Chapter 161 Crimson Shade [1]

Chapter 161 Crimson Shade [1]

The white orb in the sky glared at us from above.

I stared at it for a few seconds before lowering my head to see that my surroundings had turned a subtle shade of red.

'When did this...?"

"Hooo."

Each breath started to hurt.

Accompanying it was a tingling pain at the back of my throat.

Looking around me, the other cadets were facing similar struggles. With eyes widened in panic, and their hands clawed at their throats.

"The Yellow region is a dangerous region not only due to the Terror ranked beasts that are present throughout, but also because of the dangerous environment. This right here is just a taste of the scorching heat of the Crimson Shade."

In the background, the instructor's voice rang.

"There's no specific location or time to the Crimson Shade. It'll just happen randomly, scorching everything its veil falls upon."

The heat intensified and the pain at the back of my throat intensified.

An uncomfortable heat started to rise within my nostrils with each breath I took. Enough to make me think I was inhaling smoke.

".....Your mind starts to blur due to the heat."

Indeed, looking around, the world started to tilt.

I tried to take a step forward, but my body refused to move.

Drip..! Drip!

Sweat started to drip down from every corner of my body.

".....Your body starts to lose water. Thirst will eventually build up."

"Huep."

I swallowed my saliva, only to find that my mouth had grown completely dry.

'W-water.'

It had only been a minute or so since the environment had changed, and yet, it felt as though I had been here for hours.

To make matters worse, it only took that much time for me to be completely thirsty.

"Each second that passes feels more and more agonizing. Water. Water. Water. That's all you'll start thinking about."

The instructor's words seemed to directly match the symptoms that I was undergoing.

The thirst was starting to dig at my mind.

'Water.'

It made me only think of one thing.

'Water... I need water.'

"You seek water, but you have no water."

How long has passed?

Each second that I spent here felt agonizing.

The little water within me continued to dwindle by the second, and my mouth was fully dry by this point.

'W-water...'

"There's a reason this is called the Crimson Shade. Casting a crimson glow over the surroundings, everything beneath it turns dry."

I could almost hear the amusement in the instructor's voice coming from the background.

Looking around, I spotted a familiar set of hair in the distance. It was Evelyn. She was sitting on the ground with her legs crossed.

I looked at her expression, and as if she felt my gaze, she opened her eyes to look at me.

Our eyes met for a brief moment before she closed her eyes again.

I thought she'd leave things there, but shortly after, her voice echoed,

"Channel your mana."

That was all she said.

I was confused at first, but I listened to her words and channeled the mana inside of my body.

"Ah."

A cool sensation washed over me.

The heat that had been stinging at my skin disappeared.

In that moment, I felt a massive wave of relief wash over me.

Tzzz~

Steam started to rise from out of my body, and the sweat that had accumulated over me disappeared.

"Haa...."

The training continued for the better part of the day. The temperatures continued to shift, changing from extreme heat to extreme cold. There were also illusions of other environments that put the cadets under extreme pressure.

By the time it was all over, everyone was down on the ground soaking in sweat.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

The heavy sound of their breaths echoed within the white room.

Laying down on the ground, Evelyn blankly stared at the ceiling. She could hardly think at the moment, and just breathing was painful for her.

Each breath seemed to gawn at her lungs.

"I'm saddened to say that this was the last of the simulations. You've experienced all that you needed to experience before coming out of the supply station."

For a moment, Evelyn could hear the strings of curses coming from the other cadets.

They were all directed towards the instructor who played it as if he hadn't heard anything. Weakly turning her head, her eyes paused on a certain figure.

He was similarly lying on the ground with his head facing the ceiling.

Just like the other cadets, he also appeared to be muttering something. Squinting her eyes, she tried to read his lips.

'Motherfuck—'

"Oh my."

Evelyn blinked several times.

Surely, she had heard wrongly.

Squinting her eyes again, she tried to read his lips again.

'Fatherless ba—'

Oh, no.

Evelyn didn't know how to react.

It threw her off.

In the midst of her daze, his head turned and their gazes met. Evelyn felt her entire body turn rigid the moment their gazes met.

She wanted to turn her head immediately, but thinking about it, that would've been awkward.

Swallowing her saliva, she looked at him for a few seconds before turning her head away from him.

The entire time, she played it in a manner that made her seem aloof.

'....That was smooth, right?'

At least, she thought so.

However, a shadow soon cast over the area she was in and her heart squeezed.

Looking up, the same two eyes that she had met moments prior were looking at her from above.

"Yes...?"

"...."

He didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he looked at her for a brief moment before finally opening his mouth.

"About before..."

Evelyn's heart squeezed further.

'What's he going to say? Is he going to talk about that time? What do I do? How do I answer? Leon said that he's a different person, but there's no way I can see him differently just like that. What if he is going to tell me to never talk about it? Wha

—'

"Thanks."

".....Uh?"

Evelyn's mind blanked.

She didn't know for how long, but before she knew it, he had already left. Turning her head, she stared at his departing back.

Her thoughts started to run wild.

'Did he just thank me? Him...?'

Why?

And then, Evelyn recalled her interaction with him at the start of the training when she had told him to channel his mana.

"Ah."

That had just been a spur-of-the-moment answer from her. Having met his gaze, she felt too awkward to say nothing and said such words.

Who would've thought he'd thank her for that?

It was so different from the Julien she knew.

Pursing her lips, Evelyn stared at him again. A thought crossed her mind.

'Did he really change...?'