Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Special Training (9)
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Yeomyeong stopped his hand.
He had no idea how many times he had swung it, but his fist refused to move any longer.
No guilt over beating a frail woman, no base thrill—it was all absent from his heaving breaths.
That was only natural. What stood before his eyes was nothing more than malice cloaked in Miridis's shell.
Yeomyeong hurled the malice he had gripped to the ground.
Then he sprawled out on the floor himself and gazed up at the sky.
A mottled sky, just like the one over Incheon where he had grown up.
For some reason, a bitter taste filled his mouth. He desperately craved a drink, but all he could swallow was dry saliva.
As Yeomyeong's throat burned like that, the malice spoke in a dying rasp at some point.
"Regret... it... you'll..."
Even as it lost its form and melted away, it stared straight at Yeomyeong.
"Revenge..."
"I'll handle that myself."
"..."
"I'll get my revenge and live in a way that doesn't shame the workshop foreman or my brothers. That's all there is to it."
"Heh... ri-dic... ulous..."
"Failure or success, it's all my responsibility to bear. And above all..."
Yeomyeong locked eyes with the malice. The pair of pupils, twisted to the extreme, bubbled with rage.
"I've never forgiven anyone before, and I won't from now on either. So... go now."
"Heh, heh... here... it's not... the... end... I... am..."
Unable to finish its words, the malice vanished into the dream.
Like dust swept away by rainwater, like impurities dissolving in molten metal.
Yeomyeong stared at the spot where it had disappeared for a long while before turning his head to gaze at the tree branch embedded in the ground.
The branch, which had stood like a small tree, trembled its leaves at the sight of Yeomyeong's eyes and soon toppled over.
Compelled by an inexplicable urge, Yeomyeong righted the branch and buried it a little deeper.
A moment later, he addressed the only remaining intruder.
"Pasun, you knew from the start that it was malice, didn't you?"
Pasun. The elephant floating around in a smoky state was gauging his mood.
No? I had no idea.
An expression of injustice bloomed over the elephant's face. The reaction felt oddly human, and Yeomyeong smirked as he replied.
"Bullshit."
I'm telling you, I really didn't know! It's not my mental world—how the hell would I know what crawled into your dream? I...!
Pasun tried to shout as if he were about to die of frustration.
But Yeomyeong raised a hand first to cut him off.
"...Whatever. Now you get out of my dream too."
What? For real? You're actually going to let me go?
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Pasun trembled with joy. But the next words shattered that joy.
"In exchange, hand over that flying martial art before you go."
Knew it. You crazy bastard.
"What? You don't want to?"
That's not a martial art—it's a realm! A realm! How am I supposed to hand over a realm when it's not even internal energy?
As expected, it required some condition and wasn't a technique he could just steal, no matter how he looked at it.
Now that you get it, let me go already! Your dream is hell!
Seeing the vehement reaction, Yeomyeong managed a strained smile. Who was calling whose dream hell?
He brushed back his sweat-matted hair and said,
"Then cough up something else."
You extortionist bastard...!
"Do what you want if you don't like it. If I come back here later, we can talk then."
As Yeomyeong rose and turned to leave, Pasun hurriedly continued.
Wait! I'll give you something else! Don't go!
"...What is it? Another martial art?"
No, information.
With that, Pasun picked up a pebble with his trunk and began drawing on the ground.
Curious about what he was sketching, Yeomyeong watched. A moment later, the crude completed drawing was a blueprint and a serial number.
"What's this now..."
As Yeomyeong looked up with a puzzled expression, Pasun pointed at a map with his trunk and explained.
Blueprint and password for Warehouse 113 at Chicago Indiana Port.
"..."
Ah, info for theft? As expected from a criminal—some gangster offering "payment" like this.
Yeomyeong's brow furrowed instantly, and Pasun added hastily.
It's the secret warehouse of the Samaritan Family that runs Chicago. Full of all sorts of magic tools and elixirs.
"...Straight-up gangster loot? This just keeps getting better."
Gangsters are gangsters, no matter what. With your skills, you could cart off the whole warehouse and they'd be helpless. Though there's probably only one thing in there you'd want anyway.
"...Something I'd want?"
Pasun leaned in as if sharing vital intelligence and whispered softly.
The body of that unicorn horn you have—it's in there.
It was unexpected information. So unexpected that not a shred of trust arose.
Not only did he know what additional part the Uragan's Hilt needed, but even its location?
Yeomyeong eyed him suspiciously, but Pasun flapped his ears as if he'd shared something grand.
Well? Plenty to earn my release, right?
"...How am I supposed to trust a shitty map and password like this?"
Pasun, puffed up with anticipation of freedom, looked flustered at Yeomyeong's words.
What are you talking about?
"How can I just blindly trust this info and let you go?"
Unbelievable. Just ask the Saintess for a precognition.
Seeing Pasun's attitude, as if it were the most obvious thing, Yeomyeong flinched and stiffened.
...How does this guy know about precognition?
It might be precious to you, but to someone who doesn't know, it's just a haunted stick. The security's not even that tight... A Saintess-level precog wouldn't take three seconds. What's the problem?
Pasun rattled on as if he knew all about precognition.
It implied his organization either had someone who could use precognition or at least allies who knew about it and could prepare countermeasures.
'A terrorist group with a precog ability user...?'
Recalling how Kahal Magdu had panicked at the sight of the Saintess in Manchuria, it was likely someone inferior to her.
Even so, precognition itself was a dangerous ability, and Yeomyeong pondered whether to squeeze more info out of Pasun.
But the deliberation didn't last long.
Judging that harboring some unknown entity in his dream was riskier than unverified terrorist intel.
"Fine, deal's on. So how do I release you?"
When you gain enlightenment and snap out of the trance, just grab my body and pull it out with you. Simple, right?
It would terrify ordinary superhumans, but for the two of them, it truly was simple.
Half a day later, Yeomyeong comprehended the essence of the Mariji Heavenly Divine Art(?) and Black Wings Flow, then awoke from the trance alongside Pasun.
It had been a full day and a half since he had entered the trance.
***
Miridis opened her eyes.
The first thing that entered her sight was a ceiling that felt somehow familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.
Is this... the academy infirmary?
"...Comrade Miri?"
As she came to, Rime, having noticed the stir, approached with a damp cloth.
Miridis absently let her press it to her forehead before stammering,
"Rime, how long... was I dreaming?"
"All day long."
"...All day?"
"You fell asleep around lunchtime yesterday, and you've just woken up now—so at least twenty hours in the dream."
That long? Miridis shuddered, exhaling a thrilled breath.
Misinterpreting her reaction, Rime gently stroked her forehead and asked cautiously,
"Whose dream did you enter, anyway? Did another elf come looking for you?"
Miridis gave no answer. No, she couldn't.
The sensations from all the dreams she'd had until now were vividly replaying in her mind.
The thrill of first connecting to a human in a dream.
The fear of being swallowed by unknown emotions.
And... merciless violence.
All of it was alien, novel sensations. Things she couldn't explain with any words she knew.
But one thing was certain. For the first time in her life, she had fully experienced a human's emotions.
Joy and sorrow, anger and pleasure, frustration and resolve... all of them.
If there was any regret, it was that she hadn't seen all his memories. They were dotted with gaps, as if shrouded in shadow.
If she could have seen those too, she would have understood everything about him.
Miridis felt a pang of regret for the memories she hadn't witnessed.
"Rime..."
After savoring the dream for a long while, Miridis cautiously called to her guard.
"Yes, Comrade."
The silver-haired elf, who had been watching her worriedly, gripped her hand tightly. Feeling that warmth, Miridis voiced the thought that had just come to her.
"The special teacher application... we start submitting them today, right?"
"Don't worry about that. The principal made special arrangements for you to attend Michele the Mage's class."
"...Cancel it."
"Pardon? But you were looking forward to the mage's class..."
"Shithead... no, Cheon Yeomyeong. You know him?"
For a brief moment, Rime's expression twisted before snapping back.
An uncharacteristically honest reaction from Rime. Miridis smiled faintly and said,
"Sign me up for special teacher under him."
"He only applied for one person... a beastman named Corbus. Is that still okay?"
"Yes, perfect."
Rime's lips moved as if searching for a counterargument, but she eventually bowed her head.
"...Understood. I'll make it happen."
"Thanks for backing my selfish request. Oh, and... could you bring some tissues?"
"Tissues? What for..."
Miridis tilted her head slightly. Blood trickled from her nose.
As Rime panicked and rushed off for tissues, Miridis plugged her bloody nose and laughed.
This nosebleed was proof of the dream she had just awakened from.
* * *