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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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âââââââ
[Year 1 Class A Team 2]
-Lee Seong-hyun
-Han Yuri
-Choi Ah-hyun
âFucking hell⊠How did this happenâŠ?â
I couldnât understand the current situation.
Originally, Kim Ji-hoon and I should have been in the same team.
And Han Yuri? Han Yuri didnât even exist in my life during my first year.
ââŠDid someone rig the results?â
Both Lee Seol and Han Yuri had the connections to manipulate the team draw to their liking.
âBut that doesnât make sense either.â
If Iâd been teamed with Lee Seol, I would have been certain she remembered the previous timeline.
And⊠she would have taken some kind of action.
But it was Han Yuri.
Sheâd followed the exact same path as the previous timeline, showing no unusual behavior whatsoever!
There was no way to know if this was a genuine coincidence or if Han Yuri had deliberately orchestrated it.
As I chewed on my lip, Kim Ji-hoon patted my shoulder with a grin.
âHell yeah! This is the life! Donât you think so?â
âShut up. I have a headache.â
âWell, being in the same team as Han Yuri is shit luck. Even back in Hunter Prep, she was ranked number one on the âpeople I donât want to team up withâ list. Tsk⊠Well, what can you do? There are winners and losers! Hahaha!â
I wanted to smack that smug grin off his face, but I didnât have the time.
I looked around. The reactions were starkly divided.
Some were ecstatic, others in despair.
There were generally two ways to enter the Academy: graduate from Hunter Prep and get in through the âescalatorâ system, or take the entrance exam like Kim Ji-hoon and I did.
It was natural that the Prep kids, who had been training hard since high school, had an advantage.
They looked down on those who entered later and called them “mongrels.”
The white ring on their left index finger.
That was proof of graduation from Hunter Prep. It was how they distinguished the âeliteâ from the âcommoners.â
âEven during the orientation, the class was clearly divided.â
The ones chattering excitedly were mostly from Prep. Those cautiously observing their surroundings were the exam entrants.
âDamn⊠Two mongrels on our team.â
âOh man⊠What a mess⊠Cheer up. At least we only have one.â
Their blatant comments spoke volumes.
AnywayâŠ
âI need a plan.â
Team activities were essential for obtaining opportunities and rewards at the Academy.
Solo play was practically impossible.
That meant I had to switch teams.
âHey, Ji-hoon. You made some friends, right?â
âYeah, the officetel expedition crew. Did I tell you about them?â
âIntroduce me to them.â
âSuddenly? Sure, whatever.â
Complaining to the professors wouldnât work. Theyâd just spout nonsense about fairness and impartiality.
But trading was different.
If the parties involved agreed to a swap, what could they do?
HoweverâŠ
âOh, Team 2? Isnât Han Yuri there? Sorry, I canât swap with you.â
âTeam 2⊠Han Yuri isnât really my cup of teaâŠâ
âSheâs a lone wolf. Word has already spread among the exam entrants that she doesnât cooperate with her team. Why would anyone want to join that team?â
Dead end after dead end.
Every attempt was a dead end.
If it had been Lee Seol, they would have jumped at the chanceâŠ
Fuck. A complete dead end.
Staying here would make me go insane from frustration. I needed to get out for my sanityâs sake.
âIâm heading out.â
âHuh? Arenât you going to talk to your teammates?â
âThereâs no one to talk to. See you later.â
It hadnât even been ten minutes since the team draw, and Han Yuri was nowhere to be seen.
Truly living up to her reputation as a lone wolf.
The reason for my anxiety?
Once a team was formed, you had to âliveâ with them for a year. Literally eat, sleep, and train together.
It was no exaggeration to say you spent 24 hours a day together. This was why Ji-hoon threatened to drop out if he got stuck in an all-guys team.
Wouldnât it be problematic if men and women slept together?
If there’s a problem, it’s immediate expulsion.
No exceptions.
Hunters often had to share tents and living spaces, so causing trouble even here meant you were unfit for the job.
âHooâŠâ
I lay down on the grass in the plaza and looked up at the sky. It was a clear, bright blue, oblivious to my inner turmoil.
âShould I drop out?â
But I shook my head. She would be coming to the Academy in a few months.
The woman I was unjustly forced to break up with in the previous timeline.
âI have to hold on at least until then.â
Since things had turned out this way, I needed to think positively.
Han Yuri was second in our year. If I used her well, I could sweep up all the opportunities and rewards I had planned to give up on.
The problem was the timing of Han Yuriâs witch awakeningâŠ
If I remembered correctly, the frequency of her contacting me increased significantly after her fatherâs funeral.
Just thinking about that time made me want to kill myself.
Out of some misplaced sense of compassion, I stayed up all night with her, comforting her as she cried over her fatherâs body.
âFor a daddyâs girl like her, that probably acted as a catalyst.â
In other words, as long as I was careful during that time, Han Yuri wouldnât become obsessed with me.
âLiving with her will be a pain in the ass⊠but I just have to endure it for a year.â
I just had to grit my teeth and endure a year of bullshit. Just one year, and I could return to those happy times.
Back to when I strolled through the streets with the woman who understood and loved me.
As I closed my eyes, I suddenly felt a chill on my left cheek.
I opened my eyes to see a girl Iâd never met before offering me a drink.
She had short brown hair and a pretty smile.
âWhat are you doing here? Meditating?â
âNot reallyâŠâ
How should I explain this? I thought for a moment, then decided to give a vague answer.
âPhotosynthesizing.â
âHehe. Photosynthesizing? What kind of plant are you? Thatâs a funny way to put it.â
Then, without hesitation, she sat down next to me. As I gave her a puzzled look, she asked, with a look of disbelief,
âWait, do you not know me?â
âSorry. Iâm not good with names.â
âAw, that hurts my feelings. You donât even know the name of someone youâll be working with. How can you be our team leader?â
Working with? Team leader?
âAhâŠâ
This must be Choi Ah-hyun.
Since I didnât remember her, she probably wasnât anyone special in the previous timeline.
âHurts my feelings? Iâve known you since the entrance exam. Mr. Last Place.â
ââŠâ
That was true. Back then, I wasnât particularly interested in becoming a Hunter.
I figured if it happened, it happened. If not, no big deal.
âI was ranked right above you, so I remember. I was going to talk to you after the exam, but you were talking to your friend.â
âAh, Ji-hoon?â
âYeah! The one with the buzz cut, who looked manly.â
Manly. She was sugarcoating his ugly mug. She must be a really nice person.
“Anyway, as a gesture of goodwill for our future teamwork, here, take this!”
âThanks. Iâll enjoy this.â
It was my favorite Zico drink. Did she hear it from Ji-hoon?
I didnât know how she knew my preferences, but I gratefully accepted the drink.
After finishing the can, I stood up.
âIâm heading back to the dorm. What about you?â
âWhat do you think? Where the needle goes, the thread follows! Letâs go!â
The Academy was strictly hierarchical.
Higher ranks received hotel-like accommodations and meals, while lower ranks lived in near-slum conditions.
Hunter ranks ranged from F to S, and as first-years, most of us were F-rank.
Choi Ah-hyun and I walked across the Academy grounds to the most remote area. What we found there was truly a sight to behold.
âWhoa⊠this is a bit muchâŠâ
âI agree.â
A dilapidated building that looked like it could collapse at any moment. The paint was peeling in places, and many windows were broken.
âLetâs go in.â
âOkay.â
*Creak.*
We opened the rusty main gate, and a cacophony of sounds assaulted our ears.
âKyahahaha! Kee-yoooot!â
âTo the moon! To the top!â
The lack of soundproofing meant we could clearly hear everything inside.
âFuck! This bitch is so loose! How many dicks has she taken?! Ugh! Iâm cumming!â
âAhh! Oppa! Outside! Pull out, Iâm ovulating today!â
âThen get pregnant! Iâll take responsibility!â
We could even hear the embarrassing sounds of couples having sex. It created an awkward atmosphere between us.
ââŠâ
ââŠWhat a mess.â
âHaha, yeah. I didnât expect it to be this bad.â
She scratched her reddened cheeks, clearly embarrassed.
We quickly moved on.
Our room was on the top floor, at the very end of the hallway.
First-year, F-rank. The lowest of the low.
We finally reached our room. As I grabbed the doorknob and opened the doorâŠ
*Creeeak.*
What we saw wasâŠ
A girl studying against the backdrop of the setting sun.
It was Han Yuri.
The combination of her beauty-queen looks and the dreamy atmosphere rendered us speechless.
âWow⊠Sheâs gorgeous.â
Did Han Yuri hear Choi Ah-hyunâs comment? She looked at us like we were insects. Then, our eyes met.
Her pupils, filled with contempt, trembled incessantly. She abruptly turned away and plugged earphones into her ears.
A clear sign that she had no intention of talking to us.
âUm, Yuri? Weâre here.â
ââŠâ
Ignored. Completely ignored.
Choi Ah-hyun awkwardly scratched her cheek.
âHmm. Being blatantly ignored like this makes me want to try harder⊠Letâs go in, Seong-hyun.â
âOkay.â
While anyone else would have been offended, Choi Ah-hyun entered the room with a look of determination.
It was the size of a studio apartment, with a single bathroom. The gaps in the window frame let in a cold draft.
This was the dorm of Koreaâs top academy?
â…I can only laugh.â
Choi Ah-hyun, fascinated by something, looked around the room and then went to check out the hallway.
I stared at the back of Han Yuriâs head.
âOne yearâŠâ
The thought alone was suffocating. Iâd initially planned to use her to clear difficult dungeons, but I doubted sheâd cooperate.
In the previous timeline, Han Yuri was infamous for not speaking a word to her teammates for an entire year.
It seemed like she was going to do the same this time around.
âIâll sleep for today and start tomorrowâŠâ
I turned around to get the blankets when I heard the sound of a chair falling behind me. At the same time, a chilling sensation washed over me.
It would be too late if I turned my head.
Relying on instinct, I reached back and grabbed a slender wrist. But a dagger, slipping past my grip, reached my throat.
âWho the fuck are you?!â
A voice as clear as a jade marble rolling on a silver tray. ButâŠ
âWho are you?!â
âŠfilled with fear and panic, echoed through the room.
âââââââ
Makes me wonder why they never get reported for sanitary violations, then again in Korea Suffering builds character.
Because they are Korean