The first person Si-woo sought out after finishing his conversation with So-yeon was none other than Saria.
“I want to recommend Im So-yeon for our party this time.”
Accepting Im So-yeon as a party member wasn’t something Si-woo could decide on his own.
Since he had a partner and fellow party member, it wouldn’t be right to arbitrarily add someone without consulting her.
That’s why he wasn’t asking Saria to let her in—he was merely recommending her.
“Im So-yeon…?”
Saria tilted her head at the unfamiliar name.
She had already gathered information on most of the promising new Academy students.
She was well aware of the magic-user cadets, of course, and even remembered the names of close-combat cadets like Si-woo.
‘Im So-yeon… Im So-yeon…’
If Si-woo was recommending her, it was highly likely that she wasn’t just an ordinary cadet.
No, she had to be exceptional.
Si-woo was well aware of the risks his engraving posed.
He would never recklessly add an ordinary cadet to his party, knowing the dangers involved.
‘And resisting allure isn’t the only factor.’
If she could resist allure but lacked the strength to back it up, there would be no reason to recommend her in the first place.
‘In that case, it’d be a hundred times better to charm a skilled Hunter and bring them into the party instead.’
Of course, that would be morally questionable, and Si-woo would never make such a choice.
As Saria struggled to recall the name, Si-woo looked at her with a surprised expression.
“She ranked third in the Academy entrance exam. You really didn’t know?”
“What?”
There was no way she wouldn’t know that.
Just as the shocked Saria was about to check her saved notes.
“It’s only natural that she didn’t come to mind. That’s what it means to have your presence eroded.”
“?!”
A silver-haired woman suddenly emerged from empty space.
Appearing as if she had used subspace magic, Im So-yeon stepped forward with a calm expression and answered Saria’s unspoken question.
“My presence has been eroded.”
Presence erosion.
It was an entirely different concept from disappearance.
“If disappearance means leaving no trace behind, then erosion is the slow destruction of those traces over time.”
It made it impossible to remember Im So-yeon as Im So-yeon.
Just like forgetting the name of an old friend or the memories of childhood, the same principle applied.
Unless something truly special happened, Im So-yeon would never be remembered.
Even if someone did recall her, they would only remember her as some nameless woman—never as Im So-yeon.
“That’s what it means to have your presence eroded.”
Si-woo’s inability to instantly recall his memories with Im So-yeon was proof of that.
“If all you remember about me, Saria, is that I was just some promising cadet at the Academy…”
Then there was a strong possibility that she had completely forgotten about her.
Si-woo had spent a significant amount of time with her, and the experience of unknowingly cohabiting with an invisible presence wasn’t something he could easily forget.
But for Saria, Im So-yeon wouldn’t have left that kind of lasting impact.
“…… No, I do remember a little.”
Yes, though faint, the memory surfaced.
She recalled the entrance exam—not of a cadet named Im So-yeon, but of the assassin who had abandoned her partner and never revealed herself.
“You said your name was Im So-yeon.”
“You can speak informally. I’ve been doing so from the start.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Saria scanned her from head to toe.
Her skills were sufficient.
If Si-woo had brought her, it was likely she also had a way to resist his allure.
In that case, there was no problem.
“I’m fine with it.”
“…That’s unexpected.”
“Don’t make that face. Did you really think I’d automatically refuse any woman Si-woo brings in?”
“Maybe not exactly that, but I didn’t expect you to accept so easily.”
Until now, every woman around Si-woo had been desperate to monopolize him.
Seeing Im So-yeon’s expression, Saria nodded as if she understood.
‘Well, with a guy like Si-woo, it’s only natural to want to keep him to yourself.’
Saria was no exception.
The only difference between her and the others was one thing.
“You know it too, don’t you?”
Saria didn’t want to add Si-woo into her daily life.
She wanted to place herself into his.
“That’s why I have no intention of monopolizing him… at least, not until we’re lovers.”
Until then, she had no plans to restrict Si-woo’s actions.
She wasn’t foolish enough to cling to something meaningless and miss her chance because of it.
“Of course, if she ends up being a hindrance to the party, that’s a different story. No matter how much Si-woo recommends someone, if she’s lacking in skill or just follows him around being a nuisance, she’ll be kicked out immediately.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
For now, simply being by Si-woo’s side was enough.
“I’ll move as Si-woo wishes.”
She had been given a second chance.
And she wasn’t about to waste this opportunity on useless desires.
As Saria met the glowing, amethyst-colored eyes before her, she smiled in satisfaction and extended her hand.
“I look forward to working with you.”
That was the day their third party member was added.
“That concludes today’s lecture.”
“Puha….”
“Ugh… I feel like I’m going to die.”
At Jung Se-ah’s words, the cadets collapsed onto the ground, groaning in exhaustion.
Most of them had already dropped long ago, unable to endure her Spartan-style training.
Among the struggling cadets, one man stood out.
Saria, who had been watching him, broke into a bright smile.
‘All that training paid off.’
He hadn’t fallen to the ground.
He hadn’t dropped his sword.
Even after hearing that the lecture was over, his eyes still burned with determination.
Jung Se-ah, pleased by his unwavering spirit, turned to the other cadets and announced the remaining schedule.
“Within the next hour, your performance in today’s lecture will be uploaded to the learning management system. Your assignment is to review the feedback and show even the slightest improvement by the next lecture.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am~”
The cadets who responded to Jung Se-ah’s words dragged their heavy legs as they made their way outside.
As they gradually disappeared, Jung Se-ah’s gaze remained fixed on one spot.
“Puha!!”
Si-woo threw his wooden training sword aside and collapsed onto a bench.
Jung Se-ah approached him, intending to sit beside him, but her expression subtly stiffened.
“Si-woo, your engraving is leaking allure.”
“…Huh?”
It was an incredibly faint change.
Even the cadets affected by his allure hadn’t noticed the subtle difference.
But Jung Se-ah’s innate senses picked up on it immediately.
Even though she wasn’t affected, she could tell—Si-woo’s allure had grown stronger.
It was only a tiny leak from the level he normally suppressed, but it was there.
She checked the engraving on his wrist.
“As expected, it’s grown.”
“Already?”
Si-woo frowned as he examined his wrist in response to Jung Se-ah’s words.
The thorny rose engraving, which usually remained dormant, now emitted a faint pink hue.
It was so subtle that it would have been easy to miss, but Si-woo, having experienced this before, recognized it immediately.
“Of all things, why did this engraving have to be a growth-type?”
“Because it’s an engraving. Engravings naturally develop as their wielders grow stronger. The stronger you get, the more people you’ll be able to… attract.”
Engravings grew as their Awakeners became stronger.
However, they couldn’t evolve.
But Si-woo’s alluring mark was an exception.
Just as Im So-yeon’s ability was bound by its conditional nature, Si-woo’s engraving carried the innate trait of being a growth-type.
‘If this were a combat-related engraving, I’d be celebrating with open arms.’
Why did it have to be this one?
Letting out a sigh, Si-woo stood up and pulled out his phone.
“I guess there’s no other choice. I’ll have to go see her again.”
“…Haah, if I had known this would happen, I would’ve been born with a growth-type engraving too.”
Jung Se-ah openly expressed her disappointment.
But it wasn’t that simple.
There were plenty of Hunters with growth-type engravings, but in the entire world, only a handful knew how to suppress them.
‘Most people are too busy trying to take advantage of their growth-type engravings.’
Si-woo, holding his phone, placed his finger over a recently saved contact.
“Hello?”
“Mm, Si-woo? What’s going on?”
Just like with Kitsunezawa before, the call was answered before the dial tone even started.
“Eun-seol noona, do you have some time?”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
Normally, he would have brushed it off as nothing.
But this time.
“Please help me.”
He sincerely asked for help from someone who, like him, carried both the burden of side effects and the growth-type trait.