Terraforming: Those Round Eyes Gazing at Me

I see round eyes looking at me.

Just a few months ago, those eyes had seemed so fierce, but now they only feel pure and adorable. How could I ever have thought they looked savage?

Her mouth is the same. Watching her small lips chatter away ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠makes me want to pinch them between my thumb and forefinger. Especially now, when she's a little shy.

"...That's why I did it. Chanyoung...? Are you listening?"

"Of course. Hmm... So from your perspective, Chris, my actions must've looked like that?"

"Huh? Then did you have some other intention, Chanyoung?"

"A bit different..."

To minimize the damage from the rebellion, she threw away her life. And she actually lost it. That's how Chris saw me. I figured it was something like that... but apparently, in her eyes, it came across as far more self-sacrificing than I'd imagined.

"...So you became an instructor to save even one more life, to fulfill my dream?"

- Nod.

Chris's face twisted in embarrassment. Her head dropped, avoiding my gaze.

She'd spent seven years honoring the wish of her supposedly dead lover. And now that lover had returned alive. On top of that, she had to explain those seven years to him... It was more than enough to make her feel mortified.

But unlike her shame, no one would throw stones at Chris. Especially not me.

"You... you really like me a lot, huh?"

"Eek!"

A grin tugged at my lips from the joy of it all—there was a reason for her feelings—and as I teased her, Chris snapped her head up and lunged at me. She'd caught me smiling.

Overwhelmed by excessive embarrassment, she forcibly channeled it into anger.

"Ow! I'm not teasing—I'm just happy about it, happy!"

"Eeeek!!"

Even as she pinched my thighs and waist, I couldn't stop chuckling. That only made her torment me more fiercely.

It didn't really hurt. She wasn't pinching with full force; it was just her cute way of saying, 'I'm mad at you right now!'

She didn't disbelieve my claim of not teasing, either. It was simply a tantrum ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to hide her shyness.

If I couldn't handle even this much, I wouldn't deserve to be her lover.

After a few minutes of this affectionate tussling, I neatly fixed her disheveled hair, and we could finally resume our conversation calmly.

"So, what are you planning to do about your instructor position?"

"...You're getting assigned as a Combatant soon, right, Chanyoung?"

"Yeah. To District 11."

"Ah, so you can choose. Anyway... I want to stay by your side as much as possible."

She meant she wanted to come to District 11 too. Being an instructor to honor me? Now that I was back, there was no reason to continue.

"But can you just transfer wherever you want?"

"Yeah. Instructor-level talents are treated well anywhere. And instructor duties aren't forced on you."

"What about the vacancy you'll leave?"

"Heh heh. There are tons of applicants for instructor roles. Because the death rate is worlds apart from fighting monsters on the front lines."

"...No one wants to do the dangerous stuff."

"And among the safe jobs, instructor pays the best."

As long as she handed over properly, the gap would fill immediately.

Now that my assignment was set, Chris wouldn't hesitate to submit her resignation right away. Lucky break.

If things had gone normally and I'd been spun around to some random district, we might not have met during her handover period.

"Come to District 11 with me."

"...Yeah!"

Chris nodded with a bright smile.

*

"Hoo..."

Brack stared at me blankly. Chris giggled beside him, clearly enjoying it. Probably felt unfair that only she had to deal with the shock. She'd dragged him straight to me without any explanation.

"Uh, no, I mean, um..."

- Pinch!

"Puhaha!!"

As Brack let out a groan and pinched his own cheek in bewilderment, Chris burst out laughing uncontrollably. His trembling pupils made his thoughts obvious.

I raised a hand in greeting. No one else was around but us.

"Brack? Long time no see. Good to see you again."

"..."

Brack didn't take my hand. He just alternated glances between me and Chris. He couldn't grasp the situation.

But ignoring a handshake went against his nature. In the end, he gripped my hand firmly.

- Click.

"I heard. You looked after Chris in my place? Thanks."

"...Is this really Park Chanyoung?"

"Yeah."

I planned to tell Brack too. From what Chris said, his decision to become an instructor stemmed from a promise with me. Keeping a casual "just watch her for a day" promise for seven years showed serious integrity...

In the original story, Brack was an instructor without our promise, but still—he'd honored mine for seven years. And he never once pried into my affairs with Chris during that time.

This guy kept his mouth shut. I could trust him a bit.

It wasn't some fatal weakness; just sharing a secret that didn't matter if it got out. Fine by me.

To the still-dubious Brack, I summarized what I'd been through.

"Hoo... Bizarre..."

"What? We've got orcs and goblins wandering the woods."

"Hmm... Glad you're safe, so I won't say much... But one piece of advice: treat Instructor Bennett well."

"...Already planning to."

- Smooth.

I took Chris's hand as I told Brack that. Watching his friend Chris suffer for seven years must've been torture for him.

"Heh heh... Same as ever. Feels like I've gone back in time."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Doesn't feel that long ago to me."

"Come to think of it, does that mean I trained you, Park Chanyoung? Kahaha! Man, the guy I targeted seven years ago turns out to be my student!!"

"I was your goal?"

"No trainee back then wasn't. Now they're all under that Gerard bastard or dead."

"...Yeah."

Brack was my instructor, and I his student. Even as a quasi-Combatant, I should show respect. Actual Combatants revered all instructors.

But I didn't use formal speech with him. And he accepted it as natural.

"Chris is coming to District 11 with me. Quitting instructing."

"I see. That's right. Good. Really good. I'm relieved from the bottom of my heart."

"What about you?"

"I'll stay at the Northern Training Camp. Turns out instructing suits me more than I thought."

"...Yeah. You're a natural."

The chit-chat continued a bit longer. Brack was unusually hyped, leading the conversation eagerly. Claiming he'd spotted my potential during training, known I wouldn't die easily... Most of it rang hollow, but talking with Chris and Brack—teammates reunited after seven years—was surprisingly fun.

*

"Stats are rising crazy fast lately."

Once the tens digit hit 2, growth had slowed to a crawl. But after Mana Awakening, I'd regained decent speed—not quite the old rate, but close enough. Felt great.

And it hadn't been long, but they were shooting up, closing in on Chris's. I'd already surpassed her in mana ages ago.

"No one in this world probably has as much mana as me..."

Unlike other stats, mana grew at a steady pace, pushing past 200. Chris, with her talent and seven years here, only had about 170. Made me appreciate Seonryeongilil Manyowolwol's power all over again.

I hadn't opened the Status Window to check stats. It was to confirm the novel's completion again.

After returning from the past and taking down Victor, Terraforming's completion had jumped noticeably. It'd held steady at 72% ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for weeks now—no rise, no drop.

"Untied loose ends... That's what it means, huh."

Don't get cocky. Terraforming's protagonist isn't me. It's Lee Kangin. At best, I'm a sub-lead or supporting protagonist.

"So... I need to cleanly wipe out Gerard's crew after they clash with Lee Kangin. That'll boost completion."

I'd suspected as much when I learned the next episode hits District 11. It's the closest to rebel territory.

High chance of friction with Gerard.

'He's one of the guys who remembers my face.'

Chris lost it seeing Victor, who'd killed her lover. So what'll he do seeing me, killer of his idol?

Collision inevitable. His power's strong—at least Chris or Brack level.

But I wasn't too worried.

Because I could boost my stats anytime.

Raising one stat when the tens digit was 1 cost eight times more karma relatively, but I had plenty—over 32,000.

With Seonryeongilil Manyowolwol buff, I could surpass Chris's base stats right now. Except her 39 Agility.

Train to raise them naturally, use karma when urgent. No need to fear.

*

Time flew by.

I finished the temple investigation and started Combatant field training. Nothing major—just taking out stray goblins or orcs that wandered into human territory.

This area had been human-held for decades. Most training time was patrolling the vast district repeatedly.

Normally, patrols expand gradually with more monster fights, but trainees paused that. One mishap could cause irreversible casualties.

So District 11 Combatants enjoyed rare peace.

'Of course, if a Baekwonhu or equivalent invades, they'll drop like flies...'

District 11 had the highest death rate thanks to Victor. But that was history. Victor died by my hand, so bloodless days far outnumbered the rest.

Didn't know how long the peace would last, but for now, it held.

Days and days piled up...

And soon, it was time for trainees to become full Combatants.

Today was graduation day.