Eight students gather in a big room on the highest floor of dorm 1. They are all sitting in an arrogant delinquent-like manner, laughing loudly at even the smallest things. Occasionally, they steal glances at their big bad boss— Shin Jonghak.

The big bad boss is quiet, and being the host who gathers the group of people here, remaining silent suggests that he is not fit to play the host. However, the truth is... Shin Jonghak just wants company. 

Still, to his lackeys, this gathering is more of a scheduled meeting of big shots of 'Novice—Veritas Class' making themselves feel like some hot shit… which is self-aggrandizing, funny, childish, and almost pitiful. Not the sad ‘kind’ of pitiful, but it gives off the feeling that will make a person face-palm.

"Hmmm..."

Shin Jonghak just wants company, but what he receives instead is a gathering of thugs... He contemplates where it goes wrong as his intention is actually to gather elites and not thugs. He is reminded of Yoo Yeonha. If it is her, she can make such a gathering a thing.

“Oh right, Jonghak, isn’t there a gun user in your class?” Breaking off the ice is Jin Hajun, a member of Jonghak’s posse.

Jonghak narrows his eyes as he dangerously stares back at the classmate who is the source of the question. To others, he might appear pissed and angry. But inside himself, he is actually thinking furiously why does the topic in question even choose a gun above all else? In his mind, he labels Kim Chundong as a whackjob.

“Um, I just heard it from somewhere. Did I hear wrong?” The student curious about the gun wielder nervously reiterates his question, while enduring the pressure from Jonghak’s narrowed gaze that is slowly becoming overwhelming.

Jonghak formulates an answer, but then, he doesn’t really remember about the whackjob. “I don’t know. I’m not interested in trash.”

“R-right. I’m not really interested either, but I am just curious who the fool is, haha.”

Intervening in the already worsening atmosphere is a captivating voice, cutting through the conversation and easily inserting herself is none other than Yoo Yoenha. “Hanjun, you sure are curious about the strangest things~”

Yoo Yoenha’s dark long hair bounces in her every step as she sits just beside Jonghak.

The new arrival earns a few praises from the boys, clearly sucking up to her... or maybe it really is their genuine thoughts not that Yeonha particularly cares. The boys give space to Yeonha allowing her to freely sit beside Jonghak.

“O-oh, Yeonha. Y-you know... I am always like that.” Hanjun nervously explains himself while he tries to calm his wildly beating heart. Yeonha is such a beauty, but sadly, Jonghak’s eyes never rest upon her.

Glumly, Yeonha comments on the gun-wielder trying to make the conversation continue forward. She knows how tender, pure, and clumsy Jonghak is. The guy clearly wants to hang out, but instead, his invitation has come out more of an order. And. The hangout has become something like a tense meeting between mafia members.

“What is his name? Chundong? Chunbun? It is a pretty old-fashioned name. Anyways. Don’t pay too much attention to him.”

Answering this causal comment is a foul mouth. Kim Horak’s bulky muscles and large frame make him stand out. Together with his intimidating expression, he might as well be a gang member.

“But he sure is pathetic. Why did that son of a bitch come all the way to Cube if he is going to choose a gun?”

“You know him?” Jin Hajun inquires.

“I’m in Jonghak’s class, idiot. I’m going to destroy him in combat training. I’ll disable him and chase him out.” There is heat in Kim Horak’s nostrils. He seems to be very offended despite the matter not concerning him.

“It is his choice to use a gun, don’t bother him…” Yeonha feels bad for the innocent bystander. If there is someone who should receive malice, then there is that bastard. “Hey, do you guys recall the other crazy bastard? Does anyone here know him?”

Unexpectedly, it is Kim Horak who gives an answer. “I recall him from the yearbook, but I don’t remember him attending the photoshoot which is weird. Anyway, I’ll destroy these sons of bitc—“

“Don’t waste your time.” With a single sentence from Jonghak, the room falls silent.

Even Kim Horak who is growling like a dog just a moment ago shuts up at the behest of his King.

“Even if you win against someone so low of rank, you’ll be the one losing points. It’s better to challenge higher-ranked cadets who you can win against for sure. For example…”

Jonghak tries to give a constructive opinion, but Yoo Yoenha interrupts him. “Try fighting Chae Nayun. Because she has been switching to a sword since last year during the Agent Military Academy days, her skills can only stagnate. You will be able to defeat her, right?”

“She is the second rank at graduation. That means something.” Jonghak defends Chae Nayun strongly. “Her swordsmanship is impressive, and in our spars… we are tied…”

“Huh?” Kim Horak inhales the cold air in nervousness.  After all, at the back of his mind, he is actually entertaining the thought of being able to defeat Chae Nayun.

“Pfft…” Yeonha stifles her laughter. It displeases her, but she feigns indifference. “Shin Jonghak likes Chae Nayun. I am not so stupid as to be jealous. I just find the situation very funny.” She keeps her thoughts to herself while she consoles her upset heart.

“I’m leaving now, it is almost ten.” She adds.

After giving a bright smile to mask her hurt feelings, Yeonha stands. She doesn’t want to stay any longer past the curfew lest she suffers the consequences.

All the male cadets see her off to the door except Shin Jonghak.

Shin Jonghak who acts dense, feels burdened by Yeonha’s feelings for him. He keeps his thoughts to his own realizing how similar his situation to Yeonha actually is…

***

Novice Fitness Center.

The 1000-square-meter facility is full of magical devices and equipment for exercise and training. Except for the two blurs which are clashing in the sparks of steel and turbulence of magic power, the place is quite empty.

Kim Suho and Chae Nayun immerse themselves in their sparring. The two smile at each other as they compare their swordsmanship in pure enjoyment.

The more impressive detail to notice is that the two are actually sparring inside the gravitation room where gravity is heavier than it should be.

At the current timeline, Kim Suho is supposed to be not strong enough to acclimate with a gravitation room, but with Chae Nayun’s stimulus, Kim Suho is now stronger than he should be.

As if proving the strength Kim Suho wields is real, he continues to endure the environment while he clashes with Chae Nayun’s Greatsword who is fluidly parrying his every strike.

“You are a monster, Suho… You are already getting used to the gravitation room… Your swordsmanship too… They keep on improving.” Nayun exclaims.

“Ha ha ha…” Suho awkwardly laughs. “I don’t know about that. You only changed recently from bow to sword, and you are already this good…” The sense of inferiority chills Suho’s heart, and at the same time, influences him to only strive more.

Nayun shakes her head too aware that she is cheating. “I don’t know. I might change to a different sword. It is more bothersome than I thought to wield a Greatsword…”

“So nonchalantly changing your weapons. Do you not have shame?” Suho jokingly replies while he fluidly slides the overhead swing of Nayun’s Greatsword.

Relying on her combat experience in her past life, Nayun suddenly kicks Suho in a surprise attack. Unbeknownst to her, Suho’s combat experience doesn’t shy away from Nayun.

Suho raises his knee to check the kick, and while at it, he snaps his own leg, countering with a kick of his own. It squarely hits Chae Nayun’s side sending her flying away.

“Are you ok? You are making me nervous with that kick…” Suho comes running to Nayun and gives her a helping hand.

Nayun grabs his hand and rises once more. “You are such a monster, Suho. I am hoping I will be able to really get you with that kick.”

The duo continues on their spar, and while Suho is levels above Nayun, the latter's grit is proving to be quite troublesome in that despite the many times she continues to fall, she continues rising up. She is like a zombie...

"What are you made of? Should I call you Zombie Chae now?" Kim Suho teases and Zombie Chae responds with a magic-power-filled swing only to miss by a wide margin. Though Nayun has regressed, she still has a quick temper.

Chae Nayun falls flat on her face as she is surprise-attacked by the pommel of Suho's sword. "Ugh... I keep on falling for the same provocations... damn it..."

Eager for one more spar, she grips her sword with excitement.

However, Suho rejects her gesture. “You know that rest is part of training, right? Let’s go out and do some stretching.”

“Hmmm… makes sense…” Nayun heeds his words, and just like that, the two do some light stretching outside the gravitation room.

“Ugh.” Nayun stretches her stiff limbs, trying to adjust herself to the real gravity of the planet Earth.

Suho suddenly comments. “Oh, right. There’s a new sharpshooter in our class. I think the weapon he uses is called a gun.” For Suho who is secretly a transmigrator of a gun-less world, this is his first time seeing a gun. He does see them once in a while but not as closely as the last time with his classmate.

“Oh, that Chundong? Hmmm… Weird… Why is that guy’s name Chundong?” Nayun is feeling her memory getting blurry which is annoying. Rather than Chundong, she knows him more by the name of 'Hajin' which sounds so far from Chundong.

“Uh, yeah, him… What’s up with that look? Do you not like him?” Suho tilts his head in confusion finding Nayun’s reaction to be curious.

“I do not like him?” She rhetorically asks. But then, she asserts. “No, I like him. Scratch that. I love him, I think…”

“Eh?” Deep inside Suho’s heart, he is actually a mature guy, but Nayun’s answer still flusters him.

Similarly, Nayun is a mature lady. Topping her age before regression, she might as well be an aunty, but no one needs to know that.

“He will be the strongest sharpshooter in the whole world! Well, I am not sure about Black Lotus… But our Hajin is the best…”

Kim Suho gulps unknowingly as he comes to the conclusion that Nayun has finally gone crazy because of too much training.

Speaking of crazy, “Hey, do you remember that weird kid? The one shouting about the power of love?” Suho asks.

Chae Nayun’s creases in her forehead increase by several folds. “Yeah, that guy… I have no clue."