The classroom buzzed with noise. Midday sun filtered through the windows, casting streaks of light across the desks. But all Rover felt was heat.
Not from the sun.
From Gan Sae Bok, again.
Gan (slamming Rover's desk):
"Yo, mongrel. Thought a little pity party would make you popular, huh?"
Rover didn't look up. His fists clenched under the table.
Gan:
"Still think you're gonna be a hunter? You can't even open a gate, let alone survive one."
Tae Byung tossed a used napkin at Rover. Juno laughed like a hyena.
Student whispers echoed in the room—
"Isn't that the guy from the street?"
"He thinks he's special because he has scars?"
"Pathetic."
Ayaka stood from her seat, eyes sharp. Mina's pen snapped in her hand. But before either could say a word—
Rover stood.
His desk screeched across the floor.
Rover (low, voice shaking with fury):
"Enough."
Gan raised an eyebrow.
Gan (grinning):
"What? Gonna cry? Or you gonna swing those weak fists?"
Rover didn't wait.
He lunged.
A straight punch.
It landed—right on Gan's jaw. The whole class gasped.
But Gan barely flinched.
Gan (smirking):
"Wrong move."
He grabbed Rover by the collar and slammed him into the floor.
Ayaka jumped over her desk. Mina shoved students aside. But—
"ENOUGH!!"
The room went silent.
Professor Kuroda had burst in, his face thunderous. Behind him stood Principal Ji Han, arms crossed, gaze unreadable.
Gan stepped back quickly, pretending innocence.
Gan:
"He started it, professor."
Kuroda ignored him, kneeling beside Rover, whose lip bled.
Principal Ji Han (sternly):
"We warned you, Professor Kuroda. This environment is not meant for someone like him. The boy… is unawakened. No skills. No defense. He's a target."
Kuroda looked down at Rover, whose eyes were wide but silent.
Principal Ji Han:
"If he stays, he'll face this every day."
Kuroda nodded slowly, tension thick in his shoulders.
---
Evening – School Steps
The sky bled orange and crimson as the sun dipped below the city skyline.
Rover and Kuroda sat quietly on the concrete steps outside the school building. The wind was cool, brushing through the trees like whispers.
A drink can sat in Rover's hand, barely touched.
Kuroda glanced over, guilt weighing heavy on his expression.
Kuroda (softly):
"I'm sorry, Rover."
Rover:
"..."
Kuroda:
"I thought placing you in that classroom might help. That maybe you'd find something—someone—to hold on to. But maybe I was wrong."
Rover looked down at the can in his hands. Then, slowly, he shook his head.
Rover (quiet, sincere):
"No, sir… You gave me a chance to sit in one of your classes. To feel normal, even for a while. That… already means a lot to me."
Kuroda turned toward him, surprised by the boy's calm.
Rover (a faint smile):
"Even if it ended like this… thank you. For believing in me. For not giving up."
A breeze passed. Kuroda stared at him for a moment, then nodded with a faint smile of his own.
Kuroda:
"You're stronger than you know."
Rover:
"Not yet. But maybe one day."
Kuroda (gently):
"Then let's find a different path"
---
Next Day – Government Hunter Evaluation Facility
Not one of the flashy ones. A quiet, neutral site—used by state branches and lesser-known guilds.
Rover stood in a sterile chamber, arms to the side. Magical devices scanned his entire being.
Lights blinked red.
A beep. Then silence.
Technician:
"Test complete. No sign of an awakening."
Rover closed his eyes.
Another failure.
But Kuroda wasn't fazed. He pulled a staffer aside for a hushed conversation. After a moment, he returned.
There was a subtle smile on his face.
Kuroda:
"It's not over. There's another way."
Rover:
"...Another way?"
Kuroda:
"You can still enter dungeons. Unawakened people are sometimes approved as Porters—they carry supplies, gather cores, and support hunters. It's dangerous. But it's experience."
Rover blinked, unsure.
Kuroda:
"You won't be able to fight. But you can learn. Watch. Train. Become something more—your way."
Rover stared at his hands. The same hands that couldn't even harm Gan.
But they still held potential.
He nodded.
Rover (quiet but determined):
"I'll do it. I'll take whatever path I have left."
Kuroda (smiling warmly):
"Then I'll support you with everything I've got."
---
To Be Continue...