Uhyon's most boring subject was mathematics.
The strange thing was, it was also the subject he knew best. Even though he studied it unwillingly, he grasped the material very well. His favorite subjects were physics and astronomy, because he was curious about the rules and mysteries of the universe. Unfortunately, astronomy wasn't taught at his level yet—it was only introduced in the final year of upper school. Uhyon regretted this deeply.
As for magical biology, magical creatures and their bodies didn't interest him. Maybe because he had no magic himself. But that subject was easy to pass. All he had to do was recite the previous lesson and show the exercises in his notebook. The most useful part was that he got along well with the biology teacher, who often gave him a grade without much fuss.
Still, Uhyon couldn't be called the top student in his class. There were some subjects he just couldn't understand no matter how hard he tried—like technical drawing and music. Even when he memorized all the theory, he still didn't grasp the drawings. But his worst subject was physical education. Though he considered himself mentally strong, his physical weakness was obvious. Because of this, other students often mocked him. Uhyon told himself he had gotten used to it, but inside, he was breaking down.
After finishing his homework, he went to the kitchen. His house wasn't very big—a one-room apartment. When entering through the front door, the kitchen was about 3–4 meters straight ahead on the left, and on the right side was the living room (though Uhyon used it more as a study room). The doors were parallel to each other. Beyond the kitchen was his bedroom, and next to that, straight ahead from the entrance, were the bathroom and toilet.
He opened the fridge. It was nearly empty—just one or two green apples, four eggs, a little over half of a sausage left. He reminded himself he should get groceries after returning from the dungeon today. He always preferred to take care of such tasks before things got worse. He lit the stove and cracked one egg into the pan. Since the heat was low, he sliced some sausage to avoid wasting time and began preparing it. After the egg was cooked, he sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper on top and started eating. He saw it was 5:43 AM on the wall clock.
For some reason, that dream wouldn't leave his mind. Distracted by his thoughts, he bit his tongue. Cursing inwardly from the pain, he continued eating more carefully. After he finished, he washed all the dishes, put on his school uniform, and left home.
His apartment was on the 10th floor of a multi-story building. Although the elevator worked well, Uhyon always used the stairs to improve his physical endurance.
As summer approached, the days were getting longer. The sky had a fiery hue—evidence the sun had just risen. Since he had woken up earlier than usual because of the dream, the streets were still empty. Only one or two cars passed by.
He wanted to listen to an audiobook, as he usually did, but that quote kept repeating in his head:
There's no point in seeking justice in this world. It doesn't exist. Even if you create it, someone will always see it as injustice"
Uhyon wanted to criticize this thought. But it seemed flawless, as if the quote were perfect.
He came up with several ideas to counter it, but the more he thought, the more he realized they were all wrong.
When he reached the intersection, he remembered Kang pushing him—and oddly enough, that memory brought him satisfaction.
"Why? Why does the thought of my death bring me satisfaction?" he wondered.
It felt as if someone had taken up residence in his head. No matter how hard he tried, those thoughts wouldn't go away.Eventually, he arrived at the school gates.
No matter how early he came, his teachers always managed to arrive before him—he could see them through the windows of the school building.
Uhyon tapped his student ID card on the electronic gate, walked past the waiting room for parents, and entered the school courtyard.
Aside from the wide main path, the rest of the grounds were covered in lush green grass with several decorative trees planted throughout.
At the entrance, carved into a large stone, were the words:
"Seoul City, ??? District, 4th Specialized Education Facility for Hunter Training."
Even though Uhyon wasn't a hunter, he studied there because it was the closest school to his home.
However, being a specialized school, most of his classmates were hunters.
What made a specialized school different from ordinary schools was that once or twice a week, there were martial arts and magic lessons specifically for hunters. Of course, non-hunter students were not required to attend these lessons.
Remembering that the first class was mathematics, Uhyon made his way to the classroom.
If viewed from above, the school resembled the letter "C". The math classroom was located on the first floor, near the end of the long left corridor, just one room before the very end.
When Uhyon entered, the room was nearly empty—only Min was there.
Despite the lights being off, the room was bright enough, and Min was quietly doing his homework.
He had black hair and black eyes, wore glasses, and always came to school in a neatly ironed uniform and fully prepared, like Uhyon.
"Wasn't he ranked 3rd or 4th in the class?" Uhyon recalled.
But no one dared to bother Min, even among the hunter students.
There were two main reasons for that:
First, Min himself was a C-rank hunter.
Second, his father held a high position in the police and had many connections in the court.
When Min saw Uhyon enter, he stood up and greeted him.
— "Hey Uhyon, how are you? Why'd you come so early?" he asked, extending a hand to shake.
Min and Uhyon weren't close friends, but they weren't strangers either.
— "I'm okay. What about you? I couldn't sleep well last night, so I came a bit earlier," Uhyon replied.
— "Hmm, tell me the truth. What's going on? You didn't seem like yourself during yesterday's history class either."
— "Honestly, nothing happened. I don't even know what was wrong with me yesterday."
— "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone your secret. What, you thought I wouldn't notice?"
Uhyon was surprised.
"Could he really have figured it out?" he thought.
— "What, you thought I wouldn't see your scar? I can tell something happened just by looking at you. Normally, your hair's neatly brushed, not messy like this. And now, the scar's clearly visible than yesterday."
— "A scar? Well… if I'm going to explain that, I'll have to tell you the whole story."
— "I don't mind. We're friends, aren't we?"
Uhyon knew that Min was a loyal friend—someone who kept his word.
He smiled slightly and began to explain.
— "So… do you remember that car accident?"
— "Of course. It happened to you, didn't it?"
— "Yeah. At the moment the car hit, I lost consciousness.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying in my bed at home, and it was the previous day again.
When I went to wash my face, I saw this scar."
Uhyon lifted his hair to show it.
— "That's bizarre—illogical and unnatural. The scar itself looks strange. What is it, a lightning mark or some kind of ritual branding?
If I were you, I would've gone to the hospital instead of coming to school yesterday. Wait, yesterday? You really woke up yesterday?"
— "Unfortunately, yeah. I didn't have much money, and I had promised Mr. Feng I'd come to school.
And it was during that time that Mr. Feng called me, and I found out about what happened."
— "Do you need money? I can lend you some—how much?"
— "No, no, it's fine. I earned my salary yesterday. I have enough now.
Anyway, that's when I heard a murder had taken place."
— "Wait… how did you even end up there?"
— "Kang pushed me."
— "Our Kang? From our class?"
— "Yeah, that Kang."
— "Then why don't you sue him? My dad has a close friend in the court.
If I ask, he might help us out."
— "Sadly, it wouldn't work. When Mr. Feng and I asked the expertise what happened after lessons, they showed us video from a nearby store camera. I watched it carefully, but it didn't show Kang pushing me."
— "Ugh, what a shame. So what did the video show?"
— "The car hit me, then it exploded. In the smoke, someone approached me… and then disappeared. Then the camera cut out."
— "Weird. Who could it have been? I heard you're an orphan—do you have any relatives?"
— "I have no one."
— "Hmm… maybe a superhero or a hunter did it?"
— "Highly unlikely. Most people today only do things if there's benefit in it.
Hunters usually act for fame or profit."
— "True… Though I heard Sung Il-Hwan is a kind and generous hunter."
Sung Il-Hwan — the head and owner of Korea's "Defender" Guild. He's a national-level hunter and is ranked 2nd or 3rd in Korea's power rankings. Although mainly a hunter-type, there are rumors that he can also use magic—making him a rare dominant hybrid. But...
— He lives on the other side of Seoul. Why would you even suspect him?"
— "I was just wondering. But you're right— if he had been involved, he would've dealt with the attackers too."
— "Yeah, that's true. So who do you think it could be, Min? No jokes—be serious."
— "The only idea that came to my mind was the Hunter Association. But there are two problems with that.
First, if it were them, they'd have reported it themselves, and the investigators wouldn't have questioned you.
Second, even in that case, they'd be the prime suspects or would've at least been seen on camera."
— "Yeah, it's all really confusing… feels like my brain's about to explode."
— "Uhyon… I think I need to tell you something."
— "What is it?"
— "You're right—you're not a hunter.
And the expertise probably confirmed that when they scanned the area."
— "So?"
— "But… there's something radiating from you. like 'Aura'"
— "What?!"
— "I don't know how to explain it. It's like… something is flowing from you. Not mana exactly, but something else. It's like a current—but different. And there's something else, something even stranger. It's…"