Seo Ye-in kept tugging on my arm.

“Come to our class.”

“You can’t just move back and forth between classes whenever you want.”

“Come to our class.......”

“I can’t indulge something that unreasonable.”

“Sadness.......”

At my firm answer, Seo Ye-in drooped.

Then she promptly changed targets and looked at Hong Yeonhwa.

“Switch.”

“......The class?”

“Switch.”

We all knew perfectly well it was unreasonable.

The important thing was what kind of answer you gave back.

After a brief moment of thought, Hong Yeonhwa made up their mind.

“No...... can’t.”

“......!”

“I also....... want to be in the same class. As Kim Ho.......”

“......!”

An exclamation mark practically popped up over Seo Ye-in’s head.

After everything that had happened, the hierarchy had naturally settled itself, so it was surprising that Hong Yeonhwa had raised a flag of rebellion.

Maybe persuading their older sister at the Ruby Mage Tower had become the trigger.

At that, Seo Ye-in sagged even more and turned into a gloomy sloth.

“No one on my side.......”

If the hologram had been here, it probably would have chimed in with things like No one at all....... and All alone.......

As I kept walking with that gloomy sloth in tow, we arrived at the hallway where the second-year classrooms were.

In front of Class 2 and Class 3, Go Hyeonwoo, Han Somi, and Song Cheonhye were talking. Maybe they had sensed us coming, because they all turned this way at the same time.

They were about to greet us, but when they noticed the sagging Seo Ye-in, their expressions turned puzzled.

Go Hyeonwoo asked on behalf of the group.

“Seo Ye-in, did something happen?”

“She got split off from us.”

“I see. Now that we’re second-years, something like that was bound to happen. Which class did you get?”

“She’s in Class 3.”

The moment I answered, Go Hyeonwoo and Han Somi exchanged glances and spoke at the same time.

“She is in the same class as us.”

“She’s in the same class as us!”

Looks like those two had also ended up in Class 3.

Satisfied, I tilted my chin.

“That worked out nicely.”

Honestly, no matter what class she got, Seo Ye-in would probably spend the entire lesson slumped over asleep.

Even so, like a child left by the water’s edge, I couldn’t help worrying whether she might cause some kind of trouble.

Objectively speaking, her personality wasn’t exactly good.

She was a being made up of 95% ignoring people and finding them annoying, and 5% swinging a pot.

Still, that sword-wielding couple was at least somewhat acquainted with Seo Ye-in, and they could control her to some degree, so they were trustworthy enough to leave her with.

So I bowed repeatedly and said,

“Please take good care of our child.”

“Ha ha, leave it to us.”

Go Hyeonwoo laughed awkwardly, while Han Somi was already creeping toward her prey.

“Same class! Classmate!”

“Go away.......”

Seo Ye-in tried to back away little by little, but in the next instant Han Somi suddenly closed the distance and looped her arm through hers with utmost friendliness.

“Hehe.”

“Let go.......”

“Let’s go! To Class 3!”

“Help.......”

Seo Ye-in looked at me with an intentionally pitiful expression.

So I made a sad face too and waved at her.

“Farewell, sloth! You have to be happy in Class 3!”

“Bad Kim Ho.......”

And just like that, I sent one sloth off for adoption.

Then Song Cheonhye, who had remained where she was, asked me,

“What class are you in?”

“Class 2.”

“......We’re in the same class again.”

Song Cheonhye’s complexion brightened a little.

At that, Hong Yeonhwa cut in as if to say not a chance.

“I’m in Class 2 too.”

“......Is that so.”

“Yeah.”

Then they tugged on the hem of my clothes and went into the classroom.

When I gave the room a quick glance, I spotted some empty seats in the back and headed that way.

Looks like those were the assigned seats this year.

Meanwhile, Song Cheonhye had kept her eyes fixed on us the whole time. Then, with a face that suggested she had made up her mind about something, she walked over.

And sat herself right in the seat next to me.

Hong Yeonhwa on my left, Song Cheonhye on my right.

Just as expected, the atmosphere in the area stiffened up fast.

Hong Yeonhwa frowned and asked,

“What?”

“What do you mean, what?”

“Why aren’t you sitting in front?”

“Because I wanted to sit here.”

“Then why?”

“Because I felt like it.”

Of ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) course, considering she was subtly indicating me with her eyes, the intention was obvious.

Normally, she at least pretended otherwise, but it seemed her competitive instincts had kicked in now.

Kids grow up by fighting with each other.

I let the two of them bicker and started looking around the classroom again.

It seemed I had ended up in the same class as Gwak Jicheol too. He had said he was going to meet the Mountain-Giant Dragon during break, and it looked like his skills had improved quite a bit.

He seemed much more confident too.

Off to one side, Mo Yongjun and Jeong Jinmyeong were discussing something with serious expressions.

Nine times out of ten, it was something involving the Swordsmanship Club and the White Magic Club.

And in the very back row—

CRRRRK,

Cha Hyeonju was glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.

I greeted her warmly.

“Hi, Hyeonju?”

“Dhn’d pbrtnd wb’rb cldsb.......”

At that, Hong Yeonhwa and Song Cheonhye stopped bickering and turned to Cha Hyeonju in unison.

“Why are you responding to a greeting like that?”

“Isn’t basic courtesy the bare minimum?”

Unexpectedly, they united in front of a common enemy.

Of course, Cha Hyeonju didn’t get called a rabid chihuahua for nothing.

“So what if I want to respond like this? First time you’ve seen someone with no manners?”

“......!”

The two of their expressions hardened even further, and just as the three-way clash was about to begin—

— ♬♩♪—

A melody announcing class time played from the speakers.

Almost at the same moment, Lee Sudok opened the classroom door and walked in.

“Sit.”

Apparently none of them could keep fighting while ignoring the words of that human butcher, because they all obediently sat down.

The classroom fell silent in an instant, and then Lee Sudok opened his mouth in a brusque tone.

“We can skip introductions, right? If anyone thinks that is necessary, raise your hand now.”

Naturally, not a single person stepped forward.

We had all seen enough of each other during first year, and the atmosphere made it feel like if anyone raised a hand, he would cut them down on the spot.

After waiting a moment, Lee Sudok continued.

“Contrary to schedule, I have been assigned as the PvP instructor for one additional year. There is still work left for me to do.”

As he said that, he glared in my direction, as if that unfinished work were something called Kim Ho Disposal (Cut).

“Some of you probably heard praise from me last year. That you had climbed from vermin to beast level, at least. I would prefer not to see the unfortunate event of any of you becoming vermin again. Sincerely.”

Then he glared again, as if he were saying this.

The ones who do, I’ll crush underfoot until they burst.

The atmosphere in the classroom turned colder than ever.

Then Lee Sudok got to the main point.

“The grading method will be similar to first year.”

Written exams would account for a certain percentage, and every time you violated school rules, your conduct score would be reduced.

Then practical scores would be assigned through PvP and raid battles.

“Starting in second year, however, you will also be able to take on ‘external requests.’ I will explain this only once, so listen carefully and remember it.”

......!

The students immediately pricked up their ears.

It was an important change, and people were especially interested because it meant they could leave Dungeon Island during the semester.

“As of this year, you should now be able to view the ‘request board.’ The listings are updated irregularly.”

A few students subtly made gestures as if tapping empty air, but it seemed nothing was coming up for the moment.

Well, it was still the first day of the semester.

“The highest difficulty of request you may accept follows your raid-battle rank.”

For example, I had earned qualification for D-rank raid battles, so I could also accept external requests up to D-rank.

After passing the C-rank evaluation, C-rank requests would open as well.

“You may accept a request once you satisfy all additional conditions set by the client.”

For example, maybe they needed a well-balanced party of three or four.

Or were recruiting N mages to assist in casting a large-scale spell.

Or there was no class restriction, but they required someone with enough stealth to infiltrate enemy territory and steal an item.

“You may carry them out whenever you wish, and the duration may also be extended flexibly depending on circumstances. However, you will be responsible for making up any classes you miss during that time.”

Whether that meant watching the recordings or borrowing lecture notes from other students.

“Also, PvP and raid battles do not provide make-up opportunities. Decide only after carefully weighing whether the request is worth proceeding with.”

Soon, several students raised their hands, and after being called on by Lee Sudok, began asking questions.

“What are the disadvantages of not taking external requests?”

“None. It depends entirely on the individual’s choice. Excluding breaks, there are plenty who remain at Dragonslayer Academy the entire time.”

Come to think of it, even Dang Gyu-young had only handled one or two external requests last year.

And even those had all been easy, quick ones.

Most club captains and vice captains had stayed put too.

That’s why he said to weigh it carefully.

The types of clients were extremely varied, and their goals and rewards differed wildly.

If it suited your aptitudes well, was good for building experience, and the reward was generous too?

Then it was worth going out for it, even if you had to give up a bit of your practical evaluation score.

Another advantage is reputation.

Right now, we were still nothing more than students.

Even backed by Dragonslayer Academy and our affiliated groups, the reality was that from a client’s point of view, we still looked unreliable.

But if you kept successfully completing external requests, trust would build and your name value would rise.

And even after graduation, that would remain a useful asset.

Still, from my position, there’s no reason to go out.

First of all, during raid week it was automatically more profitable to go underground.

External requests were limited by my authorization to D-rank, and even after evaluation, C-rank at best. But if I raided in secret, I could go beyond that.

PvP still has benefits too, for now.

I didn’t mind giving up practical combat experience or the points earned by selling replays.

There were already only a handful of classmates who could be called my equals, and points could be obtained through other means.

But the one thing I absolutely could not give up was—

Sub Quests.

The rewards were tailored, and they could even be strengthened with a Challenge Book.

For example, the reward for this week’s Sub Quest was almost certainly [Fixed Pin], whose necessity had recently increased dramatically.

External requests hardly ever generate Sub Quests.

When you think about it, they were practically a kind of quest in themselves.

They only appeared in truly special cases.

So unless something unusual happened, I planned to remain on Dungeon Island and only take one or two external requests at most.

Like if Hyeseong contacts me.

When the Nether King Dragon completed the time-series item, I could go there, pull something off in the surrounding area, and come back.

By the time I reached that conclusion, Lee Sudok also seemed to have answered the flood of questions.

After checking whether anyone had another hand raised, he spoke again.

“That should be sufficient. We will move on to practical evaluations. In the case of raid battles, first-year cumulative scores will remain as they are.”

Those accumulated honestly according to the difficulty and number of dungeons cleared, and because the scores varied wildly from student to student, the academy side didn’t bother touching them.

“However, in the case of PvP, we have judged that room for upheaval exists, and will therefore apply a soft reset.”

Some students might have remained stagnant over winter break for one reason or another, while others might have improved explosively.

If current scores were kept as they were, it would take too long for the latter group to climb, so even if it wasn’t a complete reset to zero, they were still being given a ladder.

When Lee Sudok snapped his fingers, a chart appeared on the board.

~300 → 0 points

300~600 → 200 points

600~900 → 400 points

901~ → 600 points

For example, if you had finished first year at 887 points, you would reset to 400.

Since I had gone over 1,000, I had probably been reset to 600.

“In addition, to provide further differentiation, we will once again conduct a placement test.”

Rules and environment appeared on the board again. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

MAP: [Circular Arena]

RULE: [Deathmatch][4 People][Anonymous]

The moment I saw it, I let out a groan inside.

Anonymous, huh.......

They really brought out my favorite.