After finishing the special instructor registration, I took Ansol, who was fiddling with her hands, and headed to the User Academy.
We breezed through the entrance. Since I’d already been recognized during the Anhyun incident, the usual strict ID checks were skipped. Plus, word must have spread that a special instructor was coming today, because our dorm rooms had already been assigned.
“Hehehehe. Finally, the day has come when I get to share a room with my big brother.”
Ansol started babbling nonsense again, and I just gave her a steady look. I couldn’t help but wonder—what exactly goes on in her head all day? And what would happen if I paired her up with Maeng Ahra?
“Why are you staring at me like that? Don’t tell me… you’re having naughty thoughts?!”
Whether she caught on or not, Ansol gave me a coy smile, her voice soft and teasing. Was she trying to provoke me?
“Well, we’ll see if things turn out the way you think. Either way, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Huh? What do you mean? I’m your assistant, you know. Usually, instructors and their assistants share rooms.”
“Who says that?”
“It’s in the User Academy guidebook issued for instructors.”
She answered, eyes wide and serious, as if she’d just read a book. To be fair, Ansol was right—generally, instructors and their assistants do share rooms. But that’s not a hard rule; exceptions exist.
Still, this kid only knows half the story. She pulled out every clause she’d read to convince me we had to share a room.
…She only gets logical when it suits her. It’s fascinating, really.
Ansol’s nonstop chatter finally stopped when we arrived at the dorm I’d be using. As I opened the door and stepped inside, I found the clan members who had already gathered at the User Academy waiting for me.
Chief Instructor and Training Instructor Shin Jaeryong, assistant Kim Hanbyul.
Life Instructor Anhyun, assistant Lee Yujeong.
Hayun was a training instructor but hadn’t requested an assistant.
With Ansol and me entering, there were seven of us total. Even though the room wasn’t small, it felt packed.
“Everyone’s here.”
“Today’s the last weekend of week five, right? No classes, so we heard you were coming and waited. …Oh?”
Hayun gently cradled Mar, who was softly sleeping, and let out a small sigh of admiration. Then, after lightly tapping her ankle a couple of times, Dodo suddenly tumbled over. Dodo squeaked and rushed over, but I pushed her back with my foot and settled down. When Dodo cried out in frustration, Hanbyul quickly came over and scooped her up.
Watching the clan members’ faces, all looking quietly pleased, I calmly spoke. Shin Jaeryong, wearing a gentle smile, was the first to respond.
“How’s the role of chief instructor? It can’t be that fun a position.”
“It’s definitely not, but I’m treating it as an experience.”
“I see. Looks like you’re in for some awkward moments ahead.”
“Oh, not at all. The special instructor is the highest qualification among instructors, so even I have to tread carefully. Ha ha ha.”
It could have been a sensitive topic, but Shin Jaeryong laughed heartily and took it in stride. Since I’d said it as a joke, I could laugh along without feeling awkward.
“So, how’s life at the academy these days? …And you? You look a bit worn out.”
That last was aimed at Anhyun. No kidding—he really looked exhausted. His cheeks were sunken, his face gaunt. He looked like he was drowning in fatigue.
After scratching his cheek, Anhyun gave a bitter smile and answered.
“Just… a little tired lately.”
Light laughter rippled through the room. Shin Jaeryong chuckled openly, Yujeong pounded the table and giggled, and even Hanbyul covered her mouth, laughing quietly. The only ones staying silent were Ansol and me. Why were they all laughing like that?
“Ah, this is so nice. It really feels like old times.”
After laughing their fill, Yujeong caught her breath and spoke calmly. Now that I thought about it, she was right. Almost everyone here had been with me since the early days.
I wasn’t immune to nostalgia either, but I quickly pushed it aside. I hadn’t come in as a special instructor just to reminisce. Having fun was fine, but the main purpose of being at the User Academy had to come first. With that in mind, I turned to Hayun.
“Hayun, when was the last time we accepted a new clan member?”
“A clan member? Hmm… about a year ago? Or maybe eight months? It’s been something like that.”
So it had been at least six months since we’d taken in anyone new. Sure, we’d been busy and had reasons to focus on internal matters, but recruiting new clan members was important.
No matter how much we aimed for a small, elite group, the Mercenary Clan was feeling short-staffed. And this User Academy was a perfect opportunity to ease that shortage, even if just a little.
I spoke calmly.
“As I’ve mentioned before, everyone knows how important this User Academy is. So I won’t dwell on it. I intend to recruit at least one new user this time.”
“…….”
“But since I just arrived, I don’t know the current situation inside the academy at all. That’s why I need your help. What’s going on? How are the instructors from other clans behaving? What’s the level of these rookies? And which ones should we keep an eye on?”
“That’s why I prepared something.”
Hayun jumped in at just the right moment. Carefully handing Mar over to Yujeong, she pulled out a thick stack of records from under the table. Dust motes floated in the air.
“Alright. Now, the boring part you all hate is about to start, so everyone else, please leave. Oh, and Shin Jaeryong, you can stay.”
A clear dismissal order. Still, the others got up without complaint…
“Eh? But I’m supposed to share this room with big brother from now on…”
Ansol’s protesting voice rang out.
“What?”
But the moment Yujeong’s eyes narrowed sharply, Ansol’s objections quietly died down.
“Ah, no, I mean… well…”
“You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, right? Right? Hmm?”
“…Nyeeeeh.”
“Hehe. I see. You must have misheard. Don’t worry! There are plenty of rooms!”
In the end, Ansol was assigned to share a room with Hanbyul. She left, sniffling and packing her things. Judging by the way she cried, she’d been really looking forward to it.
I clicked my tongue and turned my gaze toward the door.
“Ah, Anhyun. How’s Cha Heeyoung doing?”
Anhyun, about to leave the room, flinched. Turning his head with a creak, he spoke in a trembling voice.
“…Heeyoung?”
“Yeah. Let’s find some time to meet up. Maybe have a meal together.”
“B-but as an instructor…”
“I’m not trying to promote anything. It’s because of the last incident. Since you were involved directly or indirectly, you have the right to check if she’s doing okay, right?”
Anhyun didn’t have much to say and reluctantly nodded.
“Alright… I’ll try to talk to her…”
Mumbling weakly, Anhyun staggered out of the room. I tilted my head. Was there something going on between those two?
Anyway.
I figured I’d find out soon enough, so I turned my attention back.
The thick stack of records still sat on the table, and Hayun wore a proud smile.
When I glanced at Shin Jaeryong, he silently mouthed, “This is an organization freak.” I sighed softly.
“These are records I specially organized for Suhyun. While serving as a training instructor, I noted down the characteristics of these rookies one by one. It should be quite helpful.”
…No, you can just look at them with a third eye. You didn’t have to go this far.
Her intentions were admirable, but honestly, it wasn’t all that helpful. Still, I couldn’t say that to Hayun’s face, so I smiled casually and tapped the records.
“Good work. But I can’t go through all of this now, so I’d like a summary. Are these rookies really that impressive?”
“Very. Absolutely.”
Hayun answered firmly, adding “absolutely.” Considering her personality, that was almost the highest praise she could give. My eyes narrowed instinctively.
“In what way are they so impressive?”
“In many ways. You could say they’re the best we’ve ever had. There are rumors they caught a monster during the initiation ritual, and one even made it into the secret class. And above all—”
“Above all?”
“Not all of them, but… their adaptability is incredible. They’ve only just finished week five, but their behavior is almost indistinguishable from existing users.”
That surprised me. Humans are adaptable, sure, but it usually takes time. For rookies barely five weeks in to act like seasoned users? If that’s true, these rookies are definitely something special.
Hayun continued.
“They also seem to understand their own value within the User Academy. Honestly, they don’t act like rookies at all.”
“Being so advanced after just five weeks… Could it be that the instructors have been giving them too much leeway, encouraging that kind of behavior?”
Hayun then fixed her gaze on Shin Jaeryong. As the chief instructor, he probably knew the situation better than anyone. When I averted my eyes, Shin Jaeryong crossed his arms and spoke with a somewhat troubled expression.
“Well, it’s hard to call it outright misconduct, but it’s not exactly a trivial excuse either… To be honest, not all the instructors are without issues.”
“Issues?”
“…Hmm. Clan Lord, are you familiar with the users Gong Chanho and Jin Suhyun?”
“Gong Chanho and Jin Suhyun?”
I asked, puzzled. I already knew from Hayun that these two—Gong Chanho, the Strength 101 user, and Jin Suhyun, the Mage Hunter—were instructors. But problems between them?
Nodding for him to continue, Shin Jaeryong let out a long sigh.
“The thing is, both Gong Chanho and Jin Suhyun are training instructors. But their relationship is very strained.”
“Strained?”
“Yes. More specifically, Gong Chanho openly badmouths Jin Suhyun. He calls him unqualified, a parachute hire, and I’ve even heard he does this in front of the rookies.”
“Sometimes people get lucky and snag a spot, but that’s nonsense. Is there a particular reason he dislikes him?”
Shin Jaeryong shook his head silently.
“It’s gotten so bad that I’ve talked to them separately, but there’s no clear reason. Oh, now that I think about it, I did hear that Gong Chanho just plain dislikes Suhyun himself…”
Just dislikes Suhyun himself.
Something clicked inside me, and I quietly spoke up.
“Has Gong Chanho ever caused any harm to the Mercenary group? Even something minor—please tell me.”
But again, Shin Jaeryong shook his head. Then, for the first time since he started talking about the instructors, he smiled broadly.
“Not at all. In fact, the Mercenary group’s reputation within the User Academy is currently leading the pack.”
“Huh.”
I calmly stroked my chin. It was definitely good news, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit skeptical. Having a high reputation was great, but we were only in the fifth week—hardly the time to be boasting about recognition.
Still, Shin Jaeryong wouldn’t have said that without reason. I nodded, silently urging him to explain.
Sensing my curiosity, he smiled gently and continued.
“Do you remember the Cha Heeyoung incident? Haha. Yes. The reason the Mercenary group’s reputation has risen so much is all thanks to Ahn Hyun.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Can you believe it? Everyone, I’ve updated at midnight three days in a row! I can’t believe it myself!
Three consecutive midnight updates! Me, updating at midnight three days straight!
Dear readers, when was your glorious era?
It’s right now!
Reader: Shut up.
Yes.
I got so excited I couldn’t help but joke around. Please forgive me. (__)
Oh, many of you have asked—yes, this User Academy arc was originally near the end of Part 2. Part 4 was cut down to Part 3, and Part 3 was merged into Part 2, so the number of chapters decreased. I once mentioned that once we clear the Steel Mountain Range, the end would be in sight—that’s what I meant. :)
I know a lot of readers worry when it comes to the User Academy arc (I feel a bit guilty for what I’ve done), but I’ve tried to pack this part with moments you’ll enjoy—like Suhyun showing his true colors, discovering unexpectedly strong users, and so on. There are also episodes involving Kim Yuhyun and Han Soyoung. I’m doing my best, so please look forward to it!
P.S. Some of you have asked for a reply post. How about I do one in the next chapter? Not for everyone, though—I’m thinking of randomly selecting about ten people like before. Of course, the first person to reply will get priority. :D