The Flames' Revulsion
Man, this selection rite dragged on forever. It felt like I'd been through almost everyone else's turns, but my name still hadn't been called.
"They could've just done group interviews instead of one-by-one..."
There weren't even numbers or anything, so no way to know the order. All I could do was park my ass on the stone stairs and wait—and damn, it was tougher than it sounded. They called it a "seat," but it was just polished marble floor. My tailbone was starting to ache from the hard pressure.
"Yawn— this ain't easy."
Sitting still made time crawl even slower out of sheer boredom. I'd already polished off a bunch of Ferrero Rochers just to kill time. The first couple were sweet and delicious, but now my tongue was tingling from the sugar overload, killing my appetite. The coffee aftertaste lingered in my mouth, so I kept popping more in anyway... Should've just had water.
Rummaging through my pockets now only turned up wadded-up foil wrappers. Maybe one or two chocolates left. Running dangerously low on mouth fresheners.
...God, when's this gonna end?
I crunched the lingering nut bits between my teeth, tapping my foot idly.
"Seojun, aren't you nervous at all?"
Lily, who'd just finished her turn, approached cautiously.
"Huh? Nah, not really. The headmaster said you don't get cut just 'cause they say no, right?"
She'd been shaking like a leaf before going in, and now she looked totally wiped out, finally catching her breath.
Poor girl lives such a stressful life. Come to think of it, even if you finished early, you still had to wait here anyway.
"You're amazing. I was so nervous I could barely speak..."
Lily's face crumpled a bit, looking all downcast. Her hands on her knees were still trembling faintly—vibration mode not fully off yet.
"Why? That nervous, huh?"
"...Y-yeah."
Stumbling over one sentence wasn't a big deal. Nobody's perfect, but seeing her slump like that reminded me she was just a kid.
"Sigh, here— ahh!"
I unwrapped the last Ferrero Rocher from my pocket and popped it straight into her mouth as she moped.
"You'll do better next time. Eat this and chill."
Right on cue, my name echoed out. I stood, grabbed the very last chocolate, and plopped it into her palm.
"Alright, I'm off. See ya."
Up the platform, past the curtain—a hidden passage appeared that you couldn't see from outside.
Stairs, huh.
A cool breeze brushed my face faintly. I descended the gentle stone slope slowly. The deeper I went, the colder and sharper the chill climbed my ankles—way more intense than at the entrance.
Finally, I entered a wide-open space. Dead center: a massive altar.
"Hmm..."
Behind it, five towering stone pillars rose majestically. Atop each, different-colored flames roared—faint shapes flickering within.
Straightforward as hell. Easy to get.
White, red, black, blue, purple. The pitch-black blaze dominated the center, swallowing even the surrounding light. Next to it, fierce red flames danced undaunted. Blue ones rippled like waves, purple glowed mysteriously in quiet repose. And pure white flames rose neat and frosty, like hoarfrost.
The five solitary fires blended into a mythic scene, each flaunting its hue.
Thud, thud.
Ugh, legs are numb from sitting so long.
It was a dazzling sight, but the vibe in the chamber was far from bright—chilly bordering on hostile.
I rolled my shoulders before the altar, scanned the flames, and spoke up.
"Hey. Park Seojun here."
『............』
A brief, icy silence hung heavy. Sighs leaked from here and there—then a deep voice rumbled from the central black flame.
『What are you?』
"Park Seojun?"
A calm voice followed from the purple flame.
『We didn't ask for your name, child. What is this displeasure...? What the hell have you done?』
Raw disgust laced the instinctive rejection in its tone, but I'd half-expected it.
"Oh, that. It's my constitution. Affinity's negative outside specific conditions. You know Geas, right? Kinda like that."
Common term: all-in on stats.
『We're not asking because we don't know. Think there were no such cases in ancient times? Plenty broke taboos chasing power, gaining it through constraints—too many to count.』
The purple flame flickered wildly, pressing down the air.
『But no one went as insane as you. How are you even alive with constraints like that? It's beyond mere luck.』
"Oh, yeah? Guess so?"
If I summed up what the divine beasts felt: a dryad planted smack in a rare-earth factory.
A split-second stillness. Their essence-probing gazes stretched time weirdly.
『.........』
The purple flame pondered deeply, then murmured low.
『...You're an enigma.』
In the mythic age of gods and monsters breathing mystery, this kid would've been stamped out as a loathsome abomination the moment it appeared.
A constitution that sparked cockroach-level revulsion in all mysteries as the price of taboo power. Not just a constraint—it was volunteering to be a monster that couldn't mix with anything in the world. Stark madness.
But the wisdom-symbolizing divine beast pierced the deeper horror: to some, vermin to eradicate; to others, a soul-devouring drug's addictive allure. A frail human bearing fatal temptation to corrupt and doom mystery beings? Blasphemy against gods, a foretold tragedy.
Its mere existence was a miracle.
『No need to waste more time. Anything left to see here?』
『I give up.』
『Me too.』
Beings who'd endured millennia with unshakable calm—exceptions this time. Even their vast cultivation couldn't handle this essence-shaking torment. The harder they clung to composure, the sharper the instinctive revulsion stabbed their souls like needles.
Like a drop of filth in a clear pond, their eons of discipline felt tainted. They sensed reason might snap under the disgust, risking rampage.
Facing this enigma wasn't endurance—it was torture. A momentary waver could doom the pitiful, dangerous child irreparably.
Ultimately, they prioritized self-restraint over the rite, averting their gaze.
『No helping it. I'll take this child, then.』
The white flame's gentle voice drew a warning from purple.
『Ursion, you seem to feel differently from us. Its influence might be minor, but beware—that's a swamp.... This is advice for you, and for the child.』
『I'll be careful.』
The white flame called Ursion felt the child's unease too. Yet a strange pull coexisted inexplicably.
Purple pierced veiled truths. Ursion heeded the wise one's counsel.
"Uh, so you guys all set?"
I'd stood there like a bundled sack of barley, butting in as their debate wrapped.
『Sorry to keep you waiting. You may go.』
Normally they'd dismiss the kid first for private discussion—but they'd lost composure, forgetting courtesy.
Boring as hell.
"Yep. See ya."
Back through the passage, out—every eye in the hall snapped to me. Heavy silence, then the next name called. I trudged quietly to my seat.
Lily was still munching the chocolate I'd given her before I left—tiny lips working nonstop, looking a bit spaced out.
"I'm back."
Her eyes went wide at my casual greeting; she nodded frantically. Couldn't speak with her mouth full—kinda funny.
"Take it slow, slow."
"M-mmph!"