Sihyun, who entered the training room with Shin Ijae, suddenly patted his growling stomach. He wondered if he would eventually roll around if he kept eating like this. Nevertheless, today he found solace in the fact that Shin Ijae was there, making excuses and leaving to fetch his own weapon. Sihyun was curious about what kind of weapon he would use.
The weapons used by first-year students were provided by the association, randomly distributed based on their classes. So, if you were lucky, you could get a good weapon, otherwise, you might end up with a less effective one. A notable example was his own pink staff and Hamin's transformed shield. Sihyun furrowed his brows, thinking about the significant difference in design and performance between weapons. What he had resigned to now suddenly felt unjust.
He wished they could at least change the design, something that didn't look like it came from a toy store.
Having such a simple wish, Sihyun waited for Shin Ijae to arrive. He appeared with a greatsword in hand, and Sihyun couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise.
"...Is that a weapon?"
"Yes!"
"Yours to use?"
"Yes!"
"...Can I touch it?"
The greatsword seemed about his size. Suddenly, he remembered Kang Sihyeon explaining the Copy class. He had mentioned that copying the skills of someone who used a greatsword was useless if you couldn't wield the greatsword yourself. Sihyun looked at Shin Ijae, who had a similar build to him.
It seemed like a size that he could handle.
When he threw an uncertain glance, Shin Ijae confidently nodded.
"It's easier to handle than it looks!"
Ah, easier...
The astonishment only deepened. Just as he was about to express his thoughts, Shin Ijae raised the greatsword. Sihyun quickly closed his mouth. No, he tried to close it, but out of surprise, it opened again.
"I can handle this easily!"
Ah, easily...
The shock increased. Sihyun had decided not to worry about Shin Ijae anymore.
"...About 3% per minute? That seems to be the difference. Since the duration is about 15 minutes, that makes it 45%!"
Shin Ijae, who had energetically flown around for 20 minutes, analyzed the heal he received cheerfully. Usually, a single sustained heal could recover up to 80% of health, but Shin Ijae barely reached half of that. Despite the Berserker class having more health than others, Sihyun could confirm that the efficiency was significantly lower.
"If you use a skill, it seems to decrease by 5% per minute or more. Assuming you also receive attacks..."
"Why isn't Hajin saying anything?"
Worry filled Sihyun as he thought about Hajin, who had been in charge of Shin Ijae's healing until now. The innocent-looking boy scratched his cheek and then looked up.
"He did mention that his wrist hurt from making potions."
"Lucky for us that we're not partners."
"What?"
Sihyun sincerely spoke, making Shin Ijae widen his eyes. Sihyun looked at him with a determined expression.
Berserkers may be strong, but their efficiency compared to health was seriously lacking. Without a healer, they couldn't engage in prolonged battles. Sihyun thought he understood why Shin Ijae, despite his skill, remained in Class B.
This plan might go off course.
Sihyun, who tousled his hair, mumbled while looking at Shin Ijae. Originally, he planned to focus on healing only Shin Ijae and help others. But now, it seemed like he should do the opposite.
"How much health do you have left now?"
"Um... about 40%?"
"Wait for a moment."
Sihyun cast a basic heal using a small amount of mana. A bright light flashed and disappeared. Even though each awakened individual had different total health, the basic heal generally filled up 20%.
"How much did it recover?"
"Um... about 10%?"
"...I see."
With a heavy heart, Sihyun spoke. Looking down at his hands, he remembered the determination he made some time ago.
I need to improve my healing proficiency.
Recently, he had neglected healing in favor of practicing Copy and a newly acquired water attribute skill. His proficiency in healing didn't increase noticeably. He heard that overseas there were healers who could recover 100% of an A-class Berserker's health with just 10% of their mana. Compared to them, he was severely lacking. If he had used the healing that just occurred as a basic heal, it felt like 50% of his mana would have been depleted.
Thinking of when he treated Seowoo, who became a Blood Ironclad during the monthly evaluation, Sihyun frowned. While his Copy proficiency had risen significantly, his healing had not improved.
"For now, I have a rough idea of what needs to be done. You practice with others; the rest will probably come soon since everyone will be here."
"Yes!"
"Oh, and find your next partner on your own."
"What?"
Shin Ijae blinked his eyes, questioning. His expression conveyed unfamiliarity with English, but then he seemed surprised and asked if Sihyun disliked him. Sihyun, more inconvenienced than disliking, shrugged his shoulders.
"Originally, there's a waiting list."
"A waiting list?"
"Yeah. If we go by order, you'd roughly be the fifth. Around the third year, you might be able to form partnerships, but I can't be sure..."
Confidence was uncertain.
Yoo seowoo was eyeing the next partner, and Hamin seemed likely to do the same. Kang Haewoon had mentioned forming a partnership for mutual support, and Baek Geonu had expressed interest as well. So, even though Sihyun mentioned fifth, it was speculative since they could end up partnering differently with Down and Jihae.
"Third year..."
At the mention of the third year, Shin Ijae seemed disappointed, his shoulders slumping as he idly played with the grip of his greatsword. If he became a third-year, the time spent in school would decrease since they would be moving under the Mirgun affiliation. If they joined different guilds, aside from the monthly evaluations, they wouldn't be referred to as partners.
"That sucks even more if I were a Berserker."
Sihyun, having roughly understood the situation, patted his shoulder sympathetically. It was clear that, despite his skill, Sihyun had stayed in Class B for a reason.
"I would feel regretful too if I were a Berserker and missed out on a Healer."
"Any pain somewhere?"
"No."
Haru's gaze wandered between Sihyun and Shin Ijae, his red eyes oscillating. Suddenly, he sighed, dramatically sat down, and buried his face in his arms. Sihyun approached, wondering if something hurt.
"Why are you like this?"
Walking and talking, there was no response. Haru, who was later than usual, made Sihyun worry even more. Was something wrong? Lost in thought, the distance between them and the practice room shortened. Haru stopped his steps.
"What about the others?"
"Seo-woo and I had a talk."
"Leaving Hyung separately?"
"Is this some kind of bullying?"
Suddenly recalling a phrase someone had said, the expression on Sihyun's face changed. Haru remained quiet, and Sihyun approached him.
"Is it hurting somewhere?"
"No."
Haru raised his head.
"I was talking to Seo-woo, and he told me to go."
"Why did he send Hyung away?"
"It's not like that."
"I am… talking to Seo-woo, and he asked me to go…"
"What? Sending Hyung away alone?"
"I didn't mean that."
"Then…?"
Mumbling incoherently, Haru glanced between Sihyun and Shin Ijae, then back to Sihyun. His red eyes gradually dimmed.
'If you're afraid of losing even when holding it, you should've just given it to me.'
'Do I even need to go? You're the partner.'
'It's okay to be taken away.'
"Hyung?"
Recalling someone's words, Haru's voice sounded strange. Sihyun tilted his head, and Haru glanced at Shin Ijae before burying his face in his arms. Sihyun chuckled awkwardly, realizing what Haru wanted to say.
"Um, I'm saying this quietly because I don't think Yijae should hear it, but..."
As if telling a fairy tale softly, Sihyun spoke, and Haru raised his head, gazing at him with clear eyes now. What was once only visible up to his eyes was now his entire face.
"Is something hurting?"
"No."
"I just had a talk with Seo-woo…"
"Why did he send Hyung away and talk alone?"
"That's not it..."
"It's not like that."
"Then?"
Struggling to put it into words, Haru looked at Sihyun, then shifted his gaze away. His ear tips turned slightly red, perhaps from embarrassment. His appearance was so strange that...
"Why are you like this?"
Sihyun laughed softly, glancing around before leaning in and speaking quietly.
"Well, let's just say this as quietly as possible because Yijae shouldn't hear... You won't be doing it with him, right?"
Whispering, Sihyun looked at Haru, who widened his eyes, then quickly averted his gaze. It seemed he was feeling embarrassed. Smiling gently, Sihyun stood up.
"How about practicing together after a long time?"
When asked, Haru, still sitting, hesitated before reaching out and grabbing Sihyun's hand. Raising his head, their eyes met, and Haru's eyes, which were only visible up to that point, now revealed his entire features.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment for taking care of him, Sihyun smiled softly.
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