Need a Porter?
Everyone has their own philosophy on how to live life. Some chase wealth and peace like landlords. Others live fiercely on the battlefield. In Aris Severus's case, she wanted to live desperately without a shred of regret.
With talent and skill that seemed impossible to overcome, and a background and environment where it was easy to take it all for granted, she could have lived in frustration. But she hated the idea of giving up prematurely and regretting it later. So until now, she'd burned her body away researching various magics, achieving the realm of high mage, and even becoming a professor at the Superhuman Ability Academy.
She inwardly took pride in herself for attaining both skill and honor.
"I, I hope you recover soon."
"...Ah."
And now she lay in a hospital bed. A result even she, just a few days ago, could never have imagined. No, perhaps she was still in the midst of plummeting into the abyss.
"Um, Professor?"
Aris, lying on the bed, looked at the handsome male student—Shin Yuseong—who had come to visit with a fruit basket, her eyes trembling. She felt grateful to her disciple for carving out time from his personal schedule to visit, but inwardly screamed at the cruelty of him showing up here of all places.
It was embarrassing to admit, but her prized magic prowess had been shattered by a student twice. If he'd known the counter-spell or barely endured it, she might have thought the student was exceptional. But it had been blocked so effortlessly that her thoughts veered toward the worst.
No way... was my magic actually lame all along?
Suddenly, self-doubt bloomed in her heart. Had she unknowingly grown arrogant from only using spells on students lately? What if her magic, which she'd thought was progressing, had stagnated—or worse, regressed? What if everything she'd proudly considered achievements were just sandcastles without substance...?
Endlessly questioning herself like that, a mage must steadily explore while maintaining unshakeable confidence to avoid arrogance—yet her foundation had crumbled.
Wait, but our Yuseong got hit by magic? I thought he didn't. Right? That kid's mana barrier is solid, but the effort and passion he put in to get there is so cool, isn't it? Oh right, that's why I wanted to hear if our Yuseong withstood the magic... Um, Professor Aris? Are you listening?
Over the receiver came Professor Shin Arin's mental assault, rap-like in delivery, striking her before she could even recover. An unbearable wave of nausea hit, disrupting her energy meridians.
"Urk, ughhh...!"
Recalling that moment again, Professor Aris grimaced and quickly clamped her mouth shut.
The Goddess looks regretful and says you shouldn't visit anymore. (ㅠ_ㅠ)
"...Yeah."
I usually didn't agree right away with the Goddess's words, but this time I had no choice.
The patient's condition in the hospital room was that severe. It wasn't a situation for jokes or teasing.
Did I do something wrong? I feel bad for visiting and making her nauseous...
Ugh. Hard to put into words.
"This is tough."
It really felt like my fault.
The Goddess nods emphatically and comforts the hero, saying even incompatible compatibilities exist. (ㅎ^ㅎ)
"Yeah, our compatibility was bad."
Much worse for her than me. All sorts of bad luck had befallen the professor. It was unfortunate, but strictly speaking, I hadn't done anything wrong, so I decided to erase it from memory for a while.
I couldn't blame my curse resistance or magic immunity built up over time for her rejection reaction during the visit. So, I prayed for her quick recovery.
Ha... what misfortune.
Muttering that inwardly like a chant as I walked the corridor, I spotted a familiar face coming from the opposite direction. A somewhat cold expression. Sky-blue hair tinged with that color, and piercing blue eyes. A woman with an atmosphere as cool as her blue hue—none other than the Blue Tower genius, Ice Block...
The Goddess furrows her brow and whispers that it's not Ice Block, it's Seol Yeonhwa. (ㅡㅡ)
I know.
But Ice Block's impact was too strong. She'd used more profanity in chats than words spoken face-to-face at the cafe? Still, dressed up more than when she rushed out for the raid, she looked like a different person.
She's got that cold beauty vibe.
I wondered if she'd welcome me when I brought medicine later. Her aloof, superior face made meddling feel burdensome all of a sudden.
Maybe skip making the meds.
The Goddess is startled by the hero's thoughts and asks if it's usually the opposite. [(ㅎ^ㅎ)]
Socially awkward people avoid communication out of fear of rejection. Right, right—if it were that easy, I'd have been popular since childhood. Anyway, since it's about saving a life and a chance for an outing, I planned to hit the dungeon.
"...H, hi."
"?!"
Holy crap, Ice Block greeted me first. Surprised, I paused, and Ice Block... no, Seol Yeonhwa whispered with her brows slightly furrowed.
"You said we should greet each other when we bump into each other often."
"Oh, I know. I was debating whether to call you Ice Block or Seol Yeonhwa."
"...Just call me Seol Yeonhwa."
"Then you call me Yuseong too."
"Yeah, I'll try."
The conversation felt kinda ticklish. What was this feeling? Like extending a hand to a wild animal—if they reach back, it's touching; having a cold-faced friend approach first felt fresh and welcoming.
Wait, more than that, I think this is the first time someone's talked to me first in the hallway.
The school community had tons of girls saying they wanted to lick my neck, so this was unexpected. Fine for strangers, but had I really never had anyone to chat with in the halls before? If so, this girl's the first.
A strange sense of closeness welled up, and smiling, I said like a vow:
"Then let's keep seeing each other for a long time."
"... "
At those words, Seol Yeonhwa's eyes wavered briefly before steadying as she nodded.
"Yeah, sounds good."
Seemed like I might gain a friend to hang with through college. Lunch buddy, gossip buddy, karaoke buddy, etc. And she even gamed.
Definitely gotta save her.
She was a precious find.
"Let's game sometime when you're free."
"...Uh, gaming's a bit..."
"...?"
Why the reluctance there?
The Goddess sighs at the clueless hero, asking if he really doesn't know why. (ㅁ=ㅁ)
No, why?
She rejected my gaming buddy request, but I wasn't childish enough to sulk over it. That was for the silly goddess. As a hero who'd saved the world, I maintained a mature attitude.
It wasn't wrong to make delicious medicine for a future friend. I'd gather materials for the elixir to aid Seol Yeonhwa's constitution treatment.
I wasn't an expert in alchemy or pharmacology, but with the recipe, it was easy. Checked an info site—materials mostly from D- and C-rank dungeons, not too hard. Reassuring since my pass permit covered them.
Getting in and gathering some were a hassle, but luckily I had a reliable ally in that department.
"Dungeon raid and gear rental applications are all done. Now just pick up the pass and gather the herbs inside."
Imir from Hunter Support, my groupmate in the magic game experience and crafting class. His department focused on supporting hunters, perfect for admin and prep. Handing him the tedious paperwork? He handled it smoothly.
He'd mentioned needing raid credits for end-of-term during class, so we teamed up casually—but now I realized it was a great choice.
Convenient.
The Goddess shakes her head at the honey-sucking hero. (ㅎㅎ)
Anyway, real-life friends went from one to two—doubled, even. Obviously, the first was Seol Yeonhwa from the raid meetup. Ice Block had claimed a lot of my school life title.
Gotta save her no matter what.
Nodding at that thought, I felt a gaze from the side. Turned casually, and
"...U, umm."
the former golden goblin battle mage was staring at me with pleading eyes, saying nothing. Our eyes met, and her face gradually flushed red.
Wondering what was up as I kept looking, the pink-cheeked smiling Japanese exchange student Maho popped her head in with a bright grin.
"Do you need a porter by any chance?"
"...Yes, porters!"
And just like that, I gained two more porters (mages).