(Arin's Perspective)
The sharp sting of antiseptic assaulted my senses. It was a chemical punch of seventy percent alcohol mixed with the herbal tang of crushed hyssop that yanked my consciousness violently from the realm of dreams.
Slowly, I peeled my heavy eyelids open. A familiar white ceiling greeted me instantly, while the glare of the magic crystal lamp overhead sent a throbbing ache pulsing through my skull.
I rolled my eyes to scan the room. Just as I suspected, I was back on this pristine white mattress. I lifted my right hand, noting the fresh bandages wrapped tightly around it.
Passed out and ended up here again, did I?
The first thing I did was not call for help. Instead, my fingers instinctively found the artery in my neck.
One... two... three...
As I counted the rhythm of my own life, I dwelled on the dream I had just escaped. That scene was etched into my soul. The moment I witnessed a true Knight on the battlefield. That memory was the very reason I was here, trapped in the Lion Kingdom's Combat Academy.
My concentration broke as the door creaked open.
A woman in a white coat with dark green hair entered, carrying a stack of documents. She stared at me intensely, letting the silence hang heavy in the air before she finally spoke.
"Pulse rate is one hundred ten per minute. Blood pressure is still critically high. You are suffering from mild post-traumatic arrhythmia."
The raspy voice belonged to Edna, the Academy Doctor. She dropped the documents onto a wooden desk and wiped a smear of blood from the metal counter beside her without looking my way. Even so, I knew she was observing her 'frequent flyer' patient through the reflection in the polished steel.
"You collapsed on the track again," Edna stated flatly. "This time, you bled half a cup from your nose. If you keep forcing your cardiovascular system to work this hard without mana to protect it, your cerebral blood vessels will burst long before you graduate."
I tried to sit up. It felt as if someone had driven a nail into the back of my skull.
"It wasn't just running," I argued, my voice hoarse and dry. "I was testing... a new breathing method. Compressing oxygen in the lungs to trigger an artificial adrenaline spike."
Edna turned around. Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits.
"You call that a method? To me, that sounds like suicide. Arin, your body is empty. You are like a rusted carriage being forced to race a Wyvern. Stop this before you die a foolish death."
"If I stop, I can't be a Knight. I wouldn't even survive in this Academy. That is the same as death to me."
"Then how exactly do you plan to improve?" Edna demanded.
The question struck a nerve, silencing me. I had conducted countless experiments, yet the results remained zero. Sometimes, a dark thought whispered in the back of my mind. Should I just give up?
My gaze drifted to the mirror in the corner of the room. A boy with black hair and dull black eyes stared back. It would be a lie to say I wasn't exhausted, both physically and mentally. But just like that day in the ruins, my resolve was iron. Surrender was not an option.
A flicker of hope reignited behind my eyes.
"I will find a way. So, I will stay right here."
Edna fell silent. Her expression radiated disapproval, but a sliver of genuine worry leaked through her cold mask. Finally, she let out a long, resigned sigh.
"You are incredibly stubborn. But I suppose I don't hate that about you," she muttered, a thin smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Ignoring her teasing, I bowed my head slightly. "Thank you. And I apologize in advance if I cause you trouble again in the future, Doctor."
"Well, that is undeniable. You are always trouble, and it seems you always will be. You really should treat me to a meal someday for my benevolence."
"Haha... I am a poor man. I have no money."
"Haha... true. What can one expect from a pauper?"
I only offered a bitter smile at the sarcasm.
Slowly, I swung my legs off the bed. Though my knees wobbled, I forced my body to stand upright. "I think I am recovered enough."
Just as I reached for my bloodstained shirt, the infirmary door was slammed open.
A girl with long black hair and piercing blue eyes stormed in.
"Arin!"
Erika rushed inside, gasping for air. The Class B training uniform she wore was still crisp and clean, a stark contrast to my tattered linen shirt. A faint blue glow still clung to her skin; the remnants of mana that had not yet faded.
"Are you insane?!"
Erika marched up to me without preamble, her face a chaotic mix of anxiety and anger.
"I heard you vomited blood on the track. Why do you always force yourself? You know that..."
"That I'm a cripple?" I cut in sharply.
Erika froze. She bit her lower lip.
"That's not it. I mean... you are smart, Arin. Your theory grades are perfect. You could be a researcher or a strategist. Why do you have to be a Knight? Look at me. I have mana, even if it's only the First Circle, and I am already half-dead just trying to keep up with physical lessons."
Erika. My childhood friend whose fate was marginally better than mine. She suffered from First Magic Syndrome, capping her mana at a level only sufficient for basic spells. To the world, she was mediocre. To me, she was lucky.
"That is exactly why, Erika," I replied as I buttoned my shirt, covering the dark bruises on my chest from the breathing experiment. "Because I am smart, I know that limits can be broken. The human body is just a machine. And like any machine, it can be modified."
I grabbed my bag. Inside, an empty glass jar waited to be filled.
"Where are you going?" Erika asked when she saw me limping toward the door. "Rest!"
"To the Swamp Forest," I answered without looking back.
"Huh? What for? More training?"
I paused at the threshold. Turning my head slightly, I glanced back at her.
"No. Shopping," I murmured softly. "I need the heart of a Horned Frog. Their heart valves possess high elasticity against mana. If I can dissect it and study the structure... maybe I can replicate it for my breathing."
"If you need help, just say so. I will help however I can," Erika offered. The worry in her tone was palpable.
I knew she cared. But she wouldn't understand why I had to carve open a frog's chest and plunge my hands into its still-warm organs. That was too dirty for a Magic Princess like her.
I forced a thin smile onto my face. "Sure. If I need someone to carry heavy luggage, you'll be the first person I call. Now go back to training, you smell like sweat."
It was a lie. I would never ask her.
I left a worried Erika and a head-shaking Edna behind. In their eyes, I was just a sick patient.
They were wrong. I was not a patient. I was a doctor concocting a cure for my own destiny.