Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 115
>Chapter Title: You Must Be Having a Good Dream
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Early in the morning, I put on my academy uniform and left the inn that had been my temporary dorm.
Reilly, who had gotten blackout drunk the night before, was sprawled out in a heap, a smile playing on his lips.
‘You must be having a good dream.’
Yeah, a dream you couldn’t achieve in reality. At least fulfill it in your sleep.
“You leaving now?”
“Don’t follow me.”
Shine, who had been staring out the window, shrugged.
“That’s up to me, isn’t it?”
“I could beat the crap out of you too, if I wanted.”
“Try it if you can.”
Shine’s red eyes gleamed. A chuckle escaped me at the confident glint in his gaze.
Was this really the guy who got pummeled at the 4th Base Camp? He was overflowing with self-assurance.
‘Well, he’s got reason to be.’
From the 4th Base Camp to the city of Hazen.
Shine had recovered a fair bit of his strength.
Vampires replenish their power by consuming blood, and true to his parasitic nature, he’d sucked the monsters’ blood dry with ruthless efficiency.
That said, I’d recovered my strength too.
But.
“Whatever. Just stay out of trouble and behave.”
“Scaredy-cat.”
I ignored Shine’s needless taunt and headed outside.
‘I need to form a circle soon.’
Transcendence.
I’d crossed a wall I couldn’t in my past life, but the road ahead was still long.
My realm was impeccable, but the vessel to support it was lacking.
To fully unleash Transcendence, I needed to elevate my body—the vessel—to match.
It was a process I couldn’t predict the timeline for.
‘Though it won’t be as grueling as breaking through the wall of Transcendence…’
For now, Transcendence was sealed until I expanded my vessel.
Even so, there was no need for despair.
During Transcendence, I’d glimpsed the final stage of the Red Fire secret art: Living Flame.
My mental image had advanced from Manifested Flame to the third stage, Tribulation Flame.
I’d finally caught up to Karahen’s realm.
What did that mean?
‘I can crush Karahen now without relying on luck.’
A truly tear-jerking achievement.
My survival until now wasn’t due to a superior realm or exceptional secret arts.
It was simply because I was that good.
I’d fought like my back was against the wall every time—taking down Karahen, huh? The Swamp Lord, huh? That’s how.
Anyone else would’ve died ages ago.
‘I really am damn good at this.’
Some might call it sneaky or cowardly, but sneakiness is a skill too.
Of course, I couldn’t let my guard down.
Just as the Swamp Lord, who terrorized adventurers in the Hamern Great Forest, fell to me, there’s always a counter.
Anyway.
I finally arrived at the dorm.
‘…Not yet?’
I scanned the lobby, which I was entering after a long time.
Students preparing for class shuffled around, rubbing sleepy eyes, but the faces I was looking for weren’t there.
They usually came down around this time…
That’s when I ran into a familiar face descending the stairs.
She froze.
The student who stopped upon seeing me had the same cold expression as always: Pola.
“Yo.”
“…”
My roommate Pola looked at me with complicated—no, irritated—eyes before brushing past.
“…I delivered the letter.”
“Good.”
“And my fee’s expensive. Just this once… hm.”
Ting!
“Got it?”
Pola snatched the coin I flicked and glared at me after confirming its silvery gleam.
“Use me again next time.”
Simple guy.
I liked his loyalty to capitalism.
Anyway, as I let Pola pass without a word, a voice came from above.
“Listen, Cheby. Promises are meant to be kept. And I kept mine. I studied hard for midterms and placed in the top 16. Right?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“So, Mom has a duty to make both Blood, Sweat, and Tears No. 1 and No. 2. You get that far?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“But she says pick one—make No. 1 or No. 2? Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, you did.”
A high-energy voice despite the morning hour. She persisted with her points amid the perfunctory replies.
The two descending the stairs were quite familiar faces.
“This is a clear breach of contract… Huh?!”
“Yeah, you did.”
Damian spotted me first.
Eyes wide, he rubbed them a few times and stared.
Cheby, with her half-resigned gaze, noticed me right after.
“…Friend?”
“…? ……!”
Her eyes bulged.
“Friend?!”
“…Aster?”
“It’s really him?!”
“Aster…?”
They gasped in disbelief, as if seeing a ghost, taking turns.
I greeted them with a relaxed smile.
“I’m back.”
But for some reason.
Cheby’s flickering eyes cooled sharply. With a slightly stiff face, she turned away from me and dragged Damian along.
“Damian, that’s not Aster.”
“But it is.”
“The dead can’t come back to life.”
“But it is. He didn’t die.”
“No. Aster’s dead. That’s a hallucination. We’re seeing things.”
“Is that so?”
The two passed me by.
Damian kept looking back in disbelief, but Cheby was resolute.
She even grabbed Damian by the collar and dragged him.
“Friend, you really died?”
“…”
I had no answer to that.
Just over a month. Not a long time by any stretch. What on earth had changed Cheby so much?
It was utterly baffling.
* * *
Classes at the academy were nothing special.
Midterms were over, and the inter-student combat exam had wrapped up, so most lessons were reviews.
In the lax end-of-term atmosphere, students buzzed with anticipation for the upcoming break.
Not me, though.
“…So, you went out for training and missed the timing?”
“Yes, I got lost…”
“Hmm.”
My meeting with Professor Jeira was pretty dry.
She eyed me suspiciously but nodded readily.
“Got it. Attendance won’t count anyway. No makeup exams for this. Keep that in mind.”
“Yes, understood.”
She seemed curious but didn’t pry further.
My alibi was solid enough for a brush-off excuse.
As I left the faculty office, I bumped into Assistant Professor Yorbi carrying documents.
“Aster, long time no see. You made it back quick. Glad you’re safe.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Was he glad I was safe, or ribbing me for being late?
Same old annoying guy.
Oh yeah, wonder what happened with Evelin, Goldrin Trading Company’s precious darling.
If I were her, I’d have eaten him alive.
‘His flat face suggests nothing major happened.’
For reference, Evelin’s been swamped lately.
Officially busy with company affairs, but really running around appeasing noble houses over the black market fiasco.
Anyway, after my meeting with Professor Jeira, I headed to the first-floor cafeteria in the student dining hall.
There, I started a second round with Cheby and Damian.
“…So that’s why you were late?”
“…Yeah, pretty much.”
I gave them a toned-down version of my Hamern Great Forest journey.
Of course, I skipped sensitive topics like ‘Hamern Great Forest,’ ‘Destrow,’ or ‘Gold Horse Temple.’
Just that I went on a training trip, it happened to be a monster-infested forest, got lost on top of that, and barely survived.
“…Hmm, no injuries?”
“Well, I got hurt, but it’s all healed.”
“Don’t get hurt.”
Maybe because I said I barely survived? Cheby’s stiff demeanor softened a bit.
Or so I thought.
“I thought you’d run away.”
“…”
“Figured you were hiding out having fun. Oh, don’t misunderstand. I didn’t think you were slacking off under the guise of training.”
Right. That’s probably what she thought.
“Me? I had it easy at the academy. Real easy. With Damian. Breakfast, lunch, dinner—three square meals, and dragging him back from his daily runaway attempts.”
“…”
“Not judging or anything. Nope. Just… wasn’t worried you’d gotten into trouble somewhere. Definitely not.”
“…”
She had a lot pent up, huh.
Come to think of it, just over a month.
Damian had grown taller, cheeks plumper, while Cheby looked pricklier somehow.
Only one attitude for me here.
Apologize and bow my head until the quiet storm passed.
How much lamenting did I endure?
“Anyway, Aster. Glad you’re back safe.”
“Glad!”
The mood softened.
I was fine.
Cheby’s soft-spoken jabs had skewered me, but I was still breathing.
I’d bled out internally a hundred times on that bed of thorns, but I survived.
Finally wrapping up the inquisition.
We exchanged proper greetings.
“Oh, how’d the inter-student combat go?”
“I got 2nd! Cheby got 22nd!”
“2nd?”
“Yeah. Dalia took 1st. But really, I let her. If I won, she’d get hurt.”
Dalia must’ve charged in recklessly.
Damian, not desperate, yielded to let her win.
Even so, Dalia’s performance was surprisingly strong.
‘She picked it up faster than expected.’
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have achieved this.
We swapped updates, letting time slip by.
Main topic: Blood, Sweat, and Tears No. 1 and 2—the lake and the statue.
“Pick one!”
“Obviously 2.”
Because it took more work.
Naturally, talk shifted to the upcoming ‘break.’
The first break was right around the corner.
“I’m going to the Blandoga house with Damian to greet Aunt Bianca this time. Parents are already there.”
“I’ll make No. 2.”
Cheby planned to meet Aunt Bianca and spend time with family.
Damian wanted to make Blood, Sweat, and Tears No. 2—the dragon statue.
Though the masons would do the work, and he’d just boss them around.
Anyway, as Damian chattered excitedly, he suddenly looked at me.
“Friend’s coming too, right?”
Pure eyes.
I scratched my head at the gaze.
“…We’ll see.”
I wanted to go to the Blandoga house and form my circle, but I had mountains of academy business.
Visiting Rapiter, and above all…
‘Professor Parun.’
Professor Parun was looking for me.
- Crack, snap.
From a few days ago to today, a summoning orb shattered daily.
First, I needed to meet Professor Parun.