A New Path (2)

Tears welled up in Eunseo’s eyes, rolling down her cheeks in fat, glistening drops. “Waaaaah! I can’t get married anymore! You saw everything! You saw it all!”

“N-no, wait. It’s not like I could help seeing it.”

Eunseo tugged at my collar. “Take responsibility! Why did you suddenly strip me?!”

“I-I didn’t strip you! And just put your clothes on for now. I had to check something.” I sighed. How long was a grown woman going to sit there naked? “...O-okay, I get it.” Eunseo’s face flushed as she scrambled to put her clothes back on.

“I’m, I’m dressed now. You can open your eyes.”

When I turned back, Eunseo was wearing an oversized T-shirt. I leaned against the sofa and let out a long, ragged breath. “Whew. I thought my heart was going to explode.”

“...” Eunseo glared at me.

“Th-that... it wasn’t my fault, was it?”

“Then is it my fault?”

I had no comeback for that. She was right—she had suddenly and inexplicably ended up naked. It wasn’t her fault. “...I suppose not.”

I reached out to take her hand, but she pulled it away in a panic. “?” When I looked at her, her cheeks were burning red. “I-I don’t know, I suddenly felt this tingling sensation.”

“Static electricity?”

“No, it’s just...” Hesitating, Eunseo knelt gracefully in front of me and offered her hand again. “I-I feel like I’ll collapse if I stand.”

“Really? Is it vertigo?”

As I took her hand again, her body began to flinch. “Why, what’s wrong?”

“Stop!” Eunseo pulled her hand away, on the verge of tears. “M-my body feels strange.” Her face was flushed just like before. “It feels like my whole body is heating up.”

“Hmm.” That was when I remembered the notification from earlier.

I didn’t know what it was, but it was definitely related to Eunseo. “By any chance, did your status window change after you came back to life?”

“Oh, right, it did. Everything was marked as locked.”

I asked cautiously, “Are there conditions for unlocking it?”

“Uh... it said something about the ‘Recognition of the Starry Body.’”

Finally, I understood how the situation was unfolding. “It seems like a problem arose because it got tangled up with my hidden class.”

“Huh? Wait, a hidden class?”

I smiled sheepishly and took Eunseo’s face in my hands. She shivered. “D-don’t touch me, Hyunseo.”

“Is your heart racing?”

“I don’t know. My whole body is tingling.”

This reaction usually happened when a Summoner touched their familiar. It was a response triggered by the subordinate relationship formed through a contract. Watching her flushed face, I gave a simple command. “Stand up.”

“Huh?” She stood up, looking confused. “Sit back down.” She knelt back down just as she had before.

“How was that? Don’t you feel like you have to listen to me? Like you’d feel anxious or terrified if you disobeyed an order?”

“It’s not really like that...” Eunseo frowned, thought for a moment, and opened her mouth. “I just did it because you told me to.”

“...” That was a reaction I’d never heard of before. I scratched my forehead and said, “Our relationship seems similar to that of a Summoner and a familiar.”

“What?!”

“I gained a skill called Apostle Appointment. It seems the ‘Recognition of the Starry Body’ is related to this.”

“An Apostle Appointment skill?”

“Yeah. If I use this on you, your status window lock will probably be lifted.”

Eunseo finally looked like she understood. “So that’s ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what it was. The reason I came back to life was because of your class, Hyunseo.”

“But, the part about affecting the mind is...”

“I’ll do it.” Eunseo’s eyes sparkled.

“Do you want to rethink it? I don’t know what might happen. And the idea of it having a mental control effect is a bit uncomfortable...”

“It’s fine.” Eunseo cut me off and smiled brightly. “When you stepped up for me, my mind was already made up.”

I scratched my cheek at her embarrassing words. “And you already saved my life.”

“But still.” Honestly, it was a hassle. It would be a relief if she didn’t just become dead weight. As I hesitated, Eunseo spoke as if she could see right through my thoughts. “I won’t be dead weight.”

How did she know? As I looked away, Eunseo’s face followed my gaze. “I’ll work hard. So don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

“...You’re going to regret this.”

“No.”

“It’s a permanent and irrevocable contract.”

“I know.”

“*Sigh*.” I had sworn I wouldn’t create any more useless trouble. Master, I’m not doing something wrong, am I? I hoped for an answer, but that person remained silent. Right, they were the type to vanish like a ghost whenever things got difficult. “I don’t even know anymore.”

I took a deep breath and used the Apostle Appointment skill.

The notification seemed to appear for both of us. Along with a beam of shimmering light, a warm glow spread through the room. Eunseo grabbed my hand and spoke. She looked into the air as if reading the text that had appeared before her. “I am now your faithful servant, and I will be loyal to your commands.”

“Uh...”

“I will not bring shame to your name through my diligent service.”

I nodded, watching her carefully. “I know the weight of your name, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I will live a life dedicated to your honor.”

As the three sentences ended, a blinding light filled the room, and Eunseo’s appearance changed. “*Haa*...”

Her exterior was no different than before, but the energy and atmosphere she exuded had changed entirely. The small, animal-like aura she had carried until now was gone, replaced by a sharp, lethal edge that rivaled Eun-ah’s.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

Hidden classes never seem to resolve anything immediately. Just as I was closing the notification windows and wondering if I had to go to the Tower again, Eunseo hugged me with a bright smile. “So, Hyunseo is my master now?”

I choked on my own breath at her words. “Cough! Cough! W-what? M-master?”

When I looked at her with a flustered expression, Eunseo laughed, saying she was joking. “S-stop with those kinds of jokes.”

“But it definitely has an effect. The word ‘Master’ comes out without any resistance.”

“...”

“Oh, and it seems sharing is possible like this, too.” Eunseo shared her status window with me.

“Hmm, I see. Since familiars usually share all their information with their master, maybe it’s like that?”

Eunseo laughed embarrassedly at my offhand comment. “Hehe... so am I treated like a familiar now?”

“The name is ‘Apostle,’ after all. It feels more like a disciple.”

Eunseo’s eyes went wide at my words. “Hyunseo, you know the word ‘Apostle’?”

“*Ahem!* There was a floor related to Apostles on the 42nd floor of the Tower of Heaven.”

“Ah, thanks to the monsters in the Tower.”

As I said that, I scrutinized every detail of Eunseo’s status window. Hmm, with this skill and stat setup... “...This is a bit problematic.”

“Why?” Eunseo looked at me with innocent eyes.

“The name is ‘Heretic Inquisitor,’ but looking at the skills and stats, it’s a class similar to an assassin. Disrupting the opponent, extreme offense, low defense.”

“Extreme offense?”

“Yeah, especially the Execution skill. It seems to be a finisher. The skill description reeks of the smell of blood.”

“E-execution? I can’t do things like that.” Eunseo looked flustered. “I’ve been a supporter until now, and suddenly I’m an assassin?”

“...” Hmm, I’ll have to go to the Tower. I narrowed my eyes and began to map out a training course.

“H-Hyunseo-nim?”

I smirked at the sudden use of formal honorifics. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t die.”

“Excuse me...?”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. After a few months of rolling around in the Tower, you’ll be able to do anything.”

“...” The color drained from Eunseo’s face. “M-Master? I-I’m not even good at killing bugs...”

“It’s okay, I’ll turn you into a human butcher.”

“W-what are you talking about! A human butcher?!”

“A living killing machine! The killing machine, Yeon Eunseo!”

“I-I don’t want to!”

I smiled silently, and Eunseo hung her head.

*

“...” Hyeong-tae scratched his head with an embarrassed expression and continued. “So, you’re saying this is also a hidden class awakening?”

“He said he’d turn me into a killing machine!”

“*Cackle.* Seriously? *Cackle.* *Cack-cackle.* Yeon Eunseo?” Hyeong-tae rolled on the floor, clutching his stomach. “The kid who feels bad about picking a flower is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠going to be a killing machine! Hahahaha!”

“D-don’t laugh! I’m serious!”

“Yeah, this isn’t a laughing matter.” Il-do looked at me, appearing flustered. “B-but, you’ll go easy on her, right? Hyunseo?”

I shrugged at Il-do’s words. “I’m sure there will be serious moments. S-rank isn’t something you achieve easily.”

““?”” Everyone looked at me with bewildered expressions.

“Did I hear that right?”

“What are you planning to make, Hyunseo?”