I Became the Academy's Disabled Student

Due to the physical weakening caused by the Trial of Guhwa Flames, I skipped most of the lectures but didn’t miss the mentoring with Lee Jiyeon.

Fortunately, there weren’t any lectures with group projects going on, so it was easy to skip those.

The attendance issue could be handled as sick leave, and the missed content could be made up with assignments.

It would be a bit exhausting to catch up on all the work that piled up, but I was just glad my grades wouldn't suffer.

However, if I skipped the mentoring session with Lee Jiyeon, it would affect her too.

I could make up for my missed assignments with a little effort, but Lee Jiyeon’s schedule would get thrown off as well.

Of course, missing two or three sessions wouldn’t cause a huge problem. Schedules don’t always go according to plan, and sometimes they get delayed.

But since I wasn’t a bedridden patient and it wouldn’t take too long, I decided to go ahead with the mentoring session.

Instead, I asked Hong Yeonhwa and Baek Arin, who had just finished sparring with me, to accompany me. The reason being that Guhwa Flames could flare up unpredictably and pose a danger.

I asked Lee Jiyeon for permission, and when I casually texted her, she said it would be good to meet after such a long time.

“Did I tell you that I’m learning necromancy from Lee Jiyeon?”

I was casually walking towards the meeting spot when Hong Yeonhwa, enjoying the breeze, suddenly turned to look at me and asked.

“Yes, Taesan is... famous for necromancy, right? I’ve wanted to learn it, so I asked my senior to teach me.”

I nodded and raised my hand. Soon, a necromantic spirit, resembling a will-o’-the-wisp, appeared on my palm.

It was a spirit drawn from some random monsters, a dull grayish figure that flickered like smoke.

It wasn’t very useful. It could be used to inhabit a corpse, but its effectiveness wasn’t significant. It wouldn’t even serve as a decent meat shield.

‘If it doesn’t work, I’ll just use it as kindling for Guhwa.’

Guhwa flames burn everything like a country house dog. I could just throw in these random spirits and immediately boost Guhwa’s output.

As I thought that, the spirit on my palm shuddered.

“Oh... you’ve already started? Hayul, you really can’t do anything badly.”

Hong Yeonhwa, bending down to examine the spirit on my hand, couldn’t help but praise me.

“Hehe.”

Her response made my lips involuntarily curl into a smile.

Compliments from someone who likes me are always so sweet. Even if I regained my sense of taste and ate sweet cookies and cakes, I wouldn't be able to enjoy sweetness like this.

“Has it been that long since you started mentoring? You’re handling necromancy already? You’re learning really quickly.”

“I’m terrible at basic magic... Hayul, how many talents do you have...”

Hong Yeonhwa muttered to herself, then zipped up her thin windbreaker while asking.

As the zipper was pulled up, the white skin that had been showing disappeared from view.

The milky scent that had been thickened by the windbreaker faded in an instant...

“......”

Suddenly, I pressed my lips together. A feeling of regret I found embarrassing welled up inside, and I raised my head after briefly lowering it.

Our eyes met, her jewel-like red eyes locking with mine.

Her eyes, which had been blinking for a moment, narrowed as they focused on where my gaze was directed.

Hong Yeonhwa gently pinched my cheek.

“Ahem... just hold on until tonight, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am...”

“Good girl.”

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Lately, sleep has not been a source of fear for me.

In the past, I had insomnia, and even if I managed to fall asleep for a short while, I always had nightmares. Sleep was something I dreaded. But now, as I sleep in the arms of another person, there are no nightmares.

When I enjoy the soft sensation and the warmth of the body, feeling the regular heartbeat, I fall asleep without even thinking about nightmares or insomnia.

I nodded quietly, looking forward to the happiness I’d feel tonight.

“If you want to stop Guhwa from going off while sleeping, shouldn’t I sleep beside you too?”

“Shut up.”

.

.

.

We arrived at the meeting spot shortly after. It was a spacious park with a large grassy field.

Various types of flowers were planted along the walking paths of the park.

Shadows were cast beneath the scattered trees, making it the perfect place to lay down a mat and enjoy a picnic.

‘It’s close to the dorm, maybe I should ask Seo Yul to come out too.’

It would be nice to just pack a simple lunch and come out for some fresh air.

I briefly surveyed the surroundings as I walked further in.

Lee Jiyeon was waiting for us, sitting on a bench under a tree. She was focused on a hologram, her chin resting on her hand, and she looked quite serene.

Her natural hues of green and brown blended perfectly with the hologram’s green color.

When Lee Jiyeon noticed us, she lifted her head.

Her green eyes blinked and took in our group.

I nodded my head slightly in greeting.

After I told her about missing lectures due to the Trial of Guhwa, she sent me a concerned text. I thanked her in response, and I planned to express my gratitude in person as well.

It seems like we’ve built quite a good rapport. And with the debt I still owe her from China, I was considering casually bringing up the fairy issue.

[Thank you for worrying about me.] [Thankfully, there’s no problem with my body—]

“Hiieeeek?!”

[—did I...?]

Lee Jiyeon’s eyes widened in shock.

Then, with a scream that sounded like she’d just been thrown into a hot frying pan, she bounced off the bench.

In the midst of this strange scene, her body froze for a moment, but she quickly waved her arms and lunged at me, burying me in her embrace.

My face was now pressed between her ample chest.

[?]

A question mark appeared above my head.

Hong Yeonhwa’s face contorted.

If I could, I’d scream and faint.

I kept my eyes open, but my body felt frozen as I looked down at Lee Hayul, who was nestled in my arms.

The sweet fragrance that brushed my nose, the warm and soft sensation transmitting through my body...

I could feel it with all my senses.

Lee Jiyeon, already tuned into her sixth sense, examined Lee Hayul once more.

Recognizing his vitality through Taesan, she expanded her range to sense vitality not just from the earth, but from someone outside its bounds. It was an advanced method that Lee Jiyeon had somehow learned to use.

She focused on him again.

An empty vessel. An unbearably hollow emptiness, and even now, I could feel the faintest yet clear traces of something vanishing as if evaporating...

‘What the hell...?!’

The vitality I had previously replenished was almost completely gone.

Lee Jiyeon’s eyes trembled at the realization.

She had overexerted herself just a couple of days ago to fill his vitality. How had it depleted so soon?

What on earth was he doing outside? Was he gambling with vitality as if it were money?

The thought of him collapsing suddenly made Lee Jiyeon feel anxious.

‘Guhwa...? Could it have affected him?’

In the midst of her panic, Lee Jiyeon remembered Lee Hayul’s condition.

The Trial of Guhwa. That was why he had missed most of the lectures. She vividly remembered the text she had sent after hearing the news.

Guhwa... it might have had an impact.

Thinking about the nature of Guhwa, it made sense. It’s one of the most troublesome abilities among the Three Great Families. Guhwa is the cause of many deaths of its bearers.

Of course, nothing was certain.

At the end of the day, no one could be sure about Lee Hayul’s current state.

That’s because two abilities from the Three Great Families were fused within one body.

Taesan and Guhwa.

A combination that had never happened before in history.

No one knew what kind of interaction might be occurring inside him.

‘No, first I need to fill his vitality...’

Lee Jiyeon shook her head. This wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

She had to fill his vitality. Though she didn’t have enough energy to fully replenish it, she could at least do something...

“Unnie.”

It was then.

A cold voice called from behind, freezing Lee Jiyeon in place.

Her shoulders shook at the menacing tone.

She stiffly raised her head, and despite the cold voice, the intense glare burning into her made her feel like she was being cooked alive.

“Unnie, do you want to die?”

“Eek...”

“What the hell are you doing right now?”

Hong Yeonhwa, with her bloodshot eyes, was staring at Lee Jiyeon. It was as if hellfire was burning within her pupils.

Lee Jiyeon swallowed hard.

The word “Unnie” and the honorific didn’t mean much anymore in the face of Hong Yeonhwa’s fierce glare and voice.

Lee Jiyeon felt as if she might be torn apart by those eyes and that voice.

With a sharp sound, the tightness in Hong Yeonhwa’s mouth told Lee Jiyeon that the threat was real.

If Hong Yeonhwa attacked, Lee Jiyeon would try to resist, but after a year at Siyoram, she had no confidence she could win...

“Lee Jiyeon? What’s wrong with you suddenly hugging people like that?”

Beside them, Baek Arin’s expression was far from kind.

At first glance, she looked calm, but Lee Jiyeon, who had grown up with Baek Arin since childhood, knew better.

Baek Arin was not pleased. Her gaze was directed at Lee Jiyeon with clear disapproval.

For a moment, a childhood memory surged in Lee Jiyeon’s mind.

Back when neither of them had awakened their abilities, but their personalities had already shown.

The lively, action-first tendencies of Hong Yeonhwa... and the cruel memory of her tormenting Lee Jiyeon...

Lee Jiyeon resisted, but after getting a good beating, she was left lying on the floor, looking up at the pure and cruel smile on Hong Yeonhwa’s face, with Baek Arin laughing beside her...

Of course, it was only a memory from childhood, but the emotions from that torment still lingered strongly.

They had been good younger siblings, but they had also caused Lee Jiyeon quite a bit of pain...

Lee Jiyeon’s shoulders hunched. Naturally, her arms came together, and Lee Hayul, who was nestled in her embrace, sank even deeper.

Hong Yeonhwa’s gaze became even more intense.

‘...?'

The sharpness of her gaze had intensified, and Lee Jiyeon felt a strange emotion.

She read the emotions in Hong Yeonhwa’s gaze.

Anger and animosity.

And...

‘Jealousy?’

Jealousy, envy, resentment...

Lee Jiyeon, unable to notice Hong Yeonhwa’s trembling fist, blinked vacantly.

Jealousy is the feeling of desiring something someone else has.

Lee Jiyeon had felt that emotion toward Hong Yeonhwa.

She had envied Hong Yeonhwa. She had been jealous of Baek Arin. She had resented her mother.

Even though Lee Jiyeon had awakened her own ability, she hadn’t received the same kind of praise, nor the same expectations.

She often felt inadequate and had been compared to others, even though she tried to pretend it didn’t bother her.

Now... that feeling had reversed.

Hong Yeonhwa was jealous of Lee Jiyeon.

“......”

Lee Jiyeon felt a complicated and indescribable emotion. She felt a strange warmth rising in her chest...