"Are you familiar with the Academy's instructor system?"
"I completed the Academy six months ago, so I think I know it fairly well."
In truth, I knew it in far greater detail than just fairly well. Park Hyun-Woo looked relieved at my response and let out a sigh of relief.
"Good. Then may I get straight to the point?"
"Yes, please do."
"We plan to appoint you as a head instructor, Mercenary Clan Lord. But since you're here alone from your clan, I think you'll need an assistant instructor."
I looked at him with a puzzled expression. He met my gaze calmly before continuing in a quiet voice.
"Instructors can be divided into various roles. Broadly speaking, there are training instructors, control instructors, and life instructors. All of these roles share the positions of head instructor and assistant instructor."
"I'm aware of that. But I doubt you'd assign me as a training instructor… and I don't see the need for an assistant."
"Well, in a way, that's true. But having an assistant instructor doesn't hurt. While the head instructor takes on the main responsibilities, the assistant makes their work more convenient. It will definitely be helpful in many ways."
I nodded calmly. Park Hyun-Woo wasn't wrong. There was no downside to having an assistant instructor. Thinking I was convinced, he spoke in a softer, more subtle tone.
"Of course, as agreed at the summons, even as a head instructor, you'll have relative freedom. But with an assistant, you'll be able to operate even more comfortably."
His eyes now glimmered with a strange eagerness. I could roughly guess his intentions. He likely wanted to assign someone from the Golden Lion Clan as my assistant to help me, given I came alone. As if reading my thoughts, he quickly got to the point.
"Normally, head and assistant instructors come from the same clan. But since your circumstances don't allow for that, we can provide someone from our side."
"You keep saying that, so it sounds like you have someone specific in mind."
"You saw right through me. I was going to bring it up after guiding the new players, but now seems like a better time. Do you happen to know a player named Kim Han-Byeol, who graduated from the Academy around the same time as you?"
"…"
I was about to refuse, but his next words made me pause. I had a hunch, and sure enough, his words didn't stray from my expectations. I nearly burst out laughing. This confirmed it. I had my suspicions, but it was clear now: the Golden Lion Clan was trying to pair me with either Seong Yu-Bin or Kim Han-Byeol. Otherwise, it made no sense to assign a Year 0 player like me as my assistant instructor.
"Oh… Yes, we're acquainted to some extent."
"From what Han-Byeol said, it sounds like you're more than just acquaintances—quite close, even."
"That's her perspective, I suppose. Still, I'm a bit surprised she's participating this time."
"No need to worry too much. Like you, she's a Secret Class player, and we've invested a lot in her training. Of course, her participation as an assistant instructor is partly to gain experience. But she's a sharp player, so I believe she'll perform the role well. What do you think, Mercenary Clan Lord?"
I nearly blurted out, 'You've got to be kidding,' but I bit my lip to hold it back. Quite close, huh? Given Kim Han-Byeol's personality, it was unlikely she'd shared everything about our past. That meant the clan was probably pushing her into this.
I decided to test the waters while mixing in my response.
"If you're so keen on helping, it'd be rude to refuse. Let's do it. But I'll only accept if she herself wants to be my assistant instructor."
"Hahaha, good thinking. You don't need to worry about that—she was very eager to do it. I'll make sure to tell her to take good care of you, so rest easy."
Kim Han-Byeol, eager to be my assistant instructor? I could hardly imagine it.
I let out a wry chuckle and offered him a polite thank you. Park Hyun-Woo waved it off, saying it was only natural and no big deal. But the faint smile on his lips suggested he was quite pleased with himself.
"We will now enter the Player Academy!"
As we exchanged pleasantries and walked on, a loud shout came from the front. Looking up, I saw the imposing Player Academy building come into view. The new players, already disoriented by the unfamiliar, non-modern surroundings, seemed overwhelmed by the Academy's grandeur.
I watched them for a moment before quickening my pace toward the Academy.
As a side note, most of the other clans still hadn't arrived.
The process of escorting the new players to their lodging was completed without incident. It took some time to divide them by group size, but fortunately, no one caused a scene. After enduring seven days of the Rite of Passage, they seemed drained, relieved to finally have a place to rest
without the threat of danger.
Park Hyun-Woo had said it was fine, but I stepped forward to assist the control instructors with their guidance. Of course, my intentions weren't purely altruistic—I activated my Third Eye. With over 250 new players, I planned to check each one in advance.
To be blunt, I didn't find much of note. I spotted a couple of decent players, but none seemed capable of clearing the Rite of Passage in five days.
Guiding the new players to their lodging went smoothly, without any discord. Only after that could the instructors finally gather in one place. Most of the personnel sent by other clans arrived late. They offered perfunctory apologies, but seeing Park Hyun-Woo silently endure while mentally chanting patience made me feel a bit sorry for him.
Each clan brought anywhere from one or two to three or four instructors. With so many participating clans, the number of instructors easily exceeded fifty. Since we had to start training immediately tomorrow—or rather, today (it was already well into the early morning when we entered the instructors' meeting room), detailed role assignments were necessary.
I wasn't particularly interested, though. Whether I was assigned to training, control, or life duties, I had been promised freedom of activity. So, while seated at the meeting room table, I quietly focused on observing the personnel who had been sent.
One surprising detail was that half of the remaining four Top 10 players from the Northern Continent were present. The IstanTel Law Clan sent Yeon Hye-Rim, the Execution Princess, and the Goryeo Clan sent Seo Jin-Woo, a normal swordsman who had risen to the Top 10.
Park Hyun-Woo seemed quite taken aback by this. While it wasn't unprecedented for Top 10 players to participate in the Player Academy, he appeared stung by the proactive attitude of the non-expedition clans. But their selections didn't stop there.
Though not quite on the level of the Top 10, Kim Duk-Pil from the Reverse Clan, renowned for slaughtering Vagrants, was present, and the Han Clan had gone all out by sending their Clan Lord, Sung Hyun-Min, himself. Additionally, there was Yoo Ji-Tae from the Blue Wolf Clan, a Secret Class Knight of Death; Park Tae-Jin from the Southern Freedom Alliance, a Secret Class Solar Gladiator; and Na Seung-Hye from the Moonlit Night Clan, a Rare Class Elegant Puppeteer. The lineup was impressively lavish.
It was to the point that even some of the well-known normal-class players who came along seemed unremarkable by comparison. In short, the non-expedition clans had carefully selected their elite.
In contrast, the expedition clans' selections were lackluster. While their players weren't weak by any means, they paled in comparison to the ones I'd just seen. Considering that Park Hyun-Woo was among the best from the allied clans, one could gauge the disparity.
To be honest, this felt like more than just proactivity—it bordered on overreach. Of course, having skilled players as instructors wasn't inherently bad. But there's such a thing as moderation. Their intentions were too transparent.
New players typically have a 99.9% chance of being Normal Class, so sending Secret and Rare Class players, whose abilities are on a different level, felt deliberately provocative. While it's true that greater knowledge could lead to better teaching, possessing skill and imparting it to others are entirely different matters. In that sense, Seo Jin-Woo from the Goryeo Clan was a commendable choice.
Regardless, I decided not to dwell on it further. Frankly, it wasn't my concern, and as a Secret Class player myself, I had no room to criticize. Besides, if their teaching skills were solid, I'd have nothing to say, so keeping quiet was the smarter move.
"Yeon Hye-Rim, Yoo Ji-Tae, Na Seung-Hye… I have no idea how to assign their subjects," Park Hyun-Woo muttered in a gloomy voice, sighing heavily. Given the nature of instructor duties, training instructors interact most with new players, so it was no surprise that heated debates arose over those roles. Park Hyun-Woo, stuck mediating, looked mentally drained.
"For the first week starting tomorrow, the clans already assigned will handle training duties. I know we have many distinguished individuals here. However, knowing something and teaching it are very different things."
"So you're saying we should follow the training instructors around for a week to learn?"
"I didn't say 'follow around.' Since this is your first time participating, just get a sense of the atmosphere and methods. After a week of observation, we'll rotate the training instructor roles."
"Tch. What's so hard about teaching? If we're being picky, don't you have plenty of first-time players too? Got some special instructor know-how at your clan or something?"
Park Hyun-Woo's face alternated between flushing red and turning pale as he endured the sarcastic jabs sprinkled throughout the conversation. He even brought up his past experience as an academy instructor on Earth, and only after a long struggle did he manage to calm the dissenting voices.
"It's getting too late. Let's conclude the first instructor meeting here. For now, please follow the training plan as discussed starting today. We can address any dissatisfaction in future meetings. At this rate, we'll be up all night."
"Come on, let's call it a day. I'm exhausted. If we keep going, the instructors might collectively show up late for today's training. Hahaha."
Thankfully, Seo Jin-Woo, one of the Top 10, chimed in with his good-natured banter, backing Park Hyun-Woo. The players who had been grumbling until then finally shut their mouths. However, their faces still showed clear discontent, suggesting the Academy wouldn't run smoothly moving forward.
After a long ordeal, the chaotic first instructor meeting finally ended, and I could at last leave the meeting room. Recalling the instructor-only lodging mentioned at the end of the meeting, I stretched deeply. For some reason, I felt unusually tired.
My assigned lodging was on the first floor of the Academy's main building. As I walked, I glanced out the window and saw signs of morning fog settling in. The thought that the sun would rise in a few hours brought a wry smile to my face.
My role was designated as 'Free.' In simple terms, I was a substitute instructor. Primarily, I'd handle control and life duties, but I could also participate as a training instructor if needed. Of course, rather than specialized weapon training, I'd likely be involved in mental conditioning sessions.
Mulling over these thoughts, I arrived at my private lodging. After exchanging brief greetings with the players assigned to life duties, I opened the door. The day had been so long that, for the first time in a while, I could hear my mind groaning from fatigue.
Stepping into the room, I saw a fairly spacious space, more than adequate for one person. It looked like they'd spared no expense, ensuring it was comfortable for three months…
"Snore…"
"…"
Wait, I wasn't alone. This wasn't a room for one. I hurriedly checked the room number and confirmed it was indeed my assigned lodging. Looking closer, I realized there were two beds. On one of them, a female player was slouched, nodding off with her head bobbing.
For a moment, I stared at her in a daze, then felt a strange sense of familiarity with her figure.
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