39 – Evaluation Match (1)
“It’s better to pack up the things you brought today.”
Minsoe added, “So it’s easier to leave the hospital tomorrow.”
Tomorrow, I’ll finally bid farewell to this dreary hospital. It took quite a while.
The problem with my back is completely healed. Today, with the final examination, I finally received the diagnosis for discharge.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
The first person to congratulate me on my discharge was Minsoe. She was the one who helped me the most in this hospital.
Even now, Minsoe was emptying the trash bin in the room.
It was amazing the more you looked at it. How could such stamina come from such a small body?
Working at the hospital during the day, attending classes, and even making lunch boxes every night. It was a schedule that one person’s body couldn’t handle.
She boasted stamina that even most awakened individuals would envy. She was just naturally strong.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Do you have something to say?”
“Nothing at all.”
Strong body, good vitality, wealthy family. She even had a car.
That girl would make a pretty good wife.
“Anyway, see you tomorrow when you’re discharged. Don’t mess up the room just because it’s the last time. Got it?”
Finally, Minsoe left the room with a trash bag.
It’s a bit sorry to just receive silently when she’s going through so much trouble. I should repay her with a gift later.
Of course, a cheap one.
“Hmm…”
After Choi Soeun left, the hospital room felt unusually dull. Perhaps it was the night that heightened that feeling.
Unable to sleep right away, I decided to alleviate my boredom by taking out a spoon for a moment.
─── Andvari ───
▶Active Skill
[Telekinesis Lv.1]
[???]
[???]
[Reflection Lv.1 – New!]
─
The first thing that caught my eye was the new skill, Reflection. I acquired it after facing Baek Juhee last time.
Reflection. Just hearing the name makes it sound like a skill related to reflection. Could it be a skill that deflects the opponent’s attacks?
If that’s true, isn’t this an overpowered skill?
Let’s try something at least.
I quickly got up from the bed and activated the skill.
Whoaaa─
Magical power concentrated, and soon a blue light began to envelop the entire spoon.
Ssshhhhh….
But even that was short-lived. The blue light surrounding the spoon quickly faded away. It seemed like a temporary skill.
“Hmm.”
I understand vaguely how the skill is cast, but… it feels insufficient. I wanted to confirm the exact performance, whether it can truly reflect attacks, just as the name suggests.
But I can’t just call someone in the middle of the night and ask them to hit the spoon. There’s no way to try it alone, either.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, a good idea occurred to me. I turned my eyes to the shower room. Testing it with the water stream from the shower hose should work.
I headed to the shower room quickly.
Click.
Whoaaa─!
I turned the valve to the maximum, making the water scalding hot. Then, holding the enlarged spoon close to the water stream, I tested it.
Splash, splash, splash.
Perhaps due to the strong water flow, just bringing the spoon near caused water to splatter in all directions. It even splashed outside the entrance of the shower room.
Now, let’s use the Reflection skill in this state.
Ssuuuhhhhh-
The spoon glowed blue once again.
And then.
Chwyaaah-!
“Oh.”
The stream of water reflected off the spoon. It didn’t splatter in all directions like before. It stretched out in a very pretty straight line.
As if a hose was clenched in my hand.
Drrr-
While I was engrossed in watching the stream of water with great interest, the door to the ward opened. It was Choe Soeun, who had gone out earlier, coming back in.
“Oh right. I forgot to mention something… What are you doing right now!”
Choe Soeun exclaimed in surprise as she saw me playing with water with the spoon.
“What did I tell you earlier? To not mess up the ward!”
Bam-!
She came all the way into the shower room and smacked me on the back.
It hurt a lot.
From Noble mtl dot com
***
The next day. After going through the discharge procedure as scheduled, I was on my way to the classroom with the combatants.
“Uh.”
I happened to run into Arna in the middle. Arna also noticed my presence and paused briefly.
“You, you got discharged…?”
It was the first time we met since the practical exam. Maybe that’s why there was a slight awkward atmosphere. Arna kept her gaze diagonal and only played with her hair.
“I was discharged this morning.”
“Oh, I see…?”
With that, the conversation ended. There was nothing more to say, so I started walking first.
“Well then.”
“Oh…”
Seeing me leaving, Arna quickly came up beside me. We walked side by side.
Thump thump-
Clack clack-
“…”
“What’s going on?”
Why is this person acting like this today? They’re casually walking beside me as if it’s nothing.
Even if our destination is the same, it’s unusual for us to walk side by side like this. Normally, we would walk separately.
“….”
“….”
Furthermore, today’s Arna was unusually quiet. Whenever I appeared, she used to furrow her brow and get angry. But now, she was just quietly walking and looking at the ground.
It’s not like she’s doing this because she likes it. There must be a special reason for it.
Should I check it out?
“Arna.”
“Yes…?”
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“….!”
Arna swallowed her breath for a moment. Based on her reaction, it seems I’m right.
I wonder what she wants to say. If I had to guess, I could probably point to what happened during the midterm exam last time.
Is she trying to thank me for helping her?
“If it’s a thank you, it’s unnecessary.”
“Ah….”
“When did we become the kind of people who exchange awkward words like this? You don’t have to do it.”
“….”
When I flatly refused, Arna didn’t say anything and just pursed her lips. She looked quite displeased.
“Hey, where’s that spoon? Where did that guy go?”
As we got closer to the classroom, a male student’s voice echoed from inside. It was loud enough to be heard all the way out here in the hallway.
That voice… It’s definitely Kang Tae-hoon. It seems like he hasn’t forgotten the day he got hit with a spoon and has come looking for me.
“What? He hasn’t arrived yet? Then tell him to come quickly, whether it’s a call or whatever! Bring him to me right now! Hurry!”
But I wasn’t about to show up in front of Kang Tae-hoon like this. I didn’t want to jump into hell willingly.
It’s a shame, but our meeting will have to wait for another time.
Now is not the right time.
Well, goodbye.
“Hey? Wait a minute! Where are you going right now? The classroom is that way!”
I didn’t even turn back and just walked away.
Pang─!
Late at night, at an outdoor training ground, Kang Tae-hoon kicked a rotten tree and shouted.
“Damn it! Where the f*ck did he disappear to!”
He had been looking for Shin Yoon-seong all day, but Shin Yoon-seong was nowhere to be found. He couldn’t find any trace of him in the classroom, the cafeteria, anywhere.
“Not even a damn ghost…!”
Pang─!
He kicked the tree once again. The leaves hanging on the branches fell rustling to the ground.
“This damn…!”
In that moment, Kang Tae-hoon was angrier at himself than he was at Shin Yoon-seong.
The day he was hit with a spoon, he couldn’t do anything except take the hits. If it had been the usual Kang Tae-hoon, he would have drawn his sword right then and there.
It was the first time in his life that he had been hit by someone, so he couldn’t even speak properly at the time. All of his thought processes came to a halt. It was as if he had fallen into panic.
Why did he act like that back then? The more he thought about it, the more his anger grew. At the same time, he felt embarrassed.
Being hit by someone who wasn’t worth sh*t. And being hit with a spoon at that. What could be more humiliating than this?
“Just show up in front of me again! I’ll rip out your intestines or whatever… Ouch!”
Ttak─!
That was when it happened. Someone punched Kang Tae-hoon in the back of his head.
This familiar feeling, his body remembered it. It was definitely a spoon.
“Hu… “
Although he received the first blow, strangely, a smile started to spread on his face. Wasn’t it Shin Yoon-seong who appeared here. That guy.
The time had finally come to teach him a lesson.
“You…!”
Swish─
As he drew his sword and turned around.
“Eong…?”
The Shin Yoon-seong he had expected was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was only a single spoon floating in the air.
“What, what the hell…! Why is the spoon floating by itself…!”
Kang Tae-hoon didn’t know because he had just transferred back. He didn’t know the full extent of Shin Yoon-seong’s abilities.
Ttak─!
“Ouch!”
The spoon struck Kang Tae-hoon’s head once again. It continued to strike several times.
“This…!”
He couldn’t just stand there and take it. After all, the opponent was just a spoon. Kang Tae-hoon raised his sword.
Swiiiiish─
At that moment, the spoon emitted light. The entire body began to shimmer with a blue hue. However, Kang Tae-hoon ignored it and swung his sword.
Clang─!
“Ugh…!”
Contrary to Kang Tae-hoon’s expectations, the sword bounced off neatly. As if some kind of force was at play, his whole body was pushed back.
“What, what is this guy…?”
Kang Tae-hoon squinted and looked at the spoon. It didn’t radiate the blue light as before, but the spoon still hovered in the air. Not a scratch on it.
Shuuung─
Afterward, the spoon no longer attacked Kang Tae-hoon. It gracefully turned in the direction of the forest.
Appearing out of nowhere, picking a fight, and ending the fight as it pleased.
Watching its retreat, Kang Tae-hoon muttered to himself.
“That… is it really not a ghost…?”
A spoon? Reflect?
Who do you think you are, Kadabra?