Chapter 40
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 40
The underground space of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, which had nearly become the worst possible powder keg.
I was barely pulling myself together in the middle of it.
My hands were trembling faintly from mana exhaustion.
My side, which had been slammed against the pipes, sent a sharp spike of pain through me with every breath.
She was a Demonkin vicious enough to have caused hundreds of casualties if left alone, but.......
Either way, the revulsion of having killed someone with my own hands clung to me like a fever in the dead of winter.
It was a wonder I hadn't collapsed, physically or mentally.
The reason was probably.......
[Activating trait, Enhanced Recovery.]
The trait's power, which had kicked in at some point, and the faint voices I was starting to hear.
The text I had sent to So Yi-hyeon just before heading this way.
It was the result of mentioning a second attack and requesting a search team.
'Hurry!'
'Over here!'
The cleanup was their job, so I grabbed the box and slipped out.
First, I went up to the first floor and headed for the small hill behind the building.
All the civilians had apparently evacuated, because I didn't run into anyone.
I settled down not far away and opened the box first.
The Lorelei Necklace.
A gift Cheon Seo-yoon's father had made for Cheon Seo-yoon.
But now it had become a lethal weapon, and for that reason, it was something that absolutely had to be destroyed.
The only solution I knew was for the Bomb Demonkin herself to defuse it.......
After meeting him, I was even more certain.
That it had been impossible to defuse from the start.
It hadn't been a poor judgment call.
Whether I asked the National Forensic Service or the Awakener Association, the result would probably be the same.
Fundamentally, Demonic Energy and mana were positive and negative.
They were natural opposites, so for anyone who wasn't a Demonkin to expel Demonic Energy was close to impossible.......
Even Greed said it couldn't absorb Demonic Energy that hadn't manifested, which said it all.
That eased my guilt a little.
Either way, destruction was ultimately the only option.
And it was right that I be the one to do it.
After all, wasn't this a side effect that had come about because of me?
I asked Greed.
"Can you use [Auxiliary Authority 1]?"
['Greed' says that, separate from Discharge, there is a fixed amount it can absorb each day.]
The answer was vague, so I asked again.
"So you can't?"
As a result.
['Greed' says it's cutting it close.]
[It says that if the explosion exceeds the permitted limit, the damage will be yours to bear.]
I got the answer I wanted.
In other words, it was possible.
I was desperate for rest, so I didn't hesitate.
I reached out and seized the necklace.
[Activating Auxiliary Authority 1.]
The necklace in my grip emitted a dark red light so intense it was dazzling.
In that instant, a searing pain flared, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Still, it was bearable.
The ominous light that had threatened the green forest soon died down.
Crack—
And then came the crack.
The Lorelei Majeong Crystal embedded in the necklace, about the size of a thumbnail, lost its distinctive violet hue and shattered into pieces.
The ornate golden chain, which must have passed through some artisan's meticulous hands, was the same. It soon blackened and crumbled.
Suddenly, a wind blew from somewhere.
The scattering fragments rose into the sky.
"It's really over."
All I could do was open my hand so they could fly more freely.
Once even the last fragment had blown away, I turned back with complicated feelings.
"......What did you just do?"
That was when I heard a voice I shouldn't have heard.
* * *
While searching for Park Ha-yul, Cheon Seo-yoon had held on to a small hope.
Still, they were both Taehak students.
They hadn't known each other long, but they were familiar with each other, and recently they had even worked well together. So her circumstances—the personal circumstances she hadn't told anyone.......
If she opened up honestly and asked for his understanding, she thought buying it back might not be impossible.
But then.
Rumble—
All of a sudden, a powerful wave of Demonic Energy shook the venue.
The moment she sensed the ominous current, Cheon Seo-yoon ran toward it.
Before long, she found the person she had been searching so desperately for.
......Park Ha-yul.
He was heading somewhere, his body just as battered as her own.
"Park Ha...."
She tried to call out, but the distance didn't close easily.
So she hurried after him.
Her body was heavy from continued bleeding, and her mouth was dry with a burning thirst, but she gritted her teeth and followed him.
How long had she walked like that?
What she finally saw when she managed to catch up was...... the remains of the necklace, already crumbling and scattering in the wind.
"Why...."
For a moment, she was so stunned that her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
The world went white, and a muffled silence descended. Her brain felt like it had twisted into a knot and seized up.
Cheon Seo-yoon, who had been standing there blankly, soon began to tremble.
She wanted to run over and demand an explanation, but the fact that she had no right to do so pressed heavily on her heart.
After all, the person whose ownership had been officially recognized was Park Ha-yul.
So she held it in and forced out each word as if chewing it to bits.
"......What did you just do?"
Maybe it was because he sensed her suppressed feelings.
Park Ha-yul flinched for a moment, then turned his head.
And their eyes met.
His face looked somehow calm, and his lips, which seemed especially firm today, parted to let out words she couldn't understand.
"...Bomb disposal."
"What?"
Bomb?
Cheon Seo-yoon let out a hollow laugh without realizing it. Park Ha-yul's answer was that absurd.
In the end, Cheon Seo-yoon couldn't hold back and shouted.
"No, how did an ordinary necklace become a bomb....... Why did it have to be that one!"
She knew Park Ha-yul didn't know the circumstances, but the emotions contained in that necklace.
Her longing for her father ran too deep to be measured rationally.
"I don't know the details either. I only heard about it from the host."
But Park Ha-yul continued in a voice calmer than ever.
"That precious thing you mentioned....... If it was this necklace, then I'm sorry. But I had no choice. Once I knew, I absolutely had to remove it."
"You right now, that's......."
"I've got nothing else to say. I'm leaving."
When Park Ha-yul turned away without hesitation, Cheon Seo-yoon immediately followed.
"Stop right there. I still have something to...."
"If you don't believe me, ask the captured Demonkin."
But his reply was cold and cutting.
"Go confirm whether I'm telling the truth first. And don't keep someone who's already in bad shape here."
Everything he said was right, so Cheon Seo-yoon couldn't bring herself to retort and stopped dead in her tracks.
In that instant, her vision blurred, and Park Ha-yul's retreating figure wavered.
Cheon Seo-yoon was frustrated with herself for being unable to do anything.
She felt like she would lose her mind if she didn't let something out, and she wanted to cry at the top of her lungs.
But she couldn't.
Because she didn't want to become any more pathetic than this.
So she was forcing back her tears when it happened.
Suddenly, a violet gem fragment glittered at her feet.
As her legs gave out, Cheon Seo-yoon sank to the ground.
* * *
Sometimes the truth is like a sword swung while gripping the blade.
Both the one who swings it and the one cut by it are bound to be wounded.
After parting ways with Cheon Seo-yoon, I returned to Taehak alone.
The moment I arrived at the dormitory, I passed out.
A deep, uninterrupted sleep that made me forget even the anxiety over my remaining time.
When I opened my eyes again, darkness had already settled all around, and the solid rest had left me feeling much better.
As soon as it hit 8 o'clock exactly, I turned on the TV.
The news I had wanted to hear happened to be playing.
The main culprits behind this attempted terrorist attack have been identified as Demonkin belonging to the recently rising Exorcism Society.
The Demonkin, in order to seize the Sain Sword......
Their plan was revealed in full by the captured Demonkin.
And the parts where I had intervened.......
Authorities believe that, given the smoke that rose at a time only an insider could have known and the fact that the fatal wounds found on the Bomb Demonkin's corpse were caused by Demonic Energy, the Exorcism Society's internal conflict has reignited—
Fortunately, it seemed to have been perceived as a power struggle within the Exorcism Society.
My last resort, [Auxiliary Authority 2], had come back to me as an unexpected shield.
"I guess I'm not completely doomed after all."
When the necklace crumbling in my hand came back to me, I felt an inexplicable bitterness in my mouth.
I was just about to turn off the TV.
That was the moment two familiar faces appeared.
Baek Sa-young, Joo A-rin. I heard you both performed greatly once again.
It was a fairly important part in the flow leading into the next development, and I had almost forgotten about it.
Suddenly, I remembered what Yoo So-young had said at this point.
That the line between a hero and a villain was paper-thin.
When I asked what kind of bullshit that was, I remembered her answering like this.
That a hero's life is eventful because, to someone, they are a villain.......
From now on, Baek Sa-young and Joo A-rin would become examples of that.
From the Demonkin's perspective, they must have looked like brats who didn't know their place and were acting up.
Anyway, once the epilogue to this episode—and the prologue to the next—was over, I turned off the TV.
I'd gotten plenty of rest, and there was a lot I needed to do.
First, I checked the messages I hadn't had time to read.
[Main Quest #5, Stop the Auction House Terrorist Attack]
[As a reward, 20 days are added to your Remaining Time.]
[Remaining Time: 7 days 20 hours 4 minutes]
[You have acquired 35 SP as a reward.]
[SP Held: 95]
The Main Quest was cleared, for starters.
[Achievement-88: Nameless Hero]
[Through outstanding performance, you prevented the Bomb Demonkin's terrorist attack and saved the civilians.]
[You have gained 1 day as a reward.]
[You gain 15 SP for a satisfying development.]
I had also collected a hefty achievement reward. That brought my totals to—
[Remaining Time: 25 days 10 hours 15 minutes]
[SP: 110]
My remaining time had been getting pretty low, so I was starting to sweat. This was a relief.
On top of that, my SP had already surpassed 100 points.
Was the next reward at 200?
What kind of reward would I get this time?
I was looking forward to it, but I couldn't help worrying that it might drag me into another incident.
I also reconfirmed the function of the newly acquired [Auxiliary Authority 2].
[Auxiliary Authority 2] Discharge
-Can discharge the Demonic Energy swallowed by Auxiliary Authority 1.
-The time limit is 12 hours after absorption; after that, it cannot be used.
It formed a pair of sorts with [Auxiliary Authority 1], which had served me well so far.
According to Greed's explanation, there was no limit on the number of uses.
However, I had to keep in mind that it couldn't be used once all the stored Demonic Energy had been spent.
I also couldn't afford to use it carelessly.
What if rumors spread that a direct descendant of a sorcerer family was using Demonic Energy?
Just thinking about it was horrifying.
I would immediately be branded a Demonkin, and not only I but my entire family might be shaken by the fallout.
"As expected......."
When operating as Park Ha-yul, the best thing by far was Sorcery.
If even that failed, the next best option was to secretly activate Armament Manifestation.......
But today's fight... how should I put it?
Honestly, I fell short.
Unlike my previous fights, which had gone smoothly, this one had laid bare how little experience I had and how heavily I relied on my Armaments.
Our enemies would only get stronger from here.......
I couldn't keep counting on a lucky break at the perfect moment, like [Auxiliary Authority 2] unlocking today.
"I do need to find a way."
Now that I fully understood the problem, I decided this was the right time.
The perfect time to review the weapons at my disposal and decide on the next step.
Besides, when I felt unsettled, there was nothing better than throwing myself into something, so I called out.
"Character Window."