Chapter 18: Reluctant Icons

  In the end, I decided to sleep again. I was exhausted, and there was nothing I could do anyway. Besides, my head was pounding, and there was too much to think about.

  When I woke up again, sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the room in a warm glow. My body still ached, but the pain had dulled. This time, I felt like I could actually stand.

  How long had I been asleep?

  The sound of footsteps approaching made me turn my head toward the door.

  “Oh, the second hero is finally up,” a woman’s voice rang out, lighthearted and teasing. She stepped closer, a warm smile on her lips.

  Hero? Me?

  She chuckled at my dumbfounded expression.

  “Oh, don’t look at me like that. Aren’t you part of the group that slew the wolf terrorizing the dorm?”

  So that’s what she meant. I guess, technically, she wasn’t wrong, but calling us heroes? That didn’t sit right. We weren’t fighting for anyone but ourselves. We were just trying to survive.

  “Calling us heroes is a bit…”

  She giggled even more, as if she had been expecting my reaction. “You and Lay had almost the exact same response! You lot are really something.” She ughed so hard she had to hold her stomach, her amusement bubbling over uncontrolbly.

  I watched in mild exasperation as she struggled to calm herself. Eventually, she managed to regain her composure—finally.

  “Anyway,” she said, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye, “you’re still recovering, so I wouldn’t recommend any training or hunting today. But you’re healing fast, so you should be good to go tomorrow.”

  I nodded absentmindedly, but my mind was already elsewhere. There was one question that I needed an answer to more than anything.

  “What about Lay and Will? How are they?”

  The nurse’s expression softened. “Don’t worry. Both of them will be just fine. In fact, Lay is already completely healed. Will, on the other hand, will need more time—he doesn’t have any healing abilities, so his recovery is slower. He’s sleeping just to your right.”

  I turned my head in surprise. Will was here? I hadn’t noticed before, but now that I thought about it, there was a wall separating us. That expined why I hadn’t seen him earlier. Still, just knowing he was alive and here with me was enough to bring a small smile to my lips.

  We did it. We really survived this nightmare.

  Larry’s sacrifice… wasn’t in vain.

  Pushing aside my lingering aches, I forced myself up and walked toward Will’s bed. He was lying there, his breathing even, his body rexed in sleep. He had a few cuts, some bruises, and a couple of bandaged spots, but overall, he didn’t look too bad. Then again, leveling up did help with recovery.

  That reminded me—our status screens didn’t actually dispy anything about health, yet each time we leveled up, it was as if our bodies naturally healed a bit faster, became sturdier. Was this something that happened to everyone? A hidden stat that we just weren’t aware of?

  It was strange, but it made sense. The status probably didn’t reveal everything we truly possessed.

  My gaze drifted back to Will. Was this idiot… smiling in his sleep?

  I sighed, shaking my head. He was probably dreaming about fighting Fenrir’s chosen or something equally reckless. Typical. But seeing that dumb grin on his face told me everything I needed to know.

  He’d be fine.

  As I turned back toward my bed, my eyes caught sight of something I hadn’t noticed before—a small basket of apples sitting on the bedside table.

  Who…?

  “Who left this here?” I asked the nurse, pointing at the basket.

  She gnced at it and gave a knowing hum. “Oh, the bcksmith girl. She came by earlier this morning. Left it there before heading back to work.”

  Cire.

  Oh, right… She wouldn’t be too mad this time, right? I mean, I did come back, didn’t I?

  Even so, I couldn’t stop the shiver that ran down my spine as I imagined her reaction when we finally saw each other again.

  “I see…” I muttered, pushing the thought aside. There was something more pressing to take care of. “Do you know where Lay went?”

  I needed to talk to her. Not just about everything that happened, but also about the rewards we had gained from killing the wolf.

  The nurse tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… I think the council was having a meeting. She might be there.”

  Oh. Right.

  I was part of the council now, wasn’t I?

  Which meant I should probably be there, which meant walking into the middle of a discussion, which meant having all eyes on me.

  … I really didn’t want to do this.

  I sighed heavily, rubbing a hand down my face. But considering how much I wanted to know what was happening in the dorm…

  Damn it. I had to go.

  Grabbing an apple from the basket, I muttered a quick thanks to the nurse and made my way to the president’s office. My body still ached, but it wasn’t unbearable. Still, I could tell—if I pushed myself too hard, I’d definitely regret it ter.

  On the way to the meeting, I could feel the weight of dozens of eyes on me. Whispers spread like wildfire, hushed voices carrying my name. People gnced in my direction, some with admiration, others with curiosity. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why.

  'That’s him…'

  'Do you think he’s really that strong?'

  'Looks normal to me.'

  The hero thing again… Please, no.

  I tried to ignore it, keeping my focus on my destination. When I reached the council room, the door was closed, but through the small window, I could see a group already in discussion.

  Tok tok.

  Should I have knocked louder? Before I could overthink it, the door swung open.

  Lucas, the vice president, stood there, looking down at me with mild surprise. Now that I thought about it, I never really talked to the guy before.

  He was tall, well-built, with sharp green eyes and neatly kept brown hair. Always composed, always working with the president—whether it was paperwork or hunting. I’d heard rumors that he was strong, but I’d never actually seen him fight.

  “E-Elian?” he stammered slightly, before regaining his composure. “Didn’t expect to see you up so soon… Still, it’s good to see you on your feet. Come in, this concerns you anyway.”

  I nodded silently and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.

  As I made my way to a seat, I caught Lay’s eyes. She gave me a small but relieved smile.

  The president, as usual, remained unreadable. She watched me for a moment, her gaze sharp yet strangely assessing, before she finally spoke.

  “It’s good to see you walking, Elian.” Her tone was neutral, but I could sense something beneath it—relief, maybe? “We were just discussing a problem. It seems Cire can’t process the materials from the wolf you three killed.”

  That caught my attention. So they managed to retrieve its body? That was good news. But I wasn’t surprised Cire was struggling with it. I saw firsthand how resilient that thing was while Will and Lay fought it.

  Still, this was only a matter of time. While Cire couldn’t level up as quickly as a hunter, her css as a bcksmith allowed her to gain experience just by forging. Convenient, but the trade-off was that she progressed slower than combatants.

  “Which is why I want you to take a look as well,” the president continued. “See if there’s anything you can do about it.”

  I simply nodded in response. I had no idea if I could actually help, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

  “Good,” she said. “If we can craft armor or weapons from this beast, it would be a tremendous help to our hunters.”

  She wasn’t wrong. The wolf had been massive, which meant plenty of materials to go around. If Cire could figure out a way to work with them, it could be a game-changer.

  “Now, onto the second issue,” she said, her tone shifting slightly. “As I’m sure you’ve all noticed, tensions have been high tely. That’s why I intend to present Will, Lay, and Elian as the heroes who freed the dorm from the wolf’s terror.”

  I stiffened.

  “There are multiple reasons for this decision,” she continued. “First, we need to give the students a beacon of hope in all this chaos. What better way than by highlighting those who eliminated the greatest threat around? Right now, the dorm is divided into too many factions, and it’s only getting worse. We need to unify them. And since you three are already part of the council, this presents the perfect opportunity.”

  I could already feel where this was going, and I didn’t like it.

  “The second reason,” she pressed on, “is that we need more hunters. More resources, more food. I don’t want to force anyone—at least not yet—which is why I want them to be inspired by the three of you.”

  Then she turned her gaze directly to me.

  “Especially you, Elian. Your story could motivate many. You started weak, yet against all odds, you’re growing stronger and stronger.”

  My stomach twisted. I had been hoping to avoid this kind of attention. We could just say it was all Lay and Will’s achievement—who would even believe I pyed a major role?

  Wait… Is this why she wanted me in the council from the start?

  This icy fox…

  I clenched my jaw. I understood the logic behind her pn, but this was way too much attention. I wasn’t the type to stand in the spotlight—I preferred working in the shadows, doing things at my own pace.

  And then there was Larry…

  I could already tell they wouldn’t mention him in this grand narrative they were weaving. His death wouldn’t fit the hopeful image they wanted to project. It would cast too dark a shadow over their story.

  That realization stung more than I expected.

  So that’s how it is, huh?

  Fine. Let them spin their tale. But I wouldn’t forget him. And I sure as hell wouldn’t forgive him either.

  Lucas turned to me, his expression unreadable. "This is something we’ve discussed before and have already started spreading slowly until Will wakes up. I can tell you’re not thrilled about it, but we need this, and Lay has already given her approval. The dorm’s situation was getting worse by the day, and we needed a turning point. What you three did—it was deemed impossible. And now, with the number of wolves outside decreasing, it's much safer for us to move beyond the dorm."

  I felt Lay’s gaze on me. When I turned to look, she offered a small, apologetic nod.

  Damn it. I was always terrible at pushing back in moments like this. My fingers curled slightly, frustration coiling in my chest, but what could I even say?

  “…Fine. I get it. Just don’t take this too far,” I muttered, my voice cking conviction.

  “Good. Now, moving on—”

  Seriously? You’re just going to brush that off?

  The president continued speaking, btantly ignoring my st comment. I exhaled through my nose. There was no stopping this train, not anymore.

  After what felt like an eternity, the meeting finally concluded. The propaganda efforts were discussed in greater detail, outlining how they pnned to shape our story. Beyond that, one topic stood out—testing the edibility of monster meat. If we could eat it, that would alleviate a massive problem.

  Oh, and because my life wasn’t already busy enough, the president had also reminded me to finish reinforcing the wall around the base.

  As I mulled over everything, a small tap on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. Turning my head, I found Lay standing beside me, her eyes scanning me with a mix of concern and curiosity.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked softly. “You’re not fully healed, but… there’s something else. You seem different.”

  My breath caught for a moment.

  Different? I quickly sifted through my thoughts, trying to understand what she was picking up on. The mountain of notifications I’d received the other day fshed through my mind. Could she somehow sense the change in me? Was it because I became a Divine Awoken?

  A strange weight settled in my chest.

  I had never spoken to her—or anyone—about my divine system. About my domain. About the fact that I had taken my first step toward godhood. Even I didn’t fully understand what any of it meant yet.

  Lay wasn’t just anyone, though. She had been fighting at my side since the beginning, risking her life for me again and again. And with the link between us, she would eventually sense something was off.

  I swallowed, my fingers twitching slightly. Was I ready to tell her? Would she look at me differently? Would she fear me? No… Lay wasn’t like that. If there was anyone I could trust, it was her.

  But still…

  I let out a slow breath, forcing myself to meet her eyes. “I’ll be fine,” I said, keeping my voice even. “But let’s go somewhere quieter.”