“It’s about time we start preparing for the recruitment battle.”
Around the time we wrapped up the whirlwind that was week seven and were about to enter week eight, I gathered all the clan members currently enrolled at the User Academy over the weekend. It was time, quite literally, to coordinate our opinions and begin narrowing down the trainees we wanted to recruit.
Some might say, “Already? There are still six weeks left,” but after careful consideration, I didn’t think it was too soon at all.
The biggest problem was that I hadn’t found a single trainee worth recruiting yet. Other clans might think differently, but by my standards, none of the trainees so far had impressed me.
Of course, I hadn’t reviewed every trainee yet. Considering that mental training would start in week eight—and that mental training disregards class distinctions between instructors and trainees—there was still room to observe those I hadn’t seen.
The key point was that we had to finish the selection process before week ten, when clan promotion and lobbying would be allowed. Better to secure our picks early than scramble as latecomers.
“Hmm… just two weeks until the recruitment competition begins. It definitely won’t hurt to prepare in advance. So, do you have any trainees in mind for the clan lord position?”
Ha-yeon, who had been quietly organizing the records, looked up calmly and asked.
I nodded immediately.
“Yes. There’s one person.”
“Oh? Really? Who is it? Last time you said there wasn’t anyone notable among the close-combat classes.”
“Let me clarify. It’s not a trainee, but an instructor. Specifically, Instructor Jin Su-hyun. I’ve already made some progress in approaching him.”
“…What?”
Ha-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise. Not just her—everyone looked at me with expressions that clearly said they didn’t understand.
“I get what you’re thinking, but there’s no need to worry. After looking into it, I believe he’s worth recruiting. You can think of it as a merger if you want, but it won’t cause any major issues.”
Ha-yeon listened quietly, then nodded in understanding.
“Alright. If the clan lord says so, then is there anything we can do to help?”
“No, I think it’s better to approach this one-on-one for now. By the way, have you noticed any trainees in the magic talent class? Anyone who stands out or has suddenly surged ahead?”
By “suddenly surged ahead,” I meant trainees whose performance had rapidly improved. Usually, if a trainee has good talent, their potential is high, so instructors keep a close eye on those whose grades shoot up.
“I’ve actually been compiling a list.”
“Here’s the list of promising trainees. These are the ones we’ve carefully selected.”
At that, Ha-yeon and Shin Jae-ryong eagerly handed me several pages of records.
At first, I felt a bit relieved that they weren’t handing me a huge pile all at once like last time. But as I skimmed through the list, I furrowed my brow. There were over twenty names.
“Wait, this many? It’s rare to have more than a dozen, even at most.”
“That’s because your standards and ours differ. Your standards are extremely, very strict.”
Extremely, and very.
If I sensed a subtle edge in Ha-yeon’s voice, was it just my imagination?
The issue of the Mercenary Clan’s small numbers had been a topic for a long time, so I had little to say. (Ha-yeon had always argued for lowering standards a bit to increase numbers significantly.)
Feeling a prick in my chest, I took a deep breath.
“Hmm… alright. I’ll take a closer look at these trainees.”
“Just a closer look?”
“Of course, with as much positivity as possible.”
“…Clan lord, please. We’re probably the only clan that hasn’t accepted new users for over half a year. Having such a high entry barrier isn’t exactly good publicity.”
That was when it happened.
Just as I was about to absentmindedly rub my chin at the pleading tone, Shin Jae-ryong spoke up in a serious voice.
“I have something urgent to discuss, clan lord.”
I nodded without looking away from the records, signaling him to continue.
“We had a meeting with the Central Management Organization yesterday. They asked if we’d be interested in holding an event around week ten.”
“An event? What kind of event?”
“They want to have instructors spar in front of all the trainees over the weekend.”
“I see. That sounds like a good… wait, what?”
At that moment, I couldn’t help but look up from the records. It was hard to believe what I’d just heard.
“What on earth do you mean?”
“It’s inspired by the incident involving Instructor Gong Chan-ho. The idea is to showcase battles between top-tier users. They think it’s a good way to provide entertainment and also serve as some promotion.”
…It wasn’t entirely a bad idea. But having instructors fight each other? That seemed off.
“Even so, there must be a lot of issues. There’s a clear skill gap among instructors. Even if it’s an event, those on the weaker side won’t be happy.”
“Of course. That’s why it’s not finalized yet. They’re discussing various options—like accepting volunteers only, or matching opponents by skill level to keep it fair.”
That could improve things somewhat. And, admittedly, it was a bit tempting.
Imagine if my brother and Han So-young went one-on-one—how entertaining would that be?
But from an official standpoint, it didn’t seem like the best idea. …But whatever. It’s not my call, and I have nothing to lose either way.
Since Shin Jae-ryong was the one making the decision, I just shrugged.
“Alright. Thanks for the update. Let me know when it’s finalized.”
“Will do. You’ll be the first to know.”
Shin Jae-ryong smiled. Like it was no big deal.
I returned the smile half-heartedly and glanced around.
“Well, I think that covers everything. Any other reports?”
The clan members looked at each other, then all stared blankly at me.
No response. Nothing more to say. Then…
“Alright, let’s end the meeting here. Good work, everyone.”
I tidied the records and quietly announced the meeting’s end.
The User Academy finally entered week eight.
With half the training behind us, one notable change was the introduction of mental training.
This meant we finally had a legitimate chance to observe trainees from other classes.
Mental training was popular among instructors because it was easy. Trainees liked it too—it was a comfortable lecture where they just sat and listened, no physical or mental strain.
As week eight began, I applied to observe the mental training. Having found nothing interesting among the close-combat classes, I wanted to shift my focus to the magic talent class.
But to cut to the chase, I had to give up on observing mental training in week eight.
Since it was still important to focus on regular training, only one mental training session for the magic talent class was scheduled that week. Naturally, it was oversubscribed, and I couldn’t get in.
Shin Jae-ryong apologized profusely, but I reassured him. It was best to handle popular requests fairly. Besides, I didn’t want to be seen as getting special treatment. The opportunity would come around again.
Just as I was about to shake off my disappointment and look forward to the next week, I received unexpected news.
The messenger was none other than Jin Su-hyun.
The unexpected news was that Jin Su-hyun had requested to conduct joint training ahead of the week eight mental training.
I was puzzled by the request, but after hearing the details, I couldn’t help but feel stunned.
“So… you don’t know what to do?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Jin Su-hyun scratched his head awkwardly and avoided my gaze.
By now, we were on familiar terms. After he suggested we get closer last time, we’d agreed to drop formalities and treat each other like older and younger brothers.
I’d hesitated at first, but his straightforward, easygoing personality won me over.
Still, no matter how easygoing, this wasn’t good. Who signs up for training without knowing what to do? It was like jumping in blind.
“…Then why did you apply in the first place?”
“Just… everyone else was applying, so I followed along. I didn’t think the chief instructor would pick me. If it were regular training, I could manage somehow, but this is a different class altogether. I have no idea what to do.”
“……”
“Anyway, mental training is supposed to be easy, but there are limits. It’s too late to cancel now, and if I go in like this, I’ll just embarrass myself. I’ll probably just stammer and babble. Hyung, please help me out. I really don’t know anything.”
What Jinsu-hyun was basically saying was that she wanted to slot me into a joint training session. And that I would be in charge of running the whole thing, while she’d just chip in here and there.
Hearing that, I did a quick mental calculation.
Joint training.
Since instructors have quite a bit of authority over training sessions, joint training isn’t impossible. In fact, there have been a few cases where instructors agreed to it and made it happen.
…Thinking about it, it doesn’t sound all that bad.
After weighing it from every angle, I was able to make up my mind right away.
The upcoming mental training was scheduled for tomorrow. It felt a bit rushed, but honestly, I wasn’t too worried. Experience-wise, I had nothing to fear.
Yeah. I just needed to talk well and make use of my past experience. And while I was at it, I could check out the user info I’d been curious about.
With that in mind, I opened my eyes again and let out a sigh. Then, forcing a tone that said “I really have no choice,” I calmly spoke up.
“Ugh. Well, if that’s the case, I guess I can’t say no. But this is a paid request, right?”
“Of course! The fee’s just a meal at the restaurant. How’s that sound?”
Seeing Jinsu-hyun grin cheekily like that, I couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. Seriously, she’s got a way with people.
I gave her the okay, and she looked visibly relieved as she grabbed me and dragged me to the restaurant.
That day passed with us ordering the most expensive dishes, leaving Jinsu-hyun practically in tears over the bill. The next morning dawned.
Since the plan was set for the morning, after finishing breakfast, I headed straight to the classroom with Ansol and Jinsu-hyun in tow.
As we walked down the hallway and entered the classroom, a loud buzz filled the air. Almost twenty trainees turned to look at me all at once.
A brief silence fell, followed by curious gazes. I felt a strange flutter of excitement, probably because it was my first time meeting them face-to-face. Judging by their expressions, the trainees seemed to feel the same.
But then, moments later.
“Hey… isn’t that the guy? That one?”
“No, no. I heard yesterday it got changed to joint training. I think that’s Kim Suhyun.”
The excitement faded quickly. The trainees scanned me with judging eyes, then started chatting noisily among themselves again. They didn’t seem to care much about me or the other instructors. Some even clapped and welcomed me, but it was clear the overall mood wasn’t exactly warm.
The trainees I was about to train were among the top-tier in magical talent.
Remembering that, I suddenly recalled how those trainees treated Hansoyoung last time, and the warning Hayun gave me last night.
“Suhyun, don’t underestimate these magic talent trainees.”
“They can be really exhausting to train. They’re a bit… arrogant, for trainees.”
Anyway, she said I’d understand once I got in there. Looks like this was exactly what she meant. The atmosphere was definitely different from when I trained close-combat trainees.
I slowly scanned the group of about twenty trainees, then calmly made my way to the center podium. I spoke softly.
“Nice to meet you all. I’m your mental training instructor for today…”
That’s when it happened.
“Excuse me, Instructor! Kim Suhyun! We already know who you are, so you can skip the intro. But I have a question—can I ask something?”
Just as I was about to start my introduction, someone cut me off and threw out a question.
And they said it with complete confidence.
I slowly turned my gaze toward the voice. There, in the front row on the left, was a young man eagerly raising his hand.
He caught my eye and then smiled brightly as he continued.
“Sorry for the sudden question, but we have tons of questions for you. Right, everyone?”
He turned to the others, seeking their agreement.
The classroom erupted in a chaotic chorus of “Yeah!” and “Definitely!”
I closed my eyes gently.
Suddenly, a heavy, sinking feeling settled over me.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
To help you understand:
Veteran Sergeant: Nice to meet you. I am…
Fresh Private: We already know who you are, so skip the intro and just take questions.
Veteran Sergeant: I’m mad now.
Fresh Private: You mad? LOL. Then evolve into Private Star!
Veteran Sergeant VS Private Star. What will the outcome be?!
P.S. The User Academy runs far more strictly than you might think. Instructors are instructors, trainees are trainees. Roles are clearly defined.
Instructors can only meet trainees during training sessions, and the same goes for life instructors. Of course, they might pass by occasionally, but private conversations are forbidden. Especially if an instructor tries to promote something, they risk immediate expulsion. Promotion time will be given later, so no funny business.
That said, the rules aren’t absolute. There’s some flexibility depending on the situation.
Take Cha Heeyoung, for example. Considering what happened to her, some leniency is allowed. Kim Suhyun, being somewhat involved, can check in on her after the incident. Or Cha Heeyoung leaning on An Hyun, her direct rescuer, is tolerated for the sake of the trainee’s mental stability. :)