Time flew by in an instant.
The sun set and the moon rose countless times.
Eventually, the warm and cozy spring weather passed, giving way to the scorching heat of summer.
The second semester had arrived.
Which meant, it was a celebration.
I should stand up, clap, and blow an elephant trumpet in self-congratulation level of jubilation.
You know… there’s that culture of celebrating elders who make it to their 70th birthday, right?
I was similar.
Back when I just entered the Shio-ram dormitory.
Hiding alone in my dorm, scribbling theories, I honestly feared I might not even survive the second semester…
But I made it through.
I survived even as time kept rolling on.
…Of course, there were many ups and downs along the way, but the important part is I’m still alive.
Even though my life is precarious even now… there’s no way I can just die peacefully.
Anyway, I praised myself for what I had achieved.
On the way to school after nearly a month, the students flooded in.
By the way, Seo-yul was attending to Hong Yeon-hwa… Ariel took on that role.
I left the dorm just like the first semester and hopped onto the self-driving bus.
I had grown used to the gazes directed at me by now.
– Paaaan…
But those gazes were quite blatant.
Almost as bold as at the start of the semester… No, it felt even worse.
I understood why.
I had caused quite a few incidents during the vacation.
First, the news spread that I was a blood relative of the Gop-hwa Clan.
Not just as a relative, but also that I had manifested the unique ability of Gop-hwa.
There was still no news about the Bonhwa sword.
During the Gop-hwa Clan’s regular banquet, I had unintentionally dyed the clan’s founder’s Bonhwa sword with my own color.
A decent number of people witnessed that scene, but since the news hadn’t spread yet, it seems like my silence had been successful.
I heard directly from Choi Ji-yeon that they were still in discussions regarding the Bonhwa sword and would inform me of the results later.
That must be complicated for them too.
It’s the Bonhwa sword that the clan’s founder wielded directly.
It’s a treasured heirloom full of symbolic meaning, and I dyed it in front of an audience…
I’m just glad I wasn’t scolded right away.
‘Anyway.’
I hadn’t changed my name to Hong Ha-yul, but having some affiliation as an exceptional student must have been quite a topic.
Of course, that news was quickly overshadowed by the double-headed dragon that struck soon after.
But even that double-headed dragon had its head flying off at me.
With both of those big topics connected to me, it’s no wonder the attention was on me.
– Paaaaaan…
…But the emotions behind those gazes were quite strange.
It was one of admiration, pity… or even jealousy, but what I felt was a rather lukewarm gaze.
I felt a rush of heat to my face and tugged at Hong Yeon-hwa’s sleeve.
Her red eyes looked down at me.
“Let me go…”
“No way.”
A voice cutting my request like a knife.
Hong Yeon-hwa shook her head as if to say I shouldn’t even dream of it, and pulled me in closer.
Though it was the second semester, my appearance hadn’t changed at all.
My hair was still white, and my physique was just as youthful.
“Noo… why…”
“Do you not even know the answer, Ha-yul?”
Squeezing… Elia, who walked to school with us, poked my cheek.
Elia’s yellow eyes silently asked if I really didn’t understand.
I averted my gaze and turned my head slightly.
Was it two days ago?
I had collapsed, vomiting blood, and almost got refused entry to school for stability reasons.
It was even more so because that horrific scene was witnessed by my professor, Professor Liana, and my mentor.
I managed to get back to school after desperately convincing them that I was okay, but my appearance was still like this.
I must have looked like a troublemaking child to everyone.
The gazes around me felt even more peculiar.
‘What’s going on since morning…’
I couldn’t dare lift my head.
…
Only when I entered the Ipchun Class did I finally regain some semblance of freedom.
Hong Yeon-hwa tried to lift me again citing that my stature wouldn’t allow me to sit and see the front, but I rebutted with the fact that the sky’s wing feathers could serve as a cushion.
Hong Yeon-hwa sat next to me, looking disappointed.
I took the same back seat as in the first semester.
Originally, I had the window seat, but that was taken by Elia.
“Hey, isn’t the guest too early?”
Baek Ahrin, from the same Ipchun Class, arrived a few minutes later.
Upon seeing Hong Yeon-hwa and Elia beside me, she clicked her tongue in disappointment.
“You used to sit up front. Why are you back here?”
“I’ve always been like this. And why aren’t you targeting Elia too, when she sat there first? That seems a bit discriminatory to me!”
Baek Ahrin grumbled as she plopped down next to Hong Yeon-hwa.
Again, the magical energy around was quite complicated.
On my left, a warm brilliant yellow sparkled, and on my right, vivid flames danced with icy water.
It felt both comfortable and chaotic.
A moment later, the front door opened and Professor Liana, in charge of the Ipchun Class, entered.
“It feels like just yesterday that I met with you all, and now it’s already the second semester… Time sure flies by!”
Professor Liana smiled brightly as she began the assembly.
“Attendance will be skipped since everyone is here on time, and without further ado, let’s get to the announcements!”
Everyone listened attentively to Professor Liana’s words.
Though the announcements had likely been shared beforehand, there could still be changes.
“Starting today, the free-for-all free semester will end, and a formal semester will begin, where students choose the classes they want to take!”
The first semester at Shio-ram operates as a tasting period.
In the first semester, students experience various subjects set by the academic program, and in the second semester, they are to choose the ones they want to take.
As a result, the second semester is a bit longer than the first.
“This week is the course registration period, and most lectures will just be introductory orientations! You’ve probably tasted them in the first semester but the second could be different! So choose wisely and let’s make it a smooth second semester!”
Strangely enough, Shio-ram has course registration at the start of the second semester instead of during the breaks.
It might seem like a slapdash approach, but given there have been no major issues so far, it’s running smoothly.
“I bet many of you have been waiting for the second semester! The lecture times generally get shorter! Of course, with extra activities like clubs starting, it could level out, but it’s definitely better than those chaotic lecture times, right?”
Clubs would also begin in the second semester.
Specifically, it’s the first time for the new students of this cohort to join clubs.
There are various types of clubs.
From martial arts, spear techniques, archery, and more aimed at skill improvement to academic clubs like monster hunting, dungeon statistics, and erosion analysis.
Additionally, plenty of hobby-based clubs like baseball, soccer, table tennis, gardening, reading, and film and music appreciation also abound.
The primary goal of these clubs is for leisure.
Most clubs exist to relieve the stress of students already weighed down with exhaustion.
Therefore, there are likely many students looking forward to the second semester.
Moreover, clubs also help with networking.
From the moment students enter Shio-ram, their potential is proven. Simply graduating means they can be regarded as top-tier talent outside.
Building relationships with such individuals isn’t a bad idea. Plus, they might recruit background-less students into their groups.
Through such connections, these students can find a collective to belong to, making it quite beneficial.
“And for the last announcement!”
Professor Liana clapped her hands, emphasizing her point.
The students straightened in their seats.
“There’s a traditional schedule in the second semester. It’s a mentorship system where seniors guide juniors to bring out their potential together!”
Mentoring.
In a way, it is the most crucial event of the second semester.
“The mentorship system occurs between first and second-year students, where both can choose a pair! Of course, refusals are also possible!”
Mentoring was a system I had been waiting for.
Choi Ji-yeon, who had plenty to say about Seo-yul, was in her second year, so I planned to apply for mentorship to meet her.
“Similarly, this week is the application week! From course registrations to mentorship applications… Ah, it’s going to be quite a busy week!”
Professor Liana sighed deeply with a hint of humor, to which several students nodded in agreement.
As she mentioned, this week was set to be truly hectic.
With course registrations, mentorship applications… and students interested in clubs had to keep track of those as well.
Ironically, the first week of the second semester, which was supposed to be a breeze, turned out to be busier than the first semester.
…
I hadn’t finished my course registration yet, leaving my mornings empty.
Thanks to that, I was in a state of separation from everyone else.
Whether it was Hong Yeon-hwa, Elia… they all worried I might faint out of nowhere again, but I managed to escape.
I felt bad, but I had much to do from now on.
Specifically, I was thinking of trying to find a way to return my body.
– Ding!
While I was at it, I sent a message from my smartwatch.
Nodding at the notification that it had been successfully sent, I turned off the hologram.
Without delay, I applied for mentorship with Choi Ji-yeon. It was better to send it early rather than late for higher visibility.
‘It’d be great if it works out…’
Suddenly, I felt a pang of worry.
I had built a tiny connection back in China, but whether that would help me now were uncertain, so I wanted to secure a more solid connection through mentorship.
However, whether Choi Ji-yeon accepted my application was a completely different issue.
If she declined… I would have no choice but to look for other options.
– Ding!
‘Huh?’
With a deep sigh, as I was about to display the list of classes for registration.
An alarm rang, and a hologram popped up.
[Unregistered Contact: Identified – Choi Ji-yeon]
▶Choi Ji-yeon: Lee Ha-yul Junior
▶Choi Ji-yeon: If you have time, could we meet?
I blinked in disbelief.
It was a reply from Choi Ji-yeon.
‘It hasn’t even been a minute since I sent it?’
Was she checking her messages just then? That seemed too fast for a reply.
Tilting my head in confusion, I sent a quick affirmative back.
…
“Welcome, junior…”
[?]
The sight of Choi Ji-yeon when we met at the café was shocking.
Disheveled hair, dark circles under her eyes like a panda, a pale complexion as if she needed to be laid down in bed immediately.
It was clear she wasn’t in a normal state.
‘…What’s going on?’
What on earth happened to Choi Ji-yeon?
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