Chapter 8 – Reason for Living / Why Aren’t You Answering the Phone? 

What is the joy in life?

Someone may say it is working at an ordinary company and making small cash.

Someone else may say it is living while doing the work they want to do.

How an individual experiences joy in life varies person by person.

The reason for living.

If the reason Yoowol lives is for joy, the monotonous have no purpose.

For her, who can do whatever she wants, she lives life on a whim.

…How dull.

To kill the time, Yoowol came down to the back alley, but it’s rotting away as usual. At least on the upside, it isn’t illegal to kill someone here.

The back alley has no class, so it’s the only place that appreciates my whimsical nature.

I’m bored, won’t someone pick a fight…?

An act that can create a justification for murder.

With that banal thought in mind, Yoowol step out onto the street.

Yoowol heard noises of angry men then.

“You, stop right…”

“Would you stop in my position…?!”

Two burly guards were chasing a young boy.

If that boy gets caught by them, he likely won’t meet a good end.

With that slender body of his, it looks like he was slated to be sold as a prostitute.

A situation with a determined conclusion.

Suddenly, a curious thought crosses her mind.

Why is that boy being pursued?

What reason did he have to enter a place as rotten as this?

Her curiosity towards the boy is justification enough to act.

That’s how Yoowol secretly pursue the fleeing boy.

…He’s working hard at it, running away.

It appears the boy, who is desperately making his escape, knows what kinds of things will happen to him if he gets caught.

However, it didn’t seem like he knew the layout of this place.

“Damn it…”

The boy is trapped in a dead end.

The two burly men slowly approached the boy who was stuck.

“What’s up with this wench?”

“…”

“Hey, get out of the way or else.”

A fleeting whim.

She had no reason to step up. But Yoowol blocked the path in front of them.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“The hell are you talk…”

The flabbergasted man was about to shout, but couldn’t finish his sentence.

 “Shush, quiet. What are you going to do if that kiddo hears you?”

“H-Hic…!”

The instant his hand met hers, the burly man’s figure began to shrink like a mummy.

[Blood Manipulation]

Their coursing blood was all in her fingertips though. She could make it so that not a trace of the person’s body was left behind.

“W-Wait… I’m…sor-!”

“Too late. You already laid your filthy hands on me.”

It was Yoowol who brought her hand onto them, but it mattered not as long as the justification remains.

And thus, the two men lost their forms without a sound, leaving only their clothes behind as they became one with the earth of the back alley.

Now, shall I move onto the main dish? Huhu.

A situation where the hindrance was gone.

It was just time to take care of her interest.

Yoowol’s first meeting with the boy was beyond what she expected. 

“Who…are you?”

The boy was much younger than she imagined; that was when her mind was settled.

It’s pure and fresh.

The scent of blood which she had never smelled before.

The composed and bold manner in which he spoke.

The soft face which was her type.

I was going to kill him if he wasn’t to my liking, too bad.

That was how Han Sijoon was able to inadvertently save his own life.

“I’ll hear out one favor of yours.”

This had also been out of a whim.

People covet ideals despite not knowing their own place.

Then, what of this boy?

While struck with curiosity, the boy’s answer was not what Yoowol expected.

“Jenny’s Pharmacy. Please lead me there.”

He was a boy just asking for directions.

She can’t believe he’s requesting such an easy favor from her.

Do I not have the appeal?

It wounded her pride, but she decided to keep him alive since he was a passing mark.

After Yoowol led the boy to Jenny’s Pharmacy, she was able to see a bizarre sight unfold.

He knows about an ingredient that not even Jenny, a genius who appears once in a century, was aware of?

It was her first time hearing about Jenny’s younger brother having the mana stone disease.

So there’s more to the boy than he looks.

Upon seeing him anew was the moment for me to have a taste.

“Can you do me a favor?”

It felt regretful to say farewells here.

She wanted to drink the boy’s blood.

If he refuses, she won’t forgive him.

Yoowol feels relieved after doing whatever she wants to do.

And so, she sank her sharp fangs in Han Sijoon’s nape.

It was her first time drinking the blood of a living person.

Sijoon’s was the most delicious blood she ever had so far.

This was her reason for living, her joy in life.

As long as there was joy, she was fine with anything.

Should I just devour him whole now?

No, that’s joy for a later time.

She pulled out her patience for the first time in a while, taking out her fangs.

“Kiddo, you’re one to look forward to. Huhu.”

With her appetite renewed, she looked at Sijoon taking his leave. 

At the end, to her most delicious meal…

“We’ll undoubtedly meet once again.”

Han Yoowol let the unnamed boy go on his way so that she could relish her dinner at a later time.

 ***

Inside the dormitory at a late hour…

As soon as I arrived, I threw myself on the bed and lied down.

“Ugh, my aching bones.”

I seriously almost died today.

Watch if I’ll ever return to the back alley again.

It felt like that place’s stench was steeped into my whole body.

I decided to take a shower to rid myself of the awful memory along with that smell.

“The dorm’s facility sure is nice.”

It was so nice I was almost wishing this could be my home forever.

There’s a bed, a desk, a refrigerator, air conditioner, a toilet, etc.

There’s nothing it didn’t have.

As soon as the sound of water flowed, the phone in my dorm room rang.

Ring!

Eh, what’s this?

I was in the middle of a nice shower.

As soon as I got back, I turned on my cell phone’s volume.

It’s impossible to answer the phone since I’m washing up.

Eh, I can’t pick it up now…

It should be fine if I call back later.

The only person who’d call me is Yoo Hayeon.

She probably didn’t have anything important to say. 

It took quite a while to get rid of that stench.

Ring.

I continued what I was doing without listening to the constant ring of my phone…

After finishing my long drawn-out shower, I came out of the bathroom feeling alive once again.

“I’m finally smelling like a human being.”

To the person who was next to me on the subway, I’m sorry.

There was nothing I could do about it.

I asked for forgiveness from those who suffered from being around me, and immediately dried my hair.

“Hmm~”

It made me naturally start humming.

There is an indescribable pleasure of taking a shower after going through a hard time. 

“Ah, right.”

That reminds me, I received a call.

I can tell it’s Hayeon.

I checked my phone, which was on the desk.

“What the? Why isn’t it turning on?”

Is it broken?

Even though I pressed the power button on my phone, the screen showed no signs of getting brighter.

Why won’t it turn on?

I heard it ring just a moment ago?

It could be one of two things–as I ran away, I bumped my phone into something, causing it to break or the battery died and it automatically shut off.

Considering the spotless appearance of my phone, it’s most likely the latter.

“That’s right.”

When my cell phone was connected to the charger, the screen turned on and displayed the battery percentage.

It was a figure of one percent.

Since I hadn’t charged it all day, that was an inevitable outcome.

“The caller has to be Hayeon.”

It’s probably not that important, so I left my phone and lied on the bed.

Eh, I’ll check with her tomorrow.

I was too tired today.

My first day of falling into this game’s world was a jumble of memories accompanied with dizzying and chaotic situations.

During all of that, I attended the entrance ceremony, obtained Jenny’s medicine (a cheat-level item), and survived despite my encounter with Han Yoowol.

With how much I went through, didn’t I live quite the bountiful life today?

Let’s give myself a break.

I opened Jenny’s medicine bottle so I could fall asleep.

[Strength Supplement]

[Agility Supplement]

[Magic Supplement]

They were supplements that could bring about considerable growth from ingesting it into the body.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any stamina. But if I take this for many years, I’ll be able to obtain Strength 8, Agility 8 in final stats.

“The problem is this…”

The Magic Supplement.

This medicine was like a double-edged sword to someone like me who didn’t possess a core.

Let’s leave it for now.

If I ingest the magic one for no reason, I could end up popping like a balloon.

I plopped the medicine in my mouth and swallowed the water.

Gulp.

“Ugh… It’s bitter…”

Supplement my ass, it tastes like herbal medicine.

With a scowl on my face, I dived into my bed. 

“How…do I go about surviving…”

The episodes of countless people dying.

As someone who has that knowledge, would I be able to prevent it?

My life.

The lives of many people.

Holding such thoughts, I closed my eyes as sleep washed over me. 

 ***

ㅡThe person you’re trying to reach has their phone off…

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Despite how late it was, the light to a girl’s room was bright.

She was constantly making a call to someone.

“Why… Why isn’t he picking up? It was on until just now…”

Yoo Hayeon bit her nails as she grew anxious.

Did he maybe faint because of his illness again? Or was he being bullied by someone?

She was always worried about Han Sijoon.

“He’s supposed to be a man but he’s all stick and bones. He can’t even fight back if someone hits him. Yet he’s making me worry?”

It’s frustrating. Why should I be concerned?

Sijoon had only spent his elementary days in the hospital.

When the memory came to her mind, it was a given she would be worried.

“He’s not the type to have his phone turned off… Seriously…”

The dormitory of the Hero Academy was separated by gender. Therefore, she was in a predicament where she couldn’t even visit him as she pleased.

Did the Cowherd and Weaver Girl1, and Romeo and Juliet feel this way?

“No, that’s not it. Us dating, no way… We’re childhood friends, we’re not in love.”

Even if Sijoon didn’t look manly, he did have some looks.

If a male and the female are on the same page, dating is possible.

Suppose Sijoon does get into a relationship…

“That’s unpleasant…”

Most of Hayeon’s memories had Sijoon in them. If he was suddenly not there, that’s…

“Ahhh!! Whatever! Whatever! Die from pain for all I care, Han Sijoon!! Don’t actually die though!!”

Bam. Bam.

At late dawn, Hayeon kicked her pillow as she let out a scream.

Starting from day one at the dormitory, she received a demerit.

Footnotes

1Cowherd and Weaver Girl is a Chinese folktale. This is similar to their version of Romeo and Juliet.