episode_0169

Fortunately, the conversation with Jiyeon Lee ended safely.

I made a speech(?) mistake midway and the mood went down, but I was able to somehow manage it and finish the conversation safely.

In the end, the conversation ended well.

There was no problem with the mentor issue, which was the main topic, as they pointed each other out.

More than anything…

“I received a lot of help from China. I will definitely repay you. If there is anything you need help with, please let me know anytime.”

‘oh.’

If you need help, come to me anytime.

As it was a remark made by Lee Ji-yeon, Taesan’s successor, it was by no means a light remark.

At that point, I clenched my fists under the table without realizing it.

In fact, wasn’t the main purpose of building a relationship with Lee Ji-yeon to receive that kind of help?

I was planning to ask for help only after I slowly built up relationships through mentorship and became acquainted with him properly, but I’ve already heard things like that.

Should I say that it is a blessing in disguise that the terrible events in China have come back like this?

Although the misfortune was too great, I decided to think positively for now.

Of course, just because I heard those words, I had no intention of canceling my mentorship or stopping my relationship.

Even if it’s not Seoyul’s issue, I have a lot to gain from working as a mentor with Jiyeon Lee.

Like now, we are observing in real time and gradually accumulating information on Taesan.

It would be even better if Lee Ji-yeon directly showed the use of Taesan during her mentorship activities.

Accumulating information about Taesan is very important.

Aside from the fact that Taesan has a very outstanding unique ability, it seems that Taesan has a hint to restore my body right away.

I downed the little orange juice I had left and bowed my head.

[I enjoyed my drink]

[Mumataiaaaksip]

“Gasp… I’m sorry.”

[no]

[Why is it really like this these days?]

[sorry]

“Yes, yes… I understand, sorry…”

[What I said before was a real mistake]

[It was a random thought that the artifact accidentally spit out while thinking about something else…]

[It was definitely not a self-destruction…]

“Yes… I’m sorry…”

…Lee Ji-yeon is broken.

It gave me a headache to see him repeatedly lowering his head with a much more haggard complexion than when we met earlier…

Jiyeon Lee’s mental deficiency was the same in the original work, but not to this extent.

Even though she harbored feelings of inferiority or jealousy, Lee Ji-yeon was an honest and upright person who accepted him and moved on.

Also, when leading people, it was always the position of a trustworthy and mature leader who was at the forefront and prevented threats…

[thanked]

[See you in the next mentor class]

“Yes, please go in carefully…”

I was finally able to break up with Lee Ji-yeon after repeatedly telling her that it was okay and that it was a mistake.

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As my body grew younger, I experienced a lot of discomfort.

I could name him countless times, but the discomfort I was feeling right now was due to my short legs.

My legs got shorter. As my stride length became shorter, it was uncomfortable to move around.

It wasn’t for nothing that Hong Yeon-hwa and Elia insisted on carrying me around.

Of course, even if you look like this, you can just run because you have the body of a superhuman, but even taking that into account, it was slower than before.

The appearance was also strange.

“…Hey, kid? Maybe─”

[This is Lee Ha-yul, a freshman class]

[The body is shaped like this for some reason]

“Ah… excuse me.”

[Thank you for your consideration]

Thanks to this, we talked several times as we headed to our destination.

The passerby who caught me… I guess he’s a second grader because his tie is red?

I responded by pulling on the cadet uniform that was tailored to my body size.

I knew he meant to help me, but his expression became sour without me realizing it.

The second grader was embarrassed, apologized for being rude, and ran away.

“……”

– Ugh.

The space behind was torn open, and several wind spirits jumped out.

‘Move it.’

Whoa… A green halo twinkled.

It soon rushed over and wrapped around my body.

My legs came off the ground.

A body burned by the wind floated up.

The gaze around me became even more strange, but it was better than walking with stiff legs.

– Giggling.

“?”

Suddenly, a green light blinked and a feeling of laughter came through me.

‘…You weren’t laughing at me, were you?’

The halo did not blink.

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In the city cradle, only about 30% of the land was normally used by cadets and officials.

The remaining 70% of the area is occupied by a dungeon, a monster breeding farm, a farm for raw materials including medicinal herbs, and an empty lot.

Permission is required for dangerous areas such as monster breeding grounds, but cadets can enter and exit empty sites as they please.

These empty lots are called blank areas… and there are more people looking for them than you might think.

Because the space is spacious and there are few people, it is the perfect space for conducting various experiments.

I also visited often.

After realizing homogenization the other day, I experimented with it while hanging out nearby.

‘…There’s no trace.’

I pressed my feet against the floor. The vivid grass was crumpled.

It was a place where I had been scared before, but I went back after erasing the traces in case they would be noticed by others.

Even if I check again now, the traces have been completely erased.

It is said that it is difficult to search for residual marks that were not even at the time of appearance and are merely fragments, but you never know.

It doesn’t matter if Gyeophwa is discovered now, but if Changhae or Taesan are discovered, it will be difficult to deal with it.

If we’re not careful, the mess from the 3rd episode will be repeated…

‘There are no people, there is no magic…’

I turned my sights around and looked around. Even if the range is widened to its maximum, there are no people and there is no magic for surveillance purposes.

I even sprayed the spirits everywhere and searched them myself.

Only after confirming that, did I slump down in my seat.

The place I was in was a flat area with grass, and the wind blew comfortably, perhaps because there were no trees or other obstacles in the way.

‘Then, let’s check Mount Tai first.’

Taishan.

Just by manifesting it, one’s physical abilities explode and one’s control over the earth is exercised.

As it deepens, it becomes a unique ability that can handle vitality and spirits.

Also, it is a unique ability that may bring my body back to normal.

A second entrance to the tower is scheduled to take place at the beginning of the second semester. Until then, I wanted to return my body to its original state.

There’s a lot to do, but let’s start with the body.

I relaxed my mind and focused my mind.

* * *

Venus’ office is located on the top floor of the City Yoram Central Administration Building.

As a result, very few people come and go.

Occasionally, those who visit report face-to-face on very important matters.

That’s why Venus’ office is always quiet.

It was not only a simple sound, but also an atmosphere that was calm from the ground up, allowing the mind and body to become still.

“……”

That wasn’t the case now.

My skin stings. The steady momentum pushed away the silence and stimulated Venus again and again.

It’s not a feeling that can be dismissed as murderous intent, but it contains a level of disapproval and discomfort, so I keep losing focus.

“…I thought you would visit someday, but it seems that your visit is somewhat earlier than expected.”

In the end, Venus put down the documents as if surrendering.

With that, he turned his gaze to the woman sitting on the guest sofa.

Golden eyes flashing a murderous glow.

It was Atra Clyde, radiating sharp energy.

Atra’s mouth, which had been closed tightly as if practicing silence, opened.

“You expected it… Do you mean that you know what I came here for?”

“No, I expected that you would visit because of Cadet Lee Ha-yul’s case, but I don’t know the exact reason.”

“Looking at your complexion, you look like you know what’s going on?”

“It’s an expectation, not a certainty.”

Venus shook her head in denial.

“Because I don’t have any unique ability in the psychological insight field. Of course, my trivial psychological insight won’t work on hero Clyde…”

“I don’t talk much.”

Suddenly, Atra opened her mouth.

“I have a dirty nature and am not friendly, so I will start with the main point as I did before.”

Atra shook her head.

“Cadet Lee Ha-yul… Please tell me everything you know about that child.”

The conversation stopped for a moment.

Atra’s momentum had subsided, but there was still an awkward silence in the office.

Venus’ eyes blinked. Purple eyes that looked emotionless and bored stared at Atra.

“…It seems like you have come to care deeply for Cadet Lee Ha-yul.”

“If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have come to ask.”

Atra tilted his head and answered.

In fact, the previous Atra had no intention of inquiring about Lee Ha-yul.

I had no intention of going deeper.

I was planning on building up my skills to the point where I wouldn’t die in vain.

That was it. The plan was to only develop skills without any intervention or care and then ignore them.

I couldn’t do that anymore.

Atra was a person who was not as emotionally strong as he thought, and Lee Ha-yul became a more important person to Atra than he could have imagined.

Now you can’t just ignore it.

If Lee Ha-yul dies in vain in some unknown place… it won’t end in such a way that it will bother me a little like before.

Haven’t you experienced it? That shitty feeling of being thrown into an abyss and falling into the abyss…

That’s why I came to see the vice president. There is no way to meet the president, but it is possible to meet the vice presidents below him.

I couldn’t ask Lee Ha-yul any questions.

Just a few days ago, I saw with my own eyes Lee Ha-yul, who was trying to reveal a secret, had a seizure, spilling blood.

Thanks to this, Atra was not in a particularly relaxed state right now.

I can’t ask Lee Ha-yul because I’m afraid. But wouldn’t you know that the one who found Lee Ha-yul and brought her in… even gave her special admission?

I came and asked for an answer, but I haven’t received an answer yet.

“Is this a difficult question to answer?”

Venus didn’t give an answer. He just stared at Atra as if assessing something.

Atra’s eyes sharpened as the silence grew longer.

The intangible force swelled his body.

It was an explicit intention to get an answer somehow.

It was a very rude and violent act, but Atra had no intention of backing down.

Now that I’ve seen Lee Ha-yul’s condition under the influence of something I don’t know if it’s a restriction or a curse, I need to get at least an answer.

Venus, who confirmed the will in Atra’s eyes, opened her mouth.

“I can give you the answer, but it will not be enough to resolve your questions.”

Atra frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“As the saying goes, I don’t have the knowledge to answer all of Hero Clyde’s questions. In other words, I know very little.”

Venus shook her head.

“There are only a few things I did. I just heard the President’s intention and acted accordingly.”

“What have you been doing?”

“One is that we have been making basic preparations for a long time for special admission students who will one day arrive.”

This is my first time hearing it. As far as Atra knows, there has never been a special admission student except Lee Ha-yul, and I have never heard of a rumor that one would be admitted.

Also, if the word ‘a long time ago’ comes out of the vice president’s mouth, it probably doesn’t mean a few years.

From then on, they were already preparing to bring Lee Ha-yul… a special admission student?

Atra crossed her arms and listened.

“The other thing is that early this year, we found the shell of Cadet Lee Ha-yul and gave him the qualifications for special admission.”

“…Shell?”

“As its meaning is, it is a shell. To put it bluntly, the cadet Lee Ha-yul I met at the time was an empty shell.”

Atra frowned and tilted her head.

Shell… I couldn’t think of a good way to say it. At the very least, it was an inappropriate word to use on people.

“The contents are empty… This is unpleasant to hear and difficult to understand.”

“It’s difficult to explain. Not only do I not understand anything beyond this, but I’m also tied up with the president in my own way, so I’m hesitant to open my mouth. If I could explain it as much as possible…”

In response to Atra’s question, Venus kept her mouth shut.

It wasn’t just a refusal to answer, but it looked like he was thinking for a while, so Atra quietly waited for an answer.

“Cadet Lee Ha-yul at the time was not a normal human being.”

“For example?”

“It was a kind of machine that just waited idly, took action when given instructions, squeaked when instructions were not followed, and then waited for the next instruction after carrying out instructions.”

There was no intention of disparagement at all. From an objective perspective, Venus judged Lee Ha-ryul at the time to be a shell.

However, the next time I met Lee Ha-yul, he became a normal human being and entered the poetry cradle.

“…After that, as you know, Hero Clyde.”

Although he looked scared and unstable, as if he would collapse at any moment, he was clearly a normal human being who thought, judged, and acted on his own.

“I don’t know what measures are being taken against Cadet Lee Ha-yul, and even if I knew, it would be difficult to answer any further than this.”

Please understand this.

With those words, Venus’ mouth closed.

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The sofa supporting the back was very soft, and the room had a subtle flowery scent that calmed the mind and body.

But Atra’s expression showed no signs of calming down.

Atra crossed her legs with a stiff expression.

‘…I have a headache.’

The information in my head was so unfamiliar and foreign. I’m getting a headache. Atra rested his head and looked across.

The vice-chancellor, Venus, who sat across from me, was tending to the flowers in a flower pot with an expressionless face.

In contrast to his seemingly indifferent face, he was very careful in handling the flowers.

It was as if he was handling an expensive craft.

Atra slowly opened his mouth.

“I didn’t know your hobby was gardening.”

“It’s not really a hobby.”

Venus, who was quietly checking the condition of the flower, answered. She glanced at Atra, who looked complicated, and gently stroked the flower’s branches.

“Because no one is managing it, I am just forced to take charge of it.”

“For something like that, your handling is very kind.”

“ As I took care of it, I developed a certain affection for it. If you have the time, I recommend raising Clyde Hero.”

“If I can afford it, I will do it.”

Atra shook his head and stood up.

“I’ll just leave. The answer… wasn’t satisfactory, but I listened carefully.”

“Yes, please take a look.”

– Clap.

“For reference, this flower is a species called Agapanthus.”

Venus added behind Atra as she opened the door and went out.

“It is an unfamiliar flower, but it is a flower with strong vitality, making it a good species for even beginners to grow. If you grow flowers, consider it.”

“I will keep this in mind.”

The door suddenly closed.

The office became quiet again.

Venus, who had been staring at the door for a moment, lowered her gaze and looked at the flower… the Agapanthus flower, which is characterized by its purple leaves.

Venus caressed the flower with an indifferent hand.