Chapter 11
After a brief identity verification at the registration desk, Sehyun received her dormitory assignment.
She was then informed that there would be a presentation at the east annex auditorium in an hour.
“The dormitories are double occupancy.”
Following the staff member’s instructions, Sehyun headed to her assigned room. Contrary to her expectations that a double occupancy room might be cramped, it was spacious. There was a large bathroom with a shower, and a bed on each side of the room. The beds were queen-sized, large enough to roll around on.
There was also a desk for writing, a bookshelf, and a spacious closet for her belongings.
Sehyun, after looking around the room, opened the window first. There were buildings scattered across the vast open space. Tall trees stood between the buildings, casting shadows. A cool breeze blew through the trees. Sehyun rested her chin on her hand, enjoying the breeze.
The scenery was so peaceful and tranquil that it was hard to believe this was a Guard training center.
And that was strange.
Double occupancy rooms in this vast space? There were only 42 trainees, including herself.
She was feeling a sense of unease while enjoying the breeze when she heard voices.
“A whole floor? They should give us a whole building.”
“They said there’s only one dormitory building.”
“Why did they build it so small? They should have built it bigger. How can ten people live on one floor?”
Sehyun lowered her head at the sound of the conversation and saw three men talking at the entrance of the building. Their faces were obscured by the trees, but their voices were clear.
“Other guys are in double occupancy rooms. At least we got single rooms.”
“Other guys are other guys. It’s still cramped with ten people on one floor, damn it.”
Ah, so that’s why.
Sehyun immediately grasped the situation after hearing their conversation.
While she was in a double occupancy room, some people were using an entire floor.
“The rooms are cramped, how can we spend a month here? Talk to your father. Tell him to use his influence with the Guard Association.”
“I called him as soon as I saw the place, but he said no. He said even getting a whole floor is a privilege and to keep my mouth shut. What’s so good about it that I have to keep my mouth shut, damn it.”
Huh…
Sehyun stared at the shadows under the trees with a dumbfounded look.
Some people were grateful to even have a double occupancy room, while these guys were complaining about having a whole floor to themselves.
Who are they?
She was wondering about it, resting her chin on her hand and staring blankly, when,
Skill: Sound Blocking (Unavailable)
Skill detected. Sensitivity increased by +1.
…What?
As she stared blankly at the status window, one of the men who had emerged from the shade of the trees looked up.
Black hair and matching black eyes.
Their eyes met for a fleeting moment.
The black-haired man moved his lips slightly. She could clearly read his silent words.
Rat.
Sehyun frowned. The man turned his head with an indifferent expression, glanced at his companions, and entered the building. The two talkative men followed him inside.
“That bastard…”
Sehyun muttered softly. Then,
Knock knock.
Sehyun answered, “Yes,” and the door opened cautiously.
A large white suitcase slid through the gap.
The first thing that caught her eye was the large Cinderella illustration in the middle of the suitcase.
Sehyun was dumbfounded by the unexpected illustration, and someone entered through the gap in the door.
It was a woman with straight bangs that reached her eyebrows, shoulder-length bobbed hair, loose-fitting clothes, and round glasses.
“H, h, hello.”
How did she know someone was here when she couldn’t even see?
Sehyun spoke with a strange expression.
“…Hello.”
“Y, y, yes. Is this r, r, room 203?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Oh, th, that’s good. I, I found it.”
The woman smiled shyly and entered the room, pushing the suitcase. Sehyun looked at the woman’s face, which was lowered. After Cinderella, the next thing that caught her attention was the large bruise on the left side of the woman’s face.
“Ah, I, I fell on my way here. It’s u, ugly, isn’t it? I’m sorry.”
As if sensing Sehyun’s gaze, the woman covered her face with her hand in embarrassment.
“No, I’m sorry. It was rude of me to stare… I’ll be careful.”
“Oh, no, it’s my fault.”
“Then let’s say we’re both not sorry.”
The woman blinked in confusion at Sehyun’s words and then nodded slightly.
“Y, yes.”
“I came early, so I took the left bed. If you’re uncomfortable with that, we can choose again.”
“Oh, no! I, I can sleep anywhere! I’ll, I’ll take the right side!”
The woman hurriedly pulled her suitcase and turned around.
“That’s the left side.”
“Ah! I’m, I’m sorry.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sehyun was a little annoyed at having to respond to the woman’s constant apologies, but she couldn’t just ignore them.
If she remained silent, the woman would become even more flustered and start reading her mood.
Looking at the woman who was at a loss for words at the slightest thing, Sehyun was reminded of her high school days.
A time when she was covered in wounds, cautious of everything, and most afraid of people.
When she looked back on those memories, all she could feel were the rough scabs of her wounds.
“We’ll be living together for a month, so shall we introduce ourselves? My name is Kim Sehyun, and I’m 25 years old.”
Sehyun initiated the conversation for the woman who was probably still feeling self-conscious while unpacking.
“Ah! Yes! M, my name is Sung Jieun! I’m also 25!”
“Nice to meet you. I’ve unpacked my things, so I’ll head to the east auditorium first.”
“Yes, yes.”
Sehyun opened the door and left.
She decided to go to the east auditorium early, as her delicate roommate seemed to need some time alone to unpack.
The vast east auditorium.
An hour later, at the appointed time, a man wearing a black uniform with a star emblem on his arm stood on the podium.
He swept his sharp gaze over the people sitting below.
Sehyun felt her shoulders tense at his gaze. Even she, a newcomer to the world of Guards, could sense that the man in front of her was no ordinary person. The others seemed to feel his aura as well, as they were staring at him, holding their breath.
“My name is Lee Jungwook, the instructor of this training center.”
At his brief introduction, gasps were heard from all over the auditorium.
Lee Jungwook.
He was once the most renowned Guard in Korea, but he had suffered a major injury in a large-scale Hole incident and had practically retired.
Although his career as a Guard wasn’t long, the unparalleled strength he had displayed during that time was still vividly etched in people’s minds.
The reason why they couldn’t recognize him despite his fame was that his face looked completely different from how he appeared in the news.
He had gained weight and changed his hairstyle, making him look like a completely different person.
“Let’s get straight to the test today. Everyone, stand up and find the dots on the floor below and take your positions.”
The trainees looked at each other in confusion at the instructor’s words.
Already? The greetings aren’t even over yet.
Jungwook’s expression was not pleased as he watched the people hesitating, complacent on their first day.
Then he saw a woman who had jumped to her feet first and was already standing on a dot.
It was the woman with her hair neatly tied back in a single braid.
Following her, a few others quickly found their dots and stood on them, but the rest were still hesitating.
“Hurry up.”
At Jungwook’s urging, the trainees reluctantly stood up and found their designated dots.
They stood at regular intervals across the vast auditorium, which was so large that it would take a while to run from one end to the other.
“What’s this for… Huh? Huh? What the!”
“Wh, what?”
“Huh?”
Confused voices erupted sporadically from all over the place. Sehyun also looked down at her feet with a nervous expression.
A square frame was drawn around the dot on the floor. It was about the size of two queen-sized beds put together.
“From now on, do not step out of the square frame drawn on the floor.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Good luck to you all.”
Just as Jungwook finished speaking,
“Growl!”
“Screech!”
Sporadic roars echoed through the auditorium. Sounds that were not only chilling but also paralyzing. Sehyun felt goosebumps rise on the back of her neck at the familiar sounds.
How could she forget this?
This absurd feeling.
Sehyun slowly turned her head and froze.
A bright red tongue flickered inside a gaping maw. Sharp teeth, like those of a shark, protruded from the tongue.
Thud!
She instinctively stepped back and her back hit a transparent wall.
Trapped!
Meanwhile, the monster approached slowly, drooling.
“Aah! Help me!”
“Aah!”
Screams erupted from all directions. Sounds of people overwhelmed by fear and losing their rationality.
Sehyun clenched her teeth, trying to suppress her own fear, which was being fueled by the terrified screams.
Grit!
“Aaaargh! A, a real m, monster…!”
There was a sound of something being torn and ripped apart, followed by a scream. The auditorium fell silent at the scream, which seemed like someone’s last. It was a silence that seemed to have swallowed even sound itself.
“Aah!”
Then, the trainees, plunged into chaos, started screaming again.
…This is crazy.
Her vision darkened, and her palms became clammy with sweat. The urge to run away overwhelmed her. She knew better than anyone that she couldn’t win against a monster in a head-on fight.
But…
Sehyun pulled herself together.
This was the Guard training center, and this was a test. A test!
Status window!
Sehyun stood with her legs apart and called up the status window. She couldn’t use ‘Fruit Knife Swing’ because she didn’t have a weapon.
‘Pull, Dodge, Jump – Slot setting!’
Sehyun quickly added the three skills to her slots and checked the distance to the approaching monster. It was close. Close enough that she would get hit if she swung now. The monster raised the club it was holding.
‘Dodge!’
Crash!
That’s a test? Someone just died whoa