Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Choice
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The test was conducted on the first basement floor of the building.
There were several rooms, but only one had its lights on.
-Awakener Ability Assessment Room (B1-4)
Did this mean Room 4 on the first basement floor?
Various pieces of equipment were laid out.
Though I had no idea how to use any of it.
"Ah, sit here."
It was Lee Yoo-ram.
Wasn't she the school nurse?
The person in charge of the infirmary was all the way down here.
"The assessment will be more accurate if Seo-ah is comfortable, so Si-hoo, could you wait outside?"
"...Ah, yes."
She made it sound as if I found Han Si-hoo uncomfortable.
It wasn't that bad.
"It should take about 40 minutes. We'll be skipping the dangerous parts, like the trauma check."
"Okay. Please contact me when you're done."
Han Si-hoo said, then walked out.
There was a lounge on the first floor, so he probably went up there.
She said she'd skip the dangerous parts.
A trauma check? I was curious.
Though the name certainly sounded dangerous.
"Now, this is the assessment device."
The testing machine was just a cube.
A simple cube with a metallic texture.
Futuristic, I guess?
"Just place your hand on it, and that's it."
"Like this?"
It just looked like a cube made of marble.
It was strange that something so simple could take a measurement.
"Not too hard, right? It usually takes about a minute."
Lee Yoo-ram said kindly.
This was the person who was good at giving me medicine.
Yeah.
A good person.
"Ah, done. We have the results."
Not even ten seconds had passed.
"Is it over?"
The test was finished.
It was quite fast.
"It's because it's a simplified test."
It wasn't that big of a test.
I got nervous for nothing.
Earlier, she said it would take about 40 minutes.
It seemed there were more tests to come.
"What should I do next?"
"Ah, I just wanted to talk."
Lee Yoo-ram said, walking toward the door.
[4 hours 29 minutes]
Talk time.
Was this some kind of interview test?
"I can give you two choices."
*Click.*
Lee Yoo-ram locked the door.
Was it to keep Han Si-hoo from coming in?
Or was it to keep me from escaping?
I had a bad feeling.
"Ch-choices?"
"One. Pretend you're dead and disappear. The cause can be a drug overdose, worsening injuries, whatever."
For a moment, I wondered if I'd misheard.
This was unexpected.
No matter how I thought about it, I didn't understand what she was saying.
"Right now, when few people have seen you or know you. Before the entrance ceremony, you can get out. Escape the Academy, I mean."
"E-escape?"
I had no intention of running away.
"The Academy isn't a place that hands out expensive medicine to just anyone. If you're going to run, now is the only time."
What kind of choice was 'pretend you're dead and disappear'?
Hearing these unexpected words made me feel strange.
I didn't even know why I had to disappear.
"Two. Just live by taking the medicine the Academy gives you."
Taking what the Academy gives me.
Isn't that a good thing?
It is a good thing.
No matter how I looked at it, there was no downside.
They were giving me medicine I couldn't afford on my own.
The way she said 'taking' made it sound like I was a dog being fed, but still, it seemed good.
"You lived in the slums, so you should know. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Yes. I don't know if the drugs have clouded your mind, but think carefully. Don't be fooled by appearances. The Academy is a rotten organization, right down to its roots."
This was Lee Yoo-ram, who had seen a lot.
For her to go this far, there must be something wrong with the Academy.
"There's no one here who will treat you."
"Ah..."
Was she telling me not to think I could live here like it was a convalescent home?
"They'll give you military-grade drugs. They'll tell you to use them and fight. You'll essentially become the Academy's test subject. From that point on, it's far beyond what I can do for you."
Right, nothing is free.
I knew that, actually.
Continuously providing drugs for free.
Such a convenient story didn't exist.
"The drugs they'll give you from now on are different from what you're taking now. They're military-grade, but they don't even use them on soldiers. They're too strong. They weren't made for human use."
Strong drugs.
Are they as strong as the 100-hour drug the Doctor gave me?
"Still, you're a student, so shouldn't I do my duty as a teacher? On top of that, I'm a doctor, and it's strange that I have no way to properly care for a patient. So get out of the Academy. While you still can."
She felt a sense of responsibility.
She was telling me to run with all her heart.
I seriously began to wonder if I really should escape.
[4 hours 22 minutes]
But there was a problem.
Let's say I figured out how to escape.
Where would I get the drugs?
"But the drugs..."
I had none.
"You have about a week's worth of the drugs you're using now. I'll give them to you, so go to another region and find a doctor I know. Maybe there's a way over there. I'll explain things to Si-hoo. He'll understand."
Lee Yoo-ram's words quickened.
*Maybe there's a way*, she said.
I didn't know if the situation was so urgent that I had to rely on such uncertainty.
It was better to get the drugs for sure.
I understood that the Academy was dangerous.
But the outside world wasn't safe either.
Running out of drugs meant death, no matter where I was.
"There are no listening devices here, but it'll be a problem if the higher-ups get curious about what we're doing. Choose quickly."
I could feel her urgency.
The pressure to choose quickly.
She had arranged this meeting just to tell me this.
But in truth, I had no choice.
"...What exactly are these military-grade drugs?"
She said they were strong.
"They're dangerous. They supposedly suppressed the side effects by mixing in mana, but the moment mana gets involved, it's beyond the realm of conventional medicine. As for clinical trials... I guess you'd be conducting them yourself."
[4 hours 18 minutes]
With the drugs I was using now, I couldn't even sleep properly.
I had even considered injecting myself twice before sleeping.
Because the drug's effect wasn't strong enough for a full night's rest.
"I think it's fine."
This place was for assessing an Awakener's abilities.
As long as the drug's effect remained, I could pass as an Awakener.
"Besides, if I ran away just to save myself, I'd only be a burden to you and Si-hoo."
She said they were strong drugs.
Military-grade.
"I've been nothing but a nuisance until now, and I can't keep being one."
Strong drugs.
Not just anyone can use them?
Saying they can't treat me is a lie.
It's called medicine, so why can't it treat me?
"So it's better for me to be useful somehow, even if it means using those drugs."
Strong drugs.
"Right?"
Give them to me.
***
That's right.
She had crossed the line long ago.
She was smiling.
Not an expression she intended to make, but a smile that escaped unconsciously, uncontrollably.
Was it anticipation at the thought of using the drugs?
"Ah, I see."
Her voice was laced with pity and a hint of contempt.
There was nothing more Lee Yoo-ram could do.
Military-grade drugs supplied by one of the Academy's directors.
If both the Academy and Yoo Seo-ah wanted it, she had no choice but to give her the drugs.
If only it had been a little earlier.
If they had met when the addiction was still mild.
She might have been able to save Han Si-hoo's friend.
It was safe to say she was already dead.
"Si-hoo will be sad."
At the mention of Han Si-hoo's name, her expression stiffened.
She was smiling awkwardly, but it seemed something was bothering her.
Lee Yoo-ram felt a little sorry.
"Si-hoo would be very angry if he found out you were using such experimental drugs. It would be a problem for you too. The military-grade drugs will be supplied separately and quietly, only when needed, so keep that in mind."
"Yes."
It didn't seem like Yoo Seo-ah would go blabbing to Han Si-hoo about what drugs she was using.
If she'd had a big mouth, they might have just injected her with the military drug without telling her what it was.
Even without going through Lee Yoo-ram.
If Han Si-hoo were to openly become hostile to the Academy's system, it would become troublesome in many ways.
It would be a problem to lose one of the Academy's valuable talents.
Leaving Yoo Seo-ah alone was the safest option.
It was just that the Academy's upper echelons wouldn't allow it.
"Even if it's not Si-hoo, it would be a problem if other Academy students found out. That's why they created the Special Class, though."
If she hadn't been Han Si-hoo's friend, there would be no Special Class.
She would have been put in a special confinement cell.
"Can't I use it now?"
"You want to use it?"
She nodded.
"There's still some time left before our promised end time. I guess one measurement should be possible."
Lee Yoo-ram lifted a flat suitcase from under the desk.
Inside the case were numerous auto-injectors.
"I'm asking one last time, are you really going to stay at the Academy like this?"
It was the final question.
If the answer was that she would stay, Lee Yoo-ram would revert to being Lee Yoo-ram, the Academy teacher.
The duties of a teacher and the oath of a doctor would lose their meaning.
Only the professional mindset of an Academy teacher would resurface.
She was doing this much out of her bond with Han Si-hoo.
"...I think Si-hoo would want this too."
She chose compliance over escape.
Feeling she had done all she could, Lee Yoo-ram gave up trying to persuade her.
She carefully took out an injector.
It was a dangerous drug.
What would happen if Seo-ah lost her mind or died because of the drug?
The answer was simple.
Yoo Seo-ah had chosen the option to escape the Academy.
She just wouldn't be pretending to be dead; she'd actually be dead.
The cause would be a drug overdose or worsening injuries.
Well, one of those, anyway.
***
[13 hours 21 minutes]
Assessment complete.
"Ahaha."
The cube exploded.
Seeing the shattered assessment device felt good.
Or was it because I'd used the drug?
"...Even if it was just a simplified assessment device..."
Lee Yoo-ram seemed quite surprised too.
She stared blankly at the cube's remains.
At this rate, couldn't I be a protagonist too?
It was a shame there weren't more spectators.
A protagonist lives with an admiring audience by their side.
"Just what kind of drug tolerance is this..."
I'll take that as a compliment.
Now I, too, could play the hero, receiving the praise of the people.
Just like Han Si-hoo.
Me too.
"Do you feel dizzy, nauseous, or have any hot or painful sensations anywhere? Any symptoms like that?"
I wanted to be a protagonist, just like Han Si-hoo.
A cool protagonist who never shows a subservient side.
I'd wanted that for a long time.
"Seo-ah?"
If only I could work hard and become like Han Si-hoo.
It didn't have to be Han Si-hoo.
Like the many other Awakeners.
Like those whose lives were as smooth as a game.
I wanted to live like a protagonist too.
"Are you okay?"
I wanted to have a chance, just once.
Maybe this was that chance.
It had to be.
"Ah, yes. I was just lost in thought for a moment."
I had to look fine.
I actually was fine, but I couldn't let her misunderstand and not give me the drug.
I had to let her know that I'd become healthy because of the drug.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
Of course I'm okay.
She had a worried expression.
"Thanks to the drug, I don't hurt at all."
Her expression still didn't look good.
Was there something else to worry about?
Was she worried Han Si-hoo would notice?
"If you're worried because of Si-hoo... he can't tell what kind of drugs I'm using anyway, so it's fine."
He'd never known correctly.
"I see."
I thought the Academy only had bad drugs.
Now I know that's not true.
"If you cause trouble because of the drug, you'll be... dealt with. Quickly. The Academy is good at that sort of thing. So be careful."
"Okay."
I understood the Academy was a dangerous place.
Meaning if I took the drug and went berserk, I'd be dealt with.
I got it.
That won't happen to me, so I'm fine.
The drug the Doctor gave me was stronger.
You have to use a drug that strong to do strange things.
I was in real danger back then because I attacked Han Si-hoo.
"Heheh..."
[13 hours 18 minutes]
There was still a lot of the drug's effect left.
I was satisfied with this.
Breaking the cube had consumed about two hours of the effect, but there was still plenty left.
Enough to sleep without any problems.
It even seemed stronger than the drug I'd left at home.
"Ah, is the test over now?"
"Ah, yes. It's all done. You can go. Si-hoo must be waiting."
"Thank you."
After thanking her, I left the room.
Si-hoo would be waiting.
I should hurry.
In the end, there was nothing to worry about regarding the drugs.
Since there were plenty of injectors prepared.
The choice to stay at the Academy was inevitable.
I was glad Lee Yoo-ram was a reasonable person.
I went up the stairs.
Han Si-hoo wasn't on the first floor.
Was he outside the building?
I could peek outside through the window.
Ah, I found him.
He was talking to someone outside.
Talking.
Talking?
Talking to whom?
"Rena."
Her full name was longer, I think, but I'd forgotten it again.
Her neatly arranged silver hair stood out.
Why is she here?
The place where I'd been wounded began to throb a little.