1. Kim Soo-hyun: 574 / 600~
   (0 remaining stat points)
   [Strength 96 (+2)] [Endurance 94 (+2)] [Agility 98] [Stamina 100 (+2)] [Mana 96] [Luck 90 (+2)]

2. Gong Chan-ho: 525 / 600~
   (0 remaining stat points)
   [Strength 101 (+6)] [Endurance 87] [Agility 91] [Stamina 92 (+2)] [Mana 81] [Luck 73]

His stats had improved slightly across the board, except for strength and luck. Given his reputation, it seemed his potential was considerable.

But more than his stats, his disposition caught my attention.

Arrogance. And inferiority complex…?

“Alright, enough with the staring. You’re really a pain.”

At that, Gong Chan-ho raised both hands and shrugged his shoulders.

I spoke quietly.

“…Stop disrupting the training and just leave.”

“Oh, yes, yes. What power do I have? Especially when Instructor Kim Soo-hyun, the head instructor, tells me to back off. I’ll be on my way then. Heh heh.”

In the end, Gong Chan-ho kept smirking, turned around with a dark smile, and swaggered out the door. The Surama Spear slung across his back radiated a denser aura of malice than ever before. It was so intense that even the nearby trainees frowned.

“…Hmm.”

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind.

Time flies like an arrow. Five days had passed since the start of the sixth week of training. Considering the last two days were reserved for personal maintenance with no scheduled lessons, the sixth week was practically over.

I called all the instructors who had joined from the mercenary ranks to a meeting timed with the end of the fifth week’s training.

Because of the nature of the User Academy, as the weeks progressed, trainees were divided not only by class but also by skill level. Naturally, the instructors became busier, making it difficult to coordinate schedules during training weeks.

Still, I believed we needed to meet at least once a week to share information. After all, none of us were here to volunteer for free; communication was essential.

Late at night, the intermittent sound of rain tapping against the window frame filled the room.

Those who responded to the call were Ha-yeon and Ahn Hyun. Shin Jae-ryong, the head instructor, was too busy to attend. The assistant wasn’t even invited.

Ideally, weekend meetings would be best, but I didn’t want to encroach on personal maintenance time. I wanted the trainees to spend their weekends decompressing from the stress of training—a small courtesy, I suppose.

The meeting, which had started in the afternoon, was now winding down.

“I still see some decent rookies,” Ha-yeon said. “Maybe Soo-hyun’s expectations are just too high?”

“That could be,” I replied calmly. “But considering how heated the competition was early on, they’re definitely underperforming.”

I shook my head slowly. Ha-yeon tilted her head and picked up a record sheet detailing the trainees’ grades and special notes.

“Even with secret classes?”

“We have to look at that too. No matter how good the class, if their stats are low, it’s pointless. I haven’t seen that group yet, so I can’t say for sure.”

Ha-yeon was right—there were some promising rookies.

But even at their best, they were only on par with the level of trainees during the initiation phase (excluding An Sol). In this situation, they didn’t particularly stand out.

Mediocre means it takes just as long to train them up to full strength. I was really done playing nursemaid.

“Anyway, understood. I think we’ve covered enough for today. Starting week eight, we’ll begin some mental training, so we’ll have a better chance to evaluate them then.”

“Got it. If you need any info on grades or special notes, just let me know. I’ll keep an eye out.”

“The initial records are enough for now. Ha-yeon, focus less on visible grades and more on special notes. If there’s a trainee with a unique skill like the Harmony Magic Array that User Shin Sang-yong has… recruiting them might be worth considering.”

“Understood. Oh! Soo-hyun?”

Ha-yeon nodded and began tidying the scattered records on the table, then suddenly looked up at me.

“Is that thing… okay?”

“Huh?”

“That thing?”

I frowned. Ha-yeon spoke cautiously, her voice tinged with worry.

“Gong Chan-ho. I heard he caused a ruckus during your training?”

“Oh, no. It wasn’t a ruckus. But don’t worry, it’s all fine.”

“How can I not worry? His reputation is terrible.”

“Hmm? Reputation?”

Ha-yeon nodded emphatically, clearly annoyed.

“He’s got a really strange personality. His dorm is right next to mine, and he shares a room with the assistant.”

“The assistant…?”

Seong Ha-yan, I thought.

“He’s with a female user named Seong Ha-yan. It’s fine that they share a room, but every night I hear moaning. It feels like he’s doing it just to make sure I hear.”

“Wait, you hear moaning?”

“Yes. They’re… intimate. And that’s not all. Sometimes I hear shouting, and whenever that happens, Ha-yan’s crying too.”

“…What a lunatic.”

I agreed, and Ha-yeon shot me a look that said, “Right?”

Still, to think he’d treat even Seong Ha-yan that way?

I couldn’t believe it. At the same time, my doubts about Gong Chan-ho only deepened. What on earth had he been through these past two years?

“Um… hyung.”

At that moment, Ahn Hyun, who had been sitting quietly, slowly stood up. I glanced at him; he still looked drained.

“Um… can I leave now that the meeting’s over? I have patrol duty soon.”

“Sure. Thanks for your hard work.”

“No, no. Haha…”

“Oh, Ahn Hyun. If anything happens during patrol… you know what to do, right?”

Just as Ahn Hyun was about to leave, he gave a bitter smile.

“Of course. I’ve got it down. See first, act later. And don’t worry, hyung. It’s just dorm patrol, so nothing serious will happen.”

I watched him quietly, then sighed deeply for reasons I couldn’t explain. I spoke again.

“…You really don’t like her, do you?”

“Huh?”

“Cha Hee-young. If I said something wrong back then, I’m sorry. You can tell me again.”

“Ah… no, no, hyung. Please, please, please don’t. It’s not that I hate her…”

“Not that you hate her?”

“……”

Ahn Hyun suddenly clammed up, as if deciding not to say more.

Ha-yeon looked between us, curious but confused.

A moment of silence passed.

Then, as the rain outside grew heavier, Ahn Hyun let out a small, awkward laugh and shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing big. Just a minor thing. I don’t want to cause you any more worry. I’ll handle it somehow.”

It was a commendable attitude, but it wasn’t as minor as he thought. The matter involving the witch—no, Cha Hee-young—was something I was most concerned about.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud, so I just swallowed the words.

After Ahn Hyun bowed and left, Ha-yeon leaned in close, her face full of curiosity about our conversation.

“Soo-hyun, Soo-hyun. What’s going on? Hyun, are you… dating?”

I met Ha-yeon’s eager gaze head-on. The fresh, clear scent of water filled my nostrils.

Watching Ha-yeon’s eyes sparkle so brightly, my gaze suddenly landed on her lips—soft, slightly parted, with just the right hint of red.

After glancing over at the bed to confirm that Maru and Dodo were asleep, I slowly leaned in and pressed my lips against hers.

For a moment, Ha-yeon’s eyes widened into big, round circles—but only for a moment.

She soon closed them gently.

Soft. Warm.

We stayed like that for a long while, our lips locked together, before I slowly pulled away.

Ha-yeon seemed to savor the lingering feeling for a bit, then quietly opened her eyes. A gentle smile spread across her face…

She was about to let out a breathless “Huh,” but suddenly sucked in a sharp, hiccuping gasp.

“Hic!”

And then another hiccup followed.

Her eyes weren’t on me, though. Judging by her gaze, she was looking over my shoulder.

Unexpected.

I turned to look at the bed—and then I understood why.

“…Pbbbt.”

“……”

Somehow, Dodo had woken up and was peeking over the edge of the bed, spying on us.

And he was grinning.

The next day.

The official six-week training schedule finally came to an end, and the weekend arrived—a time for personal upkeep.

After smacking Dodo once for grinning at me during breakfast, I headed to the chief instructor’s office with An-sol. (Of course, Dodo threw a fit, but I left him with Han-byul and walked out of the dining hall.) We had to get permission to go out over the weekend.

In truth, not only the rookies but even the instructors aren’t allowed to leave during training.

However, in urgent cases, weekend outings are permitted with the chief instructor’s approval—which means Shin Jae-ryong’s sign-off is required. That’s why we were going to see him now.

Originally, there were two tasks planned for the weekend, but last night one was canceled. Han So-young suddenly had an emergency and messaged that she’d be staying at Monica’s over the weekend.

It didn’t really matter to me. I’d see Han So-young later at the academy anyway, and the outing was just a quick stop at the temple.

Well, whether it would be quick or take longer, I didn’t know yet.

Even though we’d been in the same place, we hadn’t met yet. During the first week of training, I was busy with my own things and hadn’t paid much attention.

But maybe it was time to start untangling things.

Between Jin Soo-hyun, Maeng Ah-ra, and myself.

That thought struck me, and I quickened my pace.

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

Thank you all. Thanks to your kindness, I was able to take a day to clear my head. (Though honestly, I think I mostly just slept. Ha ha ha.)

Oh! One thing I want to share with you today: you might get to experience Memorize in a slightly different way. Think of it as a visual novel. Like smartphone escape-room games or Gray City, you could say we’re working on visualizing Memorize.

We’ve been discussing this for about three months, and it looks like it’ll be finalized around April 1st. That’s when we’ll sign the contract. :)