Lia let out a quiet, uneven breath as she leaned back against the chair, her eyes drifting upward toward the ceiling as though she needed something steady to anchor herself.
Everything she had just witnessed,and everything she had just heard, refused to settle into anything resembling logic.
"…This has to be a dream," she murmured under her breath, the words slipping out without restraint, her usual composure nowhere to be found as a faint, almost helpless smile touched her lips.
"There's no way something like this actually exists."
Her gaze slowly lowered, returning to Ashan.
This time there was no sharpness in her eyes, no probing suspicion, only raw disbelief mixed with a fragile curiosity that felt almost human.
"How are you even standing here like it's nothing?" she asked, her voice quieter now, as if afraid that speaking too loudly might break whatever strange reality she had stepped into.
"With that much mana inside you… shouldn't your body collapse… or explode?"
Ashan tilted his head slightly, the question clearly not something he had ever seriously considered, and the casualness in his expression only made her feel more disoriented.
"I don't know," he admitted with a small shrug, as though the answer genuinely didn't matter to him.
"I never really thought about it that deeply, because from my side, it just feels… normal."
He glanced down at his own hand for a moment before continuing, his tone steady but lacking any sense of arrogance, as if he was simply describing something ordinary.
"But as you can see, it doesn't interfere with my daily life at all, and if anything, it only strengthened my body in ways I didn't expect, pushing everything beyond what should be possible."
His gaze returned to her, and there was something different in it now; less teasing, more grounded.
"I think by now you understand why I can stand against someone like you," he continued, not in a mocking tone, but in a matter-of-fact way that carried its own weight.
"Mana is supposed to be the source that enhances life, strengthens it, shapes it… but in my case, it's not something I use."
He paused briefly, letting that sink in.
"It's something I became."
Lia's fingers tightened slightly against her lap as she listened, her mind trying to keep up while her instincts quietly acknowledged what her logic still resisted.
"That's why my body changed so drastically," Ashan went on, his voice calm, almost reflective. "My strength, durability, stamina, even my reaction speed.. everything kept rising to match it, as if my body was constantly adapting just to handle what I am."
There was a faint pause before he added, more quietly,
"And I'm still not at my limit."
That single line lingered in the air longer than anything else he had said.
Lia swallowed slowly, her throat dry despite the water she had just drunk, because the weight of that statement was far heavier than it sounded.
"So that means…" she began, her voice trailing slightly as she searched for the right words, "…you must have a lot more abilities like this."
Ashan's lips curved into a small grin, it carried a hint of restraint, as if he was deliberately holding something back.
"That's a different topic," he replied lightly. "And honestly, if I start explaining everything, I'm not sure you'll stay conscious this time."
A faint flush crept onto Lia's face despite herself, and she immediately looked away, her pride stinging at the reminder even though she couldn't deny it.
"…I'll pass on that for now," she muttered.
Silence followed for a moment as she sank into her thoughts again, her fingers absentmindedly brushing against each other as her mind raced through everything she had just learned, connecting pieces that once made no sense into something terrifyingly clear.
"So this is how you did it…" she said quietly at last, her voice filled with a mix of awe and disbelief. "The fake core… the density… the stability… none of it was a trick."
Her gaze lifted again, sharper this time, though not hostile.
"It was just… overwhelming capacity."
Ashan crossed his arms, watching her process it all without interrupting, allowing her to reach the conclusion on her own.
"Well," he said after a moment, his tone returning to something more grounded, "since I've told you everything you wanted to know, I assume you'll cooperate now."
Lia pressed her fingers against her forehead, exhaling slowly as the weight of the situation finally settled in properly.
'This is insane…' she thought, her mind still struggling to fully accept it.
'A moment ago, he was just a suspicious student with too many secrets… and now…'
Her gaze shifted toward him again.
'Now he feels like something I shouldn't provoke.'
There was no pride in that thought, only clarity.
'S-rank… doesn't even apply here…'
She closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself before finally speaking.
"…Fine," she said, her voice calmer now, stripped of resistance but not of awareness. "I'll do what you asked."
Her eyes opened again, locking onto his.
"But don't misunderstand… I'm not trusting you completely. I'll be watching you."
Ashan let out a small laugh, clearly unconcerned.
"That's fair," he said easily. "As long as you keep your word, I don't mind."
He extended his hand toward her, offering it without hesitation.
Lia looked at it for a moment, then nodded quietly before placing her hand in his, sealing the agreement without further words.
However, before she could pull away, Ashan's grip tightened slightly, and in the next instant, he pulled her forward, lifting her effortlessly from the chair.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"What are you…?"
Before she could finish, he raised his hand and lightly tapped his index finger against her forehead, stopping her mid-sentence.
"Since you agreed," he said, a faint smile returning, "I should give you something in return."
The meaning of his words hit her instantly, but not in the way he intended.
Her face flushed deep red, her body tensing as memories from earlier flashed vividly through her mind, her breath catching as she instinctively stepped back.
"D-Don't you dare…" she started, her voice faltering slightly despite her attempt to sound firm. "Don't do anything like before."
Ashan blinked, then frowned in mild confusion before letting out an exasperated sigh.
"Ehh..! What are you even thinking?" he said. "There's no way I'm doing that again."
He leaned in slightly, his tone shifting, the faint humor fading into something more sincere.
"This is something better. Way better."
Lia hesitated, her suspicion still present, but curiosity slowly crept back in.
"…What do you mean?"
Ashan's gaze dropped briefly toward her leg before returning to her face.
"I'm going to fix your leg."
For a moment, she didn't react.
Then her eyes widened.
"…What?"
The word came out barely above a whisper, as if she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.
"You heard me," he said simply.
"How?" she asked immediately, her voice sharper now, not in anger, but in urgency, her entire focus shifting in an instant.
"Do you even understand what you're saying? This isn't something that can be healed normally."
Ashan didn't answer directly; instead, he gestured toward the examination seat nearby.
"No questions for now," he said. "Just lie down and remove the prosthetic. I need to see it properly."
Lia hesitated for only a second this time before complying, her earlier resistance gone as she slowly moved to the seat and lay back, carefully detaching the artificial limb and setting it aside.
What remained was the healed stump; clean, but marked by deep, jagged bite scars that refused to fade no matter how much time had passed.
Ashan stepped closer and crouched slightly, studying the marks with focused attention, while Lia instinctively turned her face away, a trace of discomfort returning.
After a brief silence, he spoke.
"You couldn't regenerate it because of this," he said, his fingers lightly pressing against the scar.
Lia's brows furrowed.
"…Because of what?"
"This isn't just an injury," he explained. "It's a cursed bite. It disrupts your mana pathways at the wound and prevents regeneration, which is why no healing method worked."
Her eyes widened slowly as realization dawned on her.
"…That's why…" she whispered. "No matter what I tried… nothing responded."
Ashan nodded.
"If the limb had been reattached immediately using physical methods, it might have worked, but once the curse settled in, that option was gone."
A flicker of sadness passed through her expression.
"…I wasn't that lucky."
—--------------------------------------
[Special massage]
If desired, Technique Extinguishment can be applied locally to remove only the bite effect by targeting the curse mark itself.
Note: Applying the technique to the entire body will remove not only the bite effect but also the slow-aging effect.
—--------------------------------------
—--------------------------------------
New mission..
Remove the curse mark from the target's body
Reward - 200 system points
—--------------------------------------
Ashan looked up at her, then gave a small, reassuring smile.
"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore."
She blinked.
"…What do you mean?"
"I can remove it," he said simply. "Once the curse is gone, your body will handle the rest."
The shift in her expression was immediate.
Hope.
Raw, unguarded, overwhelming hope.
Without thinking, she reached forward and grabbed his hands tightly, her grip trembling.
"…You're serious?" she asked, her voice shaking despite her attempt to steady it. "You can really do that?"
Ashan met her gaze and nodded.
"Yes."
He paused briefly, then raised two fingers.
"But I'll give you a choice."
Her breath caught.
"First option: I remove the curse, and your leg regenerates."
He lifted another finger.
"Second option: I fix everything. The curse… and the slow aging effect on your body."
For a moment, Lia simply stared at him, completely stunned.
"…You can… fix that too?" she asked, barely able to process it.
Ashan nodded again, as if it was no big deal.
The room fell silent as she lowered her gaze, her thoughts spiraling, torn between something she had long accepted and something she never thought she'd have the chance to change.
After a long pause, she spoke.
"…I want my leg back," she said quietly. "As for the rest… I need time."
Ashan considered it for a moment, then gave a small shrug.
"Fair enough."
She looked up again.
"You'll still help me?"
He smiled.
"Of course. As long as you keep my secret safe."
Slowly, he placed his fingers over the bite mark.
"Just stay still."
A faint light began to gather around his hand, soft but steady, illuminating the scar as something dark and unnatural began to surface from within it.
[Technique Extinguishment]
The blackened traces dissolved almost instantly, releasing a faint, purple mist that lingered for only a moment before fading away completely.
Ashan withdrew his hand.
"It's done."
For a second, nothing happened.
Then,
Lia gasped.
She could feel it.
Her mana, which had always stopped at the wound, suddenly flowed freely past it, rushing into the empty space where her leg had once been, triggering something deep within her body.
Warmth spread rapidly.
Cells responded.
Regeneration began.
Her entire body trembled as the long-blocked process finally activated, the sensation overwhelming in the most unexpected way.
Tears welled up in her eyes before she could stop them, her hands rising to cover her face as years of suppressed frustration and pain finally broke free.
"…Thank you…" she whispered, her voice breaking despite her effort to stay composed. "Thank you… really…"
Ashan watched her quietly, a small, satisfied smile forming.
"So?" he asked gently. "It's working, right?"
She nodded repeatedly, her voice still unsteady.
"…Yes… it's already started…"
He tilted his head slightly.
"How long will it take?"
She took a breath, trying to steady herself.
"…By tomorrow morning… it should be fully restored."
Ashan let out a low whistle.
"That fast, huh… impressive."
He straightened up, glancing toward the door.
"Well then, I should get going."
But before he could take a step,
Lia reached out and grabbed his hand.
Then, without hesitation, she pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
The sudden contact caught him off guard, her grip firm despite her weakened state, her face pressed lightly against his chest as if grounding herself in the moment.
For a brief second, everything that had happened between them, the tension, the conflict, the clash of pride.. felt distant.
And in its place remained something quieter.
Bright.