Second Transcendence
The hearty meal at Ansimjeong, where only Noah truly stuffed herself, finally wrapped up.
I was on the verge of total exhaustion even before the investigation kicked off.
Despite scarfing down delicious food, not a drop of energy filled me—instead, it all drained away.
Ever since Eungae Nose's bombshell remark threw me for a loop, I couldn't even tell if the food was going in through my mouth or my nose.
Still, I had to at least say my goodbyes.
Leading Sion and Clara, I bowed deeply to Ichinose Jun as he pocketed the card.
"Thank you for the meal."
"Mm."
Ichinose Jun fixed me with a steady gaze for a moment before nodding.
His expression remained utterly unchanged.
After that, we piled into a van taxi he'd summoned to the front of Ansimjeong and headed off to the Security Bureau together.
Momo called Juyeon to let her know we were en route and chatted briefly.
The rest of us didn't say much. The car stayed quiet.
Noah might've livened things up if she'd been awake, but our beastkin girl conked out the second she hit the seat, blissed out from her massive feast.
My head's killing me.
I glanced down at Sion and Clara, who were clutching my arms like they were shackles, then looked to Ichinose up front.
She must've sensed my stare—her eyes still closed, she slowly tilted her head up... only to flick it away halfway!
"…."
I couldn't help but chuckle, then shut my eyes.
When we pulled up to the Security Bureau, Juyeon was already waiting.
She exchanged quick greetings with the two guardians, then checked on the cadets and the girls.
Her eyes landed on me, and she arched one eyebrow, concern flickering across her face.
"Rohan. Didn't get proper rest? You look awful."
I managed a weak smile at her question and bowed my head.
"Instructor. Sorry for dragging you into this on your day off."
"It's part of an instructor's job—no need to apologize. You didn't choose to drop into a dungeon, and you didn't sneak into a no-entry zone and bump into a Monolith. Act with your head high."
"Yes, ma'am."
"The investigation won't drag on. It'll be like last time."
Juyeon and Ichinose Jun took the lead into the Security Bureau.
The rest of us trailed behind. I started to step forward but paused to eye the group.
"Sion, Clara—wouldn't it be better if you two headed home and waited? They said it won't take long, but these things aren't that quick."
"…."
"…."
The two of them shot a quick glance at Ichinose, then shook their heads.
If they couldn't wait inside, they'd park it in the lot.
"We'll wait…."
"We'll wait."
Momo approached with her graceful steps at the sound of their resolute voices.
"No need to worry. You can wait inside—there's even a café."
"Ah! Thanks for the heads-up."
As I expressed my gratitude, Momo glanced toward the entrance.
Yui and Noah were just slipping in.
Right before, Yui peeked our way, then trudged inside with heavy steps.
"Rohan the cadet better hurry. I can take it easy since I'm not the one under investigation, but Yui's already gone in, right?"
"O-Oppa… come back quick!"
"You're not guilty of anything—no need to shrink. Take it easy."
With Sion and Clara giving me the all-clear and releasing my arms, I finished my goodbyes to Momo and headed off.
Momo turned to the two girls vying with her daughter.
What beautiful girls.
"Sorry for eavesdropping. You're Sion, right? And you're Clara?"
They'd traded plenty of glances.
But this was basically their first real exchange.
"Cl-Clara…!"
"Sion Testarosa."
Momo's eyes went wide at the introductions.
"Testarosa…? The one who just returned to Tigrova…?"
"Yes. That's me."
Of course Momo had heard about the Tigrova incident.
With ties to Rex Frozenheart, the Snow Tiger Emperor, it was impossible not to.
She'd just found it intriguing.
An elf made sense for Testarosa blood. She knew she was young but nothing about her looks. Never imagined she'd be this close.
Sion Testarosa… Clara… Our girl better step it up.
Each girl possessed her own allure, the kind that overstimulated a vigorous man's vital energies.
Wrapping up her admiring thoughts swiftly, Momo flashed a bright smile and pulled out her smartphone.
"Fate brought us together like this—shall we swap numbers first?"
…
…
The intel from the two survivors was priceless.
The scholar tagging along with the security officer was so hyped his typing hands shook.
Months after dungeons got regulated, protocols and new laws were in place, so Rohan and Ichinose Yui got a hefty coin deposit to their accounts right there in exchange for sharing the info.
And that was that.
True to Juyeon's word, the Security Bureau investigation didn't drag.
Including a short break, it barely topped an hour.
Just relaying dungeon details, and with Juyeon and Ichinose Jun there as guardians, they sliced away the scholar's pointless curiosities from the essentials like a scalpel.
They're wilting.
To my eyes, the security officers looked like tension had shaved years off their lives.
"…That concludes the investigation. Thank you for your cooperation."
The officers rose on wobbly legs, bowing deeply.
They didn't skimp on the polite nods to Juyeon and Ichinose Jun either.
I glanced at Eungae Nose, seated right beside me.
Just from sticking close, the awkward vibe had mostly thawed.
"Good work."
"You too, Rohan…."
Now she even met my eyes and replied properly.
As we traded smiles laced with our feelings, Ichinose Jun strode over.
"Got a moment?"
His gaze locked squarely on me.
Step. Step. Step.
Ichinose Jun and I headed out the back door of the Security Bureau.
The opposite direction from the parking lot—a thick wall blocked any view of the road.
Off to one side, some security officers huddled, smoking.
Ichinose led me the other way.
Before long, we reached a vending machine in the corner.
He punched in for two coffees, handed one to me, and finally spoke.
"Called you out for one question."
"Yes, sir."
Was it about Yui? The dungeon? Or…?
I racked my brain with possibilities, waiting for his query.
"…."
Ichinose Jun, who'd been staring straight ahead without meeting my eyes, now pierced right through me.
His gaze as a powerhouse bored in deep.
I felt like he was seeing straight through me, gutting my every secret.
After staring in silence, Ichinose Jun—rarely—let his stoic mask slip, revealing emotion.
He frowned.
Something was gnawing at him.
A flaw in me that rubbed him wrong—something he'd grappled with himself once.
Ichinose Jun cut straight to it.
"Have you ever desperately prayed, even once, not to die?"
"…I don't follow."
Not like he was about to make me pray right here.
I tensed up and focused.
"It's about how you live. Combat's a fine assumption."
"In battle, I always aim to win—and survive."
"Vague. Shallow. Momo wouldn't even smile at that."
"…."
His offhand jab wormed in deep, oddly enough.
Not irritation.
More like a hidden shame laid bare.
As I clamped my mouth shut,
Ichinose Jun grew uncharacteristically chatty.
"Meeting Momo, Yui's birth—they taught me the worth of life and family. When something more precious than your own neck appears, even crude taunts get under your skin."
"…."
Back when I swung nothing but my sword, I'd tune out the noise and stick to my path.
Not anymore.
One word aimed at family? Can't let it slide.
"Dawn walks past the bakery, that fresh baking scent hits you. I always knew it was there. But now, it doesn't spark thoughts of hunger—it brings family to mind."
My combat style. My mid-fight thoughts.
Ichinose Jun saw them all.
"You've made a habit of gambling tactics—baiting with your life to sever the enemy's."
"…."
"Ditch it clean. You think offing the threats fouling your path leaves everyone else happy? Rotten mindset."
Because if I die, his daughter grieves.
Better straighten the twist before regrets hit.
Life's precious—and that includes your neck in the equation.
I got what Ichinose Jun was driving at.
Words that might offend stuck in my throat.
But better to speak, even if rude. Felt right.
"…Your explanation's a bit clumsy."
At my words, Ichinose Jun's lip twitched—the first faint smirk.
A micro-smile.
"Hear that a lot. Momo says my actions are clumsy too."
"Got it anyway. Thanks for the advice."
"Fix your headspace. Right now, you're just fretting everyone under the guise of caring."
"Yes, sir!"
"Mutual destruction's no different from surrender. Superior foes fall without the gamble. Don't default to what's easy for you alone."
"…Thank you!"
Ichinose Jun tossed his empty can in the trash and turned his back.
"If you've got thoughts to sort, do it clean and come back."
He vanished on silent steps.
And I figured now was the perfect timing.
I open the Shop.
I purchase.
Shines brightly.