Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: There Is No Teacher for Fate (2)
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When the unbelievable finally became reality, ordinary people's reactions split into two.
Shock, or denial.
Baonic Lerak fell into the former.
The moment he heard the word "reincarnator," he froze in shock, mouth agape.
Cheon Yeomyeong's voice dragged him back to reality.
"Baonic Lerak."
A flat voice, devoid of any emotion. Only then did Baonic snap out of it with a jolt.
"I'll give you two choices."
It was a one-sided declaration. No room for argument or refusal.
The instant he heard it, Baonic knew.
No matter what options Yeomyeong offered here, there was no escaping for him.
"W-What choices...?"
If he couldn't avoid it, he had to face it. He mustered his courage and asked.
Instead of answering, Yeomyeong extended both hands forward.
Two clenched fists.
"I have no intention of sharing this world with anyone else."
"...."
The exact words Baonic had written in his notes. He clamped his mouth shut.
"...That doesn't mean I'm crazy enough to kill a useful dog."
A useful dog. No need to ask who that referred to.
Insulting? No, insults only work between equals, or at least near-equals.
Tigers don't insult rabbits, and the strong don't insult the weak.
Words are unnecessary against overwhelming violence.
Baonic decided to think positively. If it meant saving his life, being a useful dog was fine.
He looked up at Yeomyeong, ready to bark like a dog or lick his feet if ordered.
"Choose now."
"...What?"
"Die, or live."
Yeomyeong opened his outstretched fists.
His left palm was empty, but a single red pill lay in his right.
"This is...?"
"Your last chance."
He extended his empty left hand and added,
"Grab the empty one, and I'll grant you the death I delayed. Quick and painless."
Cold, sunken golden eyes swept over his throat. Baonic instinctively pulled back his chin and clutched his neck.
Pain still throbbed from the fresh red handprint there.
"Th-The right one...?"
"A collar for a dog."
Yeomyeong offered no further explanation. As if daring him to imagine what it was.
A flood of hypotheses raced through Baonic's mind as he stared at the pill.
What the hell was it? An elixir? Narcotics? Poison?
The most likely was poison. A latent poison, at that.
The vicious kind that required dosing every set period, or the latent toxin would activate, enslaving the victim for life.
'Fuck. Latent poison? And we haven't even started Volume 2...'
Whether his guess was right or wrong, it was the last thing he wanted to swallow.
But Baonic had no choice.
With trembling hands, he picked up the red pill and brought it to his mouth in front of Yeomyeong.
Just as he was about to swallow, Yeomyeong spoke.
"Don't swallow. Chew it."
Worried he'd hide it under his tongue or in his cheek? Or just sadism? Baonic didn't dare ask.
He simply chewed as ordered, grinding it thoroughly.
The damn pill tasted familiar. Strawberry-flavored children's cold medicine.
'This fucking...'
He couldn't confirm what it was, but guessing the maker was easy.
The Maggot Princess, who only appeared after Volume 7.
No other alchemist had such a twisted hobby of flavoring poison with strawberry.
...Anyway, after chewing and swallowing every bit, Baonic looked up at Yeomyeong.
No emotion showed in the golden eyes looking down at him.
Not even the satisfaction of collaring him, or petty pleasure.
'You knew it'd end like this from the start? Damn it.'
Baonic swallowed his fear and curses, averting his eyes. Yeomyeong said nothing.
As if waiting for the poison to spread through his body.
A brief silence.
Heavy silence. Unable to endure it, Baonic spoke first.
"Is... is that it...?"
He stammered, tasting the lingering sweetness on his tongue.
"N-Now I... can live, right?"
"Baonic."
"Y-Yes..."
"Next dose in two months."
Damn, it really was latent poison. Baonic squeezed his eyes shut.
Yeomyeong looked down at his expression, then picked up the notebook from the floor and spoke.
"First order."
"...."
"Within two days, write down everything you know about the Academy."
"E-Everything...?"
"Exactly that. Hidden pieces, key figures, future events, campus politics... anything you think useful."
"B-But that's already all in the note—urk!"
As Baonic made excuses, Yeomyeong's foot crushed his chest.
"Did I allow rebuttals?"
"Kuhak... Got it... urk, p-please... guk, get your f-foot off..."
"Better not even think of lying. I'll cross-check with the notes. If anything differs... you'll regret not dying today."
Yeomyeong kept his foot pressed down long after Baonic surrendered, finally lifting it slowly.
Saliva dripped from Baonic's lips amid his hacking coughs.
Trembling, he didn't dare lift his head. Like a terrified rabbit.
Yeomyeong watched silently, tucked the notebook away, and turned.
Thud.
Hearing the receding footsteps, Baonic finally regained his composure.
...I survived. It's finally over.
Unfortunately, that relief didn't last.
Just before Yeomyeong exited the shelter, he glanced back with one last line that snapped Baonic back to harsh reality.
"See you in the room, roommate."
***
Dusk settled over the Academy paths, the sunset casting long shadows.
Yeomyeong took a deep breath, recalling what had just happened in the shelter.
'...Did it work?'
On the surface, perfect success.
Baonic, having swallowed the pill, was too terrified to even look at him.
No telling how long the fear would last... but at least for now, he'd never think of defying him.
'Now I'm pulling scams like this...'
Yeomyeong ran a hand over his face, reviewing the con he'd pulled.
Kidnap Baonic, threaten him, deceive him... and make him his dog.
Seti would have nagged him for another sloppy plan if she'd heard, but he couldn't think of anything else.
At least... this was the only way to use Baonic alive.
Friendship or partnership was impossible from the start.
How could he stand as equals with a madman who believed himself one of this world's creators?
Even if he could, how could he trust him?
This was the guy plotting to kill disruptive students at the entrance ceremony.
If the notebook perfectly matched reality... Yeomyeong would have killed him without hesitation.
You can't trust the living, but the dead are reliable.
But paradoxically, the notebook's inconsistencies made him hesitate.
Doubts like: Did it really only contain truths?
And the people not recorded in it—those uninvolved with "fate"—caught his eye.
'...Seti.'
She wasn't the only one. Her sisters, Wesley, even Jeon Yunseong.
All exceptional students who could influence "fate," yet absent from the notebook's tale.
Why? He'd flipped through it countless times, but even Baonic didn't know.
At the notebook's end, a memo speculated they might be the "protagonists," but it was just a guess.
'...Protagonist.'
The word gave Yeomyeong an odd sense of déjà vu. The Player had said something similar.
[This world has its own protagonist.]
...Anyway, Yeomyeong decided to keep Baonic alive and use him.
The issue was how.
Pretend to be from another world and befriend him? He had no intention of sharing this world.
Simple threats? Better to kill him.
Enslavement magic? He didn't know any.
He mulled countless plans but found none.
He even considered amputating limbs and leaving just head and torso.
That's when he found the answer in the corner of Baonic's notebook.
Latent poison.
A bizarre poison he'd never heard of.
Unlike instant poisons, it lurked in the body. Its true value lay in that latency.
Miss a dose after a set period, and it activates—making the victim the poisoner's slave from the first dose.
Ridiculously, Baonic had noted a plan to feed it to the "vessel" and enslave them.
'...This is it.'
Seeing that memo sparked a plan in Yeomyeong's mind: use the latent poison.
Of course, getting real poison was impossible. How to procure rare toxin in the middle of the Academy?
But if he exploited Baonic knowing of it, and the misunderstanding that Yeomyeong was also from another world?
Worth a shot. Worst case, chop off limbs.
After planning, Yeomyeong dragged Baonic to the underground shelter, then rushed to the infirmary for a fake pill matching the description.
Strawberry cold medicine.
A crude prop for a sloppy plan...
But in the end, it succeeded.
All thanks to the atmosphere Yeomyeong created and Baonic's imagination.
The moment he saw the unexplained pill, Baonic panicked; after swallowing, he showed no defiance, resigned.
...No guilt.
His hands were too bloodied—past and future—for something like this to shake him.
Of course, he wasn't entirely unmoved.
Any con artist feels a high after a successful scam.
Sadly, it didn't last.
As he walked, wondering if he had a talent for acting—
A familiar, unpleasant voice stopped him.
"Hey, dung beetle."
"..."
"Long time no see."
Ahead on the path, empty air split open, revealing a mask covering half a face.
Next emerged a blue coat draping curvaceous curves, followed by blue high heels silently touching ground.
Even without the invisibility cloak, she made no sound. The eerie woman.
"...Blue Rat."
The third persistent shadow tailing him. Her true identity revealed.
* * *