Chapter 80
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 80
The Time Shop.
At Lv1, there were no armaments worth using, and nothing could be resold.
I'd been too busy just surviving to remember it.
But maybe because my circumstances had improved a little?
The shop I was seeing for the first time in a while didn't look as big as it once had.
[The time consumption limit (3 days) is lifted while using the shop.]
[Available items vary depending on the shop's level.]
[The shop's level rises automatically when you reach a set number of purchases.]
I brushed the messages aside with a light wave of my hand.
"Let's see, then...."
With an unhurried air, I studied the bluish window.
I had plenty of weapons and armor, so I skipped those and moved to the general goods category to look for necessities.
Before long, a decent item caught my eye.
[A Fairly Large and Useful One-Touch Tent]
[Description: Fits 3-4 people. Sets up and packs away quickly with the press of a single button, anytime and anywhere. Comes equipped with simple furniture and cooking facilities.]
[Effects]
- Increased stamina recovery rate - Aids deep sleep - Basic camouflage (only noticeable if someone looks carefully)
[Price: 8 days]
The one-touch feature was appealing, but more than anything, the various side effects suited the tent's original purpose remarkably well.
I added it to my cart without hesitation.
The midterm exam was a long-term event lasting a full week, after all.
And it was a kind of survival game held in a high-altitude area near the Forbidden Zone.
I didn't particularly care about grades, but to successfully wrap up the event that would occur during the midterm, I needed to manage my condition well.
"Is there anything else good?"
I looked over the other items carefully.
Since knowing about them would let me use them handily when the right situation arose, I scrolled through with a light heart.
But then.
"What's this?"
[Compact Radio Wave Jammer]
[Description: Can disable CCTV within a 10M radius for about 10 minutes.]
[Price: 5 days]
Oh-ho.
My eyes lit up. This was an item I absolutely needed.
If I used it at the right place and time, I could use my armaments without worrying about being watched. Its applications were extremely attractive.
"Can't pass this up either."
[You have purchased A Fairly Large and Useful One-Touch Tent.]
[You have purchased Compact Radio Wave Jammer.]
[13 days will be deducted from your Remaining Time.]
I bought two items in total.
My time had decreased considerably, but it wasn't a wasteful expenditure, so I didn't regret it.
When I closed the shop, a cluster of light shimmered and a fairly large box and a small rod appeared.
I set the radio wave jammer on one side of my desk.
The tent went straight into my subspace pouch.
Well, they said all I had to do was press a button, so there was no need to unfold it in this cramped room.
With that, I'd bought just about everything I needed.
I retraced whether I had any remaining tasks, then suddenly remembered something I'd put off and opened my desk drawer.
Inside was Cheol-soo's gift.
A headband with Reina's name stamped large in Korean.
"Good grief."
It was just as ghastly an object as ever, and my face scrunched up on its own.
But I couldn't ignore it just because of its appearance.
Divine Power detection magic, was it?
The principle of the enchantment engraved inside would at least be genuine.
Even if it was basic, there would be something to learn from it.
Crack—
I carefully split the headband in half.
When I examined the inside, sure enough.
There was a pattern engraved there, completely unlike sorcery, one I'd never seen before.
The constituent characters were different, and their combinations looked quite complex for magic, which was fundamentally based on sound.
But there was no need to understand it.
Because it would soon be made understandable.
[Activating trait, Appraisal.]
I placed my hand lightly on it.
I poured in as much mana as I could and read through it in one go.
Tzzzt—
For a moment, my head throbbed as if stabbed with an awl, but the results were good.
[Comprehension: 30%]
The scattered fragments of knowledge soon found their places, like puzzle pieces fitting together.
Then the mechanism of the enchantment magic began to surface on its own.
It was a supernatural ability similar to sorcery yet built on a completely different concept, so I'd expected it to take considerable time.
Unexpectedly, on the very first attempt, I was able to discover a fairly meaningful difference.
It wasn't compression.
Like a kind of command word. There was a separate modifier responsible for compression, which enabled efficient operation.
"That's pretty novel."
I admired it considerably, turning over the runic language used as command words in my mind.
But applying it to sorcery still seemed impossible for now.
I couldn't use it as-is. I'd have to modify it to be compatible, or devise my own symbols.
So, for now, I took out a notebook and pen to organize the imagery that came to mind.
Beyond my unconscious, I opened the door to the sorcery archive and scribbled for quite a long time.
Just as I'd filled a whole page.
I felt a vibration on my desk.
[Hey, you asleep?]
It was Cheon Seo-yoon.
I was pretty sure this was almost the first time I'd received a text from her personally.
She seemed to have business, so I replied simply.
[Why?]
[Nah, just. The sword I bought today. Swung it properly and it seems even better. Thanks.]
But was that all?
Since it was different from what I'd expected, I asked first.
[Glad to hear it. How's the breathing method?]
A reply arrived after a brief pause.
[Ah, that. Yeah. It's good?]
[Good?]
[Um... I'm trying it, and I think I'll get into proper practice soon... Anyway, yeah.]
What was she talking about?
I almost asked "Really?" but stopped myself.
I'd simplified it as much as I could when I explained it, but it was still genuinely difficult, so she seemed to be struggling.
But it was only the first day. She'd get the hang of it soon.
[Got it. Get some rest.]
I sent a short reply and lay down on the bed.
Thinking that things had wrapped up well according to plan. And the next step.
I thought about the time remaining until the midterm.
About four days, maybe. It was probably the last stretch of free time before things got chaotic.
Just as I resolved to train hard.
Bzzzz.
My phone rang again.
Why again?
I let out a shallow sigh and picked up my phone.
But then.
"What the."
The moment I checked the message, I froze.
[From: Kim Cheol-soo]
[Ha-yul! Breaking news! Reina is coming to Taehak as soon as next week.]
* * *
As time passed, Cheol-soo's information soon became public knowledge.
[First Saintess from Taehak is Born.]
[Saintess Reina Confirmed to Enter Taehak as Exchange Student]
[Will Compete to the Best of Her Ability So as Not to Shame the Vatican's Name]
.
.
Articles began popping up all over the internet, and because of that, Monday morning was more chaotic than usual.
In a completely different sense from her previous visit.
"But isn't formal admission a bit much? I could understand if she were just observing for a few months."
"The Vatican's influence really is something. They must have spent a pretty penny."
This was the result of pride in Taehak combined with Reina's public image being limited to that of a "saintess."
Well, if you only looked at her appearance, she was gentle and benevolent.
As a Support Track student she was outstanding, but beyond that, there was no information.
No one had properly revealed exactly how strong she was.
I remembered the original work progressing along similar lines.
Half the students welcomed her. Half looked at her with unfriendly eyes.
But this would soon be settled by a single incident.
Because she would properly face off against Cheon Seo-yoon, who had the opposite disposition, like the clash of fire and ice.
"The title of saintess sure is nice. You can just waltz into Taehak. I busted my ass getting in here."
Sure enough.
She was already making her displeasure obvious.
"Still, her talent in the Support Track is solid. Like during that church incident."
"Then she should've taken the official exam even more. Why is she just walking in?"
Anyway, my own feelings as I watched the churning public sentiment were just as complicated.
Reina's rapid deployment was a variable I couldn't ignore.
The midterm alone was proof of that.
I had no idea how events that had originally occurred without Reina would change now that she was involved.
"This is really tough...."
I rubbed my face and tried to guess at the cause.
The questions related to Greed had already been cleanly resolved, so I ruled that out as a candidate.
If there was a specific reason, no matter how I looked at it, it had to be because of the Divine Power.
"Don't tell me she's trying to take it back?"
A chill ran through me.
In my mind, I saw the scene of Reina's hand digging into my chest to reclaim the Divine Power.
Or, going even further, her killing me to prevent the power of Sanctification from leaking out.
"Nah, no way."
That was going way too far.
She was still an upright good person. A pioneer walking the path of faith. And hadn't she looked at me fairly positively, calling me material for a saint or whatever?
.
.
Maybe because the atmosphere was so unsettled, time passed quickly.
Before I knew it, it was Thursday morning, the day of Reina's admission.
At exactly 9 o'clock, the door slid open and Professor Lee Taek-jin entered, followed by Reina, dressed in Taehak's uniform instead of her white vestments.
The fit was so excellent it looked tailored, and the lecture hall began to buzz with a mix of natural admiration and belated discontent.
"Attention."
But at Lee Taek-jin's single word, the room fell silent as if mice had died.
"Most of you probably already know, since articles have been going around."
Lee Taek-jin continued in a calm manner.
After a lengthy explanation that began with the purpose of the exchange student program, Reina gave a short greeting.
"It is an honor. I look forward to working with you all."
The clear, concise greeting was very much like her.
"From now on, set aside your social status. Everyone is equal at Taehak. That goes for the Ten Great Families, and it goes for the Vatican as well."
"I understand."
"Go sit wherever you like."
Reina gave a small nod, then stepped forward.
Her stride was calm, as if scattering light along her path, yet full of presence as she crossed the lecture hall.
Onward.
And onward.
"......But why does she keep coming up?"
Reina's steps didn't stop even after she passed the empty front seats and the crowded center section.
As someone monopolizing the back seats, I couldn't help but feel puzzled.
The other students seemed to feel the same way, turning their heads like a crowd tracking a home run ball to stare this way with expressions full of suspicion.
Suddenly, the cliché of "the transfer student girl sits next to the protagonist" came to mind.
...No way, right?
Thud—
The thing I'd worried about didn't happen.
Reina stopped two rows in front of me.
It was a distance that was far if you called it far, and close if you called it close.