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Awakening (1)

As I waited for my birthday, the investigation results on Angelica and the personal information of those who attacked us was still unavailable, so there was nothing else to do other than to leave no loose ends of the past. Even if I remembered everything, the latter was vital. Rather than simply remembering, understanding the context and picking out the important information were different things.

Also, there was one more important thing to do — fatten up Iponia. He didn’t try to eat when I was in the room, so I deliberately emptied the room for a while and then went in. After going out for about a dozen minutes, when I came back and looked under the bed, I would find the crystal gone, and it acted like it had no idea as it tried to keep its guards up. And there was a reason I said it “tried.” It was clear that, as time went by, its eyes gradually weakened and began to lose their toxicity.

Finally, the awaited birthday came. There were two guests visiting that day.

*

It was in the morning that I met the first guest. Even today, I opened the door, hoping that Iponia had eaten all the food, but a stranger had entered my room. As I focused on observing the person, chills ran through my body.

“!!!”

The unexpected guest called out my new name, which I had barely become accustomed to.

“Jin-wook!”

The opponent approached me as if skipping. My gaze was first fixated on the person’s chest and then quickly recaptured her whole picture. Defense artifacts that weren’t available even in my previous life were visible all over her. From head to toe, she was covered with dirt, stains, and blood. Anyone could tell that the person had just finished exploring a dungeon. She then hugged me, her long black hair drifting over my face.

“I heard what happened! Are you okay?”

After holding me in her arms for a while, she finally let me go and looked at me, her eyes full of worry. It was an impression that I couldn’t easily forget even if I didn’t have the skill to remember everything. Both softness and strength were contained in her delicate facial feature. She looked like Seo Jin-wook’s age, but that contrasting deep gaze was that of hunters.

Her name appeared in my head.

‘Han-seol.’

The sub-Guild Master of the Celestial Dragon Guild.

“Do you know how frightened I was to hear the news as soon as I left the dungeon? I just finished the needed work and ran here right away.”

“Ah…yes.”

She covered her warm hands over my own.

“Amnesia, right? You didn’t forget me, right? If you say yes, I’m going to faint, okay?”

The vividness that couldn’t be expressed in the brief information of the documents left behind in the future gave me a strange sense of incongruity.

‘Was this her personality?’

I had never seen her face to face in my previous life, but it was too different from the image in my head. Han-seol had founded and ran a small guild by herself before moving into the Celestial Dragon Guild. At that time, there weren’t many guild members, only ten or so. Still, its reputation was high despite being a minor guild, and Han-Seol’s ability and insight played a big role in accomplishing that.

All of the hunters she scouted while creating the guild either refused to join a major guild or were evaluated as weaklings with low growth potential, even if they belonged in a major guild. Yet, somehow, they grew up to surpass some of the major guild aces by developing their special abilities.

‘Almost all of the hunters from the guild followed Han-seol when she came into the Celestial Dragon Guild.’

And even now, they were being evaluated as aces or occupied a high-ranking position in the guild. It was no wonder that, at this point, the hunters brought in by Han-seol offered direct loyalty to her rather than to the Guild Master.

“Let us first sit down and talk.”

I tried to sit at the table between us, but she made sure to sit next to me. Then she constantly looked around my body, occasionally sighing while touching my face with both her hands.

“You being sick… I’m really worried. But the Guild Master didn’t seem to take it seriously. I was lost for words.”

I also agreed with that part. Han-seol, who was patting me, carefully looked over my expression.

“Well, Jin-wook, did you…hear the strange sounds again this time?”

“···”

When I didn’t answer, she carefully asked again.

“What did it say this time? Did it tell you to attack Chang-hee?”

Did they usually have conversations like this? It was the opposite of my father’s attitude, who urged me to overcome the hallucinations since they were there because my mind was weak.

She spoke whilst peering into my eyes.

“It’s okay. You can tell me everything. Jin-wook, you know, right? The kids I met even before I came to the Celestial Dragon Guild are like my own children, but you are even more special. Haven’t I watched over you ever since you were five years old?”

I shook my head.

“Well, my memories aren’t completely stable, so.”

I wasn’t sure of the questions’ intention, and I didn’t know the whole situation before the possession, so I avoided answering.

“Phew…yes, if you remember it later, let me know. You know, right? Even if the doctors can’t discover it right now, I will surely find the cause of your illness someday. There may be some artifacts that are yet to be known on Earth that may be helpful. Don’t be discouraged and wait for me. I will help you for sure.”

The relationship between the two seemed to be dearer than I thought.

“What might the situation be for one to hit a non-awakened? Park Chang-hee, that bastard!”

Han-seol sharpened her teeth while reciting the name of the cause of all evil. Secretary Kim said that he wouldn’t be subjected to a harsh punishment because of the support of Han-seol, so I gently tested the water about that.

“I heard that it was said that it would end with probation for a few days, both for Team Leader Park and me.”

“Well, the situation at Si-Heung 8 Dungeon is enough that the entire guild lacks manpower. But don’t worry. I just came here after having some bitter words with him. I gave enough of a beating that he even groaned.”

I saw that, among the bloodstains left on the combat uniform worn by the sub-Guild Master, there were some lighter stains that seemed to have been made recently.

“So he’ll be careful from now on.”

As she spoke, she clenched her fists. Knowing that an elephant would pop like a balloon with that single fist made me feel suddenly cold.

“Chang-hee wasn’t like that when he was young, but the older he gets, the more grumpy he is. It would be nice if he grew old with grace, but not everyone does. Please understand him.”

Just by her look, Han-seol seemed to be older than Park Chang-hee, and both seemed to be at an age to recall ‘when they were young,’ but it appeared that they weren’t. Hunters with enough potential mana that they continuously activated remained at their optimal state for longer. Han-seol’s state was higher, so she looked younger.

“In a few days, I will be awakened as well, so there will be no such accidents again.”

Han-seol’s face darkened a little when she heard my words.

“By the way, Jin-wook…this is my first time talking about this.”

She hesitated for a while before continuing.

“Do you…need to awaken as a hunter?”

“What does that mean?”

She couldn’t say it easily, but she muttered again.

“Rather than to do it today, why don’t you think about it and give it some time?”

I thought of Seo Gyu-cheol — the man who was agitated to awaken me as soon as the law allowed him to.

“Of course, the Guild Master would be furious, but if you agree, I will make a suggestion. He does listen, at least to me.”

“Why do you suddenly say that? You think that I should hold on to Awakening, for now?”

“Because I keep thinking that it would be better for your safety to resolve the disease and then proceed with the Awakening. Guild Master tries to hush them, but later if the rumors spread, it serves you no good, and if you have a seizure in the middle of exploring, your life may be in danger.”

I understood her words, but it didn’t make sense to postpone my plans to go on. Although there was already a seal of Awakening in the soul, it became easier for me to move after publicizing that I had awakened externally. I shook my head.

“No, it seems that the current situation looks already unreasonable to postpone it further.”

I deliberately spoke vaguely, and she seemed to understand, but at the same time, she nodded slowly as if it was unfortunate.

“If you think so, then it can’t be helped.”

She managed to get up from her seat because of the fuss the secretary made, saying that she had a schedule that couldn’t be delayed any longer. Han-seol looked at me several times more as she left the room, plainly worried.

“See you again in the afternoon, Jin-wook!”

The door closed.

“Phew.”

I remained alone in the room and buried my back on the sofa.

“What the hell was that?”

After confronting Han-seol, my thoughts were even more confused. The curse hidden in Seo Jin-wook’s body, and the unidentified men who attacked me days ago. I thought Han-seol would be the most probable suspect. Considering her relationship with Park Chang-hee, who tried to do something strange to me and having built an independent force within the guild, it was blatantly suspicious. All the more so when she recommended postponing my Awakening now.

But whatever was going inside her mind; it seemed that the relationship between the two, which they maintained on the surface, was closer than I had initially imagined.

“Is that all acting?”

Also, there was one secret that no one in the guild seemed to have noticed. As soon as I entered the room, the reason why I got the chills weren’t just because an uninvited guest was in the room without my knowledge. There was a reason I couldn’t easily take my gaze away from her heart.

“Including the hunter who was in the black market the other day…why are there so many people in this era who wears the skin of a sheep over their skills?”

The first time I saw Han-seol, I saw an explosion of mana emanating from her core. It was to the point that it was chilling and daunting to look at. Even if to compare only the currently active part and excluding the potential mana, Han-Seol was already overpowering Seo Gyu-cheol.

I was curious. What was Han-Seol doing, working under Seo Gyu-cheol, who when she was far beyond him as a hunter? Why hadn’t her true abilities been properly documented in the future? And there was one more missing link that couldn’t be solved with the information left in the future.

“Seo Jin-wook and Han-seol.”

I quietly recalled this. What was the relationship between Seo Jin-wook and Han-seol in reality? According to the official records in the future, Seo Jin-wook died in a tragic accident one year from now. And Han-seol died on the same date and in the same place as Seo Jin-wook.

*

There was no surprise from the second guest since there had been an appointment in advance. In the reception room that I was called to with Secretary Kim, Seo Gyu-cheol and Han-seol, who had changed into their new clothes, waited for us. Two men in suits sat across them, the badges on the collar revealing their affiliation.

I greeted them.

“I am Seo Jin-wook.”

They were officials from the Constitutional Department.

“Yes, nice to meet you. Then before proceeding, we will first verify your identity.”

Han-seol looked at me with strange emotions that seemed to be mixed up while government officials were carrying out a set procedure, and Seo Gyu-cheol had the widest smile on his lips ever since I met him. The official who finished checking the physical identification information nodded while looking at Seo Gyu-cheol.

“Yes, you are verified. We may proceed.”

The expression of the government official that spoke was strangely rigid. Was he nervous because of Seo Gyu-cheol? Well, it didn’t matter. Putting aside my questions, I turned my gaze over the table. Secretary Kim quickly opened the case that was sealed with several layers on the table. After entering the password several times and peeling off the last layer, there was a transparent jewel in front of me shining with bright light.

“Now, then…”

How long had it been since I held this in my hand? After accepting Seo Gyu-cheol’s gaze, I took a deep breath. Then, I put my hand on the Awakening stone. Suddenly, pitch-black darkness set in all around me.