Chapter 131
Chapter 131
Civil Servant Hunter’s S-class Resignation Log – Chapter 131
That day was in January.
The horrific December had ended, and new hope was blooming that year, but January brought an unusually heavy snowfall. Some called the world blanketed in white the peace built by heroes.
But to the two children, it was the coldest winter, one marked by despair.
Jae-hun and Se-ra held hands and sat awkwardly in front of their parents' graves. Jae-hun suggested they leave because it was cold, but Se-ra stayed put until her nose and cheeks were bright red.
Their mom and dad had left home as usual upon hearing monsters had appearedand they never came back. All that was left for the young siblings were two small mounds of earth.
"Oppa, Mom and Dad aren't coming back anymore, are they?"
Jae-hun gave a faint smile at her voice, chilled to the bone.
"Yeah."
"The monsters ate them all up, right?"
"......Yeah."
"Why didn't Mom and Dad run away?"
She had been waiting for them. She had prayed without sleeping, begging them to come back safe this time, no matter what.
Why had they both left the world together on that frigid winter day with snow falling coldly?
"Fighting like this, and no one even notices."
People rejoiced that they had survived. They shed tears of gratitude.
But the only ones mourning the sacrifice of Geum Hyeon-hui and Yoon Seo-woo were their family. To others, their own survival mattered more. An eleven-year-old child sneered bitterly.
"I'll never understand Mom and Dad my whole life."
A small, gloved hand poked at Geum Hyeon-hui's grave. That was the moment.
"Huh?"
Se-ra yanked her hand back in shock at the text that suddenly appeared before her eyes.
"O-Oppa. I'm seeing something weird."
"You too? Me too. Something weird in my eyes too. Like a game message window?"
"Oppa too?"
The siblings stared at each other blankly before turning back. Jae-hun swallowed hard and lightly tapped the window. The content changed.
"Inheritance...? Mom left an inheritance?"
"Oppa, inheritance is that thing, right? What people leave behind before they die."
"Yeah. But Aunt Hanna never mentioned anything like this."
Unlike the still young Se-ra, seventeen-year-old Jae-hun had heard all sorts of things about Awakeners. The fact that all Awakeners used a game-like system was already common knowledge in the world.
But he'd never heard of leaving an inheritance through the system.
'What do we do? Should we call Aunt?'
Jae-hun glanced anxiously toward the cemetery entrance. Song Han-na was standing guard there, giving the siblings space for their final goodbye to their parents.
The moment he started to go get her, the message changed.
Jae-hun, who had risen, sat back down. The message reacting to his thoughts gave him chills, but he couldn't risk running to Han-na if it meant destroying the inheritance. Better to check first, then talk.
"Se-ra-ya, it seems only the two of us can see it. Let's check what Mom left together."
"Okay."
"Say 'check inheritance' or something?"
Thankfully, the system responded well to Jae-hun's voice.
'Yoon Jae-hun' and 'Yoon Se-ra' can inherit the power of the deceased Awakener 'Geum Hyeon-hui.' Inheriting the inheritance will result in S-rank Awakening. The opportunity is only once; refusing will automatically destroy the inheritance.
"Oppa, what does this mean?"
Se-ra tilted her head at Jae-hun. But he couldn't answer.
An inheritance that was none other than power itself. Inheriting it would make them Awaken as S-rank like their mom. It was absurd. He didn't know everything about Awakeners, but he knew this was absolutely impossible. If it were possible, every S-rank would have left one before dying.
So how had Mom done it? What had she done to make this possible?
"S-rank? Mom was S-rank, right? So getting the gift makes us just like Mom?"
While Jae-hun was lost in confusion, Se-ra came to her own conclusion.
"I don't want it."
And before Jae-hun could stop her, she made her choice. Jae-hun looked at his sister in alarm.
"Don't want it?"
"Yeah, I don't. S-rank means strong people, right? I don't want to get strong like Mom. I don't want to become like her."
"......Ah."
"Oppa, you know what people say to me? 'Hurry up and grow up. Awaken and sacrifice yourself for us like your parents did.'" Se-ra let out a mocking laugh, as if it were ridiculous.
"Why should I? Mom was a normal office worker, then suddenly became a hero and kept coming home hurt. Why should I do that too? Who are they to demand that from me?"
"......"
"I'm not doing it. I don't want to. Aunt said it: live without catching anyone's eye. She'll protect me my whole life even if I do nothing. That's how I'll live. Rather than gaining power and living for others, I'll just live powerless, thinking only of myself."
Se-ra's unwavering resolve was fully conveyed to the system.
"Yeah, refuse."
Se-ra, who had refused her mother's final gift without hesitation, looked up at her brother holding her. He resembled Mom a lot. But unlike Mom, he cared more about her than others.
He was different from her, so he didn't have to make the same choice.
"Oppa. Do what you want. I won't oppose whatever you choose. It's fine. Just don't disappear suddenly one day like Mom and Dad."
Jae-hun shuddered. Se-ra's dark eyes, like Dad's, gazed straight at him.
"You didn't force me to take the gift. I won't force you either. Do what you want, Oppa."
"......Sorry, Se-ra-ya. I want to take it. Not for others. For myself."
And to protect his sister, who had chosen to live without drawing attention.
Jae-hun looked at the system window with tears welling in his eyes.
"I'll take it."
It meant he would Awaken the year Yoon Jae-hun turned twenty. Actually, that was for the best. He wanted to stay by his still-young sister's side a while longer.
Jae-hun hugged Se-ra tightly and sighed. He needed to tell Aunt about this soon...
"......Can't even talk about it."
He hadn't planned to broadcast it everywhere, but not even to Han-na? He wanted to ask for details, but now he couldn't.
"Se-ra-ya. Don't tell anyone about this. Not even Aunt. It's a secret just between us."
"Not even Aunt? Then I might not be able to keep it... Eh, whatever. It doesn't concern me anyway, so better to just forget it."
Se-ra pouted like it was a hassle.
And a few days later, Se-ra really did forget about that day. To Jae-hun, it was the day the world changed again after their parents' death. But to her, who hadn't inherited the power, it was just a somewhat peculiar experience.
As she lived busily avoiding the curious stares of others, that day soon vanished completely from her memory.
* * *
"Hah!"
As the past replaying in her mind came to an end, Se-ra gasped for air. Overwhelmed by the sudden flood of memories, she lost her balance and staggered.
"Se-ra!"
Song Han-na hurriedly supported her. Kang Se-jun and Seong Ja-rim quickly scanned the surroundings.
"No attack or anything?"
"You okay?"
"Why's she suddenly like this? Se-ra!"
Se-ra had no strength to respond to Song Han-na's urgent voice. Her head throbbed from the onslaught of memories; she clutched her forehead unsteadily.
'Right. There was definitely something like that before... Crazy, Yoon Se-ra. How did you forget that?'
Just a somewhat peculiar thing? It wasn't just peculiarit was extraordinary! How could she have forgotten?
Se-ra lifted her head with trembling eyes. This was the spot where it had happened, about twelve years ago.
'Come to think of it, Oppa mentioned it before.'
After the Cheolwon Dungeon raid, when she visited Yoon Jae-hun in the hospital, he had said:
"I thought you'd stay strong without drawing attention, hidden away. That was your wish, right?"
"What? Yeah, I wanted that, but I never called it my wish."
"Huh? Oh, maybe you don't remember?"
She had thought it was nothing important! Who would have guessed it referred to that day!
Se-ra bit her lip hard. Should she call Jae-hun and grill him about it?
No, no need to call Jae-hun specifically.
'Inheritance. I've never heard of an Awakener leaving one through the system in my life.'
Leaving S-rank power, no less. Absurd. If possible, every S-rank and even L-rank would have done it.
Yet Geum Hyeon-hui had pulled it off. Yoon Jae-hun hadn't figured out why back then, but Se-ra had.
'The Administrator!'
Anyone else might not know, but he definitely would. Only he would know about this for sure.