"What do you mean by 'head instructor'? Can't you just reward us?" Nick asked, trying not to sound too nervous. He was clearly hoping to avoid drawing more attention than necessary.
Elina offered a small shrug. "Sorry, I can only give you points for completing the original mission. But for these ogre bodies? That's up to the academy to handle. It's not every day students drop four class-A beast corpses on my floor."
Before anyone could press further, a wave of energy rippled through the hall. The light flickered subtly—and then a man appeared in the center of the mission hall.
He didn't walk in.
He just… appeared.
The trio instinctively stepped back.
"A teleportation art?" Ethan muttered under his breath.
The man was dressed in an official academy uniform—deep navy blue trimmed in silver. On his shoulder was a shining emblem of the Healing Department. His black hair shimmered under the light, and one of his blue eyes glowed faintly, as if infused with magic. His smile was disarming, too perfect, and many nearby students visibly swooned just at the sight of him.
"Wow," Asher whispered. "Who is that?"
Even Elina stood up a bit straighter, clearly surprised by the man's sudden arrival.
"I heard there were students who claimed to have killed ogres," the man said, his tone casual, amused even. He turned toward the boys. "That would be you three, yes?"
They nodded, unsure whether to feel proud or worried.
He strolled over to the corpses and knelt beside one, inspecting the burns and wounds with precision.
Then, suddenly, his friendly expression twisted into a look of horror.
"What have you done to them?" he exclaimed. "You ruined them! Couldn't you have found a cleaner way to kill them?! Look at this one—burnt! Torn open! Do you know how rare it is to get a whole ogre corpse in this condition?!"
He reached out and grabbed Asher by the collar.
"You destroyed a natural treasure! I could've learned so much from them!"
"W-What?! Let go!" Asher squirmed.
With a scoff, the man released him and turned back to the corpses with near reverence. "My babies… my precious test subjects… I could've studied their regeneration properties, maybe even isolated the secret behind their strength! But nooo, you just had to stab, burn, and explode everything."
He dropped to his knees beside the ogre bodies and actually began to weep. Several students stepped back, unsure whether to be alarmed or just uncomfortable.
Then his expression shifted again—this time to wonder.
"At least… at least this one is still intact," he said, hovering over the female ogre corpse. He traced a gloved finger across the point of entry where a blade had pierced her heart.
"Now this… this is a beautiful kill." He paused, examining the wound like it was art. "Precise. Clean. Deep enough to reach the heart without damaging any external limbs."
"Uhh… thank you?" Ethan said, more confused than anything.
Then the man leaned in further.
"Hmm. She's carrying…" he whispered, eyes wide with sudden delight. "Yes… yes, yes, YES!"
He laughed, loud and manic.
"There's a fetus inside. A developing youngling! A chance to study ogre biology from conception to maturation!"
His voice rose with excitement. "I cannot wait to cut you open!"
Asher leaned toward Elina. "Okay. Is it just me, or is this guy a little cooky?"
Elina sighed, rubbing her temple. "Yeah… you could say that. If you gave him the chance, he'd probably dissect you just to understand how your brain works. But still, he's known as the Elemental God of Healing."
The boys turned to her in disbelief.
"The Elemental God?" Ethan echoed. "As in—the title? Like the real deal?"
Elina nodded. "Only a few people in the last century have earned it. And not just for talent, but for incredible achievements. He was rumored to have healed an entire battalion in a war. Alone. He's… kind of a legend."
"I think I liked him better before he started crying over ogre guts," Asher muttered.
The man stood up, wiping away tears, then casually picked up the female ogre's body like it weighed nothing. "Well then, I'll be taking this with me."
"Wait, what?!" Asher shouted. "You can't just take it! Aren't you gonna pay us or something?!"
The man paused and turned his gaze to Asher. His smile returned, but this time… colder. More calculating.
Asher immediately regretted speaking.
"I've already used all my academy points on resources and research," the man said flatly. "And… I wasn't asking for permission."
He stared at Asher, eyes glowing faintly. For a brief moment, Asher could feel something—like a dissecting blade already tracing lines across his skin.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
Nick instinctively stepped in front of Asher.
The man chuckled. "Relax. I'm not going to cut your friend up... yet."
"Yet?!" Asher yelped.
"Let's make a deal," the man continued. "From now on, any high-value corpses you retrieve on missions—bring them to me. In exchange, if you're ever injured, and I'm not too busy with my research… I'll heal you. No charge."
Before any of them could respond, he vanished. Just like that. Gone in a flash of light.
The entire hall stood in stunned silence for several moments.
"…Is it me, or is that guy an egotistical maniac?" Asher asked, eyes still wide.
"Not just you," Elina muttered, finally sitting down again. "But hey, congratulations—you've officially made a deal with a mad genius. Hope you live long enough to regret it."
The three boys exchanged looks, unsure whether to feel proud, terrified, or both.