"What are you talking about?"
"If you're bothered by the kids constantly worrying and causing trouble, just stay here for a week. There aren't many places with training facilities around here, and I can help you with your training."
"I'm asking what you're suddenly talking about."
"If you act like nothing happened after stiffening up earlier, it's not trustworthy, Sihyun."
Their gazes went back and forth over the narrow table. Despite the casual smile, the words spoken were not very gentle, and Sihyun, who had kept his mouth shut, found an uncomfortable way to escape the probing. It was when he was thinking about the evidence for that statement.
"For someone who overcame trauma, you've never properly used it during training."
"...."
"You didn't use it during the end-of-month evaluation either."
"I didn't need to use it back then."
"Oh, really? Then how about the two of us go see the sea together?"
"Are you making fun of me right now?"
"I'm not making fun, I'm just concerned."
He said with a maintained smile. When Sihyun, who had initially shown a momentary irritated reaction to the suggestion of going to the sea, realized belatedly and let out a short sigh, he missed the uncomfortable exit. He missed yesterday's Sihyun, who was more immature than usual because he was in pain.
Just when Sihyun scratched his throat, feeling caught even if he got caught, he glanced at the cup that Sihyun had floated. The transparent liquid in the cup sloshed slowly. When he touched it with his fingertip, ripples formed. The blue pupils shook briefly.
It's true that he hasn't properly used the water attribute class after imprinting it. Despite practicing occasionally, he couldn't summon water larger than a certain size and couldn't use it for a certain period. It wasn't simply due to lack of mana; his mana was more than others. And most importantly.
He still hadn't seen the sea.
Even looking at a photo made him nervous, so it was just talk. Sihyun, who was cornered by Seowoo, who accurately pinpointed the fact that had been bothering him since he was surrounded by kids, lifted the bread Seowoo had given him. The taste of what he put in his mouth almost didn't register. His attention was entirely elsewhere. Sihyun, who sighed, gave up on lying.
"What difference do you think it'll make if we practice together?"
"It's probably better than not doing anything."
Seowoo, holding the bread like Sihyun, put the bread he had dipped in the soup into his mouth. Unlike me, who chewed without knowing the taste, Sihyun watched him savor it and turned his gaze away. It was a good opportunity if you thought about it rationally.
There were no suitable training grounds around him, and it wasn't feasible to commute daily from home to here. Staying for meals wasn't bad either. He judged it was reasonable, but his mind continued to hesitate, and it was only a little later that Sihyun found the answer to his dilemma.
"...I have to go home. I can't live without clothes."
"The department store is closer than your house."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm asking you out on a date."
"...."
Sihyun gave up on the conversation. It seemed that Seowoo, who had taken care of him after being surrounded by kids, had a mind that had gone out of whack. Without waiting for a response, he stared at the water cup that Sihyun had floated. He turned the phone on after a while and placed it.
He pressed the record button and looked at Seowoo. Seeing him without any preparation, Seowoo rushed without saying anything. Startled, Sihyun quickly took a combat stance.
It was the first time they were sparring with elemental abilities. Avoiding his attacks, Sihyun, who had been hit by his fist, clenched and released his fists. A small water storm surged from his hands. When he swung it, liquid creatures he created attacked Seowoo.
With a splash, Seowoo, who had experienced a water baptism, laughed while wet. This way, he couldn't deliver a significant blow. Sihyun, with an impression on his face, grabbed the ice sword he created. The created sword quickly froze and solidified.
Seeing that scene, Seowoo let out a dry laugh.
"Using ice attribute too?"
"It was in the skill list available for other classes."
"It's not just playing around, huh."
“I'm not able to use large amounts of water due to the trauma, so my proficiency in ice skills has improved over time. Sihyun, holding the repaired spear, struck the ground.
Bang! The loud sound of the wooden sword and the spear colliding was deafening. It was at that moment that a platinum-colored energy emanated from the sword that Seowoo was holding.
"Isn't this considered cheating?"
Sihyun, who had been struck, expressed awkwardness as if to say that it was ridiculous. Only those who reached a certain level could use it, but around him, there were quite a few who could handle the skill of swordsmanship. It was like that on the first day, on the day of the monthly evaluation last month, and now, Seowoo was doing the same. Smiling, Seowoo squinted his eyes at Sihyun.
"I did say I would be rough."
If it hurts, say so.
Even if you say so, he doesn't seem to stop.
He moved despite Sihyun's attempt to stop him. Despite wielding the sword from a distance, the ground split as the platinum-colored energy danced around. Quickly summoning an ice spear to block it, the ice spear was created in haste. Sihyun, holding his ground, bit his lip. In this situation, there was no other choice but to do what he could.
Moving his hand, he drew in a large amount of mana. In an instant, the condensed water appeared in front of Sihyun. Sihyun increased its size.
Slightly larger than a person, it filled about 10% of the training room. Sihyun, who made it a bit larger, bit his lip while facing Seowoo and threw the huge mass of water at him.
The wooden sword descended from above. Chock! The water split, and the ones that hit the wall lost their shape and filled the training room. Seeing this, Sihyun tried to use the skill again, but Seowoo did not wait for him.
With a snap, the spear he was holding was dropped. The platinum-colored energy exploded as it swung from above. Urgently trying to block it with the ice spear, the hastily created ice spear shattered into pieces. Sihyun, rushing forward to take back the sword, was tripped by Seowoo.
"...Ah, damn."
Sihyun, who blurted out a curse unintentionally, rolled his eyes and looked at Seowoo. Sihyun lying on the ground, splashed into a shallow puddle, looked up at Seowoo, who seemed to be enjoying the scene.
Plop!
Sihyun fell into the puddle that hit his pelvis. Although it was shallow water, Sihyun, who could not even think of getting up, looked at Seowoo, who was faintly visible through the blurry vision.
The vision darkened. It was the first fainting.
The training, which paused momentarily due to fainting, resumed as soon as Sihyun regained consciousness. The short periods of fainting seemed intermittent. When he opened his eyes, Seowoo was no longer there, and the training room, which was filled with water, was empty. Sihyun, who saw Seowoo sitting on his bed and covering him with his blanket, wearing the clothes he bought for him, raised the corners of his mouth.
A strangely satisfying feeling filled him.
***
The training that was initially planned for a week continued for a few more days as Sihyun did not achieve the desired results. And finally, as the training approached the 10th day, the moment Sihyun entered the training, he finally managed to create a massive water attack against Seowoo without fainting and without difficulty. Compared to the first day, it was a significant improvement. After filling the training room with the sound of splashing water, Sihyun, who had completed the ability, was breathing heavily. Seowoo, who had been holding his breath, exhaled after Sihyun finished using his ability.
"Looks like you're quite okay now."
"Yeah."
Honestly, at first, he was skeptical, but this level was satisfactory. As evidence, even looking at pictures of the sea did not make him feel queasy anymore. The impact therapy seemed to have quite a good effect. Sihyun, looking at Seowoo with a new expression, sighed.
"Just in case, don't do this to the others. They might not be able to handle it."
Seowoo, who had put down the sword he was holding while speaking, shrugged his shoulders.
"Why would I do this to others?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, anyway, since a while ago, it seems like your phone has been ringing. Shouldn't you check it even without me telling you?"
"Huh?"
Only then did Sihyun look at the phone he had been recording with. When he pressed the end recording button and lowered the notification, he saw a unfamiliar number—12 missed calls and 7 messages. Surprised, he checked the sender. Unexpectedly, the sender was Hamin.
"Why did he call?"
Curious, Sihyun immediately made a call. Before the signal sound rang twice, the call was connected. Before he could ask what was going on, Hamin shouted at him.
"Why aren't you answering the phone!"
Before he could ask about the matter, Hamin complained first. Perplexed, Sihyun asked what was going on.
"Why did you contact me so urgently!"
Without waiting to hear the reason, Hamin exclaimed. Sihyun, still confused, was told to check the messages first.
"Well, maybe it's something important."
Thinking about how important the messages could be, Sihyun changed the call to speaker mode and checked the messages Hamin had sent. In the first place, the message that came into view was:
[Isn't this Ban Haru?]
The first message that appeared was that.
Surprised at the name Haru, Sihyun hurriedly checked the photo. In the photo that Hamin had sent, there was a boy with black hair and shackles on his hands and feet.
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