Beyond the Pure White (2)
73%. This won't work. Even if my body ends up half-crippled, I'll use Thunder God…… As I tried to draw up the mana in my body, a cold, icy hand grabbed mine.
"Seonghyun……"
Lee Seol's voice was faint, like someone murmuring in a dream. When I squeezed her hand back, the blizzard gradually began to subside.
51%. The chill faded, and warmth filled the auditorium.
21%.
"Haa…… I really thought we were screwed."
The sprout looked back down at the floor as if it had never raised its head. The infirmary. Two hours had passed since Lee Seol's rampage. She was now sleeping soundly on the bed. The violent energy that had seemed ready to explode at any moment was nowhere to be found.
'This is strange.'
The abnormal growth rate of the seed, Lee Seol suddenly going berserk—everything was full of variables.
'This is going to mess up the plan.'
The best option was to never let the Witch's seed grow. But since that was nearly impossible, I had planned to at least keep the corruption level as close to the light as possible…… After this incident, I couldn't help but doubt whether my plan would succeed.
While I was racking my brain over it—
"Mm…… Where am I……"
Lee Seol looked around with a drowsy face. Then her eyes met mine.
"H-Huh? Seonghyun?! What are you doing here?!"
"What do you mean? Don't you remember?"
"Huh? Remember what?"
"You went berserk."
"M-Me?"
As expected, she had no memory of it. I explained everything that had happened. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched the blanket tightly. But after taking a deep breath, she returned to her usual self. With a bitter smile, she twirled a strand of her hair.
"I thought I was being considerate of Jeong-ah…… I guess it wasn't enough."
"Like Jihun said, don't dwell on it too much. Once he cools down, he'll come back to his senses."
"You think so? I really need to apologize this time!"
A sense of dissonance. Watching her reignite her resolve once more, I felt something off about Lee Seol as a person. So I asked,
"Why are you so desperate to get close to Jeong-ah?"
"Huh? Isn't it nice to be friends with everyone?"
Her reaction, as if I had asked something obvious, left me momentarily speechless.
"No…… People have compatibility, don't they? Some just don't click, while others do."
"I think compatibility is just compatibility. If I try…… if I match Jeong-ah, it'll be fine."
Something was wrong. Until now, I had simply thought Lee Seol liked getting along with people. But this went beyond liking—it was obsession. Why was she so fixated on human relationships? Only then did Han Yuri's past words come to mind.
'Knowing her personality, she probably went to apologize because she thought she did something wrong.'
Right after I regressed. When I was still unskilled at controlling my killing intent. As soon as orientation ended, Lee Seol had chased after me. Han Yuri had already known Lee Seol's personality.
While I was lost in thought, Lee Seol fidgeted with her hands and cautiously spoke.
"Um, Seonghyun, I'm really sorry, but…… could you do me a favor?"
***
Lee Seol's request was simple. She wanted me to help her figure out how to get closer to Lee Jeong-ah.
'This is such a pain.'
I didn't know Lee Jeong-ah well. In the first timeline, she was just a classmate. That was the extent of my recognition. But if I refused Lee Seol's request and ended up on bad terms with Lee Jeong-ah, the sprout would grow again. It was a true dilemma.
Thanks to that, I once again found myself waiting for Lee Seol in the grass plaza, hoping she would return safely after spending time with Lee Jeong-ah.
'Anyway, Lee Jeong-ah's withdrawal is still a month away.'
Even if it happened sooner, there was still some time. So until then, I had to resolve the conflict somehow.
While sorting through my thoughts, I had drunk about half of the soju I bought from the convenience store when—
Thud, thud.
From afar, Lee Seol was walking over with a gloomy expression.
"Seonghyun……"
"Good work."
"Jeong-ah scolded me again today……"
"It's okay. Someday she'll understand your sincerity."
Lee Seol poured out what had happened. All I could do was offer empty words of comfort. Once the alcohol kicked in, she started saying what was really on her mind.
"Hehe. Lately, seeing you has been the only thing keeping me going……"
"……"
"Thank you so much…… Really, really thank you, Seonghyun……"
Watching Lee Seol rub her face against my shoulder while drunk, I couldn't help but sigh.
A week passed like that. Days of clearing assignments during the day and listening to Lee Seol's worries at night continued. Then—
Ring ring!
My phone rang.
The object had no subject, but the meaning came across clearly.
"You went to the hospital wall yourself?"
- Of course I helped when someone asked! Damn, this is what loyalty looks like!
My chest swelled with emotion.
- It's at my place right now. Come to the Association tomorrow. Let's go together.
"Yes! Thank you, sir!"
Finally, finally, the Altar was in my hands. The relic that had ruined my entire life. And the last memento my sister left behind.
'First, I need to start investigating.'
Since it was called an Altar, it probably wasn't an ordinary artifact. With a rare sense of excitement, I waited for Lee Seol again today.
Same time as yesterday. Same place. But no matter how long I waited, she didn't show up.
'What's going on?'
Thinking she might still be working on assignments, I called her. The phone rang, which meant her assignment was finished…… But no matter how many times I called, she didn't answer.
Why isn't she coming? Just as I was starting to feel something was wrong, a message came from Kim Jihun.
The event that was supposed to happen a month later had occurred now. The flow was far too abnormal. A sense of déjà vu hit me hard, like when the results of a lottery draw had changed.
'Then what the hell happened to the sprout……'
I quickly called Lee Jun.
- …Seonghyun. Sorry, but can you come to the Association right now?
Lee Jun's voice was grave. I nodded immediately.
"I'll be right there."
I hailed a taxi and headed to the Association. Lee Jun's expression was no joke. He looked like he was one second away from grabbing the back of his neck, straight out of a drama.
"Sir."
"Let's talk on the way."
"Yes."
As soon as we got in the car, Lee Jun let out a sigh.
"You roughly know the situation, right?"
"Yes. But I don't know the details……"
"Haa…… I only heard her crying over the phone, so I don't know exactly either. From the way she was crying, her mental state must've completely snapped."
"……"
Crying? Lee Seol? It was hard to believe. Lee Seol was the type who was sharp and friendly but had a strong core—she never shed a single tear. If she cried after being harshly spoken to by Lee Jeong-ah……
'We're screwed.'
I could already picture the growth rate skyrocketing.
A penthouse in Gangnam. As we approached Lee Seol's house, Lee Jun's bracelet suddenly shone brightly. Both the driver and Lee Jun's faces hardened instantly.
"S-Sir……!"
"……I know. Focus on driving."
'What is it?'
Lee Jun smiled as if to tell me not to worry.
"The security system at home went off. Since my job involves this kind of thing, it happens sometimes."
"Then isn't it dangerous?"
"It can easily block even an S-rank attack, and only a dragon-level threat would barely manage to break through. Don't worry."
But the bracelet only grew brighter as time passed. We both sensed that something was wrong. And then—
BOOOOOOM!
In the distance, we saw the penthouse engulfed in flames.
"Sir!"
"Damn it……!"
Lee Jun cursed and slammed on the brakes, leaping out of the car. I watched him scale the building in an instant and rushed up the emergency stairs myself.
The top floor. The smoke-filled penthouse greeted me. And there was Lee Jun, standing frozen as if he had lost his country. The house looked like it had been attacked—everything was in disarray, and Lee Seol was nowhere to be seen.
Pushing through the lingering traces of magi mixed with the smoke, I stepped further inside and stopped in the living room. A threat letter lay on the table. It had been specially coated, so it hadn't burned and remained intact. Right in the center of the letter was—
Lee Seol. She had been kidnapped.
***
Thirty cultists were speechless at the sight before them.
"The newbie's actually insane……"
"No kidding……"
Lee Jun's house. A barrier that even most S-rank hunters would struggle to break through was being torn apart by a single new cultist who had just joined.
"When they first told us to raid this place, I thought they were throwing us away…… but the Cult Leader always has a reason for sending us somewhere."
"But is the Altar really inside?"
"It should be. If the Cult Leader said so, it's definitely there."
"Kidnapping the Association President's daughter and bringing back the Altar…… This should be enough to prove our worth."
While the cultists chattered, the Witch was grinding away at the blue barrier with hundreds of chains.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Vwoooom!
The fortress that had boasted invincibility melted away under the friction of the chains.
"I-It opened!"
"That's it! Newbie, you're doing great! Just push a little harder!"
At their cheers, red energy coiled around the chains. Then—
BOOOOM!
The barrier finally shattered.
"Nice! Great job, newbie! I'll personally tell the Cult Leader—huh? Hey! Where are you going?!"
Ignoring the cultists, the Witch silently stepped inside. The scent of fragrant shampoo and subtle perfume filled the house. She walked familiarly toward the farthest room.
Pink wallpaper. Dolls and flowers were neatly displayed everywhere. The room's owner was collapsed on the bed, exhausted from crying. The Witch slowly approached her.
Vwoooom!
Eternal Snow activated automatically, sensing its master's crisis. A smile formed on the Witch's lips.
"Still the same, I see."
When she reached out, chains wrapped around Lee Seol.
Crack!
Eternal Snow tried to freeze the chains, but with a single flash, the chains overpowered it and bound the master's body without resistance. Lee Seol's entire body was tightly wrapped in chains.
"I don't have time. So please understand."
With calm, sunken eyes, the Witch stroked her.
"Just bear with it a little longer."
"Seol-ah."
The Witch's face was filled with impatience as she carried Lee Seol out of the room.