NOVPUBBut instead, Luka's smile only widened.
His excitement exploded into motion as he rushed toward her with sudden enthusiasm, arms outstretched—
Before Kira could react, caught off guard—
Luka threw himself into a spontaneous hug.
"You're the best teacher ever!" he yelled. He clung to her like a happy child, trembling on the verge of tears.
And then—
CRACK.
Kira's fist collided with his gut in a clean, devastating uppercut.
"…" Luka's body lifted off the ground and flew backward like a ragdoll, slamming into the wall with a bone-jarring BANG.
The impact left a faint crater where his back struck before he slid down and crumpled onto the floor with a grunt.
"Ouch…" Luka groaned, barely able to move as the system spoke.
[Ding! You took damage! HP: 2 / 14!]
A sharp, metallic taste filled his mouth—blood.
He wanted to cough it up but forced it down, tongue pressing against his teeth as he gave his teacher a dazed stare.
Across the room, Kira stood trembling, her fists clenched, expression twisted in disgust.
"Who gave you permission to lay a finger on me?" she spat, her voice seething.
'Human touch… disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting,' she repeated in her mind, shivering slightly as if trying to shake off the ghost of the contact.
"…" Luka slowly pushed himself up, dusting himself off with a grin as he raised his hands in mock surrender.
"My bad. I got a little too excited," he responded casually, though his ribs ached with every breath.
Internally, however, his thoughts were far more focused.
'She held back.'
Had she gone all out, he'd be unconscious—or worse.
That meant something.
Maybe curiosity.
Maybe restraint.
'This is good. Very good,' Luka thought.
'If I can test her limits and slowly push them… maybe I can break through those walls of hers.'
"I'm ready to head to the dungeon when you are, teacher." He brushed back his hair, blood still staining the corner of his mouth.
Kira narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
She simply turned on her heel and walked toward the door.
"Follow me. Let's see how long that enthusiasm lasts once the dungeon entrance closes behind you."
Once Kira left the classroom—
"…" Serene snapped out of her stunned silence the moment she heard a small groan.
Her eyes widened as she rushed across the room with urgency, dropping all pretense of calm etiquette.
"Young Master!" Serene cried, sliding to him.
Her hands moved instinctively, gliding over his arms, shoulders, and torso, checking for injuries.
"Are you alright? That hit looked brutal…"
Luka winced as she pressed a little too firmly on his bruised ribs, but managed a crooked smile.
"I'll live."
Serene wasn't convinced.
She could see the faint tremble in his body, the blood on his lips, and how carefully he was breathing.
"I'll grab a health potion immediately. You go ahead and follow your teacher—I'm guessing you're headed to the teleportation room, right? I'll meet you there as soon as I have it."
She turned around.
"Let's go, Snow!"
The small white dragon, previously sleeping, perked up and growled softly in agreement.
The two of them disappeared out the door, the echoes of their footsteps fading down the hall.
Luka remained where he was for a moment, his hand resting over his stomach.
His insides felt like someone had dropped an anvil on them, but the pain was manageable.
"It's fine. This was the first step I needed to take…"
▬▬ι═══════ﺤ
Teleportation Room.
The double doors creaked open as Luka stepped into the dimly lit room.
Torches lined the walls.
At the center of the room stood a large circle of runes—etched into the floor.
Kira stood in the middle of it, arms folded and foot tapping, her expression twisted in impatience.
Luka rubbed the back of his forehead sheepishly as he approached, offering a small smile.
"Before we head out, do you mind if I wait for my personal maid? She's grabbing a healing potion for me."
"Uh~." Kira rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"You have two minutes. If she's not back by then, we're leaving. If you die, that's on you."
"Fair enough." Luka stepped into the circle beside his teacher—but cautiously.
He inched closer, careful not to breach whatever invisible perimeter would earn him another trip into the nearest wall.
There was a silence between them.
Luka attempted small talk once or twice—
However, Kira didn't even glance at him.
She simply continued tapping her foot against the floor.
As a minute passed…
"Y-Young Master!" Serene burst into the room, slightly out of breath, her short hair swinging with each step.
She was lightly sweating and wiped her brow with her sleeve as she hurried forward, clutching a healing potion.
A bow was slung across her back, a quiver full of arrows beside it, and a long dagger hung at her side.
"Here you are." Serene extended the healing potion toward him.
Luka gave her a grateful half-nod. "Thank you."
He uncorked the potion and raised it to his lips.
The thick, sweet-tasting red liquid flowed down his throat, and immediately, he felt warmth spreading through his body.
[Healing Potion consumed. HP +100]
[Healing in progress…]
Luka let out a breath of relief. "That was good…"
"Don't forget your weapons!" Serene said, handing them over gently.
"Thanks again. You're a real lifesaver." Luka extended his hand, returning the empty health potion before grabbing the weapons and quiver.
He straightened up with a refreshed smile as he watched his personal maid take a couple of steps back.
"Now I'm ready," Luka glanced at his teacher.
"Good…" Kira smirked slightly.
"You better be. Because where we're going, defense is just the first lesson."
It was then that Kira spoke aloud, revealing where she wanted them to be teleported.
"Teleport us to Golem Mountain."
With that, the runes beneath them began to glow, shifting from dull gray to a deep blue, and the surrounding air began to glow.
A couple of seconds later, both bodies began to disappear in a flash of white light, momentarily blinding them, as their vision suddenly faded to pitch darkness.
