Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Seeing My Past Self
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“Like seeing my past self earlier?”
“Yeah.”
Dun rummaged through items pulled from various sub-space pouches in the room, slotting the useful ones into his inventory.
“Oh, now that I think about it, it feels like I passed by that kid named Sae-byeok!”
Prim’s eyes widened as he mentally reviewed the faces and names of all the children he’d brushed past.
“Why didn’t you say something right then!”
“You were about to rush over to my past self.”
“Well, of course.”
He’d planned to rub cheeks with her face, ask what she was up to, and fawn over her while handing over some decent items.
“My temper was even worse back then. If you’d charged in recklessly, my fist might’ve flown first.”
“Worse than now?”
“Do I have a bad temper now?”
Prim swallowed his response.
A flood of memories with Dun flashed through his mind.
Dun, who’d glare if slightly displeased. Dun, who’d curse if angry. Dun, who’d wrench what she wanted like a thug.
To anyone unaware of Dun’s true feelings, she seemed like a pure delinquent or robber—rough, polarizing, and prickly. But Prim was firmly in the “like” camp.
“No, no. Of course now you’re, uh, a fairy.”
Prim stammered awkwardly with a forced smile.
Still, worse temper than now? Pure curiosity about past Dun was growing.
“But Dun, I could embrace even crankier you. I kinda like the prickly, sharp-edged type.”
“Oh right, you’re into being stepped on.”
“That’s not it... but with you, even that’d be fine!”
Dun turned from sorting items to stare at Prim. Somehow spooked, she edged away from him bit by bit.
“Anyway, Dun, no interest in meeting past you?”
“...I’ve got things to do. If you’re so curious, go chase her yourself.”
“Really?!”
The moment Dun nodded, Prim cheered and bolted out of the room.
Dun watched Prim’s excited back for a moment, lost in thought.
‘What happens if Prim meets my past self in this state?’
In his current memories of Sae-byeok, Prim wasn’t a clear presence.
If the future Sae-byeok he knew now stemmed from his interventions, it was odd not to remember Prim well.
Given how close Prim was to Dun now, he’d obviously come on strong to past her.
The outcome of Prim contacting past Dun needed attention.
Dun foresaw two possibilities.
New info on Prim appearing in his Sae-byeok memories, or the various choices he’d made so far leading Sae-byeok to a completely different future.
Or maybe some other variable made him forget Prim.
Dun didn’t want to risk altering the future where the Abyss kids survived.
To avoid that, he needed to test how his interventions affected past-future causality—without wrecking the big picture.
He wasn’t worried about minor butterfly effects. Seol Do-yun wasn’t so incompetent as to crumble under small variables he created.
‘But why was she flustered?’
Dun frowned, recalling Seol Do-yun’s uncharacteristically rattled face from earlier.
She always reeked of something off, no matter when. Figuring out what schemes brewed in that head took serious brainpower.
Regardless of her shadiness, soon his past self—focused solely on clearing dungeons and leveling—would split off and seek him out.
Having completed her first awakening, she’d log into Nina Pinta to earn money and expand influence.
Dun grabbed what he needed and left the room.
* * *
“You’re a total dirtball inside and out now.”
Seol Do-yun tossed Lee Sae-byeok some basic potions, armor, and other sundries he’d bought at a shop.
“Ugh, shut up.”
Sae-byeok, having emptied her guts, lay on the grass wiping cold sweat.
It pissed her off that the game even simulated nausea. Since she’d only had water, that’s all came up.
They said the system modeled organs for detailed sensations, but couldn’t they skip the puking feeling?
Still, lying down seemed to help a bit more than before.
“If it hurts outside and here too, what’s the point? This was supposed to be the one place it didn’t.”
“Your pain tolerance at 100%?”
Seol Do-yun smirked at the mention of full pain reception.
“Intense. That desperate to awaken fast?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Talent’s not covering for me anymore; I’m starting to fall behind.”
More first-awakened folks were joining the association, plus neighborhood kids awakening one by one and fighting with mana. At some point, mana-less her started feeling left behind.
Sure, she’d researched mana-substitute techniques and trained hard enough to stay slightly ahead, training with A-Class Abyss kids.
After her pride shattered a few times from losing to other first-awakeners—only to claw back victories viciously—she stopped caring much.
What she couldn’t bear was the kids hitting higher-grade gates without her, leaving her blind to whether they lived or died.
Many had good abilities but poor judgment and naivety, so anxiety gnawed at her.
Her daily life filled with those kids—would they return as corpses tomorrow? Like the orphanage gate.
Seol Do-yun placed a hand on the troubled Sae-byeok’s head, brushing off clinging grass and stroking gently.
“Don’t push; awaken slowly. Enjoy beating them in training without mana a bit longer.”
Too dizzy to swat his hand away, Sae-byeok just closed her eyes and breathed. Cool fingers swept her bangs.
“Fuck... annoying bastard. Go make money already, you moneybird. I’ll rest then hit dungeons.”
“Got it. Leaving this bag. Use it if you puke again.”
“Yeah. Thanks, jerk.”
Sae-byeok hooked the bag’s handle over her ear and shut her eyes until the dizziness eased.
* * *
Dun shook the monster tracking him, activated stealth, and tailed Seol Do-yun secretly.
Seol Do-yun bustled along with a quiver on his back, heading somewhere.
‘Whoa, so weird. It’s Seol Do-yun. Baby version, even.’
Seeing baby Seol Do-yun again was fascinating.
His black hair, minimally reflective and calm demeanor matched the near-death adult she remembered—but the baby fat cheeks differed. Pulling them now would burst them. Could he? Nah, fist incoming.
‘Hilarious. How’s he so tiny and pathetic? Total booger.’
She’d always pictured adult Seol Do-yun; this one was truly young. Age-wise, he was two years older, but he felt younger.
As intriguing as it was, it felt awkward and off-putting. Maybe too long since last time.
Awkwardness aside, her heart weighed heavy. Realizing she’d returned to the past, sorting thoughts—whenever Seol Do-yun came up, her chest tightened.
Suddenly, meeting him terrified her. Not full fear, but mild aversion. Urge to flee.
‘Why?’
Dun tilted her head at the baffling emotion.
Wanting to run yet following meant she wanted to see him too. Want to see but run—contradictory.
Frustrated by the inconsistency, Dun scowled. What kind of mindset was this?
Rifling memories for an example, something Yoo Hee-min said last time surfaced.
‘Thinking I’m even slightly tied to his pain makes me crazy guilty... It’s guilt tormenting me...’
‘My breath catches! When I eat good food, sleep in a nice bed, hang with friends—imagining him experimented on with his dad’s money somewhere keeps me awake!’
Hmm... guilt maybe?
Not as extreme as Yoo Hee-min, but her feelings toward Seol Do-yun matched guilt closest.
Right. He’d wanted her alive, tried hard—but she died first.
Her death probably saddened him plenty, weighing on her heart.
Likely he’d buried her body alone in the orphanage gate graveyard. Imagining glum Seol Do-yun making her grave solo tugged her lips faintly down.
But she’d never seen him truly cry or grieve, so it was hard to picture.
How did he grieve? Sincerely sad, did he bawl ‘Waaah! Hueeng!’?
The absurd image felt unreal.
‘Where’s baby Seol Do-yun headed anyway?’
Seol Do-yun kept toward a hunting ground corner—no monsters, NPCs, or players.
Just dry-leaf bushes clustered there. Leaves rustled loudly against his legs as he walked.
Rustle, rustle. Rustle, rustle.
Even stealthed, Dun couldn’t silence crossing the foliage.
After a bit, Seol Do-yun drew an arrow from his quiver, nocked it, pulled the string, turned, and shot toward the noise.
The arrow whistled—ping—straight at Dun, fast.
Thud.
Catching it, Dun sighed softly. Guess tailing ended here.
Dun dropped stealth from behind the bushes and appeared.
“Hm? ...Unexpected tail.”
Seol Do-yun halted, smiling prettily.
Dun, gripping his arrow, rustled closer and slotted it back into his quiver.
“Thanks for returning it. Why’re you following me?”
His blue eyes gazed warmly, appraising Dun.
Dun averted her gaze.
“N-not... following. Just walking. Ridiculous. You don’t own the place.”
Uncharacteristic excuse and tone. Avoiding eyes was weird too.
Seol Do-yun tilted his head.
“Stealthed stroll in a hunting ground?”
“...Yeah.”
Fuck, dumbass.
Dun wrinkled her nosebridge in excuse. Brushing her hair messily for a moment, she mustered courage to peek at Seol Do-yun’s lingering gaze.
Her heart sank again.
Face-to-face, soul contracts and aura clashes faded. “Sorry I died first” rose to her throat but she suppressed it.
Guilt swelled, urging her to deny past lives.
To dodge guilt, she subconsciously brainwashed herself: past was hellish misery, now paradise bliss.
Despite plenty happy past moments.
Her current “happy” song hid the same intensity as before. Now overlapping past doubled the worries.
But circumstances differed. She had power to protect all now, and prep.
Anyway, she had more mental space now to reflect deeply on others and self.
“Fuck.”
“?”
Dun spun away fast.
Eyes welling, she pressed her eyelids hard with her palm.