Chapter 69- Unpredictable Future

Zion helped and accompanied me back to my dorm, we’re just neighbors, after all.

"Thanks."

"No problem. You need to rest."

I thanked him before opening my room and getting inside as fast as I could.

SHHHHK!

As soon as the door behind me closed and locked on its own, I immediately jumped onto my bed.

"Haaaaa..."

Right now, I have both my eyes closed, they’re very heavy.

I feel very tired, but I can’t let myself fall asleep just yet.

My head is still aching from using a lot of mana in one go. But despite that, I tried to recall what happened earlier to access the situation

"It really happened..."

Jodan really became a corrupted one just like in the game.

But this time, being it in real life instead of a game—I immediately realized that what happened to Jodan was really weird.

In the last moment before I froze him, he doesn’t look like someone who had lost their sanity. He looks confused and scared.

I realized that in the game, Zion just held off against Jodan until the professors helped him out, but being players, we were unable to see what Jodan looked like at that time, and what they were saying.

A lot of information was omitted.

In the original game, the cutscenes just showed Jodan roaring, shrouded in dark energy, and attacking blindly.

Everyone who played the game thought that Jodan became very bitter after losing to Zion, and that’s the reason he became a corrupted one.

The player base assumed that his jealousy, combined with a weak mind, made him succumb to evil energy on his own.

But being able to witness it in person, I became aware that that wasn’t the reason.

When Jodan lost to me, he remained good and accepted his defeat, and during the process of turning into one, he was actively resisting it.

His desperate plea for help echoed in my mind over and over again.

’He didn’t seek out that power... It was forced onto him.’

I thought to myself, staring blankly at the ceiling.

If a student who accepted defeat peacefully could suddenly burst into dark energy without warning, then it meant one disturbing thing.

Someone inside the academy was deliberately poisoning students with corrupted energy.

It wasn’t a sudden mental breakdown or a spontaneous awakening of evil mana.

It was an intentional, calculated attack by a hidden party, probably using a slow-acting cursed item, a delayed potion, or a hidden mana parasite.

They planted the dark seed in Jodan beforehand, waiting for the right trigger—like the high emotional stress or mana fatigue of a duel—to activate it and cause chaos.

’Whoever is doing this... They’re using the students as disposable bombs.’

My head throbbed violently as my mana exhaustion finally caught up with me.

The heavy fatigue dragged my thoughts deeper into a fog, making my eyelids feel impossibly heavy.

I couldn’t hold out any longer, and before I could even finish my theory, darkness completely took over my sight.

’Fuck it... let’s think about all of this later.’

... ... ...

... ... ...

... ... ...

*****

"Ugh..."

When I opened my eyes again, bright morning sunlight was streaming through the window blinds, burning my face.

I blinked several times, feeling the lingering stiffness in my limbs as I sat up on my bed.

My head no longer ached, and my mana core had recovered a decent amount of energy overnight.

I checked the time on my desk clock, realizing that the rest of yesterday had completely passed while I was passed out.

"Phew... At least I can move properly now."

I muttered to myself, stretching my arms before standing up to get ready for the day.

After taking a quick shower and changing into my standard academy uniform, I grabbed my weapons, buckled my belt, and left my dorm room.

The hallways were quiet as I walked down the dorm building toward the main academic block.

Despite the lockdown announcement yesterday, standard morning lectures were still proceeding under heightened security.

I stepped onto the main stone pathway leading toward our classroom building, taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air.

TAP- TAP- TAP-

As I approached the entrance of the classroom wing, I noticed a small crowd of students standing near the wide double doors.

"Huh?"

Right in the middle of the corridor stood Zion.

"Haha, no really! It wasn’t that big of a deal, I was just helping out!"

Zion laughed embarrassedly, scratching the back of his head as he spoke.

Then standing right in front of him were two girls talking to him intently.

My steps slowed down slightly as I recognized their faces instantly.

’Wait... what?’

I thought to myself, narrowing my eyes as I looked at the two of them.

They weren’t just random female students from our grade.

Standing beside Zion were two of the main heroines from the original game story!

One of them was the high-ranking noble girl who held the top spot in the theoretical combat department, holding her books tightly against her chest with a refined posture.

The other was a talented spear wielder from the upper divisions, her arms crossed as she listened intently to Zion’s casual explanation.

Both of them were key characters who played massive roles in the main scenario arcs of the original game story.

In the original game, Zion was supposed to interact with them much later into the semester, after establishing his reputation during major joint operations.

Yet here they were, standing right outside our main classroom block before the morning lectures even began, talking to him like old acquaintances.

’Did his performance yesterday draw their attention earlier than expected?’

I wondered to myself, keeping my footsteps quiet as I approached the group.

Even though I was the one who ended up freezing the corrupted student, Zion was the primary fight right before mine, demonstrating an impressive display of sword skills against a skilled martial artist.

Anyway...

"Ah, Vael! Good morning!"

Zion suddenly called out, waving his hand toward me the second he spotted me walking down the corridor.

His loud greeting immediately turned the attention of both girls straight toward my direction.

"Good morning, Zion."

I replied, keeping my voice calm and neutral as I stopped a few paces away from them.

"How are you feeling today? You were completely passed out when I checked on you last night!"

Zion asked, looking at me with a genuinely relieved expression on his face.

"I’m feeling much better now. My mana recovered after getting a full night’s sleep."

I told him.

"That’s a relief! By the way, these two came over to ask about what happened yesterday at the arena grounds."

Zion explained, gesturing toward the two girls beside him.

The noble girl stepped forward slightly, offering a polite, elegant nod in my direction.

"You must be Vael Frostguard. I witnessed your ice magic during the joint session yesterday... It was truly impressive work."

She said, her tone calm, formal, and composed.

"Thank you, but I simply reacted to the situation at hand."

I replied modestly, maintaining a respectful distance.

"Reacted? You contained a sinister energy explosion before the official barrier squad could even bypass the corrupted lock."

The spear wielder chimed in, stepping up beside her peer with a sharp, curious glint in her eyes.

"That level of mana control and rapid decision-making isn’t something an average freshman can execute under pressure."

She added, scrutinizing my posture as if evaluating my combat readiness on the spot.

"..."

I looked at both of them for a short moment, keeping my inner thoughts completely hidden behind my quiet facade.

In the game, these heroines were notoriously difficult to impress, requiring players to complete complex side quests and clear specific affection flags just to unlock their main dialogue paths.

Now, because of the chaotic sequence of events yesterday, they were actively seeking out information directly from us.

"It was just a gamble on my part. If my ice didn’t hold, the situation would have been much worse."

I stated simply, keeping my response brief to avoid dragging out the conversation.

"Still, your actions saved a student’s life and prevented a major catastrophe on campus."

The noble girl noted, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied my calm demeanor.

"The student council and the faculty are currently conducting a full investigation into the incident. If you notice anything unusual, please report it immediately."

She added, offering one last polite nod.

"We won’t take up any more of your time. Good luck with your morning classes."

The spear wielder said, turning on her heel as both heroines walked down the corridor toward the upper-class lecture halls.

I watched their retreating figures until they turned the corner at the end of the hallway, letting out a long, quiet breath.

’Things really are shifting away from the original script.’

I thought to myself.

Not only had the corruption incident been handled differently, but the heroines were now making early contact with us due to the ripples caused by yesterday’s fight.

"Man, they were really intense, weren’t they?"

Zion chuckled, scratching his cheek as he looked toward the empty hallway.

Those two girls were from the student council, they’re in charge of gathering information. That’s probably why they seek out of our class after hearing what happened yesterday.

"They’re just taking the security of the academy seriously, considering what happened."

I replied, turning back toward our classroom entrance.

"Yeah, you’re right... Come on, let’s get inside before Professor Ulfar starts the morning roll call."

Zion said, stepping past the double doors into the lecture room.

I followed him inside, sliding into my usual seat near the back window as the morning bell rang across the academy grounds.

... ... ...

As the professor entered the room to begin the lecture, I rested my chin on my hand, staring out the window toward the central courtyard.

The unexpected meeting with the heroines was just another sign that the future of this world was becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Whatever hidden enemy had planted that dark energy inside Jodan was still out there, lurking within the shadows of the campus.

I had to stay vigilant, continue refining my dual-wielding style, and ensure I was prepared for whatever unscripted threat showed up next.