Do Hanseong was an instructor at Gaon Academy, but he was also employed by the guild Lotus.

His role was to identify promising, highly talented students and report them to the guild.

The clipboard in his hands was the tool he used for exactly that purpose.

‘This is....’

When he first received the class roster for Class B, it had seemed unremarkable.

A decent class with a handful of top-ranking students.

But the revised list he received on the day of the entrance ceremony had completely shattered his expectations.

Johan, Yu Hana, Cheon Yeoul, Kang Arin.

A class stacked with students who would become immediate headlines.

Of course, most of them were already affiliated with major factions—or their allegiances were practically predetermined.

Naturally, he shifted his focus to those who still had untapped potential.

Right now, his attention was locked on the center of the training hall.

Two students locked in battle. One in particular.

At first, the spar between Yu Hana and Cheon Yeoul had drawn the most attention.

Their flashy and precise movements were eye-catching, to say the least.

Their skill level was far beyond what could be considered students.

But his focus had shifted elsewhere.

Jeong Haein and Sung Siwoo.

The fight had started off simple.

Sung Siwoo relentlessly attacking.

Jeong Haein purely defending.

On the surface, it looked like Sung Siwoo was overwhelming him. But in reality, the gap between them wasn’t as wide as it seemed. Sung Siwoo hadn’t landed a single clean hit on Jeong Haein.

So, Do Hanseong’s initial assessment had been straightforward.

‘Just another pair of high-ranked students....’

That was the conclusion he had reached.

Sung Siwoo had the natural physical potential of a protagonist but zero technique.

Jeong Haein was stable, but he lacked anything extraordinary.

However, that assessment had to be revised almost immediately.

Despite Sung Siwoo’s onslaught, Jeong Haein’s stance never wavered.

Instead, he was adapting.

Reading Sung Siwoo’s patterns.

Taking full control of the flow of battle.

—Clang!

The defining moment.

Jeong Haein’s sword aura sliced through Sung Siwoo’s in a single instant.

Sword aura.

At his age?

"First time since the previous Hero...."

Do Hanseong let out a long sigh and highlighted Jeong Haein’s name on his clipboard.

This would be reported to Lotus.

***

Sung Siwoo stood frozen, still reeling from the shock.

I didn’t say anything to him.

I simply turned away and headed toward the waiting area.

It didn’t leave a particularly pleasant feeling.

I felt a little bad.

After all, I had just shattered everything he believed in and reshaped it to my liking.

But ultimately, he was a character I had created.

His arrogance wasn’t just a personality quirk—it was the product of the environment he had lived in for over a decade.

‘A complete backwater....’

He had been nothing more than a frog in a well.

Still, I wasn’t going to give up on him.

I knew he could change.

Even if it didn’t happen immediately.

Even if it took time.

Eventually, I wanted him to return to the person I had originally envisioned.

No matter what anyone said, he was still the protagonist of this world.

On the other side, I saw Sung Siwoo staggering toward the waiting area.

Just then, a voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"He’s never going to change, you know?"

What the—

Did I say that out loud?

Startled, I turned toward the voice.

"You don’t think so?"

Kang Arin.

At some point, she had casually sidled up next to me, looking up at me with an amused expression.

"Uh...?"

I hesitated.

How was I supposed to respond to that?

Was I supposed to argue?

Before I could figure out an answer, she crossed her arms and tilted her head.

"I meant the rankings. Do you think they’ll change?"

—No way. Yu Hana is stronger than Cheon Yeoul.

—You think a Saint is weak? It’s never changing.

Oh.

I finally understood what she was talking about.

Yu Hana and Cheon Yeoul’s spar was still ongoing.

The students around us were actively debating their rankings.

I stared at her for a moment before quietly shaking my head.

"We’ll have to wait and see."

"Hmm...."

Kang Arin smirked, watching me closely as if trying to read me.

—BOOM!

A massive impact rattled the entire training hall.

A shockwave exploded outward, slamming into the reinforced mana barriers.

The walls absorbed it, but the sheer sound of it was deafening.

I turned toward the fight.

Do they even remember this is a spar?

They were basically trying to kill each other.

"So, how was your match?"

Just as I shifted my gaze back to Yu Hana and Cheon Yeoul, Kang Arin suddenly asked me.

I almost answered honestly.

...But someone had to defend him.

"He’s good."

I kept it simple. No unnecessary embellishments.

Yet, she didn’t respond immediately.

I glanced at her.

She was staring at me, lips pressed tightly together.

Her teeth clenched.

Her expression looked like she was on the verge of tears.

...What now?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I had assumed she was over it—thought she had already come to terms with Kang Yuseong’s death.

But judging by her face, that wasn’t the case.

"You okay—"

But before I could finish, her expression shifted.

Cold. Sharp.

"He has no skill, but plenty of arrogance."

She started evaluating Sung Siwoo.

"He’s already beyond saving—his habits are fundamentally rotten."

...Wait.

I had heard these exact words before.

"Completely talentless."

She didn’t pause for even a breath.

"And, he’ll never change."

With that, she suddenly flashed me a bright, almost cheerful smile.

"That’s my assessment."

She wasn’t wrong....

"Uh, right...."

I half-heartedly nodded.

She was speaking with so much conviction that I didn’t feel like arguing.

"Hmmm~"

Kang Arin stretched her arms above her head, letting out a relaxed sigh.

The slight arch of her back, the quiet exhale—she moved with an effortless grace.

For a brief moment, I found myself staring.

Then, another thought popped into my head.

Wait.

Who was her sparring partner?

"Who was your opponent?"

"Hm?"

She tilted her head, then lazily extended an arm, pointing toward the far side of the training hall.

"Over there~"

A shocking scene unfolded where my gaze landed.

"Get him inside, now!"

The training hall doors burst open as emergency medics rushed in.

A student was being carried out on a stretcher, bleeding.

It didn’t take long to recognize who it was.

‘Johan...?’

He was unconscious, completely knocked out.

More than that, the sword in his grip was utterly destroyed, as if it had been crushed between bare hands.

Was the difference between them really that big?

I couldn’t keep my mouth from hanging open.

"He kept crawling up~"

A slow, drawling voice.

I turned toward her.

"...Without knowing his place."

Kang Arin met my gaze.

Then, she smiled.

Brightly.

With an expression far too radiant.

***

"8,000 won~"

The best way to forget something shocking is with good food.

I grabbed my tray and looked for a seat.

Sion had recommended this place, so I came by. Of course, it was packed.

I managed to find a seat in a quiet corner and spread out my meal.

"Did you hear...? Kang Arin did that to Johan...."

It was the main topic everywhere.

The events of today’s sparring session had spread like wildfire.

Kang Arin was ranked first.

Johan was ranked second.

‘Was the gap really that wide?’

In the original story, Johan never once managed to surpass Kang Arin—not even by graduation. The difference only grew exponentially over time.

Which meant...

Right now, this was the closest their skill levels had ever been.

Their rivalry wasn’t surprising, given their factions, ideologies, and general hostility toward one another.

But still...

She went too far.

Apparently, he suffered mana exhaustion. That meant at least two weeks of bed rest.

I had considered that he’d need to be put in his place eventually, considering his hostility toward me.

Well, at least that problem was handled.

Good things should be appreciated, right?

—Munch.

Tasty.

Sion’s recommendations never miss.

I’d been overthinking things since last night.

No, I’d just been trying too hard to ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ control everything.

"Let’s just go with the flow~"

I murmured to myself as I moved my chopsticks—when I suddenly felt a strange presence.

"Are you Jeong Haein?"

I kept my chopsticks in my mouth and looked up without answering.

The man didn’t falter at my reaction.

Instead, he sat down, pulled something from his bag, and slid it across the table.

"Take this."

A business card.

The top of the card bore a single word, engraved in an elegant, embossed design.

Lotus.

The world’s second-largest guild.

A name everyone knew.

"This isn’t the place for this conversation. Do you have time to talk?"

He placed the card on the table as if he already knew I’d say yes.

"No."

"...Excuse me?"

His expression twitched for a split second.

He hadn’t expected that answer.

Most students would jump at the chance to be scouted by Lotus, thrilled at the opportunity.

After all, Lotus was Lotus.

The name alone was enough to tempt people.

Not realizing that it was illegal.

At Gaon Academy, all recruitment outside the official offer period was strictly prohibited.

And once a verbal agreement was made, the guild would use that as leverage—claiming the student was in breach of contract if they tried to back out later.

Their contracts subtly included clauses like no change in affiliation and strict confidentiality, binding students into commitments they barely understood.

By the time they realized how dangerous those terms were, it was already too late.

Lotus would then use legal threats—lawsuits for damaging their reputation or contract violation penalties—to ensure compliance.

And the worst part?

They treated genuinely talented students with full respect, going through official channels.

It was only students in that gray zone—the ones they weren’t quite sure about but didn’t want to let slip away—that they targeted like this.

"Haha, I think there’s been a misunderstanding."

He forced a smile.

"After seeing your performance in today’s spar, Lotus holds you in high regar—"

"No, stop right there."

I cut him off and firmly set my chopsticks down.

Then, I met his gaze head-on.

"Offers should be made during the official period with a proper contract."

I raised my wrist, displaying my smartwatch.

—Lotus holds you in high regar—

The screen lit up, replaying the entire conversation.

His face froze.

I stood up.

The meal had been good, but now my appetite was ruined.

"And I’ll be reporting this to the Academy."

There’s nothing worse than exploiting rookies.