Moonlight

Looking at Ross, who had lost consciousness, Lykan let out a satisfied sigh.

,He’s grown quite a bit, hasn’t he.”

Ross slapped him across the face to bring him to his senses, for being arrogant like someone who had learned something in the position of professor and evaluating students.

Of course, Ross never actually slapped Lykan, but every time he thought about Ross’s incredible growth.

He was ashamed and his face flushed as if he had been slapped every time he thought of himself who had rashly judged him as an inferior student who would not grow.

Lykan couldn’t deny that he had a strange feeling of guilt, remorse, and gratitude coexisting for Ross.

He could see that he hadn’t mastered the breathing technique yet, and his breathing was disrupted at the end.

He showed a big opening, but that was just a matter of adapting to breathing through training little by little. In the first place, it was amazing that he was already using the Formless.

Since it was a season with long days, the sun was still hot even in the evening. Lykan picked up the unconscious Ross, laid him down in a shady spot, and sat next to him.

He remembered his father doing this to him once. When he woke up, he always scratched his head with an awkward expression, and his father would take out a candy from his pocket.

Maybe it’s because he’s getting older, but he often feels this strange emotion tickling his chest.

Lykan stared blankly at Ross. He had taught quite a few students at the academy, but it was Lykan’s first time taking on a formal disciple.

Students who could endure the training knew how to grow on their own, and students who couldn’t endure the training criticized Lykan’s training.

But Ross was different. A body below average and a spirit stronger than anyone else. Thanks to that contradiction, he was a disciple who endured Lykan’s training and met the conditions he needed.

If it was such an excellent disciple, he couldn’t help but smile with joy as a teacher.

Lykan smiled and thought.

‘Ross’s greatest strengths are his boldness and flexibility.’

Boldness can be developed through training, but ultimately, the basis of boldness is a strong mental strength. Courage alone is not enough to reach out to a place where blades are rising.

Ross had one of the strongest mental strengths among the students he knew.

Perhaps because of that, he takes more aggressive actions even in situations where he would normally think of pulling back his hand or keeping his distance.

But hidden in that aggressive behavior is an intention to confuse the opponent.

He intentionally intended to attack, making him attack himself, which even Lykan was embarrassed by.

At the beginning of the semester. Lykan could tell at a glance that Ross, who participated in the class, had no experience in sparring.

The sight of him holding a spear with difficulty and facing Lacar, whom he had designated as his opponent, with eyes full of fear of receiving a sword, was pathetic.

He expected Lacar to knock him out with one blow, and that was true.

But the current Ross is different. He doesn’t know how he trained himself. But Lykan could tell that Ross had put in a lot of effort.

From a boy soldier who didn’t even know how to hold a weapon, he transformed into a veteran warrior who seemed to have rolled around dozens of battlefields where his life was in danger if he was careless for a moment.

He reads the flow of the battle and responds flexibly to the situation.

Even when he swung his fist in a surprise attack, Ross did not neglect to observe while parrying the attack. He avoided the continuous attacks as if reading them in advance, and kept his distance from him.

Even Lykan had to be nervous about the spear that pierced in from an impossible trajectory.

It’s an attack that targets the back where the field of vision is limited. He didn’t want to use the Formless, but Lykan had to take the first sparring seriously due to the relentless barrage of attacks.

It was clearly a 1-on-1 sparring match, but Lykan had no choice but to change his combat style to a personal battle due to the surprise attacks pouring in from behind and above. There is no opponent as difficult as an opponent who imposes compulsiveness on the opponent.

That was a great ability. The most important thing in close combat was space. How to utilize the space where the fight takes place.

That had a significant impact on the outcome. In particular, those who use spears have a special characteristic that requires them to maintain a distance from their opponent in order to exert proper destructive power.

That is the advantage and disadvantage of a spearman. But in what is almost an embarrassing close combat, Ross keeps a wide distance from his opponent like a magician.

Long-range attacks that come in from impossible trajectories. The spatial constraints of close combat are only free for Ross.

Lykan evaluated that if it was a 1-on-1, Ross was the most difficult and powerful student in the academy. If he hadn’t used the Formless himself, it would have been impossible to narrow the distance because he would have been busy defending.

He suddenly wondered how strong Ross would become if he learned the Formless of the main family. It would be a lie if he didn’t covet Ross’s talent.

But he had no intention of forcing his disciple’s choice.

While he was planning in his head for a long time what kind of training he would do in the future, Ross finally came to his senses.

Frowning and looking at him blankly with half-closed eyes, Lykan took out a candy from his pocket with a smile, as he had seen in a memory from some time ago.

***

I had dinner with Lykan. Of course, it wasn’t eating out, but going to the cafeteria and eating.

Perhaps because there were few students left at the academy during the vacation, the meal became more delicious as I had more time. However, perhaps because it was the first meal I had in days, my stomach was surprised. I didn’t eat much because I didn’t feel well and put down my spoon.

Lykan asked immediately, as if he had been observing my actions.

,Aren’t you eating too little?”

It didn’t feel like he was being sarcastic, but rather he was genuinely curious.

,I don’t feel well.”

In response to my answer, Lykan smirked and tore into a turkey leg with a large piece of meat attached, as if to show off.

Ujeok ujeok-

If this wasn’t the academy but the mountains, I could have mistaken him for a bandit. Lykan, who had been chewing on turkey meat for a while, said.

,From now on, the training will be in a direction that allows you to become familiar with the Formless. If your breathing is disrupted during combat like today, using the Formless can be poisonous.”

He speaks as if he’s notifying me, but he kindly explains the reason without me having to ask. Judging by his appearance alone, I wouldn’t have expected this kindness, but Lykan seems like a good teacher after all.

,Thank you, Master-nim. Thanks to you, I was able to grow really significantly.”

,Ahem, just because you’ve learned the Formless doesn’t mean you should neglect your training! It is the sweat you shed every day that makes the widened vessel strong.”

He doesn’t hold back on advice either. I nodded lightly, feeling a bit awkward for no reason.

,You can go back if you’re not going to eat more. I’m planning to eat another bowl. Oh, train on your own tomorrow. I’m on duty today.”

At Lykan’s words, I nodded and left the cafeteria.

I was thinking of taking a rest early today, so I headed to the club room. Before long, I arrived at the basement hallway of the main building and found packages piled up in front of the club room door.

They must have arrived while I was hospitalized for a few days. Looking at the names written on the boxes, it wasn’t just one or two people. I shouldn’t be this popular.

My social circle is infinitely small. The Messiah Club, and Roel and his lovers. That was all.

The people who sent the packages were also the result of my small social circle. Luna, Bella, Rosaline, Roel, and even the unexpected Flavia and Aria.

Scratching my head, I moved the items into the club room. I wanted to check Luna’s first, but the most delicious thing should be eaten last to savor the flavor even more.

I checked Bella’s package first, which I grabbed first. The heavy box raised my expectations. Inside were pills in a nicely designed bottle.

Judging from the description on the cover, ‘Special Nutrient Supplement Guaranteed by the Blue Magic Tower Master!’, it seemed like she sent me nutrient supplements.

Did she think about my reduced lifespan? I laughed in disbelief and opened the package Rosaline sent.

,Oh… is it a potion?”

Inside the box was the red potion bottle I had received from Rosaline sometime ago. I checked the contents of the small note placed on top of the potion bottle.

-Roel said you looked tired these days, so I made it! It’s a fatigue recovery drink! It’s good for your health too!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t tired because I had learned the Formless. Well, there might be a situation where I can use it later.

Next up was the package Flavia sent. The contents were similar to what Bella sent. However, this one was… ‘Special Aphrodisiac Made with the Red Magic Tower Master’s Name on the Line!’ I don’t know what it means, but I’ll take it for now. This one too, not right now, but there might be a situation where I can use it later….

The next one was from Aria. The box was much smaller than the other packages, so I wondered what it was. When I opened the package, there was a note along with snack bags folded into paper crafts.

To Ross.

I forgot to tell you. There’s a store called Rurland in the capital that sells limited-edition summer snacks. Please send them to this address! I’d appreciate it if you could send them by type! If any other stores open during the vacation, please send those too!!!

-From your lovely friend, Aria.

PS. Oh! Please throw away the trash too, haha. My mom scolded me for eating too many snacks. Thanks for helping me cover up the evidence!

For a moment, I thought about crumpling up the note, but I sighed and held back. I’m an adult, unlike Aria…. Still, I’m annoyed. I’ll remember this and definitely get revenge….

The last one left was the package Luna sent. Unlike the others, I took out the dagger I received from Estelle in the capital from the space storage and carefully unwrapped it.

Inside the box was another nutrient supplement. At this point, I was starting to get suspicious. Could it be that I look like I need nutrient supplements to other people? I stroked my chin unconsciously and checked the letter Luna wrote.

She must have had a lot to say, as the letter was over 5 pages long with dense writing. I sat down on a nearby sofa, recalled Luna’s voice in my head, and read the letter.

It was a letter full of love, longing, and worry. Luna’s letter, which contained her sincerity about how good the time she spent with me was and how much she was looking forward to how good it would be, made me smile so much that my cheeks hurt.

I felt like something heavy had settled in my heart. It wasn’t a bad weight. No, rather, it felt like it was heavily filling Luna’s absence.

I took out the pretty stationery I had bought in the capital in advance from the space storage. I had a lot to say too. But I was worried about how to start the letter.

After a long deliberation, I started the letter like this.

‘To the moonlight who will share all my seasons from now on.’