The Fly That Crossed the Line
"Thank you for your hard work."
"…."
"…."
At Sung Suho's greeting, Oh Jin-ho and Park Huiyeon gave rough nods of acknowledgment.
After that, Sung Suho boarded a vehicle with Yoon Jia, and Oh Jin-ho and Park Huiyeon climbed into their own car behind them.
The moment Park Huiyeon got inside, she started venting her irritation.
"Ah, shit… this is so annoying."
"Calm down."
"Do I look like I can calm down? At this rate, the higher-ups are going to find something to nitpick."
"…."
Even Oh Jin-ho, who was normally composed, wore an uncomfortable expression at Park Huiyeon's words.
"The remaining two days are the problem."
Today was Thursday.
It had been four days since the cadets arrived at the Church for their field observation.
The tour was scheduled to run through Saturday, with the cadets returning to the Hero Academy on Sunday morning to wrap things up.
And Oh Jin-ho and Park Huiyeon's goal was to make the cadets understand just how important a place the Church was during that period.
Only then would the experience stand up against the cadets who'd gone on observation tours to other guilds.
Certainly, the cadets currently at the Church were getting a more efficient field experience than those visiting other guilds.
The problem was that the source of that efficiency wasn't Church support or the two of them — it was the assistant instructor.
"Ah, shit… we really got stuck with a pain-in-the-ass guy."
"His skills are decent enough, and his situational judgment is good. Plus he seems to have quite a bit of experience."
Unlike the first day, Oh Jin-ho and Park Huiyeon had taken the group into a dungeon with stronger miasma.
At first, things went exactly as planned — the cadets' exhaustion was plain to see.
On top of that, unique gimmicks they hadn't encountered in the previous dungeon were more than enough to throw the cadets into confusion.
The problem was that it only worked at the very beginning.
Sung Suho, who'd come along as an assistant instructor, provided immediate covering fire whenever the cadets were in danger, and calmed the exhausted ones with words of encouragement.
"When I was serving as an instructor, there was never anyone like that, damn it…"
"No matter how I think about it, it's weird."
"What is? His skills?"
"That too, but… he didn't seem affected by the miasma at all."
Frequent dungeon entry didn't grant complete immunity to miasma.
It wasn't a serious issue for Oh Jin-ho and Park Huiyeon, but for cadets and assistant instructors, it was a different story.
Even if they held out at first, fatigue should have continued to accumulate — that was normal.
But Sung Suho never received a single status ailment removal and walked out of the dungeon without a scratch.
Just like the two of them…
"Maybe he has a related ability?"
"If so, that's a truly blessed ability."
"But setting that aside… what do we do about this?"
What mattered to the two of them right now wasn't Sung Suho's skills or abilities.
They needed to instill a sense of crisis in the cadets — and then be the ones to resolve it.
"We took it too lightly. Let's go harder tomorrow."
"Will that be okay? We're not in any danger, but if the cadets get hurt, it'll be a hassle…"
Park Huiyeon pouted and grumbled, while Oh Jin-ho muttered under his breath and closed his eyes.
"That's still far better than sending them off like this."
"Well… you're right about that."
Park Huiyeon leaned back against the seat and hummed to herself.
"If a problem comes up, we can just dump all the responsibility on one person anyway."
I lay on the bed, staring at the trait window and muttering to myself.
This is a dilemma… a real dilemma…
Yeah… using Enel to keep treating miasma is a pretty severe waste.
What I was deliberating over was the Status Ailment Removal trait.
It would be nice if an immunity-type trait showed up later so I could learn it, but currently there was no one around who possessed such a thing.
Alright! Raise Status Ailment Removal to level 5 for now.
The moment Status Ailment Removal hit level 5, I drew a wind-attribute magic circle on a notebook in the room and activated alchemy.
The result…
Nice. The mana efficiency is going to be excellent.
Using a wind-attribute magic circle that consumed little mana as the base, I created a status recovery magic circle.
I'll test it a few times in the dungeon tomorrow, and if it seems weak, I'll raise the trait level further.
I committed the finished magic circle to memory as thoroughly as possible, then burned it and scattered the ashes out the window.
And beyond the darkened window, there was something that caught my eye.
Wow, I've got to give him credit for this. That bastard must be a suicide fetishist.
A fly bearing Go Chungshin's trait was flapping its wings far off in the distance.
It was observing me from over ten meters away.
Even someone like me, who hated flies with a passion, wouldn't have noticed it at that distance — and in a place this dark, no less.
But the trait was so conspicuous that even if I wanted to pretend I didn't see it, I couldn't.
Still, I pretended not to notice Go Chungshin and pulled my head back into the room.
I'll leave him be for now.
It bothers me, but just killing him indiscriminately wouldn't be any fun.
More than anything, judging by the current situation, it didn't seem like he intended to come into the room.
And if I left him like that, the main body would stay put in one place — which meant I could get a clear read on Go Chungshin's actual condition.
If it entered my room, I'd just kill it then.
The problem was…
Seriously, I asked them to fix this window, but they have zero intention of fixing it.
I'd confirmed it was broken the moment we arrived on the first day and requested a repair from a Church staff member, but so far there'd been nothing but radio silence.
Had they forgotten because I made the request at the same time they called medical staff when Go Chungshin fainted?
How should I put it… asking again at this point would just be ridiculous.
I muttered that to myself and got ready to head out.
Nothing to do anyway — might as well go out and look around.
Without a VR Headgear, there was nothing to occupy me once evening rolled around.
I shot a sidelong glance at Go Chungshin buzzing outside the window, then left the room.
If it's in my room when I get back, I'll kill it.
Once outside, I started wandering around the building.
I considered going around stealthed, but the moment I remembered I was in the Church, I dropped the idea immediately.
Getting caught after a half-assed stealth attempt would be a genuine headache.
Come to think of it, they said on the first day not to go anywhere except this building, right?
Given that this was no ordinary place, security was being maintained with strict rigor.
And alongside that fact, another thought occurred to me.
Should I try learning that fly possession skill?
I hated the idea with a passion, but learning it would give me the advantage of freely roaming the Church's interior.
The possibility of uncovering useful information was high enough that I found myself tempted.
Yeah, if I unluckily run into someone like me, I'd end up just like Go Chungshin, wouldn't I? Uegh…
The moment I got hit by an electric fly swatter, I could end up in the same state as Go Chungshin.
Though compared to the lightning I fired, that would be a drop in the ocean.
Tsk… I'll learn it later if I really need to. Hm?
Just then, I was passing the garden attached to the building.
"Haht! Haaah!"
In the garden, a woman was performing sword techniques with dazzling body movements.
The full moon hanging in the dark night sky cast a single spotlight, and within it the woman danced with her blade like a performer.
Only after looking closely could I tell who it was.
Whoa… Song Ara. She's completely absorbed in practice even after coming all the way here.
Being ranked first clearly wasn't for nothing.
The only concern was whether she'd gotten permission to do this.
I'd like to just leave her to practice, but I can't risk problems arising. I should go ask.
With that thought, I approached Song Ara.
The moment I drew near her as she practiced swordsmanship in the center of the garden—
"Cadet Song Ara, right now… whoa!"
"Hwaaak!"
I was startled as Song Ara suddenly launched her body toward me, and Song Ara was startled to find me standing right where she was charging — she pulled her sword back mid-swing.
Unable to stop her momentum even after withdrawing the blade, Song Ara body-slammed straight into my chest.
Wham!
Gaaah!
I swallowed the pain as hard as I could, determined not to let any undignified sound escape my mouth.
Having thoroughly executed her body slam, Song Ara looked down at the person she'd just flattened and cried out.
"Aaaah! Ssaem! Are you okay?!"
"…."
I immediately spoke through the comms.
Ribs… heal… first…
Only after my ribs were restored did I manage to collect myself.
Song Ara and I sat side by side on a bench in the garden, talking.
"You need to be more careful."
"I'm sorry…"
"It's fine. But this isn't the Hero Academy, so be careful."
"Yes…. I just came out for a short walk, and the atmosphere was so nice…"
Song Ara hadn't gotten anyone's permission before practicing her swordsmanship.
And fortunately, I had been the first one to discover her.
I offered some comfort to the dejected Song Ara.
"Still, I'm impressed. Even in a situation like this, you don't neglect your training."
"Nah, it's nothing special. I made so many mistakes earlier that I got anxious."
"That makes it even more impressive."
"Come on… compared to you, Instructor, and the two Heroes earlier, I'm a total amateur. Honestly, I was training because I was embarrassed."
I spoke to the bashfully smiling Song Ara in a low voice.
"Cadet Song Ara, how old are you?"
"Uh… I'm eighteen."
"You know what I was thinking about when I was eighteen? I lived lost in delusions."
I gave a dry chuckle and continued.
"I played games day and night, put in zero effort, and lived complacently thinking things like, 'How great of a person will I become?' and 'I can just cram all my effort in later.'"
"…."
"And when I became an adult, I realized it. The very fact that I was thinking such complacent thoughts meant I was just an ordinary person."
I placed a hand on Song Ara's shoulder and drove the point home.
"So don't be too anxious. I'm not saying to take it easy. I just mean you should also develop the habit of occasionally looking around and observing your surroundings."
Song Ara stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly broke into a bright smile.
"Yes, sir!"
"I was about to head back, but what about you… want to stay a bit longer?"
"No. Let's go together!"
Song Ara and I walked together toward the guest rooms where we were staying.
Walking alongside me, Song Ara opened her mouth with a serious expression far removed from her usual carefree self.
"Ssaem, you seem similar to someone I used to know."
"Hm?"
Without answering my question, she simply continued saying what she wanted to say.
"How should I put it… the name is similar, and the personality seems similar too."
"Who is it?"
"Well… there is someone… heehee…"
Song Ara laughed like that, then ran off toward her room and bowed her head in farewell.
"Well then, good night!"
"Yeah."
Song Ara entered her room with a beaming smile.
Watching her go, I thought to myself.
If she just grew out her hair, she would've been a real knockout.
Well, it's good for multiple reasons. More than anything, she's a kid who usually listens well.
It wasn't that the other cadets refused to listen — there just weren't many who showed me any particular respect.
Among the ones I was responsible for, Song Ara was the only one in Physical Department Class 5.
Having only known each other for a few days, there was still some awkwardness.
Ah, that…
I cheerfully spoke through the comms as I grabbed the door handle to my room.
It's a game line. How was it? Pretty good, right?
Actually, that line was used to sweet-talk the hardworking protagonist into going far away to study abroad so I could steal his woman — and it stuck with me pretty hard back then.
Of course, while that idiot was far away, the woman became mine.
I rated that game a 9.5 for that line and story alone.
I was smiling as I reminisced about the past — then the moment I stepped into my room, my expression hardened.
Whirrr…
…You've crossed the line.
I quietly muttered to myself, then stretched my arm toward the window frame, jabbed out my index finger, and shouted through the comms.
Lightning
Crackcrackcrack!
A small magic circle formed on the window frame along with my outstretched arm, and yellow sparks burst upward in a great flash.
Then the smell of burning filled the room…
Armonia, can you turn on the Time Cosmos?
Sheesh…. Consider yourself lucky there's no Gian around. Go Gil… no, Go Chungshin.
And so another of Go Chungshin's corpses was wrapped in tissue paper and sent on its way to the trash can.
The next day, morning.
Before breakfast, Oh Jin-ho and Park Huiyeon summoned the cadets and instructors to discuss the day's schedule.
"We will be departing without breakfast today. Please prepare quickly."