The Long-Awaited Progress -1-
Quaaack!!!
A variety of monsters screeched and roared, asserting their presence and battling over territory in the ruins.
Sion arrived at the outskirts of that place, exhaling ragged breaths as she retrieved the hidden tracker and sniper rifle, then checked the time.
"Hoo...! Hoo...!"
Was it because she'd sprinted at full speed to shake off the nagging thoughts and worries clouding her mind?
Unlike her head, which had no room left for anything else, she actually had more time than expected.
'Hope they didn't spot me.'
If it weren't for sniper training, staying put for so long without moving would have been a flimsy excuse.
Thank goodness she'd actually trained like this before.
"..."
The girl with the massive rifle slung over her shoulder tucked the tracker into her vest pocket.
She tilted her head back and stared blankly at the night sky.
Honestly, her current mood made her want to dash straight to Tigrova, confront the Snow Tiger Emperor, dangers be damned.
With testimony from someone who'd lived through the incident, the outlines of the past would sharpen even more.
But.
Someone like the Snow Tiger Emperor—a towering pillar of the world—wasn't the type you could just meet on a whim.
'All delusions in this situation.'
Facing reality, Sion glanced at the hamburger occupying one hand.
A number matching the one scribbled on her memo pad was written on the now-cold food.
"..."
Considering her relationship with Rohan, what was she even trusting to eat this?
Normally, even if her stomach was glued to her spine from hunger, she'd never touch rations like this out of sheer stubbornness.
Yet Sion crinkled the wrapper open.
Without checking the smell or contents, she took a bite.
If something went wrong after eating it, she could accept that too, with quiet resignation.
A mental state eerily akin to despair.
That was exactly how messed up the girl's insides felt.
"Mm..."
No immediate problems so far.
How long had it been since she'd had food this stimulating? It was delicious enough to feel ecstatic.
Sion wolfed down the hamburger and chugged water from her canteen.
"Puha!"
With her belly a bit fuller, she even felt a surge of energy.
Crumple!
She crumpled the empty wrapper. It felt like a dream that she'd been in Academy City just moments ago.
Even the conversation they'd shared.
'...Rohan.'
Definitely a fake name.
Even so, Sion was certain she wouldn't forget the name Rohan.
There weren't many people she'd encountered during her time outside, but she knew none of them were ordinary.
The groups the elders had connected with and summoned all reeked of intense bloodlust.
'What kind of life has he lived?'
Based on that experience, her instincts told her this:
Compared to Rohan, everyone she'd seen so far was just a mortal, plain and simple.
'...A fascinating human.'
He piqued her curiosity in so many ways.
Sometimes, he carried a weight that clashed wildly with his unassuming appearance.
The hue of that profundity differed entirely from the elders who'd lived for ages.
If she had to compare, it reminded her of looking up at her father as a child.
Beep beep!
The girl checked the watch chiming again.
Time to head back without delay.
"Hooo..."
Sion filled her lungs with the night air and steeled her resolve.
'If all this information checks out...'
Crackle!!!
Electricity flowed from Sion's hand, cleanly incinerating the wrapper.
*****
The next day.
The moment Rohan opened his eyes in bed, that thought hit him.
'Hope Sion made it back safely.'
No way to contact the elf girl, so all he could do was worry.
He hated being stuck just waiting.
Of course, Sion's combat prowess and talent were top-notch.
But that wasn't everything when it came to survival.
From Rohan's view, she was just a girl who sparked concern.
"Mm."
Rohan propped himself up in bed.
'At least she didn't mention the idiots I strung along for the elders...'
His mind was always churning through other topics, but his body moved on autopilot as always.
Even with the special events yesterday, Rohan's routine barely budged.
Until signs of trouble or sudden crises appeared, he focused on building strength and key figures.
Plus, he diligently attended Orion Academy.
'Alright. Off I go today too.'
Rohan actually liked the repetition of his daily grind.
He turned the doorknob with vigor.
..
..
Rohan crossed paths with Ichinose in the training room again today.
At the academy, he sat next to Gilbert and listened to Juyeon's lecture.
After class, a quick meal at the cafeteria, then off to Flower Lily Bookstore—that was the routine.
"Take care, then."
"Yessir! Thanks for the snacks!"
With the manager heading out, the final phase of his repeating routine kicked off.
Vrrr──!!!
His phone buzzed in his apron pocket before he could even stow it.
Rohan's gaze shifted.
He had a rough guess what an emoticon-only message meant, so Rohan looked up.
Sure enough, Clara was peeking around the corner just like before, watching him.
'She's already here today.'
Probably suppressing her presence because of the browsing customers.
He couldn't quite read her when she was set on staying quiet.
Too awkward to call out, so he gave a small wave.
Unlike before, she didn't bolt—instead, she bowed her head politely.
A truly dazzling bit of progress.
'Should I reply by text?'
When he messaged that the weekly boss was a highlight and asked if she was good until closing, the girl nodded vigorously, her lips twitching shyly upward.
She was blatantly excited—it was adorable.
As the late hour quieted the bookstore.
Rohan grabbed the mop to clean the floors for closing.
Clara slipped outside quietly to avoid getting in the way and waited.
"Whew."
Clank! Click!
Confirming Rohan had locked up Flower Lily Bookstore and pocketed the keys, Clara recited her rehearsed line.
"...G-Good work!"
"Thanks. It's my job, but waiting must've been tough on you."
Clara shook her head no.
"Let's head out quick. I kept thinking about the game even while working—such a hassle."
"Ah! M-Me too, I get that!"
Rohan started walking, and Clara fell in step beside him.
Once they hit the main street, he scanned the open shops.
They stepped into a franchise cafe together.
"Add a muffin and sandwich... What do you want to drink? Pick whatever."
"Y-You don't have to buy! I have money too...!"
"Hm?"
"I-I'm good with... just coffee. Th-The smallest size!"
Clara emptied her pockets: 23 tokens.
Roughly 2,300 won in Korean currency.
Her eyes sparkled like it was a fortune.
But it was so heartbreakingly meager, Rohan couldn't take it.
"I'm the one getting help today. Let me treat you."
"But last time too..."
Rohan gently cut her off.
"Coffee at night okay with you?"
"..."
Had she never considered anything beyond it being cheap?
She rolled her eyes, unable to answer, and Rohan chuckled, checking the menu.
"Let's see. Decaf options—hmm, fruit yogurt?"
While Clara floundered in confusion.
Rohan had already ordered two drinks and enough food to fill them up.
"Don't overthink it—just eat. You can pay me back by helping with the game."
"Uuu... Th-Thank you!"
Rohan set the tray down at the table and unpacked the food.
—Company Wave!
As Rohan across from her fired up the game.
Clara's eyes turned deadly serious, like a different person.
Her manicured fingers tapped the phone screen rapidly, then she showed it.
"This is a build I made."
The smartphone memo listed team comps, skill timelines, everything.
Rohan watched quietly, then asked about the character pool.
"You made this yourself?"
"Yeah. I can run it with you today, but what if I can't some days? Use this as reference—it'll clear in under a minute."
"This is tight..."
"Turns out you don't need all resources on the tank. Glass cannon—just level it for HP, it can survive until skills pop. Order with skills at level 3+ should clear no problem."
"Hoo."
What eloquence.
Game talk turned her into a silver-tongued pro.
They smashed all the weekly bosses together, Rohan mined for pulls and bricked it.
Sharing joy, sorrow, all in a flash.
How long did they sit there geeking out over the game?
Once they'd wrung every daily out.
Clara gradually reverted to her usual self.
"It's way more fun together."
"Hehe..."
The girl smiled in agreement.
She pressed her moist lips to the straw, sucking away while stealing glances at Rohan.
A sweet taste lingered in her mouth.
As Rohan tapped out a reply to someone like the game session was over, Clara stared blankly.
Without realizing, her voice came out languid.
"Um..."
Her eyes met Rohan's as he set down his phone.
Clara twisted her fingers and continued.
"I-I'm always here until the bookstore closes, right...?"
"Yeah."
He knew. He nodded affirmatively.
"Did you... hear something from the manager?"
"Nope. Nothing."
"B-But you don't ask anything? Like why I'm here every day...?"
If it wasn't his imagination, she looked ready to open up.
Rohan sensed it.
The long-awaited progress had arrived.