The once inviting office, with its neat furnishings and the calming scent of books, had become a suffocating nightmare. Shadows twisted unnaturally, warping into monstrous shapes. Ric’s vision blurred, his body crushed under an invisible weight. “Even breathing felt like dragging air through mosses.His ears rang with a piercing silence, his legs trembled, ready to give out.

  In the midst of the chaos, a single voice cut through.

  “How many people did you kill?”

  Reinhardt hadn’t repeated himself, yet the words echoed over and over in Ric’s mind. “What is he talking about?” Panic fred inside him, but he forced himself to respond. He lifted his gaze, struggling against the pressure.

  “I—I haven’t—”

  He stopped. No one interrupted him. But Reinhardt’s eyes—cold, unrelenting—demanded only the truth.

  “That’s not the answer he wants. If I say that, I’ll die.”

  Ric clenched his teeth, his pulse hammering in his ears. A lump formed in his throat as he forced the words out.

  “I... I don’t know.”

  The room fell into an eerie silence. Reinhardt didn’t speak. He simply stared at Ric, his expression unreadable. Seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity before he finally sighed.

  The crushing pressure lifted. The shadows receded. The air, once suffocating, turned still, as if nothing had happened.

  Ric gasped, his chest heaving. His legs gave out, and he colpsed to his knees. Huff! He sucked in desperate breaths, his hands trembling as he tried to steady himself.

  Meanwhile, Reinhardt casually walked toward the bookshelf, as if he hadn't just crushed Ric under his presence. He ran his fingers across the spines of the books before speaking.

  “What you just experienced is called a simple blood field. It’s what bloodlust looks like when controlled.”

  Ric wiped the sweat from his brow, his breathing still uneven. “Bloodlust…?”

  Reinhardt turned, his piercing gaze locking onto Ric.

  “You possess an incredible amount of it yourself. But the difference is—it controls you, not the other way around.”

  Ric’s stomach dropped. A realization dawned on him, and he snapped, “Does that mean—”

  Reinhardt cut him off.

  “Yes. That’s what others feel when you lose control.”

  Ric fell silent.

  “That means... every time I fainted...”

  A cold realization crept over him.

  “Everyone around me felt what I just did—

  including Arfen.

  No wonder he hadn’t woken up. He was already weak… and then he had to endure something like this.”

  While Ric stood frozen in thought, Reinhardt casually scanned the bookshelf, his eyes occasionally flicking back to Ric.

  Then, without turning, he spoke.

  “If not for that enchanted locket of yours—and the constant healing—you would’ve lost your sanity by now. The bloodlust you carry isn’t minor.”

  Ric blinked, flustered.

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  Reinhardt finally looked over his shoulder.

  “So you don’t know.” He sounded almost disappointed. “A pity for the healer..”

  Ric straightened, regaining his composure.

  “Can you eborate, sir?”

  Reinhardt faced him fully now, his expression serious.

  “Your body constantly radiates the mana of light magic. That only happens when someone is being healed regurly—by a high-rank healer, at that. There’s no other expnation for the purity of your aura.”

  Ric’s heart skipped a beat.

  “Wait… the old man? He’s the only healer I’ve ever known… but he is too old! If he kept healing me…”

  Reinhardt seemed to sense his train of thought but didn’t press.

  “I won’t pry into your past. What matters is this: if you understand why you’ve killed, you can learn to control your bloodlust.”

  Ric stiffened.

  “I don’t.”

  Reinhardt narrowed his eyes.

  “What?”

  Ric met his gaze, conflicted but calm.

  “I don’t know who I killed. Or why. I don’t even know if I actually killed anyone. I only remember living in the orphanage for the st five years.”

  He exhaled, steadying his voice.

  “Is there… no other way?”

  A sudden knock echoed through the room.

  “Come in,” Reinhardt called out.

  The door creaked open, and a figure stepped through. Dressed in immacute white, he radiated presence—charisma mixed with an air of quiet dominance.

  It was Rasmond Ross.

  His sharp eyes flicked to Ric before settling on Reinhardt. He bowed his head slightly, a gesture of deep respect.

  “Greetings, sir.”

  “Greetings, Rasmond,” Reinhardt replied, his tone lightening just slightly. “I’ve called you here to analyze the locket student Ric is wearing.”

  “As you wish, sir.”

  Rasmond turned, his gaze nding on Ric with calm precision.

  Without needing a word, Ric removed the locket from around his neck and handed it over. Rasmond accepted it gently, closing his eyes as he let his mana flow into the object.

  Several moments passed in silence. Then, Rasmond opened his eyes, returned the locket to Ric, and turned toward Reinhardt.

  “It’s a healing spell, sir.”

  Reinhardt didn’t respond immediately. He walked over to the bookshelf, fingers gliding over the spines until they paused on a tattered red book. Despite its age, it was meticulously clean—well-cared for, as though cherished. He pulled it free and handed it to Ric.

  “This book has details about blood lust, and the process of how to control it.” He went back towards his desk as he continued “You’d best learn quickly.” He sat on his chair as his gaze sharpened “Having the blood of a student on my hands would leave a bad taste in my mouth.”

  Ric bowed slightly.

  “I’ll do my best, sir. Thank you… for helping me.”

  Reinhardt replied “Hmm, on your way back, collect your reward for being one of the top students. You’re dismissed.”

  “Then, excuse me.” Ric turned to leave.

  As he walked through the corridor, thoughts lingered.

  “There’s definitely something off. The fact that Rasmond didn’t name the healing spell… he didn’t want me to know it.”

  Ric paused for a moment. Then shook his head. “Forget it. I’ll find the truth eventually. But the old man… I need to talk to him.”

  He asked one of the staff and made his way to the reward counter. There, he saw a familiar face.

  It was Isabelle Crownbell.

  She looked up. “Oh! You’re back.”

  “Yes. Sir told me to come here for my reward.”

  “One sec.”

  She dug through the drawers and pulled out a golden card. “Here—it’s your reward. Two thousand points. You can use them for anything in the academy—food, water, supplies. It’s basically your currency now, so spend it wisely.”

  “Yeah, and where can I use a transponder orb?” Ric asked ftly.

  Isabelle frowned.

  “I just said to use them wisely!” she thought bitterly.

  “Hey? You listening?” Ric nudged.

  “Yes, yes. Follow me.”

  She led him to a sleek booth nestled against the wall.

  “This is the transponder booth. It’s soundproofed. You swipe your card here and—”

  “I know how to use it. Thanks.” Ric interrupted, brushing past her into the booth.

  Isabelle stomped her foot, muttering under her breath. “This guy!”

  Inside, Ric eyed the floating orb and the card slot beneath it. A small sign above it read:

  {One minute = 100 points}

  “One minute of use for hundred points. five hundred points should be enough.”

  He swiped his card, selected the time, and watched the points deduct. A glowing screen flickered into view:

  {Please enter the transponder code to connect.}

  The old man gave us a slip with his code on it... Good thing I memorized it.

  Ric entered the code, and after a brief loading screen, the connection stabilized.

  The screen lit up with a warm, familiar face. The old orphanage teacher smiled gently.

  “Hoho, I didn’t expect the first call to be from you, Ric. How are you?”

  “I am good old man, how are you?” Ric asked

  “Of course I am fine my child.” The teacher replied with a gentle smile on his face, Ric clenched his fist in anger

  “Don’t lie,” Ric said, clenching his fist.

  “After using healing magic constantly on me and Arfen, there’s no way you’re fine!”

  The old man chuckled gently. “Hoho, so you found out…”

  Ric lost his cool.“Yes I did! Even though I am not a healer I atleast know that healing magic burdens the user’s body! “

  “Oh, is that so?”

  Ric fumed in anger "Don’t kid me, old man! You already knew! What if something happened to you?! Did you ever think about that?!"

  “Calm down Ric, What’s the most that could happen?” The old man stated happily with a gentle smile.

  “Huh?! What do you mean?! You could die! Thats’s what-“ Ric screamed

  But the old man simply smiled.

  “Death is inevitable, my child.”

  Ric froze.

  “Huh… wha—”

  “Whether I die now or ter, it doesn’t matter. I’ll be at peace… as long as you children are safe.”

  Ric opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat. Seeing the old man’s gentle expression, he fell silent.

  After a long pause, the old man chuckled.

  “Hoho… are you really worrying about this old man?”

  Ric finally smiled, faint but sincere.

  “Yeah. So… take care of yourself, Gramps.”

  The screen faded. A message blinked:

  {Time’s up. Thank you for using our service.}