No way… he wouldn’t smash the ship just because I refused, right?
He did seem a little insane, but not petty enough to go that far. Glancing up at him, Sihyeon caught sight of his cold expression. …Or was he? Sihyeon’s lips parted slightly. For a moment, he wondered if maybe he had just made a serious mistake.
Twitch. The corners of the man’s lips jerked upward a few times. As it kept twitching upward—almost like he was about to laugh—he suddenly burst into loud laughter. The booming sound filled the ship. Sihyeon wanted to cover his ears at the deafening noise, but he held back, worried about drawing unnecessary attention. Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t the kind of tyrant who would destroy a ship just because he’d been rejected.
“Right, you’re a Quadruple—you’ve got to have at least that much guts. Don’t you think?”
After laughing for a while, the man finally stopped and spoke in a cheerful tone. Even though his offer had been rejected, he seemed rather pleased. Sihyeon gave an awkward nod.
“Yeah… well.”
“If you change your mind, contact me anytime.”
Whoosh—Luce rummaged through his coat and tossed a piece of paper to Sihyeon. Catching it, Sihyeon checked what it was. It looked pretty messed up, but in a situation like this, there was only one thing it could be.
A business card.
This was the second time he’d received one regarding guild contact.
The first was…
Remembering a man who had felt unpleasant to deal with—dark and suffocating—Sihyeon’s face crumpled into a frown. Seeing that, Luce asked if his business card offended him. It took Sihyeon about two denials before he managed to steer the conversation away from his mood. It’s something valuable. The man said it confidently. Rolling his eyes slightly, Sihyeon slowly spoke.
“Um.”
“Hmm?”
“I can’t see anything.”
It’s all soaked.
The business card, drenched in water, had gone limp, and the ink had bled until it was completely illegible. Not a single letter could be properly made out. When Sihyeon showed it to him with a dubious expression, Luce burst into laughter again.
“Right, it got wet!”
As he swept his blond hair back, Sihyeon instinctively took a step back. In that moment, the man truly seemed insane.
Out of all the crazy people he’d met so far, this one radiated the most madness.
Maybe it was the kind that comes with age.
As Sihyeon entertained that pointless thought, Luce dragged over a relatively intact chair from among the wreckage and sat down, then looked at Sihyeon’s hand. His slender fingers were still tightly gripping the ruined business card.
“Throw it away.”
“The business card?”
“Yeah.”
“But you said it was valuable.”
Can I really just throw it away like this? Sihyeon had been planning to discreetly toss it when he wasn’t looking, but now he looked at him with surprise. From what he’d seen so far, he’d expected Luce to insist he keep it—after all, it was a Triple’s card. Fidgeting with the soggy card, he asked, and Luce replied as if it were obvious.
“If a document containing state secrets loses the information written on it, it’s worthless, isn’t it?”
…Was he saying his business card was as important as state secrets?
Even his metaphors were on another level. No wonder the teachers, the other Awakened, and even the students were all wary of him. For a moment, Sihyeon wondered if he should be treating him more respectfully—but it was too late to suddenly change his attitude now. He just nodded.
Then he crushed the card in his hand. The soggy paper crumpled easily. Luce had told him to throw it away, but seeing Sihyeon crush it without hesitation made him laugh again.
He really laughs a lot.
Unlike that ominous man who felt like he carried bad luck wherever he went, this guy smiled—a lot.
Honestly, it was loud.
Swallowing that thought, Sihyeon turned to the teachers, sensing the conversation had ended. Just as he was about to ask what to do next, the teachers had already left to deal with the Kraken and Titan situation. They moved toward the collapsed parts of the ship, clearing debris and checking on injured students. They clearly needed help. Sihyeon glanced between Luce and the teachers.
It’s probably better to go over there.
Just as he was about to step forward and help voluntarily—
“Where are you going?”
“…Excuse me?”
I should’ve moved faster.
Before he could even take a step, Sihyeon was stopped by the voice. Turning his head, he saw Luce grinning as he gestured with his chin toward the chair across from him.
A clear signal to sit.
“You should be talking with me.”
Sit.
It sounded like a question, but it didn’t feel like a suggestion at all. Figuring he had more to lose than gain by refusing, Sihyeon reluctantly sat down. Luce smiled in satisfaction and asked the same thing he’d already asked countless times.
“How’s your body?”
“Too fine, honestly.”
“And how do you feel?”
“If you’re asking how I feel right now… a bit uncomfortable.”
Sihyeon answered honestly. It was a subtle signal: Let me go. He did worry that it might irritate him and make him snap, but judging by the man’s expression, that didn’t seem likely.
And he didn’t seem like he’d let him go, either.
With a sigh, Sihyeon continued answering his questions diligently.
From what Engraving he planned to take next, to what class he was considering, whether he had any guilds in Korea in mind, to how much experience he had dealing with Irregulars—Luce asked a lot. To most of it, Sihyeon answered that he didn’t know. Not because he couldn’t be bothered, but because he genuinely didn’t.
After a long, interrogation-like exchange, Sihyeon raised his hand.
“Um.”
“What.”
“How long am I the only one answering? This feels like an interrogation.”
He had answered everything because he was conscious of the man’s mood, but this one-sided Q&A was honestly boring. Wanting to leave, he spoke up. Luce burst out laughing, then leaned back lazily in his chair, looking at Sihyeon.
“Then why don’t you ask me something?”
“…What?”
“This kind of opportunity doesn’t come often. If there’s something you’re curious about, ask.”
Resting his arm on the armrest, he spoke languidly. It didn’t look like he had any intention of letting him go. Accepting that he couldn’t escape, Sihyeon looked at him.
It wasn’t like he had nothing he wanted to ask.
“How old are you?”
“What, interested in me or something?”
“……”
What kind of ridiculous mysterious persona was that? The media never revealed his age or even his face properly—that’s why he asked. Right now, Sihyeon’s body was seventeen. Regardless of the twenty-three-year-old inside, he looked seventeen on the outside. He stared at Luce like he was looking at trash.
Chuckling at the look, Luce answered.
“I’m twenty-nine.”
So he really was in his late twenties—very late.
Still, he looks young.
At most, mid-twenties. Thinking that, Sihyeon asked his next question.
“I heard you usually use disguises. Is this your real appearance?”
“I don’t like layering disguises.”
So it’s real.
When he first saw him, he definitely had short black hair. He wouldn’t keep up a disguise even while falling into the ocean. Tilting his head slightly as he looked at the man’s wet blond hair, Sihyeon asked:
“Is it okay to show your face like this?”
“The people who know, already know. Most of the higher-ups do. I didn’t plan to reveal it here, but… someone fell into the ocean.”
“Thank you.”
Sihyeon responded out of obligation, completely devoid of sincerity. The man had already saved him and made sure to remind him of the debt every chance he got.
Thud—a towel was suddenly placed on top of his head.
Since earlier, he’d been taking care of him like he was some kind of noble—now it seemed he intended to dry his hair too. From blankets to this treatment, Sihyeon had been receiving top-tier care from Class A. He glanced upward.
Normally, he would’ve said he’d do it himself, but maybe because he had just been in the water, his body felt sluggish, and he didn’t feel like refusing. Checking who was drying his hair with gentle hands, Sihyeon met Seowoo’s softly smiling gaze. Then he lowered his eyes toward Luce.
Luce was staring at Seowoo drying his hair like he was witnessing something bizarre.
Feeling oddly awkward, Sihyeon quickly changed the subject.
Come to think of it, there was something he hadn’t asked yet.
“What did you choose for your Engravings?”
Whether due to pressure from the U.S. side or because he preferred to keep it private, the media had only talked about how incredible he was—not what classes he had Engraved. Since he was a Quadruple, Sihyeon figured it’d be useful to hear and maybe take inspiration.
Luce shifted his gaze away from Seowoo and answered without hesitation.
“Buffer, Elemental, and Teleport.”
“What kind of element?”
“Not sure—electricity? Lightning? It’s a New Class, so it hasn’t been precisely categorized. When I registered it, the class name came up as Zeus’s Lightning.”
What kind of insane class name is that?
It sounded more like a skill name. Frowning at the bizarre name—which matched the man’s personality—Sihyeon saw Luce frown back after noticing his expression.
At that moment, he looked exactly like Lee Hamin.
“What’s wrong with Zeus’s Lightning?”
“It’s… very cool.”
He answered without a shred of sincerity. Before Luce could press further, Sihyeon quickly changed the subject.
“Leaving aside the Elemental since it’s a New Class… why did you want Buffer?”
“So I don’t have to pathetically rely on buffs from others.”
“…I see.”
That answer suited him perfectly.
Just as Sihyeon thought that, Luce added:
“And if I’m beating something down and start running out of strength, I can just use an attack buff and keep beating it.”
“……”
The grin that spread across his face was downright vicious. He was supposed to be a hero of humanity, yet his smile was chilling.
Who in the world chooses Buffer for a reason like that?
From the way he spoke, it didn’t seem like he had any intention of supporting others. After briefly letting his gaze wander, Sihyeon continued.
“…Then what about Teleport?”
“To chase down anyone who runs away and beat them.”
“…Ah.”
Not even a hint of hesitation.
Letting out a short sigh at the blunt answer, Sihyeon imagined Luce fighting an Irregular.
The scene that unfolded in his mind was horrifying.
They’d be struck dead by flashing lightning—or, if they endured it, they’d be finished off by even stronger lightning empowered by buffs. And if they somehow survived and tried to flee, that lunatic would teleport after them and chase them down until they died.
If I were an Irregular, I’d rather just die.
Thinking that, Sihyeon stared at him. Luce, who had declared he’d beat down every Irregular, curled his lips into a grin.
He’d thought it several times already.
That man was true madness.
