I Became the Academy’s Heroine Stalker – Chapter 31

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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“Is he alright?”

Tae-jin lay in the mansion’s infirmary.

Lee Mu-gyeol, his personal physician, was examining him.

Despite his age, nearing seventy and well past his prime, he was a renowned expert in treating Hunters, having once been the director of the National Hunter Hospital.

After retiring, he was hired by Park Na-yeon and now resided in the mansion as her personal physician.

He shook his head, groaning in response to Park Na-yeon’s question.

“Hmm… I can’t figure it out.”

“What? There’s something *you* don’t know?”

Na-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise.

He was incredibly knowledgeable about unusual phenomena affecting Hunters. He had never uttered the words “I don’t know” since she hired him, yet here he was, admitting his ignorance for the first time.

“It’s not dark magic contamination… There are no signs of necrosis from overtraining… And it doesn’t appear to be a new skill manifested through mana sensitivity…”

Tae-jin’s entire left arm, up to his shoulder, had turned jet black.

Lee Mu-gyeol examined him with various medical instruments.

But all his efforts led to dead ends.

“Does he need treatment? Is he going to die? I mean, is his life in danger?”

“Don’t worry, he’s not in any danger.”

Reina, anxiously pacing behind them, asked, but Lee Mu-gyeol firmly reassured her.

His life wasn’t in danger.

There was no problem with the functionality of his left arm.

Blood circulated normally, and pure mana flowed within it.

There was no muscular damage either.

The only puzzling thing was…

“…It’s as if it spontaneously combusted.”

“Spontaneous combustion?”

“It’s as if this phenomenon occurred due to some kind of self-combustion.”

“…That’s strange.”

Park Na-yeon tilted her head.

She was concerned that her first personal disciple had experienced something untoward during training, but this confirmed that what she had witnessed in the F12-13 Dungeon wasn’t a hallucination.

‘His left arm was faintly black back then, too.’

She had assumed it was just a stain from the battle, but now she knew it was something else entirely.

And…

‘What is this kid?’

A nagging question lingered in her mind.

The magical explosion recorded in the footage had been dismissed as a temporary phenomenon, but she didn’t believe it.

The powerful surge that destroyed the electronic devices was too suspicious to be just a simple occurrence.

Of course, such explosions occasionally happened in dungeons due to unusual circumstances, but the fact that it happened to Han Tae-jin made it hard to ignore.

‘There’s definitely something more to this…’

In her decades as an S-rank Hunter, exploring countless dungeons and encountering all sorts of phenomena, she had never seen a case where only the left arm turned black.

She had seen cases of dark magic contamination and necrosis from venomous monster attacks, but this was different.

‘Right.’

If it wasn’t dark magic, necrosis, or a new skill…

And if this phenomenon was similar to spontaneous combustion…

Then there was only one possibility.

At least, based on her extensive practical experience, which far outweighed her limited theoretical knowledge, there was only one plausible explanation.

“Doctor.”

“Yes?”

“Is there a possibility… that this is a manifestation of monster power?”

Her words made Lee Mu-gyeol and Reina’s eyes widen in surprise.

Even Kim I-na, the maid waiting outside, gasped.

“M-monster power?”

“It’s never been officially reported, but… there were rumors among Hunters about acquiring monster power through some kind of venom or mysterious force during boss raids, and if they couldn’t control it, they would turn into monsters.”

“Ah, I’ve heard of that, too.”

“Could that be a possibility?”

“But… cadet trainees have never participated in boss raids, have they?”

Park Na-yeon let out a small sigh at Lee Mu-gyeol’s question.

That was true.

Cadets had no opportunity to encounter bosses.

That flimsy theory didn’t apply to trainees.

Na-yeon bit her lip in frustration and sighed.

Monster Power.

It was a phenomenon whose truth remained shrouded in mystery.

Just like villains were created through monster serums, it was said that during boss raids, a Hunter could acquire a monster’s abilities through some unexplained phenomenon and gradually transform into a monster.

The monsters that occasionally appeared in urban areas seemed to support this theory.

But due to the lack of concrete evidence, it wasn’t officially recognized.

“Hmm… so, there’s nothing we can do for now.”

“We’ll have to ask him directly when he wakes up. In the meantime, I’ll consult with medical professionals in the US.”

“Yes. Please keep me updated.”

“Of course. Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

With I-na’s assistance, Lee Mu-gyeol packed his medical bag and left the infirmary, leaving Reina and Park Na-yeon alone.

Park Na-yeon broke the awkward silence.

“Reina?”

“Yes?”

“May I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your relationship with Han Tae-jin? Besides being his bodyguard, I mean. You seem to have known each other for a long time.”

Reina adjusted her glasses, buying herself some time.

She had received thorough coaching from her Master since she started accompanying him in public.

And that coaching all boiled down to one answer.

Whenever faced with an uncomfortable question…

“Ah… I’m afraid I can’t disclose that information.”

…dismiss it.

“…Is that so? You seem quite close.”

“A close relationship helps with my duties.”

“Hmm, I have some business to attend to, so I’ll leave him in your care.”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, Park Na-yeon left without further questions, and Reina inwardly celebrated.

‘Excellent response!’

But the sight of Han Tae-jin lying unconscious on the bed brought tears to her eyes again.

*Click.*

After making sure no one was outside, Reina locked the door and approached the bed.

Dr. Lee had said he didn’t know when Tae-jin would wake up.

-His vital signs, mana condition, and creed rhythm are all normal, but it’s strange. He should be awake by now.

He also said he didn’t know why Tae-jin remained unconscious.

He speculated that it might be due to the effect on his left arm, putting him in a deep sleep.

If some internal factor was preventing him from waking up, she could help.

After all she was [Bersha Galinis Eprontia], the Queen of Succubi.

The ability of her ancestors to enter and manipulate dreams, extracting vital essence, was still present, passed down through generations for the sake of the race’s survival.

Although it was presumptuous for a summon to enter her Master’s dream without his permission, she wanted to try her best.

For her Master, Han Tae-jin. She felt compelled to do it.

‘Master… please forgive me…!’

Reina lifted her skirt, straddled Han Tae-jin, clasped his hands in hers, and chanted,

A moment later, her eyes glowed purple, and the dream intrusion began.

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– *Whirr.*

A snowy mountainside, blanketed in thick snow.

Bersha climbed the mountain path as desolate snowflakes swirled around her.

‘…What is this?’

At first, she thought she had entered someone else’s dream due to interference, not her Master’s.

But after retracing the dream frequency, she confirmed that this was indeed Han Tae-jin’s dream.

But it was strange.

‘…This doesn’t feel like Earth.’

The biting cold, the crunching snow, the snow-covered trees…

And the crisp, clean air…

Everything was similar to Earth, a typical winter landscape, but Bersha felt a strong sense of dissonance.

The purity of mana was different.

It had a faint, musty odor and felt unrefined and rough.

This place was similar to the Earth she knew with her Master, yet different.

She wondered…

Why was this place the setting of his dream?

Or was this not a dream, but a hallucinatory swamp?

‘But the clarity of the dream is too high.’

Hallucinations lacked clarity.

The surrounding scenery, the flow of mana, even the dreamer’s senses would be dulled.

But this dream was as vivid as reality.

This wasn’t a hallucination or a delusion. This was Han Tae-jin’s dream.

‘Ugh, where is Master?’

Bersha floated into the air, searching for Han Tae-jin.

Even in a dream, a sense of unease prickled her skin, making her cautious.

It was too quiet.

There were no signs of winter animals; only the desolate wind howled through the mountains.

It felt like a mountain of death.

But she could sense something.

Something pulsating within this oppressive silence.

And then, a ferocious roar echoed from the sky above.

– *Kwoooh!*

She looked up and saw a black dragon soaring through the air.

Its outstretched wings spanned dozens of meters, and its long tail ended in a mace-like cluster of spikes.

Its body was covered in scars.

Its wings were tattered, as if weathered by harsh storms, and countless deep gashes marred its long neck.

Scars from a fierce battle.

And that battle seemed to have taken place eons ago.

Its left arm was completely severed below the joint.

It occasionally faltered in the air, as if struggling to fly.

‘A dragon…? This isn’t Drogfia…?’

Having been summoned to Earth multiple times, she knew that dragons didn’t exist there.

There were dragons in Drogfia, but none as massive as the one soaring above.

This wasn’t Earth or Drogfia. It was somewhere else.

Although dreams could be based on imagination, Bersha had a feeling that this dream was a reflection of some mysterious event from her Master’s past.

It was her succubus intuition.

‘Hmm, I should follow it.’

Without hesitation, Bersha transformed into an eagle and followed the dragon.

She soon arrived at a large cave near the mountain peak.

– *Whoosh.*

She had a strong feeling that her Master was trapped inside.

The black dragon seemed to be the only living creature in this frigid mountain.

The dragon landed at the cave entrance, and its body flickered with light as it began to shrink.

‘Don’t tell me… no way?’

A sense of foreboding washed over her.

The dragon was slowly taking on a human form.

The flickering light made it difficult to discern its gender, but when the transformation was complete, Bersha was stunned.

It was…

‘Huh…?’

…Han Tae-jin.

But his aura was completely different from the one she knew.

It felt like someone else was wearing his skin.

His eyes were sharp, and his presence was aggressive.

The mana he exuded had a stale, ancient odor.

And just like in his dragon form, his left arm was missing.

His unsteady gait made him seem weak and frail.

This definitely wasn’t her Master.

He glanced around and then entered the cave.

‘What is going on?’

Bersha, now a bat, quickly followed him inside.

They arrived in a vast, dome-shaped cavern.

A mystical blue lake filled the center, and a small, isolated rock island rose from its depths.

‘…Mas…ter?’

And on that rock island…

…another Han Tae-jin lay unconscious, bound by sticky, black tentacles that resembled spiderwebs.

She knew instinctively…

…that the Han Tae-jin on the island, connected to her by the summoning contract, was her true Master.

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