Chương 46: Yeon-ah

Ch 46 - Yeon-ah The explosion rocked the cave, hurling debris in every direction as the tunnel behind Evan collapsed with a deafening roar.

"Kekekekeke!" The culprit, a Redcap, cackled triumphantly as it fled deeper into the tunnel.

"Oh no, you don't." Evan sprang after it. His longer stride closed the gap in seconds, and with a single swing, he cleanly severed the creature's head. The body crumpled forward while its head rolled across the stone floor. He punted it away in irritation.

"Bastard." Only then did he turn back to Yeon-ah, who was still lying where he had tackled her moments earlier.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." She slowly pushed herself upright, rubbing her sore back. When she noticed the collapsed tunnel, however, the color drained from her face.

"Oh no... are we trapped in here?" Hopefully not, Evan thought. Walking over to the wall of rubble, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey! Is everyone okay over there?" For a moment, only silence answered him. Then came a distant fit of coughing before Hiroto's voice echoed back.

"Yeah! But the entrance to your tunnel is completely blocked!"

"We noticed!" Evan shouted back.

"Calm down, kids!" Darius called.

"We'll figure something out. Just stay where you are and we'll get you out soon."

"Yes, sir!" Evan replied. Yeon-ah glanced at him.

"Can't your friend use his portal to teleport us out?"

"No. That's not how his ability works." Hiroto's Pocket Refuge had improved considerably, but it wasn't true teleportation. He could only open portals within his line of sight, and several tons of rock now stood between them. Maybe one day he'd unlock a more advanced version, but for now they were stuck waiting.

"That's too bad." She folded her legs against her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Evan asked.

"I've got a few healing potions." She smiled and shook her head.

"I'm fine. Just a little sore." Was she, though? Idols were supposed to treat their bodies like priceless assets, and even a bruise could spell trouble before a performance. Evan sat down across from her, keeping one eye on the dark tunnel in case another Redcap decided to throw a Blastcap their way. He still couldn't believe the little gremlins had been carrying those things all the way from Ironwood Forest.

"Hey," Yeon-ah said after a while.

"Thanks for saving me."

"No need. It was the least I could do." Having a dead idol on their mission would attract exactly the kind of attention he wanted to avoid.

"You know," she said with a grin, "that just makes you sound cooler."

"... What?"

"Like those heroes who insist they don't need thanks because they're just doing the right thing." Evan's expression twisted. For a brief moment, he wondered whether the explosion had rattled her brain, but he quickly decided that probably wasn't a polite question to ask. Besides, insulting one of Nova Terra's biggest idols sounded like an excellent way to get flamed online. He simply looked away. He had never wanted to be a hero.

That title belonged to someone like Reid, someone who had actually saved an entire world. Their conversation gradually died down, and as they waited for the others to dig them out, Evan found himself yawning. Between the growing boredom and the lack of sleep he'd been running on, staying awake was becoming surprisingly difficult.

"Tell me, what's it like being an Awakener?" Yeon-ah asked.

"Aren't you one?" Evan replied. Despite her delicate appearance, the woman sitting across from him was officially registered as an S-rank Awakener. She had only awakened recently and clearly lacked any real combat experience, but an S-rank was still an S-rank.

"I guess I am," she said with a small shrug, "but it's not like I'll ever become a licensed Awakener."

"Do you enjoy being an idol?" Evan asked. He had seen enough arguments online to know that Yeon-ah's decision had split public opinion. Ever since news broke that an S-rank Awakener had chosen to remain with Stellaris instead of becoming an active Awakener, the debate had been relentless, with fans and critics constantly clashing over whether she was wasting her talent or had every right to choose her own path.

"Imagine rolling an S-rank just to become an idol. What a waste."

"Imagine thinking she owes you her life. Touch grass."

"Tell that to the families who lost someone because Nova Terra has one less S-rank fighting."

"Sure, let's blame a young woman instead of the monsters. Genius take."

"Keep simping. She doesn't know you exist."

"Keep crying. She still won't become your personal bodyguard."

"People are literally dying while she's doing dance challenges."

"And you're literally typing essays on the internet instead of enlisting. Lead by example."

"Found the Stellaris cultist."

"Found the basement dweller." After that, the argument had devolved into the usual internet mudslinging, with people somehow dragging each other's ancestors into it.

"Of course!" Yeon-ah answered brightly. For some reason, though, the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Evan noticed the faint disconnect but chose not to comment. They were strangers, not friends, and whatever lay behind that expression wasn't any of his business.

"But since we're stuck here waiting," she continued, "how about you tell me what it's like studying at Central Awakener Academy?"

"Sure." The two passed the time talking while they waited for the rescue team. Evan kept things light, sharing harmless stories about academy life while carefully avoiding the System and the more dangerous incidents he'd experienced. Yeon-ah listened with genuine interest, asking questions and occasionally sharing stories of her own. By the time Brooks cleared the collapsed tunnel with his earth manipulation, Evan's throat had gone dry from all the talking.

"Yeon-ah!" Her manager rushed over as soon as she emerged, immediately brushing the dirt from her clothes before inspecting her from head to toe. Her expression grew darker with every scrape and bruise she discovered.

"I thought your contract guaranteed her safety," she snapped, turning toward Darius and Brooks.

"Just look at her! Do you have any idea what could've happened?" If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Well..." Darius scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"What if she'd been hurt even worse? You're lucky those are only bruises and scrapes. What if that explosion had scarred her face?"

"It's okay, Ms. Morgan. I'm really fine," Yeon-ah said, trying to calm her.

"Hush." Morgan placed a firm hand on Yeon-ah's shoulder before shifting her glare toward Evan.

"And I expected better from students of Central Awakener Academy." Why are there so many people determined to get punched these days? Evan thought. Before he could respond, Reika stepped in front of him, blocking the manager's glare.

"The fault is mine," she said.

"As the leader of this team, I failed to ensure the area was secure. If you intend to blame someone, blame me." Evan blinked. Huh. Who would've thought the Thunder Wolf's daughter actually had a sense of responsibility? Morgan clicked her tongue but said nothing more. Evan couldn't help smirking. Apparently, berating an F-rank student was easy enough, but picking a fight with the daughter of one of Nova Terra's strongest Awakeners was another matter entirely.

Despite Morgan's endless complaints, the activity continued. The students cleared out the cave before setting fresh traps around the area in case another wave of Redcaps decided to use it as a base. As the sun began sinking toward the horizon, they packed up and headed back to camp. Along the way, Hiroto spotted a deer darting between the trees, providing the group with a much-needed dinner for the evening.

Evan ended up as the group's chef again, though this time the members of Stellaris pitched in to help prepare the meal. Unfortunately, that also made him the camera crew's favorite target, who seemed determined to film him from every possible angle. He could only hope he wouldn't end up getting flamed online if some overly obsessive fans decided to label him the idols' potential boyfriend. The rest of the evening was far quieter than the last, and everyone turned in early.

Unlike the previous night, no Redcaps attacked the camp. The following morning, Stellaris left to visit the other student groups participating in the Frontier Field Exercise. Darius also took his leave, leaving the students to continue their remaining assignments of eliminating Redcaps moving toward Nova Terra and placing traps around locations where the creatures were likely to gather. Several more days passed without incident, leaving Evan increasingly confused.

Shouldn't this have been the perfect opportunity for the System to activate his curse and throw him into another life-threatening disaster? Instead, the exercise remained surprisingly uneventful, with Andrei being the only real annoyance throughout the trip. When the final day arrived, the students returned to the Cedar Grove Mine. Darius was already waiting for them, wearing the same broad grin he had greeted them with on the first day.

"Congratulations on surviving the exercise, everyone! Great job! None of you died or suffered any serious injuries, and although we had one little incident, I'd say everything worked out pretty well. As for your scores, you'll have to ask your teachers because I don't know what grades you're getting. If it were up to me, though, you'd all get full marks! Let's give ourselves a round of applause!" The students clapped enthusiastically.

"Now that the hard work's over, it's time for some fun, don't you think?" Darius said before turning toward the members of Stellaris standing nearby.

"We'll be performing in the Southern Sector of the Outskirts, Zone 23," Yeon-ah announced.

"Please look forward to it!" Ines added with a cheerful wave.

"We'll be waiting for all of you," Olivia said. The students cheered for the cameras, enthusiastically playing along until the production crew had enough footage. Once filming wrapped up, everyone boarded the bus and began the journey back to the Outskirts. The ride was much quieter than before. Exhausted from nearly a week in the wilderness, most of the students rested in their seats while Evan stared silently out the window at the endless forests rolling past.

Honestly, he had spent the entire exercise preparing himself for the worst, convinced that the System would choose this opportunity to spring another catastrophe on him. Instead, they had simply spent several days hunting Redcaps. Was it strange that he felt... a little disappointed? When they arrived, the bus eased into the circular driveway of their hotel, and Evan's eyebrows slowly climbed the longer he stared.

The building towered more than twenty stories into the sky, its glass façade reflecting the afternoon sunlight while the lower floors were framed by white marble columns and classical stonework. A grand fountain surrounded by marble statues occupied the center of the driveway, while uniformed bell staff stood waiting beneath an elaborate entrance canopy. The other students, already accustomed to places like this, stepped off the bus without giving it a second thought and headed inside.

Room keys were handed out while the bell staff loaded their luggage onto carts. Evan wasn't used to having strangers handle his luggage for him, and standing there empty-handed while someone else did all the work felt strangely uncomfortable.

"Come on. Aren't you tired?" Carmen asked, bumping his shoulder. He snapped out of his thoughts and followed her and Hiroto into the elevator. Since every student had been assigned a private room, they soon split up on their respective floors. Evan unlocked the door and stepped inside. The room was much larger than he had expected. A king-sized bed draped in white linens occupied the center of the suite, while wide windows offered a view of the bustling streets of the Outskirts below.

He had originally planned to collapse onto the mattress the moment he walked in, but the spotless sheets made him reconsider. After spending several days trudging through the Wildlands and fighting Redcaps, he felt like he owed the hotel at least a proper bath before climbing into bed. So he tossed his clothes into the laundry basket and let the hot water wash away the layers of dirt and sweat that had accumulated throughout the exercise.

Once he was clean and dry, Evan threw himself onto the bed, his body sinking into the soft mattress with a satisfied sigh. Just as his eyelids began to grow heavy, his phone vibrated on the nightstand. Picking it up, he found a message from Reid. [I heard you're back today. How was it?] Evan smiled faintly as he typed his reply. [It was fine. The Redcaps are annoying little menaces, though. We even got our own hotel rooms. Crazy.] [At least you'll get a good night's sleep.;)] Reid replied.

[You're heading back after the performance, right?] [Yeah, but not for another few days. How's school?] [It's fine. Nothing interesting has happened, though everyone's been gossiping about that escaped A-rank criminal.] A mocking smile tugged at Evan's lips. [What, do they think that crazy bastard's going to barge into the academy and attack it?] Unless the criminal had completely lost his mind, there was no way he'd target the academy.

With some of the strongest Awakeners in Nova Terra guarding the place, attacking it would be practically suicidal. Then again, knowing Evan's luck, maybe the universe would find a way to make it happen just to spite him. [I think that's very unlikely too, but you're not at the academy right now, Evan. Just be careful.] Reid wrote. [Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I won't go anywhere shady. I'm too tired anyway.] Evan yawned before adding another message. [I'm going to take a nap now.] [Good night.] After plugging his phone into the charger and locking the screen, Evan burrowed beneath the crisp white blanket. The exhaustion from the past several days quickly caught up to him, and within moments he drifted off to sleep. When Evan woke up, the sky beyond the windows had already turned dark. Reaching for his phone, he realized his mistake. He had forgotten to set an alarm before going to sleep, and now that he had overslept, there was little chance he would be able to fall asleep at his usual time tonight.

Stretching his stiff limbs, Evan climbed out of bed and decided it was the perfect opportunity to grab something to eat. He took the elevator down to the hotel's restaurant, where dozens of students and other guests were already enjoying dinner. The lavish dining hall immediately convinced him to turn around. Leaving the building, Evan pulled out his phone and searched for highly rated places to eat within walking distance.

He scrolled through dozens of recommendations before settling on a Vietnamese eatery with glowing reviews just a few blocks away. Satisfied with his choice, he tucked his phone into his pocket and started walking. Night had already settled over the Outskirts, and the streetlights cast warm pools of light across the sidewalks. In his previous life, wandering around an unfamiliar neighborhood after dark would have made him a little uneasy. Now, after Reid's relentless training, the thought barely crossed his mind.

In fact, part of him almost wished some unlucky mugger would try their luck. At least then he'd get to punch a human instead of another Redcap. Following the map, Evan made several turns before leaving the brightly lit main road. The restaurant was tucked away on a quieter side street, forcing him to pass through a narrow alley. Just then, his enhanced hearing picked up a nervous voice nearby.

"Excuse me... are you Lim Yeon-ah?" Evan turned toward the sound. At the mouth of the alley, two girls stood facing a woman wearing a baseball cap and a face mask.

"Ah, no. You've got the wrong person," the woman replied. The girls remained skeptical.

"But your voice sounds exactly like hers."

"Yeah, and I heard Yeonie is staying at a nearby luxury hotel," the other girl added.

"No, really, you've got the wrong..." Yeon-ah began before her gaze darted around the alley. A moment later, her eyes landed squarely on Evan, who had been observing the exchange with mild curiosity.

"I was waiting for my boyfriend!" She pointed directly at him. Who the heck is your boyfriend?!