The Pure Witch's Visit
Lee Seol (2)
"Huh? Seonghyun?"
Lee Seol stood there cradling a flowerpot overflowing with pure white blossoms. To anyone else, the sight would have looked like something out of a painting. The sense of satisfaction I'd felt after meeting Jihun slowly sank away. Still, showing it would mark me as the greenest of rookies. I kept my expression carefully neutral and walked over.
"What is this? A hospital visit?"
"Yes. You're the one who saved me, so of course I had to come. Oh, here. A gift for the visit. I brought artificial flowers just in case you might be allergic to fresh ones."
A thoughtful gesture, very much like her. Of course it wasn't exactly welcome on my end, but refusing would have been rude. I accepted the pot and set it near the window.
"How's your body feeling now?"
"It's... manageable. I can move freely again."
"Ah. Then discharge must be close?"
"That's right."
Pointless small talk. The conversation stayed strictly within the bounds of polite hospital-visitor etiquette. Then Lee Seol bowed deeply to me.
"Seonghyun, thank you. For coming to rescue me."
"...Well, we help each other out. Just return the favor if I'm ever in danger."
Even as the words left my mouth, I wanted to vomit. With acting skills and patience like this, maybe I really could break into Hollywood. At my playful reply, Lee Seol shook her head firmly.
"My wrong choice put the entire party in danger. If you hadn't helped us there, we'd probably be wandering the afterlife right now."
Choice, huh... So it really was Lee Seol who suggested going first.
In the previous round, she had never even approached the golden goblin. Suspicion swelled inside me. At that moment, Lee Seol held out a single business card.
President of the Korean Hunter Association — Lee Jun
Personal contact number included.
"This is..."
"My father's business card. I thought hard about the greatest repayment I could possibly give you... and this was the only thing that came to mind. Could you accept this for now? And please wait just a little longer."
I'll hone myself even sharper and become someone who can truly help you.
It wasn't a material gift but one that carried genuine sincerity. It was so characteristically Lee Seol that I couldn't find the words to respond. Standing there in silence felt even more awkward, so I took the card she offered.
To anyone else it would have been cause for celebration. To me, it felt like receiving useless garbage. I flipped the card over in my hands, thinking.
Should I test her?
To find out whether Lee Seol had regressed or simply retained fragments of memory. In the end, I opened my mouth to clear away the frustration.
"Lee Seol. Can I ask you something?"
"Yes. Ask me anything."
Saliva slid down my throat. I felt the familiar pull of my skill.
Unique Skill: Equivalent Exchange
-4% Pain Threshold
With little pain reserve left, I was ready to use it at any moment. I spoke.
"Do you remember coming to the Hall of Challenge at dawn?"
"Yes."
"Why did you come at that time? You could have come at any other hour, right?"
"......"
The question must have caught her off guard; her expression stiffened slightly. I pressed further.
"And during the grade evaluation too. Why abandon a perfectly good hunting ground and head into the fog barrier?"
"......"
Silence. And more silence. The longer the quiet stretched, the tighter my chest felt. After about ten seconds, Lee Seol gave a bitter smile.
"Hmm... Father told me not to say anything, but I'm not sure if I should keep quiet about this."
At that moment, every instinct screamed at me to stop digging. I tried to cut her off.
"No, you don't have to..."
"Actually, I've awakened a unique skill called Super Sensory."
"What...?"
Super Sensory? A power that shouldn't have awakened for another five years—why now...? I forced my slack jaw to move.
"When did you awaken it?"
"On OT day. More precisely... before the professor entered the room. It started when I noticed a gaze on my back."
Right after I had regressed. The moment I unintentionally radiated thick killing intent toward both Lee Seol and Han Yuri.
Fuck. It's not like she's the main character of some story.
Awakening abilities in the face of crisis? Give me a break.
"It warns me when something will benefit me or pose a threat. That's why I followed that feeling to the Hall of Challenge at dawn. And..."
Lee Seol hesitated, lowering her eyes.
"From you, Seonghyun, I feel something comfortable. Kind of soft and fluffy. Different from other people. So I knew. Right before the wolf attacked me, that feeling was circling around me."
"...I see."
All the puzzle pieces clicked into place. In the end, every snowball had started because of me. My poor emotional control had caused this entire mess. The discomfort that had been piling up eased a little. I'd grown overly sensitive because of my suspicion that Lee Seol might have regressed.
Still, better safe than sorry.
I needed to verify. There was still a chance she was lying. I directed killing intent toward her. If she truly had Super Sensory, she should react in some way.
No reaction.
What the hell?
Just as I began to question it, a phone rang with an unusual ringtone. It wasn't mine.
"Sorry. I should have turned it off..."
"It's fine. Go ahead and answer."
Lee Seol hurriedly picked up the phone. Her face hardened. It was an expression I had never seen in either the first or second round. At the same time, a wave of mana pulsed from the device.
What is this?
Signs of skill activation. Why from a phone...?
While I was still puzzled, Lee Seol stood up.
"Hyun. I'm sorry. Something urgent came up, so I have to go."
"Wait, did you just call me Hyun..."
"Calling you Seonghyun all the time feels too stiff. We've even shared secrets... You can call me Seol too. Anyway, I really have to go now!"
"Hey! Wait a second!"
Bang!
Lee Seol rushed out, slamming the door behind her as if trying to hide her slightly flushed face. I was left alone in the room.
Fuck.
A whole week passed after Lee Seol's chaotic visit. Before I knew it, the day of my discharge had arrived. While packing my things before the discharge procedures, I noticed the three flowerpots on the windowsill.
Looking at them now, the flowers are all different.
Usually hospital visit flowers followed a set pattern, yet these were varied.
This one is white aster, right?
The name sounded unfamiliar. Curiosity got the better of me and I searched it online. While I was at it, I looked up the flower language for all three pots.
Black Rose — Curse, death, farewell, You are forever mine alone.
Acacia — Fellowship, pure heart, friendship, hidden love.
The first two were easy to find. Information on white aster was surprisingly scarce. I kept scrolling until one phrase made my hand freeze.
White Aster — Please believe in me.
I immediately turned off the phone screen.
The school athletic field. All three hundred first-year students had gathered in the vast space.
"We will now begin the closing ceremony for the first annual grade evaluation. Will the first-place team—Class 1-A, Team 2—please come forward."
At Professor Irena's words, our team headed toward the podium. I could feel the stinging glares from all around as we walked.
"Those guys won't starve no matter where they end up. Their skill at riding coattails is top-tier."
"If they didn't pull something like this, they couldn't even secure a meal ticket. Let's just be understanding."
The top-rankers still saw Choi Ahyeon and me as nothing but bus riders. Tsks echoed from every direction. On the other hand, there were friendly reactions too—Lee Seol clapping with a gentle smile, and Kim Jihun lazily slapping his hands together while yawning.
"Team 2 scored 35,000 points, an overwhelming difference that is nearly five times higher than the second-place Team 1. Therefore, we will award them the special first-place reward: the Wishing Stone."
Irena approached the safe and infused it with mana. The Wishing Stone was an item that granted the user a skill based on their desire. It could create not only existing skills but even original ones—an artifact so valuable that not even astronomical sums could buy it. However, if the user's vessel was too small to accept the skill, the backlash would strike the user directly. In other words, it was a warning not to be greedy and to know one's place when making a wish.
◈ Grants a skill based on the user's desire and vessel capacity
◈ Can create original skills
◈ Severe backlash if vessel is insufficient
Click. The safe opened. Security was tight, as expected for a reward that had cost an astronomical amount. After unlocking several layers, Irena took out the Wishing Stone. It looked more like a jewel than a simple rock.
"Wow... it's beautiful."
"......"
Choi Ahyeon was captivated by its brilliant glow, while Han Yuri remained strangely indifferent. That girl was still impossible to read.
"Then who will be using it?"
There was only one stone. Naturally, we had already discussed this beforehand. Han Yuri pointed at me with her index finger, arms still crossed.
"He's taking it."
The entire first-year cohort erupted in murmurs.
"Wait, did I hear that right? Why the hell is he getting that?"
"Exactly! That's overkill! Why give that treasure to the bottom-ranked student?!"
The murmurs quickly turned into outright commotion. The Wishing Stone ranked among the top five rewards the academy could give. Everyone had assumed without question that Han Yuri would use it herself. Handing it to the lowest-ranked student instead made no sense. Then someone poured oil on the fire.
It was the professor in charge of Class 2 and a well-known hater of the second-tier students.
"Student Lee Seonghyun. May I ask you one question?"
"Yes. Go ahead."
The man pushed up his glasses with a sly smile.
"The skill granted by the Wishing Stone varies in rank according to the depth of the user's talent. Yet the fact that you're the one receiving it sounds like you're claiming to be superior to Student Han Yuri..."
"......"
Tsk. When he put it that way, I had no easy comeback. I wasn't dull, but I wasn't a genius either. What allowed me to suppress Lee Seol and Han Yuri was my varied combat experience, instincts, and the ability to monopolize every opportunity through future knowledge.
"If you're the team leader, shouldn't you yield it to Student Han Yuri for the sake of the team's stability and growth?"
"......"
"Hmm. No answer? Does that mean you agree?"
It had become an inquisition. A professor backed by over a hundred first-tier students was firing arrows at me. I was about to speak when Han Yuri stepped forward.
Don't tell me...
If this girl got involved, things would get complicated. I hurriedly reached out to stop her.
"Professor. I'm the one giving it to him, so why the fuck are you being such a pain?"
The bomb had dropped.