Chapter 58: The World Is Too Cold for the Weak to be Happy (5).
ــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
In the corridors, Leon was walking quietly, and behind him were his colleagues .
This naturally attracted the crowd's attention .
" Isn't that Leon ?"
" The lowest ranked person in the academy ?"
" Hehe, if you think so, then go and face him, if you can even touch him, I will be your servant forever !"
" Oi, you scum, I'm not an idiot, have you forgotten what he did to Zenos in the ring ?"
" How could I forget? He almost reduced him to mincemeat… Then his words still echo in our hearts ."
Why are his colleagues walking behind him ?
" Maybe he's leading them? But they're too weak for that… Maybe he's bullying them ?"
" No… he hasn't done that since he came, everyone he crushed were the ones who started it so far, not to mention his ideology of returning favors and hostility, have you forgotten ?"
" Did you see what Vyron and Leon did yesterday? What a weird game they played in class !"
" It was an amazing sight …"
" And the scene where the disciplinary committee was chasing them, that was funny ."
The chatter of students in the hallways made Leon's classmates feel hesitant, as they were the stars of the event along with Leon and Rafael .
But despite that, Leon didn't give a word, and just walked forward without caring .
As he was walking, he turned around and started walking in reverse, he was walking in the same direction, but this time, he was walking in his back direction .
"… walking is tiring ."
Leon muttered in a low voice, dropping his body backwards and lying on the ground .
No, it was supposed to, but instead of falling, his body was floating .
He put his hands behind his head as he floated backwards, closing his eyes .
As he floated through the large, crowded hall, everyone who saw him made way for him .
That was the majesty of the strong .
"… I want to fly like this too ."
" Me too, Logan ."
" Unfortunately, that is difficult. I remember my uncle telling me when I was young that there are some methods that make a person able to fly, but they are rare ."
Fernando said in disappointment .
There are indeed types of ego that can make a person fly in the sky and float, but they are rare .
But even if one found such an ego, in most cases, the magic energy of the first and second moons wouldn't be enough for this kind of ego .
The most common methods involve developing a path related to the sky, such as wind, flying creatures, perhaps fire, lightning, etc., or simply having one's bloodline ability be related to flight .
" What's even more annoying is that under the third moon, it's very difficult to try to find egos or methods that make one fly smoothly ."
As he watched Leon float easily, Logan felt a little jealous .
" Why do you think that is?" Dio asked as he walked with the two .
" It's the difference in quality ."
Kevin, who was not left behind, was the one who answered this time .
The answer was clear .
" Half true… but the biggest reason is due to their lack of experience in using magical energy ."
" What ? "
" What do you mean, teacher ?"
Their other classmates were listening too, mostly out of a desire to ignore the discomfort they felt from the stares of the crowd .
" Quantitative and qualitative energy varies and becomes better as a person develops to higher levels, this is clear, and it is better for a person to become stronger faster, but as there are positives, there are always negatives ."
" That… makes sense." Logan rubbed his chin slightly .
Sure, the faster the level is better, but… are there any downsides to that that he doesn't know about ?
He never thought of that before .
" What kind of negatives do you mean exactly ?"
Stella gathered some courage and asked Dio, while watching Chae Nayun's expression cautiously .
" It's the radical deepening ."
" Radical deepening …?"
Stella muttered, and when she saw that Chae Nayun's expression did not change, she sighed in relief .
In her mind, she thought that Dio and Chae Nayun were already in a relationship, so she was wary of just casually asking Dio, but she couldn't suppress her curiosity .
Dio's words sounded like they came from someone with experience .
" Even if I explain it, you won't understand it easily, but… it's okay ."
Words, even if they make sense, are useless as long as the person does not understand them .
Even if Dio explained it to them, it would only lead to confusion .
In the end, only he who seeks to understand will attain it, only he who experiences something will understand it .
" Only when you try it, will you understand what I mean ."
Saying that, Dio laughed as if he was an elder giving advice to the young .
laugh reminds me of the old beggar
" Teacher, even Leon Sahyung can speak better ."
" If you imitated a Negro, you might be better off. Oh wait, you're already a Negro ."
" Oh, Ed, this executioner is no good at telling jokes ."
" Shh! Lower your voice, you'll hurt his feelings ."
While his companions mocked him, the others whispered among themselves .
"… these bastards ?"
Just as Leon had decided before, Dio promised himself in his heart .
I will make you scream like whores you sluts !
" Raf, I don't know why but… I have this weird feeling, that we've forgotten something ."
" Forget? Forget what ?"
Raphael looked at Loki with an expression that said, 'Has getting beaten up over the past few years made you an idiot?' as he wondered what he meant .
" I don't know exactly, but… this feeling never leaves me ."
" Meh, you're just thinking like that because you're lazy, training will make you think better !"
" You're right "
Lloyd, who was staring at the two, smiled brightly .
' Guys, this isn't good but... we were supposed to meet the superintendent today, he'll cry if he hears that you guys forgot about him .'
Instead of saying anything, Lloyd decided to do the most logical thing for him right now .
He will blame Leon .
" Old Deus will be angry if we don't meet him, but honestly, training these kids is more important ."
As he floated around, Leon thought about the subject of the academy's supervisor, with whom he had a somewhat unique relationship .
They were supposed to meet today to talk about something, but it wasn't that urgent, so they could leave it for later .
As he was sinking into the comfort of lying in the air, it suddenly happened .
It's not so fast, and it's not so sudden that he could say his senses missed it .
It's not even that serious .
On the contrary, because it wasn't dangerous, his senses ignored it .
"… Hmm ?"
Something hit Leon's head .
Instead of saying he bumped into Leon, Leon bumped into that thing .
It wasn't hard, it wasn't rough .
Rather, it was soft and smooth, it was like hitting a pillow .
" … What ? "
Leon opened his closed eyes, above his head, he could see someone's face .
Expressionless face, clear black eyes, the irises were as black as the abyss .
The pupil was white, a line was drawn in the middle of the eye, as if the sight resembled the eyes of a cat .
The white skin was a little pale, the lips could be seen to have turned a little red, maybe it was because of the winter .
It was a female .
As his head bumped into the area under her head, Leon's eyes were also staring at the young girl .
The girl didn't speak, she just kept looking at him .
Her long black hair was mixed with some white streaks .
With the last winter winds blowing, some strands of her hair fluttered near Leon's face .
You are blocking the way
Leon didn't bother talking nonsense, and simply told her to go away .
"… Isn't that the Student Council Vice President, Cold Princess Helia ?"
" Those unique eyes… it's definitely her, what exactly does she want, to bring herself to Leon ?"
" Of course, it came because of the punishment imposed on him ."
" Punishment ?"
" Did you forget? He will be monitored by her throughout the semester ."
" Oh…that sounds really annoying ."
" It's really pretty, though ."
" Yeah, I won't lie, Leon… he's a really weird guy ."
" If it were me, I might be confused if she was this close to me ."
" This person doesn't hesitate at all even in front of the teaching staff, it's not strange that he would be like this in front of them as well ."
" Right… I remember the time I chased him with the others the day he came, he wasn't even kind to women ."
" In this regard, I understand why some students hate him ."
There was a commotion in the place, and words were spreading through the crowd like wildfire .
The young girl remained silent, her expression cold and solemn, she did not move away from Leon, but kept looking at him like an unmoving stone .
" … annoying "
Leon sighed slightly, the punishment was actually his own choice, and naturally, he had his own reasons for choosing her to monitor him in particular .
He had no interest in bothering himself and crushing on the student council vice president, who was like a mainstay to Loki's sister .
As a person experiences and sees the wider world, there will come a time when he learns that there is always a need to separate what a person can do from what he cannot do .
It's not that he can't do it, it's that he shouldn't do it .
While he was unaffected by the situation or enjoying being looked at like this, Leon did not move from his spot, as he thought for a while .
" … This is it "
He smiled slightly as his red eyes flashed with an ominous light .
" You, you're coming with me too ."
He laughed heartily, lowered his body, stood on the ground and walked to the side, continuing on his way .
" What are you doing? Come on too ."
Seeing his teammates' confusion, Leon used some force, causing the air to push them forward .
"… Wow "
" Stop, stop! I can walk by myself, you villain !"
" Grrrr! This thing !"
The others complained, but they followed him, they had no choice in the matter anyway .
Helia did not speak, but followed him silently .
It was not known what she was thinking .
"… the matter, unexpected ?"
" She's the one watching him, but why does it look like …"
" As if a servant follows his master ?"
The students' eyes were disappointed and a little surprised .
They wanted to see Leon defy expectations again .
Leon did it, he did it but …
It's weird in a way .
As they walked out, the students of Class D left people in a state of confusion and some wonder .
ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
For ordinary people, survival in this world was not easy .
Unlike people who had undergone an awakening, the use of magical energy was a vague concept to most creatures .
For people who have gone through the awakening of talent and have not succeeded, they become depressed and frustrated .
Sometimes, they fall into madness and become mere creatures of lust, and eventually their magical energy is distorted and they become like mindless beasts .
Unless one had the means to stabilize one's mind and alleviate the symptoms, the result of failure to awaken would be disastrous .
The awakening process was as dangerous as it was desirable, not to mention expensive .
Most people never awaken their potential, and remain just normal people, whether because they are afraid to undergo the awakening ceremony, or simply because they are unable to undergo it .
This world was full of high risks and undiscovered mysteries, strange monsters and plants, seas and even mountains and swamps, the entire natural order was dangerous .
Not to mention an ordinary person, even powerful people like the leader of a large clan were not completely safe from harm .
Those in high places preferred to secure their own territories, and build their communities there, without exploring deeply into the dangers of the environment, at least unless the benefits were attractive .
If one was not lucky enough to become a servant to a well-off family, one was doomed to struggle just to survive another day .
Ordinary people lived in simple villages and lived either on agriculture, hunting, or fishing .
Near the coast, there was a small village where a group of people lived .
The village houses were wooden, and there were long poles from the edges of the houses that were planted in the sea water like stems. It was a water village .
They used to go boating and catch purple fin fish, one of the most popular species on the mainland .
This fish was eating small creatures and shrimp for a living .
It was fat and strange in shape, as it had a bubble inside its body that it used to stay alive if it came out of the water, as it filled the bubble with water and a small percentage of oxygen .
Its fin was used as a medicine for some diseases, the bubble in its body was also desirable of course .
Fishermen used the bubble in reverse, by filling it with air to breathe underwater .
However, unlike artificial gills, the bubble burst under water pressure after just one hour .
Of course, humans were not able to stay underwater for an entire hour in the first place .
Aside from being a good food source, the purple fin fish was also popular among humans .
Thus, this village used its terrain relatively close to the coral reefs where the rayfish lived, and they had enough profits to live on .
Unfortunately, in recent years, things have not been good, as fish on the mainland have been rapidly declining, and the food chain has collapsed .
Even the mermaids and whales had the same fate, and fled as if to avoid the plague .
This was bad news for the maritime trade that Cairo and Nanman enjoyed .
For weak humans ?
The news was worse !
Swoosh ~
On a small boat, an old man can be seen with some bitter and complicated emotions on his face .
Today's fishing was also a failure .
The old man was hungry, but that didn't matter to him .
His granddaughter was sick .
In recent weeks, there has been an epidemic that has affected the villagers, and a fair number of people have died because of it .
Not everyone was affected, some were unharmed, and some were affected .
The villagers fell into despair, how could they - simple people - have a cure for this epidemic that had suddenly struck them ?
Not to mention, their main source of income was nothing but sea fish, with their sudden migration, what could they do ?
Naturally, they were left with no options .
But still, in life, no matter how much one denies it, there is no such thing as a disease without a cure .
By chance, a villager fed his daughter purple fin fish soup, and the girl recovered .
This news was shared with other places where the epidemic had spread, and the man initially won, but that was over as quickly as it happened .
The village's stock was low, as they had sold most of their reserves for living expenses before the epidemic .
Who would have expected, the value of the finfish has become higher due to the pandemic .
The people of this village tried to ask for support, unfortunately, in other villages it was the same, and they were suffering too .
The traders became unscrupulous, and made the value of the fin fish twice its original price !
A person who has experienced awakening and become a superhuman will not care about that epidemic, he can solve the problem easily even if he has the slightest talent .
On the other hand, ordinary humans were not strong, and did not possess any abnormal abilities—except for a few of them, this epidemic was a disaster for them .
Fortunately for some in this village, the village chief was an upright and just person, his origins were obscure and he was an ascetic who loved charity and helping people .
In this cruel world, it was rare to find a kind person like the head of this village .
Thus, in keeping with his nature, he took out his remaining stock, and distributed it among the people .
Unfortunately, that quantity was small, and was only enough for a few people, and the others rushed to try to catch fish to heal their relatives .
The old man was not one of the lucky ones, and he had to rely on himself to hunt, even if it was a failure .
It had been three days since his only granddaughter had been sick, and the symptoms had gotten worse .
Purple spots on the body, sudden spitting of blood, vomiting and high fever, not to mention nightmarish hallucinations .
The old man was fishing as usual, and then suddenly he saw a floating object in the sea .
Believing it to be an unexpected harvest, he gathered his remaining strength—he hadn't eaten in a day—and carried the body to the deck of the boat .
The old man was surprised by a human corpse instead .
It was the body of a man in his twenties at least .
For the old man, it was an unexpected incident .
" How could this happen …"
A sad look appeared on the old man's face when he saw the young man's condition .
His appearance was pitiful, his green clothes were black from the blood, a long wound in the chest area, a metal thread could be seen that had been sewn into the wound area .
He wasn't breathing, his body was cold .
There were few signs of him being alive, but it was clear that he was going to die .
It was not uncommon for someone to die suddenly in this world .
Really, it's so common that the heart won't beat in surprise anymore .
It was so common that it was almost like getting bored of always seeing the same scene .
He is already eighty years old .
The old man had seen his fair share of deaths and relatives left behind, he had become a little numb to it .
Whether it was his wife, his son, his two daughters, or his eldest son's wife, they were all gone from this world .
His friends who left him on hunting trips and were taken by death in his arms in bed, the villagers who closed their eyes forever because of the epidemic .
He saw so many deaths that he got sick of them .
He has only his little granddaughter left, if he doesn't find a cure for her, she will leave him too .
He didn't know exactly where his son got this lovely little girl from .
His granddaughter was not his own, but his son raised her as his own daughter, because his wife was unable to bear children .
Although not related by blood, the old man loved her, he wasn't going to leave his little girl in the clutches of death just like that .
The little six-year-old girl had only just started living, and was still new to life .
Even if he wasn't there to see it, wouldn't he have wanted to see her grow up, have dreams, find love and live happily ?
Anyone who has a family would have given the same answer .
The source of his happiness and what keeps him smiling, if you leave him too, what will remain for this lonely old man ?
Nothing, he will have nothing left in the world .
When he looked at the young man's body, the old man was a little silent .
" I have nothing I can do for you…sorry ."
Everyone had their own stories, it wasn't just one person who suffered .
Saying that, the old man tried to throw the man's body overboard .
- Grandpa! Hehe! Let's play together !
- My little girl, you know that this old man is unable to do anything with this old body ....
- No! I want to live with my grandfather forever! We will live and play together forever !
However, in the middle of trying to do so, he couldn't help but remember his granddaughter's smiling face while she was always annoying him .
The old man's hands suddenly stopped .
".... Even when I can't see your face, you still insist on tiring this old body out, don't you?" The old man laughed a little dryly .
It seems that he is not completely numb to the dead yet, and his humanity is still present .
He led the man back to the deck of the small boat, took a bubble from his bag, and placed it on the young man's head .
While taking out the few remaining medicinal herbs, he tore off the young man's clothes, cleaning the wound and removing the rotten flesh .
After cleaning the wound, he covered it with medicinal herbs, and closed the place where the wound was stitched well .
In the process, the man's expression changed between suffering and silent groaning, and finally, his expression settled into what seemed like relief .
Even his temperature increased slightly, and his appearance finally began to resemble a human form .
His faint breathing could be heard from inside the bubble .
For an experienced hunter, learning the basics of first aid was a natural requirement, and preparing for emergencies was not unusual .
" This old man did what he could, little one, the rest is up to you ."
The old man looked up at the clear sky, sighing inwardly .
While he should have saved this man, the old man did not return immediately, as his granddaughter's life was also at stake .
My granddaughter
Wait for me .
I will heal you .
Even if it caused the death of this old man .