240th Episode
After the commotion at the underground plaza.
Ray was eventually carried away on a stretcher, groaning in pain as he left the underground plaza.
The others who remained in the plaza looked at Ray, who was faking his injury, with expressions akin to having bitten into a bug.
What exactly was someone so close to becoming a Master doing here?
If Nelson hadn’t hinted that there was an imperial order, the instructors, knights, and mages would never have lowered their swords aimed at Ray.
Though everyone stationed here was trusted for their heavy-lipped reliability, the unease didn’t easily subside.
The very existence of an unheard-of powerhouse within the Empire was a significant shock to them.
Meanwhile, the students waiting outside also frowned as they saw Ray being carried away from afar.
Ordinarily, third-tier students should have been reviewing the battles they had experienced inside the simulation by now.
In the simulation, the students became part of the Knight Order fighting against demons.
Despite the overwhelming superiority of their forces and it not even being a battle against humans, the students stumbled repeatedly due to the sudden unfolding of the battlefield.
Although they managed to kill a few demons and secure victory because the difficulty of the battlefield itself was low, the students had much to feel from the chaos and heat of the first battlefield they had indirectly experienced.
They would have reflected on those moments of judgment and emotions to introspect about themselves, but thanks to Ray, it all felt like it had never happened.
“…”
The students witnessed transcendent prowess up close for the first time in their lives.
It was a far more intense experience than the battlefield inside the simulation.
Now, they even began to doubt if the rumors about Ray being Saria’s fiancé were just another cover-up.
“Why… is he causing trouble here?”
At someone’s mutter, most of the students nodded unconsciously.
Why would someone nearly at the Lord level come here to Izhise just to cause trouble?
Sighs echoed around while Aaron squirmed uncomfortably in pain.
Aaron shared a room with Ray. It meant keeping an eye out for him.
When others could relax comfortably in the dormitory, Aaron had to tread carefully, wary of Ray’s unpredictable actions.
Many pitied Aaron’s suffering.
Of course, the students, including Aaron, knew that this was an excellent opportunity to build connections if Ray truly was an extraordinary person.
However, despite understanding this, the aura Ray exuded made it hard for anyone to feel cheerful.
As everyone was trying to calm their uneasy hearts.
An instructor approached and relayed the order to wait in the dormitories before dismissing the students.
Even as dizziness lingered, the students forced themselves to regain balance and stood up.
Delun also rose to head back to the dormitory when he noticed Johanna subtly moving in a different direction.
Delun quietly approached Johanna and asked,
“Where are you going, Senior?”
“Eh… I’m just going to check how badly Ray is injured.”
Johanna replied awkwardly.
Since Delun trusted Ray immensely, he believed that Ray’s groans were exaggerated, yet he still nodded.
“Alright. But Senior, you’ll get in trouble if caught.”
The order to stay in the dormitory had just been issued.
Moving around freely under the guise of visiting the sick might lead to a severe scolding from the instructors if discovered.
“Will be fine.”
“If caught, we’ll just say it’s because of the lingering dizziness.”
Johanna’s casual reply, influenced by Ray, made Delun chuckle.
*
Carried on the stretcher, Ray was transferred to the infirmary within Izhise.
Assigned a private recovery room, Ray lay on the bed, drinking a potion bottle while waiting.
“Ow, I’m dying.”
Ray placed the empty potion bottle aside and feigned another groan.
Inside the illusion, Ray had glimpsed the Transcendent Realm.
Not only did he glimpse it, but he went further, donning Harshia’s shell and personally drawing transcendence with his own hands.
The sensations during that moment were elusive, like dreaming.
Ray tightly clenched his hands, which had once crumbled within the illusion.
Swordmaster.
A being encompassing space, forming its own world.
Through the illusion, Ray realized more clearly that achieving transcendence in human form wasn’t mere exaggeration.
Tsuzujik!
Mana dispersed in the air began to gather.
It wasn’t forcibly concentrated but naturally structured and emitted light under the authority encompassing the world.
A blade of light crafted from nothingness faced Ray, shimmering briefly before evaporating.
“Guh…!”
Ray swallowed the blood rising in his throat and fell back onto the bed.
That feat was beyond what Ray’s current level could challenge.
“Oww…”
Pushing himself too hard, Ray groaned in pain.
Just mimicking a Swordmaster in the illusion didn’t mean he could awaken as a Master in reality.
If becoming a Swordmaster were that simple, the Empire would have produced one long ago.
Still, Ray achieved something meaningful within the illusion.
He peeked beyond a barrier that might have taken a lifetime to reach and even stepped into it for a brief moment.
This experience held great implications.
However, Ray didn’t want to experience the same illusion again.
Had anyone else undergone the same illusion as Ray, even a knight at the Graduate level would have become paralyzed from the backlash.
Thanks to inheriting Harshia’s legacy, Ray managed to recover after just a brief illness.
Recalling the last thing he saw in the illusion—a blue gem—Ray grumbled.
More accurately, it was a clump of runes shaped like a gem.
Ray slowly examined the circle encircling his heart.
The rune pattern given by the woman remained intact on the circle, prompting Ray to mutter softly.
“This is completely useless…”
The form and purpose of the runes were so straightforward that Ray could easily understand them.
Ideally, Ray shouldn’t ever need to use this rune.
Deciding to ask Aptel about it later, Ray took another potion bottle into his mouth.
While idly passing time, a knock came from the recovery room door.
Upon granting permission to enter, Shay, belonging to the Prizzran Clan and serving as Speira’s guard, entered the room and bowed slightly.
“May your rest be peaceful…”
It was an awkward greeting for a recovery room.
Ray greeted Shay warmly in return.
“Yes, I’ve been doing well. What brings you here?”
Shay hesitated momentarily.
It wasn’t easy to directly recount the story of Ernst hearing about Ray’s mischief and smashing a table into powder.
Instead, Shay tactfully redirected.
“Lord Duke Prizzran received a report of an incident at the underground plaza.”
“But, I really didn’t do anything wrong this time!”
Ray protested.
Among the various incidents since the entrance exam, the accident at the underground plaza was genuinely not Ray’s fault.
As Ray insisted on his innocence, Shay added cautiously,
“I understand what you’re saying, but it might be better to enjoy things moderately.”
“Agh…!”
Ray felt tears welling up from the injustice.
Yet, no matter how much Ray complained, from a third-person perspective, his track record was chaotic enough to be considered ridiculous.
Izhise wasn’t an organization that could accommodate personal convenience.
When Shay conveyed Ernst’s message through subtle words, advising Ray not to cause any more trouble, Ray dejectedly nodded.
“I understand, I’ll be careful from now on…”
“If… life becomes inconvenient, you can withdraw midway…”
Hearing Shay’s indirect suggestion to stop causing trouble and leave Izhise, Ray shook his head briefly.
The classes at Izhise were interesting and helpful, and most importantly, leaving now would make it uncertain how often he’d see Johanna and Delun again.
When Ray expressed his intention to complete at least one semester, Shay reluctantly agreed.
At that moment, the recovery room door opened again. It was Saria.
Saria glanced at Shay and showed her fist.
Recalling the past incident where Saria had hit him hard during the 4th place match between Speira and Johanna, Shay awkwardly smiled.
“Ah… I just stopped by to deliver Lord Duke Prizzran’s message.”
Clarifying his intentions to avoid any misunderstanding, Shay discreetly stepped back.
Replacing Shay, Saria sat beside Ray and pinched his cheeks, stretching them.
“Ughaaa…!”
Ray groaned as his cheeks were pulled.
“Are you hurt?”
“My body is fine… just some side effects from a similar illusion barrier…”
“You shouldn’t get hurt, our nephew.”
“Nyeah…”
“Is there someone troubling you?”
“I bother people, but no one bothers me! Ow…”
Under Shay’s watchful eyes, Ray endured the embarrassment while soothing Saria’s concerns.
While Ray suffered from embarrassment,
finally, a healer and cleric arrived and knocked on the recovery room door.
After exchanging greetings with Shay and Saria, Ray forcibly escorted them out.
Understanding the healer’s advice that Ray needed rest, both Shay and Saria nodded and retreated from the recovery room.
Once confirming that the two had completely disappeared down the corridor, Ray turned to the healer and cleric.
Both had met Ray once in the Imperial Palace.
Given the potential consequences of information about Ray’s poor condition leaking, the Emperor specially sent these healer and cleric.
Groaning, Ray sprawled across the bed.
“There’s nowhere that doesn’t ache… Could you please examine me?”
“Yes, understood.”
Replied the healer.
*
Johanna arrived at the infirmary looking for Ray.
Since the infirmary wasn’t a building requiring special security, there weren’t many guards.
Pretending to be a patient feeling unwell, Johanna subtly entered the infirmary and looked around the recovery rooms.
Quickly bypassing quiet rooms, Johanna easily found the recovery room where Ray was staying.
Confirming the familiar tone of voice coming from inside, Johanna quietly approached the recovery room.
Standing at the door and listening carefully, she finally heard the voices clearly.
Encounter (5)
