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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Death.
From the first dungeon practice to the recent Death Meteor disaster…
The first-year class, initially anticipated to be the most exceptional in recent history, was now projected to suffer the highest casualty rate.
Four high-rank demons had invaded the first-year training grounds, unleashing a massacre—the worst incident in Mirinae Academy’s history.
While other areas of the academy suffered damage, it paled in comparison to the devastation in the first-year zone.
Even with the demons’ seemingly leisurely pace, the estimated death toll was around two hundred.
And this was just an estimate; the actual number was likely higher.
‘The damage is catastrophic.’
This incident served as a harsh wake-up call, a stark reminder that even Mirinae Academy wasn’t impenetrable. It was a warning from the demons.
The demons, previously viewed as mere monsters to be eliminated, had demonstrated their overwhelming power.
They weren’t simply targets to be removed; they were a force capable of annihilation.
This incident had sparked a wave of withdrawal requests, not just from the first-year students, but from other years as well.
The reality of death, once a distant concept, had become terrifyingly real.
‘And this was exactly what the demons intended.’
The immediate goal might have been a simple attack on Mirinae Academy, but the repercussions were far-reaching.
Protests and demands for compensation from nobles, the extensive restoration efforts, the deep-seated distrust that had taken root—
A single attack had cost Mirinae Academy dearly.
The only silver linings were the successful elimination of all four high-rank demons and the capture of a few lower-ranking demons for interrogation.
However, these weren’t so much fortunate outcomes as necessary steps.
‘First-year students taking down high-rank demons…’
In times of darkness, beacons of hope were needed.
The news of first-years defeating high-rank demons signaled that Mirinae Academy’s future wasn’t entirely bleak.
Actively promoting this achievement could potentially dispel some of the despair that had settled over the academy.
‘Please wake up.’
The one who could truly ignite that hope.
Lee Seok-hyun.
He remained unconscious, in a coma, a week after the battle.
‘I pray for this so earnestly.’
Perto Lafer, the headmaster of Mirinae Academy.
He clasped his hands, praying to a higher power—a rare occurrence.
He’d never yearned for a hero so desperately.
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On the day of the incident.
Ki Ju-seon had rushed to Lee Seok-hyun’s side, sensing victory, but the situation wasn’t what he’d expected.
“Wh… what’s happening to him?”
“What’s wrong?!”
Gainard, having defeated Roomlau, also hurried towards Lee Seok-hyun, but Ki Ju-seon’s grim expression told him something was amiss.
Whirrrrrr.
Whirrrrrr.
The resonating hum of the Manaplate Armor and Infinite Track, sounds that should have ceased with the battle’s end, continued to echo through the training grounds.
Thump. Thump.
Even though the fight was over, the Manaplate Armor and Infinite Track continued operating, driven by an unknown force.
Lee Seok-hyun’s wounds reopened, and the bleeding worsened.
“I’ll sever it.”
“What? Yes! Yes!”
Gainard, realizing they had to remove the Manaplate Armor immediately, drew his sword without hesitation.
In that critical moment, there was no time for careful procedures to preserve the equipment.
Clang!
Whirrrrrr. Thud.
The Manaplate Armor fell silent the moment it was severed, but their relief was short-lived.
A second crisis immediately followed.
The Manaplate Armor had been sealing the deep gash on Lee Seok-hyun’s left arm, the wound he’d received while shielding Ki Ju-seon from Garan’s dagger. Now, with the armor removed, the wound reopened.
And that wasn’t all.
Whirrrrrr.
Infinite Track continued to operate, its whirring hum filling the air, as if refusing to acknowledge the battle’s end.
Lee Seok-hyun’s unconscious body, driven by an unknown will, continued to overheat.
Ki Ju-seon hastily applied basic healing and cooling magic, but it was a temporary solution at best.
“It’s accelerating.”
“We need to get him to the infirmary! The other zones should be accessible now that the high-rank demons are gone.”
Whirrrrrr.
Infinite Track continued its relentless cycle, Lee Seok-hyun’s body burning with uncontrolled energy.
Knowing that Lee Seok-hyun’s death was unacceptable, Gainard hoisted him onto his back and ran.
He ignored the throbbing pain in his own leg, the gaping wound in his side from his battle with Roomlau. This wasn’t the time for self-pity.
“Seok-hyun!”
“…!”
Woo Do-hyun, having defeated Chaitus and rejoined the group, was horrified by Lee Seok-hyun’s condition. Yu So-hyun immediately cast a healing spell.
Meiri also used her mystical arts to provide emergency aid, while Gainard continued applying healing magic as he ran.
But Infinite Track wouldn’t stop.
Whirrrrrr.
Driven by the lingering will to fight, the need to confirm his friends’ safety…
Lee Seok-hyun’s unconscious mind continued pushing Infinite Track beyond its limits.
Unable to move his physical body, his will manifested through Infinite Track, its whirring growing more frantic.
It should have deactivated, but Lee Seok-hyun’s forced acceleration had sent it into overdrive.
“Acasa! Get Acasa! We need Acasa!”
Lee Seok-hyun’s body convulsed, unresponsive to healing or cooling magic.
Gainard, believing only Acasa could stop this, urged the students to find her.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
But Acasa was already there.
She’d been trapped in her personal training area when the communication blackout occurred, unable to respond to the emergency.
Now, sensing Infinite Track’s runaway energy, she had rushed to Lee Seok-hyun’s side.
Click, click.
Acasa attached something to Lee Seok-hyun’s body and chanted a spell.
Whirrrrrr. Thud.
The whirring of Infinite Track ceased abruptly, but…
“Please don’t die! Please!”
Lee Seok-hyun’s condition was critical.
The strain of pushing Infinite Track past its limits, the aftereffects of channeling external mana despite his body’s limitations…
It all came crashing down, threatening to overwhelm him.
Shudder.
Lee Seok-hyun trembled uncontrollably, his body on the verge of collapse.
“We’re here! Please hold on!”
Bang!
Gainard, having reached the infirmary, kicked the door open, not wasting a second.
He rushed Lee Seok-hyun into the operating room, where medical personnel swarmed around him, their frantic efforts a blur of activity.
Time marched on relentlessly.
The day after the incident.
Lee Seok-hyun remained in surgery.
From within the operating room, cries of disbelief and frantic assessments of the situation echoed through the hallway. Unfamiliar equipment was constantly being brought in, the sounds of whirring machinery and urgent chanting a constant reminder of the precariousness of his condition.
On the third day.
As his wounds began to heal, Infinite Track reactivated, forcing Acasa to enter the operating room.
On the fourth day.
While treating his left arm, a new spider leg appeared on Lee Seok-hyun’s hand.
Simultaneously, the rampaging Natural Mana within him stabilized, and his condition improved significantly.
On the fifth day.
Lee Seok-hyun’s body finally began to cool down, and with Infinite Track stabilized, Acasa emerged from the operating room.
On the sixth day.
Despite the prolonged surgery and treatment, Lee Seok-hyun remained unconscious.
On the seventh day.
Lee Seok-hyun remained unconscious.
The situation at the academy had calmed, and the students, having received treatment, gathered in Lee Seok-hyun’s room, but he remained unresponsive.
Some stayed by his side, others resumed their training, and some couldn’t contain their frustration.
And on the eighth day.
Uttering words oblivious to their anxieties…
“What is this?”
Lee Seok-hyun awoke.
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“…That happened?”
“Yes, it was chaos.”
Immediately after waking up.
I looked around and saw people cheering, crying tears of joy—it was pandemonium.
Once things calmed down, after exchanging greetings and the room cleared of unnecessary personnel…
I was puzzled by the commotion surrounding my awakening.
‘Did Light at the End of the Tunnel activate?’
That overpowered skill granting temporary immortality, stat boosts, and skill cooldown resets just before death.
I’d relied on it when facing Garan, knowing its one-year cooldown meant using it sparingly, but it was better to use it than to let it go to waste.
‘But my skills weren’t reset.’
Light at the End of the Tunnel was still available, so I couldn’t have died.
That meant the week-long coma and the strange space I’d been in were somehow connected.
‘No way to know for sure.’
It was all too game-system related to ask anyone, so I decided to put it aside for now.
Sensing the situation had stabilized, Gainard approached me.
“The headmaster wants to see you when you’re feeling better.”
“Let’s go now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
After a week in bed, I felt stiff. It would be better to move around.
I’d heard the situation report, checked my in-game rewards—now only one thing remained.
‘The headmaster’s reward.’
I had to claim all the rewards I could get.
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Bro was so stubborn his power still persisted despite going for a coma strat. Wild.