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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 19: Because of a Chronic Illness.
This is a story about going to a PvP fight and accidentally meeting a classmate I wasn’t close with.
It wasn’t a coincidence or a chance encounter.
The person I was supposed to fight was indeed the one I met.
No misunderstandings—it was definitely the same "FrozenIcicle" who had cursed me out so viciously.
We decided to head to a café first to talk.
“……”
“……”
Ah, this is so awkward…
* * *
Personally, she likes cafés.
Even though they’re outside, they still offer a semblance of a personal space, with decent desserts and brain-stimulating drinks.
Seol Yeonhwa, the genius of the Blue Tower, preferred cafés when meeting someone outside—mostly because she disliked every other place.
To be precise, it wasn’t that she liked cafés, but rather that she disliked everywhere else, so cafés became the default option.
It was a space where she could zone out without being judged.
Where she could simply be without guilt.
Though it didn’t offer the same comfort as her own room, it was close enough.
Even if her visits had a slightly escapist motive, this time was no different.
Instead of wandering aimlessly outside, she settled into a secluded corner of the café.
‘…I can’t breathe.’
Her hand, gripping the mug handle, trembled ever so slightly.
Seol Yeonhwa subtly averted her gaze, avoiding eye contact with the man sitting across from her.
It wasn’t that she found the man in front of her particularly intimidating.
It was just… overwhelmingly disorienting to meet a real-life human after preparing for a fight to protect her dignity in the virtual world.
She was still trying to wrap her head around the absurdity of it all—trading jabs in the game chat, only to discover that her opponent was a real-life acquaintance.
Not someone she was close to, but still, a fellow student from the same department.
The sense of her virtual sins bleeding into reality was deeply unpleasant.
‘…No way.’
How could this even happen?
Seol Yeonhwa closed her eyes tightly.
She was the type to throw out a few… slightly aggressive words during in-game chats, but she had never actively arranged a real-world meeting before.
Sure, she had occasionally threatened, “If you’re so cocky, let’s settle this in real life!”
But she had never actually followed through.
This was the first time she had agreed to a real-world fight.
And yet, by some cosmic joke, the very first person she met turned out to be someone from her own class.
She wasn’t furious to the point of losing her mind, but she certainly felt wronged by the heavens.
If this had happened on her fifth or sixth real-life meeting, she could have accepted it with more grace.
But no—her very first opponent turned out to be her apartment neighbor, her academy classmate.
Same department.
Same class section.
‘Unbelievable. Absolutely ridiculous.’
Seol Yeonhwa sipped her coffee with trembling hands, silently reflecting on her poor decision-making.
Granted, agreeing to a real-life fight in the first place was probably the wrong move.
Still, she could have at least worn a mask or something.
There had to have been better options.
“……Haah.”
She was well aware of her own growing fame—and the potential for becoming even more famous.
So she had deliberately left behind any signs of her identity as a Blue Tower mage or an academy student.
It wasn’t that she was afraid of gossip or scandals.
She simply couldn’t stomach the thought of seeing community posts like:
‘Saw a Blue Tower mage in real life lol,’ or
‘Ran into an academy psychic at a café lol.’
So, she had concealed anything that could reveal her identity.
Her plan was simple: meet in real life, overwhelm her opponent with magic, and scare them enough that they wouldn’t dare mess with her in the game again.
She wasn’t aiming for violence—just a bit of intimidation.
But somehow, things had spiraled into this mess.
‘Damn it.’
She should have completely disguised herself—from head to toe.
A hooded cloak, a mask, maybe even an illusion spell.
Or better yet, she should have just stayed home and not come at all.
But no—she had reasons for coming out.
─ Kyak kyak kyak kyak!
─ Hahaha! How long are you going to keep me dancing, you lazy pig!
It was one thing to be tormented in the jungle during a match.
She could tolerate being trolled and teased.
Even when they spammed emotes and danced on her corpse, she endured it.
─ Wahaha!
─ Should I hit you with my doggy kick? No? Too bad!
But when they did it dozens of times over forty minutes,
there was no other choice but to become a demon herself.
[Stardust: "Too easy, lol."]
Yeah.
She had no other choice but to become a demon.
Now, as she sat across from the man in real life, she glared at him with all the pent-up frustration she had accumulated.
The man mirrored her awkwardness, wearing an equally uncomfortable expression.
Shin Yuseong.
The infamous "pretty boy" and the academy’s rank 1 in level tests.
He was a campus celebrity in his own right—someone who exuded a different kind of fame from Seol Yeonhwa.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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While he wasn’t yet famous outside of school, within the academy, he was already a walking legend.
[Omg, I saw the pretty boy! 😍]
[You’ve discovered the lucky pretty-boy totem! Congrats!]
Just spotting him in public caused a stir.
Yeonhwa didn’t envy his popularity.
After all, she was already turning down offers from the Blue Tower elders, who were begging her to collaborate on magical research.
In terms of market evaluation, her reputation as the "Ice Mage Prodigy" or the "Avatar of Frost" far surpassed his.
However, Seol Yeonhwa held the man named Shin Yuseong in high regard.
It wasn’t just because he ranked first in the level test.
Even now, the magic barrier firmly layered over his entire body was astonishing.
A single test result could be a fluke, a matter of good luck or favorable conditions.
But something like that—maintaining such a skill—was only possible through years of training and overwhelming talent.
Even though she had never spoken to him, she had always respected Shin Yuseong for maintaining such mastery and had thought well of him.
‘But to meet him like this…!’
Seol Yeonhwa once again cursed fate.
And she felt a tinge of disappointment toward Shin Yuseong for appearing in a place like this.
‘Why would a guy risk himself in a real-life fight?’
It wasn’t a matter of sexism.
Rather, it was a thoroughly gamer-like sentiment.
‘Why the hell would someone play the game like that?’
Or perhaps, it was praise.
There was no way someone who played like a complete psycho could be mentally sound.
So, this is quite unexpected…
With a slight furrow of her brow, Seol Yeonhwa sighed as she looked at Shin Yuseong—the man who was daily worshiped as either a "handsome god" or a "totem of beauty" on community forums.
Even the gods do not grant everything.
Just like herself, no one was perfect.
That sense of kinship and relief mixed with the undeniable reality that she had just encountered a classmate.
The realization hit her, and she let out another short breath.
“Haa.”
“Hoooo.”
It seemed he felt the same way, sighing with a complicated expression.
Well, there was certainly some serious internal conflict going on.
Shin Yuseong stared at Seol Yeonhwa’s pristine, porcelain-like face with a grave expression and thought:
‘No, but seriously, how does someone with that pretty face type in chat like a demon wagging its tongue? That’s just incredible.’
[The goddess nods in agreement.]
‘So, as a former hero, how should I handle this? Should I let her off with a warning? I’m conflicted.’
[The goddess expresses her disapproval of a hero preparing to fight a mere student.]
‘I already know, so please be quiet.’
[The goddess protests, pointing out that he was the one who initiated things first.]
…He really was experiencing serious inner turmoil due to another presence in his mind.
But as they stared at each other in silence, gathering their thoughts, the answer became clear.
“I apologize for my harsh words…”
“…No, I should be the one to apologize for my rudeness.”
Unless someone dropped out over this,
they were highly likely to be in the same class for the next few years.
There was no need to carry unnecessary resentment.
Even if they weren’t from the same school, this was simply the natural way to wrap things up after meeting in real life.
It wasn’t like anyone had come here with the intent to commit murder.
…Though she did briefly consider punching her own hand to keep her emotions in check next time.
Seol Yeonhwa decided to put an end to her pointless thoughts and stood up quickly.
It was too awkward to stay any longer.
“Well then, I’ll see you at school.”
“I hope we can at least greet each other when we pass by.”
“Yes, I’d like that too.”
With that, they exchanged polite words and shook hands.
During the handshake, Shin Yuseong’s expression twitched slightly.
Noticing this, Seol Yeonhwa, as always, maintained a calm expression and spoke.
“Oh, my apologies. It’s a chronic condition.”
That was why her hand was cold.
It was a simple explanation, nothing more.
She had given up on fixing it long ago, so she spoke lightly, with ease.
Bowing her head slightly, she left the café first.
Hoooo—
After walking for a while and reaching a deserted place, she took a deep breath and released the ice-attribute mana she had been suppressing.
Crack—Crash!
A pseudo-breath attack.
Her breath, imbued with blue magic, froze the spring air just enough to leave a layer of frost.
A blessing and a curse of elemental mages—an affliction, or perhaps a devil’s disease.
But talking about it seriously wouldn’t change anything.
It wasn’t something even the Tower Master or the Cardinal could fix, so who else could?
Seol Yeonhwa smirked and shook her head.
“I should head home.”
Talking to people outside was still not her thing.
There were just too many things to be mindful of when around others, which was simply exhausting.
She was naturally more comfortable being alone.
Today had been an unusually long day out, considering her usual habits.
Twitch—twitch—
As she turned to leave, she unconsciously fidgeted with her fingers.
It was probably just because it felt awkward.
…But for some reason, the palm she had just shaken hands with felt oddly tingly.
Twitch—twitch—
Seol Yeonhwa kept clenching and unclenching her fist all the way home.
* * *
After resolving the real-life fight, another situation arose for me.
[The goddess claims she recognizes that condition with great confidence.]
“No, but I already know too?”
[The goddess suggests treating it and earning favor points.]
“…Do I really need to, though?”
[The goddess frowns and criticizes the hero for his lack of tact.]
“Why are you like this again?”
Thus began another round of heated bickering with the goddess.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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