She uses a simple healing technique only to prevent Irvine from worsening his injury. But again, to her surprise…
"What's going on here? Your tendons…"
"What about my tendons? Prof. Greene! You are making me scared!"
"You are… completely healed!"
"Eeh?"
Irvine immediately gets off the MRI table and stretches his legs again. Indeed, he no longer feels any pain in the back of his thigh. Instantly, he holds Prof. Greene's right hand while bringing his head closer.
"A massive thanks, Professor! I will never forget this debt of gratitude!"
Although still looking jaded, he leaves the place with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Prof. Greene can only watch him in silence with confusion clearly written on her face.
"You let him leave?" The previous MRI operator asks from behind her.
"What about the instrument?" Prof. Greene coldly inquires without looking back.
"I haven't found any faults. It will take some time to do a thorough check, but..."
"Forget it! I don't think there's anything wrong with that device."
"Then, what about that guy?"
"Based on the difference in results from the first examination and the current one, it can be concluded that his injury had been improved during these two hours."
"But, ma'am! It's a severely torn hamstrings. How could that even be possible?"
Prof. Greene coldly glances at him. She is actually still in confusion, but the man mistakenly takes her cold glance as an intimidation.
"Aah, that's right! Of course it's possible. It's you after all!"
Like having no interest in sharing her confusion with him, Prof. Greene simply takes her leave while taking out a phone to make a call.
[Emily! What's up?]
"Javion! Can you come back next week for our recruit assessment?"
[I'm pretty busy here. Why? Isn't the new student intake still a month away? ]
"This isn't for new recruits! I want you to re-evaluate the potential of a certain Seed E from the second year before this semester ends."
After finishing with the call, she immediately heads to the female students' dormitory to meet Elea Adlen.
Meanwhile, Irvine has just entered his room in the male students' dormitory. Just as he lies down on the bed, Atniel immediately tells him to get back up and checks his weapon stock.
"Can't you let me rest first?"
<< Just do what I said! >>
With a face still looking jaded, Irvine forces himself to get up and opens his wardrobe. In it, there are two handguns with several spares of magazine, a 40 cm long saber, a pitch black army knife, and also a smartphone he has let off since the video call she had with Maya.
He holds the smartphone for a few moments. After collecting his courage, he turns it on and then deletes Maya's phone number from his contact list, along with logs of all previous call between them.
<< The knife! It looks interesting. >>
It's just an army knife, having a unique and distinctive wavy pattern on its sides. And it's actually much heavier, more than three times the weight of a regular army knife.
"This is a legacy from my late father. He was only a D-rank Ezlenmir soldier. There's not much I can be proud of."
<< But he left you a great weapon. And I think we can do something with that knife! >>
"You want to teach me knife fighting?"
<< No! I'll teach you the initial stages of mana control. While your body still remembers the sensation of mana from before, I want you to be able to see the flow of that mana >>
"But I already can see it. Honestly, I was really surprised. I never thought I would have that much mana. And that soft white plasma…"
<< Can you still see it now? >>
"What?"
<< It's easy enough to see mana overflowing in large quantities. But now, there's only a little bit of that mana seeping out of your body. And you can't see it, right? >>
"Eh? Is that true?"
<< Just like the heat released by the body, this also applies to mana. Even without pulling it out, a little amount of that mana will keep seeping out of your body. Before teaching you how to control it, you have to be able to feel and see that little bit of mana >>
"Then, what should I do with this knife?"
<< Cut your hand! >>
"What? Are you out of your mind?"
<< Just do it! >>
"No way! You are telling me to commit suicide? Why?"
<< Stupid! You only need to cut a little of your palm with the knife. I'll explain the rest after you do it >>
"Just a little?"
<< Yes! >>
Irvine still looks hesitant. He gulps, tightly holding the knife with so much fear.
"Just a little, right?"
After mustering up his courage, he finally cuts his palm. Even though it is only a little, he really looks in so much pain.
<< More! >>
"What? I'm not a masochist, you idiot!"
<< That little wound won't teach you anything! >>
"What do you really want?"
Irvine then makes a slightly longer cut. And to his surprise, his palm starts to feel hot, much hotter than the sensation he usually feels when he's injured.
<< Now observe your wound carefully >>
"Just observing it, right?"
<< Stop talking and concentrate! >>
Irvine gulps again, now with a face clouded by confusion. And just as you expected, the wound slowly but clearly heals by itself.
"Wooaaa! You really can heal my wound, huh?"
<< No! As great as I am, I can't heal other people's injury. >>
"Then…"
<< Did you see it? >>
"I saw it! But I'm still confused, how can my wound heal."
<< So, you didn't see it, huh? Then do it again! >>
"Are you fucking nuts?"
<< Hey!!! That's not how you talk to your teacher! >>
Irvine kneels down enduring the pressure in his head. The shout is really hard, making him unable to argue anymore. He ultimately makes another cut on his palm.
Atniel tells him to pay attention to the wound, and in less than ten minutes, the cut has closed again. After cleaning the blood stains, again he finds the wound healed without a trace. But confusion is still visible on his face.
<< You still can't see it, huh? Then do it again, until you can see it >>
"What exactly do you want me to see?"
<< Telling you will make you understand, and make it easier for you to see it! So, I won't tell anything, until you can really see it yourselves! >>
"Is this how you teach your students? Deliberately torturing me for no reason?"
<< Yes! Pain will teach you more than what words can tell you! >>