Chapter 33
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Priest of Time (2)
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"Ugh..."
When I came to, the only thing I felt from my body was excruciating pain.
What I saw before me was a white ceiling. This place where I'd regained consciousness must be a hospital room.
What happened...?
I remembered shoving my arm into that guy's dagger.
After that, someone... came running, I think...?
"Y-Yun-seong!"
...Seo Yu-ju?
"Ugh... Yu-ju...?"
Seo Yu-ju opened her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
"A-Are you okay? Please, just lie still..."
"...Where am I? Cough... I was clearly..."
Perhaps hearing our conversation, my party members came rushing into the room from outside.
"Yun-seong oppa...!"
"...Yu-rim...?"
"Oppa... are you okay?"
"...I'm fine... More importantly, what happened...? Ngh...!"
"H-Hold still, hyung. They said you can't move."
I froze upon trying to sit up and noticing the empty left sleeve.
Ha...
I hadn't gone into it unprepared. I'd sacrificed my arm knowing full well what it would cost, but that didn't stop the bitterness flooding my mouth.
In truth, I'd lost all value as a combatant. No one would welcome me anywhere now.
Once they realized I was missing an arm, the party members all fell silent.
"...Yun-seong..."
"......I'm fine. Why is everyone acting like this? Haha."
"........."
"I really am..."
"...Oppa. Don't say you're okay... You can't be..."
"........."
"...You lost an arm... Sniff... There's no way you're okay...! Stop saying it...!"
"...Yeah..."
"........."
I turned to Seo Yu-ju with a question, needing to know what had happened while I was out.
"More importantly... Yu-ju. I have something to ask. How long was I unconscious?"
"...Less than a day."
"...Cough... Can you tell me roughly what happened?"
"...Is grasping the situation your priority right now? Take care of yourself first, please..."
The party members seemed exasperated that the first thing out of my mouth upon waking was this.
"...I understand your concern, but I need to know what's going on to figure out what to do next."
"Ha... You're unbelievable."
Yun Yeon spoke as she entered the room.
"...Instructor Yeon?"
I was utterly flustered; I hadn't expected her to come here.
Why is Instructor Yeon here?
"At first... I didn't get why your party was frustrated with you, but seeing this, I understand."
"Pardon...?"
"That's the first thing you say when you wake up? It's even more ridiculous knowing you've lost an arm."
She'd dropped her usual polite speech, a sign of how furious she was.
"...What brings you here, Instructor Yeon?"
Seo Yu-ju answered my question.
"...After hearing the explosion and finding you, Instructor Yun Yeon came and helped sort things out..."
"So both of you found me?"
"Yes... If it weren't for Instructor Yun Yeon, you would've..."
I see...
Seo Yu-ju must have found me first, then Yun Yeon arrived and dealt with that lunatic. I owed her a proper thank you.
"...Thank you so much, Instructor Yeon."
"Save the thanks. That's not what I want to hear. Do you really have a death wish?"
"........."
Her voice suddenly echoed in my head.
- That lunatic was ranting that you stabbed your own arm on his dagger.
I winced inwardly at her words.
- The others didn't buy it, but I'm different. I know you can see your status window.
"........."
- You lunatic... Your reaction says it's true. Have you lost your mind?
"........."
- You know you got lucky not to die, right? If I'd been even a little slower getting you to the clinic, you'd be gone. Got it?
I understood Yun Yeon's point, but at the time, I had no choice. That was the only way.
...Damn it, you think I wanted to lose an arm...?
Yun Yeon sighed, composing herself.
"Hoo..."
"........."
"Anyway, think about your body first. I have business to attend to... Kang Sung-jun will probably visit soon. His side's in a daze too."
"You mean..."
"We talked with the instructors and big clan reps at dawn. Seems Kang Sung-jun really had no idea. Looks like that lunatic acted alone..."
"I see..."
"Anyway, I have to go. This is for the other trainees too: if anything comes up, come to room 406 on the fourth floor opposite the main building. That's my office."
The party members all thanked her profusely before she left the room.
"........."
The moment Yun Yeon was gone, Kang I-seo spoke up.
"...That's what I wanted to say. Do you really want to die? Take care of yourself, damn it... Think about the people watching over you. You were treated now, but at first, your face was a mess from burns."
"Sorry."
At my apology, she choked up.
"......No. What do you have to be sorry for...? We're the ones who should be. While you were suffering... Sob... Your arm... What do we do...?"
My thoughts on my arm were a tangled mess too. Compared to my life, an arm was nothing, but I wasn't crazy—it was a huge blow to me.
I'd never been talented to begin with, and now facing life with one arm made the future seem hopeless.
Damn... Shouldn't have gotten tangled with that lunatic...
As I dwelled on my arm, Seo Yu-ju spoke to me.
"...Yun-seong, your arm... It might be recoverable with the right help."
I stared at her in shock at the idea of healing my arm.
...It wasn't just severed; it exploded into pieces. Is that treatable?
"Is... that true?"
"Yes... I'll explain later. But it's not easy, and I plan to demand it from Incarnation Clan."
Her mention of demanding it from Incarnation Clan made it sound daunting. If it were simple, they wouldn't need to go that far.
".....Is it really possible?"
"Not easy, but... we have to try."
"...If it burdens you all, you don't have to..."
"Hey!"
"..Huh?"
Kang I-seo stopped crying, grabbed my collar, and got in my face.
"Damn it! Still saying that crap?! Get your head straight! Your arm should be your priority!"
"S-Sis, calm down! Hyung's a patient! Let go of his collar first!"
"I-seo unnie! Calm down...!"
"Hey, look at me! This guy's lost it! You lunatic...! Fix your damn arm first!"
"Cough... Ack... St-Stop..."
"Say it straight...! You'll fix your arm first. Got it or not?!"
"G-Got it! Let go...!"
Only then did she release my collar.
"Hoo... You lunatic..."
Kang I-seo fumed for a while, unable to calm down.
The others didn't contradict her, showing they all felt the same, just less vocal.
"...So what happened to the guy who did this to me?"
Seo Yu-ju answered.
"He's been arrested on-site and thrown in jail. Apparently, the Training Facility has a small prison underground for trainees or instructors who commit crimes."
"I see..."
They wouldn't just kill him outright, it seemed. I didn't know the usual punishment for assaulting a trainee, but it wouldn't be light.
Like enhanced penalties for crimes against minors on Earth, crimes against trainees here were strictly forbidden.
Of course... big clans could eliminate a newbie or two without issue if they wanted...
But this case was different. Caught red-handed, not quietly handled. And not just by a trainee, but by Yun Yeon, master of another major clan. Too big to cover up quietly.
Word had spread through the Training Facility in a day, so Kang Sung-jun must be tearing his hair out.
His clan had been poised to recruit top talents, only for a lunatic's stunt to tank their reputation.
As I pondered, the not-so-nice guy himself, Kang Sung-jun, arrived.
"This is Kang Sung-jun. Entering the room."
Creak—
As Kang Sung-jun entered, our party glared daggers at him.
He was the strongest here, but sensing the hostility, he approached with a stoic expression.
First time seeing my condition firsthand, he let out a groan upon spotting me.
".....You really... lost an arm."
He hadn't believed the news. Even calling the guy a lunatic, he hadn't expected this.
Seo Yu-ju spoke to him.
"...As you see, thanks to Incarnation Clan, Yun-seong lost an arm."
"........."
"And this is after treatment. Before, his ribs were broken, right arm shattered, face burned."
"........."
"I found Yun-seong and was rushing him to treatment when the guy threw a dagger to kill me. Instructor Yun Yeon arrived just in time..."
"........."
"Without her, both Yun-seong and I would've died."
".....I'm truly sorry. I... I don't know what to say..."
Kang Sung-jun bowed his head deeply, at a loss for words.
His sincere apology showed he was a decent person.
Though his underlings might be different.
Kang Sung-jun asked cautiously.
"Could you... tell me exactly what happened?"
"...After the demonstration ended, late at night, a trainee came and said Incarnation Clan wanted to meet me privately."
"........."
"I couldn't understand wanting to meet privately so late... but as a recruit headed for Incarnation Clan, I couldn't ignore it."
"...I understand."
"When I arrived, an Incarnation Clan member was waiting. He said it was too public and suggested a quieter spot."
"...You agreed?"
"At first... I refused because it felt off. But he pressed, saying it was important for Yu-ju and Yu-hyeon too."
The party members, hearing this for the first time, looked furious.
Especially Seo Yu-ju—her name used as leverage had her biting her lip until it bled.
"So I followed. Up to then, he was polite."
"Meaning..."
"Yes, his attitude flipped the moment we reached the quiet spot. Called me vermin and threatened me to go to Instructor Kang Sung-jun and cancel joining alone, excluding the party."
"........."
"When I refused, he got violent. Punched my gut, broke my right arm, smashed my face with the dagger hilt."
"........."
"Still refusing, he threatened with the blade. As I resisted, it stabbed my left arm, then exploded for some reason, and I blacked out."
Explaining the violence in detail shocked the party; they hadn't realized the extent. Seo Yu-ju hung her head, expression hidden.
Kang Sung-jun's face darkened; the situation was worse than he'd imagined.
Not incompetent, he grasped the damage to his and his clan's reputation.
Seo Yu-ju lifted her head and continued.
"Chief Instructor... As victims, we have demands."
"...Please speak, trainee Seo Yu-ju."
"First... Cancel our party's entry into Incarnation Clan."
With things this bad, it was impossible anyway.
Kang Sung-jun knew it too.
"...Understood."
"Second... Severe punishment for the perpetrator. Execution or equivalent. He might retaliate."
He hesitated, weighing the value of that man, but finally replied.
".....Understood."
He knew protecting him was impossible now.
"Third... this is the core demand. Yun-seong... lost an arm. He can't function normally on this continent."
".....I acknowledge that. So for compensation, I considered a large sum of gold... and equipment and support to satisfy trainee Lee Yun-seong..."
Seo Yu-ju cut him off.
"No. Bring the Priest of Time to heal him."