted the same lines and struck the same poses as a character—act differently felt strange.

In a good way.

“My name’s Serena Eldraine. Serena’s the name, Eldraine’s the family. Just call me Serena.”

“Got it, Serena. You can call me Junghyun.”

“Deal. Junghyun. As fellow delinquents, let’s get along, hm?”

“Delinquents, huh… Haha.”

With that, Serena casually drifted toward a corner and leaned against the wall.

I didn’t follow or push the conversation.

This was her silent way of ending it.

Honestly, I’d been surprised when she spoke to me first.

She couldn’t even be bothered to form new relationships.

Not the type to initiate conversations.

‘Thought her sleepy eyes would look weird in real life, but they’re oddly natural.’

Maybe she’d been briefly curious about me—a famous holographic actor.

Now that the curiosity was spent, she’d withdrawn at the perfect time.

Hard to say.

As I mused, other students began trickling in.

Like me and Serena, they hadn’t answered everything—just enough before leaving the rest to luck.

‘Guess I’ll kill time.’

Time to find a quiet corner like Serena and—

“Eek! P-Park Junghyun?! Wow! My first time seeing a celebrity!”

—or not.

Maybe I should’ve worn a mask.

“Listen up. You’ll now split into teams of five for a capture match. Win by holding the point for ten minutes or wiping out the enemy team. Capture opens five minutes after start.”

The professor’s voice boomed across the packed arena.

“By now, your phones should’ve received details—your pod number, teammates, and opponents. Check and move quickly. That’s all!”

I pulled out my phone and read the notification.

[Web Notification] Proceed to Capsule #26.

Your Team: – Sinclair – Hashimoto Gen …

Opponents: – Serena Eldraine – Lin Fei – Celt …

Good luck.

‘What kind of cosmic joke is this?’

Of all people, I’d been matched against Serena.

I doubted she’d intentionally throw the match out of laziness.

‘Even if Serena’s a slacker, she hates inconveniencing others.’

“Do your best—just enough not to bother anyone.”

That was Serena Eldraine’s motto.

If anything, she’d probably try to end the match quickly.

Physically and technically, Serena outclassed me completely.

Even if my entire team ganged up on her, we’d likely lose.

She was one of the strongest first-years.

A foe I could never beat through normal means.

‘But.’

Unconventional methods changed everything.

No—this wasn’t just a slight advantage.

“I will win.”

I had a surefire strategy.