One Step Further
One Step Further (1)
Han Yuri was implanting a chip into my arm. "What the hell are you doing…?"
"……."
At my question, all her movements froze. It was as if her brain had short-circuited—complete stillness.
"I asked what you're doing. Can't you hear me?"
Her eyes darted around before she suddenly bolted toward the door.
Thud!
"Where the fuck do you think you're running, you bitch!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
Who the hell shows their back to a tank when they're just some ranged DPS trash! I grabbed her and slammed her down. She thrashed violently.
"Let go! Fuck! Let me go!"
"Let go, my ass! Spit it out—what were you trying to do?!"
Thud-thud-thud. Footsteps approached from outside, and the door swung open.
"What's going on?! Huh…?"
Choi Ahyeon took one look at Han Yuri and me tangled together and immediately shut the door with an embarrassed expression.
"U-um… just be careful not to make a baby……"
"You fucking—! We're not having sex!"
Only after Choi Ahyeon came back in did the situation finally settle down.
Team 2 emergency meeting. A single chip sat on the living room table. It had been hard to see in the dark, but under the bright lights, its identity was clear.
'A cutting-edge chip that monitors the user's health and automatically manages it.'
Starting at hundreds of millions of won. An artifact combining skills and advanced technology. The exclusive domain of the wealthy.
The problem was that it didn't just manage health.
'It tracks location and sends the user's real-time health data straight to a phone.'
"So, what is this thing?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
Han Yuri actually had the nerve to act shameless. "It's like a wearable. It sends health info about the person wearing it."
"That all?"
"Heart rate, body fat percentage, other physical data……"
"That all?"
"……."
Realizing I already knew, she bit her lip. Then she snapped, "Fine! It has location tracking and lie detection too! So what?!"
Choi Ahyeon's face went blank with shock. That was the normal reaction. She was horrified that Han Yuri had tried to implant it without anyone's consent.
I was used to this kind of behavior from Han Yuri by now. Besides—
'This is actually pretty tame compared to before.'
Right now she was acting on impulse, but in the first timeline she'd been thorough enough to use sleeping gas.
"Oh? You're proud of yourself now?"
"Tch……"
One glare and she deflated again. But it only lasted a moment before she bit her lip and protested, "I was only doing it for the team's health and safety!"
"Health and safety, my ass."
"It's true."
Han Yuri placed two more chips on the table. "I was going to install it on you first, then implant the others in Ahyeon and myself."
"Eh?! Me too?!"
Choi Ahyeon shot up in horror. Han Yuri clutched one chip tightly and muttered quietly, "Even if we enter a dungeon, this lets us check survival status with another chip. In other words, even if we get trapped, we can still send a survival signal."
"……."
"You have no idea how we felt when you got trapped in that dungeon, do you? Not knowing if you were alive or dead, just waiting minute by minute for the dungeon to open… it was torture."
Han Yuri bit her lip. "So please, Seonghyun. No—Seonghyun-ah……"
She bowed her head to me. "Just… implant it……"
Her voice trembled with barely held-back tears. The usual emotionless girl was openly pleading.
When I got trapped in the dungeon, Han Yuri had apparently gone berserk. Even Lee Seol had suddenly started worrying about my health. This whole incident must have pushed her to act.
But even so—
"I'm sorry. I really have no excuse for making you all worry. But…" I picked up the chip. "I can't implant this."
Disaster. The moment this thing went into my body, our relationship would hit rock bottom. Especially the lie detection function—that was fatal.
But if I refused outright, Han Yuri's personality meant she'd definitely try to force something else on me later. Sleeping pills, or straight-up coercion. Better to offer a small compromise instead.
"Instead, I'll implant something else."
"Something else…?"
The next day, the three of us stared at the tiny dot embedded in our arms.
"Wow. This feels really weird~."
"Yeah……"
It was a downgraded version of the chip Han Yuri had brought. It only notified us of survival status inside dungeons. No location tracking or lie detection, obviously.
Han Yuri wore a faint smile, apparently satisfied with my concession. "Happy now? You were crying 'Seonghyun-ah, Seonghyun-ah' yesterday."
"Shut up! When did I cry?!"
"What about that tantrum, then?"
"Fuck. Get over here!"
I dodged her swinging hand and waved at the two of them. "Anyway, I've got stuff to do, so I'll head in first."
"Hey! Get over here!"
"Nope~"
"See you later, Seonghyun-ah~"
"Yeah."
Leaving behind their half-hearted send-off, I arrived at Professor Irena's office.
The reason I came here was—
'The official disciple appointment.'
After making the contract in the hospital room, she'd contacted me asking if it was okay to appoint me as her official disciple. It was an offer I'd gladly accept with both hands, but…
The other professors' opposition had delayed it.
While I leaned against the wall waiting, the sound of high heels echoed from beyond the door.
Click.
The door opened.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"No. I just got here."
Irena immediately took my hand the moment she saw me. The motion was so natural it almost made me laugh.
When I stared at her, she fidgeted with her red lips and looked away.
"Is it not allowed…?"
"No, it's fine. Go ahead."
If I shook her off she'd sulk, so I figured I'd just listen.
"…First, I'm sorry for causing trouble."
"It's fine. But isn't appointing an official disciple the professor's exclusive right? Can the others really oppose it?"
Irena gave a bitter smile at my question. "Yes, they can, though they rarely do. Until now, everyone appointed as an official disciple has been thoroughly verified. Most were people even outsiders would acknowledge. But the other professors don't know much about your skills or potential."
'Beating Kim Seongho wasn't enough, huh.'
Well, most professors hadn't even been there that day. Plus, our year had both Lee Seol and Han Yuri. That meant two ironclad guarantees.
Yet the professors were uneasy about investing a large chunk of the academy's budget into supporting an unproven candidate like me.
"There's only one thing the professors want." Irena's eyes narrowed. "Prove your potential against Lee Seol or Han Yuri."
Finally. It had come.
***
The opponent had been decided.
[Lee Seol]
Han Yuri was excluded since she was on my team. By process of elimination, Lee Seol became my opponent.
Objectively speaking, could I beat Lee Seol?
'No.'
Lee Seol was E-rank. One rank below me. But she was only staying at that rank out of consideration for her teammates—her actual skill was probably equal to or above Han Yuri's.
'Huu……'
After taking a deep breath, I calmly compared my current state to Lee Seol's.
'I can't use Thunder God from above.'
Not only was the skill's preparation time an issue, but Lee Seol wouldn't just stand there while I charged it. The only possibility left was—
'Using Thunder God to surpass Lee Seol's reaction speed.'
In a speed battle, I wouldn't lose either. But even if I exceeded her reflexes, whether I could break through the barrier surrounding her was uncertain.
'If only Eve were here, it might've been doable……'
The mental world was sealed, so she was practically locked away. Objectively and subjectively, this was completely fucked.
'First, let's analyze her combat style.'
It was too early to give up. After waiting at the cafeteria table for a few minutes, the guy arrived.
Kim Jihun. The one who knew Lee Seol's current state best.
"Yo! What's the occasion? You offering to buy me food?"
"Just felt like having a meal with a friend after a while."
"Oh? Bullshit season must be in full swing. Whatever, just say what you want. You need a favor?"
I explained the situation and asked about Lee Seol's current combat style. He groaned.
"Combat style…… I don't think she really has one? I pull aggro, she freezes and kills them. That's it."
"Seriously, that's all?"
"Yeah. Isn't that Lee Seol's combat style?"
No way. Perpetual Snow was one of the most versatile skills out there.
'She just has no reason to use more power.'
An E-rank monster didn't require any fancy techniques from Lee Seol. In the end, I got nothing useful from Kim Jihun.
'Feels like I'm hitting a wall.'
I had plenty of information about Lee Seol. I'd fought that girl dozens of times—how could I not know? But—
'The current Lee Seol doesn't know anything.'
What I knew was her from years later. I had her future combat style memorized, but right now I might as well know nothing.
'There has to be something…… some kind of method.'
While mulling it over, I returned to the training grounds.
"Took you long enough."
Han Yuri stood there with a sulky expression.
"Yeah. What are you doing here?"
"Just because."
Just because? While I was wondering, my phone buzzed with a notification. I checked it—Han Yuri had sent me a video.
I clicked it open.
"This is……"
A sparring video of Lee Seol and Han Yuri in school uniforms. And Lee Seol was going all out.
Han Yuri fidgeted with her lips before looking away. "Sorry about trying to implant the chip without asking. I got pissed because Lee Seol kept clinging to you."
Wow. The great Han Yuri actually apologizing. The world must be ending tomorrow.
"So this video is your way of saying sorry?"
"Yeah. And I have dozens more just like it."
Dozens? My eyes widened. Ignoring my surprise, Han Yuri squeezed her eyes shut and continued, "I'll help you beat Lee Seol. I'll give you all the videos I have and give you thorough feedback. In exchange—"
In exchange?
"J-just……"
Han Yuri's face grew redder and redder. She clenched and unclenched her fists, clearly at a loss, before finally—
"Just do me one favor!"
She shouted at me.