Chapter 34

The moment the flustered professor laid Trevor down, I could see it.

That his eyes were all colored black.

Along with the hair on my nape creeping up, discomfort flowed through me.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the black blood flowing from his nose.

“Call for help!”

As the professor declared an emergency, someone left the exam site.

The alarm went off loudly and reconfirmed that there was a problem with the exam.

Coming in a rush, the other professors moved him somewhere.

Several female students fainted or turned their heads because of nausea when they saw the pool of black blood on the floor.

Because of the bloody smell that filled the classroom, I felt like the headache that had disappeared was about to occur again.

* * *

“For now, go home and stand by until further instruction.”

The professor’s face was stiff, warning us to not inform the outside about what happened within the academy.

His flustered appearance was apparent.

Trevor wasn’t only receiving attention from inside the academy.

I wondered how things would turn out since the county, who sponsored him, would not stay still.

“What about the exam?”

When someone raised their hand and asked, the professor’s face flashed with annoyance.

The student who asked the question flinched and quietly lowered their hand.

Some of the female students who were still sniffling looked unable to calm their emotions.

“That will also be informed after the meeting so return home.”

The professor left the chaotic atmosphere first.

All the applicants who gathered to take the exam were busy reading each other’s minds.

In the midst of awkward silence, someone suddenly opened their mouth.

“If we retake the test, will the questions be changed?”

“That is possible.”

As soon as someone responded absentmindedly, the exam room became noisy.

Among the students, the girl who was sobbing the most suddenly stood up.

“. . .”

She stared at the two, who were arguing about the exam questions, pushed the desk roughly, then walked toward the door.

Before she stepped out, the teary eyes glared at me.

Leaving me confused at the unexpected gaze, she turned back and walked to the hallway.

Starting with her, everyone awkwardly looked around and began to leave their seats one by one.

I stayed in my seat until the end before slowly standing up.

Perhaps thanks to the fast response of the professors, the students I encountered through the hallway were not different from usual as if they were unaware of the incident.

“Marianne!”

Rany, who was waiting for me in the classroom after class, welcomed me with a bright smile.

“How was the exam?”

“. . .”

She smiled brightly as she massaged my shoulder and continued to talk.

“Marianne, if it’s you I believe you’d definitely beat up all the kids in that exam room.”

“I don’t take the exam with that intention.”

Why would I beat the other colleagues in the exam I took to advance early?

I put my hand on Rany’s hand that was still massaging my shoulder then asked.

“Is that why you bet on me?”

Rany’s hand that was diligently massaging my shoulder stopped in an instant.

As I saw her eyes trembling like an earthquake, I calmly asked again.

“I heard it was all in?”

“. . .”

I thought it was just a one time light entertainment.

But seeing that she bet on gambling again despite having already suffered once, it didn’t look like something to take lightly.

Rany started talking gibberish.

“I, rather than using you, it was . . . Those kids kept saying you wouldn’t advance and only bet on the other kids. So, with a mean of believing and loving you, I—”

“But I heard you were the one who started the bet?”

“There’s a prick who—”

“Rany.”

I held her hand that was on my shoulder tightly and said,

“If you do that again, our friendship ends.”

She, who desperately looked for excuses, stiffened at that moment.

I poked Rany’s chubby cheeks and added,

“Now stop doing illegal gambling.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t do it ever again.”

“Okay.”

Rany answered with a dejected face.

After thinking about something, she raised her head again with a serious face.

“Can I take the money I get from this bet?”

“There’s no one who gets money from this bet.”

She tilted her head in wonder at my words.

“The exam, it got canceled.”

When I was about to explain the situation to Rany who wore a questioning face, a prickling and cold feeling penetrated my nape.

My hands stiffened, stopped in the air, and a headache that crushed my head came back like deja vu.

An unfamiliar yet bizarre voice rang on my ears and strength left my whole body.

I couldn’t clearly hear Rany’s panicked shout, but it scattered and rang.

Along with the terrible pain, my eyes went dark.

I felt my body slowly fall to the floor.

The moment I blinked as I was about to reach the floor helplessly, someone’s hands caught me.

I could feel the strong touch that held me even though my senses were disappearing.

“Marianne.”

My eyes closed at the low call.

The pain disappeared as if it had been washed away, and my consciousness fell far down.

I felt like I was falling down endlessly— it seemed near impossible to rise again.