The Weakest Healer Became a God

Adrian's Terrible Luck

Adrian remained where he was for half a second, watching her retreating figure.

Follow you? Where? Why?

He glanced toward Darius, remembering the threat from moments earlier. The S-Rank awakened was still standing beside the table, his expression unusually stiff, while Marcus had stopped smiling altogether.

For some reason, their reactions worried Adrian more than Darius's earlier threat.

Before he could think further, his body moved.

He followed Sandra.

He hadn't even consciously decided to do it. His feet simply carried him forward, and by the time he realised what was happening, he was already walking toward the cafeteria doors behind her.

What am I doing?

Sandra's presence seemed to weigh on his mind, making it difficult to resist the simple command she had given him. Adrian hurried after her, his heart beating faster than usual as he crossed the cafeteria.

The moment they passed through the doors, the whispers erupted again.

"Did you see that? Sandra came looking for Adrian!"

"Why would someone like her want to see him?"

"Maybe it has something to do with that dungeon."

"Do you think the academy is investigating what happened?"

"Then why send Alexa's personal assistant?"

Another student shook his head. "Whatever it is, he's finished. If Sandra is involved, it can't be good."

"Or maybe Alexa wants to reward him for surviving the dungeon," someone suggested.

His friend stared at him. "You really believe the Ruthless Princess rewards people for anything?"

Nobody answered that.

Adrian heard the gossip as he followed Sandra down the hallway, but he kept his mouth shut. He had more immediate problems to worry about, starting with the woman walking in front of him and the powerful awakened he had just left behind in the cafeteria.

Sandra didn't say a word.

Adrian didn't dare ask a question.

He followed her like a lost sheep, occasionally glancing at her back while trying to understand why someone connected to the academy's most feared princess would suddenly seek him out.

Maybe she wants to know how I escaped the dungeon.

That was the most reasonable explanation he could think of.

Yes, that's probably it. They heard I survived an SS-Rank monster and want to ask questions. Nothing unusual about that.

He paused.

Except that she could have sent a message, called me to an office, or asked someone to bring me to her. Why did she have to come personally?

Adrian's steps slowed slightly.

And why did Darius look like he'd just seen his own funeral?

He quickly caught up when Sandra turned a corner.

They soon arrived at the academy's arsenal shops, a large commercial area where awakened students exchanged monster gems for gold coins, purchased weapons, and bought equipment needed for dungeon expeditions. The place was more crowded than the cafeteria, with students looking over weapons behind glass counters and merchants shouting prices trying to get customers.

Sandra entered one of the elevators without slowing down.

Adrian followed her inside.

The doors closed, and the elevator began rising.

Neither of them spoke.

Adrian stood a short distance behind her, keeping his hands at his sides as he watched the floor numbers change. He wanted to ask where they were going, but every time he considered opening his mouth, he remembered her SS-Rank and decided that silence was probably the safest option.

The elevator finally stopped at the highest floor.

When the doors opened, Adrian's eyes widened.

This section of the arsenal was clearly different from the floors below and the weapons displayed here were more refined, and even the seemingly ordinary equipment carried traces of potent energy. This area was reserved for higher-ranked awakened, and the prices attached to some of the items were enough to make Adrian question whether the merchants were selling weapons or entire kingdoms.

He walked out behind Sandra, trying not to stare too obviously.

A silver spear rested inside a glass case, its narrow blade covered in glowing runes that strengthened its piercing power. Close by, a pair of enchanted gauntlets could unleash bursts of force with each hit, while a dark bow on the next counter had a string made from the tendons of a high-ranking beast. Adrian also found some defensive items. There was a shield that could generate a temporary barrier and a pair of boots enchanted to boost his combat movement speed.

His improved eyes made the experience even more interesting.

He looked at each item and the information came, a feeling of its authenticity, condition and estimated value. Some weapons were veritable treasures, others had been patched up so many times that their original value had dropped considerably. Some appeared impressive but were simply expensive decorations, the enchantments were too feeble to be worth the asking price.

Then Adrian saw something that made him stop.

Behind a glass case sat a weapon, its price tag far below its real value.

He stared at it for a moment, checking the information again to make sure he hadn't made a mistake.

That's ridiculously cheap.

He looked around, tempted to examine it more closely, but Sandra continued walking. Adrian reluctantly followed, promising himself that he would return to the weapon later if he got the chance.

They approached a counter where a merchant was speaking to a young woman with red hair.

Adrian couldn't see her face clearly because her back was turned toward him. However, the information revealed by his enhanced eyes made him slow down.

Another SSS-Rank awakened.

He stopped breathing for a moment.

Seriously? Another one?

The young woman stood comfortably before the counter, examining a finely curved dagger. Her red hair fell down her back, and the way she held the weapon suggested she knew exactly what she was looking at.

The merchant smiled as he leaned forward.

"Sharp eyes, my lady. You've chosen an excellent weapon."

The red-haired woman tilted the dagger slightly, studying the edge.

"Have I?"

"Absolutely." The merchant nodded enthusiastically. The dagger was made from the tooth of an SSS-Rank Dragon beast. This is one of the best weapons on this floor, it can fight any SSS-Rank monster.

Adrian's eyebrows rose.

What?

He stared at the dagger.

His eyes had already evaluated the weapon, revealing its material and estimated value. The blade was indeed made from a dragon tooth, but the energy within it told a very different story.

It was an S-Rank Dragon tooth.

Not an SSS-Rank one.

The difference was enormous, and the merchant was asking a ridiculous price for a weapon that didn't deserve even half of what he was claiming.

Adrian looked at the merchant, then at the dagger.

He tried to keep quiet.

He really did.

After everything that had happened that day, the last thing he wanted was to draw the attention of another SSS-Rank awakened. He'd just survived a terrifying encounter at the hospital, and now he was chasing an SS-Rank fighter whose motives he didn't understand.

There was no reason to involve himself in a merchant's business.

None at all.

But the merchant continued speaking.

The dragon tooth used to forge this dagger came from a legendary creature. Its durability is like nothing else, and the enchantment makes it work even against the toughest monsters. For a weapon of this quality, the price is actually a bargain.

Adrian's lips moved before he could stop them.

"You're lying."

The merchant's smile froze.

The red-haired woman stopped examining the dagger.

Sandra turned her head slightly toward Adrian.

Adrian immediately realised what he had done.

Oh, no.

The merchant slowly looked at him. "Excuse me?"

Adrian swallowed, but it was already too late to pretend he hadn't spoken.

"That dagger isn't made from an SSS-Rank Dragon tooth," he said, trying to sound calm. "It's made from an S-Rank Dragon tooth. The material is genuine, but the energy left inside it is nowhere near the level you'd expect from an SSS-Rank beast."

The merchant's face darkened.

"Young man, do you know what you're talking about?"

Adrian glanced at the dagger again.

"Yes. The dragon tooth was probably taken from a beast that had reached S-Rank before it died. The blade has been polished and enchanted to make it look more valuable, but the enchantments don't change the original rank of the material and If you look closely at the edge, you will notice that the energy distribution is uneven."

The merchant opened his mouth, but before he could interrupt, Adrian spoke.

That means the weapon isn't as good against an SSS-Rank monster as you say it is. "It can probably survive some exchanges, depending on the opponent, but to say it can fight any SSS-Rank monster is lying. And the price you're asking is too high for an S-Rank Dragon tooth dagger."

The surrounding area had grown quiet.

A few customers turned away from the weapons they were examining to watch the argument. The merchant's face had turned red, and his fingers tightened around the counter.

"You little..." He stopped himself and forced a smile. "You think you know better than someone who has worked in this business for twenty years?"

Adrian gave him an awkward look.

"Well, the dagger doesn't seem to agree with you."

Sandra pressed her lips together.

For a moment, it looked as though she might say something, but she remained silent.

The merchant stared at Adrian, clearly struggling to respond without making himself look worse in front of the customers. He finally looked toward the red-haired woman, hoping she would dismiss Adrian's claims.

Instead, the woman slowly lowered the dagger.

Then she turned around.

"I knew you could see beyond ordinary eyes."

Adrian's body went rigid.

Her face came into view, and all the colour drained from his expression.

The red hair.

The familiar eyes.

The cute face that had seemed almost harmless beneath a nurse's uniform.

It was her.

The woman from the hospital.

The SSS-Rank awakened, who had threatened to break his bones beyond healing if he revealed her identity.

Only now, standing in front of him without the nurse's uniform, she looked completely different. Her red hair framed her face, and her confident posture matched the terrifying aura Adrian had sensed beneath her innocent act.

There was no mistaking her identity.

Alexa.

The academy's most ruthless princess.

Adrian instinctively took a step backward.

No. No, no, no.

He had spent the entire afternoon trying to avoid powerful people who could crush him without breaking a sweat. First, he had encountered an SSS-Rank awakened disguised as a nurse. Then Sandra, an SS-Rank mage and combatant, had appeared and dragged him away from a confrontation with Darius.

And now he had somehow managed to insult a merchant in front of the very woman he had been hoping never to see again.

Worse, he had just exposed his ability to see through the dagger's true value.

Alexa watched him with bright, interested eyes.

A cocky smile slowly spread across her lips.

"Hello, Adrian."

She tilted her head, looking thoroughly amused by his reaction.

"We meet again."