Chapter 1. Surviving as an F-Rank Healer (4)
“I pledge, before the proud Taegeukgi…”
The freshman representative, Lee Haesol, read out the familiar oath.
Even after surviving an apocalypse, hearing the exact same words stirred a strange sense of nostalgia.
She was in Class 8 too.
With a calm, socially appropriate smile, I looked at the future S-rank—someone who would accompany the protagonist all the way to the ninth dungeon.
Knowing how brutal the road ahead was for her, her bright, sparkling presence felt more pitiful than admirable, especially compared to Frank Jin Hari.
Even now, she was the class representative while also being stuck in a class full of troublemakers.
Wasn’t it because of a curse?
A curse that healing potions couldn’t remove.
I know what it takes to fix it, but Yoo Hanseong will probably handle that soon enough.
I took my eyes off her and scanned the faces of Class 8.
Mostly the ones who survived past finals in the original story.
That one’s probably Hyun Iseo.
The kid two seats diagonally behind me, hair covering half his face, muttering to himself.
And that’s Gong Seoyoon.
Unless there was another idiot who got dragged out by the ear for chatting during the entrance ceremony.
I also immediately recognized Yoohee, who would later cause an accident in a practice dungeon, get rescued, and become one of Yoo Hanseong’s most loyal subordinates.
They said she looked like an angel… Yeah, she really does look like a romance-fantasy saintess.
None of them were S-rank yet, but once they met the protagonist’s “fate,” they’d all reach S-rank within a year.
I deliberately avoided looking at the others.
Most of them were going to die this year.
It hurt too much to look.
I’ve got my own problems to worry about.
Then, at the edge of my vision, someone naturally caught my eye.
…Ah.
A boy in Class 8, quietly watching Lee Haesol.
His deep black hair looked like a star-filled night sky.
His clean, pale skin—like that of a noble young master—made his perfectly balanced features stand out even more.
My mouth fell open slightly.
Is this for real?
The protagonist’s trait was “handsome,” right?
The original novel was mostly written from his perspective, focusing on raising S-ranks, so his appearance was rarely described directly.
But the reactions of people around him confirmed it as canon.
Plenty of students, even from other classes, were already staring at him.
I didn’t need to check his name tag.
That was Yoo Hanseong.
Strangely enough, seeing his dazzling looks actually helped me relax.
Perfect for keeping emotional distance.
Any “happy-go-lucky possession protagonist” nonsense wasn’t going to happen in my life.
And I’d worried I might sympathize too much with the protagonist since I knew the story—but no.
I tend to feel distant toward people who are too good-looking.
Great.
Staying somewhere between an outsider and a social butterfly, surviving the final dungeon didn’t seem impossible.
People would look down on me anyway.
If anything, being openly kind would balance things out.
Especially with the protagonist.
That guy only cared about people with S-rank potential.
Alright. Let’s begin.
I’d let everyone get just used enough to me.
If I could reach the point where my death wouldn’t feel “acceptable”—
Maybe they’d even become customers at my potion shop after graduation.
The entrance ceremony ended.
Now the main issue is potion practice.
As we left the auditorium and followed the teachers to the classroom, my head was already full of thoughts about secretly training potion-making.
I’ll have to grind like crazy. But will I even be able to borrow a practice room?
I didn’t realize it then.
That my idea of “keeping things moderate,” shaped by modern life.
was anything but moderate to future hunters raised in this brutal world.
***
To maintain a “moderate” presence, I needed to manage two things.
First: my first impression.
“……”
An F-rank already stood out in a bad way.
On top of that, I was about to start making potions nonstop—and depending on how that looked, it could make me stand out even more.
So I needed to manage my image in advance.
As gentle and harmless as possible.
Cut off malicious interpretations at the source.
Sure, the upperclassmen I’d overheard earlier would spread rumors about me being an incompetent, lazy F-rank—but that worked as a shield against S-ranks suddenly dragging me into things.
Still, to keep those rumors from turning truly hostile, I needed to appear harmless personality-wise.
That helps me survive too.
Also, Jin Hari’s appearance was… kind of like a romance-fantasy villainess.
If she smiled, she looked like a puppy.
But when expressionless, she gave off a cold, intimidating vibe.
Compared to the main cast, she’s not insanely beautiful, so it’s not like looks alone will earn me points.
So: kindness, all the way.
From the moment we started walking to the classroom, I carefully managed my expression and aura.
A naturally lifted smile.
Relaxed brows.
I entered the classroom with a faint smile permanently equipped.
Right then, the protagonist passed by and muttered,
“…Some things never change.”
I kept my eyes unfocused and fought off the wave of secondhand embarrassment.
Do you know what he meant?
The underachiever class still has an old classroom, just like before.
It looked normal to me.
But in the novel, other classrooms were decorated as extravagantly as those themed subway stations.
I’d check them out later.
Anyway, reacting now would be a disaster.
I almost turned to look at him, but barely restrained myself and kept walking—
In the opposite direction.
Today of all days, I can’t even make eye contact.
The novel described the protagonist’s first day after regression in great detail.
And almost without exception, anyone who caught his attention at this timing—main or supporting—got dragged into his events.
Just like the original Jin Hari.
Though being F-rank already puts me on his bad side.
At least, before regression, Yoo Hanseong had been in a different class, so he didn’t know Jin Hari well.
That was my small mercy.
So today, I decided to act as defensively as possible.
The protagonist’s seat was always the far left by the window.
Even after advancing grades, he always sat there.
I chose the seat diagonally opposite—front row, far right.
Edge to edge.
Close enough to toss a potion if needed.
Far enough to fade into the background.
Once seated, I glanced around.
Everyone still seemed awkward, carefully watching each other.
So I discreetly observed everyone, including the protagonist.
Awakener Academy classes were small—twelve students per class, ten classes total.
Only our class had thirteen students, because it was the “leftovers” class.
They’re all flashy-looking.
As levels increased, so did the attractiveness stat, making awakeners generally good-looking.
Even starting below average, they improved.
Class 8 wasn’t full of useless people—just troublemakers—so there were no other F-ranks besides me.
Everyone looked decent.
And Jin Hari was naturally pretty to begin with, so her base charm stat is high.
Whenever my eyes met someone else’s, I gave a subtle nod.
While doing that, I kept glancing toward the protagonist.
He was staring out the window, looking serious.
I can guess what he’s thinking.
Probably evaluating the S-rank seeds in this class.
In the novel, this class existed to show his tendency to gather promising S-ranks.
He was unusually kind to these “leftovers” because they all had potential.
Except Jin Hari.
Basically, the whole class was on track to become some kind of Avengers team.
Ah… one of them needs to be removed from the early protagonist team.
I recalled the plot as I casually scanned the room.
The gloomy Lee Sanghee would later kill a C-rank student by luring them into a trap, repent, and then become the protagonist’s yandere girlfriend.
With her, “moderate distance” isn’t enough—I must never get involved.
She didn’t know I was F-rank yet, so she avoided my gaze for now.
But once she found out, who knew what she’d do?
Stay alert.
Always.
