The Gacha Addict of the Academy

I never expected something like this to happen on the very first day.

Being the most famous academy in the world, I thought its defenses would be perfect.

Clearly, I was wrong.

No matter how famous the academy is, things like this can still happen.
A monster attack.

And it happened on the first day—during my very first class.

I clicked my tongue and stared at the monster in front of me.

It was way too real to be some illusion.

There’s no way they would create something so lifelike just to scare us, so this had to be a real attack. Still, I found it hard to believe such a breach could happen, especially with the academy’s supposed magical defenses covering the entire campus.

“Ugh…!”

Close combat was my first choice.

I hated wasting time, so I acted fast.

I rushed forward, using magic to enhance my body, and threw a punch at the monster. But the impact wasn’t what I expected. My punch barely made a dent and just bounced off.

It’s tougher than I thought.

“What the… Why is it so hard?”

The fact that my punch didn’t even hurt it was shocking.

I shook my stinging hand and muttered to myself.

There’s no way I’d give up after one punch. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have stepped up to fight it.
Clenching my teeth, I used more magic to boost my strength.

Feeling stronger, I charged again. As the monster swung its arm at me, I dodged easily and countered with a spinning kick.
Even though my kick was much stronger than my punch, it still had no effect.

“What the hell? Why is it so tough?!”

At first, I thought it was strange when my punch didn’t work, but I never imagined it would be this durable.

Is toughness its ability?

If it is, then punching it is pointless.

Dodging its attacks just in time, I threw a flurry of punches and kicks. But instead of hurting it, I just felt the dull ache in my own limbs.
“Damn it…!”

My pride was taking a hit.

It was time to show them why they call me the Ice Witch.

Grinding my teeth, I began gathering magic. My specialty was ice magic. No matter how tough the monster was, it wouldn’t stand a chance if I froze it.

But the monster wasn’t stupid. As soon as it sensed my magic, it charged at me full force.

It was too late.

Just as I was about to release my spell, a wave of heat suddenly swept past me.

When the flames disappeared, so did the monster.
All that was left was ash.

I stared at the spot where the monster had been, shocked by what just happened.

I hadn’t realized someone else was nearby until I felt their presence approaching.

Turning to calm my racing heart, I saw a man with striking hair—white streaks against red locks.
“…?”
Oh, him.

I remembered him because of his unusual hair.

“Why didn’t you run?” he asked.

“Well… because I couldn’t.”

Because I couldn’t.

There was only one conclusion: this man was the one who had destroyed the monster with a single attack.
He wasn’t just any student. He was much stronger than I had expected.

“I see… So, that was your doing?”

“Yeah.”

“Figured as much.”

It wasn’t surprising—I had already guessed as much.

What interested me was the source of his power.

From the fire, it seemed like he had flame-based powers.
I couldn’t be sure, but it was a good guess, since the only ability he had shown so far was fire. If his flames were that strong, it was probably a special ability, not normal magic.

If it wasn’t fire, then what could produce such intense heat?

“Hey…”

I couldn’t help but be curious about his powers.
He saved me, but being this strong? There’s no way someone like him wouldn’t be famous. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember who he was.

As I thought about it, he seemed uncomfortable under my stare. Finally, he turned away and said he should be going.
“Really? I’ll check out somewhere else, then.”

Of course, I had no intention of going anywhere else.

I wanted to figure out exactly what his ability was. If I could learn more about this important person’s powers, it might help me earn points in the future.

“Uh… sure, go ahead.”
Pretending to step back, I quietly followed him.

I watched him move toward the source of the loud noise we’d heard earlier, and I trailed behind. As we got closer, the sounds of monsters grew louder. Judging by the noise, someone was under attack.

Boom. Boom.

When I arrived at the scene, I saw someone had set up a protective barrier. A furious monster was pounding on it nonstop, roaring loudly.
I prepared a spell, thinking I’d step in, but before I could finish my incantation, that familiar fire burst out again, completely destroying the monster. The precision was incredible—it wiped out the creature without harming the person inside the barrier.
It was like something out of a superhero movie.

As the monster disappeared, the barrier faded. Inside, I saw a small, battered girl protecting another woman who had collapsed behind her, unable to stand.

From the looks of it, the white-haired girl had been protecting the other woman.
Were they friends?

Thankfully, the woman in the back didn’t seem hurt, but the white-haired girl was clearly in bad shape. Her once-pale hair was now streaked with blood, and her torn uniform revealed wounds that were still bleeding.

Considering how much trouble I had with these monsters earlier, the fact that she’d managed to last this long was impressive. If we’d come any later, both of them would’ve been in serious danger.

The man, who had introduced himself as Kang Ji Hyuk earlier, walked up to the girl and started talking to her. Though she looked exhausted, her ability to walk suggested her injuries weren’t too severe.

Not long after, the same professor from before showed up.

She placed her hand on the girl’s head, and in an instant, all her wounds healed. The dirt and blood disappeared, and her torn uniform was fixed.

The girl, amazed by the fast healing, stared at her body in disbelief, her face frozen in awe.

It was no surprise the professor was called the strongest at the academy. Her mastery of magic was beyond impressive.
But still, this incident couldn’t be ignored.

Contrary to what I thought, the situation didn’t escalate.
Most of the students seemed happy to accept the professor’s claim that the monsters were just an illusion spell. No one objected.
Or maybe they knew the truth but stayed silent out of fear. If they spoke out and upset those in power, it could ruin their futures.
I couldn’t stand their cowardice.

Most of the students at this academy didn’t deserve to be heroes.
None of them had the courage to stand up for what was right. All they cared about was protecting their own futures and safety.
But a hero is supposed to protect others.

In moments like this, I felt completely out of place at this academy.
Was this really the world’s most prestigious academy?

I felt disillusioned, not only with the students but also with the faculty and those in charge.
My teeth clenched in frustration.

Even the strongest professor, praised as the academy’s best, was nothing compared to the sages who ruled the world outside.
He was just another powerless teacher.

I could see him now, bowing repeatedly and apologizing, begging for secrecy about what had happened.

I didn’t want to see this.

No, I couldn’t bear to see it.

I turned my gaze away.
I didn’t want to look at any of them.

Trash.

Everyone here seemed like trash to me.

If they had shown even a little effort to fix the situation or work to make things better, I wouldn’t feel this way. But they hadn’t.
And now, I didn’t care anymore.

It was disgusting.

I was unhurt, of course. After all, dealing with monsters is the duty of a hero. Running away while innocent people are in danger is not something a hero should ever do.

They should all just disappear.

That thought crossed my mind, sharp and sudden.