"Ah… it hurts…" Rain murmured as he slowly opened his eyes, finding himself lying on a bed as he pushed himself up to sit, his entire body aching all over.
[Hubby! Are you awake?] with a relieved expression.
"I am," Rain said with a small smile.
'My eyes are open, so how can I be asleep… do you think I sleep with my eyes open?' he thought flatly.
"Hm?"
Rain looked around at the unfamiliar place, eyes scanning the room. "Where am I?" from the look of it, it seemed like an infirmary.
"Oh! You're awake. This is the academy nurse's office," a soft yet sharp voice responded, and as Rain's gaze shifted toward it, he saw her.
[Another species of the opposite sex with an unparalleled beauty almost par with the Empress of Domination detected. Appraising…]
She was sitting a bit afar on a chair, legs crossed calmly, her posture relaxed yet naturally elegant, long hair flowing down her back—a striking mix of deep black and crimson red, with soft strands framing her face and a delicate closed lotus-shaped hair ornament resting neatly in her hair, its deep red hue blending seamlessly with the crimson streaks, her outfit a fitted black dress hugging her figure, paired with stockings that accentuated her long legs, the white coat draped over her shoulders completing the look of a professional—yet nothing about her presence felt ordinary.
Rain's eyes locked on her for a second.
'Damn… hot. Honestly, sexy wouldn't be wrong either.'
[Name: Jean Frisk]
'Hmm… Jean… she's here… that explains it.'
[Race: Artikyn]
[True Core: Replica Of Green Lotus Of Healing]
[Originality: Replica Of Green Lotus Of Healing]
'…suits her.'
Rain shifted slightly before asking, "How long was I asleep for?" already knowing why he ended up here.
"About two to three hours," Jean replied calmly, crossing her long, beautiful legs, one over the other, the motion smooth and unbothered, her stockings tracing their shape and making them all the more alluring, a slight shift in fabric revealing just a faint glimpse of her black panties.
Rain's gaze drifted for a split second—he almost had a nosebleed from that beautiful scenery in front of his eyes.
'…too much!'
[Hubby, mind your eyes] witg pouted expression.
Rain stared at the screen with a flat expression.
'Sometimes… I really don't understand her…'
"Looks like I've recovered," Rain said, noticing the pain in his body was far less than expected after completely exhausting his mana.
Jean stood up and walked toward him, each step measured as a soft green glow formed in her hand, a lotus made of light slowly materializing.
"I did a bit of healing on you, but—" her expression turned slightly serious, eyes narrowing just a fraction, "don't exhaust your mana like that again, it's not good for your body."
She wasn't wrong.
The usual aftermath of mana depletion wasn't just mild pain—it was far worse, something that left the body completely drained and aching, not this light soreness Rain was feeling now.
Rain rubbed the back of his head with a small, awkward laugh.
"I'll keep that in mind… thanks for healing me."
The glowing lotus disappeared instantly from her hand.
"Good," she replied, her expression easing, a faint satisfied look appearing.
A small, quiet smile formed on her lips as she turned and began walking toward the door.
'…he's pretty cute.'
[Transferring further information about originality…]
Rain's face went blank instantly.
'…yeah, sure… here we go again with my totally normal daily routine…'
Then—
Pain hit, sharp and sudden, like something forcing its way inside his head.
He grabbed his head as knowledge started pouring in, not gently, but violently—like an endless ocean being forced into a small container, overwhelming, unstoppable.
His breath hitched as the flood continued, his mind filling rapidly with unfamiliar information—layer after layer stacking over each other.
His head throbbed.
His vision blurred.
And slowly—
That chaos started forming into something clear.
Knowledge of—
Replica Of Green Lotus Of Healing—anyone who sees it would call it a real flower without hesitation, but that's not the truth, the original Green Lotus of Healing is long gone, and what remains is only a replica, almost identical in form yet not in essence, still carrying the ability to both heal and curse at the same time, but no matter how close it is, it can never truly compare to the original.
As a replica, it inherits both the advantages and the limitations, it resonates strongly with water, even drawing strength from it, and since earth carries moisture within it, that too amplifies its effect, making it highly compatible with both elements, and despite being incomplete, it is refined enough that common opposing forces like fire or pure earth struggle to affect someone aligned with water and ground through it, while elements like thunder, darkness, or light also fail to directly counter it.
But in the end, it is still a replica.
And that means—
It has weaknesses.
Rain asked, staring at the screen, the question lingering in his mind, "Hey… why does it always hurt like this!?"
[It's simple, hubby, a lord must suffer in order to gain more power, and knowledge is also a form of power, after all they say more pain more gain!] With a confident smile.
Rain's face went flat. "Where did you even learn these things from?"
[Hehe! Not telling you] With a playful giggling expression.
"Ha… whatever, my body feels totally recharged, even with this little bit of aching… not like I'm complaining," Rain said as he noticed his energy had returned.
His body felt almost new, nothing like the exhaustion he had felt before losing consciousness, which honestly shouldn't be the case at all.
After all, his mana had dropped to zero during that fight thanks to overusing his trait, and the backlash had hit him hard, far harder than what he was feeling right now.
Even though Feather Hit was a good technique, it came with strict rules, the heavier the object he used it on, the faster his mana drained, and with the little mana he had and the overwhelming weight of that sword, he could only maintain it for a few seconds at best.
"I guess it's all thanks to her… can't expect any less from the granddaughter of the Medicine King," he murmured, giving credit where it was due, after all, someone like Jean wasn't just any healer—
Jean Frisk—an S-tier legendary character from the OG, one of the few true nobles in the medical field, with a family backing so powerful it goes beyond what most can even imagine. She genuinely loves her profession and treats it with utmost seriousness, not arrogant in the slightest, but calm and caring where it matters, the perfect image of a doctor anyone could think of—refined, capable, and undeniably beautiful.
---
Rain walked through the hallway, lost in his thoughts, murmuring under his breath, "But… a replica? I don't get it… isn't she supposed to be the original?"
He let out a slow breath. "Since I failed the practicals, there's no way I can get into the academy…" his face unusually calm as he said it.
Rain knew better than anyone that he was in serious trouble, he had lost his chance, and he didn't have the luxury of trying again—not when the time he had left could be counted on his fingers.
He let out a long sigh. "I'm doomed."
And yet—
Instead of worry, instead of despair, a grin slowly spread across his face, sharp and confident, like he had already accepted it.
"Time for plan B, I guess."
He scratched his cheek slightly, a hint of hesitation slipping through. '…but I have to find her first.'
Then—his gaze shifted.
Something caught his eye.
His grin deepened.
"Just my luck."
As Rain walked toward what caught his attention, it turned out to be a person—a woman—and as he got closer, recognition hit. It was Sarah, the same one he had quite the… intense excercise with last time.
Rain grinned. "What a fate… we meet again."
But it was clearer than distilled water—refreshing in moments of need—that this wasn't just fate at all.
"T-the—" Sarah tried to speak, but the words stumbled out unevenly, her composure already cracking.
"You monstrous brat!"
Rain's smirk widened. "And if it isn't our fake priestess who loves big things."
Her face flushed red for reasons she didn't want to admit, yet a cold, twisted smile still formed on her lips as she shot back, "Ha… you'll pay for what you did last time!"
Rain said, "You talk too much," his face showing clear irritation as he moved his hand, grabbing and pressing her boob with one hand and rubbing her crotch with a sliding motion with the other.
She acted intently, letting out a soft yet slutty moan, "Heyyangh."
Rain pulled his hand back, and for a moment, she didn't say anything.
She just stared at him, her usual arrogance completely gone. "!?" her face flushed, expression frozen in place.
Then her lips trembled slightly, a pout forming as her eyes grew a little moist, a thin layer of sweat visible on her skin, an expression Rain had never expected to see from her—never. "F-first of all… there are too many eyes… let's talk somewhere else…"
Rain blinked once, then simply replied, "Ok."
'…she's kinda cute… but that face… way beyond what I expected…'
She turned and started walking, and Rain followed quietly behind her, his expression calm while a devious grin slowly formed inside his thoughts.
'Yeah… let's talk…'
'…let's talk about how I use you.'