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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Dormitory
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Velvet Hunter Academy accepted anyone who possessed the talent of a hunter among the awakened, without discrimination.
However, those who awakened a special power different from others often entered the hunter world at a young age.
In fact, with a bit of luck, a single dungeon exploration could bring both immense wealth and honor.
Most students admitted to Velvet Hunter Academy had experienced such a harsh youth.
What would happen if such individuals were crammed into a single dormitory without any precautions?
The academy was well aware that a space meant for students to recover their mind and body after training could easily turn into a living hell.
For this reason, the academy divided the student dormitories into five separate buildings.
The Dealers' Dormitory,
[Valor Hall (勇猛館)]
The Tankers' Dormitory,
[Tenacity Hall (根性館)]
The Specialists' Dormitory,
[Wisdom Hall (理智館)]
The Healers' Dormitory,
[Healing Hall (治癒館)]
The Supporters' Dormitory,
[Devotion Hall (獻身館)]
Thus, accommodations were divided and categorized by position.
However, given the classification criteria, the atmosphere in each dormitory varied considerably.
'Healing Hall' and 'Devotion Hall,' where healers and supporters resided, were relatively quiet, mostly populated by timid men.
'Wisdom Hall,' for specialist positions, had an even gender ratio, but its residents tended to be highly individualistic, minding their own business and not interfering with others.
On the other hand,
Tenacity Hall, mostly comprising female tankers, boasted remarkably close relationships.
Finally, there was Valor Hall, where students of the dealer position gathered.
Like Tenacity Hall, the majority here were women, but rather than close relationships, there was a strong tendency to establish hierarchy based on individual strength.
Occasionally, male ranged dealers would join,
but they were always at the bottom of the pecking order, and their appearances often explained why they were dealers, so the female students of Valor Hall didn't pay much attention to the men who entered their dormitory.
This year, however, was different.
A male dealer.
The male quota.
Jin Yu-ha.
The man who had been the subject of so many rumors had arrived at Valor Hall.
"Is he really that handsome?"
"…He's definitely super handsome. I only saw him in the audience during the group sparring finals, but even then, his face pierced through the distance and caught my eye."
"So, when's he coming?"
The women who had arrived at the dormitory earlier whispered in serious tones, their eyes glinting dangerously.
"Hey, hey! Look! He's coming!"
Then a girl shouted, pointing towards the dormitory entrance.
"Where, where!?"
"Over there!"
The women's gazes converged on a single spot.
Thud—
Thud—
Thud—
"..."
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence fell, as if even their breaths had been held.
The male dealers they had seen until now were usually burly,
or had extremely harsh features,
or were completely bald.
But Jin Yu-ha.
Somewhere between a boy and a man.
His ebony black hair flowed with a smooth luster,
and his transparent, pure white skin was flawless.
The tear mole near his eye stimulated a protective instinct, and his decadent gaze exuded a fatal, dangerous charm.
Yet, he wasn't merely delicate.
He was tall, with broad, well-built shoulders.
His cadet uniform fit perfectly, and a sword hung at his waist.
Unlike other men who would cower when they saw them, he carried himself with confidence and walked with an unhesitant stride.
Seen up close, Jin Yu-ha seemed to exude an elegant, noble aura.
The women, who had momentarily lost their words at his appearance, began whispering to each other.
"…Wow, they say you lose your memory for a bit if someone's too handsome."
One woman said, her mouth agape.
"Hey, are we… sharing a dorm with him?"
"W-well, at least the rooms are separate…!"
"Hmph. Can you handle that? I don't think I can."
They swallowed hard, gawking at his face.
"…Wow, they say you lose your memory for a bit if someone's too handsome."
"His face is truly in season. I feel like we should harvest it now. Or, if we wait another year, will he get even more handsome?"
"I think he's trying to flirt with me right now? He's really working that face, man."
"Why is *he* a hunter?"
"…Wow, they say you lose your memory for a bit if someone's too handsome."
"That's enough. You slut."
*Whack!*
The woman next to her smacked the back of the head of the woman who was staring blankly with her mouth open.
The woman, suddenly hit on the back of her head, snapped her head up and spoke in a frantic tone.
"I-I, I suddenly have to go to the bathroom! I'll be right back!!!"
Her friend, who was looking at her with a pathetic expression, nodded and spoke.
"…Make sure to open the window and ventilate well afterward. …And let me know when you're done."
"Uh-huh!! Got it!!!"
*Scamper—*
Thus, Jin Yu-ha's arrival at Valor Hall caused a huge stir among the students.
*
On the way to the assigned dormitory.
I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under the gazes pouring in from all directions.
'Tsk, this… Why are they all women?'
I was sure there were a few male dealers in the game Velvetsera, even if there weren't male tankers, but somehow everyone I saw was female.
All of them glared with beast-like faces and gazes that seemed ready to devour me, making it incredibly burdensome.
'Ugh, damn it. Let's get to the dorm quickly.'
I kept my gaze fixed forward and quickened my pace.
*Thud.*
Just then, a hand suddenly shot out from beside me, blocking my path.
"What is it?"
I turned my head to see a woman.
"Hee— Hello?"
She greeted me, baring her teeth.
I twitched an eyebrow and examined her.
'Who's this one?'
A woman with a thick, muscular build, blonde hair, darkly tanned skin, and thick makeup plastered on her face—a gyaru type.
She wasn't a character I remembered.
'An extra character…? Hmm, no. It could be a case like Instructor Baek Seol-hee, so it's too early to judge.'
Of course, given the nature of a 'bishoujo game,' the stronger a character, the higher the probability they would be beautiful.
But this woman blocking my path was… a bit ambiguous.
'Is she a character designed to appeal to… this kind of taste?'
While tastes in the world were wide and varied, she was far from my preference, which leaned towards the common and sensible.
'For now, let's hear what she has to say.'
I looked at her and spoke.
"Who are you?"
"I'm B-rank Hunter, Dealer Kim Ok-ja."
'Her parents were a bit too much with that name.'
* * *
Kim Ok-ja.
Having worked as a B-rank Hunter and then passed the Velvet Academy entrance exam, she arrived at the academy filled with high expectations.
'Whew, that was a real damn tough exam. And what was with all that basic training for three weeks straight? Tsk.'
But that was all over now.
The long three weeks of training were finished, and she was no longer a preliminary cadet, but a regular one.
'Now, all I have to do is graduate from the academy, and it'll be smooth sailing.'
It was then that she heard a rumor.
'…What!? He got picked without taking any exam, just because he's a man!?'
Immediately after hearing that news, she couldn't suppress the boiling rage within her.
She had given up her beloved alcohol and cigarettes, even endured abstaining from men she couldn't live without, all to get admitted.
To think she had barely managed to get into Velvet Hunter Academy after such a grueling exam!
The thought that someone else had entered so easily just because he was a man made her insides twist with unbearable resentment.
So originally, she had planned to personally seek him out and teach him a harsh lesson.
However,
— …Hey, don't mess with him. I heard Cheon-hwa is doting on him.
Cheon-hwa.
It was a name she couldn't possibly not know.
She was famous for having achieved greater feats than even established hunters before she even became an adult.
Of course, Kim Ok-ja thought it was all due to her family connections as a renowned hunter lineage,
but even so, the name Cheon-hwa was a burden, which kept her from acting.
'But, they said Cheon-hwa dropped out this time, didn't they?'
An unbelievable rumor circulated that she had clung to this man's ankle and sobbed uncontrollably at a gukbap restaurant.
At the time, she thought it was just a baseless rumor…
But seeing him in person, wasn't it truly plausible? With a face like that, it wouldn't be strange at all if Cheon-hwa had cried while clinging to his ankle.
'Hehehe, I see. Bland, nice girls aren't his type, are they?'
Kim Ok-ja had initially intended to teach him a harsh lesson, but the moment she saw his face, nothing else mattered.
His shocking appearance made every man she had ever seen seem like insignificant trash.
Of course, having rejected Cheon-hwa meant this man had immense pride in his own looks.
Cheon-hwa seemed too naive to know how to deal with such a man, but Kim Ok-ja knew very well how to forcefully take what she wanted from men like him.
'Men just need to be pinned down by a woman and whimper. He might dislike it at first, but he'll come to love it later. Hehehe.'
Kim Ok-ja licked her lips at the sight of her prey after a long time.
'Wow, his butt is firm too. I really want to grab that once.'
Her sticky gaze drifted towards Jin Yu-ha's lower body.
'Should I just go for it?'
She had abstained from men for quite a long time. Desire surged within her, impulsively egging her on.
What she was most curious about was actually his front, but that was a bit too much in such a public place with so many people around.
If she claimed it was just an accident, he, being a man, wouldn't be able to say anything about a butt grab anyway.
"Oh. My. Goodness!"
*Slip—*
Feigning a slip, she pretended her hand, which had been resting on the wall, slid.
She moved her hand towards his butt.
Just then.
*Thump.*
Her hand was firmly seized, as if blocked by something.
'Who the hell is it?'
She lifted her head, eyes filled with annoyance.
Roughly tied-back red hair.
A woman with a firm physique was gripping her wrist, her brow deeply furrowed.
'K-Kang Do-hee!?'
"Hey, what are you doing, you bitch?"