The academy is bright even at midnight.
Like any other school, the lights in the rooms of students studying, professors conducting research, and teaching assistants never go out.
However, the story changes once you step outside the campus grounds.
"This place is completely rural, isn't it? There's no paved road, no streetlights. It's like there's no trace of human presence at all."
"This area is used for participatory lectures during hunting classes. Judging by your reaction, it seems your class hasn't done it yet."
Lee Ji-han looked around.
A field with no trace of civilization in sight.
Who would have thought such a place existed within the Seven Stars campus?
It was my first time seeing it.
I had heard that Seven Stars had various environments set up for its systematic curriculum.
But most of those places are difficult for students to venture into alone.
Places like this, with little human presence, can easily lead to accidents.
"Alright, everyone. Stop chatting. Did you all bring the items we agreed on?"
After a brief moment of the kids chattering, I clapped my hands and spoke.
The students then pulled out the items they had prepared beforehand.
Bottled water, flashlights, and self-defense weapons for emergencies emerged from their bags. Lee Ji-han, Seo Yerin, and Seong Yeon-hwa each brought training weapons provided by Seven Stars—hand axes, spears, and swords made of special synthetic resin. In short, plastic weapons.
Noh Yura had a pistol loaded with rubber bullets, while Isabelle stood with her arms crossed, empty-handed.
And then there was Isis...
"—Are you going to war or something?"
"Well, you never know when or where a ghost might attack. I thought it was best to be fully prepared."
"Isn't that a bit too much...?"
Isis was over-armed.
In her hand was a wooden staff that amplified magic.
In an emergency, it could also serve as a blunt weapon, but it seemed insufficient to calm her paranoia.
Two pistols were holstered on her thighs, ready to be drawn.
Military-grade daggers hidden throughout her uniform.
Even smoke grenades and flashbangs hung from her waist. To top it off, the lid of a camouflage cream peeked out from her pocket.
Where on earth did she get all that?
"Why are you staring at me like that? Did I do something wrong?"
"...I just think you might have over-prepared."
"I didn't think it was that much..."
"Yeah, you look like you're ready to dive into a dungeon right now."
At my response, Isis glanced over her body.
Looking at the weapons she had equipped, she tilted her head in confusion.
"In Russia, everyone does this. Is there a problem?"
"Ah..."
Finally, the mystery was solved.
If her homeland is the land of bears, it makes sense.
Decorating her entire body with weapons is just a girlish thing to do in a country where people regulate their body temperature with whiskey and raise bears like puppies.
But one thing bothered me.
If she went to such lengths to arm herself, she should have brought a gas mask.
Why did she bring camouflage cream but not a gas mask?
"By the way, don't you have a gas mask?"
"A gas mask? Why would I need that? Is it something useful?"
"Of course it's useful. A gas mask enchanted with purification magic can protect against chemical weapons or toxic gases that infiltrate through the respiratory system."
Toxic gases and chemical weapons can be handled by a supporter's purification abilities.
But given her meticulousness in even bringing camouflage cream, I thought she would have prepared a gas mask as well.
To my question, Isis replied.
"I can just freeze the gas."
Psssh—!
A white frost formed on her hand.
At the same time, a chilling cold spread through the air.
The startled students backed away from her.
Even I, who had been carefully observing Isis's hand and the flow of her magic, instinctively stepped back from the sudden extreme cold.
The cold that swept over us was far more intense than the amount of magic she had used.
It was so cold that the weeds in the field froze solid.
An efficiency that far exceeded expectations.
As expected, even an unnamed extra at Seven Stars is still a Seven Stars student.
'She's definitely talented.'
She may not match the main characters, but she's undoubtedly talented in her own field.
With proper training, she could shine brightly.
Thinking that, I felt the weight of my role and today's courage training.
My role isn't just to guide them as a teacher, but to help them resist the predetermined scenario.
If they grow well, these young pups might even stand against villains in place of the protagonist.
This is the first step toward that.
It's not as grand as taking the first step or buttoning the first button.
But it's a perfect opportunity to see how they react in crises, fear, and situations, and how they come together as a team.
I'll do my best.
"I see. With that level of skill, you wouldn't need a gas mask."
"Yeah, freezing is my specialty. Weapons or gases in spray form can't harm me."
"Still, when you're working with your team, you shouldn't recklessly release cold air."
"Oh, is that so?"
Of course it is. What are you even asking?
Isis's cold is so intense that even I, who was drafted into war in the middle of winter with nothing but my bare body, felt my skin sting.
If it's like this for me, how much worse would it be for students who aren't used to such stimuli?
Creak—!
Like a stiff wooden doll turning its head, she looked back. There, students were rubbing their hands, trying to warm themselves.
When they met Isis's gaze, they looked flustered.
It seemed she hadn't realized how her cold felt to others.
"In... in Russia, no one ever said they were cold..."
She mentioned that place again.
No, Russia isn't a country full of superhumans. What kind of environment did she grow up in?
I wanted to ask, but I kept my mouth shut.
Not because of me, but because the kids asked first.
"Wow, so Russians can withstand that level of cold?"
"Well... at least the people I've seen could."
"That's amazing. Is it because of the environment and culture?"
"I don't think it's about environment or culture..."
The kids chatted among themselves.
The atmosphere was definitely more relaxed than before.
This alone made the courage training worthwhile.
But since it's courage training, we need to go deeper.
"Alright, let's head in."
I led the students deeper into the canyon.
The sound of seven pairs of footsteps echoed clearly on the dirt ground, full of fearless energy.
***
Step, step.
The sound of footsteps spread through the midnight valley.
A time so late that even insects weren't chirping.
In the darkness, a pair of large eyes stared intently at the unexpected noise.
"This is more serious than I thought. Are ghosts really going to pop out?"
"T-teacher! Why would you say something like that?"
"Haha, Ji-han. You're a guy, and you're scared of ghosts?"
"I-I'm not scared of ghosts or anything."
'It' blinked its large eyes, piercing through the darkness.
Perhaps because of the distance, the face of the other party wasn't visible.
It scanned the surroundings, on high alert.
Could it be that the monster from the cabin had come down?
A humanoid monster that, despite its human form, could tear apart a beast larger than itself with its bare hands. Just facing it was enough to feel immense fatigue.
"..."
But the footsteps sounded too light for that.
I think its name was Tiger. Though I only saw it once, her build was extraordinary.
In contrast, the people in the valley now seemed to be of smaller stature.
If so, that's a relief.
I might not be able to handle that monster, but scaring off students shouldn't be too hard. Before startling the students, 'it' decided to observe from a distance.
Just to eliminate any unforeseen variables.
"...?"
Something felt off.
...The footsteps didn't match.
There were seven presences, but only six sets of footsteps.
What's going on?
'It' blinked its large eyes, doubting its own ears and eyes.
One of them must be wrong.
But which one is correct, and which one is wrong?
No matter how much it doubted, it only heard six footsteps, but sensed seven presences.
"...!"
So 'it' pushed its vision to the limit.
It thought that by scrutinizing carefully, it could figure out what was wrong.
The answer came simply.
There were seven intruders.
Six of them were wearing school uniforms, while the other was dressed in a suit. Frowning at the odd attire, 'it' realized something was very wrong.
First, the back and top of the man in the suit felt off.
'Its' vision, expanded to the limit, was specialized in unraveling mysteries.
But no matter how much 'it' scrutinized with its large eyes, it couldn't see what was off about the man. It was as if his hidden something had merged with the dark surroundings.
"..."
Reluctantly, 'it' pushed its vision even further.
The strain on its large eyes was starting to show, but gathering information to eliminate variables was essential.
So, with tears of blood streaming from its eyes, 'it' fixed its gaze on the man's head and back.
"...!"
The veil was lifted.
They were fluffy, appearing to be extensions of the man's body.
But judging by the texture, they were animal fur.
Black fox fur, to be precise.
"...A fox. A black fox."
Black and Fox. An unusual combination.
Under normal circumstances, 'it' wouldn't have paid much attention.
But for some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease washed over 'it' upon seeing that fox.
It felt like 'it' shouldn't allow his entry.
The faint unease was enough to act on.
Having decided to move, 'it' sprang into action.
Until now, 'it' had never moved from this spot. Even when 'it' did move, the focus was on scaring the intruders and making them flee.
But today was different.
That fox needed to be dealt with immediately.
There was no basis for it. 'It' just instinctively felt an inexplicable sense of danger from the man.
The only basis 'it' could think of was the footsteps.
The man's footsteps were completely silent, as if muted.
Could it be the footsteps of an assassin trained to the extreme?
Though 'it' had never seen an assassin, 'it' suddenly thought of one.
"—The canyon? It'll take about 20 more minutes to get there."
"You know it well. You must be interested in the academy's geography."
"Well, if you take photos of unique places like this and post them on SNS, you can get a lot of attention."
The noisy chatter.
Amidst the noise, the footsteps were barely audible.
Slipping in quietly, 'it' began to move slowly.
Step, step.
The sound of footsteps on dirt, with a small set of footprints added.
Before anyone noticed, the number of footsteps increased from six to seven.
Since there were seven people, no one suspected a thing.
***
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