I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City-Chapter 108: A Strange Ceiling
“Omega is dead?”
Hekes could sense it.
The moment Omega’s life signal was severed.
He accepted the conclusion for now, but the process was unacceptable.
It wasn’t just that the escape route he had prepared was rendered meaningless because Omega failed to resolve the fight before the drug’s effect wore off.
Omega wasn’t even able to run. He was cut down, his lifeline severed.
‘This is a difficult enigma to grasp.’
Hekes knew how deeply Omega was attached to life and how much effort had gone into this battle. For once, a rare emotion colored his expression—genuine surprise.
‘The probability that he simply lost due to a mistake is too low. His body was designed to endure even major blunders.’
Regardless, the outcome remained: Omega, the axis of his plan, was destroyed. Juyeon had found her freedom.
The monsters rampaging across the deserted island were now swiftly fading into oblivion.
“Hmmm...”
Hekes wiped his glasses and put them back on.
He continued analyzing the situation.
‘Where did the gap emerge? What did I overlook? With the current technology, I couldn’t have developed a greater resistance than what he already had.’
The urge to retrieve Omega’s corpse and dissect it surged within him. However, approaching the scene now would only lead to an encounter with an extremely agitated Juyeon.
‘I’ll have to abandon that idea.’
In any case, Juyeon wasn’t the kind of person to leave Omega’s body behind.
There was a high probability that she had already incinerated it.
— Ssshhrrr...
Hekes ordered the marine monster he was riding to increase the distance further.
He quietly observed the deserted island.
‘Did Juyeon hide her true skills until now? Or was it some kind of special artifact?’
There might have been an oversight in the data he had compiled through years of research.
“...”
If he tried forming hypotheses, the number of possibilities was too vast to reach a conclusion.
He needed more information.
Which meant there was only one answer.
‘I need to visit Black Hand.’
The organization that ruled the underworld alongside the Reverse Praise Society.
Hekes decided to meet with its leaders.
The two organizations had a symbiotic relationship.
Even though they were two colossal factions splitting the underworld, they coexisted without any conflict, jointly controlling the backstreets.
It was an unusual phenomenon. Normally, the rulers of the underground world were extremely sensitive about their profits and would stake their very lives over their shares.
Yet there was no strife, no discord between them for a simple reason.
The leaders of the Reverse Praise Society and Black Hand worshiped a single existence like a divine entity.
They were not merely allies but devotees, moving as one towards a shared goal.
For the sake of their god, they didn’t even negotiate over the exchange of information.
Rather than mere organizations, their structure resembled that of a religious order.
***
Rohan felt his consciousness floating adrift.
Somewhere—whether it was space or deep underwater, he couldn’t tell.
With his eyes closed, lost in darkness, information forcefully embedded itself into his mind.
[You have judged the traitor to humanity, Omega. Achievement unlocked.]
[As a reward, you have obtained a Point Pouch.]
‘So he’s dead. That dumb bastard... died well.’
It was an achievement he had never seen before. The meaning was straightforward, which he appreciated.
The main story must have undergone a significant deviation, but for now, he was relieved.
Just as he let himself relax—
The notification window flared up in a frenzy, as if to tell him not to let his guard down.
[Main story ■@%$ ■ni■!¿.]
Since Omega had died on the deserted island, the preordained sequence of events had been thrown into disarray.
Even a fool could see that something was broken.
If he were in good shape, Rohan might have tried punching the notification window in frustration.
‘...’
Before long, the scrambled text settled down.
The letters reassembled repeatedly until they finally formed a coherent message.
[You have taken a step closer to salvation.]
An ominous, grandiose statement.
It was a notification unlike any he had seen before.
[A Restricted Viewing Video #3 is now available for playback.]
‘A video... I don’t think I can process that right now.’
With that final notification, Rohan opened his eyes.
“...”
A strange ceiling.
But right beside him sat a familiar figure.
IV drips were connected to him, their tubes trailing into his body.
“Instructor...?”
“You’ve regained consciousness. Do you feel any discomfort or pain?”
“My friends...?”
“All three are safe. For now, you need to focus on recovering.”
“I’m... fine.”
It wasn’t something he knew just because he was Juyeon.
Anyone could see that Rohan was anything but fine.
His gaze was unfocused, lacking his usual vigor. Even his voice barely carried any strength—it was more of a mumble than proper speech.
‘Looks like his mental resilience is completely depleted.’
According to Ichinose and Noah’s testimonies, he had endured something akin to torture.
It wasn’t strange that he was mentally drained and on the verge of breaking.
‘For a cadet to go through such a horrific experience...’
Suppressing the rising self-reproach and a sigh, Juyeon decided to imprint reality onto Rohan first.
“This is the medical room on the transport vessel. Do you understand?”
“Ah... I see... the transport vessel’s medical room...”
“...”
Rohan stared at Juyeon vacantly.
Faced with that gaze, Juyeon hesitated, unable to decide what to say first.
Should he start with an apology for failing in his role as an instructor?
Or should he simply be grateful that Rohan was still alive?
Unable to conceal his conflicted emotions, Juyeon remained silent.
Seeing this, Rohan finally spoke.
“Instructor.”
“Mm, speak.”
“You look exhausted.”
“...”
Juyeon felt his breath catch as he saw Rohan smiling weakly as he said that.
Rohan called out again.
“Instructor.”
“...Yeah.”
“Don’t have any bad thoughts.”
“Bad thoughts...?”
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“This incident... wasn’t your fault.”
“!”
Despite being murmured weakly, Rohan’s words struck deep, stronger than anything else.
Was he referring to Juyeon’s late arrival? Or perhaps the unresolved history from the past?
From Rohan’s perspective, it was undoubtedly the former. Yet somehow, it felt as if he was encompassing all of time.
Juyeon, shamefully, felt his heart lighten at those simple words.
“Thank you for saying that. And... I’m sorry I was late.”
“Instructor, you weren’t late. I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
“...”
Juyeon looked at Rohan and thought to himself for a brief moment.
For someone barely conscious, he sure spoke well.
“Rohan.”
“Yes...”
“I heard the testimony. Why did you charge in recklessly against that kind of opponent? Did you not consider stalling for time through conversation?”
He wasn’t blaming him.
Juyeon simply wanted to understand Rohan’s reasoning.
“Mm...”
Rohan let out a soft hum at the question.
Then, as if recalling a distant moment, he shifted his gaze to the ceiling and murmured.
“That monstrous human... was the kind who enjoyed tormenting others and breaking them.”
“...”
“I’ve seen that raw expression of malice many times before. It was familiar. The more I struggled, the more he would have wanted to see me kneel. If he had simply killed me, he would have considered it a defeat.”
There was no need to ask where he had seen such people before.
Even if Juyeon didn’t know Rohan’s past in detail, he had already grasped where he came from.
“So, knowing what you’d be subjected to... you deliberately threw yourself at him?”
“Half of it was a gamble.”
Rohan didn’t deny it. In fact, he smirked as if satisfied with the outcome.
Juyeon found himself unable to praise him for that.
Rohan looked as if he was constantly walking a tightrope.
It was nerve-wracking to think that one wrong step could lead to disaster overnight.
“Rohan. I know it’s ironic for me to say this when I failed to prevent this situation... but you need to value your own life.”
As they continued speaking, Rohan’s voice became clearer, his consciousness ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) sharpening.
“Instructor. I don’t want to die either.”
“That’s hard to believe considering your actions. If you had made even one misstep back there, you really could have died.”
Juyeon’s voice was firm, but the worry in his tone was unmistakable.
To Rohan, that concern was precious.
Once again, he felt reassured that he had done the right thing.
No regrets.
“Instructor. But isn’t there at least one thing worse than dying?”
“...”
“I can’t bear to see my friends suffer. And besides, this is all I can do—ugh!!!”
Juyeon grabbed Rohan’s cheek and stretched it.
He was admirable. But if he praised him for it, he’d only be encouraging more reckless sacrifices.
“A cadet saying something like that—do you think an instructor would find it commendable?”
With that kind of mindset, Rohan was guaranteed to meet an early death.
Even after returning to Academy City, he’d probably throw himself into every crisis he encountered.
That was an overwhelming concern.
“Instructor! I’m a patient! A patient!”
“Haa...”
Juyeon let out a sigh and released him.
Knowing that he couldn’t stop this kind of person only made it more frustrating.
People like him moved before thinking.
Telling him not to do dangerous things wouldn’t stop him.
‘...’
It was like dealing with a younger brother he dearly missed.
“Get some more rest. Once the others’ treatment and check-ups are finished, we’ll head straight back to Academy City.”
“Is everyone okay?”
“There are no fatalities or serious injuries. Everyone only suffered minor wounds. This ship has better medical facilities than most hospitals, so the treatment will be quick.”
“Oh! That’s a relief.”
“We’ll discuss the details once we return.”
Juyeon stood up after finishing his words.
As he watched him, Rohan suddenly remembered something.
“Instructor.”
“Mm?”
“Could you... not mention to my friends that I knew what I was getting into?”
“Why?”
Juyeon’s lips curled up in a faint smirk.
Rohan felt uneasy about that strangely charming smile, but he decided to explain his reasoning.
“This kind of thing—once people find out, it becomes a matter of pride.”
Take Ichinose, for example.
She absolutely hated being protected during their time on the deserted island. She wanted to be seen as a warrior in her own right.
Noah, more than Ichinose, undoubtedly had an even stronger sense of pride.
When they had confronted Omega—
Even if Rohan had explained his plan to them, they would never have accepted it.
It was obvious they would see surviving at someone else’s expense as shameful.
After hearing Rohan’s detailed explanation, Juyeon nodded in admiration.
“You seem to understand Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart quite well. That’s a remarkable friendship.”
“Please, I’m counting on you.”
A brief silence.
Juyeon let out a quiet chuckle before giving Rohan an answer he didn’t want to hear.
“I understand your good intentions, and I’d love to keep quiet... but I can’t promise that.”
“...?”
“Your head must still be foggy if you haven’t noticed yet.”
Maintaining his smirk, Juyeon extended a finger.
He pressed down on Rohan’s cheek, forcing him to turn his head to the side.
Beyond the gently swaying curtains—
He saw Corinne sleeping soundly on a bed.
And right next to her—
Ichinose and Noah were sitting.
Both of them were staring straight at him.
