Chapter 58

EP.58 The Rotten Thing (1)

On the morning of the exam, Resty sipped the tea brewed by Aplia's maids and covered the test paper.

"Phew..."

A faint mist rises with the sigh.

Although it is spring, Aplia is chilly in the early morning. The room's temperature had dropped significantly as Resty had kept the window open to concentrate on studying.

"..."

Resty silently gazed out the window.

The sun had already risen. It seemed she had stayed up all night, but her mood wasn't too bad.

'After all, I've solved it once.'

The basics of mana trade, midterm exam.

Glancing at the test paper she had been given in advance, Resty nodded slightly.

She still hadn't solved number 8. However, she had made numbers 6 and 7 her own.

'I hope I can solve it within the time limit.'

The calculation was particularly complex, requiring concentration even after solving it several times... but it should be fine. She had already solved it multiple times.

Facing the rising morning sun, Resty stood up. After a quick wash, she changed into her school uniform. She finished getting ready to leave.

A few hours of sleep wouldn't likely alleviate her fatigue. She had decided to stay up all night.

Clack.

With her notebook and writing tools in hand, she left the central academic building. The chill of the early morning air cleared her drowsiness.

There were about three hours left until the exam.

Resty headed to a study room near the lecture hall, intending to solve the problems one more time in a similar atmosphere to the exam.

"..."

How long had she walked?

Resty, heading to the study room, suddenly felt a sense of unease.

'...This isn't the way, is it?'

This wasn't the direction to the study room.

It was the opposite direction, where the professors' research rooms lined the corridor.

Had she mistaken the way due to drowsiness?

That wasn't the case. Resty's mind was clear, and Aplia's layout was hard to mistake. The sense of unease only grew.

'...Something's off.'

Just as the unease was turning into suspicion.

"Gray."

A voice echoed.

Resty turned to where the voice came from.

"Detestable gray."

The voice grew closer.

The voice approached without any footsteps.

"I heard your story. Child chasing the detestable gray."

The approaching voice was peculiar.

It was eerily low, almost inhuman. Yet, it was distinct, not quite like an animal's.

"Your stories are amusing. You haven't changed in centuries. Yes, that's why the gray is the most detestable. It seems you didn't learn from the kingdom that gave them their origin."

The voice crawled along the floor. The low, creeping voice gradually gnawed at Resty from her feet.

"Even now, after centuries, you haven't changed a bit. You are the proof."

Resty's consciousness slowly sank.

"I remember the gray elves. I am like you, child. You resemble me."

Bones crawled along the walls.

Unidentifiable things swarmed. The eyes refused to accept what they couldn't understand.

Her dilated pupils expanded.

Pushing aside the whites, Resty's eyes turned black. In front of her darkened eyes, the owner of the voice extended a hand.

"Wouldn't you ■■■■■■?"

Beyond the broken voice, bony fingers were visible.

The bony fingers, stripped of skin, bled. The blood was black. What was black blood? Resty recalled in her dazed mind.

Black blood belongs to traitors.

The moment she realized this, her dilated pupils returned to normal. Resty's eyes widened.

"Yes, that's right."

Someone seemed pleased by this.

He lightly touched Resty's forehead.

"Call me when you're ready."

Resty's vision flipped.

* * *

Blink.

Resty opened her eyes. She hadn't fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes, she was still standing in the same spot. Her notebook was still in her hand.

One blink.

That much time had passed.

'...What was it?'

Resty blinked repeatedly. For some reason, her eyes felt heavy. She stood there, dazed.

-...The exam.

-...Hurry! We'll be late...

A voice was heard.

Someone brushed past Resty. They were students. Resty looked at them, puzzled.

'Why are they in such a hurry?'

There were still three hours until the exam.

While thinking this, Resty glanced out the window. The sun was up, much higher and brighter than before.

"..."

Resty felt something was wrong.

She hurriedly checked her watch. There were only ten minutes left until the exam started.

Three hours had vanished.

In the blink of an eye, completely.

It felt as if she had been possessed by a ghost.

Resty hurriedly started walking. Her steps were quick, but each one lacked strength.

Thud.

Resty collapsed on the floor.

Her legs had given out.

"Ugh..."

Massaging her weak ankles, Resty suddenly looked at her palms.

Her palms were red.

"Blood?"

The blood wasn't flowing from her palms.

It kept dripping. Where was it coming from? Resty looked up.

Her face was reflected in the window.

It was pale. Blood from her nose had stained her lips red. Her eyes were bloodshot.

Anyone could see that she looked far from normal.

2.

Basics of Mana Trade.

The midterm exam for this subject proceeded as scheduled. Unlike other subjects, this class's midterm was unique.

When the students received the test paper, they didn't feel unfamiliar or bewildered. Instead, they felt familiar. They had been looking at the test paper for almost a week.

Even if they had only seen questions 6, 7, and 8, the familiarity of the paper itself couldn't be denied.

"The exam time is 90 minutes."

Soon, the exam began.

Most students started solving from question 6. Questions 7 and 8 were not of interest. They had seen the paper for a week and attended classes, but even question 6 was challenging for the students.