The Expendable Generation (5)
“I’m dying again.”
The largest building in Lumeris Academy. The one situated at the very center. The Lumeris Hall. It is the main building of Lumeris Academy, often referred to as its heart. Being larger than any other building on campus, the Lumeris Hall was designed to be significantly taller as well.
“It’s not even surprising anymore.”
In the sacred Lumeris Hall, no accidents should ever occur. Yet, coincidentally, an accident was about to happen. To those far away, it might have looked like a crow practicing its landing. But what fell from the rooftop was no crow.
A small girl draped in a robe. Sia Stella was plummeting toward the ground, her twin-tails fluttering in the wind.
“Look, a person, a person is...!”
“Oh, what do we do! Shouldn’t we catch her?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary?”
As the petite body plummeted and neared the ground, the dark expressions of the students brightened. The silver twin-tails dancing in the air, the black robe enveloping her entire frame. She wasn't flustered or losing her composure; she was as stiff as a mannequin. It wasn't just a state of calmness. That was the attitude of someone who didn't know the fear of death.
Usually, even with safety gear like ropes, one couldn't fall this calmly. Yet, this tiny girl kept her eyes closed, maintaining a posture as peaceful as if she were taking a nap. It was a stance only possible for someone who had experienced death dozens of times.
The students couldn't help but marvel as they watched Sia Stella approach the ground.
“What happens when she revives again?”
“They say there’s no need for cleanup. The corpse disappears the moment she revives.”
For Sia Stella, these gazes were all too familiar.
‘Not much time left.’
After checking the distance to the ground, she turned her back and closed her eyes, waiting for death. Sia Stella had a habit of counting down before she died.
‘About 5 seconds left?’
Because she revived immediately upon death, she liked to see if she could time her own demise. If she woke up in a different place exactly when the countdown hit zero, the prediction was a success; otherwise, it was a failure. There was a strange fun in getting it right, and it reduced the perceived pain, so she counted down every time she died. Perhaps it would be easier to understand if you thought of it as covering the pain of the moment of death with other thoughts.
‘It’s fine when I die painlessly, but dying from a fall like this really hurts.’
It was an ability she considered a blessing—dying a hundred times and reviving a hundred times—but it had the drawback of forcing her to fully experience the agony of the moment of death. At this height, it was a one-hundred-percent chance of instant death. For others, they would die before they could even feel the pain, but Sia Stella was an exception. It would be strange if she didn't develop a mental illness at this point. One might expect her mind to be reeling from the massive shock.
‘1 second.’
Now!
The moment she opened her eyes along with the countdown, bracing for extreme pain—
Boing.
A soft sensation touched her back, and her body bounced up violently. A massive pile of wool had cushioned the impact of the fall.
“…Huh?”
The body that had rolled once in the air landed in a place where—
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit reckless with your body?”
She felt the warmth of a man she had never seen before.
“It hurts just the same even if you revive.”
Cheren Dragunov. He is a 5th-year professor who was once a mercenary. Although his career isn't as long as other professors, his skills are exceptional, and because he teaches many subjects, he has watched over countless students.
“Look at the eyes on this one?”
Cheren Dragunov was accustomed to situations like this. Thus, he didn't consider the killing intent radiating from the girl in front of him to be a big deal. It was just the typical rebellion of young people at that age. If anything, it’s more fun to see them defy you when they’re young; when a grown adult defies you, it’s just unsightly and not even worth correcting.
‘So it was a love triangle, how interesting.’
He thought he looked a bit like a pretty boy, and sure enough, his relationships with women were complicated. Cheren Dragunov thought this while looking at Mate, who was gasping for air in the corner.
“Hey, hey, you little brat.”
Cheren Dragunov approached Sia Stella, who had come down the stairs, whistling. A professor with a mercenary background never takes a student seriously. Never. His relaxed gait stopped right in front of Sia Stella’s nose.
“Was that you just now?”
“…”
“You’re looking at me like you’re going to tear me to shreds. Melting two ice swords inside my gauntlet with just three arrows.”
Cheren Dragunov stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger, looking troubled.
“Are you in Class B?”
“Shut up.”
Cheren Dragunov saw the killing intent in the two eyes directed at him.
‘Those aren’t eyes worth trying to have a conversation with.’
Thinking he should go easy on her, Cheren Dragunov summoned three ice swords. He soon burst into laughter.
Crackle-!
“Can you even shoot that?”
Her left eye closed, and her feet spread shoulder-width apart. Sia Stella had taken the perfect stance as an archer and was pulling back the bowstring. The target was Cheren Dragunov’s left shoulder.
“I’ll give you my left shoulder easily.”
Cheren Dragunov showed no signs of fear, even dispelling his ice sword summons. He even stepped closer to Sia Stella. As if daring her to shoot if she could.
“If you can actually shoot me, that is.”
For the students, it was a tense, hair-trigger situation, but to Cheren Dragunov, it was just funny.
‘She’s bluffing, knowing full well she can’t shoot.’
Cheren Dragunov knew Sia Stella couldn't release the bowstring. He had experienced similar situations far too many times. When the rebellion reaches its peak, it’s always like this. But despite the countless repetitions, not a single student had ever taken the opportunity. They only knew how to brandish weapons ignorantly, but they didn't know how to carry out the killing intent they projected. It was the most vulnerable part of Lumeris Academy students. Most of them were kids who had spent all day studying and training at home. Because they lacked real-world experience, they found it difficult to inflict harm on someone.
As a professor who believed in practical experience, Cheren Dragunov knew this point exactly.
“Shoot. I said shoot, didn’t I? Huh?”
Look. Even when I’m spoon-feeding it to them, they can’t take it and just spit it out. The stance is perfect. Even to a mercenary like Cheren Dragunov, it’s impressive. But what does it matter? She only knows how to aim, not how to shoot. She only knows how to pull the string, but she can’t let it go.
“Killing intent without substance is trash, you little brat. Before you defy me without thinking, go drink some more milk…”
Cheren Dragunov sensed a chilling aura and quickly stepped back. He didn't jump. He had stumbled in a moment of pure panic. Soon, Cheren Dragunov realized one fact.
The reason that brat hadn't released the bowstring all this time wasn't because of a fear of inflicting harm on her opponent.
“…I’ll ask you again.”
High-tier magic usually has a long casting time. However, one can modify the structure of the magic so that the casting process isn't visible to others. Of course, this is only possible if one’s proficiency in the magic used and the mana capacity within the body far exceed the level of an average person. Naturally, the very fact that she uses high-tier magic is proof that she is an incredibly skilled individual.
“You’re the runner-up of the Magic Department, right?”
The arrow Sia Stella had loaded was no ordinary arrow. The arrow was very short, and the arrowhead was even more refined. It was the ultimate weapon for archers, requiring high proficiency due to its special firing method. A dark blue flame began to blaze on the arrowhead of the pyeonjeon.
The target was the culprit who had hurt Mate. That damn right hand that controlled the ice swords.
This damn tumak. Because of the tumak, I couldn't use mana. As time was rewound, my physical abilities and internal mana capacity were all reset, so not only could I not use magic, but I felt crushed by the pressure. I thought that by teaching Yuri for the past month, my mana capacity might have returned slightly, but that was a delusion. I should have reduced my sleep time even more. Regretting it now wouldn't change anything.
Professor Cheren’s attack was fatal to me, and although I wasn't bleeding, I was essentially a zombie with consciousness. My legs had lost all strength, and I couldn't move anymore.
‘Her eyes have completely lost it.’
I thought this while looking at Sia’s hollow, murderous eyes. There was nothing I could say to her now. To put it bluntly, the moment that thing was fired, the lecture hall would be in chaos. From that point on, Professor Cheren would have no choice but to take things seriously. Therefore, I had to ensure that the high-tier magic-infused pyeonjeon was never fired.
But as I thought that, the pyeonjeon was already flying toward Professor Cheren at the speed of an arrow. There was only one person in this lecture hall who could stop that pyeonjeon. Erpin von Herta, who could use not only high-tier magic but even ultimate-tier magic.
‘You have to trust the person you can trust.’
Come to think of it, I was the one who snored and brought this upon us. Even if Professor Cheren dodged the pyeonjeon, there was no guarantee he wouldn't counterattack. Could a man whose very constitution was that of a brawler resist a duel with a high-level student? I don't think so. Even if I moved my mouth diligently, neither of them would listen. I had to stop them from clashing at all costs. To settle the situation, this was the only way.
“Player Swap.”
I whispered it softly, and the eyes of every student, including Sia, widened.
Mid-tier transposition magic, Player Swap. It is a spell that swaps the locations of the caster and a designated target. It consumes no mana. However, the caster remains in a state of paralysis for one second, maintaining the same posture as the designated target. The pyeonjeon Sia had fired was aimed at Professor Cheren’s right hand. Professor Cheren had been standing in a standard posture before swapping places with me, and I was shorter than him.
Thwack-!!
It wasn't a sound that came from my mouth. I was clenching my teeth to avoid making a sound. Sia’s pupils and mouth widened in realization, as if she had made a mistake. Seeing the blood gushing from the hole in my wrist, she collapsed, wearing a despairing, sorrowful expression.
“Sigh…”
Should I have just trusted Professor Cheren? The pain was so extreme that the thought crossed my mind.
“Is there no one here who can heal?!”
“The bone was narrowly missed, but the blood loss is too severe. Emergency treatment is impossible.”
The lecture hall had become as noisy as a marketplace. About half the students were rushing down the stairs to check on my condition.
“I’m going to get an earful from the Dean.”
As the tumak vanished, everything returned to normal. The exterior wall that had been shattered to pieces, the podium that had been split in two, my school uniform that had been torn to shreds. Except for my body, which had become a complete mess.
I pressed my wrist against my stomach to plug one hole and tried to cover the other with my hand, but I couldn't stop the blood from leaking out.
“Call the infirmary teacher! He’s really going to die!”
“Move aside.”
There was no need to go to the infirmary. Everyone seemed to have forgotten in their panic, but there was an amazing doctor closer than the infirmary.
Shirai, who had come down the stairs with the help of a female student, pushed through the crowd and reached where I was.
“…I’m sorry.”
Shirai’s first action upon grabbing my right wrist was to apologize.
“I wanted to step in sooner, but I couldn't.”
“It’s alright.”
The reckless thing I did was only possible because Shirai was there. I had no intention of blaming her.
“There’s a hole in your wrist…”
Shirai was horrified and began to pour golden holy power into my right wrist. As the holy power seeped into my wrist, I felt strength surging back into me.
“I know it’s an irresponsible thing to say… but please, hang in there a little longer.”
As Shirai’s expression twisted, my blood vessels and skin began to regenerate rapidly, and the bleeding began to stop. The students couldn't help but marvel at the greatness of the holy power, and I was no different.
With the treatment, the chaotic orientation came to an end. Professor Cheren declared two days of free time as an apology, and thanks to Shirai’s hard work, my right wrist was completely healed without any aftereffects. A bright red circular scar remained, but I was grateful enough for even that.
If there was one thing that bothered me, it was probably that girl. After the treatment was over, she had disappeared somewhere. I wanted to tell her it was okay. Since we were in the same class, I thought I’d have a chance eventually. Unlike what I had thought, Sia didn't show up for any classes that day.
And the next day.
I received shocking news from Shirai.
“They say first-years are banned from using the cafeteria.”
“What?”
What is this, a 90s high school?
“It’s a student council directive… to cultivate a proper spirit among first-years.”
“…”
“It happened because one of the Class A students was absent.”
I felt like my heart was breaking.