A Predictable Melody (3)

The next morning at dawn.

I had gone to bed a bit late after browsing the online communities and social media that had blown up yesterday, but I woke up early as usual. Even back when I was grinding for real money in MoMo, I had always kept a strict sleep schedule.

It was a habit drilled into me since my military days.

"Yawn."

I yawned as I stepped out of the dormitory. Today, I was on an empty stomach. Mentor Yu Yul had strictly ordered me not to eat anything. She said something about how I might choke on my own vomit if I wasn't careful.

"Huh?"

Walking down the hallway, I spotted a familiar back of a head. It was Kim Du-gyeom.

"Well, look who it is. Aren't you our dead last?"

I slapped my hand firmly onto his arrogant head. Kim Du-gyeom flinched violently. He slapped my hand away and spun around.

"..."

He glared at me in silence. It looked like his mask was right on the verge of slipping off.

"Hey. You should've done better. At this rate, even staying in B-Tier is going to be a stretch, don't you think?"

"..."

Kim Du-gyeom remained silent. The way he ground his teeth was quite vicious. Ominous, even. Not that it scared me in the slightest.

I smiled as I faced him.

"What? What are you gonna do about it? Oh, by the way, did you watch Episode 3?"

"Why on earth are you doing this to me?"

Why on earth are you doing this to me?

I found it absurd.

Truly, perpetrators never consider the victim's perspective. I was actually curious. How many times, and from how many people, had this guy heard the words "Why are you doing this to me?"

And every time, hadn't Kim Du-gyeom given a response like this?

"Because I feel like it."

Clench. Clenching his fists tightly, the bastard spun around roughly and stormed down the hallway.

"...Damn it. I should've chewed some gum on my way out."

So I could stick it right on his head.

I smacked my lips regretfully and headed outside.

"Oh, Ha-woon Hyung-nim! You're up early today too?!"

It was the spellcaster, Kim Woo-hyun. The schooler kid I had done the Situation Labyrinth with. Seemingly on his way to some morning exercise, he greeted me alertly.

"Yeah. Hey."

"Yes, sir! Have a safe hike!"

For some reason, it felt like more kids were acting friendly toward me lately, but there was no need to go out of my way to get close to them.

I climbed the Back Mountain.

At the designated meeting spot, Yu Yul was already sitting, tapping away on her smartphone.

"You're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠early," I said.

Yu Yul tilted her head slightly. Her eyes, slightly buried in her chubby cheeks, looked up at me.

"Seol Ha-woon."

"Yes."

I approached, leaning on my cane. She scanned me from head to toe.

"How far do you think you can go?"

It was a sudden, somewhat abstract question. But I was used to this kind of Zen-like riddle. The officers back in my military days used to do this all the time.

I gave a short reply.

"To the very end."

"...Ha."

Laughing as if amused by my absurdity, Yu Yul gestured to the ground.

"Sit."

"Yes, ma'am."

She pulled out the Jewel File.

"...Um, Mentor. How much does that thing cost?"

It looked incredibly precious at a glance, yet even my MoMo system didn't react to it. There were only two reasons for that: either it was an item so mundane it was like a pebble rolling on the ground, or it was an item whose grade was unmeasurable.

"Its value cannot be measured in money."

Yu Yul's reply was cryptic.

Well, it didn't matter to me either way.

If she really was Tae-yul, I shouldn't hesitate or overthink things. I had to milk her for everything she was worth while I still had the chance. A Mage's private tutoring was truly something beyond any monetary value.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

I sat down on the grass. I secretly unwrapped an Absolutely Precious Candy from my pocket and popped it into my mouth. Keeping it there, I raised my arm. Yu Yul brought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Jewel File down onto my skin. The moment it touched me, I nearly blacked out.

It wasn't just a matter of being more painful than the first time. It was twice, three times, no, far worse than that.

"Do not try to imagine or anticipate the pain that is coming."

"...Yes, ma'am."

There was no need to fear. What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger.

"Begin."

"..."

Yu Yul gave the signal. I crystallized and amplified the mana within my circuits.

"—Ugh!"

An indescribable agony surged through me. It felt as if my entire body was being crushed, then stretched up and down like a strand of spaghetti. It was a shattering pain that threatened to tear my very sense of self apart.

But I endured.

Rolling it around. Moving my tongue.

Rolling the Absolutely Precious Candy around in my mouth.

A sweet taste bloomed in my mouth. A sweetness that neutralized the pain. A sweetness that kept me anchored.

I would not break.

At least, not by my own hands...

Yu Yul looked down at Seol Ha-woon.

Though he was squirming pitifully like an earthworm, he was somehow managing to hold onto consciousness. There was no sign of him giving up.

He's a stubborn one. But in the world of Mages, this level of grit was fairly common.

Yu Yul herself had undergone a total of twelve Refinements.

In gaming terms, she was a monster who had beaten a single-digit enhancement success rate twelve times in a row. One had to be at least that absurd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be called truly relentless in this field.

Fundamentally, a Mage had to be accustomed to pain—or rather, they had to know how to enjoy it to some extent.

A voice transmitted directly into her mind. Yu Yul crossed her arms and looked up at the sky.

"...The sky is clear."

Population: a total of 931. Those called "Mages" in this world carried a special duty. It was a calling thrust upon them the moment they were recognized as Mages.

To identify and manage those who showed the talent and aptitude to become Mages.

The method of management was left entirely up to the individual Mage.

Mages. Despite receiving excessive adoration and respect from the media, each and every one of them possessed a danger level exceeding that of a tactical nuclear weapon.

A living, breathing, independently thinking nuclear weapon. What a terrifying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠concept.

Because of this, the Magic Association constantly weeded through potential candidates. If any were deemed mentally unstable or possessed talents that were excessively volatile, they were eliminated.

For the stability and peace of society.

"He is worth keeping an eye on. Not many can endure the Jewel File to this extent."

The Jewel File itself was magic. In other words, it was not a physical object.

It was a catalyst that forcibly opened the pathways of the circuits and amplified the movement of mana—condensed magic taking the form of a gem.

Consequently, it inflicted a level of pain that the vast majority of humans could never withstand.

"However," she murmured softly, staring down at Seol Ha-woon. "He has the face of a rebel."

"Cough, ugh, gaaah..."

Seol Ha-woon. This man would never follow anyone. He would never serve. He was of a breed that could not be tamed, and must never be tamed.

"He seems to have no place to call home."

He had burned down his stable long ago and was now running wild across the wilderness alone. A legendary steed that had only realized its true worth after its leg was broken.

"It's science," Yu Yul nodded. Seol Ha-woon resembled the person she loathed the most.

He resembled Tae-woo, that wolf of a man.

"Aaargh..."

Seol Ha-woon convulsed, drooling saliva and blood. Though he lay collapsed in a rather unsightly state, the thickening of the circuits in his body was clearly visible.

He had achieved his 2nd Refining less than a month after completing his 1st Refining.

Yu Yul murmured softly, "He could at least be a candidate."

"..."

I opened my eyes. The night sky was dark.

"Are you awake?"

A husky voice called out to me. I looked up. There were eyes. In the darkness, her bright yellow eyes gleamed like stars. They resembled a snake's, or perhaps a legendary dragon's.

"Ah... Yes."

I stared at the sky past her.

"The sky is spinning."

The firmament spun round and round. Blue particles spread hazily across the dark canvas, and cobweb-like threads of light wove together between them.

"It's natural mana. Right after a Refinement, your five senses are highly acute. Since you've learned Sequence, you'll see it even better."

As expected, she knew about Sequence.

"...I see."

"How do you feel?" she asked.

I quietly replied, "How am I supposed to feel?"

"Whoa, whoa. I feel like I'm about to fly into the sky."

"...Pardon?"

"Ahem."

Yu Yul cleared her throat. It seemed she was trying to make a joke.

"Achieving even the 2nd Refining means your life as a spellcaster is practically set, after all."

"Ah..."

I smiled.

With the help of a single candy, the 2nd Refining was a success. For the 3rd, I would probably have to pour in both of the remaining two candies.

"I... feel like I still have a long way to go."

"Then be careful," Yu Yul continued seriously. "Lest you die before you get there."

Refinement increased the maximum limit of one's talent while simultaneously purifying the quality of one's mana. Thus, both the current rating and potential stats rose at the same time.

"Ugh..."

I tried to push myself up.

"Sleep there for today," Yu Yul stopped me. She cast a barrier of mana over the patch of grass where I lay. The ground became as soft and cozy as a mattress. The air felt purified, clearing my nose, and my entire body melted into a deep, comfortable exhaustion.

"...Thank you."

I blankly closed my eyes.

The next morning, when I woke up, Yu Yul was gone. I trudged back down to the dormitory alone and ran into Im Hae-jun.

"Sabu!"

Im Hae-jun tagged along, chattering away as if he had been waiting for me.

"Sabu, that was insane. How did you know?"

"Know what?"

I stopped in front of my room.

"That the kid was the boss!"

"...Human organs and limbs were flying through the air, and he was the only one smiling."

"Whoa~"

I opened the door to my room. Im Hae-jun followed me inside.

"Aren't you leaving?"

"Come on~ Why are you acting like that between us~"

Im Hae-jun smiled slyly and sat on the sofa. Then, he lowered his voice.

"Sabu."

"I told you not to call me Sabu."

"...How was Kate?"

His persistent questioning was suspicious. Did this guy have a crush on Kate or something?

"What do you mean, 'how was she'?"

"I mean... aren't you curious about what kind of person she is?"

"What kind of 'person'?"

He was using unusually polite honorifics.

"Of course! Honestly, she's someone we'd never even get to meet in normal society. Don't you know about the Halefords, Sabu?"

Kate. Her full name was Catherine Violet Haleford. She was a member of the prestigious Haleford family.

"I know."

That family was indeed extraordinary. With just twenty immediate family members, they had two Mages, eight High-rankers, five politicians, and three corporate conglomerates...

Although Kate was the eldest daughter of the Haleford family's eldest son, the succession battle itself would be incredibly fierce.

"Exactly! We need to get on her good side!"

"Get on her good side? Please. We're all just human."

I had actually met a Haleford during a past mission. One of them was in the US military.

"So, how was Kate~?"

Im Hae-jun was relentless. It seemed like he would cling to me forever if I didn't give him a proper answer.

I thought about Kate.

"...I don't know."

Before my regression, she was part of the debut group for Labyrinth Exploration NaN. She could have been a suspect in the Black Call, or she could have been a victim.

But the secrets Im Hae-jun was curious about weren't those kinds of secrets.

"I'm not really sure."

"Really? I'm so jealous of her. Her talent is insane, and her background is amazing."

Ah. Come to think of it, they shared the same class. When you share the same class, you can't help but compare yourself to each other.

Did even the seemingly carefree Im Hae-jun harbor a sense of rivalry?

"There's no need to be jealous."

"Why?"

I glanced at Im Hae-jun.

"Someone exactly like you is best. Most people raised in the extreme upper class look miserable. I actually feel sorry for them. Their family always comes before themselves."

The US military officer I met before, that Haleford who was draped in medals, and the Kate here—at least, that was my personal impression of them.

Of course, I wasn't Buddha; I couldn't read everyone's minds. However, my accuracy was usually pretty high.

The part about "more accurate assessment of people."

"Well... but what's with that rose?"

Im Hae-jun pointed at the rose. I had placed it in a newly bought vase next to the Snowflake flowerpot.

"It's a gift."

"From whom?"

"Kate."

"Oh, what! Sabu, no way!"

Im Hae-jun's face contorted.

"Are you guys already, like, in a situationship?! To receive a flower as a gift!"

"No, we're not."

"Then what is it! Why did you get a rose! What is it! What—hey, don't push me! What is it?!"

I kicked Im Hae-jun out as he kept chirping like a nightingale, demanding to know what was going on.

Catherine Violet Haleford.

The eldest daughter of the Haleford family's eldest son had wiretapped Seol Ha-woon and Im Hae-jun's conversation.

There was nothing particularly special. It was just a mundane conversation.

...Honestly, it was laughable.

It was so trivial that she couldn't even muster a sneer.

Get on her good side? Please. We're all just human.

Seol Ha-woon was wrong.

We were not the same. Between him, who was born to be a spare part, and herself, who was born to be a master, there existed a vast chasm. Perhaps a distance greater than that between Uranus and Earth.

However, she could understand.

Most people in this world were consumed without ever realizing they were mere parts. They even refused to acknowledge that they were parts. Only by doing so could they find their petty little happiness and indulge in self-consolation.

And...

I actually feel sorry for them. Their family always comes before themselves.

"...How ridiculous."

Kate curled her lips.

Seol Ha-woon was a man who didn't even know what kind of situation he was in.

The family had already issued an order to eliminate Seol Ha-woon.

Before long, he would disappear from this program. There was no need for Kate herself to make a move. Her role was merely to observe.

All the "work" would be carried out behind the dark curtain.