Chapter 245

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“Huff, this is so exhausting…”

Her body felt as heavy as a waterlogged cotton ball.

Her legs, aching from muscle soreness, felt like they might give out at any moment.

Alice looked down at her trembling hands and let out a deep sigh.

The academy’s curriculum was quite demanding. It aimed to train supernaturals to fight monsters.

Half-hearted teachings would only ruin the students’ futures. No matter how grueling it was, they had to ensure the students thoroughly mastered the means to protect themselves.

Compared to that, The God of War’s training was far more brutal than the academy’s classes.

It was less about honing supernatural abilities and more about testing the limits of human endurance.

It was no wonder most disciples couldn’t endure it and ran away.

“Alice, what you need right now is stamina. Your supernatural ability output and skills are impressive, but your physical endurance is severely lacking.”

The God of War observed Alice and delivered his assessment.

It was a fair and accurate evaluation.

From the start, Alice had a strong aversion to violence.

She hadn’t been training seriously for very long.

Her supernatural ability output and combat skills were monstrous talents even the God of War acknowledged.

She quickly absorbed what she saw and experienced, making it her own. But stamina was a different matter. Talent alone couldn’t compensate for it. Only consistent training could solve that problem.

Since becoming the God of War’s disciple, Alice’s training had focused solely on building stamina.

That was all, yet her skills were improving day by day.

It was only natural, given that she was witnessing the God of War’s movements, techniques, and skills firsthand. Just watching him was an invaluable lesson.

‘Will he be okay…?’

[Honestly, it’s amazing he hasn’t given up despite being in that state.]

Frey, who resided within Alice, clicked her tongue.

Eugene, who always served as their textbook, had once again become a punching bag today.

Alice had never realized the human body could contain so much blood. Without super regeneration, he would have died a hundred times over.

The God of War was merciless, but Eugene, who kept charging forward despite the beating, was equally insane.

‘Did the God of War’s other disciples train like this too?’

[You saw the expression on the 7th Division Captain, didn’t you?]

The God of War’s top disciple, Kaen, occasionally showed up. She had been delighted to hear about a new junior, but when she saw Eugene’s condition, she broke into a cold sweat.

Trembling with fear, she timidly suggested, “Isn’t this a bit too much…?”

Of course, the God of War ignored her. When he offered to let her “relearn” some things, Kaen fled without looking back.

[The God of War seems especially harsh on Eugene…]

Well, it was entertaining to watch.

Frey smirked maliciously.

Seeing that bug who had approached Lucia turn into a bloody mess was quite satisfying.

…Though she was a little worried, her first thought was that he deserved it.

Just a little? She really wasn’t that concerned.

‘Frey.’

[Hmm? What is it?]

‘When do you think we’ll be able to break through that wall?’

Frey wanted to answer any question Alice had, but this time, it wasn’t so simple.

The “wall” Alice referred to was the pinnacle of humanity.

The realm of the Captains.

The level Eugene had reached.

Of course, strictly speaking, Eugene couldn’t be considered at the Captain-level yet.

His current state was similar to Alice’s. However, due to the uniqueness of his abilities, his combat prowess rivaled that of a Captain.

In fact, during the battle a month ago, Eugene had performed on par with the Captains. Hadn’t he played a decisive role in saving Lucia?

And what about me?

Alice couldn’t hide her gloomy expression.

A month had passed since that day, but the wall remained as solid as ever.

Despite her daily progress, there was no sign of the Captain-level wall crumbling.

‘Just one step… If I could just take one step, I feel like I could break through…’

It felt like she could shatter it at any moment, but she couldn’t, which made it all the more frustrating.

The faint clue to enlightenment flickered just out of reach. No matter how hard she focused, she could only glimpse its outline.

It was close. Right in front of her. The wall waited beyond the fog, beckoning her to overcome it.

It was absurd.

A mere first-year academy student standing on the brink of the Captain-level realm.

Among the current Captains, none had reached such a level at her age.

Her growth rate was too steep. The difference between Alice when she first entered the academy and Alice now was incomparable.

A monster of talent. A growth rate that rivaled, if not surpassed, the heroes of the past.

The descendant of the Hero, Yoo-seong and the pinnacle of humanity, Iris.

The bloodline of two heroes had given birth to a genius that defied common sense.

‘When will I be like Eugene…’

Yet, Alice was plagued by a deep sense of inferiority.

She was aware of her extraordinary talent.

Even the God of War praised her, calling her talent remarkable.

But what did that matter?

She hadn’t accomplished anything.

She had barely survived.

Far from being helpful, she had only been a burden.

[Alice, don’t be so impatient.]

Frey spoke in a soothing voice.

She wanted to pat Alice’s shoulder, but they shared the same body.

Frey fully understood Alice’s feelings. She felt the same way. The sense of powerlessness Alice felt, Frey felt it too—perhaps even more acutely.

But she didn’t show it. Sharing the same body made hiding emotions difficult, but Frey carefully concealed her own anxiety. If she became impatient, Alice would only grow more uneasy.

[We’re definitely growing. Even that proud Captain acknowledged it.]

‘That’s true, but…’

[A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. If we keep working hard, we’ll see results soon.]

Alice nodded weakly at Frey’s encouragement. She was right. Impatience wouldn’t solve anything. The best they could do was take things one step at a time.

‘Should I ask Miss Angelica for advice?’

[That’s not a bad idea.]

Their homeroom teacher had recently broken through the Captain-level wall.

If they sought her advice, they might receive some helpful answers.

But that could wait for another time.

Today was the day Lucia was discharged from the hospital.

‘Hehe, Lucia should be back by now, right?’

[Probably? She said she’d be discharged around noon.]

They had heard Lucia was being discharged today and had even called the hospital to confirm. Lucia had left the hospital long ago.

‘Now I can be with Lucia again.’

[…Yeah.]

Even after Lucia was kidnapped, Alice had continued to stay in Lucia’s room.

Her room. A room without its owner. The familiar space was missing only one thing—its warmth and vitality.

Fortunately, not long after Alice woke up from her coma, Lucia was rescued. But this time, Lucia was the one who fell into a coma.

As a result, Alice had to spend over a month in Lucia’s room without her.

[Lucia must be waiting for us. Let’s hurry.]

‘Okay!’

Though her legs were heavy from the grueling training, they felt lighter the closer she got to her destination.

It wasn’t entirely an illusion. As someone “close to a god”, her self-healing ability was remarkable. Muscle soreness would fade quickly. And her excitement made her less sensitive to the physical pain.

She stopped by her own room to change clothes. She had sweated a lot and gotten dirty during training, so she took a quick shower. Perhaps because she spent most of her time in Lucia’s room, her own room felt strangely unfamiliar now.

Alice quickened her pace. The sound of her footsteps echoed as she headed toward Lucia’s room. A bright smile spread across her face.

“…Huh?”

[Hmm?]

But her smile didn’t last long.

What greeted them was a broken door.

Had she come to the wrong place? No, this was definitely Lucia’s room.

The space where the door should have been was empty.

A crumpled door now decorated a corner of the hallway.

Alice’s expression gradually turned cold.

Her excitement vanished in an instant, and her senses sharpened.

‘Who’s there?’

[A thief? No, they wouldn’t be so bold as to steal something like this.]

‘An intruder?’

[…Alice, let me take over for a moment.]

As soon as Frey took control of the body, she crouched slightly. There was movement inside Lucia’s room.

Someone was there. Was this the culprit who had destroyed the door? If they caught and interrogated them, they’d find out.

Heat began to gather in her crimson eyes. She tensed her legs and burst into the room like an arrow.

“Eek?!”

A cute scream erupted. Frey used her momentum to pin the intruder down in one swift motion.

She grabbed their shoulders and slammed them to the ground. So far, so good. But when Frey saw the face of the girl she had subdued, she was momentarily stunned.

“Lucia?”

“Eh, hehe… That hurts… Nice tackle…”

Had she hit her head when she fell? She was talking nonsense. More importantly, why was Lucia here? Wait, of course she’d be here. This was Lucia’s room, after all.

Frey, still sitting on top of Lucia, glanced around. The presence she had sensed wasn’t just one person. If an intruder had broken the door and entered, and Lucia had confronted them…

“Arin?”

“…Hi, Alice.”

There was no sign of the intruder she was looking for—only Arin.

Arin, who had likely sensed Frey’s ambush with her danger sense, was in an awkward half-standing, half-sitting position.

The only presences in the room were Lucia and Arin. Frey tilted her head in confusion. What’s going on? Then what’s with the broken door?

“Lucia, the door’s broken. What happened?”

“Hehe, well, there were some unavoidable circumstances…”

“?”

Lucia scratched her cheek awkwardly, forcing a smile.

Frey frowned openly.

That smile—it was the expression Lucia made when she was hiding something.

She glanced back and forth between Lucia and Arin. Lucia’s evasive demeanor and Arin’s nervous expression were both strange. Something must have happened, but what could have caused the door to break like this?

‘Something’s fishy…’

She didn’t know the specifics, but…

Frey’s intuition was telling her.

There’s something here.

Something deeply suspicious.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Eugene and Alice (Frey) became quite close while going through various things together.

If it weren’t for Lucia, they would have already gotten together by now.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Can we see Angelica as an actual teacher now?!