It had been a full week since Emma, Lilith, Eric, and Ariel had experienced the shocking incident during training.

 

The group had been left reeling from the traumatic event, struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

 

Emma and Lilith refused to leave Darell's side.

 

They wanted to stay by him until the day he woke up.

 

They had refused to eat or drink for the first two days, even after Eric, Ariel and the instructors pleaded them to not do so.

 

However, under the constant urging and pleading gazes of Eric and Ariel, they were eventually convinced to at least take care of themselves and they begrudingly did so.

 

Eric, on the other hand, regularly ventured into the Forbidden Forest.

 

He knew the risks involved in battling the dangerous beasts that roamed the area, but he was determined to do his part to help.

 

He had a clear plan: avoid any conflict with higher-ranked beasts and fight only those that were ranked 04 or lower.

 

Each time he emerged victorious from a battle, he collected the beast cores and carried them back to his friends Emma, Lilith, and Ariel.

 

At first, they hesitated to accept the cores since he did all the hard work to obtain the beast cores and he rightfully, deserved them.

 

Also, they were still consumed by grief for Darell and didn't really want to focus back on training.

 

But, Eric reminded them that Darell wouldn't want them to waste their times even in his current state.

 

Eventually, they accepted the cores and spent their time alongside Darell, absorbing them and increasing their mana.

 

Ariel went to Instructor Lin and asked him to teach her rank 04 spells.

 

Instructor Lin also possessed the Sound ability which made him the perfect instructor for her.

 

When Lin heard Ariel's request, he almost agreed to it on the spot.

 

But, he stopped himself from doing so and ordered her to perform the spells she had learnt so far.

 

When she did so, only then he accepted her request.

 

He did so because he didn't want to be seen as too eager to her. He didn't want to lose his respect as an Instructor in front of her.

 

Also, he was overjoyed since he was more than willing to lend a hand since he knew that the King was watching over her in secret.

 

Now, as her personal Instructor, he could provide the Dean an update on her progress and earn some merit.

 

But, when he began teaching her, he was shocked.

 

Shocked by her progress.

 

It was a well-known fact that it would typically take any average individual at least three months to learn a rank 04 spell, but Ariel had managed to master it in just one week.

 

This didn't only impress him.

 

It also reinforced the notion that the King had made the right decision in protecting these gifted individuals from other kingdoms' potential threats.

 

Emma, also increased her mana and leveled up to level 10 but she refused to learn rank 04 spells.

 

Her reason to do so was that she wanted to wait for Darell.

 

She wanted to learn new spells and acquire new skills only when Darell woke up.

 

The Instructors tried to persuade her but she refused to listen to them and remained adamant about her decision.

 

She stayed by Darell's side throughout the week, never once leaving him alone.

 

Even during mealtimes, she would stay beside him, hoping that Darell would wake up.

 

Similar to Emma, Lilith refused to learn rank 04 spells even after leveling up to level 10.

 

Athena tried to divert her thoughts from the gloomy atmosphere of the medicine hall.

 

But, Lilith refused and said, "I will only learn new spells when my brother is standing by my side."

 

Athena had to stop her attempts at persuading her.

 

She had to admit that Lilith's love for Darell was admirable.

 

Meanwhile, after days of hunting and fighting different beasts, Eric's hard work paid off.

 

He had reached level 10 and learnt some rank 04 spells.

 

The Instructors who came everyday to check on them were impressed by his efforts.

 

Ariel, too, had been working hard.

 

She was working hard to use her new skills to protect her friends from any conflict they might encounter in the future.

 

Deep in her heart, a seed of fear had formed.

 

She feared that something terrible similar to this might happen again.

 

But, the fear also motivated her to do everything in her power to prevent it.

 

The Instructors were impressed by the rapid growth of the friends.

 

They were impressed by how hard the friends worked and the limitless potential of growth they possessed.

 

The Academy, on the other hand, was buzzing with the news that special Healing Instructors were called to heal Darell.

 

These Instructors were individuals who had learnt rank 08 Healing spells.

 

They were expected to heal him. But, they couldn't.

 

They tried every method to heal his injuries and to wake him up but he just wouldn't.

 

But, soon, they realised that the healing process would take much, much longer since his injuries were more severe than they had imagined.

 

They almost said that it was downright impossible to heal him in a matter of days.

 

But, something miraculous happened.

 

His body began working in a way that no one had ever seen before.

 

His injuries healed themselves at an impossible rate.

 

The Healing Instructors were left speechless.

 

It was as if a power beyond their understanding was helping him.

 

A force that was beyond the realm of magic.

 

Everybody watched as his muscles and skin regenerated before their very eyes, without the need for any mana or incantations.

 

The Dean made frequent visits to the medicine hall to check on his progress and speak with his friends, Emma, Lilith, Eric, and Ariel.

 

They had grown accustomed to his presence and always greeted him with respect.

 

One day, the Dean noticed the miraculous speed at which Darell's injuries were healing, and he asked the group about it.

 

However, they were equally perplexed by the phenomenon and had no answers to offer.

 

Lilith concealed her knowledge that the regeneration was the result of the system's workings and silently expressed her gratitude to it.

The Dean's suspicion grew as he observed Darell's rapid recovery, and he made a mental note to question him about it when he finally regained consciousness.

 

He was summoned by the King who wanted a detailed explanation of the incident.

 

Although the Dean knew that the King was worried about Darell, he didn't omit any details and recounted the events in full.

 

Upon hearing the incident, the King gave the Dean unexpected orders which made him raise his eyebrows in surprise.

 

Nevertheless, he agreed to follow the orders and made sure that the situation was under control.

 

In addition to the incident with Darell, the Dean and the Instructors turned their attention to Abel and his subordinates.

 

Instructor Lin, who had caught Abel, hypnotized him to extract information about the fight that took place earlier.

 

When Lin heard Abel's account, he snorted in disgust and reported the incident to the Dean who did not take it lightly, but also didn't let it overshadow the more pressing matter at hand.

 

As the days passed, Darell's condition improved at an astounding pace.

 

His broken and twisted legs were now perfectly fine, and the burnt flesh on his arms that had exposed his bones was now healed.

 

The Instructors and others watched as his muscles gradually regenerated, growing over his bones.

 

Even his upper body, which had been burnt to a crisp, was now healed and devoid of scars.

 

His once charred face was also healed, without a single blemish.

 

It was as if the incident had never even happened.

Darell's entire body was restored to its previous health, and he no longer looked pale and bluish.

 

Instead, his skin had regained its healthy pink hue.

 

Darell's chest began to rise and fall with short, shallow breaths, but gradually they became longer and deeper.

 

As his friends gathered around him, they watched with anticipation as his breathing stabilized, a sign that he would soon regain consciousness.

 

With each passing moment, the hope in their hearts grew stronger.

 

Emma, Lilith, Eric, and Ariel couldn't contain their joy, knowing that Darell would soon wake up.

 

However, despite the encouraging signs, Darell remained unresponsive, his body twitching occasionally, causing them to hold their breaths in anticipation.

 

After days of unconsciousness, Darell's eyelids finally fluttered, signaling a sign of him waking up.

 

Everyone in the medicine hall held their breath in anticipation.

 

Slowly, he opened his eyes, squinting at the brightness of the room.

 

He looked around, confused and disoriented.

 

The sharp pain assaulting his head made him groan, "Ugh.."

 

He tried to sit up, but the pain intensified, making him hold his head.

 

He shook his head repeatedly, trying to clear the fogginess in his mind.

 

Gradually, the pain dissipated, and he managed to sit up, but his vision remained blurry.

 

This made him unable to notice the Instructors and his friends, who had been waiting for him to wake up.

When his vision gradually cleared, he saw a group of people standing around him with various expressions of relief, concern, and surprise etched on their faces.

 

In the midst of them was Emma who slowly made her way towards him with her head bowed low in grief.

Darell tried to speak to her, "Emma, I —", to console her, but before he could say anything, he felt a sharp sting on his cheek as Emma's hand connected with his face in a resounding slap.

* SLAP *

The sound echoed through the room and the silence that followed was heavy.

 

Darell's cheek throbbed as he looked at Emma, who was now staring at him with tears streaming down her face.

 

He felt a pang of guilt and regret as he realized the pain and worry he had caused her.