“What are you doing over there?”
“Dani?”
It was Choi Seonhye, the homeroom teacher of third-year Class S and Korean language instructor, and Mun Ira, who taught English.
Seeing student council president Seon U-gyeong, troublemaker Ham Honggi, and the school’s most notorious person of interest, Gidan, gathered in front of her class, Choi Seonhye furrowed her brow.
“Why are you all huddled together like that? And you, Dani—what brings you to school for once? You’re here to cause trouble again, aren’t you?”
“Aw, teach. I’ve been working really hard at school lately. I’m coming in every day because I want you to praise me, but you’re so mean.”
“Don’t you dare try acting cute with a teacher as lofty as the heavens.”
Gidan also bowed politely to Mun Ira, the English teacher. Mun Ira smiled and returned the greeting.
Choi Seonhye looked over the three of them, her eyes narrowing.
“I don’t know what this is about, but stop conspiring. You’re all about to graduate, got it?”
At that, Seon U-gyeong stepped forward.
“It’s not like that. Dani knows Honggi, so he said he came by to see him for a moment. I was just heading into the classroom when I saw Dani and was saying hello.”
“Is that so……?”
It was the word of Seon U-gyeong, the school’s top model student. With no reason not to believe him, Choi Seonhye let go of her suspicions and nodded.
“Oh. Gidan, what is your class doing for the festival?”
“We haven’t decided yet, but won’t it be something like a café?”
“Everywhere is doing cafés. You do something else. Don’t steal all my class’s customers.”
“Then I’ll offer some suggestions for your sake, teach.”
“All talk again, I bet. I’ll be watching to see whether your class opens a café or not.”
Gidan gasped, drew in a breath, and checked the time on his phone.
“Teacher, I have to get to class now, so I’ll be going.”
He bowed at the waist, then strode off as if he were about to break into a run. Choi Seonhye shook her head.
“See that? All talk, I told you. Kids, let’s go in. Teacher Ira, see you later.”
“Go on in.”
Mun Ira waved lightly and headed toward the class next door.
Rattle—
“Now, now, everyone sit down.”
Choi Seonhye walked toward the teacher’s desk and took control of the bustling students.
As Ham Honggi returned to his seat, he whispered to Seon U-gyeong.
“I’m washing my hands of this now.”
“…….”
Strength entered Seon U-gyeong’s fist.
Chapter: Hyeonak’s Newcomer
In November, Hyeonak’s lobby had more people coming and going than usual, and several people were lined up at the information desk.
Just as every district became enthusiastic about road maintenance as the year-end approached, every guild became enthusiastic about wrapping up the social contribution projects assigned to them.
Under the Guild Management Act, all guilds were required to contribute to various sectors of society.
Improving public perception of Awakened, nurturing talent, developing local communities, resolving various other social issues, and so on…….
Hyeonak was no exception.
This time in particular, so much attention had been focused on Hyeonak that they were short-staffed just screening the people who came to visit.
‘And of course it has to happen when we’re this busy…….’
The next customer approached the information desk employee, whose eyes had gone dead as a fish’s.
Like a recording, she replayed the answer to the question she received all the time.
“At present, Hyeonak is not accepting applications from rookie Hunters. Next year’s schedule has not yet been decided. At the earliest, an announcement may be posted early next year, so please check that personally. Short-term training and tour programs can be registered for on the second floor, and you must bring your ID—”
The boy cut into the explanation that seemed like it would go on forever.
“Then where do I go for Gnosis?”
“Pardon?”
The information desk employee focused on the boy.
Beneath soft-looking chestnut hair, his odd eyes—one gold, one blue—snatched her gaze.
The foreign boy, with his unusual color combination and pretty face, asked again.
“Where do I go for Gnosis?”
Her face immediately crumpled.
“Gnosis……?”
A sigh escaped her on its own.
The rude way he spoke down to her, and those distinctive odd eyes, one of them golden……. She had a rough idea what kind he was.
‘Why do they even like this stuff?’
There were people like this from time to time. Idiots who claimed they were members of villain organizations and threatened Hyeonak…….
Threatening to blow up Hyeonak’s headquarters out of personal resentment, or to go on a skill rampage, was on the mild side.
As if there were something so romantic about being a member of a villain organization, idiots would bring up all sorts of organization names.
In the two years she had worked at the information desk, she had seen more people than she could count claiming to be villains from Gnosis, the New Legion, One Riot, and the like.
By now, childish pranks like this weren’t even surprising.
“Playing pranks here will cause you trouble. Please remember that this is the Hyeonak Guild. Impersonation is also punished severely. The last customer who came impersonating Gnosis tried to avoid prison and ended up hospitalized in a psychiatric ward instead. Next customer, please.”
After replying cynically, she shifted her gaze past the boy.
At that, Serhi scratched the back of his neck as if troubled.
“I’m not playing a prank. Why does nobody recognize me?”
Recognize what…….
Just then, the people busily moving through the lobby suddenly stopped and began turning only their heads to stare at her.
Her heart dropped with a thud.
All of them were glaring at her as though making it clear they were not human.
‘What on earth…….’
Her vision went white, and cold sweat flowed down her skin.
At the same time, several Hyeonak guild members in the lobby picked up their weapons and surrounded Serhi.
All manner of blades were pointed at Serhi.
While keeping Serhi in check, the guild members glanced at one another.
None of them had noticed at all that one-third of the countless people passing through the lobby were not human.
As if the hostile gazes directed at him meant nothing, Serhi continued looking only at the information desk employee.
Son Jaeha of Raid Team 1, who happened to be in the lobby, took a step closer with his sword aimed at Serhi.
“You. What are you……?”
Serhi slowly turned around.
Son Jaeha raised the sword toward the boy’s throat.
Serhi glanced at the tip of the sword, blew a bubble, and popped it.
“Serhi. Probably sixteen.”
After finishing his brief self-introduction, Serhi activated his skill.
[Activating the skill ‘Earth to Earth, Ashes to Ashes.’]
Sssrrrk—
Every mannequin turned into fine sand and scattered across the floor.
Everyone in the lobby swallowed at the unbelievable sight.
“Now will you tell me? Where do I go for Gnosis?”
*
Hyeonak’s seminar room transformed into an interrogation room in an instant.
Serhi was seated beyond the round table, and seated across from him were Jurim and the Team 1 leader. And Gidan, who had barged in stubbornly, insisting that he absolutely had to see Gnosis too.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
No one could easily open their mouth.
After all, they had never expected Gnosis to come to them like this.
But Serhi, unconcerned by the silence, was fiddling with his phone.
Jurim, sitting with his legs crossed, one hand resting on his thigh as his index finger tapped lightly against it, stared fixedly at Serhi.
He had heard about it from Geuru in the RP Dungeon. The story of Jin Siwon, Gnosis, and Geuru, the three of them growing acorns on a farm.
To summarize, it began with Serhi saving Geuru at an auction house; through that connection, Geuru picked Serhi up by a stream, and after joining up with Jin Siwon, the three of them lived together on a farm.
When Geuru realized that Serhi was Gnosis, Serhi had urged him to run away and deliberately did not chase after him.
Jurim recalled Geuru’s downcast expression as he told that story.
It had only been a short time, but it seemed he had grown rather attached. Jurim had thought it would be better to deal with Serhi in case he might reach a bad hand toward Geuru.
‘And now he’s come on his own two feet.’
Name: Serhi. A pretty boy with odd eyes—then this was probably him.
Jurim soon asked in a slow tone.
“This isn’t the Management Bureau or an Awakened special investigation unit. Why did Gnosis go out of its way to come to Hyeonak?”
“Why would a criminal go to a police station?”
“You didn’t come to turn yourself in?”
“I came because I want to fuck Gnosis over. In Korea, Hyeonak is supreme, right?”
At the strangely familiar way of speaking, Gidan, who had been listening quietly, snapped his eyes open.
‘Supreme?’
There was only one person around Gidan who had the habit of saying “supreme.”
“You…… are you being controlled by Geuru, by any chance?”
At the absurd assumption, Jurim let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, while Serhi, his expression twisting, propped his elbow on the table.
‘Is this kid a little slow?’
For a moment, a four-year-old brat who had proudly declared that he was a loser hiding his true power flashed through his mind.
“Is Hyeonak a gathering of losers or something?”
“I can’t deny it.”
“Ah, hyung…….”
Jurim murmured softly, and Gidan grumbled as he crossed his arms.