Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

"Oh, you're awake."

While I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly felt someone walk into the room. It was a graceful woman.

'A mentor.'

She had changed out of her uniform and into casual clothes, her name tag gone, but her demeanor suggested experience.

Her hands were covered with calluses and her eyes were sharp and deep.

despair!

“…”

I looked at her quietly, the sound of her high heels tapping the ground as she approached step by step.

"I think you must have a lot of questions in your mind." She said with a smile, but her eyes were slightly different. Although she was smiling, I could see the faint flicker of doubt in her eyes.

'She's very good at hiding her emotions.'

She is experienced and can skillfully hide her emotions, but that doesn't mean her emotions can escape my [insight perception].

"You are in the treatment room now. You encountered quite a bit of trouble in the [B-3] dungeon, but fortunately, a young healer saved you and you are recovering."

I nodded when I heard her words. I knew this was a regular treatment room, and it wasn't my first time here.

However, one word caught my attention.

'Young Healer?'

Even though most of the academy's classes are combat related, that doesn't mean there aren't healers.

Healers also need to be trained before they can play a sufficient role. And my injuries are definitely not something that ordinary healers can heal.

I frowned, trying to recall the events that led to my current state.

"what happened?"

When I asked this question, I suddenly remembered that at the moment of my death, a dazzling light enveloped me. I desperately tried to grasp that light, and that light did help me.

The instructor's smile remained, but this time it was genuine. "You were saved by a miracle."

As if to emphasize her words, she paused and pointed to the bed next to me.

"This healer, Sylvie, has demonstrated healing abilities beyond the norm. Thanks to her, you are alive and well now."

After she finished speaking, she waved her hand, magic power flowed, and the curtains slid open automatically.

As she moved, I saw a figure on the bed next to me.

A girl I was very familiar with was lying there quietly, her chest rising and falling slightly, indicating that she was sleeping peacefully.

Her blonde hair spread out around her like a halo, framing a face that could only be described as a work of art.

'Sylvie.'

Her delicate features, smooth skin, and the innocent aura she exudes make her extremely charming.

'Hmm? Charming?'

I quickly became aware of some of my reactions. My mind involuntarily wandered to a place I normally wouldn't think about.

I couldn't help but be drawn in by this scene. There was a quiet energy surrounding her that brought a sense of calm to the room.

"No way?"

She seemed to carry an otherworldly beauty that could not only heal physical wounds but also touch the depths of the soul.

The instructor said in an admiring tone, "It was Sylvie, the therapist who saved you. Her abilities are extraordinary, even surpassing the level of therapists we have seen in the academy."

My mentor's words combined with the scene I had just witnessed made it clear to me what had happened.

'She has awakened her gift.'

[Power of the First Lord]

This is her innate characteristic, something that only one person in the world can possess. This will be the reason why she will become a saint in the future, and also one of the reasons why she will become a [Venerable].

Even so, the power is currently dormant, and should remain so. But now, it has awakened.

This incident was supposed to take place at the end of the first year of the academy.

'This will cause trouble.'

The awakening of power is no small matter, and certain people are bound to feel its vibrations.

"You're lucky," the instructor continued, her eyes flickering between Sylvie and me. "Not everyone has the chance to be saved by such an extraordinary talent. Morse, you should feel lucky."

'It's lucky indeed.'

As I thought about this, I began to recall the coincidence of being brought to this room and the therapist who performed a miracle and pulled me back from the brink of life and death.

I had not expected Sylvie to show up, but even so my condition was very serious, and if it had not been for her I would not have gotten out of this unscathed.

In the worst case, I would have died. In the best case, I would have lost at least an arm.

Although healing spells and potions have their effects, they also have certain limitations, and the demonic energy in my body is constantly eroding my life.

'It's a debt.'

Looking at the sleeping girl, she had no idea of ​​the challenges she would face from now on.

'But I never forget a favor I owe.'

If she was the key to saving me, that also meant that I was the reason for her awakening. While that didn't mean I was responsible for the difficulties she faced afterwards, I still owed her a favor, and I would definitely repay it.

"It's a bit like fate, isn't it?" the mentor said, his voice full of thought, his eyes lingering on Sylvie who was still sleeping peacefully.

I turned my attention back to my instructor, waiting for her explanation.

"When I heard that the Demon Contractor might attack the dungeon, I immediately went to find a healer," she admitted, a slight smile on her lips. "And when I entered, I saw her sitting in the corner, without any patients to treat."

The instructor said as he slowly approached Sylvie: "But just now, when I asked the supervisor why Sylvie didn't treat any of the participants, the answer I got was very interesting."

“…”

"When dealing with patients, especially serious cases, her condition will become very bad or even collapse. The supervisor said that this is not the first time this has happened to Sylvie, and it may be due to the impact of her past. When I entered, she was resting and her trauma was triggered."

I nodded, understanding what she meant. From the beginning, I knew what had happened to Sylvie.

Her backstory details an incident she witnessed that left her deeply traumatized.

'I didn't expect this to lead to the current result.'

"So, in a sense, you could say it was a twist of fate that brought her to you," the mentor continued, "but fate alone is not enough."

The instructor turned to me and his eyes turned serious.

"As a hunter, I've seen more than a few people who couldn't overcome their past. But this girl did it, and at her worst."

The instructor looked me straight in the eye, as if searching for my understanding. "Morse, why do you think Sylvie was able to overcome her fear despite her trauma?"

“…”

I didn't answer because I didn't have an answer in the first place. Even in the game, the way Sylvie awakens is not clearly shown.

She was supposed to awaken her trait when she returned home after a year at the academy, but as the player, we won't see that happen.

But if I had to guess, the answer would probably be that a certain scene triggered something inside her.

"You were the main reason she was able to overcome her trauma at that critical moment."

Hearing this, I raised my eyebrows in confusion. This doubt came from the bottom of my heart, and I couldn't understand it at all.

Aside from a few specific situations, I didn't interact with Sylvie that much. Yes, I encouraged her to better manage her fears, but other than that, my contact with her was very limited.

"Me? But I've only just met her recently, how could I possibly have such a big influence on her?"

The instructor explained, "Sylvie is not only bound by a sense of duty and her unique abilities, but is also driven by real emotions. Do you think she could have done it if it was someone else who was dying on the battlefield instead of you?"

The question she asked made me think deeply.

'really.'

If this incident was triggered by another student, Sylvie should have awakened her special characteristics earlier.

"See? She felt differently about you, Morse. I'm not sure about your relationship, or your past, but your presence became a catalyst for her to face and overcome her trauma. Sometimes it takes a specific person or a significant event to unlock the potential within us. Sylvie found that in you."

I pondered my mentor's words, trying to understand their meaning, but one thing puzzled me.

'Why did she suddenly say this?'

"So, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to imply that there is a connection between us that goes beyond the surface?"

The instructor looked at me expressionlessly for a while, as if I had asked a very stupid question.

'What is this woman doing?'

The instructor's expression lasted for a moment, and then she sighed helplessly. "Did you really not understand, or were you pretending not to understand?"

I frowned in confusion. "Understand what?"

"well……"

The instructor looked at me, sighed, and muttered in a low voice: "What a hassle."

call!

Just as the instructor was about to continue speaking, there was suddenly a noise nearby.

"Um……"