Chapter 357
Chapter 357
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 358
Chapter Title: The Future and Soul Transference
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Chapter 358
The future. And soul transference...
What on earth could that mean?
There didn't seem to be any connection between the two.
As I pondered alone, the other keywords from the ritual that I'd learned about this morning came to mind.
Time travel, portal, dimension...
What if I combined these keywords?
After trying a few combinations, a fairly plausible sentence emerged.
"Using a time travel portal to move a soul."
That was the only thing that immediately came to mind.
The remaining keyword, "future," was probably just a matter of whether the time travel coordinates were "to the future" or "from the future."
Of course, this was nothing more than my guess, pieced together from limited information.
There was still a lot of hidden information in the ritual that hadn't been revealed.
The future and soul transference...
Did that mean Kim Chang-hyun was preparing for a new regression right now?
Or was it for some other purpose I didn't know—literally moving someone else's soul?
Lost in thought like that, I happened to make eye contact with Han Se-yeon, who was sitting across from me.
In that instant, my whole body stiffened.
Under the dim lighting, her gaze felt like it was scrutinizing me.
At the same time, an inexplicable chill ran through me.
"...Se-yeon? Do you have something to say?"
At my question, she stared straight into my eyes for about three seconds before opening her mouth.
"...Jin-woo."
"Yes."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Yes... go ahead."
"Why are you investigating that ritual?"
...So she was curious about that, after all?
I'd half-expected this question even before coming here.
I recited the excuse I'd prepared in advance.
"I found the ritual while exploring ruins, and it caught my interest. But it's a bit hard to figure out on my own, so I asked for your help, Se-yeon."
That seemed like a pretty solid answer.
But Han Se-yeon didn't appear satisfied, offering no response.
She just toyed with her glass on the table, staring into my eyes.
Yet in the gaze she directed at me, I sensed an inexplicable sadness.
"...Se-yeon?"
"...Ah, sorry."
Han Se-yeon forced her stiff lips into a smile.
It was a smile she was forcing to hide her emotions.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. Nothing's wrong. Don't worry about it."
...Nothing? She clearly looked like something was up.
What was it? Had I done something wrong?
My mind grew complicated, pulling me into thought, when Han Se-yeon refilled her glass.
Then she filled mine as well.
"Have a drink."
"...Sure."
Clink. We lightly touched glasses and downed them.
A sweet-bitter liquid with a luxurious aroma slid down my throat.
This should have been a pleasant moment, but an inexplicable unease lingered.
As I set my glass down, the sound of refilling came from across the table again—gurgle, gurgle.
Han Se-yeon couldn't wait and was already pouring another round.
Then she silently downed it alone.
"...Se-yeon? Aren't you drinking too fast?"
"I feel like getting a little wild tonight."
Muttering that without even looking at me, Han Se-yeon filled her empty glass again and downed it.
Why was she suddenly acting like this?
She seemed to have some grievance with me...
Seeing Han Se-yeon like this, having lost all restraint—an expression I'd never seen in the original story—left me bewildered.
This wouldn't do. I grabbed her wrist as she reached for her glass again.
"Drink slowly. We're drinking together."
Han Se-yeon met my eyes and nodded.
"Sorry. I got ahead of myself."
"It's fine. But did I do something wrong...?"
At my question, Han Se-yeon stared intently at my face once more.
The alcohol had already taken effect; her cheeks were faintly flushed.
Instead of answering my question directly, Han Se-yeon said something else.
"Right. I mentioned before that I got some good liquor. Let's have that."
Smiling faintly at me, Han Se-yeon pulled a fancy bottle from her bag.
It was a transparent bottle containing liquor with a yellowish tint.
I looked at the bottle.
"What kind of liquor is this?"
"White Fauna. It's known for enabling honest conversations."
"Ah."
White Fauna.
A rare liquor said to be made from special magical ingredients.
As she said, there were tales that drinking it allowed for completely honest talk without lies, though I figured that was mostly exaggeration with no real effect.
Right then, Outsider's Benefit activated.
[White Fauna (B)]
Description: Liquor infused with the power of emotions. Temporarily increases honesty by 15%. (Special ingredients added: Honesty increased by an additional 5%, new aroma added. And magical power growth rate rises by 10% for one week.)
...So the rumors weren't made up; it was real.
At that moment, Han Se-yeon poured some White Fauna into my glass.
She poured some into hers as well, then raised her glass.
"Come on, drink up."
Looking down at my glass at her urging.
The honesty boost made me a bit worried about saying something careless, but 20% shouldn't be a problem.
More importantly, how could I not drink this return ritual liquor?
I smiled lightly and raised my glass.
We clinked glasses and downed it.
A refreshing aroma I'd never tasted before flowed down my throat.
[You have consumed 'White Fauna (B)'.]
[Honesty increased by 20%, magical power growth rate rises by 10% for one week.]
[You have achieved the 'Magical Liquor Consumption' accomplishment.]
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
"...Whew, this is good."
It really was.
One of the top three liquors I'd ever tasted.
I could instantly understand why it fetched such high prices.
Then a sudden curiosity struck me.
"But is White Fauna supposed to be yellowish?"
I thought it was clear. The name was 'White' Fauna, after all.
Asking that, I refilled my empty glass and clinked again, downing another.
Han Se-yeon set her glass down and replied.
"No. It's normally clear, but after steeping the Gretel leaves you gave me, the color changed."
"Cough! Cough!"
Startled, I choked on my drink mid-sip.
"...Gretel leaves?"
"Yeah. I had some left, so I tried steeping them on a whim, and the aroma deepened nicely. What do you think? Pretty good, right?"
...It definitely was good.
Who knew Gretel leaves had this kind of effect.
Now I understood why Han Se-yeon had suddenly mentioned getting good liquor.
"...Ahem. Yeah, it's really good."
That's when our eyes met again.
Her pupils, laced with the buzz of alcohol, held a deep intensity.
Unable to hold back my curiosity under that gaze, I asked.
"By the way, earlier it seemed like you were upset with me about something."
At my question, Han Se-yeon paused in thought, tracing the rim of her glass in circles with her fingertip before speaking.
"I just felt a bit sulky for a moment."
"...Sulky?"
As I echoed her, Han Se-yeon's gaze turned back to my eyes.
"You seem to know everything about me, but I feel like I know nothing about you."
An unexpected answer from Han Se-yeon.
Borrowing the power of alcohol and honesty, she seemed to be laying it bare to me.
From the emotions in her words, it felt like something she'd been mulling over for a long time.
Her statement pulled me into deep thought.
She knew nothing about me...
It wasn't wrong.
The 'Kim Jin-woo' she knew wasn't real. 'Kim Jin-woo' was just a mask to hide 'Kim Sun-woo's' identity.
An empty shell, nothing more.
In a way, I was deceiving her—the one who trusted and relied on me.
A bitter taste welled up, mingled with guilt. As I clamped my mouth shut, she looked straight into my eyes and said.
"I want to know the real you, Jin-woo."
Somewhere in the world, in the Ten Demons' hidden lair.
Before a throne shrouded in darkness, the S-Rank demon 'Jeong-hwan' knelt and reported.
"Before Yoo Cheol died, he mentioned the 'Power of Demon Extermination.' And that day, students from the Magic Academy where the Child of Prophecy is enrolled were staying at the same hotel on a school trip. The culprit is definitely the 'Child of Prophecy.'"
At Jeong-hwan's report, the king sat on his throne, deep in thought.
"...Not ordinary. I never imagined the Child of Prophecy would step in this time."
This confirmed his suspicion that the Child of Prophecy had the ability to distinguish demons.
It wasn't a good situation.
If the Child of Prophecy revealed their identity and gained the Association's protection, it would leave the demons without hope.
"A very cunning bastard...
The pattern of his actions since last year.
He moved slyly.
Avoiding attention, acting quietly, confronting demons one-on-one.
As if he knew the demons were searching for the 'Child of Prophecy' who possessed the demon-exterminating power.
More than the fact that he wielded that power—the natural enemy of demons—the king felt fear deep in his chest from the actions and results the boy had shown so far.
Then Jeong-hwan spoke.
"My king. There's one more piece of bad news. Is it alright?"
"What is it?"
"The Association's investigation net is closing in tightly."
The special task force formed by the recent sudden outbreak of 'Demon Gates.'
Surveillance had intensified, leaving demons even less room to maneuver.
Even stealing Blood Crystals made blood supply difficult.
"The situation is getting messy."
"The silver lining is that the Association seems more focused on the Hanseong Family behind the clan than the clan itself."
"...The Hanseong Family?"
It wasn't strange.
As hidden demons in human society were exposed one by one, their ties to the Hanseong Family were gradually coming to light.
From the Association's perspective, the 'human faction' profiting behind the demons—namely the Hanseong Family—might be even more irksome than the demons right in front of them.
"What's Han Se-jin's response?"
"He seems to be preparing something, but I can't say for sure."
The king chuckled.
"...Well, he'll probably pin it on Han Se-yeon, as expected."
Han Se-jin—that guy was more ruthless than our clan.
The alcohol had gotten to her, leaving Han Se-yeon somewhat disheveled, so I escorted her all the way home.
"...Thank you."
Han Se-yeon said her goodbyes. I gave a wry smile.
"No problem. It's cold—get inside."
At my words, Han Se-yeon seemed about to enter the apartment, then stopped and turned to me sharply.
"...Jin-woo."
"Yeah?"
"In the end, you didn't tell me anything again. Just brushed it off..."
Han Se-yeon looked at me with narrowed eyes.
I had nothing to say, so I just smiled silently.
"Tricked again."
With that, Han Se-yeon let out a deep sigh.
Perhaps because of the cold weather, faint breath mist escaped her mouth.
Whether from White Fauna's honesty effect or not, she seemed different from the Han Se-yeon I knew.
"I told you earlier. Someday, I'll tell you everything."
"So when is this 'someday'? I said I'd help with anything—unfair situations, things you need help with."
Han Se-yeon raised her voice, sounding angry.
Her offer to help—the daughter of the Hanseong Family, second only to the Association—was quite reassuring...
But given the circumstances, it only amplified my burden and guilt.
"What is it? Tell me quickly."
And a sudden thought: White Fauna's honesty boost didn't seem like just 20%.
Seeing her completely transformed demeanor, it felt more like 100%.
As I kept silent, Han Se-yeon looked into my eyes as if giving up.
"...Then at least keep the promise you made.
The one about telling me everything within six months."
...Yeah, swept up in the mood at the bar, I'd made that promise without thinking.
The six months was time for me—who'd been deceiving her until now—to prepare myself mentally.
But thinking about it now, I regretted it a bit. Had I been too impulsive?
Wonder if I could take it back.
"Why no answer?"
Under her inexplicably coercive tone, I nodded.
"...Got it."
I didn't know anymore.
Like with Lee Seo-jun, I wanted to keep relying on Han Se-yeon.
So I didn't want to hide behind the Kim Jin-woo mask any longer.
Of course, this could disappoint her and lead to a complete fallout.
If that happened, the future developments would bring plenty of inconvenience and bitterness, but I wouldn't regret it.
"Promise me."
Han Se-yeon extended her pinky to me.
I stared at it blankly before hooking my pinky with hers and locking them.