Monday morning, the start of a new week.
The real training had begun.
The name of the training was “Two-Person Special Stage Escape.”
It was an advanced version of the stage escape that had appeared as the midterm exam during the first semester, where you collect clues hidden in the stage to defeat the boss.
For reference, unless you destroy the device that sustains the boss’s life, no matter what you try, you won’t be able to defeat it.
“Alright, let’s split into teams. Just so you know, the difficulty of the stage will vary depending on the rank of your teammate.”
The demon instructor, Jung Hyun, who was hiding his identity, announced the teams.
Time passed, and the teams were decided. Each team entered their artificial stage.
Wuuuung……
As we entered the stage, a pure white space came into view. As always with escape stages, there were mysterious and strange decorations and objects scattered around.
“Wow. This is really well made.”
Yoon Hayoung, who ended up on the same team as me, mumbled as she looked around.
“Right? It looks like they put a lot of effort into this.”
This was an artificial stage personally designed by Jung Hyun.
Even though he hadn’t been here long, he managed to create a training stage of this quality in addition to the artificial dungeon.
Setting aside the fact that he’s a villain, I couldn’t help but respect his professional dedication.
“Oh, right. Sunwoo, we’re in the same team. Let’s do our best!”
Yoon Hayoung said with a bright smile. That pleasant smile made me smile as well.
“Yeah.”
Since it was a two-person team, it would’ve been uncomfortable if I ended up with someone I wasn’t close to, but this was a satisfying pairing.
Of course, since Yoon Hayoung’s rank had increased significantly, the stage’s difficulty must’ve gone up as well.
But that’s fine.
As long as I have the outsider’s privilege, this stage training is basically a playground for me.
“Hmm. What should we do first?”
“Let’s start by looking for clues.”
I looked around and quickly began searching for clues to move forward through the stage.
Thanks to the outsider’s privilege, it didn’t take long to find the escape clues.
I gathered the incomplete magic circles hidden in the room and completed their shape. A flash of light burst out, and the door opened.
“Wow. Every time I see this, it’s amazing… How do you find them so easily?”
Yoon Hayoung muttered quietly as she looked at me.
“Observation is key. If you observe well, you can do it too.”
It was all thanks to the outsider’s privilege, but I gave a convincing answer and entered the next stage.
The next stage was a monster + trap field.
As soon as we entered, the magic circle glowed brightly and all kinds of monsters began pouring out.
Yoon Hayoung quickly shot ice arrows and took down the nearby monsters.
I also cast magic and began defeating the monsters ahead one by one.
Still, the monsters came endlessly. That meant there had to be a special device somewhere that was generating them. That had to be dealt with first.
Using the outsider’s privilege to scan around, I saw a device glowing blue on the far side, across a long bridge.
“Just in case, cover me from behind.”
“Okay, got it.”
I enhanced my body with mana and dashed toward the bridge. My body felt lighter and faster than usual.
Was it because my strength stat had increased significantly?
With rising confidence, I kept running.
At that moment, hidden traps sensed my approach and began firing countless spells.
Flame arrows, ice spikes, wind spears, and so on. There were so many spells it was nearly impossible to dodge them all.
But my boosted reflexes made the incoming attacks feel slow to my eyes.
I avoided the spells with minimal movement, without having to move my body drastically.
“Whew.”
I could definitely feel the change in my physical abilities.
―Krrrrrrr!
Then, from the end of the bridge, a massive two legged wolf with white fur—a “White Werewolf”—appeared.
Monsters like werewolves are specialized in close combat. Although my close combat skills had improved, there was no need to fight that thing up close.
I compressed a suitable amount of mana above my palm and fired it at its head.
Baaang—!
The compressed magic orb shot out with a blue afterimage and exploded as it struck the creature’s head precisely.
“……Hmm.”
I stared blankly down at my palm.
Was it just my imagination? It felt like my magic was being implemented more smoothly than usual today.
Maybe my sense for mana had sharpened? That last spell seemed to have cast about 0.5 seconds faster than usual.
“Nice.”
After crossing the bridge, I quickly destroyed the special devices around.
Additional monsters jumped out and attacked, but I defeated them with ease.
Soon, the summoning magic circle vanished, and monsters stopped appearing.
Yoon Hayoung came running over to me, slightly late.
“You look like you’re in great shape today.”
“Yeah, I think so. Everything’s going really smoothly.”
“Right? It kind of feels like your face has more energy than usual too.”
Choi Seo-yoon said something similar. Looks like the elixir really did bring about some changes in me.
I checked my face using the selfie function of the smart student notebook.
“Hmmm.”
…Did I get more handsome?
I asked Yoon Hayoung,
“Do I look better than usual today?”
At my question, Yoon Ha-young looked a bit flustered.
“Uh, huh? Hmm. You just seem full of life and… nice!”
The morning stage escape training ended.
Result: an easy first place.
Second place went to Lee Seo-jun’s team.
I clocked in at 32 minutes and 4 seconds, while Lee Seo-jun took over 53 minutes.
He seemed to have expected the outcome, just laughing it off.
Third place was Yoo Ara. I don’t even know who got fourth.
And just as expected, Jung Hyun looked surprised and flustered at the result.
Considering the huge gap between first and second place, it made sense he was shocked.
Anyway, after the morning training ended, it was lunchtime. I headed to the cafeteria with Yoo Ara and Yoon Hayoung.
“You’re unbeatable again. Seriously, how do you do it?”
“Well.”
“Ugh.”
Yoo Ara glared at me. Yoon Hayoung laughed while watching the mood, then started explaining everything I did during the stage.
Hearing her praise me right in front of me made me feel oddly embarrassed.
Yoo Ara quietly listened, then glanced at me.
“…But you seem different today.”
I had a hunch what she was going to say, so I answered first.
“My skin looks better, right?”
“No, it’s not just that. Your whole vibe feels different.”
“Vibe?”
“Yeah. Your build and maybe even your height… didn’t they grow a bit?”
I probably did grow. Very slightly.
But it’s not something people would usually notice. Yet both Choi Seo-yoon and Yoo Ara picked up on it.
How can they notice something I didn’t even realize myself?
“I did grow a little, but is it that obvious?”
“Not at all.”
“Then how did you know?”
“Well…”
Yoo Ara trailed off, then cleared her throat and said,
“We see each other at school a lot.”
That’s true, but… unless it’s someone like Lee Seo-jun, she usually doesn’t pay attention to anyone. It was unexpected.
“Right. So what happened with your guidance instructor? Are you learning from Mage Choi Ilhyeon?”
“You mean that eccentric mage?”
Yoon Hayoung chimed in.
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“Whoa. I heard he was coming in as an external teacher. Was it because of you, Sunwoo?”
“Seems like it. But I already registered with Teacher Lee Hee-young, so I’m not sure how things will turn out.”
“Oh…”
Yoon Hayoung sighed briefly and then nodded.
“This situation just got a bit ambiguous.”
“Rather than ambiguous, it’s more like we have no idea what’s going on.”
According to the original plot, Choi Ilhyeon was supposed to appear much later.
But since he showed up too early, it became impossible to predict how the events related to him would unfold.
“Speak of the devil, he’s over there.”
I turned my head at Yoo Ara’s words. Just as she said, Choi Ilhyeon and Lee Hee-young were there.
The two were sitting on a park bench, deep in conversation, their expressions quite serious.
From the looks of it, he hadn’t given up on me yet.
Still, to think he’d go so far as to seek out Lee Hee-young directly. Considering how unsociable Choi Ilhyeon was in the original story, this was a rather surprising development.
After school. I headed to the faculty office at Lee Hee-young’s summons. As I opened the door, every teacher turned to look at me with eyes full of interest and amusement.
“Ooh~ It’s the protagonist’s choice moment.”
“Make a good decision.”
I hadn’t even heard why I was called yet, but the teachers were already dropping foreshadowing hints around me.
So in the end, it’s up to me to choose.
This is turning into a high-pressure situation.
When I reached Lee Hee-young’s desk, Choi Ilhyeon, sipping from a paper cup, waved at me in greeting.
“Nice move escaping the stage today. I saw it.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“You’ve got better observational skills than I do. And I’m not one to be easily outmatched in that area.”
At that moment, Lee Hee-young looked at me and smiled.
“Sunwoo, please have a seat.”
“Yes.”
I sat down.
The two sitting across from me gazed steadily into my eyes.
“You probably already figured out why I called you, right?”
“Yes.”
“To be honest, the instructor registration is already finalized and can’t be changed, but I still wanted to respect your opinion, so I spoke with the department head to get special permission.”
That was kind of touching. She seemed so genuinely happy to be working with me, too.
“It’s okay. Feel free to speak openly. I’ll respect your decision, Sunwoo.”
I looked between the two of them, then finally opened my mouth.
“……I choose—”
I stepped out of the faculty office.
Choi Ilhyeon followed behind me.
“She’s a great teacher. Treat her well.”
“I will.”
In the end, I chose Choi Ilhyeon.
Like the conflicted protagonist in a melodrama torn between two people, I made a difficult but unavoidable decision.
I did feel a little guilty toward Lee Hee-young, but I couldn’t help the greed that had welled up in me.
Choi Ilhyeon’s magic style closely resembles mine.
He specializes in manifestation-type magic but also makes full use of enhancement-type spells.
On top of that, he’s also quite skilled in support-type magic, so he could be a big help even when I’m in ‘Kim Jinwoo’ mode.
Of course, my magical talent isn’t anything extraordinary, so I won’t suddenly become amazing just by learning from him, but I do think it’ll help me develop a sharper sense for actual combat.
Plus, thinking ahead in the story, building a good relationship with Choi Ilhyeon now could offer various advantages down the line.
Then, out of curiosity, I asked Choi Ilhyeon a question.
“By the way, why do you want to teach me?”
Choi Ilhyeon was someone who constantly pursued his goals through relentless research.
For someone like that to pause his studies just to teach me—there had to be a reason.
That’s when Choi Ilhyeon answered.
“I liked you.”
“…Huh?”
“In the test, when you landed that kick on Lee Seo-jun. I liked that.”
“…Wait, that’s it?”
“Yeah. That moment really did it for me. It was the decisive factor.”
That was a ridiculous reason. Or maybe he was hiding a different one.
“And just so you know—this is just between us—I don’t really like Lee Seo-jun.”
I had already gathered that much from the original story. Though, to be fair, it’s not like Choi Ilhyeon hates Lee Seo-jun.
It’s more accurate to say he finds him… off-putting.
Choi Ilhyeon stared blankly toward the end of the hallway before speaking again.
“Well, that’s all there is to it.”
Time passed, and it was finally Wednesday.
The day of the school festival, the Taehwi Festival, had arrived.
The students, full of excitement, gathered in the auditorium for the opening ceremony.
Choi Seo-yoon was in charge of leading the ceremony as the official representative of the student body.
Journalists, sponsors, even broadcasters were in attendance.
With so many outsiders watching, she felt the responsibility of having to represent the school well.
Choi Seo-yoon reviewed her script, practicing her lines.
After about ten minutes of this—
“Phew.”
She felt a wave of fatigue. Sitting down for a moment in the empty space beside the stage, she took a short break.
That’s when, by pure chance, she spotted Kim Sunwoo sitting off in the distance.
He was sitting alone, with no one on either side of him, and something about him looked strangely lonely.
Not quite a lone wolf… more like a solitary cat.
Choi Seo-yoon spaced out for a moment as she stared at Kim Sunwoo.
For some reason, he seemed to shine lately. His face looked brighter, his physique a bit more solid than before.
Although, upon closer inspection, there didn’t seem to be any dramatic change.
…Is this what they call heart shaped eyes?
If that’s really what this is, then maybe I…
Lost in thought, she suddenly heard a voice beside her.
“Hello.”
She turned toward the voice.
A beautiful woman with black hair was smiling at her.
Choi Seo-yoon recognized her immediately, her mouth falling open.
“…Ms. Han Se-yeon?”
The youngest daughter of the Han family and the real power behind Hanseong Pharmaceuticals—the main sponsor of this festival.
A giant like her speaking to her out of nowhere caught Choi Seo-yoon completely off guard.
Han Se-yeon offered a gentle smile.
“Thank you for recognizing me. You’re Choi Seo-yoon, right?”
“Yes, I’m Choi Seo-yoon, the student representative for this event.”
Choi Seo-yoon stood up and bowed politely.
Han Se-yeon found the gesture adorable, though she smiled awkwardly.
“No need for such a formal greeting.”
“It’s just so unreal seeing someone I’ve only seen on TV…”
Choi Seo-yoon murmured quietly.
“Thank you. Oh, have a seat. There’s still time, isn’t there? Do you mind if I sit next to you?”
“Of course not.”
And so, Han Se-yeon and Choi Seo-yoon sat side by side.
One might expect her to be thrilled sitting next to such a famous figure, but instead, she felt an odd chill. A subtle sense of tension, maybe?
…What is this?
In the end, she couldn’t quite put a finger on what that feeling was.
Then, curious, Choi Seo-yoon turned her gaze back to Kim Sunwoo.
He was no longer sitting alone.
On either side of him now sat Yoo Ara and Yoon Hayoung.
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