Truth be told, I had been keeping in mind the possibility that I might end up serving as the class representative in the second semester as well.
After all, there wasn't really any student in the class with a background comparable to mine and Min Arin's, nor was there any student who received overwhelming support or possessed exceptional leadership.
Embarrassing as it was to say as someone who had served as the vice president in the first semester, our class was firmly united under me and Min Arin.
Not a single instance of discord or conflict had occurred among the members up until now.
At most, there had been arguments over minor differences in opinion.
‘Back then, everyone was on edge preparing for the class competition.’
Even that ended quickly with a peaceful reconciliation once Min Arin and I mediated.
All the students respected our authority and strongly supported us.
“So Gyeonu and Arin are the reps again…. Then I guess we can't sit wherever we want freely this semester either?”
“The dictatorship continues into the second semester…. Now even the instructors have acknowledged it.”
“It must be comfortable from the instructors' perspective too. Honestly, there's no better choice than those two….”
“….”
In other words, the popular sentiment of the class was following me and Min Arin.
To the point that they would obey submissively without complaint no matter what we ordered.
Hong Yena and Yu Noeul must have decided to maintain us as class representatives for that, among various other reasons.
Even so….
‘My Witch, isn't this too much? I don't need this sort of hat….’
Unlike Min Arin, who held her head high at being recognized by the two, I couldn't simply welcome this.
Having to take on various chores in the second semester as well and lead by example for the class, a sigh escaped me.
So I looked up at Hong Yena, who was leaning over the lectern, with a resentful gaze.
When our eyes met, she twitched her eyebrows as if to say, not a chance.
‘What's too much about it? It's not like you'll suffer any losses, so serve the class this semester too. You'll have to suffer alongside me, won't you?’
Her eyes seemed to say exactly that.
Giving up on arguing with Hong Yena, I decided to quietly listen to the announcements instead.
“Some of you may already know, but in the second semester, you'll be seeing people working in the industry around the academy grounds or during classes quite often. They are guest instructors invited by the academy, so be careful not to be too familiar or look down on them. I hope you'll uphold the academy's dignity. Above all, remember that treating them carelessly will be to your detriment.”
Academy students could receive scout offers from Hunters starting from the second semester of their third year.
So all academies in the Academy City would bring in officials with scouting qualifications as guest instructors around this time to help graduating students enter the industry.
Hong Yena had warned them to be careful, lest they offend those people and cause problems for their future entry into the industry.
“And kids, the guest instructors might try to scout you too. They know you're first-years by your neckties and ribbon colors, so it won't happen under normal circumstances. Still, there are cases where people break the Association's regulations and approach first or second-years to sweet-talk them. Not to brag, but I caught their eyes a few times when I was a student too. Anyway, if that happens, be sure to tell us. No matter what conditions they offer, don't be swayed. You know you have to refuse, right?”
“You must have heard that a group of brokers was recently arrested for colluding with several clans to entice students outside of the draft period into slave contracts. Be wary that you could end up like that if you're dazzled by immediate conditions and sign something without knowing better. Of course, the guest instructors invited by Geumgang Academy are all people of considerable renown, so they won't go that far. But still, you never know.”
We listened attentively to the advice of Yu Noeul and Hong Yena.
Meanwhile, I fell into other thoughts.
‘This is the period when villains dig their claws in.’
According to the game's story.
The villains, unified as one by Tacheon, infiltrate all academies in the Academy City disguised as guest instructors to scout the city and recruit talent.
So among the guest instructors that my friends and I would meet from now on, there were bound to be fallen Hunters or villains.
I needed to be careful not to be tempted by their offers.
Above all….
‘Yuri is approached to switch sides around this time and turns into a villain.’
Though the exact timing was unknown, it was an event that occurred during the final exam period.
「???」
―You are the same kind as us. You wear a human mask, but you're a kind that cannot live among people. You must be going mad suppressing your true nature, right? You want to kill and destroy something so badly it drives you crazy? I know that feeling. I understand. Because I was like that too.
「Nam Yu-ri」
―….
「???」
―The world you stand in now isn't a world that suits you. Do you want to keep living painfully and miserably in that world, suppressing yourself and feeling alienated from others? If you don't want that, come with us. Live as you truly are, in our world.
[The villains suggest defection to Nam Yu-ri. What will you do? Please choose.]
▷ “Sorry, but I'll decline. It's just… there are some kids I'm starting to care about.”
▷ “If I go with you guys… can you break the binding curse of my clan that shackles me too?”
At this point, depending on the player's choice, Nam Yu-ri could be recruited as an ally.
Or she could be made into a villain, leading to the bad ending route.
In that case, an ending where the world was destroyed by her and the villains awaited.
Naturally, as someone who didn't wish for destruction, I had to do my best to ensure she didn't choose to switch sides.
‘In the game, it was a problem easily solved by clicking a choice, but it's not like that in reality. I need to take good care of Yuri so she doesn't harbor other thoughts for no reason.’
Since I didn't know about the villains approaching Nam Yu-ri, I had to account for the worst-case scenario where they contacted her without my knowledge.
Therefore, what mattered was her heart.
If she wanted to stay with us, the chances of her refusing defection were high.
I decided to pay special attention so that she wouldn't feel alienated.
* * *
The first week of the semester is the course registration and correction period.
So students attended classes lightly, as if testing the waters, to decide whether to take them or not.
The instructors were well aware of that, so they usually progressed flexibly in the first class.
Unfortunately, Punishment Sword Su Hoguk did not fall into the ordinary category.
“Greetings. I am called Su Hoguk, in charge of this class. I see some new faces among you, as well as quite a few familiar ones. Those with familiar faces, I am pleased we can be together in the second semester as well.”
Monday, 6th and 7th period: Advanced Practical Swordsmanship.
Su Hoguk, who introduced himself spiritedly, declared that he wouldn't go easy just because it was the first class, and that he would fill the two hours entirely so that they would gain much from the lesson.
Whether they had expected it or not, the students couldn't help but let out a collective sigh.
Gang Hanbyeol and I, who were taking the class together, reacted much the same.
‘Some people are sneaking away.’
They were probably people dropping the class because it didn't match their expectations.
I glanced sideways at them as they stealthily slipped out of the classroom, trying not to stand out.
Su Hoguk seemed aware of them too, but paid them no mind, as if to say he wouldn't stop those who were leaving.
Then he had the guest instructors bring over a box placed on one side.
Inside the box was a heap of wooden swords with dull blades.
“Everyone, take one. There is no difference in condition between any of the wooden swords, so don't bother nitpicking.”
From the circumstances, it seemed he intended to conduct the lesson with wooden swords that could barely cut through a sheet of paper.
Gang Hanbyeol and I picked up any wooden sword as instructed.
Just as the box was nearly empty, Su Hoguk pointed to an area partitioned off by glass walls.
“You will now split into groups and train to cut the paper flying around in all directions inside there. Of course, I'm not telling you to cut with the wooden sword itself. Imbue the wooden sword with mana that possesses a sharp property. Then swing the sword in that state.”
Training to cut paper with a sword was often recommended to those who had not long begun learning the sword.
I too had memories of developing a fondness for the sword by cutting paper when I was young.
Because of that, it didn't sound too difficult from the explanation alone.
That thought was shattered immediately after the training began.
‘Instructor, you didn't say it was academy paper.’
The paper fluttering in the wind was so small.
It was to the point where cutting them with a wooden sword coated in mana at the blade was impossible.
The wind generated by the recoil of swinging the wooden sword also became a variable for the flying paper.
Because of that, I ended up looking like I was cutting through empty air.
‘How am I supposed to cut these? Every time I try, the wind I make causes them to flutter even more….’
To cut, the angle, trajectory, and speed of the blade had to align appropriately with the target.
But with the paper fluttering like this, there was interference in considering those three elements.
Moreover, controlling mana according to the conditions Su Hoguk gave was also a problem.
‘I can't do anything about this with my Gift either….’
It was perplexing.
At this rate, I wouldn't be able to cut a single sheet before the time limit was up.
Then there was no choice but to break away from the methods I had stubbornly adhered to until now.
I decided to calm my mind to find a way.
‘I shouldn't blindly chase them with my eyes. I shouldn't put too much strength into the sword either….’
Not with the feeling of cutting the paper, but with the feeling of touching it with the blade.
Inferring the trajectory of the flying paper, and swinging with the minimum necessary force.
* * *
The purpose of Advanced Practical Swordsmanship was for students to handle swords with greater delicacy and sharpness.
Cutting the academy paper flying in the wind with dull wooden swords was part of that training.
‘You may have cut stationary paper before, but you've never cut paper flying around in the wind. Especially not academy paper smaller than a fist.’
Su Hoguk aimed for the students to eventually reach the level of cutting flower petals.
He watched them training hard and burned with enthusiasm.
In the midst of that, Do Gyeonu and Gang Hanbyeol caught his eye.
‘At first they seemed unable to get the hang of it, but their speed of realization is extraordinary. Even the second and third-years are floundering, yet they've already gotten the feel for it… As expected of prodigies.’
The two were now, before anyone knew it, cutting the academy paper little by little without panicking.
It wasn't difficult to confirm with the naked eye.
Because the white academy paper used as training material had the property of reacting to mana, turning pitch black the instant it was cut.
‘Not to mention the ability to control mana, the angle at which the blade makes contact, the trajectory, the speed, and various other factors had to be considered for this… Impressive.’
As time passed since the training began, the number of black sheets of academy paper fluttering around the two increased.
Su Hoguk couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
The guest instructors assigned to him for the second semester reacted similarly.
“They aren't simply falling still, and the wind is blowing fiercely, yet their sword handling is amazing. This is a feat even those on active duty cannot easily perform….”
“Their neckties are red, so they seem to be first-years. What a shame. If they were third-years, I'd go ask for their contact information right away. Tsk… Just out of our reach.”
“So there was a reason they're taking a third-year class. Instructor Su Hoguk, might I ask what those students' names are? With that level of skill, their names must be somewhat known….”
“…They are called Do Gyeonu and Gang Hanbyeol. Gyeonu is from the Divine Sword Do Family, and Hanbyeol is the disciple of Sir Tugwi.”
“No wonder….”
The eyes of the guest instructors who had come to gauge the skills of the third-year students were completely fixed on Do Gyeonu and Gang Hanbyeol.
Unable to make scout offers to the two due to regulations, they smacked their lips in regret.
“The child of the Divine Sword Do Clan is someone we can never lay hands on. There's a high probability he'll join Regulus Clan, the clan of the Divine Sword Do Family.”
“But the disciple of Sir Tugwi will be a free agent upon graduation… The scouting competition will be fierce then.”
“The disciple of Sir Tugwi is coveted indeed.”
“Hey, you there. You're not thinking of breaking the regulations and approaching that kid, are you? Just try approaching her. I'll report you to the Association. Besides, we had our eyes on the young Tugwi first! Since she enrolled!”
“Oh my, can't we even set our sights on whoever we want? That's absurd. Ah, is it because you don't think you can offer better conditions than the others?”
“….”
The guest instructors were already engaging in a battle of nerves.
Su Hoguk, who had quietly taken them in with his eyes, couldn't help but worry about the time when the two would become third-years.
On the other hand, he had to be suspicious of them.
‘So there might be turncoats or villains hiding their identities among them….’
Villain society had been unified by Tacheon.
It was information that most instructors, including Su Hoguk, knew.
Because of that, the academies in the Academy City, while accepting guest instructors this time, had to keep in mind the risk that villains might be among them.
So much so that So Hyeyul, the chairwoman of Geumgang Academy and the Witch of the Stars, had dropped hints to trustworthy instructors.
―There will definitely be dangerous individuals mixed in among the guest instructors coming this time. So be careful not to leak important information to them, and watch your tongues. If you suspect anyone of being a dangerous individual, report them to me without fail.
In truth, if they hadn't invited guest instructors, it would have been nothing to worry about.
But they couldn't take away the opportunity for third-year students to find their career paths.
It could also give the impression that Academy City was being cautious and bowing its head to the threat of villains.
Above all, it might instill fear in those who hadn't yet encountered information about the revival of the Majin Association.
That was something that must not happen.
Even so….
‘Having to be suspicious of fellow Hunters… This doesn't feel very good.’
Su Hoguk couldn't help but find the current situation uncomfortable.
His worries deepened.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss