Chapter 81. A Similar Child.
Chapter 81. A Similar Child.
She didn't seem flustered by my counter-question, but she furrowed her brow as if mulling over how to answer.
"I think it's good to save them..."
"Not that we have to save them, but that it'd be good if we did? Why?"
"From what I've seen, people like power... So if the group gets bigger, wouldn't there naturally be more things to enjoy?"
She wasn't thinking altruistically, but from a direction that benefited 'me'.
"I feel like we already have more than enough right now, though."
"Still... greed has no end, right...?"
She was unconfident but still spoke her mind, and I found that cute enough to pat her on the head while I explained. When you help people, they feel grateful, but once that feeling fades, they take it for granted. And inevitably, they don't perceive a difference in supplies distributed according to their achievements as a distinction — they perceive it as discrimination.
Difference and discrimination. Everyone knows what those words mean, but when they're on the receiving end, people don't think objectively, 'I'm doing well enough for what I've put in.' They just end up envying others.
"If that happens, discord forms within the group. A tiny fracture like that will bring the whole group crashing down."
External enemies are easy enough to block, but once this kind of discontent builds up and cracks start to form, no matter how solid the group is, it can't help but collapse.
'I've seen plenty of guilds and parties fall apart exactly like that...'
"But what made you suddenly think about something like this?"
"Just... when I look at you, Representative, it's like you've attained some kind of mastery...? Enlightenment...? I don't know what to call it... but your eyes looked so bored with everything."
Having already Transcended, I can control my emotions, and I don't cling to things like wealth, fame, or power. Those things come to you naturally without any struggle. If anything, I'd sneer at the bastards who fight over scraps like that and call them hyenas.
"You'll come to understand it naturally if you just live a little longer."
At my words — spoken by someone who looked like he was in his early twenties but talked about having lived a long time — Yuna's eyes went wide with surprise. Then she furrowed her brow, apparently trying to guess my age.
The Korean contingent who knew just how many years I'd lived through simply let out little snickers.
And just like that, before we knew it, we landed at the Tokai Nuclear Power Plant, cleared the surrounding area, and set up a small base camp. We weren't just setting it up for ourselves — other researchers from Gimpo would be coming too. Just as the work was finishing up, a few people approached from the side and spoke up.
"The nuclear power plant isn't as big as I expected..."
"We still have to be careful. We've heard that there are apparently no survivors left here, so there's a risk of a leak."
"Then we've finished all the maintenance here, so I'll contact the researchers via satellite radio now."
"Yeah. They'll probably arrive around dawn tomorrow anyway, so let's get some rest."
I told them to bring equipment for extraction and radiation protection suits in case of unexpected contamination.
'Hmm... There are people over in the Haeundae area, but I'm just going to refuel and head straight back, so it shouldn't be an issue...'
We'd brought plenty of tents in various sizes. Just in case, we'd also grabbed a bunch of camping supplies from the Haeundae area.
Inside the tent, Chaeyeon and I were watching a movie we'd saved on the tablet. Jia was off practicing archery with Yuna.
"Watching a movie I've seen before is still fun after so long, isn't it?"
"With the world like this, I never thought I'd be enjoying camping(?) and watching a movie..."
While we were enjoying that small talk, Chaeyeon gave me a subtly suggestive look and slid her hand onto my stomach. She usually pretends not to be like that, but whenever we're alone, she sends these signals. Catching her drift, I gently clasped her hand in return.
— Smooch...
"Sihu... we haven't done it in a long time..."
We'd been busy with plans and supply organization even before we left for Japan, so we really hadn't had a chance in a while — she must have been pretty pent-up. That's why she was being so forward about it.
We turned off the tablet screen and mixed our tongues a little more actively as we continued kissing. When our lips finally parted after many minutes, our mixed saliva formed a thin, gossamer line.
"I can't hold back anymore..."
— Fwoosh!
"Kyaaa!!!"
The moment Jia saw the heated atmosphere and our disheveled clothes, her eyes sharpened into a ferocious glare as she stared at us.
"J-Jia... why...!"
"Unnie..."
"W-We didn't do anything yet...!"
"So unfair! I've been holding back for a long time too...!"
"Don't shout, just get in here first!!"
Afraid that someone outside might hear, Chaeyeon quickly grabbed Jia's hand and pulled her in. Then she zipped the tent shut again.
"Wh-What do you think you're doing, coming in without saying a word!"
"This is where I sleep... Who knocks before entering their own room..."
'Well, there isn't anyone who knocks on their own door at home...'
"Anyway! Oppa, I'm holding back a lot too."
"Mm... Should we just do it as a threesome later?"
At the suggestion that we all do it together, Chaeyeon's ears went red and she covered her face, while Jia's eyes sparkled with interest.
"A-Ahem... It was just a joke..."
"Oppa, by the way, Yuto asked for your help. He wants you to teach him more about how to fight."
So that's why she came in so hurriedly.
'Anyway, he suddenly asked me to teach him? What's this about?'
After getting the location where Yuto was, I said I'd be right back and left the tent.
When I got to where he was, I saw countless marks on the surrounding trees where daggers had been embedded. As I drew closer, I saw his body was drenched in sweat. Off to the side, his older sister Yuna was watching him with a worried expression.
"You've been working hard. I heard you asked for my help."
The moment he saw me, he stopped what he was doing in a hurry and bowed deeply at a right angle. Yuna, who was beside him, bowed as well.
'What is he, some kind of gangster...'
"Representative, please make me stronger."
"The training you're doing now should be enough."
"No, it's not enough."
I asked him why he suddenly felt that way. He hesitated for a moment, then explained.
"I want to play an important role in the group."
He is a 'stranger.' Not from another region, but from another country. That, apparently, was what made him anxious. And it was precisely because he'd understood what I'd said about difference and discrimination that he'd come to me with this request.
"Hmm... Your body still has a long way to go before it catches up, but you seem to have gotten familiar with how to use it... Come at me."
I looked around, pulled a decent dagger embedded in a tree, and stood in front of him. He'd certainly gotten used to Acceleration, judging by how well he balanced his state when throwing versus his normal state. His close-quarters combat was still shaky.
'He doesn't hesitate at all when throwing at a person, so why is close combat an issue...?'
"You said you wanted to become someone important in our group, right?"
"Yes!!!"
"Then endure this."
I took the killing intent I had once used against the Japanese Captain of the Awakened Ones and, moderating it, unleashed it solely onto Yuto. A damp, sticky, unpleasant killing intent coiled around his body like a giant snake. Any complacent thought like 'No matter what, he wouldn't really kill me' would have vanished entirely.
I released the killing intent just before he actually passed out, but the very moment I did, he crumpled to the ground and immediately started throwing up where he sat.
"Get up. You asked me to make you stronger, didn't you? If you don't get up, I'll kill your sister."
I emitted a killing intent even thicker than before, and in a flash, I approached Yuna and drove my dagger in at a terrifying speed. A speed just fast enough for him to react to.
The first emotion he showed was denial — the thought that my threat to kill was a lie. Then, after he saw me actually turn my body, kick off the ground, and sprint toward Yuna, I sensed his panic. And after he watched me stab the dagger straight toward her chest, came rage.
Mana whirled up around his body as he instantly threw himself in front of me.
— Clang!
Without me injecting any mana, the iron blades clashed at an incredible speed and shattered.
The last emotion was a sense of betrayal — that he'd never imagined it would come to this.
In that short span, I felt many emotions surge through him.
"You're too clumsy. This is what happens when you hesitate. Why the hell do you hesitate?"
His head might rationally understand that my actions were meant to change his mindset, but that wouldn't make it easy to accept.
"If you give clumsy mercy and spare your opponent, do you think that opponent will feel grateful and live a life of repentance?"
"No. That opponent will make preparations and come back to kill you."
Soon after, as if he'd used up all his strength, he fainted. He must have pushed his body all at once and used Acceleration, because the blood vessels around his eyes had burst and were bloodshot, and the muscles in his lower body were bruised a dark blue from the strain.
I hoisted Yuto up over one shoulder and headed back to the tent where Chaeyeon and Jia were. Seeing Yuto draped limply over my shoulder, they were both startled. I briefly explained the situation and asked them to give him some treatment, then stepped back outside.
'There was a kid like that back on Titan too... I wonder what he's up to now?'
At the sudden wave of nostalgia, I stuck a cigarette in my mouth and lit it.
* * * * * * * *
Hearing that Yuto had woken up, I went back into the tent. And then, probably because Yuna had tattled every last detail, I got an earful from Jia.
— Smack!!!
"Ow... What the hell, how is his back so hard...!"
"Heh..."
"Anyway! Why did you do that to a kid!!!"
"Just... he reminded me of a similar kid..."
I looked back at him and spoke.
"How is it?"
"Representative, were you a mercenary or in the special forces? How can you have no hesitation like that..."
"Something like that."
"My family is my top priority. But I'm not sure if I'll actually be this way in real combat..."
'Looks like he needs special measures.'
"You'll need to get a bit more sleep."
I poked his forehead with my finger. At that light action, his eyes slowly closed and he fell back asleep. The action was light, but Chaeyeon and Jia, who knew what it meant, were shocked.
"Oppa...!"
"Sihu, is that okay?"
"He'll pull through. He probably won't wake up for about a day. You two sleep here, I'll sleep outside tonight."
With those words, I stepped outside.
And for some reason, tonight, that kid was on my mind more than ever.