#71 Chapter 17. The Dreamer (4)

“……”

“Jin, what's wrong all of a sudden?”

“No, it's nothing. Just… the story was pretty touching.”

“Haha, you think so? Well, Andy's the quiet type, but he's a really good guy.”

I brushed it off in response to his puzzled question, and Arnaud Duré grinned happily. As I continued the conversation in a light, elegant tone, I thought to myself.

That's awfully generous…

The fourth and final sub-quest of Kill the Evil ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Volume 2. The clear condition was actually simple. Acquire a derivative skill from the Black Heart.

I'd already experienced it at Silver Demon Mountain. While fighting the long-lived species, it had materialized into the S-rank skill Mana Absorption. And as the Black Heart's rank rose, I'd acquired the SS-rank Entity Absorption. It was telling me to acquire another skill just like those two.

Along with the condition to activate it in complete form before the end of Kill the Evil Volume 2.

It was a really straightforward quest…

But I had no idea how to clear it.

The Black Heart's reaction at Silver Demon Mountain hadn't been my intention. How to awaken it, how to acquire the skill—it was all unknown to me right now.

But the clear rewards were on an insane level. On par with rewards for clearing volume-level episodes.

One OX question and one subjective question each—that alone was a massive info haul. And that wasn't all.

Item 3: Unrestricted aptitude points. Exactly as it sounded—no conditions, just raise one aptitude stat of my choice.

No point wasting it on anything else. I had to dump it into Sensory. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was stuck at the 8.9 limit line, impossible to budge with normal means. This was the point for that.

Item 4: Raise the rank of one skill or trait I possessed at A-rank or below by one step… Of course, I'd have to think carefully, but using it on Peeping Eye seemed like the right call.

Either way, all four rewards were hugely meaningful to me. Too good for something as simple as acquiring one derivative skill from the Black Heart. No denying that.

No matter how unclear the path to achievement was, this was overkill.

To be blunt, I was suspicious of the hologram's intentions for being so generous. If it had really been trying to trick me into taking out Arnaud Duré first and got caught, was this a policy shift to make up for it?

The ridiculous thought crossed my mind for a second, but I dismissed it immediately.

No way. It's not that conscientious a system.

If the rewards were this excessive, there had to be a corresponding reason. Figuring that out was my job from this moment on.

I organized my swirling thoughts and chatted amiably with Arnaud Duré.

About my parents. About him, Andrey Ilyin, and Charlotte Tate. And about my research.

“I'll look into some good spots for gathering data on my end. Preferably areas near Seoul, right?”

“That'd be perfect for me.”

“Great. I'll start by requesting the materials, scout them out, pick the best ones, and let you know. You can check them then, and I'll help out if needed.”

“Sounds good to me.”

His response matched what I'd expected when setting this up. If I'd brought up Silver Demon Mountain, he'd have jumped at the chance to go there. But for now, that was on hold. The clock had already ticked past five p.m., so I told him,

“I'll come by again this weekend. Let's wrap up for today—”

“Heading to Jeil High?”

I nodded at Arnaud Duré's question.

“Yeah, Sea's school ends soon. She always drives me there and picks me up, so it's basically habit now.”

It was a playful jab, but I didn't mind it at all. Arnaud Duré, knowing that, smiled and asked,

“That's why it's great, huh?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

We tidied up the lab and headed out of the building together. Arnaud said he'd take a short walk before heading back to his lodging. As I went to open the car door, he suddenly spoke in a tone full of admiration.

“Jin, you're a good brother.”

“You think? I just try to feed her well and make sure she doesn't lack for anything.”

That was all I could really do for Sea. I wanted to do more, but I had no idea if I was doing it right. Still, Arnaud Duré emphasized,

“That's more than enough to be a good brother. You would've been a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠good son to your parents, Lee and Seb too.”

“That part… I'm not so sure. If you say so, maybe I can have a bit more confidence.”

“Yeah, I guarantee it. But…”

“Yeah?”

I paused as I was about to get in the driver's seat and looked at him. Unlike before, he wore a sly grin as he continued,

“You're definitely a good son and a good brother… but I'm not sure about you as a man.”

“Huh?”

I blinked at the out-of-nowhere comment, and he replied in a voice that seemed half-joking, half-serious.

“You're no doubt an attractive guy as a lover, but I get the feeling you'd make your girlfriend go through a lot of heartache.”

“Uh… what's that based on?”

“Dunno. Just a hunch. Haven't heard that from any of your exes? Someone brave must've said it at least once. If you heard it and didn't reflect, that's pretty serious.”

“Never had a girlfriend, so no clue.”

“Oh, wow. Worse than I thought. Not even one woman you've officially dated? I was gonna give some advice, but that might not cut it—”

“……I'll be in touch.”

Opting for evasion over explanation, I got in the car and headed toward Jeil High. Plenty of time before Sea got out. I drove slowly, sorting through the tangled thoughts.

First assumption that came to mind: Arnaud Duré believed he was innocent.

In that case, there had to be another traitor who'd stolen his research data. Andrey Ilyin was the prime suspect, but I couldn't rule out others. This led to a bunch of questions.

Who stole the data? How? If there was a true traitor, what was their motive?

And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one more. Arnaud Duré and the hologram.

“……”

Arnaud Duré had undoubtedly contributed to my parents' deaths, and the hologram had flagged him as a traitor. How did that connect?

Was that all? Like scientists unaware their research would become weapons of mass destruction—did he just indirectly cause it?

From Arnaud Duré's broad perspective, was "murder" just that?

If not… what criteria made him a traitor?

If the hologram fed me malicious false info, what was its goal? Or by its standards, just conducting the research qualified as betrayal?

What result was the sub-quest demanding a Black Heart derivative skill activation aiming for?

What was the main event in the latter half of Kill the Evil Volume 2?

Was it tied to some or all of my musings?

I couldn't untangle the mess of info into a single thread right now.

The car stopped at a red light, giving me a moment. I stared at the hologram.

Kill the Evil Volume 2's progress was nearing two-thirds, and there wasn't much left. One big incident, and it'd wrap up easily.

Probably end before June. No solid basis, just my guess—and honestly, no real confidence.

35% left on the bar. Less than three weeks in real time.

Could I unravel all the mysteries and seize the outcome I wanted in that span?

I definitely wanted to, but the path wasn't clear. Nursing that frustration, I drove on until Jeil High's gates appeared in the distance.

Just shy of six p.m. Thought about texting Sea, but decided to wait quietly.

She'd expect to head home alone today. Seeing her surprise at my car, then pretend not to be thrilled—that's what I wanted to see.

Maybe childish of me… but Sea could cut me that much slack.

About a minute passed. Not many students exiting the grounds yet. Felt like smoking one.

Sea hated me smoking, but if I finished quick, she wouldn't know.

Decision made, I stepped out, heading to the smoking area thirty meters away. As I pulled the pack from my pocket and took a step—

Bzzz, bzzzz…

My phone vibrated. Assuming it was Sea, I pocketed the cigarettes and pondered my reply. Wanted to startle her—how to play it so she'd buy it?

Clearing my throat dramatically, I picked up.

But the name on the screen made me crave that smoke again.

Caller: 'Han Se-ra'.

The ringtone went off for about ten seconds.

Then I answered.

“Hello?”

Se-ra told me. The voice I'd known for so long—cool, comfortable, refreshingly serene.