Chapter 78

< Chapter 78: Aftermath (2) >

I never imagined that the daughter of Maiden Critines would have undergone the same experiment as the original Kang Seo-yul.

With this, it’s understandable that Maiden would also be involved in the incident, and that Yu Hwa got her hands on the report.

This also explains why the original Maiden Critines favored the protagonist.

She couldn’t help but be concerned for the protagonist, who shared the same pain as her deceased daughter.

But to think they’d identify me as a survivor of the mixed-race fusion project. I never even considered it.

No, it’s not that I don’t understand Yu Hwa’s feelings.

Yu Hwa’s hypotheses all make sense.

All the questions up to this point could be explained if I were assumed to be a survivor of the mixed-race fusion project.

“Ah. It’s really twisted.”

I scratched my head frantically.

Ha Si-yeon, the Shin Jia group, and Yu Hwa’s views are completely diverged.

One side sees a hero to save the world.

The other side sees a victim robbed of life by a seeker of truth.

It’s an illusion that can’t possibly be reconciled. This will make getting help from the three of them more restrictive.

Thankfully, there’s the fact that Jia and Yu Hwa are on completely different wavelengths.

Should I postpone reconciling them? No, if I think about it later, they must become friends.

“Ah.”

What should I do?

My head is too cluttered.

“Goldie, my head hurts so much.”

“Croak.”

Goldie made a purring sound in my arms and tilted its head. Its eyes are half-closed. It looks as though it’s saying, “I’m dead tired; what’s going on?”

“Sorry. Sleep more.”

Goldie yawned quietly and buried its face in my chest again.

After the Drake incident.

Goldie slept a full 20 hours.

It must be the after-effects of overexertion.

I gently stroked Goldie’s head.

“I am really alive because of you.”

My oasis of heart.

I checked Goldie’s side, gently lifting the angelically sleeping creature.

“…It’s healed.”

Fortunately, the wounds from the battle with Drake have mostly healed.

There’s still a faint trace left, but it will probably disappear completely by tomorrow.

“Thank you.”

I’ve said it several times, but I think emphasizing it multiple times isn’t enough.

If it wasn’t for Goldie, I would have become digested meat in Drake’s belly.

Whether Goldie knows my feelings or not, it’s just breathing softly with a very peaceful face.

“…I should shower and sleep.”

With that, I sneakily placed Goldie on the bed and undressed.

“Ah.”

Then, the green tiger tattoo on my thigh caught my eye.

The tattoo that had disappeared with the complete assimilation of ‘Predator’s Killing Intent,’ came back after using Promethium Dagger.

“…Sigh.”

This attribute makes me sigh just thinking about it.

“Why did I have to get this attribute…”

I was bitterly laughing at that thought.

Buzz-

My smartphone on the shelf vibrated.

It was a message from Ha Si-yeon.

[Seo-yul! Jia woke up!]

* * *

10:20 p.m.

I arrived at Jia’s hospital room.

I thought visiting hours were over because it was late, so I was going to come tomorrow, but I rushed over after getting a message from Si-yeon saying I could come now.

“Jia, is your leg okay?”

“Yes.”

Si-yeon looked worriedly all over Jia’s body.

Not that she could see anything, as Jia’s lower body was covered with a blanket.

“What do you mean ‘okay’? Does it still hurt?”

“No. It doesn’t hurt.”

Jia smiled faintly with an indifferent expression. It wasn’t her usual bright smile.

It looked almost like a smile for entertaining guests.

Perhaps she’s pretending.

Afraid I might worry.

“When can you be discharged?”

Jia hesitated for a moment before answering.

“…Shortest, a week. It might take up to a month.”

“You’re in intensive care. And you say it doesn’t hurt?”

With the advanced technology of this world, a one-month hospital stay is really serious.

“No. It’s just intense treatment to avoid after-effects, not because the wound is deep or anything…”

She seemed determined to pretend it doesn’t hurt until the end. I sighed inwardly.

“Well, I’m glad it doesn’t hurt.”

“Yes.”

I just let it be.

I can’t keep arguing with a patient.

“So, Jia, you can’t go to Australia?”

Si-yeon, who had been quietly observing the situation, brought up a new topic.

“The Australian trip. Wasn’t it canceled?”

“Oh. You must not have heard. Nope, it wasn’t canceled.”

“Really?”

Jia tilted her head slightly.

Normally, if an incident with 12 deaths occurred, the trip would be massively canceled.

But this time, the situation is a bit strange.

“It should have been canceled originally. But there were commitments with the Australian affiliated school, so they thought it wouldn’t be right to cancel.”

Since it’s a negotiation between countries, it would be awkward to break the promise rashly.

“Postponing the practical test three times must have been burdensome.”

They must have felt it wasteful to let go of the Australian test venue they rented for 5 nights and 6 days.

“Coldly speaking, the death of a cadet is not a rare occurrence.”

“…Right.”

“Yeah.”

The two chuckled darkly.

In superhumans, the mortality rate of cadets is very high.

On average, only about 450 of the 500 who enter graduate.

Of course, having 12 deaths in the first year is rare.

First-year lessons can be considered mild compared to 2nd-4th year lessons.

First-year lessons focus on safety, while 2nd-4th year lessons focus on practical training.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think I can go to Australia.”

Jia said regretfully.

“Yeah. It’s a shame.”

Si-yeon also seemed to regret it. They’ve become close lately, so it’s natural to feel that way.

“Then Si-yeon will be the ranking 1st this time?”

“Me?”

Si-yeon tilted her head.

“…Yes?”

Jia opened her eyes wide and asked again.

“If you can’t go to Australia, you can’t take the practical test, so you’ll get an average score.”

“… .”

“Si-yeon will score high anyway, so the ranking 1st will be 100% Si-yeon, right?”

“Oh. That’s how it works.”

Ha Si-yeon noddedherhead repeatedly, as if convinced.

“….”

Jia’s pupils shook wildly.

Her lips seemed quite flustered as she licked them.

“…Ancestor. Excuse me for a moment. I’ll just make a quick call.”

“Eh? Oh.”

Then, with a determined expression, she nodded her head.

“Hello? Uncle Taejin?”

She called her secretary with a very grave expression.

“I will be discharged on Sunday.”

“Ji, Jia?”

Jia’s face was very serious.

“No, I don’t know. I just will. Something’s come up that I have to be discharged for, no matter what.”

Shin Jia.

The embodiment of competitive spirit.

“Yes, unconditionally.”

With those words, Jia hung up the phone. Ha Si-yeon and I just stared blankly at her.

Looking at us, Jia smiled sweetly.

“I’ve suddenly become able to go to Australia due to an unexpected turn of events.”

“Oh… Well, that’s good.”

There was a lot I wanted to say, but I chose not to.

Jia’s secretary would surely try to stop her.

There was no need for me to intervene unnecessarily.

…It also seemed like it might be hard to stop her.

Ah, I shouldn’t have mentioned the ranking.

I checked the time.

It was almost 11 o’clock.

It was getting too late.

“Then I’ll be going now. You look tired, Jia.”

I stood up.

“Ah. Me too.”

Following me, Ha Si-yeon also stood up. I looked at Jia one last time and said,

“Anyway, I’m glad you don’t seem to be in any real trouble.”

“Ah.”

Jia let out a small exclamation.

Her expression seemed somewhat self-mocking.

“…I forgot to say the most important thing, like a fool.”

“Huh?”

Then she soon wore a soft smile.

“Ancestor. Thank you for saving me.”

* * *

Friday’s classes were all replaced with self-study. The instructors seemed busy dealing with the aftermath of the incident.

“Let’s go to the gym.”

“Anyone wants to spar with me?”

“I think I’ll rest a bit.”

“Oh, I need to go back to the dormitory too.”

Though it was called self-study, it was essentially free time.

“Si-yeon-ah. Fancy a spar after so long?”

“Sounds good~ Is Ji-hoon coming too?”

“Of course.”

Nearby, Ha Si-yeon, Kim Chul-jin, and Choi Ji-hoon had gathered together for the first time in a while.

It seemed rare to see those three together.

Si-yeon became close to Jia and hung around with her a lot. Recently, Kim Chul-jin and Choi Ji-hoon seemed to be doing something together too.

“Si-yeon, you’d be surprised to see how much Ji-hoon has changed. The way this guy trained like a madman… Uh.”

“Shut up, Kim Chul-jin.”

Aha.

So, they had secret special training together.

“Ah.”

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Ha Si-yeon looked at me and let out a small exclamation.

“Seo-yul-ah~ Want to join us?”

“Oh, Seo-yul’s good.”

Kim Chul-jin readily agreed.

“Then we have a perfect match with four people.”

Even Choi Ji-hoon, who I thought would be reluctant to include me, agreed and stepped forward.

“Today I’ll repay the humiliation of the ranking match.”

There was a fiery determination in his eyes. Aha, so that’s what it was about.

“Fine. As the winner, I’ll accept the loser’s challenge.”

I stood up from my seat, smiling mischievously. My playful words made Choi Ji-hoon’s eyes sharpen even more.

His eyes were filled with the will to devour me.

At the same time, I could feel his composure.

I could clearly feel his growth just by looking at him now.

“Kang Seo-yul. I will make you taste defeat today.”

“Look at that confidence! What will you do if you lose again?”

Choi Ji-hoon smiled menacingly.

“There is no such thing as losing twice in my dictionary.”

* * *

“…There is no such thing as losing five times in my dictionary.”

“Pfft.”

I burst into laughter, looking at Choi Ji-hoon, who was grinding his teeth.

“Snicker.”

Looking to the side, Kim Chul-jin was also suppressing a laugh.

Choi Ji-hoon had lost to me three times in a row in the previous three matches.

And then he says that.

It was only natural to laugh.

“Wow. But Ji-hoon really got a lot stronger.”

Ha Si-yeon spoke with admiration from beside me. I agreed.

I barely managed because I had been promoted to D rank. If I were E rank, it would have been dangerous.

“The armor has become much more versatile. Not to mention the physical ability.”

“Ahem.”

Kim Chul-jin puffed up at that comment. Why is he reacting?

“Isn’t this all thanks to my tireless efforts?”

“Shut up, Kim Chul-jin.”

“Hey, Choi Ji-hoon, my student. Is that the way to talk to your master?”

“Nonsense.”

Kim Chul-jin spoke more enthusiastically in response to Choi Ji-hoon’s intense reaction.

“Ah. It comes to mind. The invincible Choi Ji-hoon kneeling before me, saying ‘Teacher Kim, I want to train…’ while shedding tears.”

“…I’ll really kill you.”

Choi Ji-hoon swung his sword.

“Yikes! Hey! You’re not aiming for a vital point, are you?”

What’s this? Dumb and Dumber?

Anyway, Choi Ji-hoon’s rapid growth must indeed be thanks to Kim Chul-jin’s help.

“…Tsk. I’ll let you off just this once.”

Choi Ji-hoon sheathed his sword.

“Let me off, my foot. I know you’re just tired.”

Kim Chul-jin snickered.

Choi Ji-hoon turned his head with an utterly annoyed expression. It was a face that said he would no longer engage.

Watching that expression, Kim Chul-jin smiled a very satisfied smile, then came towards me.

“Then Seo-yul. How about a match with me next?”

I could feel an unmistakable sense of rivalry in his eyes.

“Sounds good.”

I’ve wanted to fight him for a long time already.

To be exact, I wanted to experience Kim Chul-jin’s trait ‘Sixth Sense’ for myself.

“Hold on. Let me stretch a bit.”

“Okay.”

I did a light stretch.

It was to relieve some of the fatigue accumulated from the duel with Choi Ji-hoon.

I twisted my wrists and ankles, loosened my neck and shoulders, and then did a light jump.

“Wow, what’s this? A kangaroo?”

“It’s high~”

The jump was somewhat high for a light one, but anyway, it was a light jump.

“I’m good at jumping.”

It’s because of the traits of the Beastmen race that I recently acquired, which increased my jumping ability.

“Is it something like a trait?”

“Similar.”

“Are there such unique traits?”

“…Exactly.”

I sighed.

It was nice to use the Promosium Dagger to gain new traits. But why, of all the many traits, did I have to pick a ‘dud’?

What is [Jumping Ability of the Rabbit race]?

Of course, it’s not bad.

It helps when leaping to approach or make jump attacks. And there’s no penalty since it’s a ‘constant passive’ trait.

But it’s not good either.

There’s absolutely no inconvenience without it.

In short, it’s like a curse-like trait.

“Sigh.”

But it’s still fun.

It feels like jumping on a trampoline on the ground.

I repeated the jumps, laughing inwardly for no reason.

Hahaha.

It’s fun.

That’s when it happened.

“Wow!”

Suddenly, I felt a sense of discomfort in my body and lost my balance.

My body didn’t feel like my own. It was the same sensation I felt when facing Honey Bear.

…Could it be?

Whish-

I lightly swung the dagger in the air. It’s light.

“…What? Why has it gotten faster?”

Kim Chul-jin said, seemingly taken aback.

I was just as surprised.

Compared to when I was dueling with Choi Ji-hoon a moment ago, the speed has clearly increased.

But that’s not all.

Whish- Whish-

The power contained in the dagger itself is different.

If my thoughts are correct, then this is…

“I’ll be back in a moment. Need the bathroom.”

“Huh? Oh. Go ahead.”

I ran quickly to the bathroom to confirm my hypothesis.

And in the empty bathroom, I checked my right thigh.

“…It’s gone.”

The Beastmen race’s tattoo is gone.

The ‘green tattoo’ that was there when I showered this morning is gone.

This fact only meant one thing.

…Did it fully assimilate in just one day?

The Beastmen race trait [Jumping Ability of the Rabbit Race] has fully assimilated.

…Could it be that the less effective, and easier to use traits assimilate faster?

If this is the case, things might be different.