Chapter 215: A Resurfacing Conflict
Chapter 215: A Resurfacing Conflict
Ko Yeonju’s words piqued my interest. Setting aside the fact that she was going back on her word, the expression on her face was now utterly serious. I glanced back and forth between Ahn Sol and Ko Yeonju for a moment before asking in a curious voice.
“Did Ahn Hyun or Ahn Sol speak up?”
“No. They didn’t.”
She answered immediately. Shaking her head, Ko Yeonju’s gaze was once again fixed on Ahn Sol. A complex mix of emotions was clearly visible in her eyes as she watched Sol.
A brief silence followed. The only thing that broke the stillness was the faint sound of Ahn Sol pattering about.
For a moment, I felt like I could understand what Ko Yeonju was feeling. She, too, had been astonished by the power Ahn Sol displayed when we last explored the Cave of Screams back in Mule. And she wasn't the only one. Jung Hayeon and Shin Sangyong had also reacted with disbelief when they first witnessed her ability.
That was the nature of Luck. An ability that was unknowable, indefinable, and defied all common sense.
Ko Yeonju looked like she wanted to say something but was struggling to get the words out. Sensing her inner turmoil, I decided to ask a question first. The best approach in these situations was to review the facts and form a hypothesis. That meant I first had to ask what made her change her mind.
“I wasn’t exactly pleased to hear you call her a psychopath. For better or worse, she’s my kid… no, a member of my clan. So from my perspective, this is a welcome development.”
“Pfft. You were about to say ‘kid,’ weren’t you?”
“You must have misheard. In any case, I’m curious why you are taking that back.”
Ko Yeonju let out a soft smile at my denial. Then, in response to my question, she closed her eyes as if to recall something and began to speak calmly.
“At first, when I heard your request, I thought it was a great idea. Living with them, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been frustrated. Ahn Hyun was the most tolerable of the three, and I taught Lee Yoojung by beating some sense into her. But Ahn Sol was difficult to touch, since you tended to dote on her so much.”
“…”
“It was the same that day. The day we left Barbara. Seeing her still wailing even after we passed through the Warp Gate, I felt an incredible surge of irritation. It was so bad I even thought, ‘Should I just start by slapping her across the face?’ But in the end, I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
I asked, listening intently. Ko Yeonju paused for a beat, as if considering something, then began to pour out her story in a slow, rhythmic cadence.
“I wanted to find out for myself. Just why she was acting that way. Besides, things had gotten extremely awkward after she caught me masturbating, so I needed to improve our relationship anyway. So, I decided to fill your shoes. Watching how she always clung to you, I started to wonder if maybe she’d grown up without receiving any affection.”
“A lack of affection…”
“Anyway, after making up my mind, I’d beat Ahn Hyun or Lee Yoojung for the smallest mistake, but I never did that with Ahn Sol. Sometimes I was like a mother, other times like an older sister. I truly treated her as if I were raising a child. That’s probably why her symptoms seem a little more severe now. Because now she has both a father and a mother figure.”
“I see. So, did you have any success?”
“It wasn’t a complete failure. I achieved my initial goal of repairing our relationship, but… I couldn’t get any further than that. I sometimes tried to dig deeper, but she would shrink back almost pathologically each time. It felt like some huge, invisible wall was blocking the way. In the end, I couldn’t get to the root of the problem.”
“Hmm…”
“Then, one day.”
Just as I was about to feel disappointed that she hadn’t found anything, Ko Yeonju continued. My waning concentration instantly sharpened.
“About a week had passed when I made a joke during a meal. I said I’d take the clan member with the best training results with me when I went to see you.”
“Haha. Did Ahn Sol suddenly have an awakening?”
“If only. To be honest, I wasn’t being serious. Sure, everyone started training harder after that, but it was just a joke, nothing more, nothing less. Then one day… two days ago, to be exact.”
At the mention of two days ago, I felt myself instinctively focus. That was when I was feeling incredibly frustrated with the Academy situation not going as planned. I waited for her next words.
“In the middle of the night, Ahn Sol suddenly came to find me. I was a little surprised when she opened my door and came in on her own. We had gotten much closer, but we weren't at the stage where she would be so proactive. But the words she blurted out as she approached me were even more surprising.”
Ko Yeonju never once opened her eyes while telling her story. She continued speaking in a calm voice, her eyes shut. It was as if she was trying to feel that day’s events more clearly, more vividly. Sensing we were finally reaching the climax, I swallowed hard without realizing it.
“She was different from her usual self. Clear, articulate speech, not her usual mumbling. A solemn expression. Eyes that were sharp and alive. And… an unknown energy emanating from her.”
“An energy? What did Sol say? Did she ask you to take her with you when you came to see me?”
“Yes. At first, I refused without a second thought. I told her to stop talking nonsense and go to sleep. But… that’s when it happened. I felt that same unknown energy I’d sensed when she first came in wrap around me. And in that moment, Ahn Sol continued speaking.”
Goosebumps had broken out all over Ko Yeonju’s exposed arms. I instinctively thought of the Luck stat. The pieces of the puzzle regarding Luck, which I had only ever theorized about, were starting to fall into place. The change that occurred when her Luck rose from 100 to 101. What I had thought was Ahn Sol’s inexplicable ability was, however slightly, beginning to reveal its secrets.
“‘I’m sorry, but I think you have to take me. My Orabeoni needs me right now. If you go alone, you might regret it deeply. I don’t want my Orabeoni to have any regrets. If you won’t take me, I’ll go on my own.’”
Ko Yeonju mimicked Ahn Sol’s words. Then, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at me. I could see her pale, ash-gray eyes were moist.
“Do you know what’s really funny?”
“The fact that she spoke with an attitude so different from her usual self?”
“No.”
A deep smile spread across Ko Yeonju’s lips. She glanced at Ahn Sol, who was still playing energetically, then continued in a low voice.
“A pipsqueak like her… she overwhelmed me. Me, Ko Yeonju, the Shadow Queen. Of course, it wasn't that she overpowered me with magic. It’s just that…”
“Just that?”
“I felt like I absolutely had to do it. It was as if something inside me was being forced to move. I couldn’t even think of refusing; I just ended up nodding. Only then did she give a relieved smile, turn around, and leave. In that moment, she didn’t seem like a psychopath. But she wasn’t exactly normal either… Tsk, I don’t know.”
Ko Yeonju let out a long sigh as if she had finally said all she needed to, then leaned back. A hollow laugh escaped her.
“It was like I was possessed by something. Can you believe it? That I was swayed, even for a moment, by that little girl?”
It was possible—if her 101 Luck stat had manifested. I answered only in my head. It wasn’t time yet. Not yet time to bring it up. Now that I had a clue, all that was left was to experiment. If I could confirm even a part of the truth through that experiment, and if my theory was correct, I might have just gained a powerful new weapon.
She didn’t say anything more. In that case, it was my turn to speak.
“To be honest.”
“Yes.”
“As I said earlier, I hadn’t considered it until you contacted me. But…”
“Orabeoniiii!”
Ahn Sol, having finally caught something, held it up with a bright smile. I waved back in response before calmly continuing.
“Bringing Ahn Sol was a good choice.”
“Ha. Unbelievable. You seem to have some faith in that girl.”
“Yes, I do. There are still some things that don’t add up, but it’s true that there’s a lot to look forward to.”
“Ugh. I really don’t get it.”
Ko Yeonju finally let out a groan and flopped onto her back. I chuckled softly at her before turning my gaze to Ahn Sol. She was still running around with bouncy steps.
Watching her, I immediately activated my Third Eye.
*
“Yum, yum, yum, yum.”
Hungry after running around so much, Ahn Sol was devouring her lunchbox. With crumbs all over her mouth, she suddenly lifted her head and looked around, seemingly searching for Ko Yeonju, who had disappeared.
“Orabeoni. Where did Mom… no, where did Big Sis go?”
“She said she had a quick errand. She said she would come pick you up later, so stay with me until then.”
“Ah~. Okay~.”
Ko Yeonju really did have an errand. Apparently, Vivian, who was deep in her elixir research, had asked her to buy a few research materials from Barbara. Of course, that was just the official reason; it seemed she had deliberately stepped away after confirming that I needed Ahn Sol. She must have thought a heartfelt conversation between the two of us would be better than having a group around. Since I planned on telling her when the time was right anyway, I didn’t refuse her consideration.
As I watched Ahn Sol eat, I cast my gaze into the air. The Player Status window I had just pulled up for her was floating there.
〈 Player Status 〉
1. Name: Ahn Sol (Year 0 User)
2. Class: Priestess (Normal, Priestess, Runner)
3. Nation: Free Mercenary (Free)
4. Clan: Mercenary (Clan Rank: D Zero)
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Guides the Light · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Female (20)
7. Height · Weight: 160.1cm · 45.7kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · Good
[Strength 22] [Durability 22] [Agility 26] [Stamina 32] [Magic Power 88(+1)] [Luck 101]
(You have 3 remaining stat points.)
I noticed a few changes, but my attention was drawn to her True Name. One Who Guides the Light. I couldn’t be sure of the details, but I cautiously speculated that it was influenced by her Luck reaching 101.
Of course, there was still much I didn’t know. The moment I thought of this as an omnipotent ability, the clue I had barely grasped would become tangled again. I was still unsure if it would activate every time something happened, and its range was also a mystery.
So, for now, I decided to define her specialized abilities as Anxiety Detection and Direction Detection. Narrowing the scope like this made her past actions seem much more credible.
Of course, there was one more point to consider here. Until now, her ability had shown a strong self-defensive tendency. For example, when exploring the ruin, if left alone at a fork in the path, she would tremble and refuse to go on. However, the moment she grabbed my sleeve, her attitude changed. This meant there was room for another person’s circumstances to be factored in.
So how did she sense my frustration when we were clearly apart? I could form two hypotheses for that question. The first was that her Luck reaching 101 had upgraded the ability itself, removing its range limitations. The second was that a remnant of our magic, which had mixed at the Trap Point, still remained. Both theories had flaws when considered separately, but when combined, they seemed to fit together quite well.
It was then that Ahn Sol, who had been burying her face in her food, suddenly looked up and pouted.
“Uu… Orabeoni.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“I’m sorry. I was so hungry I ate everything.”
She looked on the verge of tears, and I let out a light laugh.
“Haha. It’s okay. I’m full just from watching you eat, Sol.”
“Hehe. Really? Hehe.”
At my words, Ahn Sol twisted her body shyly. Watching her, I decided to put my thoughts aside for now. If I kept digging like this, it would be endless. It would be better to take my time and figure it out slowly. For now, since she was here, the right answer was to utilize her as much as possible for the task at hand.
“Time to clean up, clean up.”
Ahn Sol began to tidy up the things she had eaten. I watched her quietly for a moment, then spoke to her in a calm, clear voice.