Chapter 107: Same Question, Different Result
Chapter 107: Same Question, Different Result
But we were only halfway there. With half the journey still ahead, there was no room for complacency. I spoke in a quiet voice.
“It’s a bit difficult to explain this in detail, but… the angels are, merely aware of it. The angel in charge of me at the time was strongly against me using and accepting this power.”
“Then how on earth did you get that power…?”
Jung Hayeon started to say something but then closed her mouth. She seemed quite curious as to how I obtained a power that even the angels opposed. However, she had already confirmed the facts through the Crystal of Truth, and I had already put up a smokescreen by saying I’d acquired it through legitimate means, so there was no reason for her to dig deeper.
Jung Hayeon’s lips were parched. She moistened them with her tongue before speaking again.
“Then could you tell me why the angels were against it? If they opposed a power you obtained legitimately, there must have been a reason. After all, within the Hall Plain, angels also have the role of advising Users to walk the right path.”
A direct question. Now it begins.
“That’s… n-nothing important.”
At that exact moment, the crystal ball I was holding flared up intensely for the first time. Seeing the change in the Crystal of Truth, the others all stared at me with strange expressions. I avoided Jung Hayeon’s gaze and looked at the floor, but this, too, was all part of the plan.
Of course, I could have said, “Honestly, this isn’t something I want to talk about with everyone here,” or “I don’t want to answer.” But even then, the flame in the Crystal of Truth might have changed. I was, in fact, leading Jung Hayeon to a specific question, which meant both of those statements could have been judged as lies.
As expected, Jung Hayeon’s eyes narrowed further. Feeling like a fisherman about to land his catch, I watched her with bated breath.
“The Crystal of Truth changed. You lied.”
“…There are circumstances.”
“You allowed me to ask this question in the first place. It would be one thing if I hadn’t asked at all, but now you must answer. Please, don’t disappoint me any further. Or else…”
“…”
Silence. After seeing my face, Jung Hayeon stopped talking and bit her lip for a moment.
“I can never forget the kindness you showed us on the first day, Soohyun-ssi. How could I forget the person who saved my life? The way you treated the others after that, and the way you acted as the caravan’s leader—you were the very picture of an ideal leader. You said you received an offer from the Golden Lion Clan, right? So did I. And I left. But seeing you and the others together, my heart was deeply shaken. Yes. It felt like a family, something you rarely see in the Hall Plain.”
Her form of address had changed from the formal ‘User Kim Soohyun’ back to the more personal ‘Soohyun-ssi.’ I quietly waited for her next words.
“I was envious of that, and at the same time, I felt a flutter of anticipation. But… was I the only one who felt that anticipation? Was it just my own foolish hope?”
Jung Hayeon was now speaking to me in an almost pleading tone. However, I decided to draw it out a little longer.
“This power is…”
I opened my mouth slightly, then closed it again. Inwardly, I carefully chose my next words. The power of Eternal Flame certainly held many dangers. That was an undeniable fact. In that moment, I hesitated. I might be able to endure it for now, but if situations like this kept piling up, I couldn’t guarantee how things would change.
I knew it, too. The right decision was to invest all my remaining points into Stamina. But the lingering desire for a stat of 101 was far, far too great. In the ten years of the Hall Plain, there had been a total of two Users known to have a 101 stat, and both had made a name for themselves as Users who dominated an entire era.
If I invested 8 of my current points, I could raise both my Agility and Magic Power to 101. But in doing so, the backlash on my body would grow even greater. Reason told me to raise my Stamina, but my heart was drawn to Agility and Magic Power. A sudden feeling of frustration washed over me, and I let out a deep sigh.
I shook my head hard. What am I even thinking about at a time like this?
Feeling apologetic, I lifted my gaze and saw Jung Hayeon’s crestfallen face. It seemed she had misinterpreted my conflicted expression and sigh.
“It seems it was just my hope, after all… Fine. You can take your hand off the Crystal of Truth…”
At her declaration, I immediately cut in.
“This power is so immense that it is not something a human can handle.”
As I interrupted her, I saw her fall silent. And as I finally confessed, a silence so profound it felt like everyone had stopped breathing hung in the air. She tilted her head for a moment, as if mulling over my words.
“That doesn’t make sense. A power that a human can’t handle… Ah…?”
“But it is also a fact that it currently lies dormant within my body.”
Her gaze naturally shifted to the crystal ball. In that instant, I could see astonishment flood her face.
“Don’t tell me…!”
“…Hah. That’s right. This power was never meant to be wielded by humans.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth slowly fell open. She raised her right hand to cover it, unable to hide the shock welling up inside her. Being as quick-witted as she was, she seemed to have already guessed what I was going to say next.
I began to speak in a tone that suggested I truly didn’t want to, but was left with no other choice.
“Yes. The power that lies dormant in my body for certain reasons is a double-edged sword. When I activate this ability, I can gain immense strength. However, it comes with an equally enormous risk. As you probably saw from the state I was in when you found me, this power inflicts a huge backlash on my body every time I draw it out. The shock from it caused me to lose consciousness.”
Everyone was staring at me with incredibly shocked expressions. But I wasn’t finished yet. I had to keep leading the conversation.
“The angel in charge of me was against it because they believed this power would one day take my life. But I… I had no choice but to accept this power myself. I had my reasons.”
Of course, that reason was the Sovereign of Hell. To fight against the Hellfire that being wielded, there was no flame that could match Eternal Flame.
After hearing my story, Jung Hayeon stared at me with a dazed expression before her gaze dropped back to the Crystal of Truth. Inside the crystal, the flame had returned to its faint color, burning quietly. The moment I confirmed that, I smiled inwardly.
I subtly checked the expressions of Jung Hayeon and the others. The bait had been firmly taken. All that was left was to wait for the right moment to reel her in.
I could hear the others mumbling something beside me, but I ignored them for now. I simply stared at Jung Hayeon’s face with a calm expression. She, in turn, was desperate to avoid my gaze. It was the first time I’d seen her so shaken since the expedition began. My words had clearly succeeded in rattling her.
Just then, a hand tugged insistently at my collar, forcing me to turn my head.
“Orabeoni…”
Sol had crawled over to me, her lips trembling as she looked up. Behind her, the others and Vivian also wore helpless expressions. Beside them, Shin Sangyong just stood there with his mouth agape like an idiot. Seeing their faces, I felt a little mischievous.
When I gave a sad smile and nodded as if to say I was okay, I saw tears welling up in Sol’s eyes. Startled, I quickly dropped the act. Good grief, this girl gets so scared I can’t even joke around.
“Ha…”
A sigh-like gasp from in front of me made me turn my head. Jung Hayeon had her face buried in her hands. She must be confused. She probably wanted to say, “I can’t believe it,” but the Crystal of Truth was proving that my words were true.
“I see… But… how… Ah… If that’s true, no, it is true…”
She was muttering disjointed thoughts to herself, as if her head was spinning. Come to think of it, she said she left the Golden Lion Clan… I wonder what happened back then. Seeing her more shaken than I’d expected, a small spark of curiosity ignited within me.
But I decided to save satisfying my curiosity for later. This was a series of crucial moments.
Realizing her own discomposure, Jung Hayeon lowered her hands from her face and propped up her chin. Her eyes were closed and her lips were pressed tightly together. She was lost in thought, likely trying to organize the facts I had presented with her own thoughts.
Time continued to pass. No one in the group dared to speak. For me, there was no downside to this. And then, a little later, I saw her open her eyes again, the hand supporting her chin falling limply to the floor.
Her face was now tinged with a deep exhaustion, unlike before. She met my eyes for a moment, then spoke in a sorrowful voice. However, it lacked its usual clear, firm strength.
“If you don’t mind, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“I thought it was plenty rude when you brought out the Crystal of Truth in the first place. And it’s still active. A little more rudeness isn’t going to change anything.”
As I shot back with a displeased expression, Jung Hayeon’s face quickly hardened. But everything I said was true. Moreover, she now held a piece of my personal information. If Jung Hayeon couldn’t pay a corresponding price, I would have, implicitly, the minimum justification to kill her.
“…You’re right. Everything you’ve said so far has been the truth. To have recklessly doubted you without knowing what was in your heart… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Words, once spoken, cannot be taken back.”
“I know. It’s spilt milk. I still have so many questions. But I suppose I don’t have the right to know those things. Still. Even if that’s the case, I have one last question. In a way, it’s a public question, but it’s also a private curiosity. I know this is incredibly shameless, but please allow me to ask just this once. And if you answer, I will shatter the Crystal of Truth myself.”
A public question, but also a private curiosity, huh. In that case, it was unlikely to be about Jung Jiyeon. I gave a single, indifferent nod.
“Go on. I’ll hear you out.”
“Soohyun-ssi.”
The moment my permission was granted, Jung Hayeon spoke immediately.
“…Why do you try to sacrifice yourself like that?”
“……!”
In that instant, I felt Kim Hanbyul’s face overlap with Jung Hayeon’s. The conversations I’d had with Kim Hanbyul in the cabin surfaced in my mind.
‘Stop it. Why are you doing this, Oppa?’
‘And why is Oppa trying so hard to hide it?’
‘Does that mean Oppa is someone who can be trusted?’
Kim Hanbyul had said those things and then left me. And if my prediction was correct, I was about to hear a question very similar to that one.
As if she wasn’t finished, Jung Hayeon immediately continued.
“You said it’s a power that destroys your body the more you use it. Then shouldn’t you avoid overusing it? That demon just now… of course, you handled it by yourself. But given the circumstances, couldn’t we have fought it together? Did you really have to use that power alone, putting your own life on the line?”
“That’s…”
“I know it’s a sacrificial act, and I know what kind of heart it comes from. But this is the Hall Plain. You, of all people, should know what this place is like. For someone who takes care of themselves so well, what do you expect from the others, and from us, to act in such a way? What intention, what purpose do you have that makes you volunteer for such sacrifices…? Please, answer me…”
At her desperate tone, I let out a low groan. Inwardly, however, I was smiling. A sense of relief washed over me at the thought that I’d finally caught her. The question Jung Hayeon had just asked was the very one I had wanted most.
Everyone looked at me with something like a fire burning in their eyes. Savoring their gazes, I slowly opened my mouth.