As soon as a woman entered the dimly lit room, the lights automatically turned on.
The room was spacious, similar in layout to the one Sung Suah lived in, but the state of cleanliness was worlds apart.
Pizza boxes stacked in layers and plastic bags from instant meals were piled up in every corner.
Taking advantage of the room's size, the owner had accumulated an impressive amount of trash. With sluggish steps, she trudged toward the bed.
A woman with short hair, wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans that accentuated her legs.
Cho Seo-hyun flopped onto the bed and groaned.
"Ugh… I'm dead…"
Lying face down, she let out a muffled whimper before turning her head to look out the glass window. Suddenly, she began giggling.
"Seriously… What was that guy even doing outside?"
Cho Seo-hyun recalled the morning's sparring session with the cadets.
The training had gone smoothly until the fifth squad, but the difficulty spiked sharply with the sixth.
The sixth squad, trusting in Song Ara's skills, poured all their strength into a fierce assault on Cho Seo-hyun.
To make matters worse, Seong Suho's support—which had been steady until then—vanished.
Just when things could've turned dangerous, she received help again.
"Since when can arrows move left and right like that? Was it some kind of support magic?"
The archery skills Seong Suho displayed today felt less like technique and more like sorcery.
The curved shots that bypassed the cadet blocking him were something even Cho Seo-hyun had never seen before.
Seong Suho's profile didn't list any special skills, but there was a note that he could use some level of magic.
However, it was described as being below cadet level—embarrassingly untalented—and only usable in emergencies.
When Song Ara swung her sword at Cho Seo-hyun, Seong Suho's arrow deflected it midair. Other cadets also found their weapons flying out of their hands helplessly.
Sure, arrows could curve, but one thing still didn't add up.
"…His shots were supposed to be weak, but today was completely different. Knocking weapons out of their hands like that isn't normal."
Cadets at the consulate undergo grip strength training in their first semester.
Since they train with real weapons, they spend entire days swinging them to build endurance.
And under no circumstances are they allowed to use their weapons for anything else.
Even the lowest-ranked cadets have grip strength strong enough to crush an adult's hand.
Yet, these same cadets lost their weapons after being hit by Seong Suho's arrows.
Thanks to that, Cho Seo-hyun managed to get through the sixth squad's session without much trouble.
Stretching her limbs, she muttered to herself.
"Whew… I'm drenched. Gotta wash up first…"
She tossed her clothes aside and stepped into the shower.
As the hot water ran, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Short hair, flawless skin.
A naturally frowning face that always looked irritated.
And… countless scars covering her entire body.
Slash marks, burns, and stitched wounds marred her skin.
Cho Seo-hyun traced her scars and whispered.
"I thought I'd gotten past this…"
She remembered the shadow that had risen beneath her feet during training.
The illusion that appeared whenever she fought multiple opponents.
It was just an illusion, but it bound her, cornering her limbs.
For two years, she hadn't seen it.
But now… it was back.
Tears welled up as she touched her scars.
"Are you gonna haunt me forever? Did I really wrong you that much?"
Even as steam fogged the mirror, she sniffled, still caressing her scars.
***
On my way back to the dorm after dinner, I communicated with Armonia.
'The curved shots earlier were good, right?'
[Flawless and exceptional skill.]
The sixth squad's strategy during this morning's sparring with Cho Seo-hyun had been brilliant.
Realizing that my arrows were disrupting their coordination, one cadet abandoned offense entirely to focus on blocking me, while the rest poured everything into attacking Cho Seo-hyun.
The cadets didn't know, but I was aware of Cho Seo-hyun's traits—her condition was visibly worsening.
So, I came up with the idea of using magic circles for curved shots.
By placing magic circles to the sides or above, I could make my arrows arc around the cadet blocking me.
Of course, these weren't ordinary arrows—they were superconductive arrows.
The arrows, influenced by lightning magic, changed trajectory mid-flight, gaining tremendous speed and destructive force.
Thanks to that, the cadets lost their weapons, giving Cho Seo-hyun some breathing room.
Without precision, even that ability wouldn't have been enough to hit their weapons accurately.
'Definitely way stronger than finger-flicking, but I'll have to be careful since each shot costs Enel.'
400 Enel per shot. Not expensive at all.
Besides, I had plenty of Enel to spare.
But if I kept using it recklessly, I'd eventually run out.
'Oh, right—might as well level up Lightning Affinity. Take it to 10.'
[Understood.]
Since magic and archery consumed a lot of Enel, raising Lightning Affinity would help.
I figured I should practice with it now that I'd leveled it up.
'It's been stuck at level 5 for a while, so I'm a bit nervous. Maybe I should test it out?'
Precision alone wasn't everything.
Once I raised key skills like Lightning Affinity, Archery, and Magic Power, I could fine-tune my aim manually.
I stopped walking and sent a message.
'Assistants can use the training hall, right?'
[Yes. However, high-end facilities are off-limits. Basic shooting ranges are accessible.]
'…Damn it.'
I'd heard I could use the necessary facilities, but it still left a bitter taste.
Do they think assistants will break if they train too hard?
Grumbling internally, I arrived at the shooting range.
But then—
Whoosh!
"Huh?"
Someone was already training.
I'd assumed no one would be around this late, but I was wrong.
'Let's just fire a few shots and leave.'
Normal archery wouldn't draw attention, but I was here to practice curved shots.
The lightning magic would inevitably make the arrows louder than usual, attracting unwanted stares.
'The cadets kept asking about it earlier—it was awkward…'
[You'll run out of excuses eventually. It'd be good to prepare a plausible cover story.]
'What if I just say it's a magic trick?'
[...]
…No?
They can't even use magic—surely they'd buy that?
As I bantered with Armonia, I grabbed a practice bow.
The same one I'd used earlier.
'…Wait, the "instructor's bow" I got was just this?'
[It seems assistants are only issued practice bows.]
'…This is tragic. Absolutely tragic!!'
Suppressing my rage, I nocked an arrow Armonia materialized.
Just as I was about to draw—
"Oh!? Instructor Seong Suho!"
"Huh?"
A woman holding a bow jogged toward me with a bright smile.
It was Song Ara.
...
...
...
"I thought if I practiced shooting, I might figure out how to counter your methods."
"Impressive."
I smiled as I replied.
Despite being exhausted from the morning and afternoon sessions, here she was, training with a weapon that wasn't even her specialty.
There's something about a hardworking, beautiful woman that lifts a man's spirits.
[How about a man?]
'How dare you defile my sacred thoughts with men!?'
[...]
Armonia fell silent after my outburst.
Who did she think she was, bringing men into this?
Song Ara grinned and asked.
"By the way! How did you do that earlier?"
"Ah…"
She must've meant the curved shots.
"I just used magic when firing the arrows."
"What kind of magic!?"
"Haha… That's a secret. Even I need a trump card."
"Ugh…"
She didn't press further after the word "trump card."
Though she dropped the subject, she wasn't done asking about archery.
"Instructor! Can you check my form?"
"Uh… Not sure what I can even correct. You're probably way better than me."
"No way! I'm nowhere near your level."
Playfully, she nocked an arrow and drew the string.
My practice session was clearly over.
If she were just any cadet, I might've brushed her off, but I couldn't ignore someone who'd been considerate toward me during breaks.
"I've never had formal archery training, so I can't promise I'll teach you well."
"It's fine! I just wanna see your style. Then I can prepare countermeasures tomorrow. Hehe…"
Oh? She's learning from me to counter me?
Most wouldn't admit that outright, but it seemed Song Ara trusted me as an instructor.
Watching her, I debated something.
'If possible, I'd like to guide her toward archery…'
You know, teaching here made me realize something.
I finally understood why people love raising sim games.
Every time I saw Song Ara, I felt the urge to nurture her.
[It'd be difficult to change her career path now. She's a third-year, and switching might cause problems.]
'Still… She can at least keep practicing.'
I watched her fiddle with the bowstring before speaking.
"I'll check your form. But if you're serious, go to the archery instructor for proper training."
"Yes, sir!"
I ended up spending the entire time correcting her posture instead of practicing.
***
"I was worried you wouldn't come since you were late."
"Haha, no way. Bailing on Instructor Sung Suah would be a capital offense."
"Hehe…"
Sung Suah and I were fishing like yesterday.
But there was one difference.
She had pulled me onto her lap and was hugging me while fishing.
As I recounted the day's events, she guided the conversation.
"Ara's really competitive. Even instructors who've never spoken to her know that."
"Ah… Instructor Sung Suah."
"Hm? Oh!"
When I looked up at her, she giggled and ruffled my hair.
"Do you… have any childhood photos, Instructor Seong Suho?"
"Haha… Left them all at home."
Mentioning home made me think of it.
And the most important thing there.
'My untouched game backlog must still be piling up…'
[...]
Not to mention, Armonia summoned me right before I could relieve stress with Seong-hee.
Sung Suah noticed my gloomy expression and suddenly apologized.
"S-Sorry… I didn't realize it might be a sore subject…"
"Huh? No, it's fine."
She looked genuinely remorseful, her head drooping.
I couldn't exactly say, "I'm depressed because I didn't get to jerk off!" so I changed the subject.
"Uh… Do you know anything about Instructor Cho Seo-hyun?"
"Instructor Cho Seo-hyun?"
She didn't seem suspicious of my question.
Asking about a coworker wasn't strange.
"Hmm… Even if I know things, we've known each other so long I'm not sure what you're curious about."
"I heard she was pretty famous as a cadet."
"Ah… She was very well-known when she enrolled. But after that… I don't know much."
She seemed reluctant to mention the poor grades.
Plus, Sung Suah and Cho Seo-hyun had a four-year age gap—they never attended the academy together.
Secondhand information had its limits.
But if she'd been a top-ranked cadet, there should've been at least a few stories. Yet Sung Suah claimed she'd never heard any.
"Um… Instructor Cho Seo-hyun doesn't really… Ah, never mind. Forget I said that."
"..."
Sung Suah smiled bitterly and waved her hand.
Armonia had mentioned earlier that, for some reason, Cho Seo-hyun and Sung Suah didn't get along.
Was this really some kind of love-hate drama?
After a moment, Sung Suah perked up.
"Oh! If you need to get closer to Instructor Cho Seo-hyun, I can pull her cadet records for you?"
***
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