Silence hung over the waiting room. Everyone’s gaze fixed on one spot.

A boy spewing blades like a porcupine, and a small girl standing boldly in front of him.

The atmosphere was tense, as if something was about to happen any moment.

“Get someone over here, now!”

“Student, calm down!”

The people who had been just watching finally started moving urgently.

Because the situation, which had been just a verbal fight moments ago, had turned dangerous.

In the midst of the growing chaos, Yoo Junsik narrowed his eyes and looked at the Mimic.

A kid two heads shorter than him, boldly puffing out her chest and spouting useless reprimands.

‘Where does she get the nerve.’

‘No bullying’?

In that instant, Yoo Junsik’s gaze turned icy cold.

‘Does she think I’ll go easy on her because she’s young?’

Yoo Junsik knew that type of person well.

Trash of the highest order, acting in their own favor depending on the situation.

That brat was using her looks and age right now.

Petite body, likeable face.

She’d always been loved, and people around her probably fell over themselves to cater to her whims.

Crunch—

That was why Yoo Junsik was furious at the girl.

He had to teach her what happened when you acted out of line.

Yoo Junsik kept the blades bristling from his entire body and reached out his hand.

Clang—clang—clang—

The protruding blades clashed against each other, producing a chilling resonance.

And so Yoo Junsik aimed his palm at the girl and used his Trait.

A sharp whistle—

In an instant, a blade of razor-edged steel shot from Yoo Junsik’s hand.

“Eeek!”

“Someone stop him!”

The onlookers screamed at the sight, but the blade didn’t stop.

A wet slice—

Without a hint of hesitation, the keen edge grazed the girl’s small cheek and buried itself into the wall with a thud.

“STOP!!!”

The Association employee burst through the door with a clatter, but the damage was already done.

“…”

Dozens of eyes fixed on the girl.

Her long hair hid her face, but everyone was certain of it.

That blade had just torn her face open—a truly gut-churning scene.

A heavy silence fell.

Pattering—

Something dropped at the girl’s feet.

Everyone in the waiting room watched it fall.

‘…’

It wasn’t blood.

A long lock of hair. And a red ribbon.

For a moment, the girl’s face was shadowed, her expression unreadable.

“Don’t move! Keep your hands flat and get on the ground!”

The Association employee shouted at Yoo Junsik, the one behind it all.

But Junsik didn’t hear a word.

‘…’

He just stared straight ahead, swallowed dry spit, and kept his eyes on the girl.

And then—the blade that had struck her cheek began to crack. Shatter. Fall apart in a cascade of fragments.

“No way…”

The blade had definitely hit her face. But there wasn’t a scratch on her. Instead, his own weapon had crumbled.

The moment Yoo Junsik felt real terror at the impossible sight—

“You’re a bad person.”

The girl twisted her small face into something terrifying.

Whoosh—

Then she conjured a raging flame.

That horrifying fire began to burn everything.

The waiting room’s furniture. Even the tiles.

“Uwaaaa—”

“Everyone get back!!!”

The crowd panicked at the sudden blaze and scrambled to flee.

“Get out now!”

“Eeek!”

Chaos and screams filled the room.

Yoo Junsik felt the scorching heat and stared straight ahead.

His Trait—the one he took such pride in—lay crushed on the ground like a crumpled cracker.

The flame the girl unleashed was so hot it melted the blade down into liquid.

Gulp—

Without realizing it, Junsik looked at the Mimic and, for a moment, looked at himself.

Yoo Junsik had Awakened at fourteen.

His school life, full of bullying, changed overnight.

Everyone trembled and ran from his blades. The kids who’d tormented him—the losers, the weaklings—they pissed themselves and begged on their knees.

So he was confident.

His Trait was Rank A.

He believed he was chosen. Stronger than anyone. He prided himself on it.

‘What the hell is that…’

But then, what was this little girl?

The heat of the flames was impossible. Was that even a valid stat value?

Yoo Junsik felt his legs trembling beyond his control, fear coiling through him like a serpent.

“Stop!!!”

An Association staff member evacuated everyone from the waiting room before stepping inside.

“Aagh!”

The sheer inferno forced his eyes shut.

‘Why is it this hot!’

This place was the waiting room for the academy entrance exam.

A gathering spot for fresh sprouts who hadn’t even entered the Tutorial yet.

And yet this heat casually trampled his resistance stats.

‘Dangerous.’

The staffer made his call in an instant.

If left unchecked, casualties would pile up. He had to handle this fast.

Shiiing—

The man pulled a sword from his Inventory and barked, urgency cracking his voice.

“Stop! You won’t just be disqualified if you don’t!”

Whooosh—

But the heat didn’t subside.

Instead, it blazed fiercer, consuming everything in its path.

‘Return what you received.’

Mimic recalled Ha Gangwoo’s teaching and stretched out a tiny index finger.

Whooosh— The intense flames gathered, compressed, and contracted into a single point.

That blade that had grazed her cheek.

She intended to repay it in kind.

With eyes no one had ever seen on her before—terrifying and cold—Mimic shot a blazing beam of fire.

Ziiing—

Like a laser fired from a cannon, the searing ray split the air, whipping toward Yoo Junsik’s head.

Even a graze would incinerate his skull entirely.

“Uh…”

Yoo Junsik froze, staring at the incoming beam.

No—he didn’t even have time to think.

The moment he registered the ray.

It was already burning everything in front of his eyes.

“P-please… spare me…”

Yoo Junsik whimpered the plea without realizing it. But the beam ignored his request, blazing hotter.

And so Yoo Junsik felt death closing in.

Drip—

He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the end to arrive.

Ziiing—

‘Huh?’

But the pain never came.

Yoo Junsik forced his trembling legs still and cracked his eyes open.

And what he saw—

—was a man standing firm before him.

An Association staffer.

“Ngh!”

The staffer gripped his sword with all his strength and blocked the beam.

Ziiing—

A violent resonance rang along the blade’s edge.

“What the hell is this!”

The man frowned, planting his legs into the ground and pouring strength into them.

Crackle— The sheer force pushed his feet backward, dragging against the floor.

The staffer’s level was 125. He was confident he could outmatch most monsters in raw strength.

Yet that little girl’s skill exceeded even his Strength stat.

Just what kind of Trait allowed her to wield a skill with this much power?

‘That kid is the rumored…’

The staffer strained against Mimic’s skill, barely holding the line.

Crackle—

Thankfully, the skill sputtered and died, the beam extinguishing.

“Hah… hah…”

The employee gasped for air, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

The flames that had blazed from the little girl in front of him dwindled away.

She picked something up off the floor.

‘Ribbon?’

It was a red ribbon.

The little girl slipped the red ribbon into her hair, then looked around with wide, innocent eyes.

All that remained of the waiting room was a layer of black ash.

Seeming flustered by the sight, she fidgeted, pressing her index fingers together.

“Ah! Master said not to be noticed…”

The employee made a judgment call.

‘So it’s calmed down…’

He had a rough idea of what had happened.

Because that’s what the people who called him in had said.

-Some crazy middle schooler is threatening people with their Trait!

If the crazy middle schooler was the kid who’d pissed himself behind him…

Then the girl before him must be the victim.

“Phew…”

After reaching his conclusion, the employee looked down at the sword in his hand.

‘This was expensive.’

His main weapon was glowing red-hot, the metal beginning to melt.

Overwhelming firepower, no doubt about it.

‘Can’t be helped.’

Losing his sword stung, but the employee forced himself to stay calm and focused on damage control.

“Both of you, follow me for now.”

***

“Ah, shit! Why are there so many people here!”

Under a clear sky, a man pushed through the immense crowd and ducked under the caution tape.

His destination was the Dobong District promenade.

Normally, a place this secluded would be deserted.

“One hour left!”

“He’s not showing up. You sure about this?”

“Yeah, I got it from an Association informant. It’s solid.”

The area was so packed there wasn’t a single empty spot to stand.

Cameras and lenses strapped to everyone’s hips gave away their profession.

Scowling, the man strode toward the shimmering Gate ahead.

A pretty woman approached him.

“Welcome. What’s your name, sir?”

“Ah! I’m Joo Chihun.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yoo Ayoung, the party leader for this Gate.”

“Pleasure.”

After exchanging brief pleasantries, Chihun looked outside and asked.

“What’s going on? Why are there so many reporters?”

The press paid attention to Gates, but the crowd gathered here was excessive.

“Mr. Ha Gangwoo is joining this party.”

“Huh? Ha Gangwoo? Who’s that? Oh! That rumored L-Grade Player?”

“Yes.”

“Whoa… no way.”

“We still have plenty of time. I’ll start the briefing once everyone’s here, so please do your personal checks until then.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

With that, Joo Chihun began checking his gear, while Yoo Ayoung picked up a report and lifted her head.

Thump-thump-

‘Why am I so nervous…’

A blue sky. Blazing sunlight. A crowd of reporters packed in around them. The atmosphere was peaceful.

So why?

Ever since arriving here, a creeping unease wouldn’t leave her.

“Ayoung! Say hello.”

Just as Yoo Ayoung was sensing something about the Gate.

Park Junseong, the Gate’s administrator, called out to her.

Yoo Ayoung turned her gaze naturally, and then she could see him.

‘…’

A man grinning at her with his lips curled up, waving a hand.

“Kaguchi Kentaro…”

“Oh~! We meet again.”

The man’s name was Kaguchi Kentaro.

From the way Yoo Ayoung’s expression soured, it was immediately obvious they weren’t on good terms.

The administrator, Park Junseong, oblivious as ever, laughed heartily and rambled on.

“Oh, you two know each other? Great. Mr. Kaguchi will fill Mr. Sang’s spot. Mr. Sang dropped out of this Gate.”

“Ah, is that so.”

Of all people, the replacement for the missing team member had to be Kentaro.

Yoo Ayoung turned her gaze back to the Gate with a resigned expression.

Then Kaguchi Kentaro followed behind her.

“You’re still pretty today. Didn’t you say you had something urgent?”

“Just mind your own business. Please take care of your personal preparations.”

“Ahahaha. Already done. It’s a B-Rank Gate—what’s there to prepare for?”

“Haah…”

As expected, a man impossible to reason with.

Yoo Ayoung ignored Kentaro and stood before the Gate.

The Gate rippled with a blue shimmer, no different from any other.

But what was this feeling? The Association’s Management Department hadn’t said anything unusual, so there should be no anomaly.

‘Is my intuition wrong?’

Yoo Ayoung had a peculiar knack for this kind of thing.

Whenever she felt a foreboding, something bad happened without fail.

And so, as Yoo Ayoung was analyzing the Gate—

“What the hell, one person still hasn’t shown up. It’s that bastard Ha Gangwoo or whatever, right? Did he eat his manners for breakfast? Isn’t it basic common sense to show up an hour before the scheduled time?”

“…”

At Kentaro’s remark, Yoo Ayoung’s eyebrow twitched.

On top of being someone she already disliked, he dared insult Oppa Gangwoo.

For a moment, she wanted to snap back, but Yoo Ayoung held herself back.

As she’d just seen, he was a man impossible to reason with.

“I’ll introduce you to the other party members.”

If she left him by her side like this, it might even affect the Clearing.

Yoo Ayoung resolved to divert Kentaro’s attention elsewhere.

Kentaro was the type who loved to meddle. Especially with pretty women—he couldn’t control himself.

“This is Kaguchi Kentaro, who’s in the same group as me.”

“Hello.”

“Oh~! Hello.”

Sure enough, Kentaro’s gaze shifted the moment he saw the main Healer’s appearance.

“What’s your name? Oh~! It’s pretty too.”

“Haah…”

Yoo Ayoung let out a long sigh as she watched Kentaro swagger around.

‘Kentaro isn’t a bad choice, I suppose.’

Aside from being impossible to talk to and annoyingly cocky, Kentaro’s abilities weren’t bad.

Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, Yoo Ayoung’s gaze fixed on the Gate once more.

Crackle—

In that instant, a black scratch of lightning flashed across the Gate.

“Huh?”

Yoo Ayoung rubbed her eyes and looked at the Gate again.

‘Was I seeing things?’

That black scratch had definitely flickered, but when she looked again, the Gate only rippled with a clear, serene light.

There was no trace of darkness to be found.

***

“Haah… my sword.”

The staff member, who had lost his sword to Mimic’s flames, let out a deep sigh as he entered the testing ground.

“Why are there so many people?”

He glanced around, feeling a sense of wrongness.

The Academy entrance exam was nothing special.

It was a simple test that ended after checking an Awakener’s output and Mana control.

But today was different.

A huge crowd of Players had gathered in the testing grounds, which should have been quiet and sparse.

‘What the hell, all of them.’

And every single face looked familiar.

From senior Seo Hyorin, touted as this year’s rising star, all the way to Ms. Emily Nancy, Rank 9.

‘This is insane…’

The moment he saw them, the staff member knew.

‘It’s because of that kid…’

They were all here to see the kid Ha Gangwoo had taken in—Mik.

‘It doesn’t even make sense.’

The staff member recalled the rumors about Mik.

The rumor that a six-year-old had passed the Job-Change exam, and the rumor that she had obtained a Hidden class through that exam. He had thought they were all nonsense.

But seeing that strength with his own eyes changed his mind.

That flame which burned everything, that ray of light which melted even his own sword. The rumors were nothing but the unexaggerated, plain truth.

‘I’m curious.’

The staff member, now interested in Mimic’s test results, began to walk.

Once all preparations were complete, the staff member picked up the microphone and spoke.

-We will now begin the Academy entrance exam. Examinees number 1 through 10, please enter.

With the instructor’s words as the starting signal, the Academy entrance exam began, drawing everyone’s gaze.