"Hello? Senior. I'm sorry to bother you while you're resting."
"..."
There was no response.
Simon tried again. "We were hoping to use this room together. Would that be alright with you?"
"..."
Still nothing.
Behind him, Rena trembled as she clutched the hem of Simon's clothes.
"L–Let's just go back, Simon. That person is definitely—"
"Oiii."
Knox suddenly spoke up, his tone casual, as if calling out to an old acquaintance.
"Kajann, wakey wakey~ If you don't get up now, I'm not giving you the new wine I managed to get."
The air shifted.
From the gap beneath the blanket, a pair of bloodshot red eyes slowly opened, glaring straight at them.
Rick swallowed hard. Rena staggered back a step.
"...Freshmen." The gaze sharpened.
"And that annoying voice… Knox. Is that you?"
With a rustling sound, the blanket was thrown aside, and a man sat up.
"Today's the entrance ceremony, huh," he muttered. "Guess it's already that time."
He had a lean build, but his muscles were well-defined, honed rather than bulky. His eyes were sharp—dangerously so—and a long scar ran cleanly across his bloodshot right eye, as if someone had sliced straight through it.
His bare upper body was littered with countless smaller scars.
A dangerous man.
That was the first impression shared by everyone in the room.
Everyone—except Knox.
As Kajann stared them down, Rick and Rena instinctively grabbed onto Simon's arms from both sides.
Only then did Simon glance at Knox. "Knox… do you know him?"
"You could say that," Knox replied easily. "We've known each other since we were kids."
Kajann clicked his tongue.
"Leaving that aside, why are you here?" he said, then turned his gaze to Simon.
"And don't call me 'Senior.' I'm a first-year too."
"Ah—then, Mr. Kajann…" Simon began.
"Pfft—" Knox bit back a laugh.
"Mr. Kajann," he repeated under his breath, shoulders shaking.
"Don't," Kajann snapped, shooting Knox an annoyed glare.
"Just call me Kajann."
Eyes sharp enough that no one would doubt he could pull out a knife and cut someone down on the spot. If someone said he was a teenage boy, no one would believe it.
"I don't know how long you guys will last at this school," Kajann said flatly.
"But remember two things." He raised two fingers.
"First, don't meddle in my business."
"Second, don't make noise before I fall asleep."
His gaze flicked toward them. "Once I'm asleep, you can dance, sing, or do whatever you want."
"…Ah! So you're giving us permission?" Simon asked cautiously.
"Permission, whatever," Kajann muttered. "There aren't any vacant rooms anyway. Someone was bound to move in eventually."
Knox's eyes lit up slightly. "Then can I perform music here too?" he asked cheerfully. "With full instruments and everything?"
Kajann sighed. "Even if I say no," he said, voice tinged with resignation, "knowing you, you'll do it anyway."
Knox smiled innocently.
Kajann lay back down, turning his back to them, and pulled the blanket over himself.
The conversation—and the tension—ended just like that.
"..."
A moment later, steady breathing filled the room.
Kajann had already fallen asleep.
Simon and Rick exchanged a glance, then quietly stepped back outside. Rena, the last to leave, carefully closed the door behind her.
"We'll take this room," Knox said to her.
In the end, they settled on Room 409.
Rena looked at them with lingering concern.
"Are you… sure this will be okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine," Knox replied easily. "I know that guy. He just looks fierce on the outside—don't worry~"
Simon nodded in agreement. "I don't think he's actually a bad person."
Rena hesitated, then nodded. She marked a check on her list and slid their nameplate into the holder beside the door.
"Alright, then. Room 409 it is. If anything happens later…" she lowered her voice, "…if he does anything bad to you, tell me right away. I'll report it to the dorm supervisor immediately."
"Okay. Thanks for looking out for us," Simon said sincerely.
Just as Rena turned to leave—
"Wait a minute," Knox called.
She stopped and turned back, only to find Knox holding out a picnic basket.
It was noticeably larger than a normal one.
Before she could ask what it was, a warm, fragrant smell wafted out from inside.
"Please take this, Ms. Rena," Knox said with a smile.
"There's some simple food inside—sandwiches, rolled rice wrapped in seaweed with filling inside, a few croquettes, and some other things."
He tapped the basket lightly.
"And don't worry about the size. It's enchanted with light-weight magic, so it won't feel heavy at all. Please share it with your friends too~"
Rena hesitated. Her eyes flicked to the basket Her nose twitched.
Her eyes told her she should refuse politely.
Her mouth even opened, ready to say something professional and restrained—
But her hands moved first. Almost on their own, they reached out and firmly grabbed the basket.
"…Ah." She froze.
Only then did her brain catch up with what her body had already done.
"…Th–thank you very much!" she said hastily, face reddening as she hugged the basket to her chest.
"I–I'll share this with the others! I'll return the basket later!"
It took visible effort for her to tear herself away, but she eventually bowed deeply and hurried off—her steps light, almost bouncing, clearly betraying just how happy she was.
After parting with Rena, Knox, Simon, and Rick returned to the room and claimed their beds.
Rick chose the one near the door. Simon took the inner bed, closer to Kajann.
Knox picked the empty bed by the window.
Despite the occasional sounds of unpacking, Kajann didn't stir at all—like a corpse.
Only the faint rhythm of his breathing could be heard.
"Is that guy really not going to wake up?"
For some reason, Rick suddenly got bold and dropped a textbook onto the floor.
Thud!
The dull sound echoed through the room.
Kajann didn't even twitch.
He lay there, breathing steadily, completely detached from the world.
"…Wow," Rick muttered.
"He really meant it when he said we could dance or sing once he's asleep."
Knox's eyes lit up.
"Wanna try it?" he asked curiously, already pulling a guitar out of his inventory as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Stop!"
Simon and Rick shouted at the same time.
Knox froze mid-motion, visibly disappointed. "Tch."
"I don't think he's a bad person," Simon said after a moment, glancing toward the sleeping figure.
Rick nodded slowly. "Yeah… just intense."
With the tension finally gone, the two of them finished organizing their belongings.
Knox, meanwhile, sat on his bed, staring at the guitar with faint regret.
I really wanted to try it, he thought.
Like Columbina singing outside Sandrone's room at night—completely innocent, while absolutely ruining her sleep.
"…Anyway," Rick said, clapping his hands once, "Knox, Simon—let's go take a shower. I saw a bathhouse on the second floor on the way up."
"Bathhouse?" Simon tilted his head.
It was Simon's first time in a public bathhouse.
The facility was massive, capable of accommodating over a hundred people at once. From the floors to the walls, everything gleamed with a golden sheen, and warm spring water quietly flowed into the tubs.
Simon stood beneath the shower stream that poured down from the ceiling at the press of a button, then soaked himself in the bubbling hot water, letting the fatigue melt away.
"Ah… this is so good."
Nearby, Knox leaned back comfortably, steam rising around him as he casually sipped on an iced coffee he'd pulled from his inventory.
"Ahh, feels good."
After finishing their bath, the three of them headed out.
With a towel draped loosely around his neck, Simon climbed the stairs wearing an unusually relaxed expression. Rick glanced at him and chuckled.
"You know, you're the first person I've ever seen who looked genuinely shocked by a shower booth. What—did you grow up on a mountain or something?"
"…Close enough," Simon replied, rubbing his still-wet hair with the towel.
Rick laughed. "Still, yelling 'Wow~ Wow~' every time you pressed the button was a bit much, don't you think? Rumors spread fast around here."
"…Did I really go that far?" Simon asked, a bit uneasy.
"It was no joke," Rick said flatly.
Knox grinned. "Yeah, at this rate people might actually believe you're some kind of caveman—or a hermit who hasn't come down from the mountains in years."
Embarrassed, Simon quickened his pace toward the dorm room, leaving Knox and Rick behind, still giggling.
Soon after, the three of them returned to their room.
Kajann was still asleep in the exact same position, as if time itself had frozen around him. Outside the window, the night had fully settled in, pitch-black and quiet.
Feeling drowsy after the bath, Simon lay down on the soft bed.
A satisfied sigh slipped from his lips. It felt like all the happiness in the world was gathered right here.
"Ahhh… I'm really glad I came to Kizen."
Rick chuckled when he heard that.
"Everyone wants to come to Kizen. Of course, whether you get to stay here is another matter. That depends on your grades."
"I heard there are only about three hundred second-years right now," Simon said.
"Yup. We're still in the student protection period, so the professors are going easy on us. But once that's over? Expulsion for low grades. Expulsion for lack of potential. Expulsion for breaking rules," Rick said casually.
"Life at Kizen is pure survival." Knox chimed in, his tone relaxed.
"At Kizen, it's more like survival of the fittest. Considering how they teach here, sitting in class with a black eye—or a nosebleed—is pretty normal. Still, just having 'Kizen' on your resume is already a huge boost for your future."
Rick leaned back, resting his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
"That's true," he said, nodding at Knox.
"If you can survive until the end of your first year, you can go almost anywhere. And if you actually graduate through that insane competition…"
He grinned.
"You basically become one of the movers and shakers of the continent. Anyone without royal blood is fair game. Heck, if you're a Kizen graduate, even a small kingdom might offer you a princess."
Rick glanced sideways at Knox.
"If it's you, I bet some royalty are already eyeing you right now, just waiting to hand over their daughters."
Knox laughed.
"Haha. I'm not interested in that kind of offer. That'd just tie me down."
Simon let out a small laugh.
"That really is you, Knox."
He turned to Rick.
"Do you want to become a noble?"
"Not really," Rick replied.
"Sure, life's easier when people don't look down on you. But that's not my end goal."
"Then what is?" Simon asked.
Rick raised his hand and pinched his fingers together, mimicking a coin.
"This."
"Hoo," Knox said, copying the gesture. "Coincidentally, I have a lot of those."
Then, as if a lightbulb suddenly flicked on above his head, Knox looked at Rick with a smug grin.
"Speaking of money… interested in a business opportunity?"
Rick's eyes lit up instantly.
"A business proposal?!"
He leaned forward. "Coming from you? Details. Now."
Knox waved him off.
"Relax. I'll tell you later—once I'm done preparing."
Inside, Knox added calmly,
Later, when my identity as the pseudo Eighth Legion Commander—the Shadow Monarch—is revealed, I'll open up some business opportunities in the territory for you~
…Not because I'm lazy, of course.
"..."
Simon was completely speechless.
While Rick bombarded Knox with questions about the mysterious business plan, Simon quietly tuned them out. He channeled darkness into the ring on his finger.
The ring turned black.
Simon pulled on an invisible handle.
A subspace opened on the floor, and a boxed skeleton set of an Island Ratman popped out—the class materials he'd purchased from Camellord.
"Oh—whoa, whoa! What was that just now?!" Rick blurted out.
"Subspace," Simon replied simply.
Simon answered briefly as he sat down in front of the skeleton set.
He opened the case and took out the neatly wrapped bones. Running his fingers along their surface, he brought them closer and sniffed lightly. Properly disinfected. Clean. A bone diagram had also been laid out on the floor.
Rick grimaced. "…Class ended ages ago, and you're already studying again?"
"Just felt like it," Simon replied. "I don't want to forget how it felt back then."
The match with Hector during the summoning class.
Too many things had happened all at once. That strange, exhilarating sensation—Simon wanted to experience it again.
He poured Darkness into the magic circle carved inside the skull.
Clack. Clack.
The skull twitched, its jaw knocking against itself.
Undead born from summoning magic recognized the wielder of Darkness as their master.
Simon slowly closed his eyes and began syncing with it. Countless impressions and vague sensations flooded his mind.
This time too… I'll rely only on my instincts.
He assembled the spine, shaped the torso, then connected it to the legs. Bone after bone clicked into place.
Rick watched, mouth slightly open, as Simon worked without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Knox watched Simon the way one might look at someone with a deeply concerning hobby.
A summoning pervert, Knox concluded internally.
"…Done!"
After thirty minutes, Simon successfully recreated the irregular quadrupedal skeleton they had built during class.
However, unlike back then, it took much longer. The skeleton wobbled as it moved, especially around the legs, its gait awkward and unstable.
A problem of focus.
Assembling it in a relaxed environment, free of pressure, simply didn't produce the same results as the classroom.
Still, Simon felt a quiet sense of satisfaction.
And then—
Knox suddenly dragged his own skeleton set over.
Without warning, he dumped the entire thing onto the floor.
Clatter. Clack. Rattle.
Simon and Rick froze, staring at the scattered bones.
For a moment, Knox looked less like a student and more like some shady witch doctor about to divine the future from bones.
Before either of them could ask what he was doing, Knox casually raised his right hand.
His index finger pointed toward the pile of bones—then flipped upward, pointing at the ceiling.
That was all. In the next few seconds, the scattered bones trembled… then rose.
They floated into the air, snapping together one by one with effortless precision.
Clack. Snap. Click.
In mere seconds, a complete quadrupedal skeleton stood where the pile had been.
Rick's jaw dropped so wide it looked like a cat could crawl inside and claim it as a new hiding spot.
Simon, who had been basking in quiet pride just moments ago, felt his expression crack.
Thirty minutes. He'd taken thirty full minutes.
Knox had done it in seconds. With one finger.
Simon stared at the finished skeleton, then slowly turned his gaze toward Knox.
His soul felt like it had just been gently—but firmly—stepped on.
Knox turned to Simon with a smug, extremely punchable grin.
"By the way, Simon," he said lightly, "in case you don't know this technique."
He gestured toward the reassembled skeleton.
"Skeletons formed through summoning magic naturally possess a trait that drives them to restore their original form. The official term is Restoration Force—though in the field, most people just call it Attraction."
Knox tilted his head, still smiling. "Give it a try."
Simon's shattered pride finally jolted him awake.
Watching what Knox had just done, he felt something ignite inside his chest—a quiet but fierce fire.
He gently stroked the skull of the undead.
"…Sorry."
Then, with a flick of his fingers—
Crash!
The skeleton collapsed, its torso breaking apart as bones scattered across the floor.
Simon closed his eyes and focused.
Despite having just bathed, sweat began to trickle down his forehead.
Restore.
The instant Simon snapped his eyes open, the scattered bones shot through the air.
Clack. Snap. Click.
They flew back into place, assembling themselves flawlessly into the skeleton's original form.
What had taken him thirty minutes the first time now took only fifteen seconds.
Knox raised an eyebrow, impressed.
"Not bad," he said. "You just need to remember this feeling. Keep repeating it—once your familiarity improves, the restoration speed will increase naturally."
Simon finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding.
"Yes!"
"…Still," Rick muttered with a breathless laugh, "putting aside whatever Knox just did—which is clearly outside the human realm—what you did was seriously impressive too."
Rick let out a breathless laugh. Then, he who had apparently dozed off without realizing it, rubbed his eyes and sat up.
"You're still at it? Looks like you've really gotten hooked on summoning."
"Yeah," Simon replied honestly. "It's fun."
Knox chuckled softly.
"Practice makes perfect, sure—but too much practice won't do you any good either. Don't forget to sleep, okay~"
"I'll try my best," Simon answered.
Rick yawned and crawled back into bed. Knox also settled down, closing his eyes with a relaxed expression.
Left alone with his thoughts, Simon lay back on his bed.
A small smile crept onto his lips.
"I wish the next class would come sooner."
————————————
Character Voicelines · Knox, Simon, and Rick: About Kajann
Rick: Hm… even after all that noise, he's still able to sleep.
Simon: Still, we should try to keep our voices down if possible…
Knox: Reduce it? What are you talking about? It should be the opposite! (´◕ ω ◕｀)
Simon, Rick:(cold sweat)(・・;) (;￣Д￣)
Knox: How about an orchestra? A rock song? Or maybe… the screech of a chalkboard?
Simon, Rick: STOP! You won't just wake Kajann up, you'll wake up the entire dorm!