Experiment (1)
Experiment (1)
Fortunately, my conversation with Lee Ji-yeon ended without incident.
Granted, the mood did crash into a ditch halfway through because I slipped up with my words (?), but I managed to salvage it and finish the talk safely.
In the end, the conversation went well.
The main topic, the mentor issue, was also resolved without a problem since we simply chose each other.
And above all...
"After all, I received truly significant help in China. I'll make sure to repay you. If you ever need anything, please tell me anytime."
'Oh.'
'Come find me anytime you need help.'
Given that the speaker was Lee Ji-yeon, the successor of Taesan, those were no light words.
I found myself clenching my fist tight under the table at that part.
In truth, wasn't the main reason I wanted to build a connection with Lee Ji-yeon precisely to receive that kind of help?
My plan was to slowly build a bond through mentor activities, get reasonably close, and then ask for aid, but I heard those words from her already.
That the horrible incident in China could pay off like this... I suppose you'd call it a blessing in disguise.
The misfortune was certainly immense, but I decided to view it positively for now.
Of course, hearing that didn't mean I planned to cancel the mentorship now or stop building ties with her.
Even apart from Seo-yul's situation, there was plenty for me to gain from mentoring activities with Lee Ji-yeon.
Things like observing in real-time and steadily accumulating information on Taesan, for instance.
It would be even better if Lee Ji-yeon directly demonstrated the use of Taesan during our sessions.
Gathering data on Taesan is immensely important.
Setting aside the fact that Taesan is an exceptionally outstanding unique ability, the hints for restoring my own body seem to lie within it.
I neatly finished off the last of the orange juice and gave a polite nod.
[Thank you for the drink]
[Tastelessnessaaaaaghhh]
"Hhk... I-I'm sorry."
[No]
[Why does it keep doing this lately]
[I'm sorry]
"Yes, yes... I understand, I'm sorry..."
[What I said earlier was really a mistake too]
[My thoughts wandered and the artifact spat out some stray notion...]
[It was definitely not a self-destruct move...]
"Yes... I'm sorry..."
...Lee Ji-yeon broke.
Seeing her bow her head over and over with a far more haggard complexion than when we first met gave me a headache...
In the original story, Lee Ji-yeon had the same mental deficit, but it wasn't this severe.
Even while harboring feelings of inferiority or jealousy, Lee Ji-yeon was a solid, upright person who acknowledged them and moved forward.
Also, when leading others, she was always a reliable and mature leader who stood at the front to shield everyone from danger...
[Thank you very much]
[I'll see you at the next mentor lesson]
"Yes, take care going back..."
Only after I reassured her several times that it was fine, that it was a mistake, did I barely manage to part ways with Lee Ji-yeon.
.
.
.
Having a younger body was inconvenient in many ways.
I could list countless examples, but the inconvenience I was feeling right now stemmed from my short legs.
My legs had gotten shorter. Consequently, my stride had decreased, making it a bother to get around.
It wasn't for nothing that Hong Yeon-hwa and Ellia insisted on carrying me around.
Of course, this body is still superhuman, so I could just run, but even accounting for that, I was slower than before.
My appearance was strange, too.
"...Excuse me, child? Could it be—"
[I'm Lee Ha-yul, first-year Ipchun Class]
[Due to circumstances, my body has ended up looking like this]
"Ahh... I, I apologize."
[Thank you for your consideration]
Because of that, I was stopped several times on my way to the destination.
The passerby who stopped me... judging by the red necktie, a second-year?
I replied while tugging at my cadet uniform, which was tailored to my body's size.
I understood they were clearly trying to help, but my expression soured without me realizing it.
The second-year looked flustered, apologized for the rudeness, and hurriedly fled.
"......"
- Wooong
The space behind me tore open slightly, and a few wind spirits popped out with soft thuds.
'Carry me.'
Fwooong... A green light cluster shimmered.
Soon it surged and wrapped around my body.
My feet left the ground.
My body, borne aloft by the wind, floated up delicately.
The gazes around me grew even more peculiar, but it was better than walking on those stubby legs.
- Keekeekee
"?"
Suddenly, the green light cluster flickered, and a sensation of laughter washed over me.
'...You weren't laughing at me, were you?'
The light cluster didn't flicker.
.
.
.
Within Siyoram, only about 30% of the grounds were ordinarily used by cadets and staff.
The remaining 70% of the area consisted of dungeons, monster breeding facilities, cultivation grounds for herbs and other raw materials, and vacant land.
You needed permission for restricted areas like the monster breeding facilities, but cadets could freely enter and leave the vacant lands.
These vacant lands were called Empty Zones... and more people used them than one might think.
Because the spaces were wide and sparsely populated, they were perfectly suited for conducting various experiments.
I also visited often.
Just recently, after realizing Homogenization, I had lingered around here and experimented with it.
'...No traces left.'
I pressed down firmly on the ground with my foot. The vibrant grass crumpled.
This was the place where I'd previously blasted Calamity Flame. I had erased the traces before leaving, worried they might catch someone else's eye.
Checking again now, the traces were wiped clean.
They say it's hard to detect residual traces, which are mere fragments and not active manifestations, but you never know.
At this point, being discovered using Calamity Flame didn't matter, but getting caught with Azure Sea or Taesan would be difficult to handle.
A single misstep would cause a repeat of the 3rd Iteration's mess...
'No people, no magic either...'
I circulated my observation densely and scanned the surroundings. Even when I widened it to the maximum range, there were no people, nor any surveillance-type magic.
I also scattered spirits all around for direct reconnaissance.
Only after confirming that did I plop down onto the spot.
I was on a flat plain covered in grass. Perhaps because there were no obstacles like trees, the breeze was pleasantly refreshing.
'Alright then, let's check Taesan first.'
Taesan.
Just manifesting it causes your physical abilities to skyrocket and lets you exercise Earth's Dominance.
Deepen it further, and it becomes a unique ability that can handle vitality energy and necromancy.
It is also the unique ability that just might restore my body back to normal.
A second Tower entry was scheduled for the beginning of the second semester. I wanted to get my body back to its original state before then.
There was a lot to do, but first, let's do something about my body.
I cleared my mind calmly and focused my concentration.
* * *
Venus's office was on the top floor of Siyoram's Central Administration Building.
Because of that, the number of people coming and going was extremely limited.
Even the occasional visitors only came to report face-to-face on matters of utmost importance.
Hence, Venus's office was always quiet.
It wasn't just the sound; the very atmosphere was so fundamentally tranquil that it calmed the mind and body into stillness.
"......"
That wasn't the case now.
My skin stung. A steadily piercing momentum pushed away the silence and continuously needled Venus.
It wasn't an emotion one would call killing intent, but it contained enough displeasure and discomfort that it kept breaking her concentration.
"...I had thought you might visit someday, but it seems your visit is somewhat earlier than expected."
In the end, Venus set down her documents as if surrendering.
She then turned her head towards the woman seated on the guest sofa.
Golden eyes flashing with a fearsome gleam.
It was Atra Clyde, exuding a sharp pressure.
Atra's mouth, which had been sealed shut as if she were practicing silent meditation, opened.
"Expected, you say... Does that mean you know what business I've come here for?"
"No. To be precise, I expected your visit would concern Cadet Lee Ha-yul, but I am unaware of the exact reason."
"Judging by your expression, you seem to have a hint about my business?"
"It is a guess, not a certainty."
Venus shook her head in denial.
"I do not possess a mind-reading type unique ability, after all. Though, naturally, any clumsy mind-reading would not work on you, Hero Clyde, even a little..."
"I am not eloquent."
Atra spoke up abruptly.
"I have a foul temperament and no affability to speak of, so I'll get straight to the point, just as I did before."
Atra inclined her head.
"Cadet Lee Ha-yul... please tell me everything you know about that child."
The conversation halted for a moment.
Atra's momentum had subsided, but an awkward stillness still hung over the office.
Venus's eyes blinked. Her violet eyes, looking emotionless and listless, gazed at Atra.
"...It seems you have come to care deeply for Cadet Lee Ha-yul."
"If I didn't care, I wouldn't have bothered coming to ask."
Atra answered, tilting her head askew.
In truth, the former Atra had no intention of prying into Lee Ha-yul.
She hadn't planned on getting deeply involved at all.
Her plan was simply to build up his skills so he wouldn't die a meaningless death somewhere.
That was all. She had intended to ignore him while only fostering his ability, without any interference or care.
Now, she couldn't do that.
Atra was not as strong against affection as she had believed herself to be, and Lee Ha-yul had become a far more important person to her than she ever imagined.
She could no longer just ignore him.
If Lee Ha-yul were to die a meaningless death in some inexplicable place... it wouldn't just end with her feeling slightly bothered like before.
Hadn't she already experienced it? That godforsaken sensation, like being thrown into an abyss and plunging into the depths...
That was why she came to the Vice Headmaster. There was no way to meet the Headmaster, but she could certainly meet the Vice Headmaster just below.
She couldn't ask Lee Ha-yul his secrets.
Just a few days ago, she had witnessed with her own eyes Lee Ha-yul, who had been trying to reveal his secret himself, suffer a seizure and vomit blood.
Because of that, Atra was currently far from in a relaxed state.
She was too afraid to ask Lee Ha-yul. However, the side that had found Lee Ha-yul, brought him here, and even placed that title of Special Admission on him... surely, they would know.
She had come seeking answers, and those answers had yet to come.
"Is it a difficult question to answer?"
Venus didn't give an answer. She simply stared at Atra as if gauging something.
As the silence lengthened, Atra's eyes sharpened.
An intangible pressure swelled in volume.
It was an overt signal that she intended to get an answer one way or another.
It was an exceedingly rude and violent act, but Atra had no intention of backing down.
Now that she had seen the state Lee Ha-yul was in, bound by that thing—she didn't know if it was a constraint or a curse—she had to hear at least the bare minimum answer.
Reading that resolve in Atra's eyes, Venus finally spoke.
"I can provide an answer, but it will be insufficient to clear up your doubts."
Atra frowned.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly as it sounds. I do not possess the knowledge to resolve all of your questions, Hero Clyde. That is to say, I also know very little."
Venus shook her head gently.
"What I have done amounts to only a few things. I merely received and relayed the Headmaster's intentions and acted accordingly."
"What have you done?"
"One was to make basic preparations long ago for the Special Admission Cadet who would one day be coming."
This was the first Atra had heard of it. To her knowledge, a Special Admission Cadet had never been brought in except for Lee Ha-yul, and she had never even heard rumors that one would be.
Also, if the phrase 'long ago' came from the Vice Headmaster's own mouth, it surely wasn't a matter of just a few years.
So, from back then, they were already... preparing to bring in Lee Ha-yul, a Special Admission Cadet?
Atra folded her arms and listened closely.
"The other was at the beginning of this year, when I located Cadet Lee Ha-yul's shell and delivered the qualifications for Special Admission to him."
"...Shell?"
"A shell, exactly as the word implies. To put it bluntly, the Cadet Lee Ha-yul I met at the time was an empty shell with no contents."
Atra scowled and tilted her head.
A shell... It was not a phrase she could interpret with a positive connotation. At the very least, it was an inappropriate word to use for a person.
"Empty of contents... That's unpleasant to hear and difficult to understand."
"It is difficult for me to explain. Not only have I not grasped anything beyond that, but I also find it burdensome to speak of, as it is in some way connected to the Headmaster. If I were to explain as best I can..."
At Atra's counter-question, Venus closed her mouth.
It wasn't a refusal to answer, but an air of brief contemplation, so Atra also waited quietly for the reply.
"Cadet Lee Ha-yul at that time was not a normal human."
"For example?"
"He would simply wait blankly, then act when an instruction was given. If he failed to execute the instruction, he would glitch. After executing the instruction, he would simply wait for the next... a sort of machine."
There was no intention of disparagement whatsoever. Venus had assessed Lee Ha-yul of that time from an objective standpoint and judged him to be a shell.
But the Lee Ha-yul she met the next time had set foot in Siyoram as a normal human.
"...After that, the rest is as you know, Hero Clyde."
Though he looked frightened and precariously unstable, as if he might crumble at any moment, he was clearly a normal human capable of thinking for himself, making judgments, and acting on them.
"I do not know what measures have been taken regarding Cadet Lee Ha-yul, and even if I did, I am in a position where it is difficult for me to answer any further than this."
I ask for your understanding on this point.
With those words, Venus sealed her lips.
.
.
.
The sofa supporting her back was deeply plush, and a faint, soothing floral fragrance that steadied the mind and body drifted through the room.
But Atra's expression remained hardened.
With a rigid expression, Atra crossed her legs.
'...My head aches.'
The information now in her head was too preposterous and alien. It was enough to give her a headache. Atra pressed a hand to her forehead and observed the person across from her.
The Vice Headmaster, Venus, seated across from her, was tending to a potted flower with her usual expressionless face.
In contrast to her seemingly indifferent face, her hands handling the flower were extremely careful.
It was as if she were handling an expensive work of art.
Atra spoke offhandedly.
"I didn't know gardening was your hobby."
"It isn't really a hobby."
Venus, who had been quietly checking the flower's condition, replied. She glanced at Atra's complicated expression, then gently stroked the plant's stem.
"Since someone doesn't tend to it, I've been forcibly tasked with its care, that's all."
"Your touch is surprisingly gentle, for something like that."
"I've grown somewhat fond of it while cultivating it. Hero Clyde, if you ever find the leisure, I would recommend trying to grow one yourself."
"If I have the leisure, I will."
Atra shook her head back and forth and rose to her feet.
"I'll take my leave now. Your answers... weren't satisfactory, but I listened well."
"Yes, take care."
- Clack
"For your reference, this flower is a species called Agapanthus."
As Atra opened the door to leave, Venus added a remark to her back.
"It is an unfamiliar flower, but it's a species with strong vitality, making it a good variety for beginners to grow. If you do take up growing flowers, please consider it."
"I'll keep it in mind."
The door swung shut.
The office regained its quiet.
Venus, who had been staring at the door for a moment, lowered her gaze back down to the flower... to the Agapanthus, characterized by its purple leaves.
Venus stroked the flower with an indifferent touch.