Just a few days after news of the rampage and death of Demian Kreuz, the greatest Berserker, shocked the world.
The shock left a clear mark even at the academy.
Kang Han, born a Berserker, was naturally stronger than other cadets without special training.
Although the gazes directed at him used to contain some jealousy or contempt, they were generally favorable.
However, after the media sensationalized the incident, no one dared to approach Kang Han, even by accident.
He was now perceived as a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
“Jin Mugeol, Gwak Dohyeong, Wi Seoyeon… everyone’s here.”
The students gathered here were different.
They had all volunteered to participate in training with the Berserker despite the ominous atmosphere.
The Berserker Training Program.
The instructor assigned by the Hunter Association was Inspector Han Se-ah, and the usual monk was absent.
Without any pleasantries, the inspector went straight to the point.
“This project will involve a two-month training schedule, focusing on completing two objectives.”
She raised two fingers in a V shape.
“First, proving Cadet Kang Han’s control. This includes verifying his ability to maintain control in both daily life and unexpected combat situations. Second, testing the abilities of Kang Han and the other top cadets through sparring, assessing whether Kang Han can cooperate with others in battle.”
The inspector scanned the gathered cadets and added,
“I’ll return in five minutes. Training will officially begin then, so take this time to rest.”
With that, the inspector left the lecture hall.
Were they supposed to introduce themselves to each other in the meantime?
I glanced around at the cadets.
Their name tags caught my eye, and I sighed softly.
‘As expected, I know all of these names.’
From what the inspector explained, it seemed like the other cadets were sacrificing themselves for Kang Han, but that wasn’t entirely the case.
Everyone had their reasons for being here.
Despite knowing that even the greatest Berserker couldn’t escape rampage in the end, these cadets chose to volunteer, unaffected by that reality.
Typically, such people aren’t considered sane.
But they’re the kind who thrive and survive in the mainstream world.
There was a reason I remembered those names; they were all protagonists or supporting characters from the game.
While I was mulling over these thoughts, a male cadet seated at the front turned his chair around.
Everyone’s attention shifted to him.
Leaning casually against his spear, the cadet spoke with feigned cheerfulness.
“Hi there! I’m Jin Mugeol. You all know me, right?”
Of course, we knew.
His main weapon was a spear.
A playful, lively character who made significant contributions to the main story.
The other cadets would undoubtedly know him in their own way too.
Yet, his exuberant demeanor seemed off-putting, causing others to stay silent.
Even as silence filled the room, Jin Mugeol laughed as if the concept of embarrassment didn’t exist.
“We’ll be training together for the next two months, so let’s introduce ourselves first. If it’s awkward, I’ll start.”
He pointed his spear at Kang Han.
“I’m here to spar with him. I’ve always been fascinated by Berserkers. Okay, next!”
Jin Mugeol gestured to the cadet nearest to him.
The chosen cadet hesitated under the weight of the room’s gaze but eventually spoke.
“I’m Kim Jinsu, a swordsman. My specialty is severance. It’s dangerous, so I’ve never really used it in sparring, but I think it’ll be fine against a Berserker. So, yeah…”
Kim Jinsu concluded his introduction awkwardly.
Next up was a girl whose body seemed to constantly emit electricity.
Sitting near her was impossible due to the static shocks, so I had deliberately chosen a distant seat.
“My name’s Kim Lara. Like Jinsu, I’m bad at controlling my abilities. In real combat, I always end up electrocuting my opponent along with myself! I wanted to practice properly this time, so I volunteered!”
Lara finished her introduction with enthusiasm.
“I’m Gwak Dohyeong, and my specialty is deploying shields. Why am I participating in this training?”
Gwak Dohyeong grinned mischievously, raising a finger.
On it, a complex fractal shield made of magic shimmered, constantly shifting.
Jin Mugeol watched with curiosity.
“Wow, what’s that?”
“Oh, it’s a new shield technology my dad’s company developed. It uses a fractal structure. But, well, the explanation’s probably boring and uninteresting to you, right? Anyway, I figured surviving a Berserker’s attack would be great publicity for our sponsors. So, nice to meet you all!”
Gwak Dohyeong winked at Kang Han, flashing a capitalist smile that seemed to view him as nothing more than a piggy bank.
Still, it was probably better than being seen as a ticking time bomb. Or maybe not—I wasn’t sure.
Kang Han, looking conflicted, nodded stiffly.
The next turn belonged to Wi Seoyeon.
A cadet I was already acquainted with.
We had teamed up for a group project before and taken down a sea serpent together.
Afterward, Wi Seoyeon had asked for my contact information, but I had refused, not wanting the hassle. If
I’d known we’d reunite like this, I might have just given it to her on the spot.
Because of that, things were slightly awkward between us now.
Seoyeon glanced at me briefly before speaking.
“I’m Wi Seoyeon. I volunteered to improve my skills in one-on-one combat. That’s all.”
Her introduction was as cold and curt as her explanation.
Now it was my turn.
“I’m Joo Yidam. I don’t have any particular specialty; I just dabble in everything. As for why I volunteered… well, it just sort of happened.”
I brushed it off, but none of the other cadets seemed curious.
Considering it was odd for me to be included in training exclusively for top-tier cadets, I expected more suspicion.
Well, it was predictable.
The fact that Kang Han and I were often seen together was already well-known at the academy.
Sometimes this led to misunderstandings, but those were just baseless rumors.
Whatever Kang Han thought, I didn’t care.
Once everyone had introduced themselves, the focus naturally shifted to Kang Han, who was last.
“I am…”
Just as Kang Han began to speak, the inspector reappeared.
“Everyone, get up. Change into your sparring gear and gather at Sparring Hall No. 3.”
Five minutes had already passed.
The inspector announced the start of training, cutting off Kang Han’s introduction.
Jin Mugeol clapped Kang Han on the shoulder with a laugh.
“Don’t worry; everyone here already knows who you are.”
We regrouped at the sparring hall.
Everyone had changed into sleek, form-fitting training outfits.
Unexpectedly, one person drew all the attention—Kim Lara.
‘All her nutrients must have gone there.’
The thought crossed my mind unbidden.
Kim Lara’s presence was overwhelming.
For the first time, I realized how embarrassing tight training outfits could be.
The only one seemingly unaffected was Kim Lara herself.
Her naturally easygoing and cheerful personality kept her unfazed as she stretched to warm up, her curves accentuated by her movements.
Her joints popped audibly, but the crackling sound of electricity was even louder.
She was a magnet for attention in many ways.
At that moment, Jin Mugeol approached her.
“Wow, what’s up with you? Just being near you makes my hair stand on end.”
“Right? That’s why no one gets close to me,” Kim Lara replied casually, seemingly oblivious to the way Jin Mugeol was blatantly examining her with interest—or perhaps she just didn’t care.
“Look, even brushing against me accidentally will do this,” she said.
“What? Wait, why are you grabbing my—ahhhhhh!”
With a mischievous grin, Kim Lara shook Jin Mugeol’s hand as if to greet him.
The moment their hands touched, a burst of electricity crackled, and Jin Mugeol’s scream echoed through the sparring hall.
His exaggerated reaction resembled a comedy sketch, but the realism of his pain suggested it wasn’t entirely for show.
I debated reassessing my impression of Kim Lara.
‘That grin… was that on purpose? Or is she truly that clueless?’
Jin Mugeol’s scream didn’t last long.
After some time, he somehow managed to pull his hand free.
He broke into laughter, shaking his hand as if to brush off the shock.
“Whoa, that was intense! With that kind of electricity, you could jump-start a car battery! Hit me up if you ever need a ride. And if you want to, you can try out one of my sports cars—there are only a few in the country!”
Jin Mugeol’s cheerful tone made it hard to tell if he was genuinely hurt or just trying to laugh it off.
Kim Lara responded with an innocent smile.
“Wow, I’ll look forward to it!”
I sighed, shaking my head.
If this kind of chaos was happening before training even started, I couldn’t help but worry about how this team would function over the next two months.
‘And Kang Han…’
As this thought crossed my mind, I instinctively checked where Kang Han was looking.
There wasn’t really another reason—I was just curious if the protagonist had any interest in things like that.
He had once mentioned that suppressing his berserk urges left him with no energy to focus on anything else.
If that were true, it would only be natural for him not to care about something like the size of a woman’s chest.
I glanced at him casually.
“Huuuu…”
Kang Han was taking deep breaths, focusing on calming his mind in preparation for the battle ahead.
Of course, that made sense.
If he had been observing Kim Lara, it would have meant his berserk urges were manageable enough to allow such distractions.
And if that were the case, I would have no choice but to dismiss any future complaints about his berserk struggles as mere exaggerations.
Our trust remained intact.
When you share secrets with someone, you have to prove your innocence at every moment. Kang Han, let’s keep it that way.
At that moment, Wi Seoyeon approached.
“What’s got you in such a good mood?”
“Huh?”
“You were smiling.”
I quickly touched my lips. My expression was neutral.
“You make jokes now, huh? Anyway, why? Do you need something from me?”
“No, just…”
Even Wi Seoyeon, a girl, seemed to glance occasionally in Kim Lara’s direction as she spoke.
“About my reason for volunteering for this training. What I said earlier was true, but there’s more I didn’t mention.”
At this point, I recalled when she’d asked for my contact info before and I’d refused.
My intuition was right—Wi Seoyeon had come to me for a similar reason.
She spoke calmly.
“Joo Yidam, I need you.”
“Ah, sorry, but I’m not into wom—”
Crap.
I couldn’t use that excuse.
As I stumbled over my words, trapped by my own idiocy,
Wi Seoyeon tilted her head slightly and continued.
“…Huh? What I mean is, for future group projects or any team-based activities, I want you to stick with me. Out of everyone I’ve worked with so far, you were the only one who followed my orders perfectly.”
“Ah, I see. Got it now.”
Close call.
But Wi Seoyeon finished her words with a hint of disappointment.
“I assumed you’d accept my offer back then, so when you turned me down, it felt strange. But looking back, it wasn’t that surprising. After all, you did everything for that group project, didn’t you?”
“Ah, well—”
“So during this training, I’ll prove it. That I’m a commander you can trust and follow.”
With that, Wi Seoyeon walked away.
She always said what she wanted and left.
Her social skills were questionable, but knowing her personality, I wasn’t surprised.
The truth was, none of the cadets who had volunteered for this two-month training alongside a potentially berserk Berserker were entirely normal.
Everyone had their quirks.
In Kim Lara’s case, it was… her chest—or rather, her uncontrollable electricity.
For Wi Seoyeon, it was her competence paired with arrogance and inability to trust others.
Kim Jinsu, with his severance ability, was another who couldn’t fully control his power, much like Kim Lara.
Meanwhile, Gwak Dohyeong saw this training as a perfect opportunity to market his company’s product.
And lastly…
“Hey, Yidam? I’ve heard a lot about you, haha.”
Jin Mugeol.
This guy was crazier than I’d imagined.
“Wanna hang out after training sometime? Oh, don’t worry, I’m single right now, so no pressure.”
Even with the Berserker, who hadn’t paid attention to Kim Lara, starting to look over here, Jin Mugeol continued to hover around me with a silly grin.
An impressive feat no ordinary person could manage.
If I cracked open his skull, I was sure I’d find nerves thicker than bull tendons. I had to respect that.
Out of that respect, I decided to preserve Jin Mugeol’s life and answered briefly.
“Get lost.”