Chapter 11: Class
The crowd dispersed quite a bit on the stairs, making it much easier for me to use. They ended at a wide opening, revealing a dark gray sky outside. I paused for a moment to properly take in the view.
Whatever remained of Jeju’s volcano had been mostly flattened, though I could still see a faint slope leading upwards.
On it, massive buildings styled in a strange strange mesh of brutalist and gothic architecture sprang up, all connected by a winding path leading to the center of what had once been the volcano’s peak. There, a metallic skyscraper shot up like a needle piercing the sky, emitting a faint blue light.
Above it all lay the lifeless gray sky and the storm. From where I stood, I could faintly see swirling masses of rain and wind approaching the school and crashing into a barrrier of some sort. There was no rain hitting us here, after all.
Even so, the storm’s fury still reached my ears — a distant, muffled pounding against the barrier protecting us.
I stood stunned for a moment by the sheer size and magnitude of it all. It was certainly a weird feeling to see something I remembered writing myself come to life so magically in front of me.
A red flashing at the corner of my sight brought me back to reality.
[ Ten minutes remaining, Cadet. ]
’Right, almost forgot about that.’
The arrow pointed along a path heading toward the center. I wasted no time in hurrying along the walkway.
It was during my walk that the academy finally started feeling like an actual college. Between the pathways and buildings were large fields of dark grass, with flowers neatly arranged within its expanse.
Benches, trees, and street lamps lined the sides of the walkway. I even noted the occasional fountain along the way. Students quietly rushed beside me, speaking in hushed murmurs as we walked along the dimly lit path.
The entire walk felt almost dreamlike. The environment gave me an odd sense of sleepiness — a serene feeling that I couldn’t say I disliked.
The path came to an end before a towering building, with sheer walls that were almost castle-like in nature. Though the window designs, sharp edges, and metallic portions gave it a modern feel.
I found the same brunette from the train standing in front of the large doors. She looked oddly familiar, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on who she was.
She entered the building without hesitation. I promptly followed. The arrow had shrunk in size and was now pointing upward. The message from the academy said my class was located on the second floor. Surprisingly, upon entering, I found the girl stepping into an elevator at the end of a large hallway.
I rushed in and entered just before the doors of the lift could completely close, leaving me and the girl as the only people in the car.
I moved to input my destination, when I saw it had already been pushed. I glanced at the brunette standing beside me — her face was turned toward the elevator’s corner.
’Is she also in class 1A?’
There was no way of knowing without asking.
"Uh, excuse me. Are you also in class 1A?"
She visibly flinched at the question, turning her head to face me.
It was my turn to flinch. Well, almost. I held myself — just barely. Still, she was certainly something.
Beneath her neat hair was someone almost on the verge of a panic attack. Her skin had taken on an unhealthy pallor, with eye bags hanging under her exhausted eyes. Regardless of how tired she seemed, her eyes kept frantically darting toward the corner of the elevator.
"I’m sorry, what?"
Her voice came out faint and jumpy. I scratched my head awkwardly at that.
"I said, are you also in class 1A?"
Her red eyes finally focused on me, snapping out of whatever daze she had been in.
"Oh, yes."
At that exact moment, the elevator came to a stop on the second floor, the doors opening immediately. The girl clasped her fidgeting hands together and darted out instantly, leaving me alone in the car.
’Weird...’
Still, her strange mannerisms and actions gave me a nagging feeling that I knew who she was. I swear it was on the tip of my tongue.
Shrugging, I stepped out as well. There were three paths branching left, right, and center. The arrow came to a rest on a door at the right side of the central path — the same door I saw the girl entering now.
’Finally.’
Unfortunately, there were zero minutes remaining on the timer.
"Just perfect."
Well, I was already here. Might as well get on with it.
As I approached the classroom, I faintly caught the sound of a woman’s voice coming from inside.
"Miss Alexa Zelinski, I understand the troubles you face with your condition. But do try to understand that we run a school here — we have rules that we abide by. Please try to come early next time, and adjust to your burden. It’s going to be with you for the rest of your life, so the sooner you get used to it, the better."
That name finally made something click in my head. The girl I’d been following was Alexa, heiress of the Zelinski family.
She was one of the main heroines. Her state and behavior back in the elevator had likely been due to her burden.
It was a rather terrible thing.
Before I could continue that line of thought, the voice from earlier spoke again.
"How long are you planning on waiting by the door, Cadet?"
My eyes widened when I realized she was referring to me. I quickly straightened my face before entering.
The moment I did, I found myself at the bottom of a room styled similarly to a well-spaced conference hall, immediately coming under the scrutiny of roughly forty odd stares. I also found the source of the voice from earlier staring right at me.
A woman who looked roughly in her late twenties stood before me. She was draped in a gray cloak hiding most of her body. An oversized wizard hat rested on her head, covering some portions of her dark sliver streaked hair. From below the hat, her brilliant silver eyes looked at me with a mix of curiosity and boredom.
"Beautiful."
Almost like a doll.
Of course, I only said that in my mind. She was possibly the most beautiful person I’d seen in my life — even celebrities on the internet couldn’t compare. Which made sense considering I’d written her to be so.
’Alice Snowfield, the Witch of Jeju.’
Still, I didn’t let myself get dazed and kept walking toward her. I wasn’t going to get caught lacking twice.
She gave me a small, acknowledging nod, waving her pale hand to the class.
"Good. The class is finally complete. Both Cadet Victor and Cadet Song were given permission to be absent yesterday due to the incident that occurred during the orientation."
’Song...’
That name sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t remember who that was. Alice continued.
"As Cadet Song has proven, that does not serve as an excuse for coming late. Let this be the last time, Victor. I’m only letting it pass this once due to your misadventures in the school hospital."
I wasn’t surprised she knew about the skinwalkers — after all, she was an A-Rank hunter. I gave a small bow.
"Thank you."
She nodded before waving me off.
"You may go find your seat."
I glanced at the class full of characters I created, ignoring most of them as I searched for an empty seat. There was only one — a seat at the back, right beside an actual humanoid wolf.
The moment my gaze met his, the wolfman grinned, revealing dangerously sharp teeth.
’Well fuck...’