Surviving on the Uninhabited Island - Interlude
Professor Cheongha stared at me intently before nodding calmly. “Ahem. That’s a relief. You seem to be doing far better than I expected?”
I considered circulating my inner energy to force my upper body upright, but gave up. I didn’t particularly want to leave this comfortable position.
“Thank goodness…”
I could hear Han Yeoreum letting out a heavy sigh. Even through my blurry vision it was confusing. Just how similar could two people look? Had she secretly modeled for Murim Electric without me knowing? Siblings wouldn’t even resemble each other this much. Therefore, the mistake wasn’t my fault.
I thought about sending it through sound transmission, but I didn’t even have the strength for that, so I simply tossed it into the chat. Comfort really was the best.
Han Yeoreum’s eyes widened into perfect circles. The area around her red, bloodshot eyes was so swollen it looked painful to even glance at.
Her eyes grew moist again. I let out a deep internal sigh. I hadn’t realized she had this many tears in her.
Han Yeoreum, who had been blinking rapidly, pushed her lips out in a pout. Thankfully, it looked like the desire to cry had subsided a little.
Bang. Han Yeoreum lightly slammed the side of the hospital bed.
“Cadet Han Yeoreum…?”
Startled by Han Yeoreum’s sudden action, Professor Cheongha whipped her head around.
“I’m sorry. It’s because Cadet Kim Mugong is provoking me with his eyes.”
“It seems that when people are close, they can even understand something like that from a mere look.”
“…Apparently so.”
“In any case, if he’s well enough to provoke you, we don’t need to worry about Cadet Kim Mugong. Not to mention the way he pinched my cheek earlier. I still don’t know what he was thinking.”
Professor Cheongha gave me a slightly sharp glance.
Only then did Han Yeoreum seem to realize something and sent another message.
When I let out a groan, Han Yeoreum lifted my upper body.
“…Mm.”
After testing my vocal cords, I found I could speak properly.
“Can you talk now?” Professor Cheongha asked, her eyes full of concern.
In any case, I had to give the professor credit for having such a tender heart.
I swallowed once and opened my mouth.
“Aa. I’m fine. How much time has passed?”
Looking around again, I realized it was a considerably high-tech hospital room. Were we in Okinawa? The eagle logo on the wall looked familiar, but the memory was hazy.
“It’s only been a day. This is a U.S. Navy Mercy-class hospital ship. Fortunately it was sailing nearby, so you were transported here. You were very lucky. When you were first discovered, Cadet Kim Mugong, you were half a corpse. You had lost far too much blood.”
Half a corpse? For that description, my current state wasn’t bad at all. And now that I thought about it, that familiar symbol was the American eagle. No wonder I’d felt a faint swaying motion—we were at sea.
“I see.”
“Yes. But your recovery ability is truly monstrous. Even with a Mercy-class hospital ship nearby and spiritual medicine, these were not injuries you should have woken up from in a single day.”
It was true. Thanks to my Extreme Yang Body, my recovery really was exceptional. Of course, it was so excessive that exceeding the threshold would cause an immediate explosion as a side effect.
“I still need more time to recover.”
As feeling returned, the pain intensified. Every breath felt like my lungs were screaming. If not for my Clear Conscience trait, I might have been rolling around begging for narcotic painkillers.
“That makes sense. Thanks to the U.S. Navy’s consideration, we’ve decided to transport all the cadets to Okinawa aboard this ship. We need to perform detailed medical examinations on everyone anyway. Cadet Kim Mugong, you should rest comfortably.”
As expected, America truly was South Korea’s greatest ally. In this world, the cooperation seemed even closer. My thanks to the heavenly country for providing such a comfortable bed. I sent one grateful glance toward the eagle logo before meeting Professor Cheongha’s eyes again.
“Are all the cadets safe?”
“Yes. Everyone is safe. According to Cadets Cheon Hayeon, Han Yeoreum, and Seomun Yerin, it was thanks to your scheme, Cadet Kim Mugong. Is that correct?”
I let out a long sigh of relief first. So all that desperate running around hadn’t been meaningless. The history that had nearly gone off the rails had returned to its proper course.
“It wasn’t really a scheme. I simply prepared in advance.”
“Is that so? Still, as the saying goes, excessive courtesy becomes discourtesy. You could promote yourself a little more, Cadet Kim Mugong.”
Professor Cheongha pouted. Did my answer displease her?
“What exactly was that thing?”
“According to the natives living on the nearby island, it was the remains of a god. That’s what they called it. I don’t know how true that is. It’s also the reason the island became uninhabited. Everyone feared it. The academy had sealed it with a formation, but professors can naturally enter and exit…”
So Instructor Pung Jihae hadn’t simply been spouting nonsense. It seemed even the academy hadn’t identified its exact nature.
“More importantly, I have a question for you, Cadet Kim Mugong.”
“Yes.”
“Was it you who engaged Instructor Pung Jihae in a life-or-death duel?”
A life-or-death duel. She had phrased it indirectly, but her intention was obvious.
“That’s correct. I killed him. I also destroyed the orb.”
Professor Cheongha, who had been staring at me, let out a low hum.
“Hmm… So it really was like that.”
“Instructor Pung Jihae was a pawn of the Blood Sect. There was no other choice.”
“I’m not trying to blame you. The details will come out during the investigation. The part that’s hard for me to believe, however… is that you defeated him, Cadet Kim Mugong.”
“I got lucky.”
“…I see. Understood. Now that I’ve confirmed your condition, I’ll take my leave. I’ll see you later. You’ve worked hard.”
Professor Cheongha picked up the file folder beside her, exchanged one glance with Han Yeoreum, then turned and left the hospital room.
“But what happens to the evaluation now?”
The question that suddenly occurred to me slipped out like a mutter.
“You’re thinking about the evaluation even in this situation?”
Han Yeoreum shook her head in disbelief.
“Still, there should be some reward for all the hard work.”
“Please stop overdoing it. If you die, I’ll seriously die too.”
Pouting, Han Yeoreum flopped down. Her voice was thick with exhaustion.
“That won’t do. At least you have to survive.”
“I don’t want to. What’s the point of living alone?”
“I’ll be more careful next time, so don’t worry too much.”
I gently stroked Han Yeoreum’s hair as she lay there.
“Haa… Fine.”
“Didn’t you sleep at all?”
“Would you have been able to sleep if you were me?”
True. If our positions were reversed, I probably would have stayed up all night with my eyes wide open.
“Want to come over here?”
I lifted the blanket slightly.
“There are cameras here.”
“Who cares? We’re just sleeping innocently. The bed’s wide enough.”
“….”
After a moment of hesitation, Han Yeoreum eventually crept over and lay down beside me. Conscious of the surveillance, she kept a slight distance.
I reached out and placed my hand on her head.
“Sorry.”
“…It’s okay. If you pushed yourself that far, it must have been necessary.”
Had risking my life against Pung Jihae truly been necessary? I wasn’t sure. If I had simply bought time by running around, Cheon Hayeon might have resolved everything. I could have saved the Mixed Origin Pill, avoided injury, and perhaps reached an even better outcome.
But I didn’t want to deny Han Yeoreum’s trust. Therefore, this time it must have been necessary. I decided to think of it that way. After all, the true value of every event only revealed itself later.
I silently continued to stroke her hair, believing that someday I would be able to give her an answer filled with certainty.
Bae Yuri. Third-generation disciple of the Point Spear Sect. First-year at the academy. Specialty: Shooting Sun Sword Art.
As the name implied—shooting the sun—the Shooting Sun Sword Art pursued extreme speed. Most of the Point Spear Sect’s martial arts were founded on swiftness, and the Shooting Sun Sword Art stood at their peak.
Naturally, the Shooting Sun Sword Art wasn’t taught to just anyone. A talent that appeared once every few decades in the sect’s history. That was Bae Yuri.
‘But what does that matter?’
Bae Yuri, who had once overflowed with confidence, had her spirit completely crushed the moment she entered the academy. Once every few decades? Greatest talent of the Point Spear Sect? It meant nothing. All around her were geniuses you’d only encounter once every hundred or thousand years.
Especially when she first saw Cheon Hayeon—it felt like standing before the elders. To be an elder of a prestigious sect at the same age as her. It didn’t make sense.
An inhumanly handsome face, outstanding martial prowess, calm personality. Being drawn to Cheon Hayeon was only natural.
The problem was that although that impression had faded somewhat now, the Point Spear Sect—which had originally been a Daoist sect—strictly enforced separation of men and women. Bae Yuri, who had never properly conversed with a boy her own age, found the ‘male’ Cheon Hayeon an overwhelmingly difficult existence.
When an anomaly occurred during the uninhabited island evaluation, Bae Yuri had fought the Tamatoma with everything she had. The Shooting Sun Sword Art’s strength lay in one-point strikes aimed at vital points, but instantly destroying the quickly darting Tamatoma core had been incredibly difficult. Cutting its nerve nodes wasn’t easy either.
Just before her strength gradually ran out and she collapsed, a softly glowing black halo appeared, and Cheon Hayeon descended from the sky.
And so, Bae Yuri fell in love.
After they boarded the hospital ship together, Bae Yuri followed Cheon Hayeon from afar like a little puppy. For Cheon Hayeon, whose senses were highly developed, it was inevitably bothersome. Above all, she was the Young Heavenly Demon of the Divine Cult. Attention from someone clearly affiliated with the orthodox factions was somewhat burdensome.
Eventually, right before entering Kim Mugong’s hospital room, Cheon Hayeon approached the trailing Bae Yuri in an instant and spoke.
“…Why are you tailing me?”
“T-tailing? I’m not—”
Bae Yuri jumped in surprise at seeing Cheon Hayeon suddenly right in front of her before she could even register the movement.
“Must I recount your every movement until now?”
“It’s not like that…”
“If it’s not that, then what is it? From my perspective, I can only see it as approaching with impure intentions.”
At Cheon Hayeon’s cold tone, tears welled up in Bae Yuri’s eyes.
“…I like you.”
“What?”
“I admire Lord Cheon Hayeon.”
“….”
This time it was Cheon Hayeon’s turn to stand there with her mouth open in a daze. A possibility she had never once considered had suddenly slammed into her, leaving her speechless.
“Huh? What are you two doing here?”
Sensing the disturbance, Kim Mugong stepped out, looked back and forth between them, and tilted his head.