Rohan’s group had been swept away by the Monolith and dropped into a dungeon for several hours now.
Back in the real world, it was just past lunchtime.
The Elysium Security Bureau had swiftly detected the ominous magical disturbance occurring within the academy city.
That’s why Juyun, who should’ve been teaching at the Academy, was now at the Security Bureau.
The security officers showed her a video.
After reviewing the footage, Juyun’s face stiffened, and she cautiously uttered a single word.
“Monolith…?”
“Correct. But as you can see, the situation is a bit different. If it were monsters, we would’ve dispatched a team to handle it…”
As the officer said, the situation was unusual.
The only thing the Security Bureau could do was restrict access to the area.
“It’s embarrassing, but even we officers are clueless about this phenomenon. We’ve shared the situation with other nations and requested information, but we’d also like to hear your expert opinion, General.”
Dimensional rifts and Monoliths that bring chaos and massive casualties.
In the academy city, no one had more experience facing and battling these disasters than Juyun.
To make matters worse, the cadet caught up in the incident was a familiar face to the officers.
Wasn’t he the one who recently exposed and rescued people from a human trafficking organization?
The officers were well aware that the cadet was one of Juyun’s students.
“…Show me the video again.”
“Yes!”
At Juyun’s request, the officer moved the mouse and replayed the video.
It was footage from a security CCTV in an alley.
No audio, but the situation was clear.
Juyun hoped it wasn’t true, but reality was cruel.
From any angle, the cadet in the video was unmistakably Rohan.
Presumably, just as he was about to send off an elf-like woman, the Monolith broke through the ground and appeared, emitting intense magical energy.
From here, an unexpected twist.
Normally, monsters would’ve poured out after this.
But the three of them vanished like smoke along with the Monolith. This was definitely different from the phenomena caused by Monoliths so far.
Thinking they might’ve just been teleported, they even tried calling.
But Rohan’s smartphone didn’t even get a signal.
The Security Bureau couldn’t track his location either. Officers on the ground were also making no progress.
“Sigh…”
Juyun closed her eyes tightly and took deep breaths, trying to suppress her emotions and stay calm.
She dismissed the ominous assumptions. There were no confirmed facts yet.
For the officers waiting quietly, Juyun began recounting her past experiences…
I guessed it.
Of course, no sharp solutions or information came out.
“It seems I can’t be of much help. This is the first time I’ve seen a situation like this.”
“Is that so? I guess we should consider this Monolith in the academy city as something special…”
The security officers also showed reactions as if they had expected this.
The fear of the unknown. The atmosphere subtly grows heavier.
Amidst this, Juyun, who replayed the footage once again, woke up the security officers, who were floundering without direction, with her voice.
“Maybe we can sense something from the remnants of magic. Can we go to the scene?”
“Of course! I’ll guide you right away.”
Snapping to attention at Juyun’s request, the security officers jumped up, geared up, grabbed their car keys, and hurriedly prepared.
*****
Rohan opened his eyes after a long, deep sleep.
As he lifted his eyelids, a doll-like girl greeted him with a smile.
“Ah…! Oppa! Did you sleep well?”
“Are you awake?”
The sound of Sion’s approaching footsteps. With that, the fan made of vine leaves had served its purpose.
As Clara’s hand stopped, warm air seeped into Rohan’s dazed consciousness, reminding him that this was a dungeon.
“Sorry. I’m fully recovered now.”
Rohan apologized as he sat up.
Looking down, he noticed his shoes were off and his outfit was a mess. He could guess what the two had done.
‘No wonder I felt so comfortable.’
As he started buttoning up and fastening his belt, Clara and Sion slightly turned their heads away.
After putting on his shoes and standing up, Clara asked with worried eyes.
“Oppa. Are you really okay?”
“I’m really fine now. Sorry.”
Calming Clara down, he pulled out his smartphone from his pocket.
Rohan checked the timer running in real-time.
And then, silence.
‘…What?’
As soon as he saw the timer, he almost did a backflip in surprise.
How many hours had he slept? Thinking he might have misread, he rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the numbers hadn’t changed.
He thought he had slept for a short while, but he had slept for over 5 hours.
“A 10-minute rest was deemed insufficient.”
At Sion’s words, Clara nodded vigorously.
Rohan had nothing to say except apologize. What’s done is done; all he could do was make up for it by doing better in the future.
“Is everyone hungry? The water in the canteen must be running low too.”
Thinking of replenishing supplies first.
As Rohan moved his hand, Clara hastily spoke up.
“Oppa…! Wait a second!”
“Huh?”
After stopping Rohan’s action, Clara exchanged glances with Sion.
They exchanged it.
Then, with serious faces, they nodded simultaneously. Rohan, wondering what the two were up to, quietly watched them.
“Oppa. Can I ask you one thing?”
“Rohan. It might be a sensitive question, but I need to ask for the future.”
“Did something happen while we were sleeping?”
Clara shook her head, her twin tails swaying, indicating that wasn’t the case.
Clara glanced at Sion and cautiously opened her mouth.
“That skill you use to get water…”
“Yeah.”
“…Did you collapse because of the price you had to pay for that skill? Be honest.”
Rohan understood what the two girls were getting at.
So, without going into lengthy explanations, he firmly stated.
“No. That’s a separate issue. Even if it’s the price of the skill, it’s not like it consumes something like lifespan.”
“…”
Sion and Clara closed their mouths at Rohan’s decisive attitude.
Though their faces didn’t completely lose their unease, they didn’t delve deeper into what the price was.
“Let’s fill our stomachs and replenish our water. Wait a moment.”
Rohan moved his stiff body and went outside.
He marveled at the still harsh sunlight and checked the shop.
He didn’t need to scroll down to find something suitable. There it was, right in front of him.
[Purchased large combat rations.]
The first 5-point rations.
The description “large” seemed to mean it was too much for one person. Still, it looked enough to stave off hunger for the three of them, even if they couldn’t eat to their fill.
Buying one more would make them feel full, but he restrained himself.
It didn’t make sense to eat so much that they’d become sluggish in a situation where a battle could break out at any moment.
‘It’s self-heating? And quite high in calories.’
The packaging had a description: <Just pull the string and wait 15 minutes!>
Fortunately, it didn’t require water or fire. It reminded him of a time he both missed and didn’t miss at all, making his eyes twitch.
Finally, he added three bottles of water, totaling an additional 6-point expenditure.
Rohan came back in with the purchased items, handed out the water, and sat down.
Clara showed interest in the combat rations she was seeing for the first time, while Sion, who had seen combat rations often, showed a different kind of interest in this new type.
“Wait 15 minutes.”
He pulled the string on the box.
As white steam flowed out, Clara made an amazed sound.
Normally, Rohan would have found her reaction cute and smiled, but now he was too busy organizing his thoughts.
‘The man called Gaju… What kind of Gaju is he? And this body…’
It was fine to borrow someone’s gaze for that. That much was okay.
It’s an experience with no burden and only benefits coming along.
However, the part where you even taste emotions has its clear pros and cons.
While it has the advantage of helping you clearly understand the situation, being forced to taste negative emotions not only chips away at your mental strength but also…
You develop an instinct to endlessly realize who you are. The psychological fatigue from that was no joke.
‘Still, no matter what.’
There’s no option to stop learning and thinking.
Rohan was just holding back because the path wasn’t clear.
Curiosity was always there.
What kind of life did this body lead before being confirmed for admission to Orion Academy and stepping into the academy city?
The smartphone’s contacts were blank. There wasn’t a single photo in the gallery.
This body, with no visible relationships, was a bundle of questions.
‘When I gain strength, I’ll head south.’
I feel like I’ve got a bit of a handle on that part now.
Of course, I haven’t figured anything out clearly and distinctly. But it was the sense of finding the path itself to know those things.
For now, I’m satisfied. It’s more than enough.
“Alright, let’s eat!”
Rohan took out a paper lunchbox and poured hot sauce over the rice.
Curry and mapo tofu.
The girls’ eyes sparkled as they swallowed their saliva at the smell stimulating their hunger.
“Wow…!”
“Having a proper meal in a place like this. Truly the height of luxury.”
Moving their rough spoons, the girls started their meal.
Rohan was satisfied watching them eat well. At the same time, he was grateful. It was a pity he couldn’t feed them until they were full.
“Let’s eat, rest a bit, and then move. I’ll stay awake this time.”
Looking at the time, Sion and Clara also needed to catch a little sleep.
After eating and digesting a bit.
Rohan forced the two, who said they were fine, to lie down and fanned them to help them sleep.
The party, in excellent condition considering the situation.
Headed towards the destination that was becoming clearer than before.
