episode_0092

The news of my return to Siyolam had spread.

Thanks to that, my hologram was covered with messages from strangers, wishing me well.

Even though it was through a hologram projector and not a smartwatch, my contacts and settings remained the same due to the same account.

“Huh?”

I was sitting on the bed, sifting through a pile of messages.

▶ Elia Slayde (Just In)

There was also a cautious request from Elia asking if I could spare some time for her.

I didn’t know what it was about, but I headed out of the dormitory anyway.

There was a lot to do.

I had refrained from moving my body too harshly, fearing Professor Atla’s retaliation, but I had to catch up on the lectures I had missed.

“It’s tough…”

The progress had been delayed too much. I was already worried about the notes for the midterm exam…

“I need to get used to moving with just one arm quickly.”

With one arm missing, my body felt unbalanced. It was because the loss of one arm had thrown off the balance of my body.

Now, with the arm that used to wear the smartwatch gone, I was carrying a portable hologram projector.

Should I ask the Association to modify it so that I can wear the smartwatch around my neck later?

I sighed deeply at the thought that crossed my mind and felt around where my left arm used to be.

Occasionally, the fluttering clothes were touched by the wind, but there was no arm there.

The pair of wings in the sky that had become a rag with its owner had been collected at the scene.

Now, it was absorbing my magic and recovering, fluttering along with the sleeve on my back.

Before leaving the dormitory, I had considered cutting off or tying up just the left arm, but I stopped myself, feeling like it would be unnecessary trouble.

“…”

But now, the gaze that was fixed on me…

Especially the gaze that was focused on the fluttering sleeve made me regret not cutting it off.

There is a saying that humans are creatures of adaptation.

Surprisingly, even though I was a complete homebody, I was able to adapt to the attention focused on me.

Even with the overwhelming attention that came after revealing my status as a special student, I adapted to it. Now, I could walk around nonchalantly.

That attention was mostly curiosity, jealousy, puzzlement, and desire.

It was a very ambiguous feeling now.

Admiration? Envy? Pity?

The gaze that made me feel extremely uncomfortable and want to run away kept piercing me…

With belated regret, I hurriedly walked.

Not long after, I arrived at the cafe Elia had sent the address to.

Elia was waiting in a private room that she had arrived at earlier.

As I entered the cafe’s private room.

“Ha, Hayul…”

Elia looked at my empty left arm, her eyes trembling.

Her eyes became moist, but instead of tears, they seemed to be like chicken droppings.

“Ugh.”

I shook my arm in confusion.

It took some time to calm Elia down.

No matter what anyone says, the curse that needed to be lifted first and foremost was the curse of numbness.

In fact, even trying to unlock the sensory seal at this point, when it was uncertain whether one curse could be lifted, was too optimistic of a goal.

The unexplored tower was not even a matter of conquering, entering the entrance was suicidal.

The dungeon where the curse of Haesu was located had a danger level equivalent to Grade 1.

If it was a Grade 1 dungeon, the standard hierarchy of monsters that appeared was only about Grade 5.

It was an area where creatures similar to the ones that turned me into a corpse in Sifnaha, but not as strong as Aelus, roamed around like common mobs.

Even in areas where human influence was scarce, such as the abandoned Maekyung or areas beyond the reach of the Association, Grade 1 dungeons were rare to see.

Finding the curse of Haesu in such a dungeon was a very difficult task.

Therefore, it was practically impossible to break the curse of silence that had fallen behind in the queue.

The Curse of Silence.

One of the three curses that I am under, a curse that steals my voice.

Originally, the Curse of Silence had the lowest priority among the three curses.

A curse that drastically shortens my vocal cords.

A sensory sealing curse that seals sight, smell, taste, depriving life of convenience and pleasure.

Compared to those two, the Curse of Silence, which only takes away one voice, was not a serious matter.

However, it was quite inconvenient to live with.

When I was holed up in my room, it wasn’t a problem, but there were many moments when I had to communicate with others while attending Siyolam.

Regardless of my low social skills, if I didn’t even have hologram functionality, I would have been in a real mess.

Also, if I accidentally let slip a word, immediate pain and retaliation would follow.

Therefore, in an attempt to circumvent the Curse of Silence, I tried to obtain the Confession Necklace… but failed miserably.

Hong Yeonhwa or Professor Atla…

I had a small desire to let those around me hear my voice, but I resigned myself to the overwhelming reality of trying to undo just one curse.

“Our family isn’t that great of a lineage, so this is all we can offer, hehe… But I think it will definitely help Hayul!”

…I thought.

My mind feels like it’s freezing.

Slowly, I recalled the previous situation.

For some reason, seeing where my left arm used to be, I comforted Elia, who burst into tears with emotion.

After she calmed down for a moment, she suddenly reached out something with sincere gratitude.

A rough silver necklace placed on her palm.

It’s not a flashy necklace that catches the eye, but a design that captures simple charm.

Is it a characteristic to refine quartz-like ore into decorations?

A necklace from my memory.

‘Confession Necklace’

My gaping mouth wouldn’t close. I didn’t understand the situation properly.

‘Why is this here?’

I don’t know. The echoes of the Dungeon of Echoes were long gone.

‘Why does Elia have this?’

I don’t know…

‘Huh?’

At that moment, a memory from the past came to mind.

The place where the Dungeon of Echoes was. The content written on the standing stele.

───────

May this dark day become a ray of light

Geolok Grass

Dennis Baird

Richard Kallail

Arto Van Maxwell

Trian Slade

───────

A culture that left traces of those who conquered the dungeon. Among the names written on the stele.

A familiar name? There was a surname.

‘Trian Slade.’

Trian Slade.

Elia Slade.

The statement about our family…

Those three things were connected.

The family of Elia conquered the Dungeon of Echoes. The Confession Necklace obtained there was held by the family… the household.

The mystery was solved up to this point.

There was still an unsolved mystery.

I barely manipulated the hologram projector.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t explain properly.”

Elia, who wiped away the tears hanging on the corners of her eyes, explained the situation.

“Younger sister? In Sifnaha of all places?”

“Yes… At the time, my heart sank, and I thought I was going crazy.”

Elia’s family… Her younger sister, who visited Sifnaha for a field trip, got caught up in the dungeon rush.

That younger sister, who received help from me on the scene, risked her life.

Since I received a favor, it was only right to return it.

While Elia and her family were pondering how to repay, they decided.

Just in time, Elia quickly took the artifact that was a keepsake from her grandfather, which was perfectly suited to my current situation.

Coincidentally, it was none other than the Confession Necklace.

I absentmindedly fiddled with my hands. The cool surface of the necklace being touched seemed to reassure me that this wasn’t a dream.

‘Ah…’

I hadn’t found any artifacts I was looking for, and I hadn’t even obtained the most important Confession Necklace.

I thought I had wasted my efforts and gained nothing.

I had saved many people, but deep down, I still regretted it.

Now, that regret had lessened.

Because I had stayed and fought, because I had saved Elia’s sister.

It felt like a reward for that had come in the form of the necklace.

Like the letter, it seemed to prove that my actions were not wrong.

It might be an overinterpretation… but oh well. In the end, it’s all about how I accept it.

Emotions surged within me.

And my body moved according to those emotions.

“The function is as you said, and if you don’t need it, I can sell it… Oh, hey… Ha-yul?”

Thud- I hugged Elia.

“Uh, yeah?”

Elia, who blinked her eyes in confusion, looked at my expression and then patted my back calmly.

It had become a habit lately. Whenever emotions surged, it was because Professor Atla had always hugged me tightly.

Being held in Professor Atla’s arms in the healing room all the time…

Like this… uh…

‘Uh…’

That’s what Professor Atla did. Whenever emotions went haywire, he always opened his arms and hugged me, saying that emotions shouldn’t go astray.

‘But who am I hugging now?’

My body stiffened.

The pat on the back was no longer familiar and felt awkward…

Thud-

I hit my head on the table. The belated dizziness spread throughout my body.

I had done something crazy. I thought my sanity had returned, but it seemed like there was still some madness left.

Professor Atla was right about everything. My mind was still intact, despite my body being a mess…

“It’s okay, so don’t be too hard on yourself. You were cute like a little brother.”

Elia, who was sitting across from me, awkwardly stroked her coffee cup and said.

It was comforting to be consoled with the words “like a little brother,” but the dizziness just wouldn’t go away.

But I couldn’t just keep my head buried in the table.

I managed to straighten up and lift the Confession Necklace that I held tightly in my hand.

‘The Confession Necklace.’

I knew its function. I had the knowledge from the original and Elia had explained it to me.

It reads the wearer’s psyche and expresses it in voice. It also has a function that prevents others from using it until the wearer dies.

Elia knew the function of the Confession Necklace.

So, I was puzzled.

[Wouldn’t it be better to give it to your sister?]

I wanted to try it on right away, but I remembered Elia saying her sister was mute like me.

And there was a girl I met in Sifna who seemed to be Elia’s sister.

The girl who wandered around worriedly near me when I was sitting in the park feeling dejected.

She left a strong impression on me as we conversed through holograms.

That part made me tilt my head.

There was no need for me to give it, her sister could just wear it.

“Until recently, my grandfather was wearing it, so I couldn’t help it, and now my sister doesn’t want to wear it. It’s not a big deal to live without the artifact, and she doesn’t want to use it just to prevent someone else from using it in the future…”

‘Ah.’

After saying that, I felt like there was no point in wearing it myself. Maybe it would be better to just return it.

“Hayul, you don’t need to hesitate at all.”

Lost in such thoughts, Elia held my hand and spoke.

“That’s the least I can do to repay the favor to the one who saved my family. So, there’s no need to feel sorry, not even a little bit.”

Her words were filled with sincerity.

In any case, I only gain from this gift.

Moreover, hesitating further here might actually upset Elia.

Nodding my head, Elia let go of my hand with a warm smile and picked up the necklace to put it on.

‘Oh…’

But come to think of it, I’ve never properly worn a necklace in my life.

‘…Do I untie this loop to put it on? Wrap it around the back? Or from the front to the back?’

“Shall I help you put it on?”

As I struggled with holding the necklace, Elia, who quickly understood why I was struggling, asked.

Nodding cautiously, Elia approached with a chuckle.

Taking the confession necklace, she untied the loop and stood behind me.

“Now, stay still…”

A gentle voice tapped my ears.

After a careful gesture of arranging my hair, her slender arms wrapped around my neck like an embrace.

The touch of her neck against my arm made my body shiver.

– Tick

The act of wearing it was done in an instant. The sound of the loop connecting felt unusually loud.

– Hmmm…

The necklace vibrated.

My body trembled as it connected to the artifact. It felt like the touch of a feather from the sky. The only difference was that the density seemed a bit lower?

Unlike the feather from the sky that had a good affinity with me, the confession necklace seemed to have no particular affinity.

The vibration stopped. A thumping sound resonated from within me.

The engraving was done. My heart thumped. A strange sense of unity washed over me.

I wet my throat. Elia, who had put on the necklace and taken a few steps back, was looking at me with a warm smile.

She was truly a grateful person.

She helped me at the Gate Terminal,

and even in Siyolam, I received a lot of help from her for trivial matters.

The confession necklace I received now was the same.

Although Elia and her family considered it a repayment to the benefactor, I also wanted to repay them in a similar way someday.

Let’s test the confession necklace.

Expressing emotions through voice. So, I just have to do it like talking to myself in my mind, right?

‘Thank you.’

I said inwardly. At the same time, the confession necklace trembled slightly and absorbed a bit of magic.

[Thank you]

The necklace emitted a voice. It had a more blunt tone than a smartwatch voice.

‘Oh.’

It really worked. I was amazed.

The necklace absorbed magic again. But this time, the amount seemed a bit more than before.

[Amazing]

[Hungry]

[Want milk]

[Hurt]

[Scared]

[Tired]

[Don’t want to study]

[Top strategy]

[Haeju’s prison]

[Lifespan]

[Arm hurts]

[Cold]

[Life]

[Annihilation]

[Elia likes]

[Like you]

‘?’

“Huh?”

I was dumbfounded, and Elia blinked.

[What’s this]

* * *

[Player Adjustment System: Favorability]

Iha Yul → Elia Slade

●●●●●●●○○○(67▷71/100)

“Affection” “Gratitude” “Chick”

[You have not met the conditions for lifting the “Curse of Silence”]

[You have not met the conditions for lifting the “Curse of Solitude”]