Chapter 361: Elena Black [1]
Ryan looked even more frustrated than the others.
Which was understandable.
He had just broken through a wall.
Just touched a higher realm.
Just sworn to become stronger.
And then reality had immediately reminded him how far he still had to go.
Honestly, it was a little absurd.
The whole reason I started playing the role of the "mastermind" in the first place was to prevent things like this.
To keep them away from dangers they couldn’t handle.
To carry the burden myself.
Yet somehow, despite all my efforts, we still ended up here.
Hospitalized.
Beaten half to death.
And painfully aware of how powerless we had been.
Still...
It wasn’t completely hopeless.
Ryan wasn’t despairing.
Neither was Leo.
Their expressions were complicated.
Frustrated.
Angry.
Confused.
But not broken.
Because that was who they were.
The protagonists of this story.
The kind of people who grew stronger after every setback.
The kind of people who refused to stay down.
They would learn from this defeat.
Adapt.
Grow.
Then stand up again.
Eventually, they would find their own answers.
Which left me with a completely different problem.
I had absolutely no idea how to deal with the awkward silence hanging over the room.
Everyone had become lost in their own thoughts.
No one seemed willing to speak first.
The atmosphere grew increasingly uncomfortable.
Then—
Click.
The hospital room door opened.
Everyone turned toward it.
I blinked.
There shouldn’t have been any more visitors today.
For a brief moment, I wondered if my father or sister had arrived.
Then I saw who it was.
And immediately froze.
Silver hair.
Almost white.
Silver eyes carrying the faintest trace of blue.
A face that seemed unreal.
Beautiful in a way that almost felt artificial.
I recognized her instantly.
I’d seen her countless times.
Not in person.
In illustrations.
In discussions.
She was one of the few characters from the original novel who had received official artwork.
And she was impossible to forget.
"Hello."
Her voice was calm.
Measured.
Professional.
"I wasn’t able to properly greet you when I rescued you, so I thought I should visit."
Her gaze swept across the room.
Then settled on us.
"This is our first proper meeting."
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Everyone recognized her.
Even Ryan sat up straighter.
Leo’s expression became noticeably more serious.
Because standing in the doorway was someone who didn’t need an introduction.
Elena Black.
The Student Council President of Velcrest Academy.
The highest position a student could attain.
A certified B-Rank Hero.
Officially.
Unofficially, most people believed she was already operating at an A-Rank level.
Perhaps even beyond that.
In the original story, she was one of the key figures who helped guide the protagonists through some of their darkest moments.
One of the strongest young heroes on the continent.
One of the most beloved characters among readers.
Many fans jokingly referred to her as the true protagonist.
And now—
She was standing right in front of me.
"Although I rescued the three of you," Elena continued, "there’s no need to thank me."
Her tone remained polite.
Detached.
"There wasn’t much of a fight."
Ryan looked like he wanted to argue with that statement.
I couldn’t blame him.
For us, it had been a desperate struggle for survival.
For someone like Elena...
Apparently it wasn’t worth mentioning.
She approached the beds calmly.
Her movements were graceful.
Controlled.
Perfect.
Like every action had been rehearsed a thousand times.
"You pushed yourselves too hard."
The words sounded concerned.
Supportive.
The kind of thing a reliable senior would say.
"But you did well."
Ryan visibly relaxed.
Leo nodded respectfully.
Even Leona seemed impressed.
Everyone responded exactly the way they were supposed to.
Everyone except me.
Because I knew something they didn’t.
And the moment I saw her—
A wave of irritation surged through me.
I immediately forced my expression into neutrality.
A poker face.
A habit I’d developed long ago.
Unfortunately—
Not before she saw it.
For the briefest moment, my face had twisted.
Disgust.
Annoyance.
Resentment.
Gone almost instantly.
But not fast enough.
Elena noticed.
Of course she noticed.
Someone like her wouldn’t miss a reaction that obvious.
Our eyes met.
For a second.
Two seconds.
Three.
The room remained completely unaware.
Ryan and the others were too focused on the famous senior standing before them.
Only Elena had seen.
Only Elena understood.
And to my surprise—
She smiled.
Not mockingly.
Not coldly.
A small, gentle smile.
As though she’d discovered something interesting.
Then she continued walking toward us as if nothing had happened.
"..."
That reaction annoyed me even more.
Because she wasn’t supposed to react like that.
Anyone else would’ve been offended.
Confused.
At least curious.
Instead, she simply accepted it.
Like it didn’t matter.
Like she had expected it.
Which somehow made my skin crawl.
I clenched my jaw.
Elena stopped beside my bed.
"How are your injuries?"
"Manageable."
"A fortunate outcome."
Her gaze lingered on me slightly longer than necessary.
I noticed.
And judging by the faint narrowing of her eyes—
She noticed that I noticed.
Great.
Just great.
The last thing I needed was attention from her.
Because unlike everyone else in this room...
I knew exactly who Elena Black really was.
Or at least—
I knew the version of her that existed in the original story.
The version hidden beneath the flawless image.
The version readers rarely talked about.
The version that made me dislike her more than any other character.
More than the villains.
More than the cultists.
More than the monsters.
Because villains acted like villains.
They were honest about what they were.
Elena wasn’t.
She wore the mask of the perfect hero.
The perfect senior.
The perfect role model.
And the worst part?
Most of it wasn’t even fake.
She genuinely believed she was doing the right thing.
Which somehow made everything worse.
I felt my carefully constructed poker face beginning to crack again.
The irritation returned.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Because standing before me wasn’t simply Elena Black.
She was the one character in this entire ridiculous story that I hated the most.
And now—
For reasons I didn’t yet understand—
She seemed interested in me.