The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character

My heart jumped.

The man charging at us wasn't slow. He wasn't clumsy. He was the kind of fighter who aimed for the weak point—not the frontliner, but the cracks behind.

He was going for Trent.

And I was standing right between them.

My pulse spiked. Instinct screamed run—but I couldn't. I wouldn't.

Not with Trent lying there. Not with Leo barely holding the line.

So I moved.

No plan. No hesitation. Just movement.

I raised my hand. Enhancement magic sparked to life, but this time, it wasn't for Leo. It was for me.

"[Body Reinforcement – Limit Shift!]"

My limbs burned. Veins lit up with magic. A surge of heat filled my chest, my spine, my skull. The world seemed to slow.

The attacker's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that.

Good.

I met him head-on. No weapon. Just momentum.

We clashed.

His blade came down in a blur—

I ducked, slid under the swing, shoulder-checked his ribs, and pushed upward.

A grunt of pain escaped him as he stumbled back, surprised by the sudden resistance.

I didn't stop there. Didn't have time to.

I grabbed a chunk of broken stone from the ground—maybe from Leo's earlier strike—and hurled it at his face.

He flinched, arm rising to block—

"[Enhancement!]"

A burst of white light exploded from my hand.

Close-range. Crude. Inefficient.

Perfect.

He screamed, stumbled back, eyes scorched.

Leo didn't even turn.

But I felt it—the faint shift in his stance. He knew I'd bought him time. He pushed forward harder now.

Good.

Let him focus.

Let him fight.

The blinded attacker reeled. I lunged, grabbed his arm, and pulled hard.

Another snap. He hit the ground. Out cold—or close enough.

I stood over him, panting, vision swimming from the magic strain. I wasn't a frontline fighter. Not really. But that had been enough.

I turned. Checked Trent. Still breathing.

Still unconscious.

Then something shifted.

A sound. A presence.

From the edge of the fight—

One of the enemy mages.

He'd noticed what just happened. His hands were glowing.

He was going to target me next.

Not Leo.

Me.

I had three seconds—maybe less.

And just as I braced for impact—

CRACK—!

Lightning lanced across the battlefield.

Leo had moved.

No, leapt.

One moment, he was fighting three at once. The next, he was airborne, a blur of sparks and motion.

He threw the [Drakevolt Spear].

It sailed across the field like a thunderbolt, slammed into the mage's chest mid-cast, and sent him flying backward in a flash of smoke and light.

The spell fizzled out.

The mage didn't get up.

Leo landed hard, rolled, skidded across the ground—and stopped just short of another enemy blade.

He caught it. Bare-handed.

The static around his body surged. Lightning pulsed through his arms, up his neck, dancing across his skin like a storm trying to escape.

He was shaking.

He was panting.

He was close.

Too close.

But he still hadn't broken.

"Damn it…" I muttered, clenching my fists.

More of them were coming.

The moment Leo shifted forward—just for a second, just long enough to cut down another threat—they seized the chance.

The enemies surged toward us, their eyes sharp, weapons ready.

They weren't stupid. They saw the gap. They took it.

Damn it.

I couldn't fight like before.

My body was already straining, aching from the overuse of my Talent. Every time I tapped into it, I could feel something inside me crack—not physically, but close. Like the very thread holding me together was wearing thin.

Violet switched from her daggers to a long, flexible whip that crackled with latent energy. Mira began chanting, the wind gathering around her hands. Ama pressed her hands over Trent's chest, desperately pouring healing light into him.

And Luke?

He was behind us. Clutching his staff. Trying to stay small.

It was a good formation—decent, even—but it wasn't enough.

At best, each of them could handle one-on-one or maybe two-on-one situations.

But this wasn't that.

This was a slaughter waiting to happen.

Leo was the one-man army. Not us.

And right now, we needed another one.

My pulse thundered in my ears.

I looked down at the fruit in my hand.

Time to stop pretending.

No more hesitation.

I bit into it—hard.

Crunch.

Juice burst across my tongue, a tropical sharpness that cut through the tension like lightning. There was a faint burnt aftertaste—almost smoky—but the flesh was rich, pulsing with raw energy.

My throat burned as I swallowed.

"...What's he doing?"

"He's eating a fruit…?"

"In the middle of this? Is he insane?"

"Guess so."

I heard the confusion ripple across the enemy line. Good. Let them hesitate. Let them wonder.

Every second they wasted staring at me was a second closer to survival.

The magical fruit didn't last long, and refining it would've been smarter. But I didn't have time for that kind of luxury.

Even raw, it had power.

The kind of power I needed now.

"[Enhancement]," I whispered.

The spell triggered with a snap, golden light blooming across my body.

No—this time, it wasn't just my arms or legs.

My whole body lit up.

The air around me rippled. My bones buzzed. I felt alive.

Lighter. Stronger. Sharper.

"What the hell—?"

"Stop him!"

Go ahead and try.

But it's already too late.

This was no ordinary buff.

This… this was the next stage.

S-rank Talent: Multiple Enhancement.

The ability to enhance more than one target at once.

To layer them.

Stack them.

You might ask, why bother, when casting it once already pushed the limits of what the human body could take?

The answer?

My Trait—[Eternal Return].

I could take it.

Three layers. That was my current limit.

Threefold enhancement stacked one atop the other.

My skin glowed with pulsing lines of energy.

My muscles surged. My heart thundered like a war drum.

And something else—something deeper—clicked into place.

Clarity.

The world slowed.

The enemies charging us looked like they were moving underwater.

Even Leo, the blur of lightning and steel ahead of me—

I could see him clearly now.

Every step. Every shift of weight.

I could keep up.

I was strong.

As strong as Leo.

As strong as Ryen.

No… maybe, just for a moment—just for now—stronger.

I took a step forward, sparks dancing around my feet.

One breath.

I moved—

And the world couldn't keep up.