episode_0131

131.

“……?”

I blinked my eyes unconsciously.

Then, I quietly shifted my gaze to my hand, tightly gripping the man’s fist.

What on earth just happened?

I easily blocked the rather threatening fist.

Of course, it wasn’t a highly skilled attack, but I didn’t expect someone like me to block it so effortlessly.

Even though I caught the fist imbued with magic with my bare hands, there were no wounds on my palm.

The skin wasn’t torn, no blood was flowing, and no bones were broken.

It felt like I was blocking a child’s punch.

The man’s fist was surprisingly light.

It was strange.

“Hey, let go of this?!”

“……”

The man’s voice, shouting in frustration, sounded fierce.

I slowly turned my head and stared at the man’s face, contorted in pain, trying to free his hand from my grip.

I felt a sense of confusion at the sight of the man biting his lip and struggling to break free from my grasp.

Why is he acting like this?

I’m not exerting much force.

I’m just lightly holding onto the man’s hand, so why can’t he break free?

Even if he’s an ordinary person who can’t use magic, he should have enough strength to break free.

Could it be that he can’t exert his full strength because he’s drunk?

If not, then…

“Let go of this!”

“……”

“This guy is really… ugh.”

I suddenly let go of his hand.

The man gently rubbed his hand that was held by me with an angry expression.

I could see the deep marks of my fingers on the back of his hand. The grip wasn’t strong enough to leave red marks on the skin, so why?

I turned my gaze back to the man.

When our eyes met suddenly, I could see the man shudder slightly.

Was he a little nervous?

But soon, he straightened his head and glared at me even more fiercely.

He seemed to be hurt by his own momentary hesitation. It seems like he’s a person with a mix of pride and inferiority complex.

“Damn, that’s it, a hero in appearance, huh?”

The man raised both fists and concentrated his magic power.

If he were an ordinary person, he would have backed off by now, but whether it was due to the alcohol or his pride, the man only showed a more aggressive side.

“Then, why don’t you try blocking this?!”

He gathered his magic and thrust his fist roughly.

It was more fierce and powerful than the fist he threw earlier.

I could tell that a considerable amount of magic was concentrated in it. If I were to take it head-on, it wouldn’t just end with a little pain. It might even be able to pierce through a concrete wall.

He seemed determined to go all out without holding back.

‘Ah.’

But why?

I didn’t feel any sense of danger.

I didn’t think of using my magic-absorbing artifact, stepping back, avoiding the attack, or anything.

It was as if there was no adult around to get nervous like a fool when a child throws a punch.

I just quietly, very quietly, stared at the man.

“Die… you… bastard…!”

“It’s dangerous…!”

As I focused on the man’s fist, everything in the world seemed to slow down, as if I were under a strange illusion.

An illusion?

No, it wasn’t an illusion.

The angry man’s voice, the worried woman’s voice, the fist reaching out with force, the sound of the woman’s heart beating uncontrollably, the nauseating smell of the dark alley, the chilling sensation of the winter wind touching the skin.

All of those things were vivid and slow in my current state.

It felt like watching a slow-motion video.

Time seemed to slow down.

‘What is this.’

Slightly surprised, I faced the man’s fist.

A slow-moving fist.

The trajectory of the fist, the movement of the muscles, the wavering magic were all very clear to my eyes.

Suddenly, I reached out my hand.

I don’t know why, but I had a strange conviction.

A conviction that I could block that attack.

Even with my bare hands.

“!”

Whoosh!

The sound of the air being torn apart echoed.

The man’s fist only struck empty air.

Because I had reached out my hand and blocked the man’s fist.

…Did that really happen?

I thought I could do it, but actually doing it made me feel a bit dazed.

“Blocking with bare hands…? Are you mocking me?”

Between breaths, the man’s face twisted in surprise.

Apparently, he didn’t expect me to block his attacks with my bare hands.

So, with even more anger, he continued to throw punches at me.

But.

“This, this, this guy!”

“….”

I blocked all of the man’s punches with one hand.

Thud! Bang! Pow!

The sound of air being struck echoed, but I didn’t feel any impact.

Looking at it now, the man’s movements weren’t that slow or weak.

They just seemed slow and weak to me.

‘What’s going on?’

Blocking a magic-infused fist with my bare hands was somewhat expected, but my hands were unharmed, just as I had anticipated.

It seemed like my endurance, reflexes, and physical abilities had greatly improved.

Like a professional hero.

‘This doesn’t make sense, why is my body suddenly like this…?’

A change that seemed impossible when considered logically.

But a miracle that made it possible.

In the world, miracles that defy reason and logic are called awakening abilities.

Like superpowers.

‘Wait, hold on? Did I really…?’

Did I awaken superpowers?

For real?

Out of the blue like this?

Could it be that coming back to life after death was one of the conditions for awakening?

Thinking that I had awakened superpowers felt strange.

This feeling, this sensation, was unfamiliar, but not entirely foreign.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Unable to contain my surprise, I momentarily lost focus and noticed that the man was already panting heavily, looking exhausted.

In that moment, I unconsciously clenched my fist.

Alright, let’s deal with that man first and then think about it. With the intention of finishing it off, I decided to swing my fist towards the man’s abdomen with the intention of ending it.

Since I couldn’t accurately gauge how much my physical abilities had increased, I had to hold back my strength.

If I had awakened a physical enhancement ability like super strength, hitting with all my might could have been fatal.

So, with the thought that this should not cause serious injury, I aimed for the man’s abdomen.

But.

“Wha, wha, what?!”

Huh? What, what is this.

The man’s waist folded like a paper.

Floating slightly in the air, he then thudded to the dirty ground.

He tried to get up immediately, but after coughing up some dirty fluid, he shook his head.

He had fainted.

“Oh.”

Did I miscalculate my strength adjustment?

I quickly examined the man’s body.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any major injuries. He just seemed to have briefly lost consciousness from a big shock. Phew. Thank goodness. I almost became a criminal if things had gone wrong.

…Well, regardless of the reason, I did hit a drunk person, so I could be considered a criminal.

“Huh?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

I could see that the vitality that had enveloped the man when he collapsed had also disappeared.

Just a moment ago, his body seemed strangely energetic, but now it felt deflated. Was it because time seemed to slow down, and then suddenly returned to normal?

I tried to exert some force in my hand just in case, but I couldn’t muster the same strength as before. What was that just now? And why did my strength suddenly disappear?

Was it because I unintentionally activated my physical enhancement ability and then relaxed when I knocked the man down?

Or could it be a completely different type of ability?

Hmm, I’m curious.

What could it be?

The ability I awakened.

“Um, thank you for saving me.”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

As I pondered deeply, a woman who had been watching me approached and expressed her gratitude.

I turned my gaze towards her.

I wanted to think more about whether I had truly awakened superpowers, but it would be difficult in the current situation.

It’s a shame, but I’ll have to postpone contemplating superpowers for a bit.

“You look so young to be a hero.”

“Well, I’m not exactly a hero, just a trainee.”

“It’s amazing that a hero like you came all the way to this rural village, it’s quite fascinating.”

“I had some business here.”

Considering that I had just been attacked by a drunk man, the woman’s boldness was quite admirable. She seemed to have a confident personality.

But how am I going to get back home?

I don’t even have any money.

“Oh, really? I just stopped by my parents’ house for some errands, but I got caught up with some strange person…”

The woman muttered while looking at the man lying on the ground.

“I was about to head back home, but it seems I’m out of luck, really.”

“Home?”

“Yes, I was planning to go back to Seoul before it gets too dark.”

Wait, she lives in Seoul?

“Did you bring a vehicle?”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

I looked at the woman with a hopeful expression.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you give me a ride as well?”

“Oh.”

The woman hesitated for a moment.

She glanced at me, seeming a bit unsure.

From her perspective, it might be a bit awkward to suddenly be asked for a ride by a stranger.

Especially after almost being harassed by a stranger just a moment ago, it could be quite surprising to suddenly be asked for a ride. And maybe because I helped her, she couldn’t easily refuse.

“Oh, I urgently need to get back to Seoul, but there aren’t many intercity buses around here, so I was in a bit of a bind.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Please, if you don’t mind, I’ll repay this favor for sure.”

“A favor? No, there’s no need for that. You helped me, so of course I’ll give you a ride.”

As I made another request, the woman blushed slightly and nodded shyly. Huh? Blushing?

Could she be thinking that I’m up to something strange?

Seeing her slightly flushed cheeks and embarrassed expression, it was possible to think that way. But I didn’t make any excuses. It could have been awkward to bring it up unnecessarily.

“Oh, wait.”

“Yes?”

“Sorry, but can I borrow your phone for a moment?”

Suddenly, Soyeon came to mind.

I wanted to let her know about my well-being as soon as possible.

And there was also something I wanted to do to ease my anxious heart.

I was worried about whether Soyeon was doing well after I died.

“I’m here.”

“Thank you.”

I accepted the phone.

Through the woman’s phone calendar, I could see that about 5 months had passed since I died.

5 months, 5 months…

I hope Soyeon hasn’t blamed herself too much and has healed her wounds well.

With those thoughts in mind, I called Soyeon.

– The power is off, and a beep sound will be connected to the voice mailbox, and call charges will be incurred.

But Soyeon’s phone wouldn’t be turned off, right?

A slight feeling of unease crept in.

Why would the power be off?

There haven’t been many times like that.

“….”

I thought about leaving a text message, but since I could easily return to Seoul, I decided it was okay and called Yoo Seolhyun this time.

I was lucky to remember Yoo Seolhyun’s phone number.

“Hello.”

With a signal tone, Yoo Seolhyun answered the phone.

Yoo Seolhyun’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a long time.

Like a villain, her voice was a bit chilly, but charming, and it tickled my ears, making me involuntarily chuckle.

She would be surprised if she knew I was alive, right?

“Hey, Yoo Seolhyun, it’s been a while.”

“Who?”

“What? Have you already forgotten my voice? That’s too much.”

“….”

Yoo Seolhyun fell silent for a moment.

Is she surprised? Or just incredulous?

Ah, did I speak too lightly?

I tried to act friendly because I was glad to hear her voice, but oh well.

“Actually, Yoo Seolhyun, I managed to come back to life through a relic….”

“You crazy bastards. Playing pranks again.”

– Click.

“…?”

Yoo Seolhyun, uncommonly, cursed under her breath and hung up without even listening to me.

I was taken aback and tried calling again, but she didn’t pick up.

It seems like she blocked me altogether.

“What’s with her reaction?”

Crazy bastards?

Playing pranks?

What happened after I died?