(Arin's Perspective)
Pale dawn light pierced through the frosted glass window, awakening the fine dust motes dancing silently in the air. Outside, the first snowflakes began to drift lazily from the heavy gray sky, though the delicate crystals vanished the instant they touched the earth warmed by the lingering morning sun. Winter had arrived in the capital, dragging with it a chill that usually made joints ache.
The stinging brightness forced my consciousness to surface. I woke instinctively, stretching my wrists and ankles; an old habit to check for damage.
It felt incredible. Light. It was as if I hadn't stretched this comfortably in years. My body felt weightless yet brimming with power. Suddenly, a crucial realization widened my eyes.
I rotated my arms. I stomped my feet on the floor.
There was no pain. The deep, marrow-piercing ache that had tortured me last night was gone. A satisfied smile curled on my lips. The high-quality instant healing Elixir from the Academy's secret vault was truly terrifying. In a single night, a shattered femur had reconnected without a scar, and torn muscle fibers had regenerated as if they had never been severed. High-level medical magic was both frightening and miraculous.
My mood soared instantly. Thinking about the pile of rewards I received last night tasted sweet; as sweet as wild forest honey. I rose from the bed only to find a stern-faced man staring straight at me.
Instructor Karim sat on a hard wooden study chair with his arms crossed, his unblinking eyes watching my every move.
"You're finally awake," he said flatly, his voice slightly hoarse.
"Thank you for guarding me all night, Instructor."
"Right. Now I will go to process the research proposal and clean up the administrative mess of your case."
"Understood."
Karim stood, straightening his slightly crumpled uniform, and left with his usual stoic expression. He was either a hard worker or a workaholic. Even after pulling an all-nighter, he continued his duties like a machine without a single complaint of fatigue. It was amusing to imagine a rigid and disciplined instructor like him willing to stay up all night in a cramped student room, sitting on an uncomfortable wooden chair just to ensure no assassins slipped in.
The Grizzly Bear incident had forced the Academy to raise its security status to high alert. Speculation that the high-tier monster had been deliberately released to target me or Erika drove Karim to take the initiative to guard me during my critical recovery. Perhaps he was afraid his valuable research asset would die before producing the scientific journal that could raise his rank.
Doctor Edna herself had left earlier last night after helping me drink the Elixir and ensuring my vital signs were stable.
Fortunately, classes were suspended today. Since all years had gone through grueling practical exams before the Finals, students were granted a few days off to recover their drained bodies and minds.
My gaze shifted to the table in the corner. I glanced at the neatly arranged gifts. It was incredibly satisfying to see the jar containing the Grizzly heart and the set of new combat gear gleaming with a blue tint. My patience was on a knife-edge. I desperately wanted to run to the forest right now to test the sharpness of the sword and the durability of the Mithril armor. However, I held back that surging desire.
Mithril armor was heavy; far denser than regular steel despite being thinner. Although I could wear it now, my mobility would drop drastically if my muscles weren't accustomed to supporting such weight. No need to take stupid risks yet. It was better to wait until my physique was strong enough through routine weight training.
With an official research permit, a fully equipped private laboratory was no longer a dream. There, I could dissect the heart and create Tissue Elasticity Serum: Version 2.0. This Grizzly serum would significantly increase the durability of my blood vessels and heart muscle against cardiovascular breathing methods; perhaps two or three times more effective than the frog serum.
I grabbed my leather bag and stuffed the heavy pouch of gold coins and the precious magic scroll inside. My mind was made up; I wanted to give these to Erika. Although the Grizzly died by my hand through a suicide attack, it felt unfair to keep all the rewards. After all, without Erika's opening barrage destroying the bear's natural defense, my knife would have only tickled its thick hide. Erika had made a vital contribution that could not be ignored.
I swapped the loose patient gown for a neat Academy uniform. Then, I silenced my rumbling stomach with all the boiled eggs I had in the pantry. There was no need to be frugal anymore; my financial problems had been solved by the full scholarship.
I hurried toward the Central Medical Building. Outside, the air felt biting cold, my breath puffing into white steam. In some shaded spots, snow began to pile thinly over the green grass. However, the winter chill didn't make the cadets lazy. On the contrary, many students were out and about during this holiday, using their free time to catch up on training.
I watched them along the way. The training grounds were packed. Some practiced swinging swords hundreds of times until their hands blistered, some cast fire spells to warm themselves while training mana control, some ran with weights on their legs, and others engaged in fierce sparring in the corners. The Academy was surrounded by shouts of spirit, the clashing of metal, and small magical explosions from ambitious students.
Just like me, they trained hard every day to survive in this cruel Academy. Perhaps some of them would be my opponents in the future, or maybe comrades in arms? The competition here was palpable and suffocating.
Halfway there, I noticed a large crowd of first-year students gathering in front of the main bulletin board. The buzz of their conversation was loud. My curiosity was piqued. I diverted my steps and joined the throng, slipping between people.
I saw a list of the First Year Forest Exam rankings that had just been posted. I began scanning the names from the bottom, looking for my name in the red zone. My eyes rolled quickly from the bottom to the middle, but I couldn't find my name there. My heart pounded. Until suddenly, an uproar erupted among the students when my eyes reached the very top, where the elite names resided.
Top 10 First Year Forest Exam Rankings:
1. Albert Hall & Diana (51 points)
2. Elian Delphine, Karl Benzzi, & Sophia Lunar (47 points)
3. Elena Rhyms & Rose Carlos (42 points)
...
6. Kars Benzzi & Celia Alphine (30 points)
…...…
10. Arin & Erika (23 points)
My eyes widened in disbelief. I rubbed them multiple times, but the result remained unchanged. Erika and I were in tenth place. Top 10 out of hundreds of students. Now I knew why this commotion was happening. Whispers around me began to sound clear, full of cynical tones and disbelief.
"The Cripple and the Weakling made the top rankings? Hey, are you kidding me?" "They must have cheated. How is it possible for two people without talent to gather 23 points? That's equivalent to killing a platoon of Goblins!" "I think it's possible. Remember Arin beat Gordon in the duel yesterday? That kid has dirty tricks." "Even so, it's hard to believe. Only a few Class A students made the top ten, let alone this Class C trash. There must be a calculation error." "Damn it, why of all people, do I have to be ranked lower than that Cripple? My father will be furious."
Suddenly, one of them noticed my presence.
"Hey look, the Static is here!"
The crowd parted slightly, giving me a path or perhaps avoiding a 'disease'. Their gazes varied; some were disgusted, some fearful, and some full of envy.
"Damn, look at that smile. So annoying, as if he's looking down on us."
A beaming smile full of pride was clearly carved on my expression; I couldn't hide it. Hearing the frustration of those who used to underestimate me felt incredibly satisfying, like drinking cold water in the middle of a desert. Let them bark. The facts written on that board wouldn't change.
I walked away in the best mood, leaving the students still busy with their own conspiracy theories. Let them disbelieve or think I cheated. After all, I didn't need their validation. This achievement was proof of my and Erika's hard work.
But still, getting attention and veiled recognition like this was a pleasure in itself. If only that Grizzly Monster counted for points, I might have shot up to first place, beating Albert Hall from Class S. The Academy would be in an uproar, and maybe my statue would be built in front of the gate. Ah, dreaming was beautiful.
A large but simple white building came into view. The smell of medicine began to waft out. I entered and walked down the long, quiet hallway toward the room where Erika was being treated. My footsteps echoed on the marble floor. Upon reaching door number 304, I took a breath, then turned the handle.
I stepped into the patient room only to find a sight that touched my heart.
There, Erika sat in the middle of a wide white bed. Her black hair cascaded down, slightly messy but looking natural. She wore a loose light blue patient gown, making her look smaller than usual. The morning sunlight streaming through the window hit the side of her face, making her pale skin glow. Her blue eyes looked innocent and slightly puffy as she turned quickly toward the door. For a moment she looked dazed, as if she had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Arin? Is that you? You... are you okay?" she asked hesitantly, her voice trembling as if ensuring I wasn't an illusion or a ghost coming to say goodbye.
"Yes, Erika. I am fine. Whole and alive." I spread my arms, showing off my condition.
"But weren't you... last night... you were dying? Your bones... your blood..."
"Haha, well, I was dying last night. But I've fully recovered thanks to the expensive Elixir from the Academy."
"...Thank goodness."
Erika let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping in relief seeing me truly recovered and standing tall. Suddenly, her fresh expression was replaced by thick clouds of sadness. Her lips trembled, holding back suppressed emotional turmoil. A clear drop flowed down her cheek.
"Arin... Sob... sorry."
Tears fell heavily from her beautiful, swollen eyes. Her cheeks flushed red, her breath hitched in irregular sobs. In front of me, the usually cheerful girl cried with her head bowed, clutching her blanket tightly as if harboring the deepest, unforgivable regret.
"Arin, sorry, forgive me. I couldn't save you. I fainted at the crucial moment... I'm truly useless. You almost died because I was weak."
Those words stabbed my heart. Erika did nothing wrong. She had surpassed her own limits. Why did she have to apologize to me? Why did my heart ache seeing her suffer like this? It was as if my conscience was disappointed in myself for letting her carry such a heavy mental burden.
I exhaled a long breath, trying to push away negative thoughts. I stepped closer, sitting on the edge of her bed. I smiled warmly at Erika, who was still looking down in sadness. Slowly, I touched both her red cheeks with my palms, lifting her face to look at me. My thumb wiped away the tears that kept flowing, gentle like a brother calming his crybaby sister.
"Arin?" Erika flinched in surprise, her eyes widening wetly with cheeks turning even redder like pomegranates at my touch.
"Erika, listen to me carefully," I said with the most serious yet warm tone I could muster.
Erika nodded slowly, still sniffing. Her mouth opened slightly as if she wanted to deny or say something but couldn't convey it through her sobs. I leaned my face closer so she would truly understand every word I said.
"You know? Without your continuous mana bullets destroying the bear's fat shield and muscles, my knife would never have pierced its neck. Without your help, I would have been its dinner. You are a great girl. You don't need to feel useless."
"But... I was still a burden. I fainted, and you had to protect me alone. If only I could fight longer, if only I hadn't fainted, maybe we wouldn't have been hurt so badly..."
"Erika!" I cut in firmly, raising my voice slightly to break her spiral of negative thoughts.
"Erika, look at me! Don't look down! I survived. I am here, alive and healthy. I am also grateful you survived without any lack. Look! We both survived a Tier 3 monster. That is what matters."
Erika looked at me anxiously, searching for lies in my eyes. But all she found was honesty. A warm silence occurred between us for a few seconds. Slowly, the cloudy expression on her face began to fade, replaced by a bright, peaceful look. She smiled warmly, a sincere smile from the heart.
"Thank you, Arin. Really, I am grateful you are safe. You... you are very precious to me," she said softly with a bright smile that contrasted with her red eye bags.
Those words made my heart flutter strangely.
"Yes, Erika. You too." I smiled back, a little awkwardly.
Then I remembered my original purpose. The atmosphere was becoming too melancholic; I had to break it.
"Oh right, I have a gift for you. Consider it compensation for making you cry."
"Really? What gift?"
Without answering, I opened my leather bag in front of her. I pulled out a heavy cloth pouch and an ancient paper scroll. The glitter of gold was visible from the open mouth of the pouch, and a magical aura radiated from the scroll.
"This is for you. Two thousand gold coins and a Fourth Circle Fire Magic scroll."
"This?! Wait, where did you get this?!" Erika's eyes nearly popped out of her sockets. "Did you rob the Academy bank?! Or... or did you sell your kidney?!"
"No, Erika. Both my kidneys are still intact. It's not what you imagine. It's a long and slightly complicated story..."
I recounted the events of last night's negotiation, from the moment I woke up, facing Headmistress Selena, to my subtle threat that bore sweet fruit. Of course, excluding the humiliating misunderstanding about the 'private room'. That was a secret I would take to my grave.
Just like my heart last night, Erika's expression went up and down listening to my story like a roller coaster. For a few moments, she would exclaim in shock, anger, and then laughter.
"Cursed Instructor, just you wait, Adnia! How dare she accuse you of cheating!" "Wicked Academy! How could they try to silence you with intimidation..." "Wow, you got all those prizes just by talking? You really have a silver tongue, Arin!" "What? Doctor Edna dared to tease you?! Watch out for that old woman!"
It had been a long time since I heard Erika curse so bravely. Her face came alive again, full of color and emotion. Yes, whatever it was, the important thing was that the cheerful and expressive Erika had returned. The burden of her guilt had been lifted.
"But, can I really accept all of this? It's too much. You were the one betting your life on the front line. You didn't leave a penny for yourself?!" she asked hesitantly, her hands trembling holding the bag of gold.
"I already have a full scholarship. You need this more to buy new magic equipment and pay next semester's fees. Besides," I winked playfully, "for the sweet lady who saved my life, what wouldn't I give?"
"Thank you. Thank you again, Arin."
Erika looked at me. Her gaze was sincere yet intense; there was a depth of emotion difficult to translate there. Happiness was displayed clearly on her face. For a moment, with the sunlight framing her black hair, she looked very beautiful. I mean, she was indeed a pretty girl, but right now she looked special.
Thump - thump - thump - thump.
A heartbeat could be heard from behind that sincere smile. The rhythm was fast yet harmonious. Silence instantly seized the room. But it wasn't ordinary silence, but an intimate silence as if only the two of us existed in this world.
"Giving a gift to your lover? How romantic."
A beautiful yet cold voice, like a cracking ice bell, suddenly appeared to burst our bubble of silence.
We turned simultaneously to the source of the sound in the doorway.
Elena Rhyms stood there with her arms crossed, leaning gracefully against the doorframe. Her silver hair glistened, her eyes staring sharply but with a glint of amusement there. An unexpected guest, the Ice Princess, had appeared in my life just when I wanted some peace.