The atmosphere in the classroom shifted dramatically when Yeon Ha-yeon walked in.
She had removed her glasses and freed her long hair from the tight ponytail, letting it flow down her back in smooth waves.
Her presence was magnetic—every step she took exuded confidence and poise, and the classroom seemed to freeze for a moment.
She had now become the Blood Scent Guild leader, awakening as an S-class Hunter and catapulting herself into the top tier.
The reality of her transformation hit me harder than I expected.
I had thought her perfect student image was just a disguise, but this was a whole new level of change.
How had she gone from a seemingly ordinary student to the leader of one of the most powerful guilds in the world?
Her father had once given her the ultimatum: follow the strict path of a model student to inherit the family business.
And for a while, it seemed like she was following that plan—perfect grades, studying diligently, and even adopting a straight-laced persona.
But none of that had prepared anyone for Blood Scent.
I remembered my initial reaction when I first heard the guild’s name.
Blood Scent?
Is this some kind of joke?
But now, two months later, Blood Scent had overtaken every other guild in the rankings and secured its place as one of the top seven guilds.
Yeon Ha-yeon’s leadership was a game-changer.
Despite all the attention focused on her, Yeon Ha-yeon took a seat and calmly prepared for the class to start.
She acted as if nothing had changed, as if she were still just the same student she had been before the big reveal.
And then the Four Heavenly Kings entered the classroom.
Why do they always come in together like this?
I thought idly as I pretended to focus on the workbook in front of me.
The collective attention of the room shifted to them as they made their usual dramatic entrance.
A voice broke through the buzz of whispers:
“Wait… you’re the Blood Scent guild leader?”
I turned my head to see Ban Eun-hyeol, leaning across Yeon Ha-yeon’s desk, his hands gripping the edge.
Yeon Ha-yeon’s response was nonchalant:
“Yeah, so what?”
Ban Eun-hyeol’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re the one behind Blood Scent? Our rival guild?”
Yeon Ha-yeon blinked, seemingly surprised at the question.
“We’re rivals?” She raised an eyebrow.
Their eyes locked for a brief moment, and for a second, it felt like tension was building in the air.
But just as quickly, a smile spread across their faces, and the atmosphere lightened.
What was going on?
There was no denying that there was something more than just a rivalry between them.
Their gazes, full of competitive energy, somehow carried a strange, electric charm.
The interaction was subtle yet captivating enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room.
Ban Eun-hyeol didn’t linger after that.
He coolly turned and walked back to his seat, leaving behind a room full of buzzing classmates.
The whispers began to swell:
“Wait, so Blood Scent is actually ranked just below the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“I’ve heard they’ve been recruiting high-ranking hunters lately. Some say they’ll be the next guild to rival the Four Heavenly Kings for the top spot.”
“I’ve seen news articles about it. They’re calling them the ultimate rivals!”
“Do you think those two are competing against each other now? It’s so cool! They’re like people from another world.”
Another world, huh?
I couldn’t help but agree.
Their world seemed entirely different from the ordinary one we lived in.
These superstars—Yeon Ha-yeon and Ban Eun-hyeol—were clearly not from the same universe as the rest of us.
The whole classroom buzzed with excitement, and I found myself growing more introspective.
What kind of future did these people hold?
Where would they go?
Would they ever truly be satisfied with simply competing with each other, or was there something more they were after?
For Me.
[A new chat feature has been added to facilitate smooth communication among Awakened!
Try it now! ▷ Click]
What the…?
My friends were chattering excitedly about the Four Heavenly Kings and younger-older romances when suddenly, a status window filled with chaotic emoticons and messy fonts popped up in front of me.
Chat window?
Why does this even exist…?
This felt ominous.
There was no such feature in the world I used to live in.
I had half a mind to grab the system by the collar and shake it, demanding to know what it was thinking.
“Hey, what’s this?”
“Anyone else see the chat window?”
“Wow, why are so many new things popping up lately?”
The awakened kids in class started buzzing—apparently, they all saw the status window too.
‘Please don’t tell me it’s gonna be one of those old-school chat windows.’
Nah, no way.
Suppressing my unease, I tapped the part that said ‘Click.’
[Connecting to ☆Awakened Chat Room☆]
[Loading…]
Why is there a loading screen on a status window?
The loading ended quickly, and soon, a chat window appeared before me, seemingly divided into groups.
[Me (0) – Online]
[^ Korea Rankings: 1-10 (12)]
- Focus (1)
- Sashimi (1)
- Gaon Nuri (2)
- Blood (3)
- Zi-Zone Strong (4)
- Ocean (5)
- Hwan (6)
- Wanso (7)
- ∑(Top-Tier Inc.) (8)
- Kiyomi (9)
- Star..☆ (10)
…Insane.
I couldn’t bear to look at this with my own eyes.
The only halfway decent nicknames belonged to adults.
There was no way students, drowning in fantasy novel aesthetics, would register normal names.
I’d seen guild names mentioned in the news, but individual Awakened hunters’ nicknames were rarely publicized—so most were new to me.
I should’ve stayed ignorant forever.
[∑Top-Tier (8): Hehe ^0^]
[Ocean (5): Hello ^_^]
[Star..☆ (10): Wow, a chat window? ⊙0⊙ Feels just like a web novel!]
[Blood (3): Nice to meet you all.]
[Wanso (7): Are the numbers next to the names rankings? Why are there two Rank 1s?]
[▶Kiyomi (9): Yep, two Rank 1s! They’re tied! >_<]
[Focus (1): What’s with the 0, though?]
[Sashimi (1): No way! There’s a Rank 0?! Who is it?!]
[Gaon Nuri (2): Me? Damn, my nickname got style.]
Ugh, I’m dizzy.
‘I don’t think I can handle this sober…’
The flood of emoticons alone was disorienting, but every time a new message popped up, the nicknames dealt me emotional damage.
This exhaustion felt like my stamina was literally draining away.
“Ugh, Han Ji-bin, because of you, I’m stuck being called ‘Focus’ forever!”
“What? It fits. Gangnam’s #1, ‘Focus’ Han Ji-bin!”*
“Still better than ‘Zi-Zone Strong’…”
“Ugh, and that’s a nickname I put my heart and soul into making! Tch, are you guys seriously like this?”
“Yeah, Ji-bin’s nicknames are cool and great, so what?”
The conversation about the “Four Heavenly Kings” coming from the back of the classroom only made my head spin more.
Just when I thought I was finally adjusting to this world since summer break…
The world had changed so drastically that I was already worried about what else might happen.
***
3, 2, 1.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
The moment the bell rang for the end of fourth period, students who’d already been halfway out of their seats rushed toward the cafeteria in a frenzy.
I joined the stampede, deliberately holding back to avoid sprinting too fast—until someone shoved past me hard, slamming into my shoulder.
“Ack!”
I nearly stumbled forward, barely catching myself.
What the hell just hit me?
I’m gonna lose it.
If this had been my old self, I would’ve already cursed them out.
But now, all I could muster was a pathetic “Ack!”
As I steadied myself, my friends quickly grabbed my arms.
“Huh?! Dana, are you okay?”
“Ah, what the hell?”
The culprit—who’d shoved me—glared back with a sharp look.
“You got a problem? Are you looking at me wrong or something?”
No shame, huh?
Oh, right—of course not.
I forced myself to stay calm, taking a deep breath against the rising irritation.
“Hey, you know who I am?”
“Yeah, I know.”
Shin Se-na, the so-called “queen bee” of the school, had the audacity to act like I owed her an apology after shoulder-checking me.
She tapped my shoulder aggressively.
By now, a crowd of students had gathered around us, most keeping their distance and watching nervously.
Why isn’t a single teacher walking by?
I glanced around the cafeteria area—only students in sight.
Then, suddenly, my scalp burned as Se-na yanked me by the hair, pulling my face close to hers with a smirk.
“You know me, right? I run the girls in this school. You never learned what happens if you mess with us?”
“You get your ass beat by a D-rank Hunter until you cry,” one of her lackeys added with a snicker, eyeing me like I was some kind of joke.
Thud.
Se-na, done with the light taps, outright slammed her hand into my shoulder—hard enough to send me stumbling back.
Satisfied, she finally turned away.
“Oh my god, Dana! Are you okay?”
With my friends’ help, I got back up and nodded to reassure them.
Meanwhile, the shoulder-check brigade had already cut the line and disappeared into the cafeteria.
“There are so many kids like that now—just because they Awakened, they think they can do whatever they want. Isn’t it insane?”
“I wish the Hunter Management Agency would just arrest them all.”
“Yeah, no kidding. The system’s still new and disorganized, so it’ll take time to properly manage all these Awakened.”
Honestly, I wanted to put them in their place right then and there—but after possessing this body, all my skills were locked.
I couldn’t afford to act recklessly.
For most Awakened, the power they gain upon awakening is everything.
But I’m different. I have way more skills to reclaim, and unlike others, my abilities keep growing. If people found out, they’d label me a “Growth-Type Hunter”—and that’d just paint a target on my back.
Right now, staying under the radar was the only smart move.
“It’s because of those ‘Outsiders’ or whatever. Now these brats get powers, and we’re the ones suffering for it,” my friend grumbled under her breath as we stood in line.
“I heard there’s this suspicious kid at my friend’s school. Awakened with a weird ability—maybe they’re an Outsider?”
“There’s someone like that at my dad’s company too. They say his personality completely changed after awakening. Like, seriously? Since when does power flip your personality overnight?”
Exactly.
Until I regain all my abilities or find a way back to my original world, playing the obedient, un-Awakened student was the safest bet.
***
After surviving the day’s chaos, I finally stepped out of the school gates at dismissal.
Amid the clusters of chatting students, a sleek black sedan sat parked near the entrance.
Its windows were tinted pitch-black, its polished exterior radiating luxury.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the daily charade I had to keep up.
“Bye, Eun-hyeol! See you tomorrow!”
With forced cheer, I knocked on the rear window—just like always.
No response.
Good.
This was one of those ridiculous routines I couldn’t skip: greeting the car of Ban Eun-hyeol, the aloof heir, every damn afternoon.
If I slipped up even once, someone might notice I wasn’t the same person anymore.
My smile twitched as I turned away, fists clenched.
“I can’t believe I have to keep doing this crap.”
For a second, I swore I felt someone’s scornful gaze burning through the tinted glass.
Just the thought of facing another day at this school already made my head throb.