I Became the Academy's Disabled Student-Chapter 366: Gift (2)

Although the sudden and unexpected life in Shiyoram, Daera was adapting quite well.

Before falling into the other side, Daera had been a student at the academy.

Though her identity had been shattered during her time in the other side, memories and feelings from her student days remained intact.

‘Actually, it’s better this way.’

There was no reason to dislike it.

The future she had planned before, becoming a mercenary, hunter, or hero to make a decent living, was far less appealing compared to becoming a Shiyoram student.

‘The blessing of growth. This is seriously amazing.’

The Shiyoram academic schedule began, and the blessing she was granted kicked into full gear. On the first day of training, Daera couldn’t help but drop her jaw.

She could feel her body growing.

It wasn’t at the level of transformation, but she understood just how ridiculous it was to feel growth at her current level.

‘No wonder people keep singing praises of Shiyoram.’

They take a promising seed, feed it this insane blessing for four years, let them enter the Tower of Growth, receive the best support...

‘There’s bound to be a gap.’

It’s no surprise that most of the top-tier superhumans come from Shiyoram. Daera, feeling the effects of the situation, became even more satisfied with her current standing.

She had been unsure of how to grow stronger, but now she was sure that in Shiyoram, the path would be much smoother.

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[Name: Daera Celeste]

[Magic Handling Fundamentals (I) - Written Evaluation]

[20│10.5]

[▼ Detailed Evaluation (expand)]

‘Damn it.’

But her mind was still at a loss.

It was the morning of the first day of spring at the academy. Daera, having found a seat in the corner, frowned at her own score.

Out of a total of 20, she scored 10.5 points. Half of the questions were correct. Actually, it was 11 points originally, but half a point was deducted for unclear writing.

‘Isn’t this ridiculously hard? Sure, my head’s not great, but still...’

Her time in the other side had definitely made her mind a bit rigid, but even during her academy days, she hadn’t been known for her study skills.

She had crammed practical knowledge for battle during her time in Atla, but written tests were a disaster for her.

‘I can’t just ignore this though...’

It was this practical knowledge that had saved Daera when she fell into the other side.

How to find a safe shelter, avoid dangerous monsters, erase traces of pursuit, distinguish between edible and inedible plants...

Without that knowledge, Daera would have been dead within a few days of falling into the other side.

Moreover, Shiyoram’s grading system undeniably includes written tests. Wasn’t the entrance exam almost perfect in practical skills, but it still dropped in rank because of bad scores in the written test?

For practical reasons, studying couldn’t be ignored.

There was another reason too.

“Daera-nim, how was your exam yesterday?”

As Daera was reading through her detailed evaluation, she sensed someone approaching. The hologram became semi-transparent, and through it, she saw Ihasol smiling at her.

Daera gently caressed the smartwatch hanging like a necklace.

Though it was a watch, having only one arm made this position more comfortable. A tip from Ihayul, the experienced one.

“...It went okay. I did better than last time. How about you, Ihasol?”

“It was a bit difficult, but fortunately, I did well.”

Difficult, but fortunate? Daera didn’t voice what she thought in her head.

Ihasol had scored perfect marks on every written test she took. And she did it easily, with plenty of time left.

For her to claim it was difficult, or fortunate...

"Daera-daera, you looked a bit tired yesterday. Did you get home okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. What about you, Ailah?”

“I came in a bit later. But Daera, you didn’t rest right away, did you? Weren’t you getting special training? You must be tired.”

“Hmm... I guess so.”

Ihasol approached Daera and started the conversation, with other students who were nearby also slowly joining in.

Both of them were people Daera could get along with easily.

Ihasol was the top student at Shiyoram and a rising star in the highest tower sect. She was also known for her extraordinary unique abilities that far surpassed the average.

Daera wasn’t much different. She had been missing for years before reappearing on the battlefields where the other side had surged. She was the one with a bizarrely strong psychic ability that displayed immense power.

There was no harm in getting close to either of them.

Especially with Daera...

“Did you see that winged cloak last night? Professor Atla was wearing it too...”

“...I don’t really know much about it.”

Daera was led to a conversation about her mentor and spiritual relationship. She tried to hide her discomfort with a subtle expression, trying not to show how uneasy it made her.

The winged cloak. Not the kind from myths or legends, but the artifact Ihayul used.

Its official name was Skywing Feathers. Daera had experienced it firsthand, having been ensnared by it like tentacles.

Such a distinctive artifact that now represented Ihayul, it was unmistakably recognized as his signature piece.

‘Did he make that separately? Or did he have a spare one?’

Similar artifacts had started to appear around Ihayul’s people.

Huh? Master? Isn’t that for the disciple?

...It’s a different weapon.

She had seen Atla with it yesterday. The fabric fluttering and wrapping around her arms to form thick gloves was a fascinating sight.

...

“Aaah... My head hurts.”

By the time the morning lecture was almost over, Daera gathered her belongings with one hand and shook off the stiffness in her head as she walked down the hallway.

‘If I eat lunch... I’ll still have some time left.’

The afternoon major class would be entirely training with Atla.

She would be working hard again, so she needed to eat well, arrive early, and digest the food properly.

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If she ate and didn’t digest, she could end up emptying her stomach entirely.

‘Lunch...’

It was the time when everyone was considering lunch options. Normally, Daera would have been doing the same.

With a strange expression, Daera rummaged through her spatial pouch at her waist.

Despite its small size, the interior was spacious. She could see a big lunch box inside.

‘Why did he pack all of this...?’

The lunch Ihayul had made for her. Her expression naturally changed.

She didn’t enjoy cooking, but she knew that preparing meals and packing lunches every morning was a hassle.

That’s why she didn’t want to accept it. She didn’t want to trouble Ihayul. Honestly, she could easily manage food without needing the packed lunch.

Here, it’s the mansion’s lunch.

Ah... Thank you.

But she couldn’t refuse. It felt wrong to disregard the effort that went into the already prepared lunch.

In fact, there was a much bigger reason.

‘...It’s just too delicious to refuse...’

It was delicious. A simple, straightforward reason. The lunch was so good that Daera couldn’t bring herself to refuse it.

‘How does he make it? Does everyone with a talent in cooking do this?’

It didn’t taste like this anywhere else.

It made sense. Though Daera didn’t know, the lunch had been perfectly tailored to her tastes and preferences.

The more they spent time together, the more information was observed, so the quality of the lunches naturally improved.

Ding!“Huh?”

Daera, pondering the situation while glancing at the lunch, stopped walking. The door ahead of her opened with an alarm sound.

She tilted her head and looked at the door.

‘A break room?’

She remembered it as a place in Shiyoram where you could go in and lock yourself away if you needed a rest.

If it were just that, she would have passed by without a second thought, but the people coming out of the break room made her stop.

Red and white hair. Hong Yeonhwa and Ihayul.

Their matching red and white cloaks made it hard to mistake them.

[Ugh...]

“Ihayul, you need to go to the afternoon class soon, right?”

Hong Yeonhwa, who had been supporting Ihayul—essentially holding him—suddenly spotted Daera. Their eyes met, and an awkward silence filled the air.

“...Hello?”

“...Yes, hello.”

Even the greetings were awkward. Their relationship was awkward too. They had crossed paths several times at the mansion and sat at the same table, but they hadn’t grown close.

‘What is this?’

Daera didn’t need to focus on the two leaving the break room, but Ihayul’s state was strange enough to catch her attention.

His cheeks were warm, his eyes a bit unfocused, and each breath that left his mouth had a peculiar sweet smell.

“Hmm, Ihayul?”

[Full stomach.]

“Yes...”

Seeing Ihayul’s state, Hong Yeonhwa coughed lightly and patted Ihayul’s back. The light in his eyes gradually returned as he leaned more heavily into her embrace.

[Ah... Mansion...]

[Hello...]

“...Yes, hello.”

The soft voice from the necklace. Daera, trying to peek into the break room, averted her gaze, not wanting to pry further.

[Oh, right.]

That was when it happened. As Ihayul, now standing on his own, seemed to remember something, he shrugged his shoulders.

[Mansion, do you have time this afternoon?]

“This afternoon? Training with {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the master? Why?”

[The gift I mentioned earlier. It’s almost finished.]

[If you have time, I’ll give it to you today.]

“Gift...?”

The gift Ihayul had mentioned as an apology for his jealousy.

[It’s come together quite nicely. You can look forward to it.]

Ihayul puffed out his chest with confidence.

“...Another gift? Our Ihayul sure is generous with his presents.”

“Ugh...”

And then Hong Yeonhwa pinched his lips with her hand.