Arna was currently dreaming. And it was a rather unique dream.
─Alright, the bride is waiting just behind the door right now.
It was a wedding dream. This place was a wedding hall, the same exact location where the last one-on-one combat training had been held.
Arna was standing at the far end of the virgin walkway, right behind the door, elegantly dressed in a beautiful white dress, quietly waiting for the emcee’s cue.
That’s right. Arna was the bride. For today, she had become the happiest woman in the world.
─Before that, I asked the groom a question: what it is about the bride that he finds so lovely?
Never have I ever been in a relationship, and yet, here I am, getting married.
It was a bizarre dream for many reasons.
─To which the groom replied as such: our bride is stronger than anyone, beautiful, and wise. He said that he would dedicate his entire life to her.
Even though it was just a dream, it made her feel rather good. As if she were truly being loved.
Would I feel like this everyday if I were to be in a relationship?
─To a happy future! To a brand-new beginning! Now let’s call the bride waiting behind the door!
But, just who in the world is the groom? I was curious, even though this was a dream. I’d be able to see his face once these doors opened.
─Bride, make your entrance!
Clack!
The tightly closed doors opened wide as the emcee announced. Arna started walking slowly along the virgin walkway.
Clap, clap, clap!
The cheers and applause from the guests, the sound of cameras clicking from everywhere, petals fluttering down—everyone was there to bless Arna.
Click, click.
Receiving all that celebration, Arna’s gaze finally fell on the face of the groom who would move forward into the future with her.
─Have you arrived, you bloated monster.
Groom Shin Yoon-sung greeted Arna.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Arna woke up from the dream with a scream of horror. The shock of the dream caused her to sit upright.
She was even breathing heavily.
“Ha… ha… what was that just now…?”
It was unbelievable. Out of all the men in the world, why was it specifically Shin Yoon-sung as the groom? That ridiculous pompadour hairstyle—what was that even supposed to be? Even though it was just a dream, there should be some limits, right?
I think I’ll never forget this dream as long as I live. It was that strange.
“Did you wake up?”
At that moment, a voice called out to Arna. It was a woman’s voice. Arna quickly turned her head.
“Ah…”
Her navy blue hair was neatly tied up in a hairnet, and she even had a Red Cross emblem on her right arm. It was Choi Soo-eun from the Medical Division.
Upon seeing Choi Soo-eun, Arna realized she was in the training hospital.
“Looks like you had a pretty bad nightmare, huh? And you’re even sweating.”
Choi Soo-eun handed her a towel. A brand-new, spotless white towel that Arna instinctively accepted.
“Uh… kind of…”
It truly was the worst nightmare. A dream of holding a wedding with Shin Yoon-sung—just thinking about it gave her goosebumps.
The thought of having to eat the same food, share the same bed, in the same space as a person like him… could anything be scarier?
Even S-ranked monsters were less terrifying than Shin Yoon-sung—at least to Arna.
“Aaah! Sorry… I’m sorry! I didn’t realize…”
She had momentarily forgotten. Choi Soo-eun and Shin Yoon-sung were a couple, weren’t they? Criticizing someone else’s boyfriend right in front of her girlfriend—what an incredibly rude thing to do.
“Hm? What are you sorry for?”
“Ah, nothing…”
She was lucky she hadn’t spoken her true thoughts out loud. Arna sighed with relief.
“Anyway, how’s your body feeling?”
Choi Soo-eun stood up and adjusted the humidifier. The humidifier, which had been spewing white steam, momentarily stopped.
“My body feels fine. It’s probably because I got a good rest for the first time in a while—it even feels like my head is clearer.”
“Yeah? That’s good.”
Without concerning herself too much with her physical status, Arna was curious about something. Why was she lying in a hospital bed like this when she wasn’t sick or injured?
She thought long and hard, trying to remember why she had come to the hospital.
Of course…
“Ah, that’s right! The exam!”
A sudden scream escaped Arna. Now she remembered. She had lost consciousness after falling into one of Baek Joo-hee’s traps during the midterm exam.
Anxious, Arna grabbed Choi Soo-eun and asked.
“The exam! How did the exam go?”
“The exam? Why are you asking me that…?”
“Ah… that’s right…”
Choi Soo-eun is a student from the Medical Division. There’s no way she’d know about exams held in the Combat Division. Arna hurriedly started looking for her smartphone.
The first thing to do was to contact another Combat Division student.
“Hmm.”
But there was no need to make any urgent calls. A message had just arrived—sent by Shin Yoon-sung.
[Milksop Creature – 7:11 PM]
[You passed, no need to worry – 7:11 PM]
[(Thumb Down Emoji) – 7:12 PM]
That’s right. Just before she lost consciousness, the last thing Arna saw was Shin Yoon-sung who had appeared in front of her.
Back then, Shin Yoon-sung had said, “Just leave it to me.” After hearing that, Arna closed her eyes, which had become her last memory.
In the end, she had unexpectedly received help from Shin Yoon-sung. No matter what, she would have to express her gratitude later since thanks to him, she was able to pass like this.
“Huh? Passed…?”
Hold on. What was this talk of passing? Arna checked the message again.
[You passed, no need to worry – 7:11 PM]
When she had lost consciousness, Arna didn’t have her brooch. If the exam had concluded in that state, failing would have been natural.
But Shin Yoon-sung had mentioned passing in his message. This meant that Arna’s brooch had been found…?
“…”
What happened? What exactly occurred while she was asleep? Arna could not even begin to guess.
If there was anything, she’d have to later ask Shin Yoon-sung directly.
“Should we go then? Is there anything else you need?”
Choi Soo-eun, who had just finished tidying up the room, asked if she needed anything else. Arna quickly diverted her eyes from her smartphone.
“Ah! I’m fine…”
Gurgle—
Suddenly, Arna’s stomach let out a thunderous growl. Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten anything today.
“Should I make something?”
“Ah! No! I can’t let you trouble yourself on my behalf! I’ll go out and grab something!”
“It’s fine. There’s some leftover ingredients in the kitchen, so I’ll bring you something simple.”
Choi Soo-eun headed toward the door, telling Arna not to decline.
Arna was truly touched. Cooking for her late at night—she was an angel. The rumors on the community board were all lies.
It was really hard to believe she was Shin Yoon-sung’s girlfriend. Choi Soo-eun was far too wonderful a woman for someone as despicable as him.
“Ah, but don’t expect too much.”
Before leaving the room, Choi Soo-eun gave Arna a slightly mischievous smile.
“I’m not a good cook.”
*
At the same time, at the outdoor training center.
As always, Kang Tae-hoon was sitting on the bench, fully immersed in his mobile game.
ding ding!
No lag at all with the latest model, as expected. I should’ve upgraded sooner.
By the way, the phone he used to use has been in the trash can for a long time now. There was no point in carrying around a hunk of scrap metal that couldn’t even turn on.
ding ding!
“Strange, Bak Joo-hee hasn’t made an appearance today.”
She usually showed up around this time. Today, however, she seemed to be absent. This likely meant the operation had failed.
“Not that I expected much anyway.”
No matter how hard she tries, Bak Joo-hee is only a C-ranked awakener. How could someone like that overturn an S-ranked awakener? It would be like trying to shatter a rock with an egg.
“Yesterday, she looked so confident, though.”
When I think about it now, it was laughable. She talked as if victory was guaranteed. Where did that audacious air disappear to?
When I meet her again, I should have her try it once more. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.
“Why would she think she’d succeed when the result was so obvious?”
I couldn’t help but wonder. She took it upon herself to stir up trouble, even though no one asked her to. It was as if she had thrown herself into hell.
It probably wasn’t because she had taken the wrong medication.
Clearly, Bak Joo-hee must have had some reason for wanting to make this request.
What could she have wanted?
“Oh.”
It came to me. Bak Joo-hee’s request—she had asked once before, right? To deal with someone.
Who was it again…?
Slap!
“Ouch!”
The moment someone struck Kang Tae-hoon’s head, it felt like he’d been hit with some kind of stick.
Kang Tae-hoon turned his head to look behind him.
“You…?”
Behind Kang Tae-hoon stood a male student, someone familiar. He was always around when Arna was nearby.
Happily enough, the boy had a small spoon in his hand.
“Who are you…?”
Kang Tae-hoon shot him a menacing glare.
“…”
However, the boy didn’t respond. He merely swung the spoon silently, expressionless.
Slap!
“Ouch! What, what is this? Are you crazy?”
Daring to hit Kang Tae-hoon? And with a spoon, no less? What kind of crazy person strikes someone with an eating utensil?
It was a first in his life. Kang Tae-hoon, who had never been hit even by his father, was now getting beaten by someone else.
He was too shocked to even form coherent words.
“Kang Tae-hoon.”
At that moment, the boy spoke. His voice was calm and icy. He showed no fear even in front of Kang Tae-hoon, the second-in-command.
“I’ve warned you several times already, haven’t I? The only person who can touch Arna in this school is me.”
“What…?”
“Thus, don’t cause any more trouble. Unless you want to get even more hurt.”
With the final warning, the boy swung the spoon with all his strength.
Slap!
