Sunday morning.

I woke and instinctively checked the time.

7:32 a.m.

“Mm.”

I got out of bed, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and came back to the room. Then I opened my inventory.

Combat gear.

Various potions.

And a few trump-card consumables for emergencies.

‘Good.’

Everything was in place. I fastened the inventory belt around my waist.

This inventory was my last lifeline against the random events that would crash down on me regardless of difficulty level.

‘It’s been two days since I turned down Oh Seongcheon’s offer. And tomorrow’s the deadline for my answer. That means today is the likeliest time for him to make a move.’

Maybe I was overthinking it. But being prepared never hurt.

‘I’ll skip breakfast.’

The academy’s cafeteria breakfast was nothing more than two slices of bread and a drink. No point going downstairs to get swarmed by kids when I could enjoy a quiet morning here.

With that in mind, I turned on my tablet to skim the news.

[Hey, wait! Stop right there!]

‘Hm?’

A man’s shout came from outside.

‘That’s the gatekeeper’s voice.’

I stepped out into the hall and looked through the corridor window.

A limousine had rolled into the outdoor training yard. A man climbed out of the back seat.

The gatekeeper rushed up to him.

“Hold on a second! You need to check with the office fir—ugh!”

‘!’

The man flicked his hand lightly. The gatekeeper flew back and crashed to the ground, unmoving.

“What the—?”

“What’s going on?”

Doors opened up and down the hall as kids peeked out.

“……”

I licked my dry lips.

I’d expected them to pull something… but sending him?

‘No time to waste.’

I hurried back into my room, fired off a message to the squad, then strapped yesterday’s All Around device to my ankle with a cord and pulled on wide-legged pants to hide it.

Moments later, my phone rang.

“Hello.”

[This is the office. Nam Yein, please come down to the training yard right away.]

“What’s going on?”

[Details later—just hurry!]

The voice was filled with panic, urgency, and fear.

“Understood. I’ll head down. But before that…”

I shot off another quick message and left the room.

When I reached the training yard, two faculty members spotted me. Their pale faces brightened faintly with relief.

Behind them stood the man I had glimpsed earlier.

Short tied-back hair. Square jaw. A muscular frame filling out a thin shirt under his vest.

“So you’re Nam Yein? HAUT champion? You look like someone who’d get eaten by a third-floor monster.”

A deep voice, but the tone was almost playful.

‘Yang Len.’

Leader of Black Hound.

Level 83 powerhouse.

I slipped my hand into my pocket and touched Lens of Lavzahi. His stats and ability matched exactly what I knew.

“And you are?”

“I’m the guy who came to pick you up.”

Yang Len grinned.

That was when running footsteps echoed behind me. Lumina and Seo Yui arrived, breathless. Meiling followed soon after, striding quickly toward us.

Lumina and Seo Yui flanked me, faces tense.

Yang Len chuckled at the sight.

“So that’s how you won—getting carried.”

Well, I couldn’t deny that.

The two at my side said nothing. Maybe they’d seen him fling the gatekeeper aside. Or maybe they simply sensed the icy aura radiating from him, the kind that chilled you to your core.

‘Likely both.’

The gatekeeper himself was gone—probably carried to the infirmary.

A moment later, Meiling joined us, standing behind me. Yang Len gestured at the car.

“All four of you. Get in.”

“What kind of nonsense is this? Barging in here, telling us to get in your car—who even are you?”

Meiling’s brows furrowed. Her voice was sharp, but her fists were clenched tight at her sides.

“I won’t say it again. Get in the car.”

Yang Len looked down at her as he spoke. That cold aura surged even stronger.

“Ugh!”

“Ah…”

The two faculty members collapsed to their knees, buckling under the pressure.

“……”

Meiling bit down hard on her lip. Lumina and Seo Yui’s faces stiffened even further.

“You’re from Black Hound, aren’t you.”

I looked him in the eye.

“…Oh?”

The icy pressure suddenly lifted.

“And how did you figure that out?”

“I saw your face in the news. You’re the leader of Black Hound.”

“Heh. If I made the news, I doubt it was for anything heartwarming.”

Yang Len gave a short laugh, then jerked a thumb toward the open backseat.

“If you know who I am, then you know how you should act.”

“…Senior. Let’s get in. You two as well.”

At my words, Seo Yui nodded.

I climbed in first. She followed. Lumina helped Meiling into the car, then sat down herself.

Yang Len slid in last and shut the door.

Soft seats. Spacious interior. A mini fridge and even a table—luxury on wheels.

But there wasn’t a shred of comfort. Not with Yang Len sitting across from us.

“……”

He drank whiskey straight from the bottle, staring at us. His gaze was like someone eyeing the plastic food display outside a restaurant.

Under that look, none of us spoke. Even Meiling, who had been shouting earlier, kept her mouth shut tight.

“One warning. If I catch you touching your phone, I’ll smash it—along with your hand. Alright. Drive.”

The car started moving.

Five minutes later, Yang Len finally spoke again.

“You.”

“Hic!”

Lumina let out a loud hiccup.

Yang Len snorted, then continued.

“Not you. You—the pink-haired one.”

Seo Yui held his gaze without replying.

“You were the champion in Valhall, weren’t you?”

At those words, both Lumina and Meiling stiffened. Seo Yui kept her lips pressed shut, never looking away.

“I always wondered where you ended up after Valhall fell. Turns out you crawled into Gwangcheon. Escaping one net only to dive into another—what a joke.”

He chuckled to himself, as though the whole thing were hilarious.

“And you.”

This time he pointed at Meiling.

“You’re President Chen Kai’s daughter, aren’t you?”

At that name, Meiling’s face twisted in fury.

“Wipe that look off your face—unless you want to die.”

A wave of killing intent froze the air inside the car.

“Meiling.”

I caught her wrist and shook my head.

She clenched her teeth, shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

“…So what if I am?”

Meiling spoke in a flat voice, though her face betrayed nothing.

“Why did your father suddenly step down as president? It’s not like he just wanted to go back to being a simple engineer. You’re his daughter—you must know something.”

“……”

Meiling’s body trembled.

“…I don’t know either.”

“Is that so?”

Yang Len’s face quickly shifted to boredom. He tipped the whiskey bottle back and gulped down more.

What a waste of good liquor.

“Phew. He throws his daughter into Gwangcheon and steps down himself. Who knows what’s going on in that man’s head. Don’t you agree?”

He turned his gaze on me.

“Where exactly is this car taking us?”

“…Ignoring me, are you?”

“I can’t think about anything else until I know where we’re headed.”

“……”

Yang Len stared at me in silence.

I stared right back.

“…Hmph.”

He finally set the bottle on the low table.

“I think I get why they sent me.”

He muttered the words, then smirked.

“You seem curious, so I’ll tell you. This meeting is a reward for you fine HAUT champions. Set up by none other than the great heir of Forward.”

“I see.”

“Well? Excited yet?”

“Honestly, it’s too sudden. I feel more surprised than excited.”

I answered evenly. Yang Len’s grin only widened.

“Surprised, and yet so calm?”

“That’s just nerves.”

“Keh.”

With a dry laugh, Yang Len leaned back against the seat and shut his mouth.

The car fell into silence after that.

Ten minutes later.

The vehicle pulled up in front of a building.

People waiting by the entrance rushed forward to open the door.

“Welcome back, Captain.”

One of them spoke respectfully.

“Bring the kids. I’ll head inside first.”

Yang Len stepped out.

“Yes, sir.”

The man poked his head into the car and motioned for us to follow.

Led by a group of men, the four of us were escorted down into the building’s basement.

The underground space was wide open, with only pillars supporting it and no interior walls.

And there, more than a dozen men and women were waiting.

“Alright. Time for a proper introduction.”

Yang Len’s booming voice filled the room as he strode to the center.

“My name is Yang Len, leader of Black Hound—as that boy Nam Yein already guessed. And these fine folks here? They’re my subordinates. In other words, the proud members of Black Hound.”

The hounds of Forward leered at us with mocking grins.

“I heard you brats turned down the invitation to join our unit without a second thought. That broke our poor hearts.”

Yang Len even pretended to sniffle and wipe away tears.

“So today, we brought you here to teach you just how big the world really is. A lesson you’d never get in your little HAUT playground for trainees. Now then—who wants the honor of giving our adorable juniors their first taste of education?”

“I’ll do it.”

A man stepped forward.

I slipped my hand into my pocket. Lens of Lavzahi flared to life, revealing his stats.

‘Song Jinsu. Level 53. Aptitude—Stamina A, Energy B, Spirit B. Ability—close-range flame techniques.’

The man gripped a spear, his body covered in combat gear: three rares, four magics.

“Wait a moment.”

The hounds all turned their eyes toward me.

“What’s this? Don’t tell me you’re already on your knees begging for mercy. Boring.”

Yang Len sneered.

“You’re wearing full gear. If you beat us like that, what lesson is there to learn?”

The hounds blinked in confusion.

“…Keh.”

Yang Len chuckled.

“Fair point. Want us to lend you some equipment?”

“No. We’ll use our own.”

I signaled my squad.

At once, the three of them pulled out their inventories and equipped their gear.

“Hah! You little bastard—just a second ago you said you were surprised, and now it turns out you came fully kitted out?”

I ignored the jeers and buckled on my own equipment.

At first, the hounds scoffed and cursed, calling us cocky. But soon their expressions shifted to interest.

“Wait… aren’t those kids from Gwangcheon? How the hell do they all have full rare sets?”

“All four of them…? That’s a fortune.”

“Gwangcheon’s broke. Where’d they even get the money?”

“Isn’t that girl Chen Kai’s daughter? Maybe she’s their bankroll.”

I saw Meiling flinch.

Once we were ready, Yang Len looked at Song Jinsu.

“Don’t finish it too quickly. Every one of us came here for the show.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Song Jinsu raised his spear, settling into stance.

“Senior.”

I took Seo Yui’s wrist and covered her smartwatch with my hand.

She nodded, stepped forward, and raised her shield.

The rest of us fell back.

The hounds exchanged dumbfounded looks.

“What, a one-on-one?”

Yang Len beamed with delight.

Seo Yui said nothing. She simply raised her shield.

Song Jinsu’s expression hardened. He charged.

Boom!

The basement shook with wind pressure.

His spear slammed into her shield.

“!?”

Surprise flickered across Song Jinsu’s face.

He followed up with a flurry of strikes, faster and faster, spear tip a blur of trained precision.

But every single blow was stopped by Seo Yui’s shield.

Faces among the hounds began to stiffen.

‘As expected from pro hunters. They catch on quickly.’

Seo Yui only defended.

A half-blue mask covered her face. The spear in her other hand never swung once, no matter how relentless the assault.

“Hey! Song Jinsu! Are you kidding me? What are you doing letting a trainee toy with you?”

One of the women shouted in frustration.

Song Jinsu snarled and raised his spear high. Flames burst from its tip.

And at that exact moment—

Seo Yui slammed her shield forward, driving it square into his exposed midsection.

Thud!

Song Jinsu went sprawling, crashing onto his back.

[…]

Silence fell across the basement.

“Guh!!”

He scrambled back to his feet, ready to lunge again.

“Enough.”

A deep voice rang out.

Song Jinsu froze.

Yang Len strode over to him.

“C-Captain, I—”

Thud!!

Craaaash!!!

Yang Len’s kick sent him flying across the room, slamming into the far wall and embedding him in the concrete.

Lowering his leg, Yang Len turned his gaze back to us.

“You kids… are fun.”

His grin was the widest I’d ever seen.

(End of Chapter)