Chapter 34: Awakened Ones Association④

Belladonna assessed herself thusly:

An incredibly powerful being who could confidently claim victory against most Awakened, barring a few S-ranks.

Though she would be embarrassed to admit it herself, Belladonna believed in her strength. And she had reason to.

Though unknown to the public due to her infrequent official matches,
She was an Awakened who could even hold her own against some S-ranks.

The reason was her eyes.

More accurately, the ability she possessed since her Awakening.

One person, one target.

If Belladonna deemed a single being her ‘enemy,’ she could almost guarantee victory.

Her ability was a curse.

When her violet-eyed gaze locked onto an enemy, the target was designated, and her power activated through mana.

The curse persisted until Belladonna consciously released it, until her mana was depleted, or until the target died.

The afflicted target suffered mental anguish: hallucinations, auditory illusions, and distorted senses.

Their mana usage was restricted, and their physical abilities drastically reduced.

Finally, the mere sight of Belladonna filled them with a paralyzing fear.

Some individuals could resist with artifacts, assistance from allies, or sheer willpower.

Belladonna called such individuals monsters.

“Shall we continue?”

And such a monster, the strongest she’d ever encountered, stood before her.

At Yu-jin’s calm words, Belladonna blinked and blurted out,

“H-how…?”

As she spoke, the blue flames surrounding Yu-jin flickered and began to fade.

When faced with the incomprehensible, people reacted in one of two ways.

Denial. Rejecting anything beyond their understanding, retreating into their own world and shutting out everything else.

“She dispelled my ability, which even the Saintess struggled with, so easily…?”

Or despair, giving up.

Belladonna’s reaction was closer to the latter. But she didn’t despair. She’d learned not to.

She understood
The insurmountable.

An answer that was difficult for many came easily to Belladonna.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Yu-jin asked, and Belladonna couldn’t answer. It was wise to be cautious.

Even Belladonna, confident in her ability to defeat most S-rank Awakened in one-on-one combat,

No, especially Belladonna,

‘She’s a true monster.’

Recognized that Yu-jin was in a league of her own. So, she acted quickly.

“I give up!”

She immediately dropped to her knees, raising her hands above her head in surrender. It was such a swift surrender that even Yu-jin was surprised.

“…Hmm? So suddenly?”

At Yu-jin’s bewildered question, Belladonna nodded vigorously.

Two S-ranks had already been incapacitated. What could she possibly do?

‘Better to surrender than die trying. What would have happened if I’d challenged her alone?’

Belladonna felt a surge of love for her past self, the self that hadn’t foolishly challenged Yu-jin alone.

With the final opponent forfeiting, Yu-jin stood alone, feeling slightly awkward. She blinked, looked away from Belladonna, and turned her head.

Kang Ma-jin, catching her eye, suppressed a gasp and forced a smile, feigning composure. Yu-jin’s lips twitched as she watched him.

“A bit anticlimactic, but… is this enough?”

At her question, as if asking if he was satisfied,

“…It’s enough.”

Kang Ma-jin answered honestly and succinctly. He felt his smile would falter if he spoke any longer.

Hearing his response, Yu-jin seemed relieved and exhaled softly, then approached the kneeling Belladonna.

Belladonna flinched, and Yu-jin, with an apologetic smile, extended her hand.

“Get up.”

“…Yes?”

“You’re making me feel like a villain…”

Scratching her cheek with the fingers of her other hand, Yu-jin’s gesture made Belladonna speechless, and she simply nodded obediently.

Her hand trembled as she reached out, as if touching a sacred, beautiful sculpture.

Only Belladonna, and perhaps Sephie, who frowned at the thought of having a rival, knew how it felt to be approached by this seemingly untouchable being.

Finally, Belladonna’s hand carefully clasped Yu-jin’s.

The demonstration was over.

Though it ended somewhat abruptly, I was relieved that it concluded amicably.

Next was the postponed procedure.

“Th-then, we’ll measure your mana again.”

“Just place my hand on it again, right?”

“That’s… Kyaaa?!”

Boom—!

With a comical and loud bang, the measuring device exploded. The device I touched malfunctioned once again, right in front of everyone.

I’d only released a small amount of power, just enough to avoid harming those nearby, and this happened.

Seeing Kang Ma-jin’s forced smile as he reassured me that I didn’t have to pay for the damages, I felt a twinge of guilt.

I felt bad for causing him stress, especially since he seemed so old.

‘Though he’s younger than me.’

After the measurement, we returned to the meeting room. Sephie, sitting next to me, whispered,

“Yujin-nim.”

“Yes?”

I leaned closer, and she continued,

“They said you were the fastest.”

Confused, I listened as she explained that I had set a new record for breaking the measuring device the fastest in South Korea. She added that there was probably no one in the world faster than me.

‘Baek Ji-a… she’s certainly a strong Awakened.’

I’d heard she held the previous record, so I glanced at her, and our eyes met. She smiled gently and blinked.

I chuckled.
Sephie continued whispering,

‘You’re too careless, Yujin-nim.’

‘Is… that so? Do I really need to be careful?’

‘I spoke with that old man on your behalf.’

Curious, I listened as she explained that she had renegotiated some of the terms Kang Ma-jin had proposed.

The biggest change was the counseling sessions, which were reduced from twice a week to once a week.

I’d agreed to the initial terms for the sake of information gathering and trust-building, but Sephie seemed to have objections.

‘Well, I hadn’t really thought about it deeply.’

What I’d dismissed as insignificant because I didn’t sense any danger, Sephie had meticulously scrutinized for my sake. It wasn’t the outcome of her actions, but the reason behind them, that made me happy. Grateful, I expressed my thanks.

‘Sephie, I would have been in trouble without you.’

Then, adding words of gratitude for her presence, I reached out and brushed Sephie’s bangs aside as she sipped her cold coffee, and

—Eep!

She let out a strange sound, blushed, and sprayed coffee everywhere. I wondered if I’d been too forward. I hadn’t been very mindful of personal space.

‘Especially since Sephie is sensitive about this kind of thing.’

I made a mental note to be more careful in the future. I pushed the memory of the small incident aside and returned to the present. The room was filled with people in black suits.

Kang Ma-jin sat opposite me. The discussion was almost over, and I could finally ask what I wanted to know.

“So, you have some free time now?”

“Yes.”

“Then, please explain about that.”

“That, you say?”

Kang Ma-jin seemed puzzled, not understanding my question. The three S-rank Awakened next to him seemed equally confused.

One of them, Belladonna…

“…Eep!”

When our eyes met, she quickly turned away, her reaction similar to Sephie’s. I wondered if I’d been too rough during the spar, but I hadn’t done anything significant.

But that wasn’t something I needed to worry about, so I focused on the topic at hand.

“Your name is Jang Baek-do, right?”

“Yes!”

He jumped up like a startled mole. Seeing his bewildered expression, I slowly raised my hand.

Jang Baek-do, Kang Ma-jin, the three S-ranks, and all the Association executives flinched.

“I’m talking about the picture you showed me earlier.”

A collective sigh of relief filled the room.

The explanation followed.

On the way home,
Inside the black limousine, I felt a sense of calm and comfort as I pondered,

‘A broadcast?’

‘Yes.’

‘…I’ve never heard of this. I’ve never streamed anything.’

‘Did you perhaps just click through the terms and conditions without reading them? My daughter kept pestering me to buy her a capsule, so I had one installed at home, and they explain it twice, once when you purchase the capsule and once when they install it, don’t they?’

‘…Uh, huh?’

‘It’s in the manual too, and finally in the terms and conditions. That’s four warnings…’

My thoughts paused. I felt a gaze from beside me. Unable to connect the dots, I came to a simple conclusion.

‘I’ll have to check when I get back. If this ‘broadcast’ thing is real…’

It meant everyone had seen my gameplay.

‘Did they see me crying when I met Mobidik…? No, absolutely not!’

I wasn’t ashamed of tearing up when I saw Mobidik. If I went back and faced him in Eftarel Verden again, I would cry again.

But it was a game. I often forgot that while playing, but in reality, I clearly distinguished between the virtual and the real.

I simply enjoyed the lingering feelings of longing, regret, and relief. But how would it appear to others?

‘…No, it can’t be. It mustn’t be!’

As I agonized internally,

“Yujin-nim.”

Sephie called my name softly. Her gentle yet melancholic tone, as if she was troubled by something, made me turn my head.

And then,

“Why… did you so readily accept their demands? If I hadn’t been there, you might have been exploited…”

For the first time, Sephie expressed her discontent. I sensed the Association employee in the driver’s seat flinch and strain his ears to listen.

I fell silent for a moment, then carefully replied.