Chapter 25
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: 4. The Value of Potions (2)
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I still wasn't treated as someone worthy of entering a dungeon.
There was no room for disagreement on that point. Because of it, the people who might suffer losses due to me in the final dungeon exam harbored complaints. And quite a few from other grades—who didn't know which dungeon they might end up sharing with me—voiced their unease as outright dissatisfaction.
The overt heckling about potions had stopped, but the sidelong glares and whispers behind my back were pretty much unchanged.
Lee Sang-hee from our class was the prime example.
'Lately, she even looks like she wants to kill me.'
But didn't that mean even Lee Sang-hee was staying quiet now?
'Could someone have threatened her?'
Erich's laughter rang briefly in my ears.
What was this? It was the laugh he let out whenever he heard a thought he liked.
"You don't believe it, huh?"
"Of course."
Without me even saying it, Yoo Han-seong grinned, grasping exactly what I wanted to express.
And then he spoke.
"For the time being, everyone will keep their mouths shut. Even if their reasons differ slightly."
"Hmm. So, they're worried I'll get dragged off to some research lab?"
"That's part of it."
As if he'd said everything he needed to, Yoo Han-seong straightened up from where he'd been leaning against the window.
Our eyes met in a fleeting brush, his gaze gleaming as if it were piercing straight to the heart of the secrets I kept hidden.
"They say you're making intermediate potions pretty well now, too?"
He stepped up beside me and asked as we walked together.
"You don't need to push yourself so hard in practice anymore."
"...No. It's not enough. Far from enough!"
His footsteps were nearly silent.
Yoo Han-seong sometimes moved like a stray cat.
Whenever he was on guard against his surroundings.
But there was no such tension on his calm, unclouded face.
"Staying up all night, hands shaking like that? ...Once you can whip up intermediate potions with ease, no one will ignore you anywhere. So why are you so desperate?"
A faint hint of amusement lingered, but his demeanor didn't feel lighthearted at all.
He glanced fleetingly at my wrist.
The overly excited Yu-hee had gripped it hard in the moment, leaving a faint red handprint.
Jin Hari's skin was unusually soft, bruising easily even from minor impacts. Yu-hee would probably notice soon enough—and make a pitiful face when she did.
'They keep their distance for sure, but they're fundamentally kind about stuff like this.'
That's why I liked them.
I was liking them more and more.
And right now, there was no issue with answering straight from the heart, so that's exactly what I did.
"I like it here. That's why."
"What's so good about it?"
"It's a place where good people do good things, so I like it. I like being able to help with things I can't do myself. I'm happy because so many people have popped up that I want to keep watching over for a long, long time."
"You say such innocent stuff so effortlessly."
"I like simple things. And Han-seong-ah."
"Yeah."
"I'm still in a position to be dead weight. How could I practice leisurely with peace of mind?"
"And that counts as a reason?"
"Yeah."
Being weak meant I wouldn't get dragged into dungeons—so the neglect itself was pure joy. That core mindset hadn't budged an inch.
'I tend to end up bleeding out a lot in dungeons.'
If I got even moderately hurt—no, seriously injured—I'd expose that bait-attracting power of mine, just like in the original story.
But if you asked whether I was thrilled about others dying so I could live? No, that wasn't it.
I was simply glad to naturally sidestep disasters I couldn't handle.
And if that ended up harming others, then doing my utmost to minimize it was the right call.
"If I can't avoid being dead weight, then at least I should pile up more ways to be helpful. That's what I want."
His gaze drifted very slowly down to my forehead.
"Hari-ya, your potions..."
He trailed off, letting out the tiniest sigh.
"Honestly, it's hard to call them practice batches."
I shrugged with a smile.
"Must've been luck."
"Luck?"
He smiled in that peculiar way of his.
"That's not the kind of perfection you get from luck."
Yoo Han-seong's eyes traced slowly from my face to my fingertips, then back up to my face.
His expression wasn't cold, but it carried the vibe of someone itching to probe deeper.
Sometimes, he acted like I was the one sitting on a mountain of extra info.
"The old classroom's a bit unusual, right? Maybe it's that environment."
"Hmm. You really have zero confidence in yourself."
My heart gave a chilly shiver.
Because it hit too close to the truth.
Still, I kept my smile and shook my head right away.
"Nah. I'm just staring the facts in the face."
"You really believe that?"
"Yeah."
"...It might help your growth for now, but down the line, it could backfire."
I drew in a small breath.
I was a little tense—having my insides unexpectedly laid bare like that—but it didn't feel bad, so I kept my expression as soft and gentle as possible.
"It's fine. Besides, I just need something to do anyway."
"What kind of something?"
"Something where I'm needed."
Yoo Han-seong lowered his eyes.
A heavy shadow draped beneath his lashes.
His fingertips brushed slowly through the empty air before clenching into a tight fist.
A quiet voice dropped.
"...It could get dangerous."
"It's fine."
Of course—do you think you're the only ones risking your necks in dungeons?
Worst case, I reveal Erich to the world and pin it all on them!
[...Not a bad plan.]
'You're surprisingly agreeable.'
[I'm a highly rational being.]
For someone so rational, you sure seemed peeved at our whole class of innocents.
But Erich just snorted again.
For now, let's call the research lab risk handled.
"It's not fine."
He shot back immediately.
"Hari-ya."
The way he said my name was unusually low.
"The fact that there's no aftereffects even from chugging a ton—that's a problem too."
"Aftereffects?"
"Potions can cause addiction symptoms if you overdo it, but yours? Nothing like that."
This was out of left field.
"It's practically magical. Good thing, sure. But that's exactly why it's riskier."
"Ah."
"Weak as you are... yet you've got multiple precious items. More than enough utility value."
Yoo Han-seong fell silent for a beat, then murmured quietly,
"So."
His eyes dropped to my hand.
"If anything special comes up with the potions... tell me first. I'll make damn sure you don't get hurt."
"..."
His kind concern rang sincere. But there was one blind spot he seemed oblivious to. This whole superior-looking-out-for-the-little-guy vibe? It was neglect in its own right.
'As expected—handing out top-shelf potions doesn't wipe out the neglected vibe.'
Grateful as I was, his actions openly underscoring our gap actually felt reassuring. Long as Yoo Han-seong stayed aware of that gap, I'd be safe.
I smiled gladly and accepted it.
His eyes locked dead-on with mine.
"I promise. Want me to draw up a contract?"
I hugged my bag tight and spoke slowly.
"No need."
Yoo Han-seong smiled slowly, looking utterly satisfied.
It wasn't a huge grin, but it was the most fulfilled expression I'd ever seen on him.
Without pulling back that scrutinizing gaze, he said,
"Yeah."
That day, after practice wrapped up and it hit the dead of night.
He'd walked me all the way to the dorm entrance when he suddenly piped up, like the thought just hit him.
"Next time, tell me about that too."
I blinked for a second.
"About what?"
"The dream. About the memories."
Dreams, okay—but memories?
I stared at him, baffled, and he let out a soft chuckle.
His face held a strange sense of kinship.
A touch apologetic, maybe a little pitying too.
'What misunderstanding is this guy under?'
Why did it feel so wistful?
[Like I'd know?]
That day in particular, I couldn't focus during class at all.
Even staring straight at the blackboard, the letters blurred and trembled.
According to the original story, tonight.
The dungeon whose rank would skyrocket from the Third Cataclysm's influence—the Moon Haze Dungeon—was set to open.
'I've been steadily supplying Lee Hae-sol with mental barrier potions. Has he actually been taking them consistently?'
The episode where Lee Hae-sol awakens... and his mind shatters into pieces right alongside it.