Chapter 17
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 17
Holy Power
I wanted to lighten the mood a little.
Because constantly worrying about that bitch of a sister is meaningless. Rather than wrapping my head around that, it's better to bury it.
But looking at the vampire Kim Ji-hoo's reaction, I'm reminded of university orientation.
Ugh, my head...!
That bastard, pretending to care for me so much only to embarrass me like this.
...I should leave the unpleasant past behind.
Kim Ji-hoo only stepped back after finishing a few more tests.
After drawing blood and doing all sorts of things, one fact was discovered.
"Confirmed a trace amount of control over blood."
As Captain Kim said, Kim Ji-hoo could manipulate blood, even if only a little.
Even so, it was only about 10ml of blood, so it wasn't at a meaningful level.
"Still, this is a very terrifying ability. If you can momentarily stop the blood flowing in a person's body, you could instantly kill an enemy."
"Of course, if that were possible. You can only manipulate blood that has leaked outside the body, right?"
"Ahem, hem!"
Kim Ji-hoo cleared his throat as if embarrassed.
It's an ability where I have no idea how it could be utilized.
And next was the owlbear old man's turn.
"...Amazing."
A low exclamation flowed from Captain Kim's lips as he checked the owlbear old man's stats.
The old man was just standing still with his eyes closed.
But the air surrounding him was exuding a completely different kind of pressure from when the orc mister lifted the rebar earlier.
"We will go with the hearing test again. Adjutant, activate frequency generator number 6."
"Yes, Captain."
A very faint mechanical sound could be heard from a corner of the underground parking lot.
It was a sound in a high-frequency band that an ordinary human wouldn't even be able to perceive. But those bizarre ears with feathers sticking up trembled slightly.
"I hear it. 30 meters to the left. I can even hear the sound of the cooling fan spinning inside the equipment."
At the old man's calm answer, Captain Kim's eyes sharpened.
"Raise the frequency higher. And activate all the inter-floor noise blockers. We will confirm if he can isolate a specific sound source amidst noise."
A moment later, all kinds of mechanical noises inside the underground base, the footsteps of soldiers, and the sound of generators echoing from afar mixed together, creating a vortex of noise.
But even that was meaningless.
"A vehicle entering the ramp section of this parking lot... There is one two-and-a-half-ton truck. The rear brake pads are worn down, so there's a metallic sound mixed in."
The owlbear old man's hearing was truly at a transcendent level.
The military officials who saw the old man's abilities gasped in quiet admiration.
"At this level, it's not simply having good ears. It's no different from a biological radar that picks out specific waves amidst noise pollution."
"You overpraise me. It's just... hearing things that shouldn't be heard is sometimes a torment."
Looking back, the old man had said he occasionally heard screams near the blackout zone.
He must have his own struggles.
After that, the old man underwent a muscle strength measurement.
The results were at a similar level to the orc mister. Damn it, are you saying your muscle strength is top-tier too.
"Next is... the last one."
But the protagonist is meant to be me.
I confidently squared my shoulders and stepped forward.
"First, there will be a physical ability measurement."
My turn had come.
Perhaps because I had just seen the orc mister bend a rebar like taffy and the owlbear old man act like a biological radar, a baseless confidence surged within me.
Of course, my exterior is incredibly frail, but... I am still an angel in name. There's a thing called base racial stats, so no matter how bad it is, I should at least be average.
"Han Yoo-jin, step forward."
At Captain Kim's call, I stepped out while lightly flapping my wings.
As the wings that had been hunched up inside the long padding unfurled, the gazes of the surrounding soldiers were focused once again.
As expected, the protagonist always appears last.
"We will start with a grip strength measurement first. Try lifting that 20kg dumbbell over there."
What Captain Kim pointed to was a dumbbell rolling around in the corner.
20kg? The orc mister lifted 1 ton earlier, so this is practically no different from cotton candy.
I reached out my hand with a light heart.
"Heave-ho...!"
...Huh?
"Uh...?"
The dumbbell isn't budging.
No, to be exact, it is lifting, but my arms are trembling violently.
The lump of iron that approached almost half my body weight was much heavier than I thought.
I used all my strength to lift it, but my posture completely collapsed.
"......."
A heavy silence fell over the underground parking lot.
I rolled my eyes around and checked my surroundings.
"Um, Captain. I originally lived my life building a wall against exercising... Plus, my body has gotten a bit smaller now, hasn't it?"
"It is a matter we expected to some degree. Because not all mutations enhance physical abilities."
But Captain Kim's expression as he said that wasn't good.
"But at this rate... it will be difficult for you to handle firearms."
Ah, firearms.
As someone who hasn't served in the military yet, it's something I feel a bit of distance from.
Come to think of it, I've heard firearms are quite heavy.
Of course, it probably isn't at a level where I couldn't hold it at all, but... it would be too much for combat.
Fuck, you said I'm an angel. Are you going to do a balance patch like this?
"Next are your wings. We will check if flight is possible."
Ah, wings.
Come to think of it, I had never once thought of trying to fly using these wings.
Yeah, so what if my muscle strength is weak.
I have wings!
"I will give it a try."
I flapped my wings vigorously. Along with a rustling sound, a few feathers fluttered into the air.
But my body didn't lift off. Just when I thought my heels were lifting slightly, they stuck back to the floor like magnets.
"You can't fly?"
"...I can't fly."
At those words, I hung my head low.
The wing muscles clearly move according to my will.
But it seemed the lift from the wings was ridiculously insufficient to levitate this frail body that's not even 150cm tall into the air.
I felt like a chicken would fly higher than this.
"Let's summarize. Wings exist but flight is impossible. Physical abilities are at the level of an ordinary female."
"...Yeah, well. It turned out that way."
I answered calmly to the cold verdict.
While the others were showing such shocking physical abilities, to think I'm the only one in this state.
As I was sulking, Kim Ji-hoo approached and shouted enthusiastically.
"If the physical ability measurement has ended, it's finally time for you to manifest a miracle!"
At those words, I suddenly came to my senses.
Right, I still had a card left to play.
"Turn off all the lights."
At Captain Kim's order, the lights in the parking lot were turned off all at once.
But darkness didn't descend immediately.
Flaaaash-!
The explosive radiance pouring out from the halo.
Because that faint but more certain than anything light illuminated the surroundings.
"...Secured a visibility range of over 30 meters. It is manifesting light without being affected by the special waves of the blackout zone."
Tension hung in Captain Kim's voice again.
He carefully observed the wavelength of the light and added in a low voice.
"Perhaps... this light might play a role beyond simply illuminating. There seems to be a possibility of locally neutralizing or counteracting the blackout phenomenon itself. Of course, this is just a hypothesis that needs to be verified by actually going inside."
Neutralizing? I wondered if such a grand thing was possible, but Captain Kim's eyes were serious.
"Lastly is your healing ability. Can you manifest the same ability as that time?"
"Well, I'm not sure. I'll give it a try."
That was hard even for me to guarantee.
I had only used it exactly once back then, and even that I used with an intuitive feeling.
A feeling that it succeeded due to a coincidence of coincidences.
Captain Kim directly pulled out a multi-tool knife from his pocket.
Kim Ji-hoo, who was standing next to him, stepped forward saying he would do it, but Captain Kim coldly stopped him.
"Mr. Ji-hoo, don't you have regenerative abilities. Variables might arise."
As soon as the words ended, Captain Kim mercilessly slashed the back of his own hand.
"Ugh!"
I, who was watching, was more surprised and gasped.
Bright red blood welled up and seeped over the sleeve of his military uniform. The blade must have gone in quite deep, as blood dripped onto the floor.
Captain Kim held out his injured hand to me without blinking an eye.
"Please try."
I swallowed dryly and placed my hand over his.
The hot and metallic sensation of blood was transmitted over the cold back of his hand embedded with rough calluses.
I closed my eyes to squeeze out that unfamiliar yet warm sensation I felt at the community center.
'What kind of sensation did I feel back then?'
Definitely, definitely...
I can't remember. This damn goldfish-brained bastard.
If so, I have to take a new approach.
Just what am I supposed to do to bring out that energy?
I quietly stared at Captain Kim's gaping wound.
Come to think of it, what I felt when I saved the old woman back then wasn't a complex technique.
Just desperation. A very primal and instinctive compassion, hoping that person would live.
The emotion that the colossal entity I met in the dream had harbored for me.
A love as vast as the ocean.
As I realized that, I felt the boundless energy embraced by the halo.
For convenience... shall I call it Holy Power.
I drew out a thin thread of Holy Power sticking out from the halo, and...
Flash!
Along with a momentary flash of light, Captain Kim's hand was healed.
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