Yu Hana is kind by nature.

She gets along well with others, has an excellent temperament, and rarely shows any sharp edges.

Except—

When it comes to Jeong Haein.

[The final wave is beginning.]

[Phantom Beast. Hornless Unicorn.]

The scoreboard echoed through the stillness, and a white beast appeared on the battlefield.

Snow-white fur. Flashing golden eyes.

And where its horn had once been—dark, rippling jet-black fur in stark contrast with the rest of its body.

“Prepare for combat.”

Everyone’s eyes were locked on the phantom beast.

But Yu Hana's gaze wasn’t on it. It was fixed on a single man.

She took one step toward him without anyone noticing.

Then quietly, she inhaled.

But the scent that filled her lungs wasn’t what she was looking for.

Lavender.

Not his scent—but a lingering trace of her own.

Yoon Chaeha’s fragrance still faintly clung to the air around him.

It wasn’t refreshing.

It was suffocating. Choking.

Endure it.

She quietly soothed herself, gripping onto reason to keep her composure.

Originally, the four of them—

Including her—those who cared for him—had, long ago, made a “contract,” even if they didn’t particularly like each other.

No matter what happens, don’t cross the line.

"That’s... too vague."

"You just need to watch yourself."

The reason was simple.

To avoid burdening him.

Because their very existence defied the natural order, any emotional exchange beyond what was necessary would come with consequences.

So, until Jeong Haein grew stronger—until he could handle such things easily—they had all agreed not to cross that line.

Sure, maybe some had already crossed it in their minds, even imagined what lay far beyond.

But until he was ready, they would not take that step.

And so now, they were simply waiting for him to grow.

However—

Yoon Chaeha, standing just ahead, had her gaze fixed on Jeong Haein’s back.

Her cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head, fingers laced behind her back.

She gently traced little circles on the ground with her toe.

The bashfulness of a girl at the beginning of love.

Give it a month. One month.

Someone among them had already predicted this might happen...

But now that it was reality, it was suffocating.

Yu Hana could never cross that line.

Even if she wanted to—she couldn’t. All she could do was wait.

But that girl... she was different.

Like a player using cheat codes in a game.

Ignoring rules, dismissing restrictions—

Everything the others had built meant nothing to Yoon Chaeha.

That natural process of an attractive woman showing interest in an attractive man—Yu Hana couldn’t stop it.

And that drove her mad.

—Prrrhh!

The phantom beast snorted heavily, steam blasting from its nostrils.

As it stomped the ground with force, pale ghosts burst up from the earth.

“Chaeha, deploy a force field. As wide as possible. It’s fine if it’s thin—just cover as much area as you can.”

“Got it.”

As soon as Jeong Haein gave the order, she smiled and followed his lead as if she’d been waiting for it.

That smile—made Yu Hana boil with irritation for no reason at all.

—Prrhh!

As the phantom beast shook its head, dozens, hundreds of pale ghosts surged out of the ground and charged forward.

“Now!”

“ㅡㅡ!”

—Fwoooosh!!

Yoon Chaeha didn’t reply.

She simply stretched out her hand and released her mana.

The torrent of ghosts slammed into the force field Yoon Chaeha had created.

Flames and smoke blurred the battlefield from view.

Yoon Chaeha’s force field was shockingly solid.

A tightly-woven mana web with not a single thread out of place.

Pop! Crackle!

Every ghost that touched it burst into flames.

Their forms evaporated the moment they made contact.

Smoke billowed upward, and the view grew hazy through the fire.

The thin yet densely constructed mesh left no room for escape, keeping the ghosts completely contained.

Yoon Chaeha quietly caught her breath.

A soft smile crept onto her lips.

See? I’m good at this, right?

She looked beyond the smoke, eager for praise from Jeong Haein, her heart fluttering.

The smoke slowly began to clear.

But then—

—Thud.

A dull sound of something heavy falling echoed.

A silhouette stood with its back turned, just visible beyond the thinning smoke.

A breeze blew, lifting a short skirt ever so slightly.

Hair slid down smoothly with the wind.

At her feet lay a massive severed head.

The Hornless Unicorn had died with its golden eyes still wide open.

“...What?”

It was Yu Hana.

She casually flicked her blade, not a drop of blood on it, and slowly raised her head as if nothing had happened.

And met Yoon Chaeha’s gaze.

In her eyes was overwhelming confidence.

Others might not see it—but Yoon Chaeha could feel it, unmistakably.

Smiirk.

Yu Hana slowly curled the corner of her lips into a smile.

Suddenly, a rich floral fragrance began to spread from somewhere.

Feeling like her own scent was being washed away, Yoon Chaeha turned to look ahead.

And there—

Jeong Haein was staring at Yu Hana.

His lips slightly parted, his gaze completely drawn to her.

“...Wow.”

A breathless whisper slipped out.

Yoon Chaeha silently clenched her fingertips.

She bit her lip gently and lowered her head.

The reaction she’d wanted to hear.

That gaze. That voice.

Yu Hana had taken them.

***

“So, you’re telling me this was the person who didn’t want to be the leader at first?”

Yoon Sanghyuk said with a laugh.

Go Minjoon nodded beside him.

“Don’t tease me too much.”

Yu Hana laughed sheepishly and waved her hand.

Usually, when a group assignment ends, everyone starts blaming each other—but our team had a surprisingly good atmosphere.

Well, of course.

[Team 1 – Yu Hana]

The final result of the team match.

Our team name was displayed at the very top of the scoreboard.

“Nice!!”

“Phew...”

Cheers. And a sigh of relief.

The top team was awarded a prize.

Compared to the individual event, the prize was a little smaller, but still, it was more than enough.

Besides, team matches were more about the experience than the performance anyway.

Understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses, responding in moments of crisis—

That’s the whole point of the team event.

I took a sip of water and looked over at Yu Hana for a moment.

Her growth... is incredible.

The core of this wave had been the ghosts—every one of them indistinct and blurry.

The phantom beast summoned an endless number of ghosts to obscure vision and induce confusion.

Most people would’ve just focused on surviving using force fields or defensive formations.

But Yu Hana had leapt out during the moment the smoke cleared and the ghosts hadn’t yet regenerated—aiming straight for the beast’s neck.

Originally, I was the one planning to go.

I was watching the situation, ready to move the moment things seemed to wear down a bit.

But Yu Hana beat me to it.

It wasn’t reckless—it was perfectly timed, with absolute conviction.

I’d been debating who I should give the second shard to first.

I always believed it should go to the one showing the fastest growth among the three.

And right now, unless something unpredictable happened, Yu Hana looked to be the first.

Letting them think and grow on their own without interference... yeah, that had been the right call.

I regained confidence in my approach.

Just as I was thinking that—

“Hey... is that who I think it is?”

“No way...”

A sudden commotion broke out behind me.

Everyone’s attention turned in the same direction.

I instinctively turned my head as well.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

And when I saw who was standing there, I unconsciously straightened up.

Yoo Mujin, head of the Yoo family.

Master of Cheongpungdae, and Yu Hana’s father.

He had just made a personal appearance in Gaon’s lounge.

At that moment—

Yu Hana quietly scurried over in front of me.

She stepped between me and Yoo Mujin as if shielding me, and quietly said,

“Dad. We’re at school right now.”

Yoo Mujin gave a faint, wry smile and nodded.

“You’ve gotten so much stronger, daughter. I was really surprised.”

“You could’ve said that at home... not here.”

“Alright, alright. I get it.”

To think that the Blue Cloud Swordmaster was being flustered by his own daughter...

The students around us—and even some of the professors—were staring in fascination.

But I could feel it.

For some reason, Yoo Mujin’s gaze was locked onto me.

He quietly placed a hand on Yu Hana’s shoulder and gently moved her aside.

Yu Hana looked up in surprise for a moment.

But soon, she gave a small nod, as if understanding.

I stepped forward, past Yu Hana, and stood before Yoo Mujin.

“Jeong Haein.”

The whole room went quiet.

“If you have something to say, I’ll listen.”

Yoo Mujin’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He stepped forward.

“Alright.”

His voice was low and deep.

“How about a handshake?”

It was a large, solid hand.

Not just the palm—calluses ran thick across the back of his hand as well.

A hand that told the story of the life he’d lived.

I calmly reached out and took it.

Squeeze.

A short burst of pressure. A test of strength.

The grip was intense.

Most people would’ve flinched.

Maybe their fingers would tremble, or their face might twitch just a bit.

But I didn’t budge. I took the [N O V E L I G H T] handshake head-on.

It was a crude way of doing things—but this was how Yoo Mujin judged people.

He was someone who preferred to speak with his body, not words.

And as for why I was used to this—

It felt a lot like the "torture" the old man used to put me through whenever he got bored.

After a long silence, Yoo Mujin let out a small chuckle.

“Jeong Haein.”

Tap. Tap.

He gave my shoulder two solid pats.

Then, without a word, he turned away.

He gently placed his hand on Yu Hana’s head.

Yu Hana blushed and lowered her head deeply.

Yoo Mujin looked at her for a moment with a tender expression, then turned his gaze.

And in a calm, yet clear voice, he said:

“I’ll remember that name.”

I took a quiet breath and lowered my head slightly.

“It’s an honor.”

This... was his acknowledgment.