Groggily opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was a pristine white ceiling. Massaging my aching forehead, I tried to sit but the pain from the abdomen reemerged and forced me to continue lying.

My nose twitched from the stinging smell. The faint but unmistakable scent of blood, the stale air, and the smell of alcohol wafted in the air.

Turning my head, I could see that I was lying on a white bed and white sheets hid my surroundings. Through the translucent sheets, I could make someone standing behind them.

Forming proper thoughts was hard for me due to the constant headache. It took me a full minute to realize where I was and why.

Remembering Susan knocking the living daylights out of me with a single punch, the first thing I did was to check my abdomen.

Slightly raising my upper body, I pulled the white gown I was wearing.

My entire abdomen was covered with bandages and gave the pungent smell of alcohol.

I was sure that Susan hadn't punched a hole in me. Then why were the bandages used?

Still, her strength was otherworldly. I couldn't even see her move in front of me, and a single punch was enough to bring me to my knees.

'Did she need to punch so seriously?'

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Now I knew why she accepted my challenge easily. She probably to wanted to make an example out of me to deter anyone from challenging her.

A helpless smile formed on my face.

"It looks like it might take a while to heal."

"Since we used a low-tier healing potion, you should be healed within 2-3 days."

Sliding the sheets, a girl with flaming red hair stood beside me.

After telling me about the stipulated time, she didn't speak anything and kept glaring at me.

Finally, unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, I broke the silence.

"Hi, fancy meeting you here."

My words brought faint tremors to her eyes.

"Is this what you should be saying right now?!"

Like a dam burst open, tears flowed from Isabell's eyes.

"Why did you challenge Rank 1? What if she hadn't gone easy on you?"

Her eyes reflected her raw emotions, even if she didn't say anything. Rage, sorrow, guilt, regret, it was a spiral of negative emotions.

"Even during the exam… The cadet who came entirely covered in blood was you, wasn't it? Couldn't you …have waited a little longer for your stigma to awaken?"

Sobs echoed in the room. But Isabell continued.

"Why do you always go that far? Why can't you understand that what happened ten years ago wasn't your fault?"

I didn't know how to answer her. My head had been preoccupied for the past few days with various things other than Nathan's background.

I stopped thinking about Nathan after I decided to go to his home after the Dungeon of trials event concluded.

As I was thinking, Isabell spoke in an icy tone.

"Will you not stop?"

She had wiped her tears and now there was something different about her that I couldn't pinpoint.

"I see."

Taking my silence as an affirmation, she walked out. Listening to the sound of footsteps gradually fainting, I could tell that she had left the infirmary.

"Haah…"

I had only three interactions with Isabell but more than half of those were quite ….intense.

Sinking into the soft bed, I thought back to what she said.

From how she spoke, it was safe to assume that Nathan was a training maniac. It seems that the reason behind it was something that happened 10 years ago.

Hmmm …the Third Disaster happened 7 years ago. It meant that there was something else that made Nathan what he was.

Talking with Isabell reminded me that every person here was a living being, not a character inside a novel. The desperation, rage, and regret she showed weren't something I could see the comic relief Isabell doing in the novel.

The coincidence of me coming into Ward covered in blood and my stigma awakening also made the situation worse.

Most of the time, awakeners can awaken their stigma if they waited. But there were also cases they will awaken stigmas very late in their life or never awaken.

A method to increase the chances of awakening your stigma was to put yourself through extreme pressure, both in body and in mind. It seemed that Isabell thought this was the reason behind my stigma awakening.

"Why, huh?"

I wonder how she will react if I said that I was training like a maniac to survive the Dungeon of trials.

Chances weren't low that I will survive the event if I left everything to luck. But my luck stat was anything but reassuring.

"How are you feeling?"

As I was thinking about my future, a sweet and clear voice flowed into my ears.

'Why is she here?'

The person who had come was Anna Kenward.

Seeing that I wasn't answering, she waved her hand in front of me.

"…I'm okay. But why are you here?"

Although the question was rude, I couldn't help it. I had just put my body on the line to make sure as few as possible bother me.

Ken would now leave me because of Susan, while Leon would understand that I was an unfriendly prick that was also crazy.

"It's my duty as the Class Representative of Katana-Class."

I nodded m head. I had forgotten that she was the CR of our class.

Anna spoke without hesitation to my question. Her charisma, as a natural-born leader, shined in times like this.

Yet, I could tell. She didn't come willingly.

'Duty'

She probably had to come as it was her job as CR to look after cadets.

Rather than feeling depressed, I felt relieved. It seemed that everything worked out how I wanted it to be.

Anna continued to ask more about my health and left shortly after.

"One week."

Looking at the ceiling, I realized that only a little more than a week was left before the event. This event was one of the two major events that happened in the first semester.

If I had to be honest, I wanted to skip it by feigning an injury or a disease. But my lie would be easily exposed.

This world's technology was too advanced than my previous world to be able to skip classes because of some non-existent injury.

It would also be suspicious if I was the only cadet who didn't participate.

"Urg.."

When I tried to stand up, the pain flared in intense waves.

Because I was only a Meta-rank I couldn't use potions above low-tier.

The extra energy inside mid tier or anything above will be dangerous for me.

It would be like over-pumping a balloon, and my body could burst.

I couldn't help but sigh. Even using good healing potions wasn't an option if you were weak in this world.

"Wait for a little time before moving. The pain killers should start working soon."

Looking at the nurse that came to check me, I felt complicated.

I knew it was low of me, but I couldn't help it. Weren't the nurses in cliché fantasy novels supposed to be busty and mature, types? Why was my nurse a bald, fat man? It didn't help that he looked ugly and wore glasses.

The corners of my lips curled up as I realized what I was thinking.

If I could joke in this situation, didn't it mean that I was fine?

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