Chapter 29: Valuable Guest (1)

Weakness Induction.

As expected, Juyeon’s finger refused to bend.

So Rohan turned his entire focus into using the skill.

And then.

…!

Just like a vessel containing mana shattering to pieces, he could feel all the mana he possessed drain away in an instant.

A notification window popped up in front of Rohan.

However, there was no time to feel regret.

It was something beyond dizziness, his head flashed brightly and his vision blurred rapidly.

“Ugh….”

With all his mana evaporating in an instant, Rohan tried to hold onto his consciousness, but the exhaustion due to the sudden mana usage, not gradual depletion, was not something he could withstand with willpower alone.

Rohan’s consciousness slowly began to fade.

“!!!”

At the same time, a chilling premonition brushed past Juyeon’s instincts.

Rohan’s mana, which had permeated her finger, attempted to cause a change.

What she was feeling was a sense of disharmony, as if a balance was about to collapse.

Me, by a cadet…?

Using all the patience and reason she could muster, Juyeon suppressed the impulse to move her body.

She almost swung Rohan, who was holding her finger, and threw him.

Juyeon, who was observing Rohan’s condition to see if anything else would happen, was surprised again.

The sword Rohan was holding in one hand slipped, and the grip on her finger loosened.

His consciousness!?

As Rohan was collapsing like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Juyeon caught him in her arms as he fell towards her.

There was no option to avoid him.

Ring Ring Ring!

As soon as the 2-minute alarm rang, Juyeon quickly decided her next step of action.

She jumped from her spot, holding the unconscious Rohan.

“I’m taking him to the infirmary. Everyone, remain here.”

There was no time for formalities in this situation.

Juyeon shot off like lightning.

··

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Huh?

Rohan opened his eyes and found himself lying on a bed with a thin, warm blanket covering him.

As he came to his senses and lifted his eyelids to see a white ceiling,

Familiar notification windows greeted his return to consciousness.

“….”

Rohan immediately opened his Status Window.

Wow, I would have definitely died if this was a real battle.

The moment he saw the Status Window and the bluish IV drip connected to his arm, he immediately understood the situation.

Rohan pulled his weakened hand from beneath the blanket and covered his face.

He felt relieved that he had somehow thought of testing it beforehand.

He could only hope that increasing his abilities and skill levels would provide a breakthrough.

…My condition is a wreck.

So this was what mana exhaustion felt like. It felt completely different from overusing his Supernatural Ability during his Hunter Era.

His whole body was limp, like cotton soaked in water.

And even though he knew he should check where he was and what time it was, the intense lethargy prevented even those simple actions.

How long had he been spacing out like that?

Swish! Someone entered, pulling back the surrounding curtains.

“Have you come around?”

“!”

Rohan raised his hand and rolled his eyes, and Juyeon came into view.

She naturally took a seat in a chair next to him.

“Mana exhaustion. You scraped the bottom of the barrel, using all of it.”

“…I apologize.”

“You did nothing wrong. It must have been a good experience, so there’s no need to apologize. Just rest for now.”

Juyeon continued speaking, watching the bluish IV fluid drip steadily.

“How are you feeling?”

“Just… a little tired.”

“You’re receiving an IV drip that aids with recovery, so just stay put until it’s finished.”

Juyeon placed Rohan’s bag, which she had kept safe, on the desk and handed him his smartphone.

With a brief word of thanks, he turned on his phone and saw that class was already over.

He has also received messages from Ichinose and the other cadets in Class 1.

And while he wanted to reply to everyone right away, time was of the essence.

“Instructor.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know how long it will take for this IV to finish?”

“Wait a moment.”

He heard Juyeon’s voice conversing with someone after she went out through the curtain before quickly returning and telling him the result.

“About two hours.”

“Phew…”

He could still make it to his part-time job.

Seeing Rohan breath a sigh of relief, Juyeon hardened her expression, reading his intention.

“Rohan, this IV isn’t a cure-all. You’ll still feel the aftereffects of the exhaustion, so it’s best if you rest properly today.”

“It’s alright. My part-time job is practically like resting.”

“Hmm….”

Juyeon had a lot to say, but feeling that it would be crossing the line, she kept her mouth shut.

Everyone has their own circumstances.

And it wasn’t like he was going out to play; it was a part-time job related to his livelihood, so she couldn’t force him to rest.

While she was also curious about his skills, as an Instructor, there was a limit to how much she could pry into his personal affairs.

Juyeon could only watch as Rohan left the infirmary.

“….”

After finishing her work at Orion Academy, Juyeon returned home.

The luxurious residence provided by the Dean when he invited her to Academy City.

She considered returning it or handing it over to another Instructor and moving elsewhere when the opportunity arose.

Beep!

She entered the password and stepped inside, where the dark, unlit living room greeted her with silence.

Every time she faced this scene, she missed her cozy home in the Three Kingdoms Union.

Even commodious should be done in moderation.

An excessively large house was difficult to manage, and the sound echoed if it wasn’t filled with furniture.

Even a house half this size would be perfect.

Click.

After she neatly placed her shoes in the corner of the shoe cabinet, Juyeon began to take off her suit.

She put the suit into the garment care machine after stripping down to her underwear and headed to the bathroom to wash up as usual.

Brush, brush.

She put her underwear in the laundry basket and started brushing her teeth while gazing in the mirror.

Reflecting on the day’s lessons during her washing up time had become a part of her routine.

I should have these kinds of lessons more often.

Every single one of them was undoubtedly a brilliant talent.

And their light shone even brighter than during the usual practical training classes.

While they were all excellent, three cadets left a particularly strong impression on Juyeon.

Noa Frozenheart, Ichinose Yui….

She believed that if those two cadets grew smoothly, they would easily surpass even her.

She wondered if the saying about heroes appearing in turbulent times wasn’t meant for these two lovely cadets.

Whoosh!──!

“Phew….”

Juyeon recalled the last cadet as she showered under the cold water.

And Rohan.

He was different from a hero.

In fact, she couldn’t even predict how he would grow.

And the more Juyeon pondered over Rohan’s movements, the more she felt a mixture of admiration and bitterness.

It wasn’t the fighting style a fresh-faced Academy cadet would display, and that saddened her.

It was a fighting style learned through experience, not professional training.

She could feel the struggle for survival. His movements were wild and rough, as if dripping with blood.

Moreover, it was artificial, not a natural talent like Noa Frozenheart’s.

In the two-minute sparring match, Juyeon was able to see what kind of past Rohan had lived.

Above all.

It was definitely the Burning Blade.

She hadn’t expected to encounter it here.

Did he manage to obtain it by chance, or was he born with it?

Even if I knew, nothing would change or be different…

She knew it was an immaturity, still unable to escape the shadows of the past.

Still, she was simply curious.

Perhaps it was the lingering emotion of missing her younger brother.

Whoosh!──

“…”

However, she didn’t want to pry into Rohan’s affairs.

She knew that asking such questions as an Instructor would put an unimaginable amount of pressure on a cadet.

“Oh?”

Juyeon realized that she had stopped moving again while lost in thought.

It was a bad habit.

I did the same to Rohan.

Those two minutes must have been precious to the cadet, yet she had let her mind wander elsewhere. It wasn’t something an Instructor should do.

And it was certainly shameful for someone whose profession was education. It definitely required self-punishment.

“Phew!”

Having finished her shower, Juyeon lightly circulated her mana-infused heat to dry herself completely and then put on some newly bought underwear.

The feeling around her hips was a bit tight. The top as well.

Hmm? The size?

She hadn’t been neglecting her training, so she definitely hadn’t gained weight.

And as she was past puberty, it wasn’t as if her chest or hips had grown.

This brand won’t do.

Other brands fit perfectly in this size, but not this one.

Juyeon took out some other underwear, put on some casual clothes, and headed to the kitchen.

She grabbed her phone while drinking cold water.

Juyeon carefully checked the contents of the message.

The Flower Bookstore, huh.

She checked the time.

If the reports were correct, Rohan’s part-time job was yet to end.

Next, Juyeon checked the Orion Academy Instructor’s manual.

Standing in the kitchen, she double-checked the section regarding cadets’ part-time jobs.

The Instructor’s responsibilities and duties… Should I pay a short visit?

Juyeon took off her clothes and opened her closet to wear something appropriate for going out.

She chose some casual clothes she hadn’t worn in a while and put on some sneakers she couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn.