After Team 3 disappeared, the mood left among the remaining eight teams was icy.
Unlike usual, Shahar had wiped the smile off his face. He furrowed his brows, pursed his lips, then let out a deep sigh before turning around to bow deeply to Soohyeok, Jin Changhyuk, and Baek Iyeon.
"Instructor Shahar!"
Startled, Baek Iyeon quickly shouted and waved her hand.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Shahar's voice quickly followed.
"It was my negligence that put Cadet Jin Changhyuk in danger during training and caused Cadet Yang Soohyeok to get injured."
"I'm okay," Jin Changhyuk said, waving his hand.
"I'm fine too," Soohyeok also replied, showing his open hand.
Thanks to Baek Iyeon, who had rushed over immediately after the battle and healed him, his palm, which had been somewhat torn, was now as good as new.
"No, this was clearly my fault. As the chief instructor, I failed to maintain proper control… I will lodge an official protest with Imoogi in the name of Carl Eluriat."
"You really don't need to go that far…"
Though typically reserved, Jin Changhyuk couldn't hide his discomfort, but Shahar's determined gaze didn't waver as he straightened his back.
"No, you all deserve an apology. I'm sorry for showing such disgraceful conduct."
Shahar bowed again.
The three could only give awkward smiles.
After completing the live training, they stopped by the nearby association branch near the portal to wash up and sell the monster by-products or mana stones.
By the time they were done, it was already 6 PM.
The sun had just begun to set.
Soohyeok was about to start his usual run home when—
"Thank you."
Jin Changhyuk approached and bowed his head.
He remembered how Soohyeok had thrown himself to block the arrow in a dangerous moment.
"Oh… I just did what anyone would do," Soohyeok replied casually, like always.
And he really meant it.
His teammate was in danger, and he was the one who could act.
Protecting him was the obvious choice.
"Still, thank you. Thanks to you, I avoided serious injury."
Jin Changhyuk scratched the back of his head and smiled a bit awkwardly.
"Then next time, let me treat you to a meal—or at least a coffee."
Meals were expensive these days.
Coffee could be too, but Soohyeok figured a simple cup of vending machine mix coffee wouldn't be too much of a burden for the modest Jin Changhyuk.
"I'll definitely do that. I'll cover the meal and the coffee."
"That makes me feel guilty."
The two laughed warmly as they walked out of the association together.
'Now that I think about it, his facial expressions are just awkward in general.'
Soohyeok noticed that Jin Changhyuk's expressions were overall quite stiff.
It was a common trait in people who had lived lives where expressing emotions was difficult.
It made him all the more concerned.
He wasn't some noble hero overflowing with compassion, but he couldn't help feeling drawn to someone like Jin Changhyuk. After all, Soohyeok was human too.
"Wow, are you two seriously leaving without me?!"
Baek Iyeon quickly caught up to them, sounding accusatory.
"Didn't you already leave?" Soohyeok asked in surprise.
He was sure he'd sensed her leaving first to change clothes.
"Leave? I was waiting because I had something to say and wanted to go with you guys! I just went to the bathroom for a bit, and you disappeared! I was so shocked!"
"Oh… is that what happened?"
"Changhyuk oppa didn't even pick up his phone."
Baek Iyeon puffed her cheeks and glared at Jin Changhyuk.
"Oh, I had it on vibrate and missed it…" Jin Changhyuk replied with a flustered look.
"It's fine. Whatever. Hey, give me your phone, mister."
"Why?"
"Just give it."
"Why?"
"Ugh, hurry!"
Soohyeok reluctantly handed her his phone with a suspicious look. Baek Iyeon snatched it like a thief and started tapping on the touchscreen rapidly.
Her fingers moved so fast that Soohyeok couldn't help but be impressed.
'She might actually be good at finger martial arts.'
Finger martial arts were a type of technique performed with fast finger movements.
With hands like hers, she'd probably make a top-tier martial artist.
"All done. But seriously, mister, you live so simply. The only contacts you have saved are your mom, dad, and three siblings."
Soohyeok tilted his head and widened his eyes. "Who told you to snoop?"
"I wasn't snooping. I was just trying to save a contact… It wasn't on purpose."
Baek Iyeon quickly bowed her head and hunched her shoulders.
She looked genuinely scared of Soohyeok's glare.
But he wasn't the type to blow up at someone over something like this.
And it wasn't a big deal—she even said it wasn't intentional.
"It's fine. Just be a little more careful next time."
"Yes, sir. I'm really sorry."
She spoke in a deflated voice and continued,
"Just in case, I saved my number and Changhyuk oppa's number too. Is that okay?"
Her sheepish look was so endearing that Soohyeok couldn't help but smile and nod.
"Yeah. That's fine."
"Really? You mean it?"
"Yeah. I mean it."
"Yay! Now all three of us have each other's numbers! Wait, no—Changhyuk oppa still needs to save mister's number. Call him, quick."
Baek Iyeon clapped her hands excitedly.
Even Jin Changhyuk smiled at the sight of her cheerful face.
'She really makes it hard to say no.'
Maybe it was because of his little sister, Sua, but Soohyeok found himself thinking of Baek Iyeon like a younger sibling too.
With everyone's numbers now saved, the three walked together.
Soohyeok usually ran home alone, so this kind of moment was rare—but today, he decided to take the subway back with his teammates.
"By the way, what happened with Team 3 today was really upsetting."
It seemed she had finally reached the real reason she wanted to talk.
Soohyeok and Jin Changhyuk both groaned at the same time.
"If you're going to apologize, at least do it properly. What the hell was that? I didn't expect this from the Imoogi Guild. The instructor was acting weird too. If Changhyuk oppa or our mister here got seriously hurt, I seriously wouldn't have been able to hold it in."
Breathing heavily with frustration, Baek Iyeon clenched her fists and threw a jab into the air like a boxer.
"Pfft, haha!"
Soohyeok, whose brow had been furrowed a moment before, burst out laughing.
"Eh? What are you laughing at?"
"You're cute."
It was Jin Changhyuk who answered.
Though his smile still seemed awkward, there was sincerity in his eyes.
"Me? Well… I am a little cute, I guess. Hehe."
Baek Iyeon, eyes wide in surprise, quickly lifted her chin in pride.
If her superpower was having a nose that grew with her ego, it might've poked all the way up to Soohyeok's head—despite their 20 cm height difference.
"Anyway, I don't ever want to see those people again. Even if we're both Awakened, I don't want to have anything to do with them."
"I agree."
Soohyeok felt the same way.
"Same here."
Jin Changhyuk nodded as well.
All three recalled the faces of Team 3—faces they never wanted to see again, not even on the last day of training—and began to head to their respective homes.
And then the night passed, and a new day began.
Screeeeech—!
While they were hunting goblins again, just like the day before, another arrow came flying.
This time, Shahar reacted swiftly.
She stepped in front of Soohyeok and lightly flicked her hand, deflecting the arrow—her face devoid of any smile.
Her expression was as cold as an Antarctic glacier. Her eyes were sharper than they'd ever seen.
"Jeon Sujeong."
"Ah, my bad. Sorry. But it wasn't an accident."
Jeon Sujeong's voice rang out from between the reeds, and the members of Team 3 appeared, all grinning.
At those outrageous words, the faces of Soohyeok, Jin Changhyuk, and Baek Iyeon instantly hardened.
"I just shot because the instructor told me to aim in that direction—I didn't know you guys were there. Sorry."
Jin Chaeyeon casually plucked the bowstring like a violin string as she spoke.
On either side of her stood Kim Chulik and Lee Jungwook, both wearing mocking smirks for some reason.
"That certainly felt like a deliberate provocation…"
Shahar's voice dropped low.
"Did it? But wasn't it you who made the first move? I heard you contacted our guild master directly yesterday."
"If a wrong has been committed, it's only right to hold someone accountable."
"A wrong? Did you just say we committed a wrong?"
Jeon Sujeong's eyes flared dangerously.
A visible tension sparked between her and Shahar, as if invisible flames were clashing in the space between them.
"Thanks to that, I've been in a foul mood since morning. Do we really need to nitpick over a little friction between trainees?"
"I don't get it. If you had a problem, you're the one who told us to contact Imoogi directly."
"Hah… So you took that literally…"
Jeon Sujeong pressed her fingers to her forehead mid-sentence.
"There's no reasoning with you. You're pissing me off. Should I just kill all of you?"
Her eyes glinted with a deadly light.
In that moment, Soohyeok almost moved forward.
It wasn't just a figure of speech.
Jeon Sujeong had genuinely harbored killing intent just now.
A veteran like Soohyeok, trained on the battlefield, couldn't possibly miss that.
Naturally, Shahar noticed it too.
"Instructor Jeon Sujeong, I know you personally dislike me. But your current behavior has crossed the line."
"You crossed the line first."
"I've never interfered in your training."
"That's not the issue! You're right—I do hate you."
"Ah, that's right."
For the first time, a mocking smile tugged at Shahar's lips.
"Was it Seong Moonhyeok? I think you liked him."
"Shut up!"
Jeon Sujeong shouted at the top of her lungs.
A storm of energy exploded around her.
'A love triangle gone wrong?'
Soohyeok was dumbfounded.
She was causing this scene in a trainee training ground, just because of her own emotions?
He didn't know much about Jeon Sujeong, but one thing he was certain of—
'At this rate, it won't be surprising if she dies on the battlefield soon.'
Utter foolishness.
Of course, she probably felt confident because she had someone backing her.
"The Imoogi you have on your back won't protect you forever. Apologize now and step back. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise? What, you gonna kill me or something?"
"I won't kill you, but you'll be punished."
"And who the hell do you think you are to talk about punishment?!"
The energy swirling around Jeon Sujeong burst outward.
At the same time, a powerful wave of dark energy surged toward the entire Team 8 group.