Just Stick to Healing
“…I’m worried, ya know.”
“About the school nurse?”
Juju nodded.
“I heard from some of the other teachers before — the third-year Special Class is so obsessed with stacking skill that their personalities turn rotten, ya know.”
“Come on. They’re still students talking to a teacher. What could go wrong?”
“…….”
Juju thought of Lua the way she usually was. Presence so faint you could miss her, startled whenever anyone spoke to her, so shy she stammered just trying to answer.
And yet, whenever that soft little smile of hers slipped out, she was so cute that Juju had to fight down the urge to ruffle her hair regardless of the whole teacher-student thing.
That same Lua had gone off to help the third-year Special Class with their practice — a bunch rough enough to chew nails. Of course Juju was worried.
“Juju, if you’re not gonna practice, I’m gonna go do something else.”
“Ah — I’ll do it, ya know.”
Even as she stepped back in front of the sandbag, Juju couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling sitting in her gut.
—KWAANG!
—KOONG!
Third-year Special Class practice was on a completely different level from the first-years. They sparred with the same swords and spears they used in real combat, and poured terrifying attack skills into sandbags molded after actual monsters.
They were preparing for entry into the major guilds, and it showed — more professional than plenty of active-duty hunters who were only half-committed.
Of course, Lua couldn’t just stand there and watch.
She had to run herself ragged.
“Teacher! Injury over here!”
“Ah — yes!”
She’d barely finished treating a sparring student before she had to scramble up onto the ring —
“Teach! Over here too!”
“I-I’m coming!”
—and from the ring she had to sprint straight to the sandbags.
“A heal over this way!”
“Hah… hah…”
For every one person she treated, two more got hurt.
“Here!”
“Hek… hek.”
Between the constant healing skills, her mana was draining fast, and her stamina had hit rock bottom — she could barely manage even short distances at a run.
“Heal!”
I-I’m going…!
Even so, the third-years kept demanding Healing without a single pause.
In the end, Lua collapsed in a heap right in the middle of the gymnasium.
“Oh, for real.”
The sweating students all turned the same displeased look on her at once. Lua planted her trembling hands and forced herself back up.
“Teach, you’re killing the flow.”
A student with a spear slung over his shoulder came over, grumbling. The gym lights threw his shadow across Lua’s head.
“We’ve only done five sets.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Lua bit her lip.
Scary…
She was already failing to adjust to the third-years’ unfamiliar atmosphere — and getting chewed out on top of it was dragging her school-life PTSD roaring back. The packs that used to mess with her for fun back when she’d always been alone had worn the exact same look this student was giving her now.
“I-I’ll go again. Treatment…”
“Don’t screw up. Okay?”
“Y-yes. Yes.”
The teacher-student relationship was no help at all.
This was closer to apex predator and herbivore.
But herbivore Lua steeled herself and clenched her fists.
But I have to hold on.
The reason, of course, was recruiting Lee Hwiseong.
If she couldn’t look reliable and capable here, it would become a problem later when she tried to bring Hwiseong on board. No tank wanted to join a party with a mediocre healer.
Endure it. For later.
“That’s enough. Drop the gear — basic skill drills!”
As if on cue, Hwiseong called out to everyone.
“What, is it that time already?”
“I was dying. Perfect timing.”
At his word, the Special Class students obediently stripped off their equipment and switched to bodyweight work. Hwiseong clearly held something like a leadership position inside the Special Class.
Well — he is the strongest one.
Once the students put away the dangerous live-combat gear, injuries dropped off sharply. Thanks to that, Lua only had to move now and then, and could finally start recovering her stamina.
She deliberately dragged a chair over beside the boxing ring and sat. She wanted to watch Hwiseong.
—PANG!
—PAAANG!
Just like Juju earlier, Hwiseong had gloves on and was hammering a sandbag. Well-built muscle rolled under his skin, and the noise cracked through the air.
Nearby, the girls aiming for healer positions snuck glances at him and flushed. Hwiseong seemed to be deliberately ignoring the attention while savoring every bit of it.
A textbook alpha male.
Of course Lua had zero interest in guys; she was watching him for an entirely different reason.
She was scouting for any chance to make contact — any opening to get closer to him.
—PAAANG!
—PANG!
“……!”
Spotting her moment, Lua approached the ring.
“U-umm.”
“Hm?”
Hwiseong stopped his fists and turned his head. His brow was faintly furrowed, annoyed at the interruption. Lua grunted and lifted the ropes, climbing into the ring.
“What is it?”
Remembering the advice she’d given Juju earlier, Lua gathered her courage and spoke to Hwiseong.
“U-umm, about your skill… after Mega Assault, you should weave in some evasion.”
“……?”
“The after-delay — no, it takes time to recover your broken balance, so if an enemy hits you then, you’re vulnerable.”
“…….”
“O-of course, Hwiseong, you mainly use a shield, so attack skills are secondary, but… it’s a skill you can still activate with a shield equipped, so it wouldn’t hurt to know it… I think… maybe…”
Hwiseong looked straight at the Lua who was saying all this. Unable to read his expression, she grew anxious and trailed off, fidgeting.
But his silence didn’t last long.
“Puhahahat!”
Hwiseong burst into a fit of laughter loud enough that the other students turned to stare.
“W-why…?”
“Hahahaha! Ah, seriously, that’s hilarious.”
He laughed his fill for a while, then cut off as abruptly as if a switch had flipped. He snorted at Lua.
“Ha. Teacher. What do you know?”
“U-uh?”
“I mean, if you were a healer I could maybe buy it, but I’m a tank. Right?”
“Ah…”
Lua covered her mouth and took a step back. Instinctive fear of Hwiseong had seized her.
“You don’t break someone’s flow while they’re practicing. Exams are right around the corner and the stress is already bad enough without interruptions…”
He clicked his tongue, adjusting his gloves. His speech shortened, as if he were only talking to himself.
“You think I brought you here for advice? Just sit over there and heal. I’ll handle my own skills.”
“Nh…”
Lua fidgeted with her fingers and dropped her gaze. Her vision blurred.
I only wanted to help…
The hurt arrived a beat late. To Hwiseong and the third-years, Lua was nothing but a tool. A conveniently efficient healing tool. That was why they’d worked her so hard earlier, too.
“I-I-I only meant it in a good way.”
As Lua stammered out a desperate defense, Hwiseong looked her over again with open distaste. Then something seemed to occur to him, and a sharp little smile cut across his mouth.
“If you want to help so bad, why don’t you come hold the sandbag.”
“U-uh?”
“Come on. Hurry up.”
Hwiseong jerked his chin toward the sandbag. Reluctantly, Lua went around behind it and wrapped her whole body around the massive training pillar.
“Hold it tight.”
“O-okay.”
Hwiseong drew his fist back and flicked out a light punch. He’d pulled most of the power — but the skill still activated cleanly.
—PAAANG!
“Kyaaak!”
The shock transmitted through the sandbag slammed into her, and Lua sat down hard on her rear. Hwiseong and the friends who had already drifted over looked down at her.
They were snickering.
“What? Weren’t you the one who wanted to help?”
“But this is…”
As Lua tried to protest, Hwiseong suddenly shoved his face in close.
“Hiek!”
“So stop sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong. If our exam scores drop and we can’t get into places like Olympus or the Murim Alliance, you’re not the one who’ll take the blame, are you?”
Lua bit her lip in frustration. Tears welled to the brim. She’d only wanted to help — why did she have to end up like this?
“Y-you — I’ll tell the school—”
“Hm? You sure that’s a good idea? If the graduation output doesn’t look good, the academy board is going to lose their minds.”
At those words, Lua understood.
The reason these kids could act this untouchable was the tacit permission of the people at the top of Felix Academy.
If the third-year Special Class failed to place into the major guilds in large numbers, the academy’s prestige would take a hit — so they quietly buried most trouble. This almost certainly wasn’t the first time.
And Lua’s position as a health teacher — not even a core subject instructor — had played its part too.
I had no idea.
In the game, the story had always centered on the first-years, so even Lua had never known the third-years’ inner workings this well.
Lee Hwiseong… so this is the kind of guy you are.
Even in the game story his personality hadn’t been good, but never to this degree. After losing to the protagonist he’d had a line or two of grumbling, and that was about it.
But once the other party was a weakling like Lua, his rotten character came out in full force.
To him, Lua was someone it was fine to bully — a convenient healing tool, nothing more.
—Drip.
A thin line of red blood ran from Lua’s nose, and thick tears spilled from her eyes.
“U-uuh…”
“Seriously, why are you cryi—”
Hwiseong was about to spit out another line when —
—KWAANG!
With a tremendous crash the gymnasium doors flew open, and a single silhouette appeared in the frame.
“I saw everything, ya know!”
Lua wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and the visitor came into focus. A tanned girl, standing with her arms folded in absolute confidence.
“I’m taking back the school nurse you borrowed!”
It was Yu Juju.