Memorize Chapter 217

‘Something feels a bit off.’

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what, but there was an odd vibe in the air. I tilted my head for a moment but quickly turned my attention away as the classroom door opened and the training instructor from the Northern Clan entered.

After exchanging formal greetings, I received thanks from the instructor. He mentioned that they were short on hands lately and appreciated my support, adding some polite remarks about hoping for my help in the future. I responded with a smile, but knowing his words were just empty flattery, I inwardly scoffed.

Once the training began, I decided to thoroughly memorize the faces of the new players. Since I already knew Park Hwan-Hee, I skipped him and focused on recalling the faces of those sitting around him. Based on what I’d heard before, it seemed likely that some of them were involved in his scheme.

I occasionally checked on Baek Hangeol and Cha Yuna, but aside from the initial moment, nothing particularly stood out. They mostly focused on the training, occasionally exchanging smiles, but my gut told me to trust my instincts. The strange, unsettling feeling I’d felt earlier was too vivid to shake off.

“Mercenary Lord, I’m sorry, but I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes? Sure, go ahead.”

The theory session ended, and a short break was given. I was in the middle of using my Third Eye when the instructor’s voice interrupted me. Deactivating my ability, I turned to see a Northern Clan member with an awkward expression.

“Oh, my bad. We haven’t even introduced ourselves. I’m Jang Yoon-Ho, from the Northern Clan, the representative clan of Pamela, a northern general city. I’m just a humble executive, recently promoted to Year 4.”

“I’m Kim Su-Hyeon, Mercenary Clan Lord. Year 0.”

‘Not that I care much.’

I kept my response short. Jang Yoon-Ho gave an awkward smile, sweating profusely as he cautiously continued.

“Haha, the favor is… I was hoping you could help a bit with the next session.”

“With the training?”

“When we had the demonstration, Elegant Puppeteer Na Seung-Hye taught it in a rather complicated way. It’s pretty tough, so the new players are struggling with the practical exercises. When we move to hands-on training, there are more than a few who’ll need one-on-one guidance.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to gather the struggling players for a separate remedial session? With only 38 people, it doesn’t seem like there’d be too many.”

At my suggestion, Jang Yoon-Ho waved his hands exaggeratedly before continuing.

“Well, the thing is, there’s another class right after this one. It’s led by Seong Yu-Bin from the Golden Lion Clan, and attendance is mandatory. Since it’s tied to this training… we’d prefer to avoid remedial sessions if possible.”

“Even so, I’m not too keen on directly participating in the practical training.”

“Oh, no, I’m not asking for much. Since you’ve been through the academy yourself, Mercenary Lord, could you maybe share a tip or two on controlling mana circuits? The theory session took up too much time, so we’re really pressed. If you can help even one person, it’ll save us some time.”

‘What a load of crap.’

I’d already thought the new players were too lax, but the instructors were just as soft. Even if there was a reason, for a supervising instructor—especially a Year 0 player like me—to be asked this was laughable.

Still, giving a couple of tips wasn’t a big deal, so I sighed and nodded.

“Alright, fine. After the break, I’ll start from the left and work my way through.”

“Oh, thank you! That’s a huge relief. Honestly, I’m not a fan of this training method either. Even if it’s efficient…”

Seizing the opportunity, Jang Yoon-Ho started badmouthing Na Seung-Hye’s teaching methods. I let his words go in one ear and out the other, turning my gaze to the players on the left side. There, I saw Baek Hangeol, eyes closed, hands clasped, practicing the process of channeling mana and guiding it through his circuits. He occasionally glanced at Cha Yuna with a bright expression, suggesting he was making some progress.

Shortly after, the break ended, and the practical training based on the theory session began. Jang Yoon-Ho instructed the new players to try controlling their mana and offered to help those struggling. As he moved toward the right side, I slowly headed left. I’d specifically mentioned starting from the left for one reason: Baek Hangeol.

“How’s it going? Anything you’re struggling with?”

“Y-Yes? Oh, no! I’m, uh, doing okay… more or less…”

Approaching and speaking to him, Baek Hangeol responded with a startled expression. I let out a small chuckle at his reaction before lightly placing a hand on his back. Glancing to the side, I saw Jang Yoon-Ho turning away, heading in the opposite direction.

“Uh, uhh?”

“Calm down. Just like you learned, channel your mana and guide it steadily through your circuits.”

As my hand touched him, Baek Hangeol let out a flustered noise but soon began channeling his mana as instructed. I could feel it—a flow that wasn’t particularly smooth. Whether he was trying to hide it or was just nervous, it wasn’t as impressive as I’d expected. I noticed a few stumbles and rough patches.

Gently directing my own mana into him, I whispered softly in his trembling ear.

“Don’t resist. Just let your mana follow the flow I’m guiding.”

“Y-Yes.”

I wasn’t planning to teach him anything extraordinary. He seemed to be hesitating due to the complexity of the circuits, so I intended to tweak the tricky parts slightly, guiding him toward an easier path—just enough to help him through his current struggles.

‘His mana is pure, but he’s so timid.’

It reminded me of stabilizing An Sol’s mana at the Trap Point long ago. As I carefully guided his circuits, something caught my attention.

‘This guy…’

I narrowed my eyes as I felt his flow suddenly pick up speed. At first, his mana had been clumsily following mine through the first loop, but by the second, it began to change. By the third and fourth loops, it was completely different—now surging so powerfully it almost pushed my mana aside. Intrigued, I increased my speed to match.

Glancing at Baek Hangeol’s face, I saw him deeply focused, his expression sunken in concentration. It was almost frightening how intense he was. His mana kept up with my accelerated flow effortlessly, leaving me quietly impressed. Only then did I recall his true name: Heavenly Talent.

After eight loops, I withdrew my mana and saw Baek Hangeol staring at me with a dazed look, clearly wanting more. His innate talent had pulled him into a trance-like state, and waking from it left him visibly reluctant.

“Not bad. You did pretty well.”

Worried about drawing too much attention, I kept my praise vague but patted his head to convey personal approval.

“Thank you!”

“Alright, keep it up. I need to check on the others.”

“W-Wait, Instructor! If I have questions later, can I ask you again?”

“I don’t know if I’ll get the chance. I’m in charge of lifestyle and supervision, not training. Today was an exception. Unless it’s outside training hours…”

I trailed off, leaving the implication hanging. If he wasn’t an idiot, he’d remember my earlier mention of visiting my quarters. Reinforcing my resolve to recruit him no matter what, I calmly turned and moved toward another player, feeling a sharp gaze—likely Park Hwan-Hee’s—piercing me from somewhere.

*

Whether it was the guidance paying off or the frequent encounters (which I’d intentionally arranged), Baek Hangeol was definitely starting to recognize me. I subtly emphasized our shared Year 0 status and Secret Class, treating him like a younger brother. My plan was to build rapport gradually.

Still, I made an effort to maintain the proper boundaries between instructor and new player. Instead of always approaching him, I needed him to come to me. That distance was his to close. My strategy for Baek Hangeol was to create an atmosphere where he could trust and open up to me fully.

While advancing the recruitment plan, I also attended to newly added tasks. Until now, I’d focused on supervision, but I drastically increased my involvement in lifestyle duties. To monitor the new players’ activities, it was far easier to be in the dorms than tied up with training.

In this regard, I didn’t target Park Hwan-Hee directly. There was a reason I’d memorized the faces of the players sitting near him during Jang Yoon-Ho’s session. Though I’d only caught a faint hint of something, Park Hwan-Hee had managed to evade my notice for two whole weeks while advancing his plan. He was cautious, so rather than focusing on him, I figured I’d catch something by observing those around him. This approach was also less likely to be noticed.

And soon enough, an opportunity arose to prove my suspicions right.

After the day’s training ended and personal maintenance time began, I spotted a familiar new player cautiously glancing around while walking during my dorm patrol. She was definitely one of those sitting near Park Hwan-Hee. I immediately halted my patrol and followed her.

Soon, she entered the dorms and emerged with another woman—none other than Cha Yuna. They whispered briefly outside, with Cha Yuna mostly listening. After nodding once, as if she’d heard everything, Cha Yuna didn’t return to the dorms but started walking down the hallway.

Recalling how she’d looked at Park Hwan-Hee during training, I’d been keeping an eye on her, and now I’d caught her. I began tailing her.

As I followed, an odd sense of déjà vu hit me. It felt like she was heading somewhere secluded, yet the surroundings seemed strangely familiar.

When Cha Yuna finally stopped, I realized the source of that déjà vu. She’d arrived at the place I’d dubbed the Easter Egg.

‘Damn it. I thought I was the only one who knew about this spot.’

Muttering to myself, I silenced my presence and slipped inside. A Year 0 player like me, deliberately hiding, wouldn’t be easily spotted, but I couldn’t let my guard down. Climbing silently onto a thick tree branch, I looked down and saw Cha Yuna, who had already entered, standing in front of a man. As expected, it was Park Hwan-Hee.

He flashed a bright smile and mumbled something to Cha Yuna. I quickly sharpened my hearing.

“Hey, Yuna, you came. Haha, I was waiting for you. Thanks for showing up.”

“Why’d you call me here?”

“Huh? Oh, don’t be so defensive. We’re on the same boat now…”

“You’re misunderstanding something.”

Cha Yuna shot him a fierce glare as she spoke. Seeing Park Hwan-Hee hesitate as he approached, she continued in a sharp tone.

“I helped you and gave you information about Hangeol, but it wasn’t for your sake. It was for me and Hangeol. I don’t care if we’re in this together or whatever, but I’d appreciate it if you stopped getting any closer.”

“Ouch, I’m still getting the cold shoulder, huh?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Considering what you did, don’t you think a single slap was too lenient?”

At her biting words, Park Hwan-Hee rubbed his right cheek. Letting out a deep sigh, he adopted a serious expression and spoke.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Your apologies don’t sound sincere at all. And why drag me out here when you could’ve just talked to me directly?”

“No, no weird intentions. We still need to keep this secret, so I thought it’d be better to talk somewhere private. And…”

“And?”

At Cha Yuna’s sharp retort, Park Hwan-Hee scratched his head for a moment. Then, with a slightly deflated expression, he continued.

“I didn’t want to make Hangeol more anxious. He’d probably worry if he saw us meeting like this.”

‘He’s got quite the silver tongue. And his acting’s top-notch.’

Comparing what Park Hwan-Hee was saying now to his earlier conversation with Baek Hangeol, I couldn’t help but smirk. Intrigued, I focused even more on their exchange. It seemed his act was working, as Cha Yuna blinked in surprise, looking caught off guard.

“Hangeol relies on you a lot, Yuna. He already doesn’t trust me, so I didn’t want to give him any reason to misunderstand.”

“Hmph, if that’s really the case, fine. Just tell me why you called me here.”

Though she still sounded curt, her tone had softened considerably compared to the start. Park Hwan-Hee shifted from a dejected look to a faint smile.

“It’s not a big deal. I told you most of the plan last time, right?”

“Yeah. I agreed to hear it out first in exchange for giving you Hangeol’s info.”

“Right. Well, there’s a bit of a problem with that plan.”

“A problem…? Don’t tell me it’s Hangeol?”

Instead of answering, Park Hwan-Hee nodded heavily, then began explaining the issue with an earnest expression. It wasn’t anything new—he said he’d told Hangeol about the plan, but Hangeol didn’t trust him and refused to join. Having witnessed that fiasco myself, I found his explanation tedious and repetitive.

“I even told him you shared his info with me.”

“You did? But he wouldn’t believe it. Said his noona would never do that.”

“Tch, that idiot. I knew something felt off with him lately.”

“Huh? What’s off?”

Park Hwan-Hee’s eyes lit up as he quickly pressed her. But Cha Yuna shook her head, furrowing her brow.

“Nothing big. He’s just been talking about some instructor a lot… Anyway, what’s your plan now?”

“I’m not sure. It’s mostly my fault, but seeing him reject me so strongly was a bit of a shock. I feel bad and don’t know what to do. I really don’t know how to move forward… Sigh.”

Park Hwan-Hee drooped his shoulders with a genuinely regretful look. A brief silence followed. Cha Yuna glanced at him intermittently before speaking cautiously.

“Should I… talk to him?”

“R-Really? You’d do that?”

“Eek, eek!”

As if he’d been waiting for that response, Park Hwan-Hee jumped up and grabbed her shoulders. Cha Yuna let out a startled scream, and he quickly let go, flustered, muttering, “Oh, shoot.” Notably, though she flinched, she didn’t push his hands away.

“I told you not to get close!”

“S-Sorry!”

“You can’t just grab me like that…! You scared me…”

“I-I didn’t mean to. I was just so happy. My bad, haha.”

‘This isn’t their first meeting, is it? I knew I was onto something.’

Cha Yuna bit her lip and looked away, perhaps finding Park Hwan-Hee’s beaming smile overwhelming. Her neck was slightly flushed. Whether he noticed or not, he spoke again, his voice even more earnest.

“Heh, thanks. But I’ll talk to him again myself.”

“What? You said he doesn’t trust you. Even after all that…”

“Yeah, but since I caused this, I want to earn his trust back myself. If I sincerely apologize and show my honesty, I think Hangeol will come around. He’s got a good heart, like you, Yuna. So, will you give me one more chance?”

“W-What are you saying all of a sudden? Do whatever you want! Just don’t come crying to me later.”

Cha Yuna, who had barely been holding her composure, was visibly crumbling since he grabbed her shoulders. Unable to withstand Park Hwan-Hee’s intense gaze, she muttered, “If you’ve got nothing else to say, I’m leaving,” before turning and walking away. But her steps carried a strange wobble.

“Sigh.”

As Cha Yuna disappeared into the distance, a heavy sigh echoed through the Easter Egg. Looking down again, I saw Park Hwan-Hee with an expression completely different from the one he’d shown during their conversation.

The slight smirk on his lips was unmistakably laced with malice.