Chapter 36
Part 6. The Dragon’s Shadow (5)
[So then, take me!]
“You’re the one who needs compensation, right? And I said, “I’ll only use the mana you give me for potion practice.”
[Tch!]
Erich fell silent for a moment, then clicked his tongue.
I thought he would argue more, but he didn’t.
“Like this. The way I look like nothing right now is actually the safest.”
No one paying me serious attention, and everything I’ve done being remembered as just “good luck” by others—that’s honestly the best outcome.
Before opening the dorm door, I whispered to myself,
“I should make more potions tomorrow. Mana-stabilizing ones and low-concentration recovery potions that increase healing efficiency. They’ll need them once training really starts.”
When the door closed, a quiet hallway spread out before me.
I opened the dorm window, and cold air immediately seeped in.
Morning was still dim, and the hallway was silent.
People no longer ignored me outright like before.
Instead, a few of them quietly observed, hesitated, and then stopped themselves from talking to me.
I glanced over them and opened the small box placed on my desk.
Inside were potions I had slowly made throughout the night.
Mana stabilization.
Low-concentration wound recovery.
Hypothermia prevention.
Stamina maintenance.
They were all very basic, but the colors were even, and there wasn’t a single bit of sediment.
I lifted each bottle and held it up to the light.
“Hmm.”
They’re good.
My hands, which used to shake, and the mana of this unfamiliar world were both steadily stabilizing.
It felt like my body was slowly adapting to this world’s constitution.
Erich spoke beside my ear.
[Are you taking them again today?]
“Yeah.”
[Giving them all away?]
“If I can.”
[You really are doing pointless things.]
“I knew you’d say that.”
[You’re slow, and all you have is laughter.]
“Haha.”
If giving them away means someone survives, gets hurt less, and suffers a little less—
That’s more than enough.
I put the box into my bag and straightened my uniform.
Even though I hadn’t slept much, my body felt light.
More than fatigue, the feeling of “there are things that need to be organized” was what pushed me forward.
When I stepped into the hallway, Haesol was coming down from the corner.
His expression was calmer than yesterday.
The red marks of his injuries had almost faded.
“Hari.”
“Yeah. Good morning!”
“Good morning.”
Haesol looked at the box sticking out of my bag.
“You made more?”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t it exhausting?”
“I’m fine. I’m used to it.”
He looked at me for a moment, then carefully asked,
“…Could I learn too?”
“Potions?”
“Yeah.”
“Your mana flow is still unstable. Are you sure that’s okay?”
“I want to try. After yesterday, I thought… it would be good to have that skill.”
I laughed softly.
He was serious.
What happened in Moon Halo must have given him a sense of what skills were truly necessary.
I nodded.
“Then slowly.”
“Yeah.”
When we reached the first floor, Yoo Hanseong was walking toward us from the opposite side.
His expression was as heavy as usual, but his steps were just slightly faster than yesterday.
When he saw Haesol, he sped up a little more.
“You okay?”
At Hanseong’s question, Haesol nodded briefly.
“Yeah.”
“Today’s training will be light.”
“Okay.”
I stood naturally beside them as they talked.
It wasn’t my place to interrupt, and there was no need for me to say anything.
Then Hanseong turned his gaze to me.
“Hari.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re coming too, right?”
He said it like it was obvious.
That made me feel a bit wary, but at the same time, my chest tickled just slightly.
I lowered my head and answered,
“Yeah. I’ll bring some potions too.”
“Thanks.”
His tone was calm, but his expression softened just a fraction.
Haesol seemed to notice and smiled faintly.
“Hari is… amazing.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I’m just F-rank.”
Haesol opened his mouth as if to say more, then closed it.
Hanseong studied me briefly, then looked away.
Both of them looked a little complicated.
In the original story, Haesol was much sharper around this time.
I like the air right now.
***
When we reached the cafeteria entrance, Erich spoke.
[You look like you’re in a good mood.]
“Yeah. I am.”
[What’s there to be happy about?]
“Just…”
I murmured very quietly,
“Because a lot of people survived.”
Erich didn’t reply.
That was fine.
Today, that was enough.
The cafeteria was just as busy as any other morning.
But the gazes of people passing through it were slightly different than before.
They didn’t approach me directly, but they glanced at me, whispered quietly nearby, and carefully watched my every move.
‘This level is fine.’
It’s not like anyone would drag me into a dungeon.
I pretended not to notice and sat down.
As I set my tray down and picked up my spoon, Hanseong spoke.
“I applied for counseling today.”
Haesol looked up.
“Me?”
“No. The instructors did.”
Hanseong lowered his voice as he scooped up a spoonful of rice.
“They said they’re checking on the condition of the survivors.”
At those words, the noise at nearby tables dropped noticeably.
I took a small bite of rice.
The grains felt soft as they spread in my mouth.
“It’ll be okay.”
Haesol murmured.
“Yes.”
Hanseong said firmly.
“It will.”
That solid reassurance eased Haesol’s tension a little.
I lifted my cup, pretending not to notice.
“Why?”
“Hari.”
Haesol spoke carefully.
“They might ask about you too.”
He trailed off, then took a short breath.
At that moment, two teachers passed behind us, talking.
“Did you see the Moon Halo dungeon clear rate?”
“Yeah. The recovery rate was strange too.”
“They say it was because of an F-rank student’s potions.”
“No way. That’s probably just a rumor.”
“…Still, it’s strange.”
I pretended to drink water, listening quietly.
But when their gazes almost turned toward me, I immediately lowered my eyes and finished my meal.
Hanseong spoke softly.
“You heard that, right?”
“Yeah.”
“We don’t know how this will turn out, so I recommend preparing yourself mentally either way.”
I set my spoon down and smiled faintly.
“Okay. I will.”
As I stood up with my tray, two girls at the neighboring table whispered softly.
“That’s her, right?”
“Yeah. She’s F-rank.”
“But… they say she used something in Moon Halo. Even if it’s just a rumor, people say her potions are really effective.”
“I don’t know. Is that even possible for an F-rank? It’s weird.”
I turned my back to them, keeping my expression calm, and muttered inwardly,
‘Thank you, benefactors. Things have were getting a bit shaky lately, but you’re balancing it out nicely.’
My friends have been trying to deny that I’m F-rank, you see.
At this rate, I might even get dragged into the upcoming Blue Dragon—also known as the Azure Dragon—dungeon.
Ha. Life.
No matter what, I need to refuse going into a dungeon.
But I didn’t know then.
That the first person to suggest dungeon entry to me would be none other than Lee Sanghee.
***
The large lecture hall on the third floor of the training building was filled with warm morning sunlight.
The green campus outside the windows and the bright lights inside blended together, making it feel like a world completely opposite from a dungeon.
“Alright. Today, we’ll be doing a practical lesson on maintaining an awakened state.”
At the professor’s words, the students straightened up at once.
I opened my notebook and focused as well.
Maintaining an awakened state.
A distant concept for an F-rank like me, but a wall I’d eventually have to cross.
Maintaining an awakened state meant keeping a skill active for a long period of time.
It was especially important for those with buff-type skills.
“Lee Sanghee, please come up and demonstrate.”
At the call, Lee Sanghee, seated near the front, flinched and lifted her head.
Her pale hands clenched the edge of her desk, then loosened.
After hesitating for a long moment, she carefully stood up.
“M-me? I… I mean…”
“Yes, Lee Sanghee. Please show us the skill you newly awakened during the Moon Halo dungeon practice.”
“Ah, y-yes…”
With her head lowered, Lee Sanghee walked toward the podium.
Her long, brown, softly waved hair fell over half her face.
