“Yes.”
I bowed my head. However, the captain looked at me as though he wanted something more, so I added a single word in accordance with his wishes.
“Captain.”
“.........Mmm.”
Along with his satisfied hum, black mana flowed from the captain’s body and formed the shape of a chair. I sat down on it and looked at Jane. Jane’s eyes were scanning me from head to toe.
“......This is Jane. You can think of her as another member of the mercenary company.”
The captain introduced Jane. She grinned and waved.
“Hi?”
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Aside from when she had been disguised, this was probably our first meeting. I bowed my head with the utmost courtesy.
“You know, Mr. Hajin, there’s something I’m really curious about.”
“Yes, please ask.”
She would probably ask about my motive for wanting to kill Chae Jinyoon.
“Did you copy that outfit straight from a fashion magazine?”
“That is...... pardon?”
What the hell was she suddenly talking about? My brow furrowed deeply.
“No, it’s just that your fashion sense is surprisingly neat and good for a high school student.”
“.......”
I had been making an effort since long ago. Even so, as a man in his mid-twenties whose face and height were both utterly average, fashion was the only thing I could use to earn points. Besides, since I didn’t need to worry about expenses anymore, I was bound to look better than the cadets who wore their uniforms all day long.
“I’m just a little interested in it.”
“I see.”
“Jane.”
The captain glared at Jane. She muttered, “Okay, okay,” then narrowed her eyes.
“I want to know why you want to kill Chae Jinyoon.”
“......”
My face instantly stiffened.
I wondered. Was it really all right to tell them about the unknown existence called the ‘Demon Seed,’ the source of a calamity whose presence could not even be confirmed until it germinated? If I told them, would they believe me.......
“If you don’t want to tell us, you can keep it to yourself.”
But the captain cut through my worries for me. Leaving Jane, who clicked her tongue in disappointment, behind, the captain continued with a serious expression.
“However, the price for our assistance is clear.”
A strange fervor flickered in the captain’s eyes as he stared at me.
“You will lend us your strength as well, you will not forget this favor, and lastly, you will sign the contract.”
The last condition was somewhat incongruous, so a chuckle escaped me.
“Of course.”
“Good. Then I’ll explain from here on.”
Jane immediately stepped forward.
She created a triangular table out of mana and rested her arms on it.
The serious three-way meeting began, with Jane’s explanation.
* * *
After Chae Jinyoon regained consciousness, Chae Nayoon visited him almost every day. Chae Jinyoon’s condition also improved with each passing day. Of course, he still spent more time asleep than awake, but at this rate of recovery, he might be able to walk on his own in a month.
“Hmm....”
And today.
On the fourth day since Chae Jinyoon regained consciousness, Chae Nayoon brought her friends to visit him. I was among those friends.
“Hmm....”
Chae Jinyoon examined the faces of Chae Nayoon’s friends lined up before him, then pointed to one person.
“You’re Kim Suho, aren’t you?”
“Me? Yes, I’m Kim Suho. How did you know?”
Kim Suho’s eyes widened.
“Was it back when we were at the Agent Military Academy? Nayoon talked about you a lot back then.”
At those words, Chae Nayoon’s body flinched.
She glanced at me, sitting beside her for no particular reason, then added an explanation.
“B-back then, I used to say you were really annoying because you looked so pretty and acted like you were good at everything.”
“What? Hey, isn’t that a bit much?”
“Haha. I agree, Chae Nayoon.”
Shin Jonghak joined in with a hearty laugh.
“Isn’t Jonghak also pretty-faced?”
“I’m not. I look manly.”
Shin Jonghak reacted sensitively to Yoo Yeonha’s remark.
But I couldn’t concentrate on their conversation. I merely let it pass in one ear while thinking.
According to what I had learned through the Book of Truth, the germination progress was approximately 97%.
If 100% was converted into four or five years, then the remaining time was two months at most, or one month if the estimate was tight. It could hardly be called ample.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
Yoo Yeonha tapped me on the shoulder.
I merely smiled bitterly.
“Nothing. I’m just a little tired.”
“But you’re Hajin, right?”
Chae Jinyoon suddenly pointed at me. My eyes turned toward him, and his warm smile reflected in my retinas.
“Nayoon aside, how have you managed to come every single day? You’re making me feel bad.”
“What? You came every single day?”
Yoo Yeonha asked in surprise. Shin Jonghak wore an uncomfortable expression, while Kim Suho shrugged his shoulders with pride.
“Of course~ I came with Nayoon every day for four days without missing one.”
“Ah, why would you tell him that, Oppa?”
Chae Nayoon had been permitted one visit per day, lasting roughly three hours from immediately after Chae Jinyoon woke up until he fell asleep.
During those four days, Chae Nayoon asked me to come with her every time, and I accepted because I hoped that I might get the chance to speak with Chae Jinyoon alone.
“......Ah. Well. He’s a fan of yours, Oppa.”
“My fan?”
“Yeah. He’s always talked about you. Right, you punk? You used to mention my oppa all the time.”
Chae Nayoon playfully growled as she put me in a headlock. However, I had no energy to indulge her antics, so I silently freed myself.
“.......I was joking.”
Chae Nayoon suddenly looked awkward and poked my arm.
“I was joking.”
“Chae Nayoon.”
Shin Jonghak cut in, making his displeasure obvious.
“What?”
“Come outside for a moment.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Your Watch. Your Watch.”
At those words, Chae Nayoon looked at her Watch.
“Oh. I’ll step out for a moment, Oppa.”
It seemed a message had arrived. Everyone except me went outside, leaving Chae Jinyoon and me alone in the hospital room.
In the silent room, I looked at Chae Jinyoon. Chae Jinyoon looked back at me.
This was the private conversation I had so desperately wanted, yet complicated thoughts tangled chaotically in my mind, leaving me confused.
After barely managing to sort out my thoughts, I spoke to Chae Jinyoon.
“Mr. Chae Jinyoon.”
At my stiff words, Chae Jinyoon smiled languidly.
“What is it, Mr. Kim Hajin?”
“........How are you feeling?”
“I think I’m getting better.”
Chae Jinyoon gave me a gentle answer. But I had one more question.
“What about your mind?”
“My mind?”
Chae Jinyoon tilted his head and asked back.
“Yes. Have you felt any bad impulses?”
“Bad impulses?”
“Like malice boiling up in your chest, or feeling demonic energy within your body instead of mana.”
“.......”
Chae Jinyoon’s pupils reflected me. Within them, I was afraid.
I merely wanted to ask.
If you knew that your body would soon become a demon, would you believe me?
Could you give up your life for your younger sister?
“.......Hmm. I don’t know. Ah, are you asking about what happened during that suppression operation?”
But Chae Jinyoon was still trapped four years in the past.
Unable to say those words, I lowered my head. I gripped the railing of the hospital bed and clenched my teeth. The emotions surging within my chest shook my entire body. Then, over my head...... Chae Jinyoon’s hand came to rest.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but—”
Crash—the hospital room door suddenly flew open.
“Ah, Oppa, sorry...... What?”
Chae Nayoon tilted her head when she saw me and Chae Jinyoon’s hand resting on my head.
“Mr. Hajin really must have been my fan.”
“......Pfft. Really?”
Chae Nayoon snickered and came to sit beside me.
Chae Jinyoon asked,
“Where are your friends?”
“I sent them back. Oppa needs to rest soon anyway.”
“Ah...... What a shame. But what was going on?”
“Um, Master Yoo Sihyeok said he’d delay the camp a little, by about four days. So we decided to leave on December 25th.”
Chae Jinyoon regaining consciousness was significant enough for even Yoo Sihyeok to make an exception, but Chae Nayoon’s expression was not very bright.
“........But, Oppa. Should I just not go at all?”
Chae Jinyoon did not answer. Instead, he slowly turned his head and looked at me.
“Mr. Hajin, I think she’s asking you.”
“What? Ah, what are you talking about? I was obviously asking Oppa.”
“.......What do you think, Mr. Hajin?”
Chae Jinyoon asked me.
Yoo Sihyeok’s martial arts hall was located at Cheonji Lake on Mount Baekdu.
Mount Baekdu was one of the places in the world where spiritual energy and mana mixed most intensely. Anyone without considerable skill could not even climb to its summit.
In other words, once they reached the martial arts hall at the summit, they would be almost forcibly required to undergo secluded training.
Chae Nayoon, Kim Suho, and Shin Jonghak would not be able to take even a single step outside during the winter vacation.
“......Should I not go?”
Chae Nayoon asked me as well.
“No. Go.”
But Chae Nayoon had to leave for that place.
“Huh? Ah...... But I can withdraw if I want. There shouldn’t be any disadvantage to not going—”
“Go.”
“What the—tch.”
For a moment, Chae Nayoon glared at me, her face twisting like a bulldog.
Fortunately, it seemed Chae Jinyoon thought the same way I did.
“Nayoon. I agree with Mr. Hajin. If you’re not going because of me, you can always see me, but the opportunity to study under Yoo Sihyeok may come only once.”
“.......I was going anyway. More importantly, I brought a camera.”
Chae Nayoon pulled a high-performance camera out of her bag and thrust it at me.
“Hey. Take our picture. Oppa, pose, pose.”
As she said that, she pressed herself tightly against Chae Jinyoon’s side.
I quietly watched the two of them, then muttered under my breath.
.....Recognition.
The number was 44.
Jackpot. How amazing would the photograph taken with this camera be?
I picked up the camera with bittersweet anticipation.
“I’m taking it.”
Click.
Another click.
After that, Chae Nayoon and Chae Jinyoon took many pictures in various poses: Chae Nayoon wrapping her arms around Chae Jinyoon’s neck, awkwardly kissing his cheek, resting her head on his shoulder...... They must have taken about thirty-three pictures.
“Now we should take one with Mr. Hajin, too.”
Chae Jinyoon suddenly said that.
“What? No, I—”
“Enough, give it here. Nayoon? Get into position.”
“Why take a picture? I don’t want to.”
“Chae Nayoon.”
“.......”
At Chae Jinyoon’s stern voice, Chae Nayoon timidly came to stand beside me.
“Okay, taking it. Say cheese~”
Click.
Perhaps the only photograph of Chae Nayoon and me in this world was taken.
* * *
The night Chae Jinyoon fell asleep after visiting hours ended.
Chae Nayoon and I walked through the garden after leaving the hospital ward.
“Kim Hajin.”
Beneath the softly shining moonlight, Chae Nayoon wore an utterly happy expression as she skipped lightly through the garden, repeatedly calling my name.
“Kim Hajin, Kim Hajin.”
“.......”
“Kim Hajin, Kim Hajin, Kim Hajin.”
“Why do you keep calling me?”
“Just because I’m grateful.”
At Chae Nayoon’s calm voice, I was momentarily rendered speechless.
“........What do you have to be grateful for?”
“You always came with me.”
Chae Nayoon continued speaking softly as she strolled along.
“Honestly, I was scared to come alone. He’s my beloved oppa, and this was something I’d wanted so badly, but four years...... What am I saying? It’s practically five years. Anyway, so much time had passed that I was a little afraid. I didn’t know what I should say, or what Oppa would think of me, having grown this ridiculously much in the blink of an eye.”
In the middle of speaking, Chae Nayoon poked me in the shoulder.
“But with you beside me, it didn’t feel awkward, and it was nice.”
By the time she finished speaking, we had arrived in front of the main entrance.
The bike was leaning against the wall, without a separate parking area.
“Is that so?”
Leaving Chae Nayoon looking disappointed behind me, I answered nonchalantly. Then I climbed onto the bike. After starting the engine, I put on my helmet.
“.......Do you have plans on Christmas?”
I paused just as I was about to grip the accelerator.
“You’re leaving that day.”
“I mean, let’s meet just once before I leave.”
“......”
I did not answer.
But Cha Nayun stubbornly continued speaking.
“I’m leaving at six in the evening. Meet me in front of the ward by noon.”
“I’ll go.”
“Yeah. Take care.”
At least when it came to saying goodbye, she was the usual Cha Nayun.
I smiled bitterly, put on my helmet, and gripped the accelerator.
As the bike sped away, Cha Nayun stood still and watched me. Her figure was reflected in the mirror.
*
A luxury apartment I had purchased in Seocho, Gangnam.
The moment I opened the door, Evanjel and Hayangi greeted me.
“Hajin~”
“Meow~”
“Hey.”
I picked up Evanjel with one arm and Hayangi with the other.
As I looked at the two of them, their faces as radiant as ever, I asked with a smile,
“Did you order delivery food properly?”
“Yes! We ate suteak, suteak.”
“You did as I told you, right?”
“Yup! We told them to leave it in front of the door, and brought it in when no one was there.”
“Very good.”
I set them both down on the sofa.
It certainly was nice having such a spacious home. I loved this wide-open feeling.
“Oh, right. Did you take a walk with Hayangi?”
“Yes!”
These days, I had gradually been training Evanjel to go outside. I did send her out wearing a smartwatch, just in case, but I had no reason to worry much since Hayangi, who had an excellent sense of direction, served as her guide.
“That’s right. What good girls.”
“Heheh, ahaha.”
I patted Evanjel and Hayangi on the head at the same time. Evanjel beamed brightly and basked in my touch. Just then, a text message arrived.
[Rookie, all preparations on this end are complete. The operation date is January 3. Make your preparations.]
“Hold on, I’m watching TV.”
I went into my room.
It was a room with a reasonably nice bed.
I took out the Jar of Desire, which I had kept somewhere Evanjel could not reach.
The moment I obtained the Jar of Desire, I had put Aether inside it. Aether was an artifact worth that much.
It had been December 10, if I remembered correctly, so more than ten days had already passed. I slowly placed my hand on the jar’s lid.
And it was at that exact moment.
“Huh!”
A brilliant golden light rose from the hand holding the lid.
I had experienced something like this before.
It meant that an “Accumulation of Luck” had occurred.
Then...!
I hurriedly opened the lid. Golden light blossomed from within, and I immediately realized—
“This is incredible.”
Inside the jar, the Aether condensed into the shape of a droplet held an inexplicable pink hue.
...Pink?
“What is this? What is this supposed to be?”
Feeling a trace of unease, I turned on my smartwatch.
[Aesthetic Desire]
The desire to seek beauty has attached itself to the artifact Aether.
- The wearer’s immutable stat, “Charm,” increases by 0.002 every 24 hours, up to a maximum of 1. (However, it will not increase beyond a stat value of 9.)
- From now on, this item will react to beautiful things.
- Aether’s detailed manifestation function becomes more refined.
“.......”
I was briefly rendered speechless.
My thoughts slowed a little.
No, objectively speaking—if I considered it solely from the perspective of stats—it was definitely a good thing.
An extremely good thing, at that.
Why? Because it permanently increased an immutable stat.
Moreover, since Charm was a stat directly tied to the body’s beauty, it would affect not only my appearance, but also my physique, bone structure, and even my height.
With one whole point of Charm, I’d probably grow by two or three centimeters.
It was more than enough to trigger an Accumulation of Luck. But...
“Why did it have to be this?”
If it had been Intelligence instead,
or at the very least, if it had raised every variable stat by 1,
“Whew.”
It was disappointing, but there was nothing I could do.
I even briefly considered changing it through setting modification, but deleting the option and replacing it with something else would result in an enormous loss.
I reached out toward Aether.
Perhaps lonely from having been without a master for so long, Aether shot toward me and coiled around my body like a snake.
End
December 25.
On that beautiful Christmas Day, when snow fell like a blessing, lovers were filled with excitement, and families were happy, one major issue swept across the country.
The world’s number-one guild, Creator’s Grace, had declared that it would conquer the Tower of Miracles.
The announcement came several weeks later than originally scheduled, but I had already invested around four billion won in Creator’s Grace, so there was nothing to worry about.
“Are you worried?”
I was currently on the phone with Kim Suho while watching the stock’s rise.
[Creator’s Grace +10.1%]
A massive stock that was difficult to drive up had just risen by 10%. Even after leveraging funds I barely understood, I had achieved an actual profit of nearly 100%.
—What is there to worry about?
Kim Suho’s voice carried a lingering note of regret.
The conquest of the Tower of Miracles was estimated to take half a year. Most other towers were conquered within three months, but the Tower of Miracles was currently...