The specimen management wing beneath the training hall.
Inside a cage walled with transparent glass, dozens of boar-sized rodent monsters crawled about.
Standing before it, Haeseong calmly read the status window.
"...These are E-rank Grinder Rats. Their defining feature is high speed, and they attack with hard claws and sharp teeth."
The creatures pricked up their long, large ears at the unfamiliar presence.
Sahyeon slid his hands into his pockets and peered intently into the cage.
"Suitable enough."
"There should be capture chains available too......"
Haeseong felt along the wall beside the cage, found the inventory, and pulled out a long chain.
An iron chain studded with small mana stones.
"If you press the button here, part of the wall opens, and you can capture them safely using this chain, apparently."
"Oh."
Sahyeon took the chain with an interested look.
"This could work on Awakened too."
Why is that the first thing that comes to mind......
Haeseong swallowed and continued.
"Well... using it on hunters was rejected by the higher-ups as inhumane......"
"Stuffy as ever."
Sahyeon clicked his tongue, then gave the chain a light test swing.
He jerked his chin toward the button.
"Press it."
"Yes, understood."
Haeseong nodded and pressed the red button beside the cage.
BEEEEP—
A warning tone sounded, and a small opening formed in the transparent wall.
The moment one creature emerged through the gap, Haeseong hurriedly shut the door.
Sahyeon readjusted his grip on the chain and took a step forward.
"Watch closely."
"Y-Yes!"
"You know where a Grinder Rat's Core is, right?"
Sahyeon tossed the question off to Haeseong and ambled toward the monster at a leisurely pace.
"Yes, inside the sternum. However, because they move pressed flat against the ground, they're classified as quite difficult specimens to strike at the weak point."
Haeseong recited the inputted data as if reading from a book.
The Grinder Rats had hefty builds and tough hides. Because of that, attacking their vital chest spot wasn't easy.
"Simple, if you accept a little risk."
Even so, Sahyeon spoke lightly.
He approached not head-on but at a diagonal angle.
"There's only one situation where this rat lifts its head."
His shoe finally reached the rat's long tail.
He stepped on the long, thick tail without hesitation.
SCREEEEEE—!
A shriek rang through the corridor.
"When it attacks."
The rat lifted its head, red eyes flashing.
The instant it lunged, baring its sharp incisors, Sahyeon ducked his upper body to dodge.
At the same time, he swung the chain in his hand like a whip.
The target: the defenselessly exposed chest.
CRUNCH—
An ominous sound of something being crushed rang out clear and sharp.
The monster toppled sideways with a boom.
Its chest had been gruesomely caved in.
"Ah."
Sahyeon paused and nudged the motionless monster with the toe of his shoe.
"Killed it by accident."
He'd failed to control his strength and crushed the bones, destroying the Core.
Sahyeon dusted off his hands with indifference and looked back at Haeseong.
"If you do it, it won't die — so just hook the chain around the neck and chest in that state."
Haeseong, who had been standing in a daze, swallowed and asked.
"...Me?"
"Who else is here besides you?"
Sahyeon nudged the limp monster corpse off to a corner with his foot and handed Haeseong the chain.
"Do it just like you saw."
Sahyeon pressed the button without hesitation.
BEEEEP—
A warning tone sounded again.
When one creature slipped out, Sahyeon shut the cage wall.
Then he leaned his back against the wall and crossed his arms as if to say he'd watch.
The rat, pressed to the ground, pricked its ears as if ready to lunge at any second.
'Can I do this?'
Haeseong let out a long, trembling breath.
The only time he'd ever faced a monster this directly was back in his Academy days......
And even then, given how rare practice sessions were for the tactics class, the most he'd ever done was observe their behavior and habits from a safe spot.
He glanced back at Sahyeon.
A gaze prodding him as if to ask what he was waiting for.
'...All right, let's try.'
Haeseong exhaled deeply and readjusted his grip on the chain.
His light-brown eyes, now firmer, tracked the monster's movements.
Haeseong stepped forward slowly so the monster wouldn't notice.
Mimicking Sahyeon's movements as if he'd copied them exactly, he stomped on the tail with all his might.
But a variable arose.
"......!"
Unlike before, the small red eyes turned toward Haeseong.
It was because of the difference in strength between Sahyeon and Haeseong.
When Sahyeon stepped on it, it had shrieked and reared its head; but Haeseong's strength was only enough to provoke it, so it bared its sharp teeth and glared at him, grinding them.
'A failure.'
Just as Haeseong bit his lip and started to flinch backward—
'No.'
He stopped dead in his tracks.
And recalled Sahyeon's words.
'Accept the risk.'
...Either way, the result will be the same.
His heart pounded, but he gritted his molars and held his ground.
SCREEEEEE—!
The rat lunged, claws bared.
'Now!'
Haeseong, recalling Sahyeon's movements, ducked his upper body and narrowly dodged the attack.
Soon the rat's chest was exposed before his eyes.
Not missing that instant, Haeseong swung the chain and struck the chest.
SCREEECH—!
The monster flinched at Haeseong's attack.
Seizing the opening, Haeseong slipped behind the rat and looped the chain around its neck, pulling tight.
RATTLE—
The chain coiled around the body, lengthening on its own as if a snake were slithering over it.
CLANK, THUD—
The monster, wrapped head to toe in chains, collapsed limply.
"I-I did it......"
Haeseong's legs gave out, and he plopped down backward.
His heart pounded as if it might burst, but a sense of accomplishment from his first success washed over his entire body.
"I could do it too......!"
Haeseong let out an overwhelmed breath.
Sahyeon approached at a leisurely pace.
"One down."
He tugged the chain as if checking the monster's state and spoke.
"How many students did you say there were?"
Still catching his breath, Haeseong answered belatedly.
"Ah, yes! Six in total."
Sahyeon narrowed his brow as if deliberating.
"Six, so... ten should be plenty."
"...Pardon?"
A sudden surge of dread.
To Haeseong, who looked up at him with a 'don't tell me' expression, Sahyeon added calmly.
"Let's do nine more."
"......"
"There's about two hours until class. You can do this much too, right?"
"......"
Haeseong's lips quivered.
Can I... really?
***
The Academy cafeteria.
"Ooh~ stir-fried pork today! Auntie, load me up, please, all the way!"
At the serving counter, Euno's eyes sparkled.
The staff, as if used to it, piled the stir-fried pork onto Euno's tray in a mountain.
Euno headed for a table with a satisfied grin.
The tower of pork wobbled precariously with each step he took.
"Oh! Ha Jaeyun!"
Spotting Jaeyun eating at a window seat, Euno swiftly claimed the spot across from him.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning, hyung."
Jaeyun greeted him with a gentle smile.
Euno, answering with a bright smile, eyed Jaeyun's tray and grew puzzled.
"Huh, why are you eating so little? Are you not feeling well?"
Unlike Euno's tray, piled high with everything, Jaeyun's held standard portions.
Jaeyun replied with a clear smile.
"I ate plenty. This is my third bowl......"
"Aha! That's my boy. So proud."
Euno nodded with satisfaction and crammed his mouth full of meat.
"Mmm~ meat after a workout really is the best!"
Then he suddenly looked around and asked in a mumbling voice.
"By the way, where'd Gyeol go? He wasn't in bed this morning."
"Weren't you two at the workout together, hyung? He wasn't there when I came out either......"
"You've seen that guy go work out with me?~"
The three of them were dorm roommates.
It had struck him as odd that Gyeol — the last to wake every day — was absent from his spot.
Just as the two exchanged puzzled looks—
"...Oh! Isn't that Gyeol over there?"
Jaeyun pointed at the serving counter.
A short head of curly hair approaching with zombie-like steps, tray in hand.
"Gyeol! Where've you been! Good morning!"
Euno waved his hand cheerfully.
"Good, my ass. Damn bad morning......"
Gyeol set down his tray and flopped face-first onto the table.
"Whoa~ the dark circles are down to your chin practically."
"Get lost."
Gyeol mercilessly mashed his palm into Euno's face as he leaned in grinning.
Jaeyun, noticing he was unlike his usual self, asked carefully.
"Why do you look so tired? Where'd you go?"
"...The archives."
The Academy archives were where one could browse books, papers, all sorts of articles and information.
But why would Gyeol go there?
Euno blinked.
"The archives, why? Did we have a test? Or an assignment?"
Gyeol lifted his haggard face and looked back and forth between the two.
"Between yesterday's Gate incident and everything else, there've been way too many suspicious things going on."
Jaeyun showed interest and asked.
"Did you find anything out?"
"The payoff wasn't great, but......"
Gyeol idly poked at the side dishes with his chopsticks, glanced around to check the surroundings, then lowered his voice.
"I narrowed our professor's identity down to three possibilities."
"Three whole possibilities?"
"What are they?"
When Euno and Jaeyun showed interest, Gyeol set down his chopsticks and opened his mouth.
"First, the possibility he's a special agent for an international organization. Mental-types get raised as secret weapons the moment they Awaken."
"R-Right."
"Oooh, an agent? That's kind of cool?"
"And the second."
Gyeol continued his explanation with a grave face.
"The possibility he's from a criminal guild."
"What?!"
Jaeyun jolted in alarm and dropped his spoon.
"Come on~ aren't you watching too many movies, hyung? The higher-ups aren't idiots. Would they hire someone like that as a professor?"
When Euno jeered, Gyeol narrowed his eyes and retorted.
"This is something I confirmed straight from an article, you know?"
He pulled up an article on his phone screen.
[Shock as 'Criminal Guild Spy' Infiltrates State Agency... The Danger of Mental-Type Awakened]
A recent case in France has caused a major stir, in which an unregistered mental-type Awakened belonging to the notorious criminal guild 'Soir' was discovered serving as a public official in a state organization.
According to local reports, the Awakened had concealed their identity by cunningly exploiting their ability to paralyze the cognition of those around them or manipulate their memories......
"...He's right?"
Euno muttered, dumbfounded.
"With Professor Sahyeon's level of skill, it's definitely possible......"
Jaeyun added quietly.
Gyeol nodded in agreement and spoke.
"And lastly......"
"There's more?"
"The possibility he's the Mirror Mask."
"The Mirror Mask?"
Euno narrowed his eyes and dredged through his memory.
"Ah! You mean that prison warden with horns on his head who shoots lasers from his eyes?"
"...He's not a legendary monster. Does that even make sense?"
When Gyeol answered tepidly, Jaeyun hummed low and spoke up.
"But... I heard the Mirror Mask is super muscular and almost over two meters tall?"
"...Every ex-con tells it differently, so there are tons of rumors."
Gyeol let out a deep sigh, then nodded and added.
"But when I pieced the rumors together, there was one thing they all had in common."
"A common point?"
"What is it?"
Jaeyun's and Euno's eyes focused on Gyeol.
Gyeol looked between the two and parted his lips calmly.
"Red eyes."
"Eyes? Teach's eyes are grey, though?"
Just then Jaeyun let out a small gasp, as if remembering.
"...Ah! When he used his skill, his eye color definitely changed."
When Gyeol nodded quietly, Jaeyun's eyes widened.
"Then......"
No wonder his presence felt so out of the ordinary......
Gyeol drove the point home.
"Going by his words and conduct, it's most likely the criminal guild spy or the Mirror Mask. Remember that summon? He threw it at the boss without a second thought."
"You mean the cheetah......?"
When Jaeyun asked with a rigid face, Euno waved his hands dismissively.
"Aw, it was kinda cute, but it was hostile to us~ and it was fine even after being thrown like that, so what's the problem?"
"I'm saying the one getting thrown like that could be us......"
Gyeol let out a sigh and shrugged.
"Anyway, for now it's all just speculation. Plenty of cases where temporary physical changes happen during skill use."
"Yeah~ who cares about stuff like that! What matters is that Teach is insanely strong!"
I want to see that combo move again. It was seriously art.
Euno smacked his lips with regret.
Gyeol shook his head, and Jaeyun reluctantly smiled and nodded.
"Teach's first class is coming up soon, isn't it. Wonder what kind of class it'll be?"
Euno's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Gyeol let out a long sigh and poked at his tray.
"Whatever it is, it won't be anything ordinary......"
***
Meanwhile, beneath the training hall.
"Hah, haah!! Twenty!! Done!!"
A wrung-out Haeseong sprawled spread-eagle on the floor.
Sweat pouring like rain drenched his whole body, and his overworked limbs trembled so badly he could barely feel them.
In one corner of the corridor, Grinder Rats lay stacked like cargo, bound in chains.
Sahyeon counted them with his eyes, then raised the corner of his mouth in satisfaction.
"Just barely made it. Safe."
Uhhhhh...... Haeseong let out a groan instead of a reply.
Toward the end, he'd run out of strength and nearly had his face shredded by claws, but he'd dodged by a hair's breadth.
His close observation of Sahyeon's fighting had manifested as a survival instinct, in a sense.
"But... haah, Mr. Sahyeon......"
Haeseong asked, breathing hard.
"I struggled because my stats are on the low side... but will E-rank monsters like the Rats even be a match for the kids?"
The students were all A-rank.
And they were Awakened with combat-specialized traits, so wouldn't the training be far too easy for them?
"Who knows......"
The corner of Sahyeon's mouth curved up gracefully.
At his leisurely smile, Haeseong felt an inexplicable chill.
Sahyeon stretched lazily and spoke.
"It won't be quite that easy."