Back Alive After Two Close Calls
Right after witnessing Rohan and Ichinose get swept up by the Monolith.
Sion and Clara reacted on instinct.
Sion grabbed her gear and scoured the area, checking for any traces that might allow them to track it.
Clara immediately called Juyeon using the number she'd gotten as thanks for help with her immigration issues in the past.
In a state of panic, she somehow managed to explain the situation through her trembling lips.
Juyeon arrived on the scene faster than the peace officers, having grasped what was happening.
"…"
Upon arrival, Juyeon grimaced at the ominous remnants of mana still lingering in the air.
Her negative emotions churned so fiercely it felt like flames might burst out.
But.
She didn't have the luxury to fully process the despair or bitterness.
Not with Sion and Clara looking so mentally fragile in Rohan's absence.
The elf girl from that old Monolith footage was right there in front of her, but this didn't seem like the time to bring up past history.
"J-Juyeon… O-Oppa… Oppa…"
"It's okay. Rohan will come back alive. He's got what it takes."
Juyeon comforted Clara with those words as she held her, but deep down, she couldn't be entirely certain.
It was true that Rohan's survival skills were top-notch and Ichinose Yui was highly capable, but that was compared to the average academy cadet.
Flying around among cadets didn't make you a true powerhouse.
And above all, very few people ever returned from a Monolith.
On top of that, this was Rohan's second time getting caught in one.
A cadet who'd already lost his country to the Void Whale disaster. What kind of rotten luck was this?
"…"
As Juyeon comforted the two girls lost in panic,
she relayed the situation to the peace officers who had arrived via wave detection.
Based on Juyeon's testimony, nearby security cameras were secured.
The missing persons were officially designated.
Missing: Two first-year Orion Academy cadets.
Ichinose Yui and Rohan.
Juyeon directly contacted Ichinose Yui's father, Ichinose Jun—who was likely buried in corporate management back in Samhwa Nation.
Even Noah Frozenheart, who kept the academy city's cats in line, got the news.
Noah sprinted there at full speed without conserving energy, arriving out of breath.
Seeing Sion and Clara in a daze made her realize it was real, and she started to truly feel her friend's absence.
Her always vibrant eyes turned dull, like a dead fish's.
People around her barely managed to console her as she kept blaming herself for leaving the spot when she could have gone with them today.
Four hours after the Monolith incident.
Ichinose Yui's parents arrived in Academy City.
Ichinose Jun—the big shot everyone knew—had rushed from Samhwa Nation with his wife in his arms.
A ripple of murmurs spread among the peace officers and officials, but no one approached easily.
They knew how pissed off Ichinose Jun was.
And the one holding that Ichinose Jun in check was his wife.
She restrained her husband's steps, which grew clumsier as his emotions deepened, and approached Juyeon.
She was a refined beauty with flowing black hair that caught the eye.
"General Juyeon. Ah, it should be Instructor here, right?"
"It's been a while. And I'm ashamed… Despite my duty to protect the cadets, this happened…"
"It's not Instructor's fault. No amount of effort can dodge a disaster like this."
"…"
"Could we hear the details of the situation first?"
Ichinose Jun's wife had always been calm and composed in Juyeon's memory, but today she felt strangely off.
Juyeon noticed her neatly clasped hands trembling.
Was it right to comfort her by saying the male cadet she'd fallen into the dungeon with was reliable?
Juyeon couldn't judge.
Nine hours since Rohan and Ichinose Yui went missing.
The site was crawling with peace officers and scholars.
Noah was still there, of course, along with Sion and Clara.
Drained of energy, Noah had dozed off in Juyeon's arms with her eyes closed.
Sion and Clara had regained a bit of composure.
They knew Rohan's abilities. Even without skills, they believed he'd somehow survive the dungeon and return.
In the two girls' minds, Rohan and death were concepts that couldn't coexist from the start.
"Hoo…"
Ichinose Jun lit up a cigarette after over twenty years clean.
He stood silently in the corner, sword in hand, chain-smoking. His wife said nothing about it.
All they could do was wait.
Time inside the dungeon was unknowable.
Those pulled in through the Monolith might be dancing between life and death, while those outside could offer no real help and waited endlessly, their blood running cold.
Powerless to do anything for the missing, yet unable to leave just in case.
What a tragic situation.
Just before the ten-hour mark.
"!"
Both froze at the familiar yet impossible vibration from their smartphones.
They frantically pulled out the devices from their pockets.
A message in the group chat that had been silent.
Rubbing their eyes in disbelief, Sion and Clara's mouths fell open.
*****
Reward acquired.
Mana surges like a typhoon around Rohan and Ichinose.
The dungeon floor crumbles, and their bodies lift into the air.
No designated return point.
Returning to arbitrary location - Residence.
Piiing—!
Ichinose's swung blade slices past the Monolith embedded in the mansion.
A clean slash.
The pitch-black obelisk slides diagonally and crumbles away.
With treatment complete and dizziness faded, Rohan opened his eyes with a clear mind.
'Oh…?'
Unlike when he'd returned from the dungeon with Sion and Clara to some restaurant rooftop,
this was a familiar place.
No strangeness at all—just the ceiling he could see lying on his back.
Rohan and Ichinose had landed in the Orion Academy men's dormitory.
His own room, no less.
"Baby Yui? We're back."
Rohan gently patted the girl nestled in his arms to wake her.
Ichinose slowly lifted her head, opened her eyes, and blankly looked around.
She hadn't fully registered that they'd survived the dungeon yet.
"This is…?"
"Academy dorm. My room."
His room. Life sparked back into the girl's eyes.
Pushing aside her swirling thoughts, Ichinose remembered the most urgent matter.
"R-Rohan! Contact can wait…! Hospital first!"
"I'm fine. All good as new."
"…?"
To the girl who didn't get it, Rohan stuck out his arm.
Beneath the blood-soaked, torn academy uniform, his skin was pristine.
"What the…?"
"Check your wounds too, Baby Yui."
The ripped uniform hadn't come back, but as Rohan said, all the injuries on her body had healed.
At the same time, Ichinose recalled what Rohan had told the Peace Bureau.
"…Come to think of it, you said the same last time."
"Yeah. Wonder if it happens to others too?"
Rohan asked nonchalantly, but Ichinose shook her head.
No other survivors had experienced this besides him.
"Shall we get up? Lots of worried people out there. Gotta contact them."
"Y-Yeah? Ah…!"
Ichinose realized she'd been sprawled on top of him this whole time.
Her words jammed up at the intimate position that screamed lovers.
She sprang up like a spring and backed against the dorm wall.
Rohan smirked at the sight and plugged in his nearly dead phone to charge.
"…R-Rohan."
"Yeah?"
"During the investigation… You know, right?"
"Just the essentials?"
Ichinose nodded vigorously in agreement, pulled out her smartphone,
and made a call somewhere. Rohan pondered as he watched.
'Clara? Sion? Instructor? Peace Bureau?'
Who to call first? Instead, Rohan messaged the group chat.
Less than three seconds later, his phone rang.
— O-Oppa!? Where are you? You okay? All good?
— Rohan! Where are you? I'm coming now!
Sion and Clara's urgent voices poured out.
"Dorm here. My room. I'm perfectly fine."
— D-Dorm!? On my way!
— Don't move! Stay put!
Clattering sounds followed as the call ended.
Ichinose, finishing her own call, poked Rohan.
"What?"
"…M-Mom and Dad are in Academy City."
"Obviously. They must've been worried sick."
As Rohan grinned,
Ichinose bowed her head to hide her flushing face.
Running into Rohan and her parents like this was inevitable.
It painted one possible future in the girl's mind.