Chapter 40
He thought Chahun would point out something being stained, or the difference in training uniform details between S-class and C-class, but what Chahun pointed at was the chain bracelet hanging on his wrist. Bracelet? Why this?
Yeonwoo answered with a puzzled voice.
“It’s a bracelet.”
“A bracelet? That’s a bracelet?”
The moment Chahun reached out and touched Yeonwoo’s wrist, an indescribable sensation overwhelmed Yeonwoo’s body. Yeonwoo screamed and backed away, clutching his wrist, while Chahun also retreated, gripping his hand.
“What’s going on?”
Even when Park Seohyun approached and asked, Yeonwoo and Chahun remained silent, only staring at each other. After the silence, Yeonwoo was the first to speak.
“I-I think there was some static electricity.”
“Static electricity?”
Chahun frowned and looked down at the wrist Yeonwoo was clutching.
Static electricity? He wanted to object, but like Yeonwoo, Chahun had felt an indefinable sensation, so he kept his mouth shut.
“Has everyone regained their senses?”
The C-zone training director was gathering the Espers, having apparently finished testing the last ability user. Park Seohyun gestured for them to go, and just as Yeonwoo began to move, Chahun grabbed him.
“Should I come pick you up when we’re done today? I got the training room back.”
At those words, Park Seohyun, who had been brightening up, smiled slyly and ran to Choi Dongwon. Yeonwoo looked quizzically at the two who were grinning in their direction and asked Chahun.
“Did they give it back?”
“Yes. It’s ridiculous—one minute they’re telling me to leave, and the next they’re begging me to come train.”
The Center seemed to have made a strong move since Chahun showed no signs of signing a contract despite the Round Guild Master’s visit approaching. But they were dealing with Chahun. When told to leave, Chahun had simply done so without protest and secluded himself in his dormitory.
He’d been so irritated when Chahun came running to him asking what to do, practically stamping his feet. He hadn’t even been able to laugh when Chahun asked if charging education fees or damage compensation would make him return. The Deputy Director had made a displeased face when Yeonwoo suggested trying to persuade Chahun by returning the training room and promising to focus on his education from now on, since the Deputy Director wouldn’t be able to beg outright due to his position. The Deputy Director had reluctantly agreed, and Yeonwoo had sighed countless times watching him walk away.
He hadn’t seen Chahun for several days after that, and Yeonwoo’s ability had started to surge with each passing day. It seemed like the more Chahun decided to leave the Center, the more Yeonwoo’s ability fluctuated.
As Yeonwoo returned to the C-zone, he smiled awkwardly at Choi Dongwon and Park Seohyun, whose eyes were shaped like upside-down U’s.
“What’s with you two?”
“Nothing, our entire team passed the test. It’s a good sight.”
“Yes, it’s a good time indeed.”
The smiling pair stiffened as footsteps approached. Jung Eunyoung and her team members were raising their voices deliberately to be heard.
“I don’t understand why we’re doing this training. Honestly, haven’t they already decided who’s going to be chosen?”
“Exactly. Well, whether they can get there on their own ability is another question…”
Jung Eunyoung let her words trail off as she looked down at Yeonwoo and smirked. At this, Park Seohyun almost burst out in anger, but Yeonwoo stopped her. Park Seohyun glared at Jung Eunyoung, who walked away laughing. When Choi Dongwon asked if he wasn’t angry, Yeonwoo just raised the corners of his mouth in a smile.
Giving in to such provocation and getting angry would only lead to accusations that he was acting out because of Han Yeonhwa’s backing. Suppressing his raging emotions, Yeonwoo entered the training room.
“Thanks for your work so far… Well, I don’t need to say anything specific, right?”
Park Seohyun smiled bitterly at Lee Subin’s words and nodded. From the first day of training, Lee Subin had refused to train with Jo Heeseo’s team, and so they had to spend a week without proper training.
“Honestly, how many times has this happened because of Guide Jo Heeseo?”
Transparent barriers rippled around Choi Dongwon as his pent-up frustration burst out about Jo Heeseo, who had left without even saying goodbye. Park Seohyun, who flicked her fingertips to lightly ruffle Choi Dongwon’s hair, also wore an unhappy expression.
“For now… let’s talk more next week. Things might change when we enter the dungeon.”
As he half-heartedly agreed with his team members, who sarcastically laughed about whether Jo Heeseo would still refuse to guide them then, Lee Subin, who had been standing at a distance, approached Yeonwoo.
“Training’s over, right? I’m going to practice shooting with Geon. Want to come?”
“Shooting?”
“Hm? Is your schedule different from ours? There’s a shooting test next week.”
As Yeonwoo tried to recall, he scratched his eyebrow. In the C-zone, shooting training was training in name only. Unlike other zones, there were no benefits, so there was no particular need to prepare for the shooting test.
When he declined, Lee Subin pouted in disappointment, looked around, and whispered quietly.
“About the bag, did you meet Dohyun?”
When Yeonwoo whispered back that he had, Lee Subin examined the bag and murmured in admiration. She made a small fuss, saying she could tell it was made by Dohyun. Then, suddenly looking confused, she tilted her head.
“Why would Dohyun come here? Oh, did you meet him when you were running an errand to the A-zone?”
Looking at Lee Subin, who didn’t even slightly suspect there could be another route, Yeonwoo nodded. It’s true that there’s no reason for a C-class to enter the A-zone other than for errands…
He felt like he should teach Chahun one more thing to accelerate his future, but he had no valid reason to access the A-zone. If even Lee Subin, who knew Yeonwoo was acquainted with Chahun, was confused about why he would go to the A-zone, how much more suspicious would the A-zone people be.
Yeonwoo organized his thoughts while walking with the Espers who were circling the training ground to discharge dungeon mana. Then he stopped when he saw an ice flower blooming at his feet.
Already like this.
Checking the time, Yeonwoo crouched down and broke off the ice flower. Seeing how he used his ability like this, it seemed Chahun could practice sufficiently on his own, but Yeonwoo didn’t mind that Chahun was still seeking him out. He was worried Chahun might not sign a contract with the Center at this rate.
After packing up and leaving the training room, Yeonwoo waved at Chahun, who was confronting the staff. If Chahun left the Center, there would be no one to do this for him. As Yeonwoo was swallowing a sigh, his eyes caught a bandage. Seeing the bandage on Chahun’s cheek, Yeonwoo changed direction toward the infirmary.
“Ah, this. I got treatment.”
“But why the bandage? Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
At Yeonwoo’s words, Chahun felt the bandaged cheek and clicked his tongue.
“It’s to show that I’m injured. You know what they said when I got treated here instead of by the A-zone healing department because I didn’t want their treatment? They said, ‘Seeing how your wounds disappear without treatment, it seems you have healing power.’ Can you believe this bullshit? So I just put this on to show I’m injured.”
“What? Who said that? Was it that person from before? The one who said S-class heals wounds?”
Chahun pressed his lips tightly as if he had no intention of answering. Letting out a hollow laugh, Yeonwoo watched Chahun’s back as he walked toward the A-zone. Who on earth is selling such nonsense to him? S-class having healing abilities? That’s absurd. If S-class wounds healed on their own, then when Yeonhwa was injured…
As Yeonwoo was clicking his tongue inwardly, he covered his ears at the high-pitched ringing. His vision darkened, and letters began to appear one by one.
[Kang Chahun looked around at his surroundings, now stained red with blood, and then lowered his gaze. Beyond his palms, which had become rags due to frostbite and wounds, he could see the dragon’s elongated tongue. The dragon, barely breathing, looked at Kang Chahun and then closed its eyes. It was acknowledging the end of the wearisome battle, accepting defeat. The light of life was slowly fading from its narrowly opened golden pupils.
He knew he should end its life right now, but…
Chahun looked at the numerous spears piercing the dragon’s reverse scale, then turned away. A long moan from the dragon reached him, as if asking why he didn’t kill it.
Ending its breath would come later. The moment the dragon died, the gate would open and the rear squad would enter. If they were the people Chahun knew, they wouldn’t be curious at all about how many ability users had died or who had sacrificed what. They would just retrieve the dragon’s corpse and escape the dungeon, and then the dead would be forgotten, never to leave the dungeon.
Chahun erected ice walls around the dragon and painfully took a step. With each step, his mana core screamed, but Chahun silently returned toward the path he had walked.
Shortly after, the corpses were arranged around the dragon. Looking down at the last body he had recovered, Chahun calmly counted. However, having not even heard the basic operation plan of how many people from which guild would participate, Chahun didn’t know how many had been sacrificed in total.
If I had insisted on knowing when they said I didn’t need to know anything, would anything have been different? Could I have protected those people?
Standing before the dragon, Chahun created a spear to generate a gate. The dragon, unable to close its eyes comfortably due to the small dagger embedded in its eyeball, looked at the void and breathed slowly.
Kang Chahun turned his head and looked at ———. It was that person who had crushed the dragon’s eyes. Although he was praised as an offensive type, the one who had actually inflicted proper damage on the dragon was ———.]
Only after a long while did Yeonwoo exhale and cover his mouth.
A chill ran down his nape, and goosebumps rose all over his body. Gasping from the headache, Yeonwoo sank to the ground.
“Hyung!”
Chahun tried to support the collapsing Yeonwoo, but could only look confused when Yeonwoo pushed him away with a slap. Yeonwoo’s pupils, swollen with tears, were filled with resentment.
So, so that’s why I…
As his breathing became rougher, the ringing in his ears grew louder. Yeonwoo, struggling to escape the illusion of his toes burning, collapsed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
