Episode 95: Experience (1)
A few days had passed since the orientation sessions of the various groups had ended.
Today was the day the announcement for Gaon’s experience program would be released.
Even though class was in session, the students clearly weren’t focused on the lecture.
And then—
The students’ watches vibrated all at once.
Ding.
Ding.
“It’s up.”
The moment someone quietly murmured those words, dozens of students in the lecture hall simultaneously raised their wrists.
The professor, of course, didn’t stop them.
It was as if he had expected this from the start—he simply leaned against the desk and silently observed the students’ reactions.
On each student’s watch screen, a neatly arranged list of the guilds participating in the upcoming experience program appeared.
I quietly looked through the list.
It was neatly organized:
[Maengju]
[Lotus]
[Blooms]
[Arcadia]
[Cheongpungdae]
And many other groups beyond that.
Naturally, the first thing to catch anyone’s eye was the name at the very top.
Maengju—a subsidiary of Glory, and the number one ranked guild.
In the quiet lecture hall, reactions slowly began to bubble up from the students.
“Why don’t we take a short break?”
The professor smiled kindly and closed his book.
As soon as he finished speaking, the room quickly became noisy.
“Hey, where are you applying?”
“I’m going for Lotus first.”
“I heard Lotus is crazy intense though…”
“That’s why I’m sitting this one out. Don’t think Maengju would pick me anyway… I’m gonna take it easy.”
The experience program was completely voluntary.
While most students would likely participate, it wasn’t mandatory for everyone.
Most of the schedule took place over weekends.
And even if you didn’t participate, there weren’t any major disadvantages.
Gaon valued the principle of making your own choices and taking responsibility for them.
Amidst the chatter of the students, I turned my gaze back to my watch.
The names were still listed in clean rows.
Then I heard a familiar sound from beside me.
Swipe, swipe, swipe.
The sound of someone quickly scrolling through their watch screen.
“It’s not there…”
“What isn’t?”
It was Yoon Chae-ha.
She muttered with a slightly stiff expression as she scrolled frantically through the list.
“Vanquisher… It’s not there…”
“Really?”
So that’s how it turned out.
I had been curious.
In this timeline, Vanquisher is still alive—it’s the first timeline where that’s the case.
So, it was uncertain whether Vanquisher would post a recruitment notice for the experience program.
I had been wondering if they needed additional members…
But apparently, the old man didn’t feel the need.
There was already Zion, and technically, I was part of it too.
In the end, it didn’t make the announcement list.
“Ughhh…”
Yoon Chae-ha leaned her head back in disappointment, a hint of a whine in her voice.
[Magic Tower]
But apart from that, there was something unexpected—
The Magic Tower had submitted a notice for Gaon’s experience program.
Normally, the Magic Tower didn’t bother posting announcements to Gaon.
There weren’t many mage-types there anyway, and they usually had their own unique ways of scouting talent.
[Number of recruits: 2]
But now, they had posted a notice—and with just two openings at that…
Their intentions seemed very clear.
Yoon Chae-ha, Joo Seo-jun.
So I asked her.
“Are you at least going to apply to the Magic Tower?”
“…No.”
“Then what will you do?”
“I don’t know. I think I’ll just take it easy this time…”
As soon as the object of her interest disappeared, Yoon Chae-ha turned into a lazy cat. She slumped over her desk, her eyes already heavy with sleep.
Quietly, I rolled up her cardigan hanging behind her chair and placed it under her head.
Like she’d found the perfect little pillow, she rubbed her head against it and smiled in satisfaction.
“Hehe… Thanks…”
And just like that, she really fell asleep.
Her character was so clear-cut.
As I thought that, I turned my head to the left.
There, Cheon Yeoul was resting her chin on her hand, silently staring at Yoon Chae-ha.
Her gaze was too cold to belong to someone called a “saintess.”
“Is there no cat merchant around here…”
She muttered quietly.
“Yeoul.”
“Hmm?”
“You going with the Order?”
“Hmm…”
Cheon Yeoul slowly lowered the hand under her chin and lightly touched her lips with a finger.
“Probably, yeah…”
[Arcadia]
[Gender Requirement: Female]
This time, Arcadia seemed to be recruiting female priests rather than paladins.
You could tell what kind of talent each organization was currently looking for just by checking the requirements on the recruitment notices.
Upper-year students often took those details into careful consideration.
I slowly scrolled down the watch screen again.
Where should I go?
To be honest, I’d already made up my mind.
If Vanquisher had posted a recruitment notice, I might have hesitated.
But in the end, Vanquisher did not.
Which meant, there was only one place for me to go.
[Maengju]
It felt like it was time to fulfill the promise I made back on Baekdu Mountain.
Moreover—
[Experience Goal: Cultivating leadership qualities necessary for team leaders]
[Preferred Qualifications: Real-world combat experience, Top-tier ranking]
The goal of the experience program perfectly aligned with where I was now.
In the end, I had to become a leader.
It was an attractive choice.
The preferred qualifications were also real combat experience and being in the top tier.
That meant they weren’t just looking at rankings.
To exaggerate a little, it was as if the notice had been written for me.
And then—
Knock knock.
Someone lightly tapped my shoulder.
I turned my head.
There stood Kang Arin with a confident expression.
“Jung Haein.”
It was Kang Arin.
It might have been the first time she ever spoke to me first in front of so many students.
As she approached me, the entire classroom’s attention subtly shifted toward us.
That was how much influence she had.
I could guess now why she hadn’t talked to me directly at school even after what happened on Baekdu Mountain.
Kang Arin smiled faintly and whispered close to my ear.
“I believe we had a deal.”
A sweet voice. I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
The watch screen was still on. My finger hovered above the ‘select’ button.
Then, she gently wrapped her arm around mine, and overlapped her finger with mine.
And just like that, slowly, she pressed it.
[Maengju]
[Application Complete]
I was going to press it anyway, but this way was more fun.
Kang Arin whispered again.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
The corners of her lips curled into a smile, the same playful one as before.
“You’re mine.”
Finishing her words, she turned and walked off with a light, cheerful step, as if nothing had happened.
I stood there blankly, staring at her back.
It had been a while since Baekdu mountain. As expected, I still couldn’t keep up with Kang Arin’s tempo.
Always feels like I’m getting swept up in it.
“… Tsk.”
“……”
Cheon Yeoul, sitting next to me, clicked her tongue.
Yoon Chae-ha, who had been sleeping until just a moment ago, had also sat up, glaring disapprovingly at Kang Arin’s back.
“What was that… just now?”
“Why did Kang Arin…”
The lecture hall quickly filled with murmurs.
At that moment—
Clap.
The professor clapped their hands to draw attention.
“Everyone’s checked their choices, right? Let’s quickly wrap up today’s lecture!”
At the professor’s words, the students nodded as if nothing had happened.
They turned off their watches, flipped open their books, and pretended to focus on the class again.
‘Nice save, professor.’
I thought to myself as I redirected my attention back to the lecture.
***
Late at night.
Yet, the Lotus building was still brightly lit.
The glittering Seoul night view shone through the tall glass windows, reflecting the warm lights of the office above.
Inside the modest yet neatly organized room, Yu Serin quietly stared at a clock.
A clock perfectly synced with Gaon’s server time.
The second hand ticked slowly until it finally reached the 12.
“Hm~”
With that, the application deadline for the internships had ended.
“I wonder how it turned out~”
Humming a tune, Yu Serin stretched out with a yawn.
She extended her arms all the way and then murmured to herself—
Knock knock.
“Yes~ Come in~”
Even past midnight, many offices at Lotus HQ remained lit.
The one knocking was Yu Serin’s secretary.
From inside her coat, she took out a freshly printed document.
“This is the list of internship applicants that just closed.”
It was exactly what Yu Serin had been waiting for.
Slap!
As soon as she received it, Yu Serin began flipping through the pages.
Quickly, and then even faster.
Names, ages, rankings, reasons for applying.
Her eyes scanned lightly but at remarkable speed.
“They say this is the highest number of applicants ever… Some analysts believe it’s because the Vice Guild Leader’s speech left a strong impression on the students.”
The thickness of the paper confirmed that.
But before long, she reached the last page.
After finishing her review, Yu Serin tilted her head slightly.
“He’s not here?”
“Pardon? Who are you referring to…?”
The secretary looked puzzled.
“Hm…”
Yu Serin had only been looking for one person from the beginning.
She spoke plainly.
“Could you pass me that one over there too?”
“Ah, yes.”
The secretary handed over another folder—the list of applicants for Maengju.
For an organization like Lotus, accessing Gaon’s database through information sources wasn’t too difficult.
Yu Serin took the file and slowly flipped through it.
[Jung Haein]
There it was, clearly written.
The student she had been searching for.
“Aha…”
The corners of her lips drooped ever so slightly.
“Kind of… disappointing.”
But that was all.
Rather than disappointment, a curious smile with a hint of amusement spread across her face.
It seemed it wouldn’t be so easy to change his mind in one go.
This was a long-distance race, after all.
Smiling, she stood up from her seat. It was time to get ready to head home.
“Shall we go home—now…?”
As Yoo Serin was speaking to her secretary, she noticed one more file left in her hand.
One for Lotus. One for Maengju.
There shouldn’t have been anything else left for her.
“What’s that one?”
“Oh… it’s just a reference document. I thought I may have overreacted earlier, so…”
“It’s okay. What’s it about?”
The secretary cautiously handed over the file, seeming worried that her judgment might have been meddlesome.
Yu Serin had personally selected this secretary — a capable person, and one of the few within the company she could truly trust.
In other words, she was a loyal member of Serin’s inner circle. No information passed through her should be ignored.
“As of April, there’s been a slightly accelerated personnel reshuffling between the Strategic Planning Office, External Affairs Team, and the Legal Department. On the surface, it’s framed as regular reorganization or rotational assignments, but… it all seems oddly interconnected.”
Serin quietly nodded as she listened.
“I might just be overreacting… but if you get the chance, please take a quick look…”
“No, it’s fine. Leave it with me. I’ll go through it carefully. Great work today~ Take a good rest tomorrow — well, technically today now, huh?”
“Yes. I’ll be heading off then.”
The secretary bowed and exited.
The sound of the door closing. Silence returned.
Yu Serin sat back down and opened the file.
Her previously bright expression slowly faded.
The cover was ordinary.
[Personnel Transfer Changes / Internal and External Affairs Summary – April]
The document was neatly structured.
It read like a well-organized report, with all the reasons for each transfer sounding entirely reasonable.
Normally, she would’ve skimmed through without a second thought.
But something felt… off.
What was this feeling?
Something stuck out — a vague unease lingering between logic and emotion.
Her instincts were warning her.
“Be careful of people.”
That odd statement from a peculiar student suddenly came to mind.
Like a thorn lodged in her thoughts, she couldn’t shake it.
Why did that comment keep resurfacing?
Why?
She was someone who trusted her instincts.
Yu Serin lowered her gaze back to the papers.
One page. Then another. She quietly flipped through.
Each case made sense individually. Each had a valid justification.
But when looked at altogether…
A subtle pattern emerged. A flow.
It felt like internal factions within the organization were slowly encircling something, as if by design.
The placements appeared scattered, but in truth… it was a delicate setup surrounding a central point.
And if they turned against it — at that moment, all their blades would point inward.
And at the very center… was Yu Serin.
“…….”
All these transfers and reassignments had been ultimately approved by Lee Dokyeom — the Guild Master of Lotus.
Everything appeared legal, proper, and procedurally sound.
Unless someone was deliberately paying attention, it would go unnoticed.
It could all just be coincidence.
Yu Serin looked down at the papers.
Then quietly, slowly, she folded them — no, crumpled them in her hand.
“I need to meet him.”
She didn’t know why.
Jung Haein.
She wanted to meet that student one more time.