The soft click of the front door echoed behind me as I stepped into the building once again. Morning sunlight filtered through the dusty windows, painting faded yellow lines across the worn floors of what used to be a school hall. The air was heavy with silence, interrupted only by the occasional creak of wooden beams or the distant call of seagulls outside.
"Okay… let's start fresh today," I mumbled to myself, tying my hair into a loose bun as I looked around the gloomy interior.
I hadn't had the courage to explore much yesterday. Everything had felt too surreal. But now, with some rest and a full night of ignoring all the messages from Uncle Rowland and my grandparents, I was finally grounded enough to face reality.
This place was going to be my home, my dream restaurant… and apparently, my school.
A soft ting echoed inside my mind, followed by the appearance of a glowing screen in front of me.
[System Notification]
====================
New Task Available:
"Inspect and throw away all broken items within the facility."
Status: Mandatory
Reward: Basic Starter Inventory Crate + 100 EXP
Penalty: System Intervention
====================
"Mandatory, huh?" I muttered, tilting my head at the floating screen. "So this is how you're gonna boss me around now?"
The System didn't respond—of course.
Still, I couldn't deny the excitement bubbling under my skin. It felt like a game quest. Like I was the protagonist of some dungeon-management sim, only with actual consequences and a complete lack of save files.
I clapped my hands once, the sharp sound jolting the stillness of the hallway.
"Alright. Let's get to it."
---
I started from the main entrance hall, where half of the furniture was either missing legs or sagging like they'd given up on life decades ago. Desks were scratched, chairs broken, and papers—actual dusty, yellowed school papers—littered the floor.
As I crouched to pick one up, the System flickered again.
[Old examination records – Useless. Discard.]
"Geez, harsh."
I began dragging everything into a pile just outside the building. Broken boards, cracked desks, splintered chairs, and a few metal lockers that had somehow rusted even without rain.
Some rooms were worse than others. The old cafeteria had one of the creepiest vibes. Flies buzzed around moldy tables, and something in the corner smelled like it had died years ago and made peace with its fate.
I found what used to be a library. It was probably a beautiful place once, but now? Books were half-eaten by mold, and the shelves had collapsed under the weight of time. Still, something tugged at my heart. I loved libraries. I made a mental note to restore this place someday.
One room, however, stopped me in my tracks.
It was locked.
A faded sign labeled it as "Staff Room." I rattled the handle, but it didn't budge.
[Would you like to unlock restricted room: Staff Office?]
[Cost: 50 Mana]
[Confirm? Y/N]
"Why not," I whispered, clicking "Yes."
The door clicked open smoothly—too smoothly—and I was greeted by a chilling breeze that wasn't natural. Goosebumps rose along my arms.
The office was… intact.
Unlike the rest of the building, everything in here looked frozen in time. The desks were clean, not a speck of dust. A tea mug even sat near the window, still holding dry leaves as if someone had just forgotten to finish their drink.
[Restricted Area Accessed]
[Initializing former data logs…]
Another screen popped up, but this one was more advanced. It flickered like it was booting up a corrupted file.
[Error: Former Headmistress data missing]
[Staff registry wiped]
[Begin Institution Initialization Process]
Whoa… Okay. I stepped back and carefully closed the door again.
"Too much too soon," I muttered. "Let's finish the cleanup first."
---
By midday, I'd filled five trash bags and piled wood and metal debris into a corner near the back entrance. My entire body ached, my hair was frizzy, and my hands smelled like rust and rot.
But it was progress.
And as if the System recognized that, another ting echoed.
====================
[Quest Completed: Remove Broken Items]
[Reward Delivered: Basic Starter Inventory Crate + 100 EXP]
[Level Up: 2]
[Status Points: +3]
====================
"Wait, I level up from cleaning?!"
I laughed—genuinely laughed for the first time in days. "Maybe this gig won't be so bad after all…"
Then, another screen appeared, and this one felt more personal.
[You have unlocked the Storage Function.]
[Open Inventory Crate? Y/N]
I selected Yes.
A small ripple of magic appeared beside me—like pixels forming into reality—and a medium-sized wooden crate dropped to the floor with a soft thud.
Inside?
Basic mop and bucket set
Repair hammer
Three energy bars
A bottled mana drink
And a user manual labeled: "So You Accidentally Became a Headmistress?! A Beginner's Guide to Dungeon Schools."
I couldn't help it—I cracked up laughing right there in the middle of my ruined future dining hall.
---
By the time the sun began to set, the school looked… not clean, but less terrifying. Most of the junk was out, and I could now imagine where I might set the kitchen, the dining space, maybe even a small garden outside.
My body was trembling from exhaustion, and my stomach hadn't stopped growling since noon.
I locked up the school and dragged myself down the road to the tiny hotel I'd been staying in. The hallway smelled like dust and boiled cabbage, and my room was barely big enough to stretch in.
But as soon as my head hit the pillow, a sense of calm washed over me.
For the first time since signing that ridiculous contract, I didn't feel like I was spiraling. I didn't know how to run a school—or handle a dungeon, or manage magical students, or lie to my overprotective uncle for the rest of my life.
But I'd made it through day one.
---
Somewhere far away…
In a skyscraper adorned with black-and-silver banners, a man stood in front of a glowing wall filled with data.
Rowland Ardent, head officer of Red Handguard, one of the Top 20 Hunter Guilds in the country—ranked 13th—frowned as he read a certain name.
"Elaine… what are you hiding?" he muttered under his breath.
"Sir?" a voice asked behind him.
He waved them off.
Whatever his niece was caught up in, he'd find out. And he'd protect her. Whether she wanted it or not.