The Way It Starts

Taegyun walked home after bidding goodbye to Jessie and Shaki.

His mind, however, was anything but calm.

The new quest notification still lingered in his thoughts, casting a strange shadow over his mood.

But why?

The quest seemed ordinary on the surface. Basic, even.

Make friends with Jessie and Shaki. Increase their favorability.

Form a potential partnership.

All reasonable. Understandable.

But the reward listed at the bottom:

"Jessie and Shaki's Total Submission."

It made his stomach twist.

"This system... it's freakin' messed up," he muttered under his breath, slamming the door shut behind him.

Was it some kind of freak quest? Why that wording? What the hell did "submission" even mean in this context?

He flopped down onto his bed, eyes on the ceiling.

"I get the goal. I get the bonus objective. But the reward... what the hell?"

He sighed and rolled onto his side.

"At least there's a time limit... and somehow, I managed to get their contact numbers."

He glanced at the digital clock. Time for the Academy.

***

Half an hour later, Taegyun stepped into the expansive Swordsmanship Division hall.

The air was cool, faintly metallic. The familiar scent of steel, sweat, and training oils clung to the polished floors and the long weapon racks lined across the wall.

As he walked further in, flashes of yesterday's training returned in sharp bursts, his collapsing posture, aching hands, and Thien's cold, clipped corrections.

Speaking of which—

Thien was already there.

Standing in the exact same spot near the weapon rack, posture straight, expression blank. He looked like he hadn't moved since yesterday.

No greeting.

Just a silent nod toward the rack.

Taegyun sighed and walked over, grabbing a practice sword. It felt heavier today.

Or maybe he was just tired of feeling so damn weak.

Thien turned around, raised his own sword, and fell into his stance.

"Same sequence. Basic guard. Diagonal slash. Ten reps."

Taegyun did his best to mirror the form, but his feet were uneven.

Thien gave the side of his ankle a small tap with the tip of his blade. "Too close."

He adjusted.

Raised his sword again.

"Relax your grip. You are not strangling it."

Taegyun let out a slow breath and loosened his hands.

Then swung.

The blade wobbled.

His foot moved too late. His shoulders locked. His weight shifted awkwardly.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Every attempt was flawed. Every movement felt worse than the last.

"Too high."

"Bad pivot."

"Center off."

"Arms stiff."

Thien offered each correction like a surgeon, precise, emotionless, brutally honest.

Taegyun gritted his teeth and kept going.

Swing. Adjust. Fail.

Thirty minutes passed.

His legs burned. His arms ached. Sweat trickled from his temples and soaked the back of his collar.

Still no progress.

Still the same fundamental flaws.

Thien finally paused and spoke again.

"You are still thinking."

Taegyun wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm. "I thought it'd feel more natural by now."

"Not yet. It won't. Not for weeks."

He stepped forward and demonstrated the same move once more.

It was perfect.

Step. Twist. Cut. Return.

"It is not about thinking," he said. "It is about repetition. You move until your body remembers."

Taegyun watched carefully and nodded.

He raised his sword again.

Tried to follow it.

But his movements were slow. Sloppy. His focus slipping.

The fatigue was setting in hard now.

More time passed, nearly an hour.

By the end, Taegyun could barely lift the sword. His grip was gone. His arms trembled. His vision blurred at the edges.

Still no breakthrough.

Still no rhythm.

Thien lowered his blade.

"Stop."

Taegyun let his own sword fall to the floor with a metallic clink. His chest heaved. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the polished ground.

He stared at the floor.

Then muttered, "I feel like I'm just swinging metal around."

Thien looked at him for a moment and replied flatly, "You are."

Taegyun blinked, then let out a breathless laugh.

He wasn't even mad. Just... drained.

Thien turned and walked away.

Just before disappearing down the far end of the hall, he spoke once more.

"That is how it starts."

Then he vanished into the hallway.

Taegyun stood there, chest still rising and falling. Muscles sore. Arms numb. Hands raw.

He left the Swordsmanship Hall not long after. Unlike the Non-Awakened students, Hunter Trainees didn't need to attend full sessions or follow strict schedules. One or two hours of training were enough, as long as you made it through.

He was walking through the corridor, stretching his stiff shoulders, when he suddenly saw someone approaching.

Miss Anna.

He stopped in his tracks.

"Miss Anna," he greeted politely. "What brings you to the Awakened Division?"

She paused in front of him, arms lightly crossed over her chest.

"It seems you really became a Hunter Trainee after all…"

Her tone was calm, but there was something odd in her voice. Something that almost sounded like... disappointment?

"Yesterday," she continued, "you didn't attend my classes. At first, I thought you'd just taken the day off. But then I checked and found out you joined the Swordsmanship Division."

Her gaze held his.

"…Is that true?"

Taegyun nodded once. "Yes, it is."

She looked away for a moment, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I see."

There was a brief silence between them.

"I didn't expect you to switch divisions so suddenly," she said, her voice quieter. "You never even mentioned it."

Taegyun rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say.

"I… awakened unexpectedly. Everything happened so fast, I didn't really have time to tell anyone."

Miss Anna nodded, lips pressed slightly. Her usual composed demeanor held, but there was a faint stiffness to her posture.

"…Well," she said finally, "congratulations."

"Thank you."

She glanced up at him again, her eyes soft, her expression unreadable.

"…Don't push yourself too hard," she added quietly.

"I'll try not to."

Then she turned, as if to leave.

But she didn't.

Miss Anna lingered for just a moment, her steps halting halfway before she glanced over her shoulder again. Her voice, when it came, was quieter, more hesitant.

"…I heard the Swordsmanship Division training is grueling. Is it… everything you expected?"

Taegyun blinked, a little surprised by the question. "Honestly? It's harder than I thought. But I'm not giving up."

A small, approving smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "That sounds like you."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The hallway was quiet, and the light filtering through the high windows cast warm golden streaks on the floor. There was something heavy in the silence, but not uncomfortable. Just… uncertain.

Anna looked down at the folder she was holding, fingers tightening slightly. It seemed like she remembered she was supposed to be somewhere else.

Yet again, she didn't walk away.

Instead, she cleared her throat lightly and said, "Um… if you're not too busy this weekend, tomorrow actually, there's a small book fair at the Hazel District Cultural Centre. They're displaying rare editions of post-Awakening literature, first-generation grimoires, old spellcraft theories… even some preserved handwritten first-generation dungeon exploration details. There's also a section on pre-WW3 tech, things like analog AIs, quantum chips, urban survival manuals, and decommissioned civilian drones from the Old Era."

Her gaze avoided his.

"I mean… if you're into that sort of thing."

Taegyun blinked. A book fair?

It sounded… normal. So unrelated to the Academy, the System, the darkness he wrestled with inside himself.

And maybe because of that, it felt strangely comforting.

"You're inviting me?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

She let out a soft breath and seemed flustered. "I'm not inviting. Just… mentioning. In case you're interested. It's open to the public."

"…Right," he said, a small grin forming. "Sounds like something you'd enjoy."

She laughed quietly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Maybe. But it'd be nice to have someone to talk to. If you do decide to show up, I'll be there around four."

Their eyes finally met. Hers were calm, but something flickered beneath the surface, something unspoken, something real.

"There's more to life than training all day, you know."

Taegyun shrugged slightly. "Depends who you ask."

Anna smirked faintly. Then, this time for real, she turned and walked away.

The hallway felt less empty than before.

Taegyun stood there for a while, staring at the space where she had disappeared. His hand unconsciously tightened around the strap of his training bag.

Book fair? Rare editions?

He had never cared about books, at least, not the kind Anna probably read.

But the way she said it. The way she avoided his eyes. The way she lingered just a little too long.

It was impossible to ignore.

'Is this her way of asking me out? No… it's not a date. She's a teacher. I'm a student. It's not a date.'

He repeated the thought in his head, like a mantra, trying to convince himself.

But his chest felt strangely light. Almost like… hope?

He exhaled through his nose and muttered, "Tch. Stupid."

Still, he didn't move.

His fingers brushed against the Awakened License in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared down at the etched metal and the embedded blue chip.

"…Tomorrow at four, huh?"

A quiet laugh escaped him.

The smile lingered on his lips a little longer than it should have.

Later that night, after showering and applying ointment to his sore wrists, Taegyun lay sprawled on his bed, arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

The flickering lights of the city leaked through the blinds, painting moving lines across the floor.

His system window hovered quietly beside him, motionless.

The new quest had appeared while he was in the shower.

_____________

[Quest: The Stray Creature]

Description: A creature bypassed Gate #68F5 twenty days ago. This anomaly falls outside normal dungeon behavior.

Normally, entities from within the gates, monsters, beasts, or any unknown creatures, cannot exit without a dungeon outbreak. However, this one slipped through undetected.

It carries a mutating disease that is rapidly infecting civilians and low-ranked Hunters. If left unchecked, the Amber District will fall under its influence and become the creature's domain within sixty days.

Objective:

Locate the infection's origin within the Amber District.

Eliminate the infected creature before it completes its second metamorphosis.

Reward: Strength Enhancement Skill

Time Limit: 5 Days

Failure Penalty: —

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