The Thing I've Been Ignoring
The researchers in the testing room led me to one side and began strapping various pieces of equipment onto me. Powered exoskeleton? At a glance, it looked like a heavily modified exoskeleton. Unlike the models used for suppressing hunters, however, the motors seemed to interfere in reverse, making it both extremely heavy and restrictive. When I asked about it, the researchers assured me the interference was necessary for measuring my abilities and told me not to worry. Given how severe the interference felt, I doubted the test would last very long.
“It’ll be over in ten minutes, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Excuse me, what exactly are you measuring?”
“Well, think of it as measuring everything in general. Superpowers, physical abilities, magical abilities, and so on……”
This definitely won’t finish in ten minutes. Certain of my hunch, I was guided into another room beyond the first. Unlike the white room, this one had a somewhat crude feel to it. Computers and monitors sat in one corner, while a large screen was embedded in the front wall. In the center of the space, a capsule-shaped line was drawn on the floor like a running track. I’d seen places like this plenty of times on TV or the internet. It resembled the Awakener measurement stations used to determine a hunter’s rank.
I stared down at my own hands. Maybe—just maybe—I could get a different result than before. As if on cue, the researchers told me to run a few laps. I ran while wearing equipment that must have weighed at least fifty kilograms. With every lap, the various gauges on the screen rose in real time. I didn’t know what they measured, but it was clear things were going well.
“At the very least, he seems mid-tier. The numbers keep changing, so it’s hard to say for sure.”
“His stamina keeps fluctuating around the average. Should we just use the adult model?”
“The middle-school model has poor accuracy anyway. Let’s go with the high-school or adult model overall.”
“But then there’s a chance the readings will come out somewhat low……”
“It’s better to have them come out low than to introduce errors. Besides, if they’re low, we can always apply corrections on our end.”
“Team Leader, the third measurement is complete. Shall we move on to the next one?”
“Hmm, hold on. Has any superpower been detected yet?”
“No, not yet.”
That was only while I focused on running. Boredom soon let stray conversations drift into my ears. I could hear the researchers talking among themselves as the team leader moved about giving instructions. Cheon Mari sat down on a plastic chair, only for it to break beneath her, leaving her flustered.
“You need to lose some weight!”
“What the hell……! What part of my body am I supposed to lose weight from?!”
One surprising thing was that I didn’t feel tired even while running and listening to the chatter. The three weeks of training had clearly paid off, as exhausting as they’d been. After a while, the researchers stopped me and attached additional strange devices. It felt like they were searching for something that refused to be found. Considering this was a superpower testing facility, that something had to be a superpower.
“Even the Ministry of Education couldn’t confirm it properly……”
Still, the process was dragging on so long that even this felt pointless. It was a pipe dream, chasing after something ambiguous. I must have run countless laps by the time the researchers began whispering among themselves and instructing me to perform various actions besides running. They asked me to lift an apple with telekinesis, manipulate the water in a cup, open a pocket dimension, move shadows, cast illusions on them, generate electricity, or bend a metal rod. None of that was my domain. Naturally, nothing happened.
“Team Leader Cha, what should we do? The only things left are blood-related tests and the ones Miss Mari said she was certain about……”
“Let’s check the blood first, then move on to the rest.”
A female researcher brought over a box and pulled out a sharp dagger. I felt uneasy as she approached. When she asked if she could cut my arm for confirmation, I refused outright.
“No. Absolutely not.”
How dare she even think of harming my precious body. Besides, even they must have realized by now that their testing methods were odd. This was bordering on obsession.
“We’re almost done. Just a few more times if you could cooperate……”
“I already told you I don’t have any superpowers. This is pointless—”
Before I could finish, the researcher lunged to grab my arm. I instinctively heightened my senses and dodged in an instant, then quickly backed away before she could try again.
“Huh?”
She looked between her hand and me, as if wondering how I’d gotten so far away. The others were staring at me the same way. Only Cheon Mari watched with an expression that said as expected. As everyone stood bewildered, she let out a deep sigh and picked up a broken piece of the chair she’d destroyed.
“Sian! Dodge this!”
It came without warning. A large blue plastic fragment flew straight at me. There was no time to think. Using my slowed perception, I narrowly avoided each piece one by one.
“Yes! Good! Keep it up!”
Cheon Mari kept throwing fragments, then reached into the box for the blades inside. Sabers, katanas, axes, hammers, spears, and maces came flying. What had been harmless plastic was now lethal weaponry. One slip and my head could be gone. I kept dodging, convinced of it.
“Hmm. Judging by how fast he moves, it’s probably super speed, right?”
“There are afterimages and slight distortions around him. Could it be time-related?”
“It looks like time manipulation to me. Wait, why aren’t you recording with the analysis cameras?!”
“Whoa…… But didn’t he say he never received hunter training?”
“A middle-schooler using his superpower like that? How much has he been using it normally?”
The sounds reached me distorted. Even my own movements felt warped. In the past, this twisted sensation would have made me nauseous. But perhaps because I’d been pulling on my senses since fourth grade like it was second nature, the discomfort was secondary to the immediate situation.
“Almost done!”
I dodged even the final blades Cheon Mari threw—except one. It wasn’t curved; it flew in a straight line. Spinning slowly. The last dagger came a beat later than the rest. I could read its rotation. With my senses and perception, dodging would have been effortless. But I didn’t. Confidence had swallowed my sense of danger. The thought that maybe it would work crossed my mind. I twisted my body and foot. Just as the dagger passed beside me—
“How the hell—?”
“What?!”
“He caught that?!”
Time felt like a sense. In one motion, I snatched the dagger. An opportunity. A moment of growth. Using the momentum of the catch, I spun quickly. My ankle twisted, power surged through my arm. As my hand reached the end of its arc, I released the blade. Its target was the floor in front of Cheon Mari—a small act of revenge for her sudden stunt. She looked startled, but by the time she reacted, the dagger was already too close. It seemed certain to embed itself in the floor. Then—
“Huh?”
The dagger veered off course and flew past her side instead. An untrained mistake. Perhaps inevitable. Cheon Mari glanced at the dagger that had flown off. After a brief silence, she burst into loud, unpleasant laughter.
“Yes, that’s more like it! That’s the kind of friend worth pouring money into!”
She immediately grabbed the metal table beside her. It looked heavy, but she handled it without effort.
“Kang Sian!! Catch this!!!”
The table she swung effortlessly sliced through the air toward me. If I stood still, it would hit me square on. To escape the crisis, I rolled my eyes and spotted something. A longsword! Reflexively, I moved toward the blade that had fallen near me. Given the metal table flying at me, a head-on clash would be suicidal. Yet my body had already moved elsewhere. I kicked the sword up with my toe and caught it. It was right in front of me now. I traced my hazy memories. The first time I learned to wield magic at school. The times Cheon Mari guided me in infusing magic into a sword. The moment I landed the final blow on the boss in the ruins. Recalling those memories, I poured magic into the blade. Faint particles gathered along the edge. There was no time to hesitate. From bottom to top, I swung. Metal met metal. But it wasn’t an equal clash—one side was being cut clean through. The table split heavily in two. The distance had been so precise that instead of colliding, the halves slid past at an angle. Both pieces slammed into the wall behind me. I lowered my stance and released my senses and magic.
“Ah…… damn it……”
The moment I’d been trying to ignore had finally been laid bare. A heavy silence filled the room.
* * *
After a few more strange tests, the examination finally ended. Since there was nothing left to do here, we were told to wait outside for the results.
“This is insane……”
Given how well the tests had gone, I should have been filled with anticipation. Instead, my emotions were a strange mix of fear, hope, and trembling. Fear born from the unknown. Trembling born from hope. In truth, none of this would have happened if the measurement results hadn’t repeatedly denied the existence of a superpower. I’d even drunk some bizarre liquid worth millions of won per ten milliliters. If the results came out the same this time, I might actually go crazy.
“Even if I have no talent for magic, as long as my superpower is decent……”
While I was deep in thought about the future, the door to the superpower testing room opened and Cheon Mari walked out, looking extremely cheerful. Several sheets of paper were clutched in her hand. The dense text made it obvious what they were. Perhaps sensing my feelings, she smiled wickedly and handed me the documents. With trembling hands, I accepted them and checked the contents. Then, finally, the words slipped out.