The boys from my room had also come out into the corridor, curious about the commotion.

At the far end of the eastern hall, the girls were gathered, staring wide-eyed at a single room. Every face was pale with fright.

A sense of dread pushed harder at my chest.

Wait a second.

I stopped in my tracks.

Among the girls pressed against the wall, Meiling was there too. Her face was twisted in horror.

“What’s going on, Ao?”

Jin Cheongryong stepped past me, asking.

“Ah… Senior Cheongryong. It’s nothing serious, really, but inside the room, um…” Ao, Martial God’s student council president and the official representative of the academy alliance, hesitated, visibly troubled.

“Yein!”

Meiling spotted me and bolted forward.

“Do something about what’s in that room!”

“What happened?”

I already had a guess, but I asked anyway.

“A cockroach! A cockroach came out of there!”

Her shout drew groans and shivers from some of the others.

“…”

It was so absurd that I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

Everyone here was at least level 25 to 30. Strong enough to punch through concrete walls or body-check a bus into rolling backward.

And yet, among those trembling in disgust, besides Meiling and Ao, even Iris was there.

“All this fuss over a bug?”

I couldn’t believe it.

“In a dungeon, you’d fry bigger ones with a Fireball.”

“That’s different!” Meiling shrieked. “We can’t throw Fireballs in a tiny room! Don’t you get what it’s like to face something you can’t kill?!”

You just hate bugs, I thought, but the other girls nodded vigorously, agreeing with her.

Just then—

“Senior Yui…” Lumina’s voice drifted out, and Seo Yui appeared carrying something long. She calmly stepped into the room.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three sharp thuds echoed, followed by silence.

Moments later, Seo Yui emerged, holding a dustpan.

“Kyah!”

“Heek!”

The girls screamed as soon as they saw the cockroach corpse lying inside. They scrambled backward.

“It’s fine now. You can go in,” Seo Yui said with a sleepy expression. She walked outside, flicked the bug’s remains into a flowerbed, and came back.

“S-So strong…” Ao whispered in awe.

“You weren’t scared?” Iris asked her.

“No. I’ve seen plenty of bugs before.”

The moment she said it, my mind flashed back to Valhall’s underground facilities.

“Ugh, I can’t stand this!”

Meiling suddenly yelled.

“What if there are more cockroaches?! And seriously, why do we have to stay in a dump like this for a program as big as HAUT?!”

“I agree,” Iris chimed in. “Crystal could have hosted without issue. Why pick a place like this? We won’t even be able to rest properly here.”

“Let’s go complain!”

“Yes! Something’s wrong with this!”

Their words lit the spark, and soon everyone began voicing complaints.

“At the very least, there should be real beds.”

“This building is just unacceptable.”

Even the boys nodded along.

“Let’s not just stand here—let’s go lodge a formal complaint.”

Taking the lead, Iris marched toward the entrance, the others following in a tide.

A few minutes later, only three of us were left inside—our Gwangcheon squad, minus Meiling.

“Why are they all overreacting? This seems like decent housing to me,” Seo Yui said, tilting her head.

“Y-Yein… is this okay? Meiling went with them too,” Lumina asked anxiously.

“It won’t matter.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Let’s just follow.”

We trailed after them.

Outside, the group was confronting Jang Jinseong.

“What’s going on here?”

“We’re here to complain about the dorms,” Iris declared.

“There were cockroaches—swarms of them!” Meiling shouted.

Calling three bugs a “swarm” was… a bit much.

Ao stepped forward then, her voice steady.

“This isn’t just about pests. These buildings look decades old, the bedding and furniture are worn out. We’re not demanding luxury hotels, but proper rest is vital to serious training. These facilities aren’t suitable.”

Jang Jinseong only checked his watch.

“It’s time. Have you all unpacked?”

“You’re ignoring us?!” Meiling’s voice rose, furious.

“Is this really the standard of HAUT’s facilities?” Iris added, arms folded, tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Changing lodgings is impossible. The training schedule is tied to this site.”

“But at least the bedding—surely you could provide something new. Why…” Ao pressed, frowning.

“That’s because staying in these worn-down dorms is part of the training.”

The calm, commanding male voice cut her off.

“You’ve arrived.”

Jang Jinseong glanced sideways, looking weary.

Every head turned toward the newcomer.

A tall, strikingly handsome man approached. Golden-blond hair with a soft curl, pale flawless skin, features sharp enough to be feminine in their beauty.

It was the kind of face you’d expect from a celebrity or movie star in real life.

“I-Isn’t that… Lord Abel?”

“It is! It’s really Abel!”

The students erupted. The girls especially—save for Meiling and Iris—rushed to surround him in a flurry of excitement.

“Why, why is Lord Abel here?” Rune of Magica asked breathlessly.

“Because I’m your instructor for this year’s HAUT,” the man said.

At that moment—

Kyaaaaaaaaaa!Kyaaaaaaaaaa!Kyaaaaaaaaaa!

A piercing shriek rippled across the training ground. I guess some people really do scream like that when they’re excited.

“Yein, I think I’ve seen him on TV. Do you know who he is?” Seo Yui asked beside me.

“Abel Crown. A pro-Hunter with All Around, the world’s number-one guild. He hit Level 70 at twenty-six, so he’s been featured on tons of shows as the hottest Hunter around.”

“Ah, that’s why he looked familiar.”

Abel took in the circle of students around him, then flashed a bright smile.

“I participated in HAUT back when I was an applicant too. As your senior, one piece of advice: from the moment you step in here, treat everything you experience as part of the training. Give it a few days—you’ll understand.”

His smile tilted higher.

“How happy you’ll feel to sleep under a roof, on a mat.”

Faces froze all around us.

“If even that ‘happy’ environment sounds unbearable, you’d better call a taxi now and head back to your dorms—or home.”

No one in front of him could muster a reply.

“Executive Jang, time to take our juniors to the next item on the schedule, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Thank you, Mr. Abel.”

Jang Jinseong cleared his throat and addressed the group clustered around Abel.

“I’ll give you five more minutes. If you haven’t finished unpacking, go do so now. If you’re already done, wait by the entrance. And if you truly don’t think you can stay here, tell me. I’ll begin your withdrawal paperwork immediately.”

“Lumina.”

“H-Huh?”

She tore her eyes off Abel and turned to me, flustered.

“I—I wasn’t— I mean…”

“If you don’t mind, help Meiling unpack. It’ll go better coming from you than from me.”

I glanced at Meiling. She was still glaring at Abel and Jang, face full of indignation.

“Ah… okay. Got it.”

Lumina nodded and went to Meiling. A moment later, the two of them headed back into the dorm.

“Yein.”

“Yes, senior?”

“When he said we’d feel lucky to sleep there—do you think he meant the survival training later?”

Seo Yui’s gaze drifted to the shabby building.

“That’s part of it.”

“…I thought so.”

She understood immediately. Abel’s line—everything after you enter is training—described HAUT perfectly.

If not for the connections and prizes you could gain here, I honestly would never have wanted to take part.

Once everyone had regrouped outside the dorm, Jang Jinseong and Abel led us to an auditorium at the back.

The moment we stepped inside, the surprises began again.

Several people sat on the dais, waiting for us—faces we’d seen in the news.

“I know him. He’s the most renowned Demon Realm scholar in the world.”

“The man with the eyepatch—isn’t that Kim Hyeonseok?”

“It isss. Until the Mysterious Craftsman appeared, he was Seoul’s top weaponsmith. He never accepted academy invitations—how did they get him hereee?”

There were also several pro-Hunters who weren’t as famous as Abel, but still familiar from the media. All of them would be our instructors.

After everyone took their seats, the induction ceremony began. One by one the instructors stood, Jang introduced them, and we applauded. Abel, of course, drew the loudest ovation.

When the introductions ended, Riyu Homar came forward.

“For the next two weeks, you will gain knowledge and experiences your academies could not provide. In only fourteen days, what we can teach is limited. Just keeping up will be hard—true mastery is out of the question. Even so, we hold this every year to widen the horizons of the talented, so you can grow further—to show you just how small the well was that you’ve been swimming in.”

He rapped his staff against the floor.

A jolt, sharper even than when we first saw him, buzzed through my entire body like a live wire.

“That concludes the induction. I hope none of you quit midway. Dismissed.”

At his words, the instructors—except for Abel—rose as one and streamed out.

“Everyone, with me. We’ll issue your personal gear for the training camp,” said Jang Jinseong.

We received a HAUT smart-watch and tablet, three sets of under-armor combatwear to wear beneath equipment, a full set of Level 30, Magic-grade gear, an empty Inventory, Skill Gems, and Skill Slots.

“Wear your smart-watch, combatwear, and Inventory at all times during training hours. Keep your gear, Skill Slots, and Skill Gems in your Inventory at all times as well. Now…”

He checked his watch.

“It’s lunchtime. Enjoy your meal, and I’ll see you later. Mr. Abel, they’re in your hands.”

“Right. Everyone, with me.”

Abel led us out. He told us to stash any extras back at the dorms and change into our combatwear.

Once everyone had returned, he guided us toward a different building. The closer we came, the more the smell of mess-hall rations seeped into my nose—thick and unmistakable.

“Stop there.”

We halted in front of the cafeteria.

“Lunch is ninety minutes,” Abel said. He lifted a hand and pointed to the side with a grin. “See that mountain?”

Perplexed looks spread. I knew what was coming and could only sigh inwardly.

“I left a chest at the peak that requires all four members of an academy to open. Inside are meal tickets you can exchange for lunch. Bring them back.”

Murmurs broke out.

“And before you go, equip your issued gear, Skill Slots, and Skill Gems. Oh, and since it’s a mountain, no fire-type attacks. At all.”

The murmuring swelled.

“For the record, there are no convenience stores or restaurants anywhere near this facility. No amount of money will get you food. Step outside the training grounds and you’ll be forcibly withdrawn.”

While everyone buzzed, I equipped my gear.

“What are you waiting for? You two, gear up,” I told Meiling and Lumina, who were still dazed.

“Senior’s already changing,” Seo Yui said, pulling her own kit from her Inventory as soon as she saw me do it.

“Lunch might be ninety minutes, but the cafeteria starts closing up after seventy. Keep that in mind. I’m starving, so I’m going to eat first,” Abel added, and headed inside.

“Let’s go,” I said.

“Right,” Seo Yui nodded.

With our squad ready, we sprinted for the mountain.

“What are you all standing around for? Move! Can’t you see they’re already going?” Abel clapped once, drawing the rest’s attention.

“Oh—and one important detail I forgot! There are only five chests with tickets. The last academy up goes hungry!”

Screams and curses erupted from the HAUT selections.

“Hey! H-Hurry and gear up!”

“How can they make us get lunch like this?!”

“It’s a hassle—can’t we just skip mealll?”

“Bella! Stop talking nonsense and put your gear on!”

In a scramble of belts and buckles, the students suited up and took off up the trail, jostling for position.

Watching their retreating backs, Abel grinned.

“I wonder which unlucky kids will end up skipping lunch today.”

(End of Chapter)

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