NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: Dash
"Who's Eve? And how did this number even end up on my phone?"
'Technically, it's not even my phone, but it showed up in my bag, so I guess it's mine now.'
Staring at my phone as it buzzed insistently, I hesitated for a few seconds before finally picking up the call.
"Hell—"
[WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU IDIOT?!]
'Argh... my ears!'
The voice on the other end was female—soft yet utterly horrifying. My poor ears couldn't handle her shouting.
"H-Huh?"
[IT'S BEEN 10 MINUTES! I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE LIKE A FOOL! ARE YOU LOST OR WHAT?!]
"Uh... I mean..."
I glanced around the corridor, looking for some clue about my location, before bringing the phone back to my ear.
.
.
.
"Yeah, I think I'm lost..."
[AND DON'T YOU EVEN DARE LEAVE ME HANGING WITH THAT SILENCE AGAIN!]
The voice on the phone let out an exasperated sigh, clearly fed up with my incompetence.
[It's only your second day at the academy! How could you not know where the cafeteria is? Fine, tell me where you are right now!]
"Uh..."
Once again, I glanced around, hoping to spot some sort of landmark to help identify my location.
"I'm... in front of Room B-15."
[...]
"...What?"
[YOU'RE STILL ON THE SECOND FLOOR?!]
"Yeah, but why—"
That's when it hit me. I'm such an idiot. The cafeteria was on the first floor...
"Oh, haha, I guess I'm a bit absentminded sometimes—"
[...]
The call abruptly ended before I could even finish my sentence. She hung up on me.
"Seriously... Who is this girl? And how can I be dumb enough to forget where the cafeteria is?!"
---
It took me a few more minutes of wandering, but I eventually found the cafeteria. Finally, I was standing in front of it.
Thankfully, it was still bustling with students.
My stomach growled loudly as I walked past rows of students, all enjoying their meals. My eyes locked onto their trays, piled high with delicious food.
"Oh, I'm starving…"
I clutched my stomach as hunger pangs tore through me.
"There you are, idiot!"
Suddenly, I felt a heavy blow to the back of my head, as if I'd been struck by a sledgehammer.
"OW!"
'What the hell is this strength?!'
I spun around to confront my attacker, and it was... a girl.
She bore an uncanny resemblance to me—deep blue eyes that seemed to pierce through my soul, ordinary black hair, and a striking butterfly-shaped hairpin adorning her head.
'This girl... she's...'
"Seriously, Sugil! How do you get lost on the second floor when you *know* the cafeteria is... HERE!"
She landed another blow on my head, and my entire body shook.
"OW! H-Hey, aren't you—"
"No time for explanations! Come on!"
Before I could say another word, she grabbed me by the collar and started dragging me across the cafeteria.
All eyes were on us.
As she dragged me along, I had just enough time to process everything in my head.
'Kim Arrieta Eve. In the three years she spent at SERA, she wasn't particularly remarkable when it came to magic. But when it came to swordsmanship? She was one of the academy's finest and, later on, became a top-tier professional hunter—a Rank A powerhouse from Jarion VI.'
'I forgot about her because she disappeared from the novel after the first thousand chapters.'
But that wasn't the most shocking part. The real revelation was...
I hadn't just been transported into this world.
I'd become a character.
And that character was Eve's younger brother, Kim Arrieta Marcus.
Marcus wasn't extraordinary in any way—no incredible strength, no vast array of spells, not even a significant mana reserve. He barely passed the academy's entrance exams and became a target for bullying...
...just like...
'No. Forget it. What matters now is—'
"What's with this feast?!"
In front of me was an absurdly large spread of food. How was this even possible? Eve didn't come from a wealthy family, so how could she afford all this?
Not that I cared. The only thing on my mind was eating!
I devoured everything in front of me without hesitation, hunger driving every bite.
"Sugil... I've never seen you eat like this before," Eve said, watching me in astonishment.
"Mmph... You... don't... gulp... understand... what it's like... to die of hunger!"
"Don't talk with your mouth full, idiot. You never do this."
I paused for a moment, swallowing the last bite of food, and turned to look at my supposed sister.
Just as I opened my mouth to ask her something, the bell rang.
"What?! Already?!"
"Yup, little brother!"
She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped my mouth, her actions somehow both tender and violent.
---
"All right, Sugil. When classes are over, go straight to your dorm. And when I call you at 6 PM, meet me at the school gate. Got it?"
I nodded obediently, even though I had no idea what she was planning.
"Great! See you later!"
"Yeah... see you."
I watched her walk off toward her classroom, and now that I was alone in an empty hallway :
"System!"
The familiar interface appeared before my eyes.
[Player: Kim Sugil]
[Age: 16]
[Hunter Rank: F]
[Title: None]
[Character Description: A simple student—]
[Stats:
STR: Rank-F
INT: Rank-F
END: Rank-F
AGI: Rank-F
CHA: Rank-F
]
[Cards: 1
"Blue Flames: Description:
In the shadow of night, a fire ignites,
Blue as the sky, the radiant light of a star.
They dance, wild, like freed souls,
Consuming everything, even sound.
The user stands tall, summoning fate,
Hands raised, defying divine weight.
But the beauty they wield hides a cruel price,
For blue flames are chains of eternal ice." ]
[Attribute: Fire Element Variant]
[Mana Cost: 14 pts]
"..."
"'A simple student? What a joke…"
Unfortunately, the system didn't reveal anything else about my abilities, which meant I hadn't inherited Marcus's signature skill.
Still, on a whim, I tried scrolling up the system window, hoping for more information.
To my surprise, I found exactly what I was looking for.
[Character Abilities:
Dash: A rapid movement technique allowing the character to leap a short distance instantly. Perfect for dodging attacks, surprising an enemy, or clearing an obstacle.]
"Bingo!"
[Quest: Reach Level 5 during the entrance exam
Rewards: New card abilities of 1 or 2 stars, gain points in STR and END.
Failure to complete the quest within the time limit will result in penalties for the next 10 days. Quest difficulty: RANK F.]