Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Chaos
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It was already too late.
It was inevitable that I would look strange to others.
I must seem like something is wrong with me.
Because there is.
[8 hours 5 minutes]
The time is dropping too steeply.
It’s because I created two weapons.
I don’t know how to get rid of them.
It’s because of the military-grade drug.
A drug made for fighting enemies.
I ponder who the enemy is.
"Disappear, damn it."
Han Si-hoo says something.
But I can’t hear him.
The sound of my own heartbeat is louder.
I can no longer see Rena, who had been frozen in place.
Where did she disappear to?
I did tell her to disappear.
But that was because of the sword in my hand.
I think again.
Who is the enemy?
Not the Academy students.
They are talented individuals trying to become heroes at the Academy.
I want to be a hero, too.
All I have to do is catch and kill villains and monsters.
I just need to prove it.
That I’m on your side.
I need to turn the sword.
No one who attacked the protagonist’s party ever came out on top.
Let’s kill a villain.
Where are the villains?
[7 hours 33 minutes]
I remember what happened last time.
The drug the doctor gave me.
The one that amplified my emotions to a strange degree.
That’s it.
This is a similar type of drug.
The situation is similar to before, but this time, I’m not attacking.
Have I developed self-control, or is the drug weaker?
He said it was a simple misunderstanding.
There’s no reason to be angry.
Though he did break one of my arms even before the misunderstanding.
He said it was to subdue me.
So it wouldn’t be strange if a similar situation happened again.
But this time is different; I have power.
I won’t let anything be taken from me again.
But things have already been taken.
I have no friends.
I have no home.
The space for me was always too small to begin with.
[6 hours 58 minutes]
The drug’s effect isn’t enough.
The enemy I need to kill is nowhere in sight.
Where did Rena go?
I must avoid a surprise attack.
I back away until my back is against the wall.
Silver hair is easy to spot.
But I can’t see her.
Did she go outside the building?
But you know.
Seeing her with Han Si-hoo, they looked good together.
Since she was taking the place where Yoo Seo-ah would have been.
Is it arrogant of me to say she was a substitute?
"Ah."
I don’t know.
Even thinking feels like a luxury now.
Instinct is gradually trying to take control of my actions.
[6 hours 22 minutes]
"I don't know."
The weapons I created won’t disappear.
They’ll probably stay like this until I win a battle.
I can feel it intuitively.
The fact that my fear is dulling is, in itself, terrifying.
[5 hours 55 minutes]
As I thought, I need more of the drug.
In my mind, the person preventing me from using the drug is the enemy.
Who had the drug again?
Han Si-hoo?
No, he’s just the one who gets it.
Lee Yoo-ram has it.
Well, then.
I’ll just have to kill her and take it.
Should I go down to the first basement floor?
I didn’t like her from the start.
If the Academy really wanted to help me, it wouldn’t have been like this.
The enemy is Lee Yoo-ram.
First, I’ll take care of Lee Yoo-ram and get more of the drug.
And then?
I’ll just raid the factory that makes the drug.
I trust that a way will present itself.
"...Found you."
I spotted Lee Yoo-ram coming up the stairs.
In one hand, she held a syringe; in the other, a bag.
My current weapons can’t reach her.
She’s too far to run to; she’ll get away.
*Fwoosh.*
I extend the sword's length like a spear, longer than a spear, and thrust.
[4 hours 36 minutes]
The time consumption is extreme.
But I succeeded in extending the weapon’s length.
A long, sharp thorn shoots toward Lee Yoo-ram.
Just as it’s about to reach her neck—
"[Purification]."
The word is crystal clear.
I have no idea why, but words mixed with some kind of power are easy to hear.
It’s one of Han Si-hoo’s skills.
It’s also a passive skill, but it’s more powerful when activated directly.
Did it activate upon physical contact?
Physical contact?
Sometime during all this, my arm had been grabbed.
"Han Si-hoo?"
Purification.
What was its effect again?
It feels like something is about to be purified.
*Crack.*
The weapon in my hand crumbles like a cookie.
Fragments of black mana scatter.
[1 hour 21 minutes]
The time is wrong.
"Uh."
I have to stop.
My time is dangerously low.
Han Si-hoo probably thinks purification is the right thing to do.
To some extent, he’s right.
He stopped me from attacking Lee Yoo-ram.
But this is going to be a problem for me.
"No."
I understand.
He must have found a different way after failing last time.
But that’s not what’s important.
"D-don't do that."
I pushed Han Si-hoo away.
But his grip on my arm doesn’t loosen.
There’s no trace of hostility in him.
That’s the problem.
One skill just wiped out four hours.
Any more of this, and it’ll be truly dangerous.
"It's fine now. Stop."
[1 hour 14 minutes]
Not yet.
Not yet.
"I’m in my right mind. I wasn’t really trying to fight."
Is he trying to save me?
Justice.
I can see shining justice.
Han Si-hoo is preparing his next skill.
That's what it looks like.
"I said I'm fine..."
I said it again.
My voice has grown too weak.
Now, even I can’t be convinced by my own words.
"This skill... it's for monsters..."
The light of justice was treating me like a monster.
But I’m still human.
I’m not a villain, and I’m not a monster.
Han Si-hoo hesitates, then lets go of my hand.
I’m human.
Probably.
I’m human.
Or am I?
"So, the, the drug... please."
[56 minutes]
I don’t look very human.
My state seems so pathetic.
I don’t want to live like this either.
*Thunk.*
Ah.
The drug.
[12 hours 32 minutes]
***
"What a mess."
Lee Yoo-ram said as she surveyed the first-floor lobby.
A chair with a broken leg, a table scarred with knife marks.
It was within the expected range.
It would be stranger if he remained perfectly fine after using that drug.
Lee Yoo-ram recalled the military dogs that had been administered the drug.
She saw an overlap with Yoo Seo-ah.
"It’s my fault for letting Seo-ah meet Rena."
Han Si-hoo blamed himself.
The incident was likely triggered by a trauma stimulus.
Han Si-hoo still didn’t know the full extent of Yoo Seo-ah’s condition.
That was by design.
"This is why I want to put Seo-ah in the Special Class, in case of problems like this."
"What?"
"Just like how Seo-ah tried to attack you last time, there's no guarantee something similar won't happen again. In a way, you could call it… quarantine."
It was a plausible reason.
And it was true, to an extent.
She knew Yoo Seo-ah would cause trouble.
‘Purification was unexpected. Judging by his condition, does it remove the mana-infused effects of the drug, too?’
Lee Yoo-ram had planned to step in and restrain him if the situation got too serious.
She even had a tranquilizer ready.
However, Yoo Seo-ah suddenly changing his target to her was unexpected.
The back of her neck, where the blade had almost touched, felt cold.
If Han Si-hoo hadn’t moved, Lee Yoo-ram would have had to subdue Yoo Seo-ah herself.
Still, as an Academy professor, she had ways to incapacitate him.
"Here, this is the tranquilizer I used just now. There's a syringe, and these are pills, so if he seems to be acting strange, give them to him."
She said, handing him a vial of medicine.
This was the path Yoo Seo-ah had chosen of his own will.
She hadn’t planned to give him the military-grade drug right away, but he had wanted it so badly.
Her plan to start things quietly in the Special Class had just been moved up a bit.
"Will this… cure him?"
Han Si-hoo asked, doubtful.
Yoo Seo-ah’s condition.
Was it any better than when he attacked Han Si-hoo last time?
He seemed sincere when he said he didn’t want to fight.
But he had been holding a sword.
"A cure isn't that simple. We have to be patient. That's why your role is so important."
The problem would only get worse.
He should have run when he had the chance.
Lee Yoo-ram thought to herself as she continued speaking.
"Be careful when he meets people, and if it gets too difficult, ask for help. The Academy can also manage him directly."
But that wasn’t what Han Si-hoo wanted.
He didn’t trust the Academy that much.
"I know, you don't like that, right? It looks like the Academy is holding Seo-ah hostage. I’m mediating, but… you need to take good care of him."
Even so, as long as the Academy was the source of the drug, Han Si-hoo couldn’t defy them.
"Yes. Thank you."
"And that thing from before, Purification, was it? It seems to be a strain on Seo-ah. It would be best not to use it."
She calculated whether Han Si-hoo’s ability might interfere with the development of the military-grade drug.
Lee Yoo-ram decided to note this as a special case.
"Yes. I just thought you were in danger, Professor..."
"It would have been fine even if you'd left it to me. I'm skilled enough. It might have been different if he were a regular student."
A weapon that could extend at will.
In a way, his form of attack had evolved.
When he first met Han Si-hoo, he had only swung a sword.
"You were with Rena, right? Then it would be good to have a word with her separately."
The fewer witnesses, the better.
It wasn’t good for rumors to spread too much.
"Ah, I’m here."
Rena peeked out from behind a pillar.
It seemed she had been using a stealth-type skill.
"Oh. Right. You were here. You get the gist of the situation, right? What I want to tell you is..."
***
That I’m trash.
Something like a monster.
And that as long as I have the drug, everything will be fine.
That’s what she wanted to say, right?
[10 hours 33 minutes]
So I’m back in the dorm.
On a bed, I think.
I feel listless, with no strength.
A tranquilizer, she said.
This feels good in its own way, but...
I doubt it's meant for human use.
Judging by its lingering effects, it seems capable of knocking a person out for at least a few hours.
"Ugh..."
I haven't even enrolled in the Academy yet, and I've already made a huge mess.
I don’t know what I’ve done.
I hope Lee Yoo-ram won’t get angry and refuse to give me the drug.
Though it was strange how prepared she was, injecting me with a tranquilizer just like that.
I thought she was a good person.
"...Ah."
I finally managed to sit up.
Something feels cool.
And strangely empty.
"Where are my clothes..."
My bandages have been changed.
Some kind of ointment has been applied to my wounds.
On the bruise on my stomach, too.
"Y-you're awake?"
It’s not Han Si-hoo.
It's... Rena, her face covered with a hat, mask, and sunglasses.
She tried to hide her noticeable silver hair by tying it up, but that was never going to work.
I guess she covered her face because she thought I would recognize her and attack.
I’m fine now.
The effect of the military-grade drug is minimal.
The tranquilizer is too strong.
"Ah, um, I was just changing your bandages."
But why is she here?
What did she talk about with Lee Yoo-ram?
I have no idea where Han Si-hoo went.
"Don't worry, I'm a friend here to help you!"
It’s nice of her to say that to someone who tried to attack her just a few hours ago.
But I don’t know why she’s here doing this.
This is definitely Han Si-hoo’s room.
"...Whatever happened to you in the past, I'll help you."
What is she talking about?
Maybe it’s the tranquilizer, but I don’t understand.