I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City

28 – A Precious Guest -1-

‘Impart Weakness.’

Naturally, Juyeon’s fingers did not break.

Rohan condensed his concentration and used the skill.

And then.

‘…!’

As if the vessel holding the magic shattered.

All the magic he had was drained in an instant.

[ Insufficient Magic Power. ]

A notification window popped up in front of Rohan’s eyes.

There was no time to feel regret.

Something beyond the dizziness that flashed through his mind.

His vision rapidly blurred.

“Ugh…”

Rohan, whose magic had evaporated in an instant, tried to hold onto his consciousness somehow.

But exhaustion from sudden magic use, not gradual depletion, is not something that can be endured by willpower.

Rohan’s consciousness slowly began to fade.

“!!!”

At the same time, a chill brushed Juyeon’s instincts.

Rohan’s magic, seeping through his fingers, attempts to create an anomaly.

What she felt was a sense of discord, as if harmony was about to be disrupted.

‘To a cadet… me?’

Juyeon suppressed the impulse to move with patience and reason.

She almost swung Rohan, who was holding her left hand, and threw him away.

Watching Rohan’s condition, wondering if something was coming next, Juyeon was surprised again.

The sword that had been held in one of Rohan’s hands slipped down, and the strength in his fingers dissipated.

‘Consciousness!?’

Rohan was collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

Juyeon caught Rohan, who was falling in her direction, in her arms.

There was no option to avoid it.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The alarm signaling two minutes had passed rang.

Juyeon’s situational judgment was quick.

She stood up abruptly, holding the unconscious Rohan.

“I will take him to the infirmary. Everyone, stay here and wait.”

There was nothing to hide in this situation.

Juyeon shot out like a bolt of lightning.

Huh?

Rohan opened his eyes on the bed. A thin yet warm blanket was covering his body.

As he gathered his senses and lifted his eyelids, a stark white ceiling came into view.

Familiar notification windows greeted his returning consciousness.

[Achievement unlocked: A Day Without Reserves.]

[Achievement reward: 10P obtained.]

[Achievement unlocked: Is This Living?]

[Achievement reward: 30P obtained.]

…

Rohan called up the status window without delay.

Name: Rohan

Health: 98%

Mana: 3%

Affiliated Nation: Echoes of the Southern Ruins

Affiliated Organization: Orion Academy

Attributes: [Physical] [Fire]

Status: Exhausted

Remaining Points: 2304P

Wow, if this were real combat, I’d be dead for sure.

The moment he saw the status window and the bluish IV connected to one arm, he understood the situation.

Rohan pulled his weakened hand out from under the blanket and covered his face.

He felt relieved that he had tested it in advance.

He could only hope that his abilities and skill levels would improve enough to create a breakthrough.

‘…My condition is wrecked.’

So this is what mana exhaustion feels like. It was completely different from overusing his abilities during his hunter days.

His entire body felt like a wet cotton ball, limp and heavy.

Even though he knew he needed to check exactly where he was and what time it was, the overwhelming sense of powerlessness made even that simple movement difficult.

How long had he been spacing out like that?

Someone slid the surrounding curtain open with a swish and entered.

“Are you awake?”

“!”

Rohan moved his hand and rolled his eyes to see Joo-yeon come into view.

She naturally sat down on the chair next to him.

“It’s mana exhaustion. You used up every last bit of it.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You did nothing wrong. This will be a good experience for you, so there’s no need to apologize. Just rest for now.”

Joo-yeon continued speaking as she watched the blue-tinged IV drip fall drop by drop.

“How is your condition?”

“Just… I feel a bit tired.”

“We’re administering an IV that will help with your recovery, so just take it all in and you’ll be fine.”

Ju-yeon placed Rohan’s bag, which she had kept, on the desk and handed over the smartphone.

With a word of thanks, he turned on the phone and saw that the class had already ended.

There were also messages from Ichinose and the first-year cadets.

He wanted to reply to everyone immediately, but the most important thing was time.

“Instructor.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know how long it will take to finish this IV?”

“Just a moment.”

Ju-yeon pushed aside the curtain and could be heard talking to someone.

She soon returned with the answer.

“About two hours left.”

“Phew…”

Rohan sighed in relief, thinking he could make it to his part-time job.

Reading his intention, Ju-yeon’s expression hardened.

“Rohan. This IV is not a cure-all. You should rest well today due to the aftereffects of exhaustion.”

“It’s okay. My part-time job is almost like resting.”

“Hmm…”

Ju-yeon had a lot to say, but she closed her mouth, feeling that any more would be overstepping.

They each had their own circumstances.

It wasn’t a leisure trip, but a part-time job that his livelihood depended on, so she couldn’t force Rohan to rest.

There were many things to be curious about regarding skills, but there were limits to how much personal matters could be delved into from the instructor’s perspective.

Ju-yeon could only watch as Rohan left the infirmary.

*

.

Ju-yeon arrived home after finishing work at Orion Academy.

A luxurious residence that the dean had arranged for him in the academy city.

He was considering returning it or passing it on to another instructor and moving to a different place if the opportunity arose.

Beep!

Entering the password and stepping inside, the pitch-black living room greeted him with silence.

Every time he faced this scene, he missed his cozy home in Samhwa.

A house should be moderately spacious.

An excessively large house was hard to manage, and if not filled with furniture, it echoed.

A house about a quarter of this size would be just right.

Click.

He neatly placed his shoes in the corner of the shoe cabinet.

Ju-yeon began to take off his suit.

In his underwear, he placed the suit in the clothing care machine and headed to the bathroom to wash up as usual.

Brush, brush.

He put his underwear in the laundry basket and started brushing his teeth while looking in the mirror.

Reflecting on today’s class while washing up was essential.

“I should have more classes like this in the future.”

Each one of them had dazzling talent.

The brilliance was even more radiant than during the usual practical classes.

They were all excellent, but three cadets left a particularly strong impression on Juyeon.

“Noah Frozenheart, Ichinose Yui…”

He believed that if those two cadets grew up smoothly, they would easily surpass him.

The saying that heroes emerge in times of chaos seemed to be made for these two beautiful cadets.

Swoosh!

“Phew…”

Juyeon thought of the last one as he stood under the cold water pouring from the showerhead.

“And Rohan.”

This one was different from a hero.

He couldn’t predict how Rohan would grow.

The more Juyeon pondered Rohan’s movements, the more he felt a mix of admiration and bitterness.

It wasn’t the kind of combat style a fresh academy cadet would show, which made his heart ache.

It was a combat style acquired through experience, not professional training.

It felt like a desperate struggle to survive. Rough and fierce movements with blood dripping down.

And yet, it wasn’t a natural talent like Noah Frozenheart’s, but something artificial.

In the two-minute sparring, Juyeon could see the kind of past Rohan had lived.

Above all.

It was definitely the Scorching Blade.

I never expected to encounter it so suddenly.

Did I obtain it by chance, or have I had it since birth?

Knowing doesn’t change anything, but…

I know it’s an immaturity that I still haven’t escaped the shadows of the past.

Even so, I’m just curious.

It’s the feeling of still missing my younger sibling.

Swoosh.

…

But I didn’t want to press Rohan too hard.

As an instructor, I know that asking such questions to a cadet imposes an unimaginable pressure.

Huh?

Juyeon realized that she had stopped moving again while lost in thought.

It was indeed a bad habit.

I did something unforgivable to Rohan.

For a cadet, those two minutes were precious, and it wasn’t something an instructor should do to let her mind wander elsewhere.

It’s certainly a shameful act for someone whose profession is education. It requires self-punishment.

Phew!

After finishing her shower, Juyeon used a bit of magic to gently dry her body.

She then put on the new underwear she had bought recently.

The feeling around the hips was a bit tight. The same went for the top.

‘Hmm? The size?’

There was no memory of neglecting training, so it was definitely not because of gaining weight.

It wasn’t a growth period, so it couldn’t be that the chest or hips had grown.

‘This brand won’t do.’

Other brands fit perfectly in this size, but not this one.

Ju-yeon took out different underwear and, dressed lightly, headed to the kitchen.

She drank cold water and grabbed her phone.

Ju-yeon meticulously checked the contents of the message.

Flower Bookstore, huh.

She checked the time.

According to the report, Rohan’s part-time job wasn’t over yet.

Next, Ju-yeon checked the Orion Academy Instructor Manual.

Standing in the kitchen, she rechecked the part about the cadet’s part-time job.

The instructor’s responsibilities and duties… Should I visit for a bit?

Ju-yeon, who had taken off her clothes, opened the wardrobe to go out.

She took out light clothes for the first time in a while and put on sneakers she hadn’t worn in who knows how long.