episode_0253

I always thought I’d be a loner.

Position as the child of a large guild leader.

The gaze of others is directed not at oneself, but at things behind oneself.

A formal human relationship that is just about hoping and relying on others…

Just like fate or destiny in a martial arts novel,

It was considered the fate of those born with it.

“… … Galaxy Doryeo.”

“It’s me.”

Unwise,

It was a stupid idea.

… … .

… … .

( “Will you hold this old man’s hand?” )

( “If you do that, you will be able to meet true fate.” )

It was an old saw.

A saw so rusty that you wonder if it can even cut a single plank of wood properly.

It cuts off the old man’s wrist, which extends like a tree branch, with all its might.

Kkeuggeuk! Kkeuggeuk!

Whether it was because the sawing woman was weak or because the saw was old, the saw moved back and forth several times without being able to properly cut even one wrinkled piece of the old man’s skin.

It feels like the flesh is being crushed and torn rather than cut.

Blood spurts from a burst artery, splashing onto Kim Sa-rang’s cheek.

“Oh, it won’t cut. Grandpa, hold your wrist straight. It won’t cut if it shakes.”

“sick.”

“You’re saying it hurts, who said you have bad habits?”

The lukewarmness of the blood flowing down the cheek.

Kim Sa-rang wiped the blood and watched the scene before her eyes.

Galaxy sawing an old man’s wrist with a smiling face,

An old man with a kind face holds her dangling wrist and helps her cut it easily.

The sight of blood spouting out and sparkling in the sunset…

It was truly bizarre and nauseating.

A woman and an old man are seen sawing flesh while laughing.

To put it simply… yes.

Could this be the world of ghosts?

‘As expected, the Milky Way is….’

Knock knock!

The old man’s wrist was cut off.

The wooden bench she was sitting on turned red, and Kim Sa-rang got up from her seat without thinking and approached Eun-ha.

An old man laughing and holding his severed wrist against the cut surface.

But when Galaxy lifts her claws once more, he slowly lifts his hips away from her.

You were sick.

“Whew… That old man didn’t say anything weird, did he?”

“… … .”

Eunha, who had roughly wiped the blood off her hands, looked back at Kim Sa-rang.

At her side was a familiar ‘wooden box’, and upon discovering it, Kim Sa-rang flinched and took a step back.

It was hidden behind the great bosom of the galaxy and was only discovered now.

Wooden box.

From the memories shown by that ‘wise old man’, what he had opened.

Kim Sa-rang opened a mysterious box given to her by someone else without any suspicion… Even she didn’t know why.

Maybe it was because I was lonely.

If you were lonely, unlike yourself who met the galaxy,

Didn’t he just grab the ‘wooden box’ that the only three people who spoke to him at the academy handed him?

Like an idiot.

– It’s my son’s revenge, Kim Ha-yang. You too, like me…

The moment I opened the box, I heard a voice message from ‘someone’.

One old recorder, one [artifact],

And… a volunteer card from an orphanage.

Hwaruk-!!

Soon, [Artifact] was activated and her body started burning.

That’s all there is to it.

“… … .”

“… Oh, what is this box? ”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”

My heart hurt.

That’s all.

Kim Sa-rang looked straight into Eunha’s eyes.

A person who worked hard to save himself without anyone knowing today.

In her eyes, as beautiful as the night sky, there was a twinkling North Star.

“… … It’s okay. Actually, I went to [Euncheon Academy] too?”

“Are you talking about the Milky Way?”

“A few years ago, at the association’s recommendation… I dropped out in less than a year.”

Did he sense something from Kim Sa-rang’s serious expression?

Eunha, sitting on a bloody bench, suddenly started talking like that.

An unexpected history of the galaxy.

Kim Sa-rang also sits next to Eun-ha, looking up at the foggy twilight alongside her.

[Grandpa Park], who was kicked off the bench by Eunha after being hit in the back, slowly walks around the area, moving his reattached wrist.

“I was a rascal who came in through the association’s network, but I couldn’t make a single friend and left on my own… That was the first and last time during my school days.”

“… … .”

“Then I met Bangul and opened a cafe, and I met Banharin… Now I’m hanging out with some people who are kind of like people, laughing and getting along.”

A story with a lot of twists and turns, especially downhill sections.

But it’s a story about smiling even on a slight uphill climb… and going downhill with a smiling face.

Galaxy, who was touching the back of her hand like an old man, looked at the setting sun.

“What I’m trying to say is… Kim Sa-rang is not a friendless loner.”

“A friendless loner…”

“A person who prepares for future meetings. Like my old self.”

Just like you, who obtained the [Black Book] and encountered many connections.

Like the [transparent baby] I found in the cupboard under the sink one day…

I wanted to tell Kim Sa-rang that she will meet a wonderful person someday, so she won’t be lonely her entire life.

That’s it.

“… … I see.”

Kim Sa-rang nodded and took Eunha’s story to heart.

I guess he wanted to console himself for being deceived by the only three people who spoke to him at the academy and ultimately losing his life.

However, I have never tried this kind of comfort before, so it is awkward in many ways.

Kim Sa-rang, who felt that Eunha’s soft and gentle speech was cute, simply liked it.

“Is this our next meeting?”

“Of course. If I get a chance later, I’ll…”

“Already found. The throne’s destiny.”

Chomp!

At that moment,

Kim Sa-rang, who was sitting next to Eun-ha on a bloody bench,

He took out his beloved sword from his waist and swung it with all his might toward the misty sunset.

Wedge!

The sound of the wind parting.

I just swung my sword diagonally.

“… … Wow.”

“I am the junior leader of [Changcheon Sword Family]. I am the swordsman Kim Sa-rang.”

Kim Sa-rang, with her back to the twilight, took the lottery ticket toward Eun-ha.

The billowing sleeves of the black gi ripple like shadows.

Ghost of the Sword.

It’s literal.

“My mother said that I am a ‘beast-like child’ who has better intuition than others.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“The swordsman Jeong So-ra also calls me a beastly bastard.”

“That’s definitely not a compliment.”

Projecting the speech and behavior of characters in a novel onto oneself… To put it vulgarly, being ‘consumed by the concept’

Conversely, a person who has excessive confidence in their own abilities.

“Because of that, I dare say… I, I, want to become your sword.”

[Euncheon Academy] 3rd year, Kim Sa-rang.

First place in the entire school in practical skills.

A D-class hunter who named his own skill [Thought Severing].

Swish…

Enjoying the sunset coming through the diagonally cut fog,

Kim Sa-rang had a more confident smile on her face than anyone else.

“So please… will you become my sword sheath?”

“… … .”

Daaengㅡㅡㅡㅡ.

The bell rang.

The sound of a bell that carries the passage of time.

Kim Sa-rang, who had been approaching Eunha, lifts her chin and tells her to look at her.

Even though he did it himself, his face, tanned by the sunset, is bright red, as if he is embarrassed.

“Your life has already been saved twice. From now on, I will live to protect you.”

“… … .”

“… … Well, um… Don’t we need at least one person who is stupid but good at using their body?”

Eunha, who was blankly staring at Kim Sa-rang with her back to the twilight, smiled languidly.

[Grandpa Park] can be seen looking at the idiot Kim Sa-rang with a happy expression.

“… … Okay. But can you do me a favor?”

“Just talk. I know where the snacks that Mommy has been hiding are past their expiration date.”

The galaxy laughed.

Kim Sa-rang wants to protect herself.

I don’t know why, but [Grandpa Park] is showing interest.

… … A person whose eyes have already opened.

“Tonight. Please lock the veranda window before you go to bed.”

“Hmm?… That’s not a difficult request. I’ll do it.”

please,

I hope she continues to live in peace.

The galaxy said.

… … .

… … .

“But what are you going to do with that box?”

“This? I’m returning it since there’s no one to receive it.”

Time passed.

After a while, Kim Sa-rang leaves the academy after finishing all her lectures.

Eun-ha headed to the school gate with Kim Sa-rang, who was strangely excited.

“But… Could you please let me down? I’d rather walk.”

“Your sword says. This is good.”

Kim Sa-rang was walking through the middle of the academy with Eunha on her back.

Is it good to be together, or is it good to show others that you are with the galaxy?

Or maybe it’s because of the softness that presses against my back.

He carries his school bag in one hand and his Galaxy carrier in the other, and he looks confident in the world.

( Ah. [Red Woman] Hello. I haven’t seen you for a while. Where have you been… )

(“Honey, you said?”)

( what? )

The reason why Eunha is carried by Kim Sa-rang.

It’s nothing.

Right after breaking up with Kim Sa-rang, who wanted to be her sword during lunch, I ran into [Red Woman], who had a fatter face than usual.

Now that the academy is over, he is lying on the bench in a somewhat bashful manner, and is being carried by Kim Sa-rang.

It’s really no big deal.

maybe.

“… … Galaxy Doryeo.”

“I’m okay.”

“… Okay.”

Eunha changed into spare clothes that she had packed in her carrier instead of the bloody clothes.

She, who was carried by Kim Sa-rang, had to fix her disheveled smile because of the stone head that kept walking with its shoulders squared in a confident manner.

The guy who carries a person with a sore back on his back has a straight back.

Who are you kidding?

He transferred the lightweight artifact attached to his carrier, the ‘1++ Sticker’, to his body and even used ‘Body Strengthening’ to embrace Kim Sa-rang.

Her chest felt heavy like a hotteok, but she held it in. Perhaps because the pressure on her back was getting stronger, Kim Sa-rang’s steps were getting faster and her shoulders were getting higher.

“Eek……!”

At that time, three academy students passed by Kim Sa-rang.

Among them, a skinny female student who was biting her fingernails while checking on her friends’ conditions… A student named Choi Mina, discovered Eunha on Kim Sa-rang’s back and lowered her eyes in shock.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…!”

A student who receives a ‘surprise box’ from a strange ‘uncle’ to give to Kim Sa-rang.

Next to Choi Mi-na, a student, is ■■, who is looking up at the sky with a blank expression.

There was a sheep named ◇◇ who was staring at the frightened Choi Mina.

“… … .”

◇◇ A student with the [Close-up] skill bows towards the galaxy.

As if the light was so bright that I couldn’t look straight at it,

Bow down, kneel down and prostrate.

… … Bow.

◇◇ Student who bowed twice.

She quickly left the room with Choi Mina and the male student.

“… … Galaxy. What did you do to them?”

“Well.”

“That woman with the [Clairvoyance] skill… I’m strangely attracted to her. I think we could be best friends now.”

Did you say that you have better intuition than other people?

The galaxy didn’t bother to interfere.

Because the goal of saving Kim Sa-rang has been achieved.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll live happily, with a refreshed mind… forgetting everything about the monster.

‘… … … Of course not. This blockhead wouldn’t forget to open the veranda window, right?’

No, it won’t be.

Even though his head is made of stone, he understands human language.

Eunha thought positively.

… … .

… … .

(What was inside the opened box?)

… … .

Time goes by.

Without waiting for us.

– Tsk… Dude. You made the kids do that important thing.

“Only then will it have any meaning.”

Evening. The dusk when the sun sets beyond the horizon.

In a small studio apartment, a bearded man was talking on the phone with ‘someone’.

Dark room. Monitor that brightens the studio apartment.

The monitor’s pure white light illuminates a messy pile of trash.

– It looks like the ‘surprise box’ hasn’t been opened. What should I do now that Kim Ha-yang’s daughter has returned home?

I sit at my desk and look at my laptop.

The man strokes his bushy beard and picks up a picture frame on the desk.

– Tell me. What are you going to do now? Today is your son’s death anniversary. So, did you try to kill Kim Sa-rang today?

“… … .”

– But what the heck? You couldn’t kill him?? So now you’re going to wait until next year?

“… … .”

– Oh my, you annoying brat. If you keep doing that, you’ll never be able to overcome [Changcheon Sword] even if you live your whole life… You reaped the consequences of losing your adopted son…

“Shut up…!”

The conversation continues.

The story continues like small talk, without any context.

Boom! The man who had been slamming his desk nervously put down the picture frame.

A picture of his adopted son was taken,

A group photo of the people of ‘Hanbit Orphanage’.

His love for his adopted son was so great that he kept it in a frame and cleaned it from time to time.

“… … Tsk..”

However, have you ever spilled coffee in the past and quickly wiped it away?

Among the orphanage children in the photo, ‘one’ was so distorted that he was unrecognizable.

The man who had been quietly examining the picture frame sat down at the desk and put a cigarette in his mouth.

“… … Academy CCTV. I need to check what happened. ”

– Yes, yes~. You will get 3 chapters in cash.

“Check the video and send it.”

– Do as you wish… But you know you have to be careful these days, right? This time in the ‘Potion Dispensary’, it’s like…

Pirolong.

Then the phone was disconnected.

As the frowning man looks at his cell phone, a sign that says ‘Out of range’ appears in the corner of the screen.

The call suddenly got disconnected.

But soon, CCTV footage from [Euncheon Academy] arrived on my laptop.

The mobile phone is still out of service.

I clicked on the CCTV footage, thinking I would send the money later.

‘Today, someone had to die. But why…’

It’s not a perfect plan, but

Still, they moved without leaving a trace and without anyone knowing.

Kim Ha-yang’s daughter opens the ‘surprise box’ and dies,

Kim Sa-rang’s friends who received the box from her opened the ‘surprise box’ and died,

Anyway, someone had to die.

Of course, it would be best if Kim Sa-rang opens the box, but even if that doesn’t happen, if her friend dies and she suffers trauma…

That was enough of a surprise gift for today.

‘But why didn’t anyone open the box?’

Soon after, CCTV footage began playing on the man’s laptop.

We inspected each and every surveillance camera at [Euncheon Academy], which boasts thorough security.

At X AM, four students gathered in the backyard, each receiving a ‘wooden box’.

■■ student heading to the gym while avoiding CCTV as much as possible.

Kim Sa-rang is sleeping on her desk in the classroom,

A woman walking down a quiet hallway with her carrier.

Chijichik…!

The man continued to flip through the videos.

“… … Hmm?”

And the next video.

Gym warehouse footage.

The man, looking at the camera footage of the shabby warehouse, frowned pleasantly.

– Is this it?

– There’s no CCTV in the warehouse. Leave the box here and let’s bring love during lunchtime.

– Okay. Then, should we go to the store with the money that ‘Mister’ gave us earlier?

There is no CCTV in the warehouse.

What the man sees is the gym storage CCTV.

…a little discomfort.

The man nodded and chewed on his cigarette.

Soon after, three students left the room, hiding the ‘wooden box’ in a corner of the warehouse.

After that, the same screen continued, and the man passed the time by combing his shaggy beard with a toothbrush.

1 hour. 2 hours. 3 hours…

Soon, the time displayed in the corner of the CCTV screen indicated the Academy’s lunch time.

“… … .”

How long have I waited?

Someone opened the warehouse door and came in.

She is a woman with a head as big as her chest.

I was walking alone in the academy hallway earlier,

A beauty with her pale skin exposed, the buttons on her shirt ripped off.

You’re running around the academy with a body like that. Aren’t you disturbing the students’ emotions?

A woman who was neither an academy student nor a professor, came into the warehouse carrying a load on her back like an old woman and picked up a ‘wooden box’.

– So this is the gift you prepared.

The man realized intuitively.

That woman is the culprit.

‘That cow must be the cause… How did you find the box? I knew where it was by watching its movements.’

Have you seen the future?

However, there is no ‘skill’ or [artifact] that can see the future.

A feeling of discomfort.

A persistent feeling of discomfort.

A messy feeling that pulls at the back of your neck.

The man spent time quietly concentrating on the video.

Later, I’ll look into where the ‘wooden box’ went.

I spent time anxiously.

『… … Someone once said. Wisdom comes with time.』

Chijijikㅡㅡㅡ!

And at that moment,

The CCTV screen in the gym storage room went dark,

The screen returned again.

“Huh…?”

But this time it’s not CCTV footage.

A slightly different video.

Thud… thud…

It’s like watching someone’s body cam.

A screen of walking in the darkness.

In the hand of ‘that thing’ was a wooden box prepared by the man.

“What was inside the opened box?”

A voice full of wisdom is heard.

Soon, the ‘thing’ in the video entered a building.

Thud… thud…

A camera shaking with every step. A simple one-room building.

In the video on the laptop, ‘that thing’ slowly climbed the stairs that were all too familiar to the man.

This is his one-room house.

‘What the… what the hell is this? What kind of video did that kid send me?’

Knock knock knock knock!

I pressed the arrow on my laptop.

The video on the screen did not rewind or fast forward.

Even if you close the video or turn off the laptop, the video will continue to stream without stopping.

Like the years that pass by without waiting for us,

Or like a live video broadcast in real time.

The building, familiar to the man, and the scenery of the dark hallway,

All that is visible on the screen is the hand of ‘that thing’ carrying a ‘surprise box’ and climbing the stairs.

Thud… thud…

The sound of climbing stairs.

… … A sound heard outside the door, not on the screen.

Boom!

The man got up from his desk, drew his weapon, and stood in front of the doorway.

Thud… thud…

The sound of footsteps is getting closer.

The sunset coming through the window illuminates his forehead, which is wet with cold sweat.

“Sigh……”

Thud… thud…

Damn…

A tense moment,

“… … .”

but,

As if teasing him who was very nervous,

The sound of footsteps suddenly disappeared.

“… … .”

There is no longer any sound outside the door.

A heavy silence just pounds on my eardrums.

Still, the man who had been holding the weapon and looking around for a long time,

After five minutes, I finally managed to relax and wipe away the cold sweat.

I don’t know what the hell is going on.

Was that kid playing a prank by sending CCTV footage?

As expected, villains are not to be trusted.

The man put down his weapon and returned to his desk.

Daaengㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ.

The bell rings at dusk.

The man looked at the laptop.

“… … .”

The image displayed on the laptop screen.

A dark video… as if someone was spying on someone’s body cam.

“… … .”

『… … .』

What is shown in the video is,

It was a picture of himself looking at his laptop.

“It’s a return.”

The ‘thing’ behind you speaks.