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Chapter 23: Do You Need a Porter?
How one chooses to live their life depends on individual perspectives.
Some may wish to live richly and comfortably, like a landlord.
Others may choose to live fiercely, as if on a battlefield.
In the case of Aris Severus, she wished to live with absolute determination, without a shred of regret.
She had been surrounded by talent and skill so overwhelming that it was impossible to overcome.
In an environment where such prowess was commonplace, it would have been easy to succumb to despair.
Yet, she despised the idea of giving up and regretting it later.
So, she had pushed herself relentlessly, pouring her very being into magical research.
Eventually, she reached the heights of a high-level mage and became a professor at the Academy of Supernatural abilities.
She took pride in having achieved both skill and prestige.
"Um, I hope you get well soon."
"...Ah."
And now, she was lying in a hospital bed.
Something she never could have imagined just a few days ago.
Or perhaps, she was still in the midst of her downward spiral.
"Uh, Professor?"
Lying in her hospital bed, Professor Aris turned her unsteady gaze toward the handsome young student holding a fruit basket—Shin Yuseong, who had come to visit.
Though she was grateful to the student for taking time out of his day to visit her, inwardly, she was screaming at the cruelty of fate.
It was an embarrassing story, but her supposedly formidable magic had been shattered not once, but twice by this very student.
Had he simply known how to counter her spells or barely withstood them, she might have admired his skill.
But the way her magic was so effortlessly nullified made her think otherwise.
Was her magic... actually trash?
A sudden wave of self-doubt bloomed in her chest.
Had she unknowingly grown complacent, practicing her spells only on students?
She had believed she was progressing, but what if her skills had stagnated—or worse, regressed?
If everything she had once been so proud of turned out to be nothing but a flimsy sandcastle...
Endless self-doubt gnawed at her.
A mage must constantly explore new possibilities, yet also possess unyielding confidence in their own magic.
But she had let her foundation crack.
— Wait, Yuseong actually fell to magic? No, no. I don't think he did. Right? What I like about Yuseong is not just his sturdy mana barrier—it’s the sheer effort and passion he poured into reaching that level. Oh! Speaking of which, I wanted to hear how he withstood the spell...Uh, Professor Aris? Are you listening?
As Professor Shin Arin's words barraged her over the phone like a rap verse, Aris, still too weak to sit up, took yet another blow.
Suddenly, a violent nausea overcame her.
Her disrupted mana flow made her stomach churn.
"Ugh… Urk…!"
As memories of her defeat resurfaced, Professor Aris grimaced and hurriedly clamped a hand over her mouth.
* * *
[The goddess, with a sympathetic expression, suggests that it might be best not to visit the hospital anymore.]
"…Yeah, you're right."
Though I usually didn't agree with the goddess so easily, this time, I couldn't help but concur.
The patient's condition was just too severe.
There was no room for jokes or casual conversation.
If my visit had worsened her condition, making her retch...
Hmm.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I was somehow to blame.
[The goddess nods solemnly and reassures the hero, saying that some people simply have poor compatibility.]
"Yeah, the compatibility was... definitely bad."
Not for me, but for her.
It seemed everything had turned into a series of unfortunate events for the professor.
A truly pitiful situation, but strictly speaking, I hadn’t done anything wrong.
So, I decided to put it out of my mind for the time being.
After all, if my mere presence made her feel worse, it wasn’t like I could apologize for having high magic resistance.
Instead, I simply prayed for her swift recovery.
Sigh.
What an unfortunate affair...
Muttering inwardly like a monk chanting sutras, I walked down the hospital corridor—
Only to spot a familiar face coming toward me.
A somewhat cold expression.
Sky-blue hair shimmering faintly.
Eyes the color of clear, piercing ice.
A woman whose chilling atmosphere matched her blue hues.
None other than "Frozen Icicle"—
[The goddess frowns and quietly reminds him that her name is Seol Yeonhwa, not "Frozen Icicle."]
‘I know that.’
But the nickname had left such a strong impression.
We had exchanged more trash talk in chat than words face-to-face.
Still, compared to the casual outfit she wore during their sudden PvP duel, she looked noticeably more refined now, having dressed up a little.
‘She really is a striking beauty with that cold aura.’
When I brought her medicine later, would she be willing to accept it?
Her poised, elegant demeanor made me hesitant.
Maybe I shouldn’t bother making the medicine after all.
[The goddess, startled by your thought, asks if you’re not doing the opposite of what most people would.]
Introverts like me avoided people because they feared rejection.
If it were easy to connect with others, they would have become social butterflies long ago.
Still, it was a chance to do some good, and I had been planning to visit a dungeon soon anyway.
Might as well bring the medicine while I was at it.
"…Uh, hello."
"?!"
To Frozen Icicle surprise, Seol Yeonhwa greeted me first.
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A little caught off guard, Yuseong paused, and she—slightly lowering her lashes—murmured softly.
"You said we should greet each other when we meet, right?"
"Ah, yeah. I remember. I was just wondering whether to call you ‘FrozenIcicle’ or Seol Yeonhwa."
"…Just call me Seol Yeonhwa."
"Then you can call me Yuseong."
“Hmm, I’ll give it a shot.”
The conversation felt a little ticklish.
Huh, what’s this feeling?
Like when you reach out your hand to a wild animal, and it reaches back—it’s touching in a way.
Seeing this cold-looking classmate initiate a conversation first was surprisingly refreshing and somewhat pleasant.
‘Wait, now that I think about it, this might be the first time someone’s talked to me in the hallway.’
Considering how many people on the school’s community boards had posted about wanting to lick my neck, it was kind of surprising.
I mean, I get it with strangers, but... did I really not have any friends to chat with in the hallway until now?
If that’s the case, then this girl is the first.
For some reason, a sense of internal closeness welled up.
Smiling, I made a promise.
“Then, let’s stick together for a long time.”
“…….”
At my words, Seol Yeonhwa’s eyes wavered for a moment, but she quickly steadied herself and gave a small nod.
“Yeah, sounds good.”
It seemed like I might have found someone to hang out with throughout college—a buddy for lunch, idle chats, karaoke sessions, and even gaming.
On top of that, this guy even played games.
‘Definitely gotta keep this one alive.’
Upon reflection, this was a valuable asset.
“Let’s play a game together sometime.”
“……Uh, I’m not really into games.”
“……?”
Wait, why the sudden rejection?
[The goddess lets out a sigh, exasperated by the clueless hero.]
What?
Why?
* * *
Even though my gaming buddy request had been denied, I wasn’t petty enough to get sulky over it.
That was more of a childish goddess thing.
As a hero who had saved the world, I decided to remain mature.
After all, there was nothing wrong with making a nice little tonic for a friend I was going to hang out with.
I made up my mind to gather ingredients for a potion that would help treat Seol Yeonhwa’s physical condition.
I wasn’t exactly an expert in alchemy or pharmacology, but once you had the recipe, it wasn’t all that hard.
I looked up where to find the ingredients on an online info site.
Fortunately, they weren’t located in particularly tough places—most could be gathered from D- and C-rank dungeons.
Since my pass allowed me access to those areas, I was relieved.
The dungeon entry process and the actual gathering of materials would be a bit of a grind, but luckily, I had a reliable ally for that.
“I’ve already arranged the dungeon clearance and equipment rental. All you need to do now is pick up the pass and head in to gather the herbs.”
That ally was Emir from the Hunter Support Department, who was in the same group for our magic game simulation and crafting class.
His department focused on supporting hunters, making him perfectly suited for handling all the administrative tasks and dungeon prep.
Sure enough, as soon as I left the tedious paperwork to him, he took care of it all in a flash.
During class, he mentioned needing to rack up some achievements before the semester ended, so I casually invited him to join me.
In hindsight, it turned out to be a brilliant move.
‘So convenient.’
[The goddess shakes her head at the freeloading hero.]
Regardless, I had gone from having one real-life friend to two—a literal doubling of my social circle.
Of course, the first friend was Seol Yeonhwa, who I had initially met in a real-life PvP match.
I hadn’t realized how much of my school-era “Ice King” title she had ended up taking for herself.
‘Definitely gotta keep this one alive.’
I was nodding to myself when I suddenly felt a gaze from the side.
Without much thought, I turned my head.
“……Uh, uhhmmm.”
There stood the former golden goblin battle mage, silently staring at me with a heart-wrenching look in her eyes.
To make things stranger, her face gradually flushed redder and redder as our eyes met.
Puzzled, I kept looking at her when, out of nowhere, the girl next to her—a pink-haired beauty and Japanese exchange student named Maho—leaned over with a bright smile.
“Hey, do you need a porter by any chance?”
“……Huh? A porter?”
And just like that, I ended up with two more porters (mages).
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