The university café was crowded that afternoon.
Students filled the tables, talking loudly about classes, dorms, and the future. The smell of coffee drifted through the air.
Jin sat near the window.
Across from him sat Emily Turner. Pink hair. Bright eyes. A cup of coffee in her hands.
They had bumped into each other earlier when both of their phones received the same university notification:
First Training Session — Tomorrow Morning.
Emily leaned back in her chair.
"Training already?" she said. "I thought the first week would be boring lectures."
Jin glanced at his phone again.
Practical Field Training — Attendance Mandatory.
He sighed.
"First day and they're already throwing us into training."
Emily smiled.
"You don't sound excited."
"I came here to live a normal life," Jin replied.
She laughed.
"I heard that during your introduction. You chose the wrong university for that."
Jin didn't answer. He took another slow sip of coffee.
Emily tilted her head.
"Still… it might be fun."
Jin raised an eyebrow.
"Falling into a death pit full of monsters?"
"Exactly." She grinned. "You have to admit that's not normal."
Jin exhaled quietly.
"…Fair point."
Later that night, the campus had grown quiet.
Most students were already inside their dorms.
Jin walked down a long hallway, checking his phone.
Room 217. That was what the system said.
But the numbers on the doors didn't make sense.
He stopped. Looked at the next door.
Frowned.
"Why does a building with rooms in the 1900s have room 217?"
He slowly turned around.
The hallway stretched behind him.
"…Great."
At the end of the corridor sat a security guard behind a small desk.
Jin walked over.
"Excuse me."
The guard looked up.
"Yes?"
"I'm trying to find room 217."
The guard raised an eyebrow.
"In this building?"
"Yes."
The guard studied him for a moment.
"Did you check the campus map?"
Jin blinked.
"…Campus map?"
"It's in your student account," the guard said calmly. "Every student has one."
Jin opened the university app.
He tapped Map.
A full layout of the campus appeared.
A blinking dot showed his position: Building CC-19.
His dorm building was marked somewhere else: DD-02.
Jin stared at the screen. Then at the hallway. Then back at the screen.
"…I'm in the wrong building."
The guard nodded.
"That happens a lot during the first week."
Jin rubbed the back of his neck.
"Not when you walk across half the campus first."
The guard chuckled.
"Don't worry. The dormitory buildings aren't far from each other."
Jin sighed quietly. "…Right."
He gave a small awkward smile.
"Thanks."
The dorm room was simple.
A bed. A desk. A wardrobe. A bathroom with a shower.
A typical university room.
But the window was large.
Jin walked over and opened the curtain.
The campus stretched beneath the night sky.
Streetlights. Paths. Buildings glowing softly in the distance.
It looked peaceful.
Jin lay down on the bed. The mattress creaked slightly.
He pulled out his phone. Contacts.
A new number was saved: Emily Turner.
He stared at it for a moment, then chuckled quietly.
"My first girl's number at university."
He placed the phone on his chest.
The ceiling above him was plain white.
Tomorrow would be their first training.
And something about it… felt far from ordinary.