Chapter 38
“Though apart, we are together.”
“We are communication, creation, balance, sacrifice, propagation, prosperity, and harmony.”
Their voices were identical, and it was impossible to tell where they were coming from. She could hear them even though she had no ears.
Sehyun looked at them, awestruck. They were so magnificent that she felt insignificant in their presence.
Despite a strong premonition that she shouldn’t be witnessing this, Sehyun couldn’t look away.
She would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn’t see this.
Driven by that intuition, Sehyun continued to watch.
One of the seven lights faded away. Then another, and another, disappeared as if melting into the air.
Finally, only one remained.
Sehyun had a feeling that it would disappear too. She stared at the last light with an inexplicable sense of sadness.
At that moment, the light flickered and wavered. Then, the shimmering light stopped.
‘…!’
Sehyun felt as if the ground beneath her feet was collapsing.
This was definitely a dream.
Those magnificent beings didn’t know her.
But… why?
Did their eyes meet?
The world turned pitch black, as if a light had been switched off.
Something rose from the darkness, like bubbles rising from underwater.
“…Curious…”
A single phrase, drawn in light amidst the darkness.
The world flickered, as if blinding her.
“Ugh!”
Sehyun sat up abruptly and hunched over. Something surged up from her stomach and spilled out of her mouth.
“Blegh!”
Her throat constricted, and she vomited something with a nauseating smell. Sehyun wiped her mouth with her sleeve and closed her eyes tightly.
She had thrown up as soon as she woke up, so her bedding must be a mess. What a way to start the day.
“Ha…”
Sehyun sighed deeply and slowly opened her eyes.
“…!”
But the vomit she had expected to see wasn’t there.
She had definitely thrown up…
Sehyun stared at the clean sheets with a dazed expression and shook her head. The strange dreams, the inexplicable occurrences, they weren’t the important thing right now.
“I guess I’m not dead.”
Sehyun muttered softly, looking around the single-patient hospital room.
Fortunately, her body seemed fine.
She moved her limbs, and apart from some muscle aches, she felt fine. Considering she had been slammed into the ground by a giant monster the size of a two-story building, she was extremely lucky.
I guess it’s true that becoming a Guard changes you compared to ordinary humans.
Sehyun thought and called up her status window.
She wanted to check the skill she had acquired during the last spar with the C-grade.
Transforming Weapon.
It was a huge gain.
It was perfect for her, who lacked offensive skills. She had acquired many other useful skills as well.
But the more satisfied she was with her skills, the more she felt the limitations of one thing.
The number of slots.
She only had three. She could change skills whenever she needed to, but it was a hassle during battle. Considering she could only change them five times a day, and the slots wouldn’t open when her stamina was low, having more slots would be much more advantageous.
Sehyun looked at her slots.
“…Huh?”
A puzzled sound escaped her lips. Sehyun couldn’t believe her eyes. She rubbed her cheeks in disbelief, but the information remained the same.
Unique Ability – ???
Slots – 3/5
…Her slots had changed.
Sehyun pondered the reason for the change in her slots, but she couldn’t come up with an answer.
‘I have no idea.’
She suspected that the strange dream might have been the catalyst, but she couldn’t be sure. She had never heard of anything like this before.
Of course, even if someone had experienced this, they probably wouldn’t share it.
She wanted to search for information, but her phone was broken, and there was no computer available.
The only source of information was the news. But even watching the news wasn’t easy. The nurse who came to check her pulse had called the doctor.
“This is truly fortunate.”
After various tests and examinations, the doctor told her that apart from some minor bruises, she was fine. She could be discharged after a day of rest, and she was told to come back for a checkup if she experienced any aftereffects from the battle.
After that, there was nothing to do.
She was thinking of watching TV to pass the time when Hye Ryeon, Dongwoo, and Jieun barged in.
“How could you not contact us after waking up?”
Hye Ryeon glared at her, her eyes narrowed.
“I couldn’t. As you can see, I don’t have anything.”
Hye Ryeon exclaimed “Ah!” and nodded understandingly.
“A-Are you okay?”
Jieun asked worriedly.
“Yeah, as you can see.”
“That’s a relief.”
After they were kicked out of the hospital room by a nurse for being too loud, Sehyun was finally left alone in the quiet room.
In contrast to the quiet hospital room, the world outside was in an uproar.
[Variant Hole, Survivor Testimony]
[News of Guard Trainees’ Survival in Variant Hole…]
[Training Center Variant Hole Incident: Disaster or Human Error?]
Sehyun sat on the hospital bed and watched the news. Familiar faces appeared occasionally.
-
We fought with all our might. We couldn’t die meaninglessly there. We have to become Guards and protect our country.
Sehyun stared at Do Sung’s shameless words on TV.
She still remembered his terrified face as he fought.
Another person appeared for an interview.
-
We were lucky.
Sehyun readily agreed.
“Yes, that’s right.”
They were really lucky. That was all she could say.
If the boss monster had been a little stronger, or if the rescue team had arrived a little later, she would have probably been trampled to death by the rampaging monster.
That would have been unforgivable to her aunt and Jungwoo.
Sehyun leaned back against the wall, staring blankly ahead.
She had to become stronger to avoid this happening again.
A way to quickly become stronger…
Someone suddenly came to mind.
Just then,
Knock, knock.
Sehyun, jolted out of her thoughts by the knock on the door, looked towards it.
“Yes.”
She thought it was the nurse who came to check her pulse from time to time. But it was an unexpected face that appeared when the door opened.
“Are you feeling alright?”
It was Jungwook.
As Sehyun tried to get up, Jungwook raised his hand to stop her.
“It’s alright. A patient should rest.”
Sehyun hesitated for a moment and then sat back against the bed.
“May I sit down?”
“Yes.”
Sehyun pointed to a chair, and as soon as Jungwook sat down, he held out a box of juice. It was fruit juice with “Vitamin C” printed in large letters on the box.
“Drink this and get well soon.”
“Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”
“You’re welcome.”
A moment of silence followed.
“Is it awkward that I came to visit you?”
“Yes, I’m a little surprised.”
“I see. I won’t take up too much of your time since you need to rest. I came here to ask you something, Trainee Kim Sehyun.”
“Yes.”
“…Was it you who stabbed the monster’s eye, Trainee Kim Sehyun?”
It was the question she had been expecting.
She had heard about it from Hye Ryeon. She had said that Instructor Lee Jungwook was the one who came to rescue them.
He must have seen the sword embedded in the monster’s eye after killing the boss monster.
And he must have also noticed the strange shape and material of the sword.
Still, Sehyun’s heart skipped a beat.
She hadn’t expected Jungwook to ask so directly.
“Yes, it was me.”
A half-hearted lie would only raise suspicions. It was better to be honest to some extent.
“When I examined the weapon, it seemed to be a transformed hammer. A very long sword, at that.”
“…”
Sehyun hesitated.
Should she say Do Sung made it?
But what if she had already shown the transformed weapon to Do Sung?
What if Do Sung testified that he hadn’t made it?
Then she would be trapped.
It was better to tell the truth. Unless Do Sung was unable to speak, lying would only put her at a disadvantage if he could talk.
But she couldn’t speak carelessly.
She knew that her skill could cause discomfort to others.
How would they feel if there was someone who could copy their precious skills just by sparring with them? Knowing that, Sehyun had kept it a secret.
Of course, she had used it during the fight with the boss monster because she was afraid of dying, but even then, she had been somewhat confident.
Only Hye Ryeon and Dongwoo had been there, and she had been certain that they would be too preoccupied with the situation to notice her closely.
Dongwoo had been aiming for the monster’s joints, and Hye Ryeon’s vision had been obscured by her own flower petals.
But to be caught by Jungwook…
What should she do…?
At that moment, Jungwook spoke slowly.
“Trainee Lee Do Sung’s skill is transforming weapons, right?”
“…”
Sehyun’s mouth went dry.
“Trainee Lee Do Sung said he transformed the emergency hammers there into weapons in a hurry… You picked one up and used it, right, Trainee Kim Sehyun?”
Sehyun’s eyes widened slightly.
“Ah, of course, Trainee Lee Do Sung changed his testimony a few times, saying he made two, then three, so I’m not entirely sure… Well, he also transformed the wooden swords into something like toothpicks. It seems he transformed everything he could get his hands on.”
Sehyun looked at Instructor Lee Jungwook without saying a word.
Was he creating an alibi for her, or was he testing her?
When Sehyun remained silent, Jungwook crossed his arms and sighed deeply.
“I thought you were quick-witted.”
“…”
“Don’t you get it yet? I’m creating an alibi for you, Trainee Kim Sehyun.”
Sehyun’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Jungwook chuckled softly.
“I-I don’t understand what you mean.”
“You’re very cautious and careful. Trying to avoid it even after I set the stage for you.”
“…”
“Don’t reveal your skill yet, Kim Sehyun.”
“…!”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“…I don’t understand. There’s no reason for you to do this, Instructor.”
As an instructor, Jungwook had a duty to report Sehyun’s skill to the others.
It was an ability to copy other people’s skills, after all.
But he was creating an alibi for her, trying to cover up her ability.