episode_0075

I walked absentmindedly. It was a day when I didn’t want to delve into deep thoughts. The more I thought deeply, the more my mood would sink for no reason.

But thinking didn’t follow my intentions. Memories of the past kept coming back to me.

Artla’s childhood was not a comfortable one. In his vague memories of his early years, his parents had died.

It was a hazy memory, but it was probably a tragedy caused by monsters.

Even in times of peace, incidents involving monsters continued to occur. Artla and his parents were caught up in one of those incidents.

In the midst of it all, Artla was lucky to survive, and his memories became clearer from the moment he faced death.

The memory of monsters charging towards him was vivid. A body several times larger than his, saliva dripping between jagged fangs, sharp and numerous teeth.

If it weren’t for a heroic intervention, Artla’s body would have been torn apart by those sharp teeth.

A dramatic turn of events. Left alone after losing his parents, Artla suffered a deep emotional wound.

He lost his parents. They were not incompetent parents. Even in his vague memories, they were parents who did their best for their child. At least they were a pair who tried to fulfill their roles as parents.

Naturally, it was heartbreaking. After being sent to a temporary residence, he cried for days. The parents who were like gods to him were eaten by monsters right before his eyes.

At the same time, he realized.

If only he had been stronger, this wouldn’t have happened.

Such a simple thing, he didn’t know when he was young. He thought the world would always be bright and cheerful.

But this world is not so peaceful. It was too late for him to realize that.

Misfortune and fortune come hand in hand. Artla was a living example of that saying.

He awakened his magic. It was a stroke of luck. He gained the opportunity to become stronger. His innate abilities hadn’t manifested yet, but where did he gain this magic?

Since childhood, Artla had worked hard, sweating blood to get into the elementary academy.

He awakened his magic. Only a few among the entire population met the conditions. In a way, he could be considered superior to others.

At that time, when Artla entered the elementary academy, he looked around.

Everyone had awakened their magic. The students around him were the same, and most of the professors who taught them were superhumans who had awakened their magic.

There were few people weaker than Artla. There were many who had awakened earlier and received training.

He lacked confidence. There were many people around him who were better than him, and even they could die at any moment.

So he worked hard.

Didn’t others work hard? They did. There were those who played around, but most children were striving to reach higher places in the future.

The time allotted was the same, and Artla was not in an environment where he could work hard while others played around.

So he worked even harder. He reduced his leisure time and filled it with training.

He cut down on sleep. Despite concerns about recovery time, his recovery was fine, perhaps due to his recent awakening.

No time for play? There was none at all. Whenever his eyes were open, he always strived to become stronger.

He trained while eating, using his magic. He fell asleep holding a magic measuring device, and woke up in the early morning to head to the training room.

His tender palms were torn, blood flowing, and blisters forming on his feet, large and small.

Sometimes tears of blood flowed. The magic surged back, causing minor injuries.

As time passed, Artla, who graduated from the elementary academy, graduated with above-average grades.

The top ranks were either those who manifested unique abilities, consumed elixirs thanks to their family’s support, or received excellent early education.

Even in middle academy, they endured similar or even more rigorous schedules.

Atra graduated with top marks in the top ranks. Although she still hadn’t manifested her unique ability, she could hold her own against those who had.

By then, Atra was receiving promising treatment. She even received sponsorship offers from those around her.

She further developed in high academy. While she wasn’t yet able to actively participate, she had reached a level where she could handle things on her own.

After graduating from high academy, Atra hoped to enter Siyolam, but she didn’t make it.

It was unfair, but she understood.

Atra’s top rank was only within the academy she belonged to, after all.

There were many institutions for nurturing superhumans in the world, and there were many who were better than her.

Even if Atra excelled, she was still a superhuman who hadn’t manifested her unique ability.

Atra wanted to become even stronger. So, after graduating from high academy, she prepared and headed to the African front.

That choice… would be a lie if she said she didn’t regret it. She realized that she had been protected within the confines of the academy all this time.

She believed that she survived because of luck, before even considering her basic skills.

While there weren’t many who dared to come to the front with mediocre skills like Atra, most of those few ended up dead without leaving a body behind.

Surviving after losing limbs was also due to luck.

At the same time, she began to gain strength. Through real battles, Atra’s skills showed a steep upward trend.

Whether this was her true nature or if she was adapting to the real battles, she was undeniably growing.

At that point, her unique ability also manifested. It was a unique ability that she had developed through effort, not something she was born with.

It’s not that she didn’t have innate talent. Atra was still talented and her light attribute magic became her unique ability.

For whatever reason, Atra became stronger. Within a few years, she had developed skills that allowed her to actively participate, not just as a promising academy student.

While she was active in the field with the title of a high-ranking hero, she suffered a major injury.

While subduing a group of monsters that were trying to cross the front lines, she was ambushed by a high-ranking monster specialized in stealth.

She managed to counterattack, but she received a deep wound on her side. Suppressing her internal organs with magic, she managed to finish off the monster.

It wasn’t a minor injury. If it had been a simple injury, she could have received healing, but the cursed magic settled in the wounded area.

She had no choice but to take time to recover.

Returning to a seemingly peaceful world after several years, Atra, who had returned to the place commonly referred to as the inner city, had nothing to do.

As a child, she had trained without paying attention to the advice to have a hobby for mental health, and after graduating from high academy, she had rushed to the African front, so there was nothing she could do in the inner city.

Moreover, due to her injury, there was nothing special she could do.

She spent a few days idly passing the time, when she received a call from someone she could consider a friend.

It was an invitation to a reunion from her high academy alma mater. The timing was perfect for Atra, who happened to be in the inner city.

Reluctantly, she headed to the grounds of the high academy where the reunion was being held.

And then.

– Gyaah! How am I supposed to implement this…!

She met that child.

.

.

.

I walked absentmindedly. With each step, the grass underfoot was trampled. It was not wild grass, but rather carefully tended weeds that had been touched by human hands.

The surroundings. The eyesore was unavoidable.

An open space with a clear view in all directions, neatly trimmed weeds, scattered clumps of dirt here and there, and tall, slender stones erected in front of them…

It was a cemetery that one might commonly think of. A place where the bodies of the dead are buried.

I didn’t want to come here. I absolutely did not want to visit this place. Once you visit here, you have to pass through days with your mind in disarray.

But I visited every year without fail. Before being a wretched human, I had to visit in order to become a member of the fallen rather than a golden one.

In Artla’s own opinion, she was not a great adult. If she had a conscience, she wouldn’t be able to think that way.

If you take all the samples of society and average them out, she might be in the upper ranks.

Artla didn’t kill people out of annoyance, nor did she indulge in debauchery. She didn’t laugh at people killing each other, nor was she the type to mock and trample those dying in front of her.

But that was a pitiful excuse. How could such creatures be included in statistics? Those bugs were something that should not be included in statistics.

Artla reevaluated the statistics to include a category that could be considered normal by her standards.

Artla was below average as an adult.

She didn’t kill out of annoyance, but she would beat someone up if they crossed the line. She didn’t indulge in debauchery like a fishwife, but when stress piled up, she would often use herbs like tobacco.

She would help those dying in front of her, but even if she had the leisure, she wouldn’t go to save people far away.

A top-tier hero.

Some would call it a lifelong goal, while others would call it an honorable position held by a noble hero.

To Artla, it was just an awkward robe.

She didn’t ascend to this position with noble intentions. She just ended up in this position by accident while seeking power.

*Sigh…*

I stopped my legs as I crossed the graves.

I held my breath for a moment. My chest felt tight. It was an indescribable pressure that squeezed my chest. If it were an external attack, I could fend it off, but there was nothing I could do about the internal pressure.

It had been several years since my last visit. I had gotten used to it in my own way. Artla knelt down and took out a bottle of liquor.

It was expensive liquor, but it didn’t stand out in Artla’s financial status.

She carefully placed it next to the tombstone.

Artla didn’t enjoy drinking alcohol. But the bold disciple she had taken a liking to enjoyed it inappropriately.

She then took out a towel, dipped it in water, and wiped the tombstone. Then she dried it with a dry towel.

It was a procedure she had become accustomed to over the years.

But the turbulent feeling in her chest never seemed to get familiar.

After carefully wiping her parents’ tombstones next to her, Artla stared blankly at the disciple’s grave.

Artla was not a good adult, nor a good teacher.

When she took in her disciple, Artla was a top-tier hero.

There was a big difference in skills compared to now. She had reached a level where she could walk with strength in her shoulders, but back then, she was far from enough when it came to her standards.

She also had no talent for teaching. To be honest, her improvement was due to talent rather than effort.

The only education she received was from her academy days. She had hardly received any teaching on the front lines, just learning by observation, imitation, and realization.

Therefore, there were many twists and turns when teaching her disciple.

Teaching and experience were not my forte. Therefore, I never had the confidence that I taught something properly as a teacher.

‘……’

But it was definitely a happy time. Since losing my parents, it was a time when I always lived thinking about being strong.

My life, filled with dull colors, brightened a bit after meeting my disciple.

Therefore, there was a tendency to teach with a little bit of leniency.

Even if it was training, there were times when I proceeded gently, saying how could I hit a child.

There were many times when I tolerated the antics during training. I didn’t pay too much attention, and I accepted the playful jokes that came my way.

I had an unfounded confidence that if it was that child, they would do well. Art, with outstanding talent even surpassing their own, and a personality with no flaws.

I thought they would become a better person than their teacher.

Teacher and disciple… At the very least, it was the deepest connection she had ever formed. It was a very precious bond.

That bond was severed a few years ago. It was an interference from outsiders, not the parties involved.

The disaster known as the dungeon. That damn thing not only took her parents but also swept away the disciple who felt like family.

That child also lost their parents to monsters when they were young. In the midst of that, they awakened and continued attending the academy.

In the unmarked grave they were searching for, Art thought absentmindedly.

This was not a child meant to die like this. This was definitely not a child meant to end like this.

They were more talented than Art. The child who brightened everything with laughter and happiness… It shouldn’t have ended like this.

At most, it was a Level 4 dungeon explosion. With the disciple’s skills, they could have easily protected themselves.

But her disciple left nothing behind except for an arm and scattered flesh.

She despaired… and regretted.

She shouldn’t have taught like that.

She shouldn’t have tolerated the antics. She shouldn’t have been gentle, not wanting to cause pain, not wanting them to hurt.

To prevent such disasters… she should have made sure they had the ability to preserve their own lives against any threat.

It was Art’s fault. No matter what others said, Art blamed herself like that.

She was not just a bad teacher, she was a damn bitch who made her disciple die.

Unable to bear such thoughts, she returned to the front lines. She released the guilt and disgust that stabbed at her towards the monsters.

She didn’t care about the concerns around her. She just wanted to consume the dark emotions.

It had been a few years since the chief’s request was relayed… a few months ago from now.

‘Yi Hayul…’

The one she didn’t want to teach… the target of her teachings. She had to teach, but she couldn’t stand teaching half-heartedly.

This time, she taught differently. She didn’t treat it lightly. Even if they were a transcendent being, she didn’t know if it would be difficult for the child who had just awakened.

Strictly, as quickly and as surely as possible, to become stronger.

While educating Yi Hayul… she didn’t feel comfortable seeing the child grimacing in pain, but she didn’t stop in order to avoid repeating the past.

She also tried not to show affection. She would do her best to teach, but she didn’t know what the future held for the person. She didn’t want to experience the pain of loss again.

– Ugh…

…Maybe she showed a little affection.

“Phew…”

She let out a deep sigh. The place was disorienting, making her thoughts dizzy.

– Ring!

The alarm on her smartwatch rang at that moment.

[Yi Hayul]

The contact of the child she had just been thinking about. Art opened the hologram with a complex expression.

▶Yi Hayul: Professorㄴlㅁ (Now)

The message was abruptly cut off. Frowning, Art opened Yi Hayul’s profile.

[Connection terminated]

‘…What?’

Connection terminated. Those words were imprinted in Art’s eyes.

It was strange. The smartwatch connected by the Tower of Harmony had been disconnected.

Such phenomena only occur in dungeons and towers.

Ihayul said he was going to the dungeon. When asked if it was okay to go, he nodded at Ihayul, who was watching his reactions.

The connection may be cut off… it’s possible.

However, how could such a message be sent within the dungeon in the first place? And how could the connection be cut off as soon as the message arrived? Why is the message so abruptly cut off like that?

Discomfort.

‘…That can’t be true.’

Anxiety.

Atra’s eyes trembled slightly.

Today is the anniversary of his former disciple’s death. The day he left this world.

On a day like this, Ihayul is said to be going to the dungeon. With a complex heart, he nodded his head at this coincidence.

On a day like this, of all days, the same incident happening to the child she teaches… it’s unbelievable.

– Ring! Ring! Ring!

[An unprecedented dungeon eruption has occurred in the Scotland Shipnahar and 2 other areas. Confirm isolation of the areas. Heroes responsible for the protection near the area are urged to head to the eruption site immediately]

It’s unbelievable.