Fate in the Palm of My Hand

I clamped both hands over my mouth to keep the sound from escaping and laughed into my palms, snickering helplessly.

I couldn't hold the joy in.

How could this situation not make me happy?

Whether Kim Isol would keep living as an Awoken from now on, or lose her mana and live as an ordinary civilian just like me — that choice rested entirely on my whim.

This devil girl's fate was sitting right there in the palm of my hand.

If she ever found out the truth, she'd come for my throat. Puhahaha.

Alright. Calm down… calm down.

That didn't mean I was about to snuff out her mana right this second. I still had to finish this expedition properly. There would be plenty of chances later.

I rose from my spot as light as a feather and headed for the sleeping Baek Hwayeon. I meant to check whether it worked on her too — and on Lee Donggeul as well.

First, Baek Hwayeon.

Even asleep, she was elegant. It was a shame those long, slender legs were hidden under the blanket.

The screen that appeared wasn't much different from Kim Isol's. Well, that tracked. Her attacks couldn't even punch through a Red Devil's skull.

Either way, I was getting happier by the second — giddy like a kid who'd just gotten the toy he'd been wanting.

I'd heard that Mana Manifestors went through a mysterious experience called Awakening through training at the Academy. Everyone's experience was different, but they all described it as astonishing, wondrous, and joyful. The sensation of everything about yourself improving in an instant… that wasn't something just anyone got to taste. I'd always figured it was the exclusive privilege of a handful of athletes and Awoken.

But wait — had I Awakened too?

I couldn't feel anything like mana inside my body, but there were cases of people manifesting unusual abilities through Awakening. Like psychics.

I wanted to check more and more. But a re-test cost money… I wanted to get tested again, but the money was the problem. Still, I didn't feel any real need to get official national certification as an Awoken through an exam. This power was already in my hands, and I had no sense it was going to vanish on me.

Heh heh…

I immediately set my hand on Lee Donggeul's forehead as well.

"Mmm…"

Even asleep, she was cute. And completely defenseless. Two round mounds, true to her name, were practically begging for attention.

I swallowed hard.

Yeah — looking at that premature-ejaculation of a Heal she had, F-1 mana capacity made perfect sense.

Everything else was identical, but one thing stood out differently on Lee Donggeul's info. Her Synchronization Rate was listed at 0.1%.

Why her? Why only her?

I understood the reason almost immediately. A brief headache hit, and more information poured in.

I decided to keep it simple. Synchronization Rate was basically affinity or intimacy. And it might also have something to do with the degree of physical contact shared with someone. The only thing that had brushed against my arm was Lee Donggeul's round chest, after all.

I couldn't stop my gaze from locking onto those full breasts as she slept. Right then and there, I wanted to grab both of those soft mounds with both hands.

That's a crime…

I had to keep my head on straight. Other Awoken were sleeping right next to us, not to mention the company staff. And I'd never been the type who got off on PDA in front of people anyway.

I smacked my lips and forced myself away from the spot. There was still more to test — namely, whether my right hand worked on Non-Awoken as well.

I didn't particularly want to put my hand on these creepy middle-aged guys' faces, but I'd endure it just once. Wait — did I even need to put it on their probably-smelly faces? Hair would be enough. Safer that way, too.

Oh. It worked. It worked!

Even though this middle-aged guy wasn't an Awoken, the information still came up in front of my eyes. The type field labeled him Non-Awoken, so that much was certain. And unlike the others, his mana capacity was zero.

I'd heard that every person was born with at least a minimal amount of mana… so mana and mana capacity were apparently slightly different concepts. I had zero mana. This guy didn't have zero mana — he just hadn't Awakened, so his mana capacity registered as 0.

I kept wondering why I knew these things, but I was rationalizing it as my own unique Awakened ability.

There was something else that stood out on this guy's info window. His held points were 0. And there was an asterisk next to where it said Non-Awoken. Points being zero made sense for a Non-Awoken, but the moment I tried to check why that suspicious star was showing—

I couldn't help but be stunned.

No way…

My ability wasn't just turning mana on and off. It looked like… I could also Awaken someone at will.

Jackpot…

A sound slipped out of me before I could stop it.

There was a restriction. It required 1 point. So I couldn't force-Awaken this guy right now — but just realizing the possibility sent a thrill racing through my entire body that I couldn't suppress.

"T-Team Leader, what on earth are you doing…?"

A presence and a voice cut in at that moment. Jang Yong was standing at the tent entrance, staring at me in shock.

I immediately caught what kind of misunderstanding he was having. My hand was in a company guy's hair, and I was trembling with pure joy. Still — of all things. Misunderstanding me in that direction? Did that bastard want to quit the Awoken life?

"Ah, it's nothing. He was coughing, so I just pulled the blanket over him."

Sometimes I amazed even myself. How could I lie this shamelessly? If I hadn't ended up in this line of work, I probably could've made it as a con man somewhere.

I quietly returned to my spot and sat down. Using both hands as a pillow, I lay back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and stared up at the ceiling.

Those fucking Awoken bastards who'd looked down on me and treated me like dirt. Just wait. From now on, you'd be the ones coming to kneel in front of me.

I thought hard about how best to use this power going forward. Top priority was my own safety. The moment they found out there was someone who could erase their abilities with a single touch, they'd try to kill me. So this ability stayed secret from everyone.

And synchronization… how to raise this Synchronization Rate quickly. How to spend the points. I seriously considered all of it.

Before long, a few plans took shape. I looked over at the women lying beside me. First up: experiments on these ones.

As I watched them, a crooked smile crept onto my face without my noticing.

Six in the morning.

The early day began. Standing watch was the Awoken's job, so Lee Donggeul had taken the final shift after the overnight rotation. She kept yawning from lack of sleep until her eyes met mine.

"Good work."

"Ah, I… I'm just glad. That you're okay. I was so worried yesterday."

The only person here with a 0.1% head start. That single fact alone made her feel different.

"I heard you used a precious Heal on me. Thank you, truly."

"Ah, no. The others told me to…"

"Don't lie. You fixed my hand yesterday too. I'm sincerely grateful. Once the expedition's over, let me treat you to a nice meal as thanks."

I put on the gentlest expression I could manage. Haneul had said she'd fallen for this face of mine, so it would probably work — assuming Donggeul already had some goodwill toward me, that is.

First I needed to get to a place where physical contact with her felt natural. Only then could I try anything.

I reached out without warning and brushed her hair back. It was the kind of gesture couples made, done completely out of the blue — but luckily, she didn't pull away. Lee Donggeul looked up at me with startled rabbit eyes, a little flustered, but I ignored it appropriately. Plenty of thoughts must have been racing through her head. I felt a little bad, but of the three women in this situation, she was simply the easiest to handle.

"Ah, I couldn't help myself — you're just too cute. Did that bother you?"

"Ah… no…"

Lee Donggeul barely managed to answer in a voice that shrank into itself. That reaction alone was genuinely adorable, but I stepped away soon after. Not because I was playing hard to get — because I had a mountain of work piled up.

Fuck…

I had to cook again, something I barely even did at home. And last night's dinner dishes were still sitting there. Cursing under my breath the whole time, I grudgingly scrubbed the filthy plates clean. Just in case some superpower had kicked in, I squeezed a dish as hard as I could. Nothing happened. Only my poor fingers hurt.

Had I really Awakened at all?

Haa…

I put together a simple breakfast of toast and bacon. After the way I'd collapsed last night, they'd understand this much. I'd end up with leftover ingredients I'd prepared, but there was no need to use everything on purpose. Canned goods and preserved food would have to be returned, but the fresh stuff was getting discarded anyway — so I'd quietly take it home for food.

Lee Donggeul, who'd been on watch, went into the tent without so much as offering to help. Still sleepy and trying to get more rest? Well, I didn't need help frying some bacon and a few eggs anyway.

Time flowed on, and everything proceeded step by step according to the predetermined schedule. We finished the meal, explored three additional rooms, and returned to the entrance. Two in the afternoon. A little past the target time, but well within the expected range.

The equipment set up at the entrance had been cleaned up thoroughly. Now all that remained was to go outside, return the suits we were wearing, and today's schedule would be done. I was a bit hungry since it was before a meal, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but eating lunch outside would be more comfortable anyway.

Once we left the dungeon, we had a meal in a nearby city, then caught another company car and arrived in Seoul. I told the Awoken to report to the company next Monday and announced the expedition team's disbandment. There hadn't been any real loot to speak of, so our first expedition wrapped up like that.

But before we parted, I stopped Lee Donggeul. The sky was already growing dark — it felt too wasteful to just let her go like this.

"Would you like to have dinner together?"

"Huh? With meee?"

"Yes."

"But I'm still full…"

"Then how about some cheesecake?"

The moment her favorite food came up, a smile bloomed across her face like a flower opening. I'd felt a twinge of conscience about using her, but something inside me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seemed to melt a little for no good reason.

I had no intention of making her mana completely unusable, so it wouldn't be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a bad deal for her either. If anything, if her mana capacity increased thanks to me, a full prostration wouldn't even be enough. And from my side — a date with a girl this cute and soft-looking? Until yesterday I'd been dying over Shin Haneul. You really never knew what life would throw at you.

Someone once said heartbreak should be healed with another person. That sounded exactly right.

"Let's go somewhere close."

"Okayy… um. I…"

"What is it?"

"Can I… call you Oppa?"

What did that mean? As a boyfriend, or just as a friendly neighborhood older guy? Either way, it would help close the distance, so I agreed readily. And I started calling her by name.

We sat in the farthest corner of the café's second floor. We already had our drinks and cheesecake. She clearly loved sweets — the smile never left her face. Even so, I couldn't just sit there watching her eat, so I had no choice but to tell a small lie.

"Um… Donggeul."

"Yes?"

"Could you take a look at my hand?"

"Your hand?"

"Yes. It's the one you healed yesterday, but it feels a little off."

She carefully took my right hand in both of hers, as if she'd suddenly become a doctor, and began examining it this way and that. The moment skin met skin, her information appeared in my field of vision as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Huh?

A number that had been 0.1% barely a second ago had suddenly jumped to 0.2.

So it really is physical contact?