“Seoyeon. Yesterday, Hyerang kept looking for you in the group chat.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I know you usually ignore the group chat when you get home, but she was desperately calling out to you.”
“Is that so? Why was she calling me?”
Seoyeon searched through the group chat after hearing Hyekyung’s words.
Just as Hyekyung said, Hyerang’s messages were flooding the chat, all asking to play the game together.
“You said you live with your uncle, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Is your house strict?”
Seoyeon chuckled at Hyekyung’s question.
Strict? Far from it—her uncle was so lax that sometimes Seoyeon felt he was even more childish than herself, despite being older.
“No, not really.”
“Then why do you disappear once you get home? It’s not like you have a boyfriend.”
“I just don’t use the group chat at home.”
“Unless you’re busy playing with your old uncle, there’s no reason not to.”
Hyekyung said suspiciously, but Karin didn’t reply further.
“Ugh, I wonder how much Trash will rant today.”
One of the classmates grumbled as they changed into their training uniform.
Hearing that, Seoyeon’s expression hardened slightly.
Trash.
The nickname of the training instructor at Raon Academy.
The meaning was exactly as it sounded.
Trash was a first-generation Hunter who had a notoriously brutal teaching style. His mindset was that if students didn’t train properly, they’d end up dead.
“Seoyeon, maybe it’s better to skip training today?”
Hyekyung looked at Seoyeon with concern.
“No, I don’t want to get my grades cut for nothing. Don’t worry, Hyekyung.”
Seoyeon smiled faintly.
Hyekyung bit her lip anxiously. The reason for her unease wasn’t Trash, but the crazy third-year student training alongside them.
The third-year who had hit Seoyeon during training.
Raon Academy was an educational institution born out of the aftermath of the first Gate Incident.
Most of the academy’s students were orphans with nowhere else to go or young people aspiring to become Hunters.
Because of this, not only theoretical classes but combat training were mandatory.
“How’s your leg? Did you go to the hospital?”
“It’s fine. It’s already healed.”
Seoyeon pulled down her black stockings to reveal her shin.
Seeing the faint bruises, Hyekyung smiled with some relief.
“Good. That looked like a bad injury.”
“I’m pretty tough.”
“Did you get revenge for getting beaten? So lame.”
The bruises were from a third-year senior. Though he acted like it was an accident, everyone knew it wasn’t.
He had once embarrassed himself badly after asking Seoyeon out.
Third-year senior Kim Seongtae persistently harassed Seoyeon. Even her classmates hesitated to step in.
He was one of the few Awakened at the academy, a promising talent coveted by pro Guilds. He had already signed a contract to be scouted as soon as he graduated in a few months.
Because of this, he had quite a group of followers.
He was basically what you’d call a school bully.
The dreaded training session was about to begin.
The students gathered at the training ground, and a teacher with an intimidating, unapproachable aura began the class.
“Today’s training is another sparring match. Everyone, put on your protective gear.”
“Teacher, can I skip today?”
“There’s no such thing as resting in real combat. No one’s going to cut you any slack just because you’re hurt.”
The student who asked to rest folded their arms as the teacher sharply rejected the request, leaving them unable to respond.
“Everyone, protective gear on. First-years spar with first-years, second-years spar with third-years.”
Hearing this, Hyekyung immediately frowned.
Then, crazy Kim Seongtae approached Seoyeon.
“Lee Seoyeon. Your leg’s already healed, huh?”
A man with curly hair and squinted eyes grinned as he came closer.
Hyekyung stepped in front of her.
“Senior, why are you here?”
“Didn’t you hear? Third-years spar with second-years.”
“You left Seoyeon hurt last time!”
“She looks fine now.”
“If you don’t let me, I’ll break you. Look at how obsessed Kim Seongtae is.”
From behind came jeering voices cheering him on mockingly.
“Our Seoyeon’s going to spar with someone else.”
“Didn’t you hear? Second-years spar with third-years.”
“Why does it have to be that way? Second-years can spar with second-years, third-years with third-years. Teacher!”
Hyekyung called out to the teacher, but he just glanced their way and ignored them.
Hyekyung’s voice wavered with surprise.
“I don’t want to deal with him.”
“You don’t? Then call him ‘oppa’.”
Seoyeon’s tone was icy cold, dripping with disdain as if looking at something subhuman.
This was not the cheerful, food-loving Seoyeon everyone knew.
‘Maybe I should have learned self-defense from my uncle.’
Seoyeon had the power of the Spirit Hall, so she didn’t know any fighting techniques.
Even in another world, she used her innate magic and powers to overwhelm opponents.
But since she hadn’t fully awakened her power yet, she couldn’t stand up to a prospective Hunter like Kim Seongtae.
“Alright then, you don’t want to spar with me?”
Kim Seongtae smirked and suddenly grabbed Hyekyung’s arm.
“Then I’ll spar with her.”
“I don’t want to! Let go!”
“Stop it! She said no, why are you like this?”
“I’m not asking her out or anything. I’m just saying train.”
Hyekyung was also a Supporter.
She wasn’t used to close combat.
She tried to pull away, but couldn’t.
“Teacher, over here…!”
“That senior again…!”
The students alerted the real-combat training instructor.
But he just glanced over and scolded the second-years instead.
“Didn’t I say it’s sparring time? Do you think this is free time?”
“Well, it’s just that…”
“I told you to act like it’s real combat. Mind your own business. If you don’t want to spar, say so. We’ll give you different training.”
Everyone fell silent at the teacher’s words.
Kim Seongtae smiled and nodded.
“You’re all orphans anyway.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Seoyeon bit her lip hard.
Seeing Hyekyung being hassled because of her hurt her deeply and made her angry.
“We volunteered to become Hunters. Don’t think we’re the same as orphans with nowhere to go.”
Kim Seongtae was an arrogant bully.
Rumor had it he was the grandson of a major shareholder and the chairman invested in Raon Academy.
That was why even the training instructor turned a blind eye.
“An orphan acting all high and mighty just because you have a pretty face? Don’t want to spar? Fine, don’t.”
Kim Seongtae let go of Hyekyung’s hand.
Her brow naturally furrowed as the red marks left on her wrist remained.
Kim Seongtae turned his attention to another target.
“You want to do it? Huh?”
He approached a hesitant second-year.
Because Kim Seongtae was so close, the second-year took a step back.
Thud, thud.
He pushed the student with his shoulder and chest, but the boy couldn’t say anything.
“What? No one wants to spar with me? Are you trying to make me lose points on purpose?”
Kim Seongtae sneered at the crowd.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I told you, you have to spar.”
His friends jeered and laughed.
“Hey, shut up, you lot!”
“Whoa, look at this charm exploding!”
Seoyeon sighed.
“You serious?”
Kim Seongtae chuckled like he was having fun.
Seeing that, Seoyeon clenched her fists.
“This isn’t sparring; it’s violence.”
“Real combat training. Didn’t you hear Trash earlier? Training is like real combat, understand?”
Seoyeon gritted her teeth.
Winning in a normal fight was impossible.
She had Healing Power, so if that was the case, she could use the opposite of healing.
Reverse Healing done by Dark Clerics didn’t restore but inflicted damage.
Just as Seoyeon hardened her resolve, a man’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Training should be like real combat. Truly, those words ring true!”
Everyone’s attention turned to him and then froze in disbelief.
A man wearing tights striped in red and white, looking like a Power Ranger from a special effects show, walked into the training ground with his arms crossed.
“What the hell? Is this guy crazy?”
The curly-haired bully said that to me.
Honestly, even I would’ve said that.
It was humiliating.
Embarrassing.
The only relief was that wearing the helmet distorted his voice and concealed his face.
That was some comfort.
“Nope.”
The power of the mask was amazing.
“I am the Executioner of Justice.”
Thinking no one could recognize me gave me a little courage.
“I am Justice Man!”
Ready for battle.
The curly-haired bully’s mouth twitched, and his friends started clutching their stomachs laughing.
Suddenly, the shame I had pushed aside flooded back.
“J-Justice!”
“What the hell are you saying? Is this for real?”
“Hey, hand me the phone. This is hilarious. Hahaha!”
The reaction was intense.
Honestly, I was planning to just watch quietly, sneaking a peek at Karin’s peaceful school life.
But then this ridiculous bully appeared and ruined the mood.
A class full of orphans.
Those words must have hurt Karin.
I remembered.
How Karin had cried desperately after losing her parents at a young age.
Because their deaths were somehow connected to me.
I still feel guilty about it.
Everyone had stunned expressions, but only Karin’s pupils dilated widely.
Huh? Does she recognize me?
Even though my voice was distorted and my face covered… no way. How could she recognize me?
“Hey! Who are you? Take off that helmet!”
The teacher, who had been ignoring the violent behavior, came over with his hands on his hips.
“Who the hell are you? Take off that helmet by the count of three. One.”
I hesitated for a moment.
Was this person a good role model?
No.
Could this person even be called an educator?
No.
“Two.”
This was not real combat training.
This was just the strong bullying the weak.
“Three.”
The teacher’s face twisted.
The atmosphere tensed.
The bully group filmed with their phones, jeering as they encouraged their friend.
“You’re asking for a beating, huh? You’re asking for a beating!”
The teacher approached me and suddenly swung a slap at my face.
This was no ordinary speed.
He was a real-combat training instructor at Hunter High School; there was no chance he was an ordinary person.
But I wasn’t ordinary either.
I stepped back and dodged the attack.
The teacher feigned surprise.
“Dodged?”
His face instantly scrunched up, as if trying to pretend it was a coincidence.
“Helmet, take it off…!”
Smack!
“I said…!”
Pow!
“Damn it! Huh, huh!”
The teacher collapsed to the ground blinking, running a trembling hand across his philtrum.
Judging by his build, he looked like someone who could beat an ogre in an arm wrestle, so why was his endurance so weak?
He tried to get up but sat back down meekly.
Can’t get up. Vertigo paralysis.
“What’s wrong, boss? Got beat up?”
“Ha, that’s hilarious. You’re weak but acted tough?”
The bully mocked their teacher.
Their leader, the curly-haired one, smirked and said to me,
“Hey. What are you?”
The one who bullied Seoyeon, right?
“Hey, what are you?”
Snap!
A crisp breaking sound.
The curly-haired bully’s face contorted in pain.
He screamed horribly and rolled on the floor.
At his pitiful screams, the noisy group quieted down.
“Justice Execution!”
I had totally committed to the role.