Johan’s piercing glare didn’t last long.

After a brief moment of staring as if he wanted to drill a hole through me, his expression loosened, and he returned to the bright, friendly face everyone recognized as "Hero" Johan.

‘So he’s not at that stage yet.’

It seemed his obsession with Cheon Yeoul hadn’t fully exploded—at least, that’s what I thought.

But that moment of relief was short-lived.

Johan suddenly stood up, as if making a firm decision, and began walking toward me.

Even though his demeanor had softened, his unwavering gaze remained fixed on me.

However, before he could take another step, Cheon Yeoul moved even faster.

She stood abruptly, grabbing Johan’s shoulder with a firm grip, her sharp expression leaving no room for hesitation.

Her short hair swayed slightly with the movement, but her eyes remained steady, not a hint of wavering in them.

From a distance, it was clear that the two were locked in some kind of confrontation.

Johan’s expression gradually hardened, while Cheon Yeoul’s aura became increasingly intense.

“What the hell are they doing?”

Beside me, Yoon Sanghyuk furrowed his brows, mumbling quietly.

It seemed they weren’t seeing eye to eye, and before long, Johan grabbed Cheon Yeoul’s arm, his grip firm.

Cheon Yeoul instantly wrenched free and, in a swift motion, slapped Johan across the face.

Damn.

“Whoa... So it’s really like that, huh?”

Even Yoon Sanghyuk widened his eyes, muttering in disbelief.

Johan didn’t say a word. He just stood there, frozen, with his cheek turned from the impact.

Cheon Yeoul, as if declaring that he no longer held her interest, turned away and walked off.

I had no idea what was happening between them, but one thing was clear.

Even as he stood with his head lowered, Johan’s gaze remained locked onto me.

I could feel it instinctively.

‘It’s me.’

Johan’s new target was me.

***

A massive screen hovered above the training grounds, displaying each team’s progress. It allowed everyone to easily check how far the other teams had gotten.

‘Where’s Sung Siwoo?’

I was curious about the protagonist’s status.

Since he was the protagonist, his base stats shouldn’t be too bad. As long as his team had been properly assembled with all five members, they wouldn’t be too far behind.

“Whoa... They’re fighting over there.”

Lee Sangbong and Kim Daehyun pointed at a different section of the screen, speaking in voices filled with awe.

On the display, something clearly wasn’t right.

A heated argument was unfolding.

It wasn’t surprising. If things didn’t go smoothly, frustrations would build, and fights would naturally break out.

Especially for students—when teamwork wavered, disputes and conflicts were inevitable.

I shifted my gaze toward the screen to take a look.

“...Huh?”

Instead of fighting goblins, the screen showed teammates fighting each other.

But that wasn’t the real problem.

The real issue was who was fighting.

The one causing all the trouble...

Was none other than our dear protagonist, Sung Siwoo.

‘What the hell is he doing now?’

Sung Siwoo was locked in a shouting match with another male student, gripping each other by the collars.

Fortunately, the other teammates had intervened, preventing the situation from escalating into a full-blown brawl.

‘This might be more troublesome than I thought.’

Sung Siwoo’s personality didn’t seem all that easygoing.

In the game, his temperament could change depending on the player's choices. But here, in this world, his personality was probably just random.

His cocky attitude on the first day had already hinted at it.

He wasn’t going to be an easy protagonist to handle.

Shortly after the screen captured Sung Siwoo’s fight, other teams gradually began arriving at the safe zone.

Some were gasping for breath, others had collapsed onto the ground, wiping away sweat—everyone had clearly been through hell.

“Holy shit, I’m gonna die.”

“I’m never doing this again... Ugh...”

A mix of complaints and sighs of relief spread throughout the area.

At first, the students had been engrossed in watching fights unfold, but before long, they were too busy sharing their own war stories.

‘Most teams must have finished by now.’

I glanced at the screen again.

The last team was nearing the safe zone.

There were only two of them.

At that moment, one of the assistants sprinted over to the instructor, clutching a stack of documents.

The instructor, after hearing the urgent report, abruptly lifted his head toward the screen.

Something felt off.

I turned to look as well.

And then—

—BOOM!

One of the cameras filming the forest exploded.

—BOOM! BOOM!

One by one, the cameras covering the same path began blowing up.

The students quickly caught on, their attention shifting to the screen.

‘...No way.’

For a brief moment, just before the feed cut out, something flashed across the screen—

A burst of black mana shattered everything in its path, obliterating the goblins and cameras alike.

An abnormal speed. A monstrous level of mana control.

There was only one student capable of pulling that off.

As all the cameras were wiped out and silence filled the safe zone—

—SCREEEEEECH!

One of the gates to the safe zone suddenly creaked open.

Every student and instructor turned their heads.

From within the deafening noise, thick smoke and debris scattered across the ground.

And then—

“Apologies for being late~”

A calm voice rang out.

Stepping through the smoke, a tall girl with jet-black hair tied high emerged.

A faint sheen of sweat covered her forehead, and her deep red eyes glowed ominously.

She wore a black sleeveless top beneath a dark jacket, exuding a powerful presence.

It was my first time seeing her in person.

But there was no mistaking who she was.

Kang Arin.

Gaon Academy’s Rank 1 freshman.

The protagonist’s rival.

And the final heroine in the game, following Cheon Yeoul and Yu Hana.

I had assumed she wasn’t in our class since I hadn’t seen her on the first day.

“Did you arrive late?”

The instructor asked.

And in an unfazed, almost amused tone, Kang Arin replied,

“Yes. There were some... family matters. I had no choice but to arrive today~”

Family matters.

"Glory" Corporation.

The largest and most powerful conglomerate in both Korea and the world.

If anyone could delay their entrance to Gaon under the excuse of “family matters,” it would be someone from that family.

“Did you clear the forest alone?”

“There was no one there?”

At her words, the surrounding students were utterly stunned.

The strongest.

And the most unpredictable.

A heroine who couldn’t be controlled until the protagonist was strong enough to handle her.

The instructor flipped through his papers before speaking again.

“Please refrain from damaging academy property.”

Kang Arin tilted her head slightly and smiled.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even as she stood in the center of attention, being stared at like she was on stage, she remained effortlessly composed.

With that short exchange over, the instructor cleared his throat.

“That concludes today’s training. Based on these results, teams will be assigned via lottery. Keep that in mind.”

At his gesture, the training ground’s exit opened.

The students, exhausted, overwhelmed, and completely done with today, rushed toward the door.

I watched from near the window as the crowd dispersed.

‘I should go too.’

This was the biggest class of the day. With this over, the schedule was basically clear.

But that didn’t mean I had nothing to do.

I had plenty to prepare for.

As I was about to leave—

From the far end of the hallway, a glimpse of black caught my eye.

Kang Arin.

She stood, her tall frame noticeable even with her head slightly lowered—as if searching for someone.

I almost ignored it.

After all, she was someone from Glory. We had no reason to cross paths.

But then—

Everything that had happened over the past few days flashed through my mind.

And so, I hesitated.

I turned.

And Kang Arin was staring right at me.

For a brief moment, she let out a quiet breath—

“...Ah.”

Her eyes widened. Her lips parted.

An expression of radiant joy flickered across her face.

As if she had finally found someone she had been looking for.

But that smile lasted less than a second.

Because almost immediately—

Her expression twisted.

Her eyes welled with tears.

“...What do I do...?”

...Is this for ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) real?

Now people are straight-up bursting into tears just from looking at me?

I stood there, completely dumbfounded.

For a brief moment, I instinctively took a step forward.

But it was already too late.

Kang Arin whipped her head around and ran.

She bolted down a different corridor, disappearing before I could even call out to her.

The image of her retreating figure—**that black jacket vanishing into the distance—**was burned into my mind.

This was absolutely insane.

Nothing was going according to plan, and everyone was acting... weird.

I was fortunate that Cheon Yeoul and Yu Hana were at least cooperative, but this? This was an entirely new category of problem.

‘How the hell do you deal with a woman who bursts into tears and runs away the moment she sees you?’

This was one of those times I regretted spending my twenty pre-reincarnation years keeping my distance from women.

I needed expert advice.

[Ha Sion]

I pulled out my smartwatch and tapped the first contact on my list.

When it comes to medicine, you ask a pharmacist.

And when it comes to women... you ask your childhood friend.