A Branch and a Broken Blade
"Oh, look, Shuttle No. 2 is here."
"What took you so long, you bitch? Can't you move any faster?"
"I-I'm sorry I'm late..."
Smack!
A hand struck the back of her head with enough force to make a loud crack. The sheer impact brought tears to her eyes, but she forced them back and squeezed out a meek chuckle.
She was known simply as "No. 2." She didn't even know what the "No. 2" stood for. Sometimes it was Shuttle No. 2, other times Slave No. 2. The bullies changed the label on a whim, so it was eventually simplified to just "No. 2." As a fourteen-year-old girl branded with such a degrading nickname, Jin Yu-jeong could do nothing. Like a pet careful not to upset the master holding its leash, she could only offer a foolish, harmless smile.
"Hehe..."
"You're laughing? You think this is funny? Ha, what is wrong with you bitches today? Every single one of you is acting out."
Her "master's" temper seemed exceptionally foul today. Normally, they would have just sneered and let it go, but today they were nitpicking her every move. In times like this, keeping her head down was the best policy. She stopped her forced laughter, shut her mouth tight, and quietly waited for their anger to blow over. That was how the weak survived.
The weak, by definition, lacked strength, had nothing to boast of, and had no one to protect them. Children's malice possessed a pure, cruel instinct that allowed them to sniff out these vulnerable targets with terrifying accuracy. Easy targets like orphans, for instance.
While Jin Yu-jeong wasn't an orphan, she still belonged to the socially vulnerable. She was raised in a single-parent household by a mother who worked tirelessly at a restaurant. From a young age, she had understood her place in the world and quickly adapted to the survival methods of the weak. From the moment the bullying began, she had never once considered resisting.
First, because two of the three bullies in this clique were Awakened. Second, because she had heard that the remaining bully's parent was some kind of committee chairperson who was close with the school teachers. Outmatched in both physical strength and social authority, Yu-jeong knew all too well that fighting back would only invite greater suffering.
Beyond such logical calculations, there was also the simple, primal element of fear. Didn't people say that the Awakened could shatter stone and splinter wood with their bare hands if they wanted to? Yu-jeong had no desire to see her own skull shattered like stone or wood. She kept her mouth shut, her eyes darting around to assess the situation.
Ah, there was another girl nearby in a similar predicament. She was "No. 1." Was her name Park Jeong-ah? Her lustrous, bright blonde hair caught Yu-jeong's eye. Rumors had spread across the entire school that she lived in an orphanage. As an orphan who had become the bullies' plaything before Yu-jeong, she was, in a sense, her senior. Though calling her a senior was a bit odd since they were the same age and in the same grade, but still.
Today, however, even her senior seemed different. Normally, Jeong-ah would have had the dull, lifeless eyes of a dead fish, keeping her mouth shut and anxiously reading the room just like Yu-jeong. But right now, she was narrowing her eyes, calmly observing the bullies' behavior. The blue eyes visible through her narrowed lids seemed to shimmer, almost as if they held magical energy. Yu-jeong shivered involuntarily.
"Hey, No. 1, why are you looking at us like that? You got a problem?"
"Whoa, looks like she's about to hit us."
"Why is she suddenly acting so intense? What's her deal?"
But the bullies didn't seem to grasp the true nature of Park Jeong-ah's change. Instead, they took her expression as a provocation, eagerly pouncing on the opportunity to start trouble.
Oh no...
Yu-jeong squeezed her eyes shut, anticipating the impending violence. They would beat her, stomp on her, humiliate her... and the torment wouldn't stop until she begged for forgiveness. For someone as timid as Yu-jeong, it was a sight too painful to watch.
But things did not unfold as Yu-jeong expected.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Is this really fun for you?"
"Treating people like toys and tormenting them is not a good thing. Why don't you stop this wicked behavior?"
Watching Park Jeong-ah speak so clearly and resolutely, Yu-jeong's eyes widened. Something is definitely going to happen today.
At first, I had planned to just wait and see how far they would go. I was annoyed, yes, but these kids were the same age as my current body—only fourteen years old. I figured I would play along for a bit, tell them to leave me alone, and then go on my way.
But as it turned out, they had their own private hideout. And there was another victim besides me. Watching them slap the back of her head and mockingly pat her face was incredibly unpleasant. On top of that, two of the perpetrators weren't even ordinary humans. I had my doubts at first, but watching them closely confirmed it. The faint trace of mana swirling around their bodies suggested they were similar to the "Awakened" I had heard about in class.
To possess such special power and use it to oppress the weak was utterly vile. That was why I deviated from my original plan and gave them a lengthy lecture. If they had listened to my words and backed off, I was willing to let them go with a warning. But as is always the case, expectations are meant to be betrayed.
"You didn't say a single word this whole time, and now you suddenly pull this crap?"
"Seriously, you startled me. Look, I literally have goosebumps."
"No way. We're gonna keep messing with you. What are you gonna do about it if we do? What can you even do?"
Those were the answers I received. Though the three of them snickered, their rapid speech and flushing faces proved my words hadn't been entirely ineffective. These kids were angry. Extremely so. The fist suddenly flying toward my face was proof enough.
"Oh? You dodged it?"
I honestly didn't understand what made them so furious. Was having their wrongdoing pointed out so unbearable? Unbearable enough to resort to violence? Everything was a mystery, but one thing was certain: no matter what I said, these kids weren't going to listen. Maybe I just lacked the eloquence to persuade them...
In that case, there was only one thing left to do: handle it the way I always did. I straightened my back and slowly raised my fists.
Jin Yu-jeong was dumbfounded. An unbelievable sight was unfolding right before her wide-open eyes. It was a scene so surreal that if someone had told her about it just a few days ago, she would have dismissed it with a hollow laugh, saying, Yeah, right.
"Aaaagh!"
One of the bullies let out a screech and threw a punch. The strike was incredibly fast and powerful. To an ordinary person like Yu-jeong, it looked like a blur flying through the air with a sharp whoosh. Park Jeong-ah stood calmly in the path of that fist. Yu-jeong watched with trembling eyelids. If she had been in Jeong-ah's place, she would have been crying, snotting, and shaking with terror.
But Jeong-ah didn't flinch. She simply stood her ground, watching the incoming fist with a slow, indifferent gaze.
It's dangerous!
Yu-jeong screamed internally. Jeong-ah hadn't taken a defensive stance, nor did she seem to be preparing to dodge. At this rate, she would take a direct hit from a mana-infused fist and get slammed into the wall. Yu-jeong shuddered with dread.
Yet, the horrific outcome she anticipated never came. To be precise, something far more astonishing happened instead.
"What...?"
Jeong-ah had casually caught the incoming fist with her bare hand. The thrusting fist was stopped dead in midair, robbed of its momentum. It happened in the blink of an eye, catching everyone completely off guard. Once the bully realized what had happened, she grunted and strained to pull her hand back, but her trapped fist wouldn't budge. Then, with a light shove—
"Whoa...!"
Jeong-ah released her grip and gave a gentle push, sending the bully tumbling helplessly backward. As the fallen girl's face flushed crimson with humiliation, the other Awakened bully lunged at Jeong-ah.
"Yaaah!"
But she met the exact same fate. She was caught instantly, and a moment later, a light push sent her landing flat on her backside. The same scene repeated over and over. The bullies would charge, and Jeong-ah would indifferently catch them and push them away. It looked exactly like someone training a disobedient puppy. Yu-jeong's eyes went wide.
"W-What are you?!"
In the end, it was the bullies who wore themselves out first in this bizarre standoff. Panting heavily for breath, one of the girls shrieked in pure spite.
"Did you suddenly Awaken or something?!"
Jeong-ah didn't answer. Instead, she looked away and let out a long, weary sigh, as if the entire situation was just incredibly tedious.
"Don't ignore me!"
Her attitude only fueled their rage. One of them reached into her pocket and pulled something out. With a metallic rasp, a short dagger appeared. Though small, the blade gleamed with a sharp, lethal edge that was clearly dangerous.
"Put that down."
Jeong-ah, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. Of course, there was no way a hotheaded bully would listen.
"No way!"
With wild, bloodshot eyes, she brandished the dagger, looking ready to plunge it into Jeong-ah at any second.
W-What should I do?
Yu-jeong watched them, cold sweat pouring down her face. She debated whether she should run to the teacher's office right now, but she was terrified that something terrible would happen the moment she turned her back.
"I said, put it down. It's dangerous."
Jeong-ah's demeanor remained largely unchanged, save for a slight hint of annoyance. Her calm reaction only provoked the bully's childish pride, as she had desperately wanted to see Jeong-ah cower in fear.
"Aaaaagh!"
What had started as a mere threat quickly escalated into a blind charge, the girl rushing forward with the dagger raised. Yu-jeong screamed internally once more. Jeong-ah sighed, bending down to pick up a fallen tree branch from the ground.
The clash ended in an instant, anticlimactically. No flesh was torn, and no agonizing screams echoed through the air. Instead—
"W-What...?"
The steel blade of the dagger snapped clean in half, clattering uselessly onto the dirt. Only the bewildered, breathless voice of the attacking girl lingered in the quiet space.
Yu-jeong's gaze was locked entirely on Jeong-ah. More specifically, on the tree branch in her hand. Unable to tear her eyes away from the blue energy shimmering along the withered wood, Yu-jeong whispered,
"Sword aura...?"