"……?"
Huh?
A question mark floated up in my mind.
My friend Mila.
She was a bit stronger than average and had an unusual appearance, but she was a shy, sweet-natured girl.
Not that we'd been friends for even a full minute yet.
Anyway.
"Really……?"
"Yeah."
She gave a short nod in response to my skeptical question.
The voice ringing in my ears was unmistakably Mila's — the one I knew.
But her appearance?
How could she change this much in just a moment?
I couldn't bring myself to believe it, so I stepped in close and started examining her face from every angle.
Mysterious dark gray hair, strangely textured gray horns, and above all — those crimson, vertically-slit pupils that seemed to look straight through me.
"U-um…… Hey, Shin-a……?"
Under my relentless stare, the mysterious-looking girl's face flushed red as an apple almost instantly, and she shyly averted her gaze, clearly at a loss.
That flustered reaction.
……Was this really Mila?
One look at that reaction and there was no room for doubt.
Her outward appearance had changed, but the person inside was the same shy girl as always.
But why did she suddenly look different…?
I swept my gaze over her unfamiliar features once more and thought it over.
Well…
She probably has her reasons.
During my hunter days, I'd seen things far more absurd than this — thousands of times over.
And besides… I'm one to talk, with what happened to my own body…
Come on.
It's really not a big deal.
A change in appearance is nothing more than a wardrobe swap to me.
My gender, my age, even my level — everything dropped, remember…
Whatever she is, the fact that she agreed to be my friend hasn't changed.
I shrugged it off and turned back toward the classroom.
"Let's go. We'll be late for class."
She followed behind me, her wings and tail swaying gently in her new form.
We walked toward the quiet classroom as if nothing had happened at all.
***
The moment we returned to the classroom and sat down, I sensed a strange undercurrent in the air.
The other kids' glances kept darting toward one spot.
It felt less like they were whispering about me and more like they were whispering about Mila beside me.
Was it because her appearance had changed?
But just then.
Kiiiiiiing—!
A noise like nails dragging down a chalkboard tore through the entire classroom.
"……!"
In the wake of that spine-chilling sound, the noisy classroom plunged into dead silence.
I leaned over and whispered carefully to Mila, who had her eyes cast downward in the seat beside me.
"Everyone went quiet all of a sudden……"
"Ahaha…… Yeah."
I lifted my head and looked around. A few of the kids had expressions that weren't quite right.
The one who'd been talking trash about Mila earlier, in particular, had gone pale as a sheet — as if some invisible hand had closed around his throat.
But not everyone was frozen in fear.
Three or four kids, Mila and me aside, were just sitting calmly in their seats, looking as though they hadn't heard that sound at all.
"……"
Well, probably nothing.
A moment later, the classroom door opened and a familiar face appeared.
"Hey everyone~ Ready for class? But…… you're all awfully quiet today, aren't you?"
The teacher walked in with a bright smile and breezed right past the heavy silence.
"Alright, let's get started. Oh — Shin-a, you don't have your textbook yet, right? Come by the teachers' office after school and pick one up~ For today, just share with Mila."
I nodded quietly.
The teacher stepped up to the board, chalk in hand, and continued.
"Okay, let's begin. Where did we leave off yesterday?"
I glanced sideways at Mila.
Her slit pupils were glowing as they turned toward me.
With careful hands, she pulled a book from her desk drawer and slid it quietly over to my side.
"Thanks."
I said it and scooted my chair a little closer to hers.
"Uh…… u-uh-huh……"
The sudden closeness made Mila's face go bright red all over again as she turned away.
Still just as easily embarrassed as ever. That hadn't changed.
Alright then…… let's see what elementary schoolers are supposed to be learning.
I looked down at the textbook in front of me with a light heart.
But the moment I saw the illustrations and text on the open page, my thought process ground to a complete halt.
It was all too familiar.
Not just familiar — familiar to the point of making my skin crawl.
With a sinking feeling, I closed the book and checked the title on the cover.
[Dungeons and Monsters Made Easy]
"Okay everyone, today we're going to learn about the ecology and weaknesses of the E-rank monster, the 'Goblin'~"
The teacher's cheerful voice rang out from the front of the room. I stared blankly ahead and muttered.
"What is this……?"
"Hmm……? It's Dungeons and Monsters class? We learn about dungeons and monsters, literally……?"
I gazed blankly at the goblin's weaknesses written on the board and sank into thought.
Those hideous things I used to cut down at the gate like breathing……
Absolutely revolting.
But…
Why are they teaching this in school……???
***
Dungeons. And monsters.
Words I was sick to death of.
My life had been spent crossing the line between life and death alongside those things, more often than not.
The stench — nothing like the crude illustration of a goblin in that textbook — the wet sound of flesh tearing, the slick feel of blood.
I had lived with all of that.
And yet……
Was it really okay to be teaching kids this stuff?
A brief ethical qualm flickered through me, but I shook my head.
Come to think of it, every single child sitting in this classroom was an Awakened, without exception.
If they were going to step through a gate and into a dungeon someday, having even one or two monster weaknesses lodged in their heads beforehand could make a significant difference in whether they survived.
Not that I had any intention of setting foot in one again.
I propped my chin on the desk and let the teacher's passionate lecture drift in one ear and out the other.
Right, think of it positively. Look on the bright side.
Everything the teacher was explaining right now was common knowledge burned into my very bones.
In other words, I was the foremost expert in this field.
At the very least…… I wouldn't have to worry about my grades, would I?
***
"Alright~ Good work everyone! Next period is P.E., so let's head to the gym without being late!"
The teacher gave a cheerful farewell and left the classroom.
The kids got up one by one and streamed out through the back door.
I still wasn't familiar with the school layout, so I turned to Mila, who was gathering her things in the seat beside me.
"Mila, where's the gym?"
"Oh, I'll show you. Follow me…"
Mila answered, her tail swaying as she spoke.
I followed her through the hallway and down the corridor connecting to the annex building.
And when the massive doors of the gym swung open—
"……Wow."
A sound of admiration escaped me before I could stop it.
The sight before me was so far beyond what I'd imagined a school gym to be.
High-impact-absorbing flooring, reinforced exterior wall construction.
No matter how I looked at it……
It was a dead ringer for the training facilities I'd used during my active days.
No — when I factored in the fine finishing and state-of-the-art equipment, this place was actually a cut above.
This is…… the standard for elementary schools these days?
If an elementary school gym was at this level……
What on earth would middle school or high school look like……?
***
Before long, the bell signaling the start of class echoed through the gym.
Once the kids had more or less gathered, the teacher — now changed into gym clothes — blew her whistle and began calling names one by one.
After finishing roll call, the teacher clapped her hands together and called out.
"Alright, before we get into the main activity! Let's pair up in twos and start with some light warm-up stretches!"
The moment the words left her mouth, the kids began moving quickly, sizing each other up.
But I didn't need to think about it.
I turned my head naturally to the right, and—
There was Mila, her gaze already fixed on me.
The moment our eyes met, she broke into a relieved smile and stepped right up beside me.
"You'll…… pair with me, right?"
"Yeah. Obviously."
***
"Th-then I'll push first…?"
Mila approached behind me with small, tentative steps.
Her voice was thick with her characteristic caution.
"Yep. Ready!"
I sat down on the floor with my short legs spread out to either side, and Mila placed her small palms against my back.
Through the single layer of my T-shirt, a faint warmth radiated from her hands.
And then—
Shhhhhhk—!
"……!!!"
The unexpected force knocked all the air from my lungs in one go, and my breath cut off with a sharp gasp.
When Mila leaned her small body into the push, my upper half folded helplessly toward the floor.
"Are… are you okay? Does it hurt……?"
Mila poked her head over my shoulder with a worried look.
Her large eyes appeared right in front of me, trembling and blinking in alarm.
"Yeah… I'm fine…"
My body had been folded in half, but instead of pain, what washed over me first was a languid sensation as every muscle in my body relaxed.
It was a good thing this underdeveloped body was naturally flexible and light.
"Okay, my turn to push…"
"Yeah…! Please be gentle…?"
When it was time to switch, Mila settled into position looking slightly tense.
She stretched her smooth, pale legs out wide and curled her upper body forward.
I took a deep breath and reached both hands toward Mila's back.
Nnnngh…
"……?"
But the feeling against my palms was nothing like I'd expected.
It looked like a small, cute back from the outside, but no matter how hard I pressed, it was completely immovable — like pushing against a wall.
"Hey, Shin-a… you are pushing, right……?"
Mila tilted her head and asked with a puzzled expression.
Her voice was so perfectly calm that it actually triggered my competitive instincts.
"Y-yeah… I'm pushing for real now."
Flustered, I planted my knees firmly on the floor, leaned my whole body against Mila's back, and pushed with everything I had.
The muscles in my arms pulled taut and my toes dug in.
"Nnnngh—!"
I poured every last bit of strength into it until my tiny body was trembling, and only then did Mila's upper half begin to tilt forward, ever so slightly.
At the same time, I could see the pale skin of her neck slowly flushing a deep crimson.
"Ah… ow ow ow ow……!"
All the calm from moments before had vanished without a trace.
A pained sound slipped out of Mila.
The faint trembling of her back transmitted directly through my palms.
"Hah… hah…"
When I lifted my hands away, Mila straightened back up and turned to look at me as I gasped for breath.
"Shin-a… are you okay? Your face is really red……"
She stared at the beads of sweat on my forehead with a puzzled expression.
"I… I'm fine. It's nothing… really…"
I tried to answer calmly while catching my ragged breath, but my trembling arms and legs were making my efforts perfectly obvious.
***
"Alright… today everyone's going to do a sparring demonstration!"
After the warm-up, the teacher looked out at the gathered kids and spoke in her characteristically gentle voice.
Sparring…?
Isn't that a little dangerous…?
As if voicing the doubt that had crossed my mind, a kid nearby raised their hand with a worried look.
"Teacher…! What if someone gets seriously hurt during sparring?"
"It'll be fine~ Don't worry. I'm quite a bit stronger than I look!"
She kept her eyes curved into a smile as she continued.
"Now… the teacher has randomly selected partners, so when your name is called, please come to the front."
The finger scrolling down the attendance sheet stopped.
"Kim Shin-a. And Lee Jae-min."
First up?
I stood from my seat with a strange mix of anticipation and awkwardness.
Mila, watching from beside me, had her fist clenched tight, sending me silent encouragement.
But the opponent I came face to face with in the center of the sparring area was—
A familiar face.
The very same kid who'd been spitting cheap insults at Mila earlier.
"Huh… it's you?"
His name seemed to be Lee Jae-min.
Whatever had drained the color from his face in terror earlier was nowhere to be seen. He grinned with that signature irritating expression of his.
"……"
I didn't feel he was worth a response. I let his provocative words go in one ear and out the other and kept my silence.
Sparring…
I'd had experiences like this before.
But I knew well enough that this situation was very different from those times.
At the very least, this wasn't the kind of brutal place where the smell of blood hung in the air.
Just then, the teacher approached me carefully as I stood still, lost in thought.
"Shin-a… is there a weapon you know how to use? Oh, you don't have to use one — I was just wondering…"
"I'm fine."
I answered briefly and let my gaze drift over.
Why would I need a weapon to deal with someone like this.
Right in front of me, Lee Jae-min was swinging a practice sword around with a flourish, full of himself.
Watching those careless movements and that look in his eyes, I felt the corners of my mouth curl up on their own.
A text exchange I'd had with I-deun before coming to school drifted through my mind.
'Still though…'
'First impressions are all about establishing dominance.'
Establishing dominance…
I looked at him and smiled. Slowly.
Yeah. That's a good point.
***
"Hmm……?"
Teacher Jeong A-yeong felt an ominous chill run down her spine and frowned without thinking.
The air around the transfer student Shin-a, who was preparing for the spar right in front of her, was trembling ever so slightly.
The girl's quiet murmur reached A-yeong's ears faintly.
"I wonder what would be good… I guess…"
As if lost in a pleasant dilemma, Shin-a whispered with a deep smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"Would one Nakroe (Lightning Fall) be enough?"