The next morning.

I awoke in a surprisingly good mood.

Through the small window of my dorm room, a clear blue sky stretched endlessly. Bright summer sunlight poured down across the world.

It had been getting hot for a while, but now summer was in full swing.

‘Today’s the closing ceremony for the semester.’

In Latessia, the academy-based game, summer vacation existed too.

If the first semester of Year One was essentially the tutorial for understanding the system, then the first summer vacation could be called the tutorial for free-choice events.

During the break, countless possibilities opened up—events to gain equipment, events to strengthen abilities, or events centered on companion NPCs.

Naturally, the smart choice was to prioritize limited-time events first.

‘But things will never go exactly as I want.’

Yesterday had already taught me that.

Jin Cheongwang, Persila, premature Transference events, and now the Demon Cult.

Every single one had strayed far from the game’s original flow.

I brushed my teeth in the shared washroom, my mind churning.

‘Maybe this is what that “new difficulty” message I saw before coming here actually meant.’

Hardcore mode in the game had one major penalty: if you died, your character was deleted.

But aside from hidden bosses unique to Hardcore, all the scenarios and events followed the same structure as other difficulties.

‘But here, events I’ve never seen before are happening—and even the timing of known events is all over the place.’

When I thought about it point by point, the penalties were outrageous:

Death meant no respawn, game over.

I wasn’t the protagonist, but a side character with no stat corrections.

My aptitudes were F, F, and C.

New events kept appearing, while old ones occurred out of sequence, regardless of level balance.

Back in my room, I sighed as I changed clothes.

“So basically, they’re telling me to give up and die, huh.”

It felt unfair.

My only crime had been getting too immersed in the game.

‘But… what’s happening in the real world right now?’

I’d probably already been fired from my job. Maybe someone even filed a missing person’s report.

‘With no family to worry about me, the only one who’d notice is my landlord. Huh… but wait. I’m Nam Yein here, so what’s happening to my real body…?’

What if it was lying comatose in a hospital bed, a vegetable?

I had no one to pay the hospital bills.

The thought crawled up my spine like cold fingers.

‘Maybe before I return, I should withdraw all my money in cash and bring it back with me? But… can I even take anything from here back? Can I even return at all?’

I stood frozen for nearly a minute before shaking my head hard and getting dressed.

No point worrying about what I couldn’t solve.

Right now, I needed to focus on strengthening my squad.

Persila and the Demon Cult were enemies we could never defeat head-on.

If high-difficulty events could strike at any time, then we had to be ready for anything.

This vacation, we’d focus entirely on powering up.

That was the conclusion I’d reached after all the chaos so far—

“…I’m going home next Monday. My parents have been nagging me to come early.”

Two minutes into class, my plans fell apart.

I turned and silently stared at the green-haired girl.

“What about you, Yein? What are you doing for vacation?” Lumina asked with a sunny smile.

“…”

There went my carefully laid plans. Smashed to pieces—thanks to her.

But thinking about it, I should’ve expected this.

Lumina Cueva had a family.

According to the game’s settings, her family was warm, harmonious, and firmly middle class. Not wealthy, but comfortable—by today’s standards, practically idyllic.

The problem was location.

“Lumina, where’s your hometown again?”

“London.”

At that, my heart sank. Inwardly, I slammed my desk several times.

‘Why didn’t you think of that sooner, you idiot!’

I cursed myself.

Chen Meiling had cut ties with her family, so of course she’d stay in the dorms.

Seo Yui’s only relative was a scumbag who had tried to sell her off to traffickers, so she had nowhere to return to either.

As for me, Kai had kindly dug up the fact that I was a complete orphan.

“Any idea when you’ll be back from London?” I asked as calmly as I could, hiding the turmoil inside.

“Hmm… probably right before school starts again. My dad won’t let me leave earlier.”

Yes. I was doomed.

My grand plan for strengthening the squad was about to collapse completely—unless I salvaged it.

Fortunately, Lumina was the sentimental type.

I could use that.

“I see…” I murmured, letting a trace of loneliness creep into my tone.

“What’s wrong, Yein?” she asked instantly, catching the change in me.

“It’s nothing. I just thought we’d spend the summer together as a squad… visit the seaside dungeon again, see some places in Seoul, maybe even do some training camps in the open dungeons for HAUT prep. But… of course you should go home. It was silly of me. Just my selfish assumption.”

I forced a bitter smile.

“Ah, I… um…” Lumina faltered, her expression guilty.

“If you were coming back early, maybe we could’ve done it. But if you’ll be in London all summer, then it can’t be helped. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” I lowered my head slightly.

“Wait—!” Lumina suddenly leapt up, reaching both hands toward me.

“I’ll talk to my dad! If I explain it’s for HAUT prep, I’m sure I can come back earlier. I’ll convince him!”

Got her.

But I couldn’t show my triumph just yet.

Lifting my head slowly, I gave her a hesitant look.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I want to spend time with everyone too.” She smiled brightly.

‘Forgive me, Lumina’s father.’

I silently apologized to the man I’d never met.

Lumina was too important to our squad.

I couldn’t let her waste the entire vacation idly.

After the ceremony, the dorms were chaotic.

Judging by the commotion, around ninety percent of the students were going home.

The remaining ten percent were like me, Meiling, and Seo Yui—those with no homes to return to, or reasons they couldn’t go back.

Or maybe they simply had things they wanted or needed to do during break.

After all, just selling dungeon materials at the Hunter Market earned more than most part-time jobs.

‘Well then, time to head out.’

During vacation, the academy stopped providing meals.

There was no kitchen in the dorms either, so from today until the new semester, we’d have to eat outside.

That put me in the same boat as Meiling and Seo Yui.

“So you’re not going to be in Seoul next week?” Meiling asked wide-eyed.

We were eating at a Chinese restaurant not far from Gwangcheon.

“Yeah. I already talked to Yein about it. I’ll try convincing my dad to let me come back early.”

“I see.”

Meiling replied flatly, turning her head away.

But the faint upward curl of her lips gave her away.

It was a smile of relief.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

At once, Meiling and I both turned to look at Seo Yui.

“After all, once vacation ends, you’ll have to leave London and return to Seoul anyway. Shouldn’t you spend this short break with your family?”

“Uh…”

Conflict flickered across Lumina’s face.

‘Didn’t expect the enemy to be inside our own ranks.’

Hearing Seo Yui, who had been betrayed and sold by her own relative, speak about family carried a peculiar weight.

‘I just barely swayed Lumina by appealing to her emotions… Well, to be fair, Seo Yui’s point is valid.’

“I…”

Then came a small voice.

“I want Lumina to stay here.”

Meiling turned her head sharply away, cheeks blazing red.

“Meiling…!”

Lumina’s face twisted in a half-laugh, half-cry expression before she suddenly hugged her.

“I’ll come back as soon as I can!”

“…Mm.”

Seo Yui watched them for a moment, then looked at me.

I gave a bitter smile and shrugged.

But inwardly, I was shouting: Good job, Meiling!

“Hmmm…”

Seoul City Hall, in the mayor’s office.

Cheon Jiweon sat at his desk, examining a stack of documents.

Several photos of Yein’s face were clipped inside—childhood pictures, shots at the orphanage, images from his early teens at public school, and finally, an ID photo identical to the one on his Gwangcheon Academy student card.

“An orphan, no parents or relatives. Lived in an orphanage in Dongjak District until age sixteen, then enrolled in Gwangcheon Academy at seventeen. His registration fee and first semester tuition were paid not by Yein himself but by a Hunter named ‘Ali.’ That Hunter has since died in a dungeon…”

Jiweon pressed his fingers to his temple.

“That part seems suspicious. What do you think?”

“It struck me as odd as well, so I looked deeper into it.”

The reply came from Lee Seon, his face haggard, unshaven stubble visible even before the mayor.

“The Hunter who paid Nam Yein’s tuition—his name was Seonin.”

“Seonin?”

“Since becoming a Hunter, he donated large sums regularly to orphanages and private shelters. Nam Yein wasn’t the only one—there are several other children whose tuition he supported.”

“You’re saying it was nothing more than an act of pure charity?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And what about his family, or any guild affiliation?”

“He was an orphan himself. No family, no relatives, and unaffiliated—he worked alone.”

“Mm… If it truly was simple goodwill, then his death is indeed tragic. Still… keep investigating.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jiweon flipped to the next page, his eyes narrowing in surprise.

“Well, this is curious. The daughter of Forward Magic Engineer president, and the daughter of Crystal’s president. He’s connected to both?”

On the page were photos of Meiling and Eleanor.

“Chen Meiling, as you know, attends Gwangcheon Academy—owned by Forward Group—and is in the same squad as Nam Yein.”

“And Eleanor Ahn? It says here… workshop?”

“She runs her own workshop. Nam Yein reportedly visits there on weekends.”

“To run a workshop at her age… The maker of the Weight of Phase Fixation couldn’t be her, though. If it were, Crystal would never stay silent. No, that item was Yein’s doing.”

“I believe so too. At the bottom, you’ll find notes on Eleanor Ahn’s equipment store as well.”

“Oh? ‘Platinum Wings.’ So the young lady owns both a workshop and a store?”

“Yes. It seems she left Crystal Hunter Mall recently to become independent. What’s strange is that until then, she never dealt in rare items. But now she’s consistently selling low-level rare equipment. Recently, she even hosted a showcase of mass-produced rare gear.”

“When did she begin trading in rare items?”

“Mid-March.”

“Then check when Nam Yein first made contact with Eleanor.”

“Understood.”

“Talent—or calamity. We need to know which one he is.”

Jiweon turned another page, his brow furrowing.

“This report on Seo Yui… is it true?”

“Yes. Confirmed through police records. Seo Yui is from Valhall.”

“Valhall? Wasn’t that place destroyed by mercenary Hunters hired by Iris and Crystal?”

“Yes.”

“Eleanor is close to her, and Seo Yui is in Yein’s squad as well. It could be coincidence… but my instincts say otherwise. Captain Lee, investigate further. There’s more to this.”

“Understood. Anything else?”

“No, that will be all. Thank you for your efforts.”

“Yes, sir. Then I’ll take my leave.”

Lee Seon bowed and turned for the door—but paused.

“Oh, one more matter. Not regarding Nam Yein.”

“What is it?”

“There’s intelligence that Persila has entered Seoul.”

“Persila? The craftsman-killer?”

“Yes.”

Jiweon’s expression grew grim.

“If that’s true, it’s dangerous. Begin investigating immediately. If confirmed, report to me at once. She over Level 80—an opponent not to be taken lightly.”

“Understood.”

Lee Seon bowed again and left the office.

(End of Chapter)

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