—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Oh? Seong-hyun-ah?”
Lee Seol stood there, holding a pot filled with white flowers. It was a picturesque scene, like something out of a painting.
The sense of satisfaction I’d felt after seeing Ji-hoon evaporated. But showing my true feelings would be amateurish.
I forced a smile and approached her.
“What’s up? You here for a visit?”
“Of course. You saved my life. I had to come. Here, a get-well present. I brought artificial flowers just in case you’re allergic to real ones.”
Such thoughtful consideration, typical of Lee Seol.
While not exactly welcome, I couldn’t refuse. I took the pot and placed it on the windowsill.
“How are you feeling?”
“So-so. I can move around freely now.”
“Ah, so you’ll be discharged soon?”
“Yeah.”
We exchanged small talk, the typical pleasantries of a hospital visit.
Then, Lee Seol bowed her head.
“Thank you, Seong-hyun-ah. For saving me.”
“…We help each other out. You can save me next time I’m in danger.”
Even as I spoke, I felt like gagging. With this level of acting and patience, I could probably make it in Hollywood.
Lee Seol shook her head firmly at my playful response.
“I made a mistake and put the whole team in danger. If you hadn’t been there, Seong-hyun-ah, we’d be ghosts by now.”
A mistake…
‘So it was Lee Seol’s decision to go there.’
In the previous timeline, she hadn’t even come close to the Golden Goblin.
As doubt grew within me, Lee Seol handed me a business card.
“This is…”
“My father’s business card. I thought about what I could do to repay you, and this was all I could think of. Please accept this for now. And wait just a little longer.”
‘I’ll work harder to become someone who can be of help to you.’
It wasn’t a material gift, but a heartfelt one.
It was so like Lee Seol that I was speechless. I accepted the card, not knowing what else to do.
[Korean Hunter Association President – Lee Jun]
It even had his personal phone number.
A business card that was impossible to obtain in Korea, even if you wanted it.
And she’d given it to me. Anyone else would have been ecstatic, but I felt like I’d been handed a piece of useless trash.
I turned the card over in my hands and thought.
‘Should I test the waters?’
Was Lee Seol a regressor, or did she have partial memories of the previous timeline?
I decided to address my nagging doubts.
“Lee Seol-ah, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, anything.”
I swallowed hard.
<Unique Skill>
[Equivalent Exchange]
-4%
My pain points were running low. I prepared to use them at a moment’s notice and began.
“Do you remember coming to the Hall of Challenges at dawn?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you come then? You could have come at any other time.”
“…”
She seemed slightly taken aback and her expression hardened as if she hadn’t anticipated the question.
Sensing an opportunity, I pressed further.
“And this grade evaluation too. Why did you leave a perfectly good hunting ground and come to the foggy barrier?”
“…”
Silence. More silence.
The longer the silence stretched, the more anxious I became. After about ten seconds…
Lee Seol gave a wry smile.
“Um… I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say this, but my father told me not to…”
Alarm bells went off in my head. I shouldn’t pry any further.
I spoke hastily, but…
“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to…”
“I actually awakened a Unique Skill called ‘Extrasensory Perception.’”
“What…?”
Extrasensory Perception?
An ability she wasn’t supposed to awaken for another five years…
I forced my mouth open.
“When did you awaken it?”
“On orientation day. Um… to be precise, right before the professor came in. I think it was when I felt someone staring at me from behind.”
Right after I’d regressed, when I’d inadvertently directed my killing intent at Lee Seol and Han Yuri.
‘What the hell? Is this some kind of protagonist buff?’
Awakening abilities every time you’re in danger?
That didn’t make sense.
“My Extrasensory Perception tells me when something is beneficial or dangerous to me. So when I went to the Hall of Challenges at dawn, I was following that feeling. And…”
Lee Seol hesitated, then lowered her gaze.
“Um… I feel a sense of comfort around you, Seong-hyun-ah. A kind of fluffy feeling. Different from other people. That’s how I knew. That feeling was swirling around me right before the wolf attacked.”
“…I see.”
All the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.
It was all because of me.
My poor emotional control had caused this whole mess.
The unease that had been building within me dissipated. I’d been so worried that Lee Seol had regressed.
‘But just in case…’
I needed to be sure. There was still a chance she was lying.
I directed my killing intent at her. If she really had Extrasensory Perception, she would react somehow.
Nothing.
‘What’s going on?’
Just as I was starting to feel confused…
*Ring ring.*
A phone rang. An unusual ringtone. It wasn’t mine.
“Sorry. I should have turned off my phone…”
“No, it’s okay. Answer it.”
Lee Seol quickly picked up the phone.
Then her face hardened.
An expression I’d never seen before, in either timeline.
At the same time, a wave of mana emanated from the phone.
‘What is that?’
The sign of a skill activating.
But why from a phone…?
As I was wondering, Lee Seol stood up.
“Hyeon-ah, I’m sorry. Something came up. I have to go.”
“What? Did you just call me Hyeon…?”
“It feels weird to keep calling you Seong-hyun-ah. We’ve shared secrets now… You can call me Seol too. Anyway, I have to go!”
“Hey! Wait!”
-Slam!
Lee Seol rushed out, slamming the door behind her, as if trying to hide her slightly flushed face.
I was left alone.
‘Shit.’
This was bad, I missed my chance.
A week passed since Lee Seol’s abrupt departure. It was finally the day of my discharge.
Before completing the discharge procedures, I was packing my things when I noticed the three flowerpots on the windowsill.
‘They’re all different flowers.’
Usually, get-well flowers were pretty standard.
‘Is this a white aster?’
I’d never heard of it before.
I got curious and searched online.
I decided to look up the flower language of all three.
[Black Rose]
-Curse, death, farewell, you are eternally mine
[Acacia]
-Social interaction, pure heart, friendship, hidden love
The first two were easy to find, but there wasn’t much information on white asters.
I scrolled down, and my finger stopped on a single line.
[White Aster]
-Believe me
I turned off my phone.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The school grounds.
All 300 first-year students were gathered in this vast space.
“We will now begin the closing ceremony for the first annual Grade Evaluation. First place goes to Class 1-A, Team 2. Please come forward.”
At Professor Irena’s words, our team walked towards the podium. I felt the envious stares of the other students.
“Those guys will never starve. They’re masters at riding coattails.”
“What else can they do? They wouldn’t survive otherwise. Let’s just cut them some slack.”
The Rank 1 students still saw me and Choi Ah-hyun as freeloaders.
I could hear their disapproving whispers.
On the other hand…
*Clap, clap, clap.*
Lee Seol was clapping with a smile, while Kim Ji-hoon gave a half-hearted applause, stifling a yawn.
There were some who were supportive.
“Team 2 scored 35,000 points, almost five times the score of Team 1 in second place. This is an overwhelming victory. Therefore, we award them the special first-place prize, the ‘Wishing Stone.’”
Irena went to the safe and infused it with mana.
[Wishing Stone]
Grants the user any skill they desire. It can create entirely new skills or enhance existing ones.
A priceless artifact.
However, if the user’s capacity is too small to handle the skill, the backlash will be severe.
In short, don’t be greedy, and know your limits.
-Click.
The safe opened.
The security was tight, befitting a prize worth a fortune.
Irena unlocked multiple layers of security and retrieved the Wishing Stone.
It looked more like a jewel than a stone.
“Wow… it’s beautiful.”
“…”
Choi Ah-hyun was captivated by its brilliance, while Han Yuri remained indifferent.
She was still a mystery.
“So, who will be using it?”
There was only one Wishing Stone.
We’d already discussed this.
Han Yuri folded her arms and pointed at me with her index finger.
“He’ll take it.”
The first-year students erupted in an uproar.
“Hey, did I hear that right? Why are they giving it to him?”
“What the fuck! That’s ridiculous! Why give that treasure to the last-place student?!”
The murmurs quickly escalated into shouting.
The Wishing Stone was one of the top five rewards offered by the school.
Everyone had assumed Han Yuri would use it.
But to give it to the last-place student? That didn’t make any sense.
Fuel was added to the fire by the professor in charge of Class 2, a notorious Rank 2 hater.
“Lee Seong-hyun, may I ask you a question?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
The man pushed up his glasses and smirked.
“The rank of the skill granted by the Wishing Stone depends on the user’s potential. By accepting it, you’re implying that you’re more talented than Han Yuri… is that correct?”
“…”
Damn. He had a point…
I wasn’t untalented, but I wasn’t a genius either.
My advantage over Lee Seol and Han Yuri was my combat experience, my instincts, and my knowledge of future opportunities.
“Wouldn’t it be better for the stability and development of your team to give it to Han Yuri, since you’re the leader?”
“…”
“Hmm. Your silence suggests you agree.”
An interrogation.
The professor, backed by a hundred Rank 1 students, was targeting me. I was about to speak, but Han Yuri stepped forward.
‘Don’t tell me…’
If she got involved, things would get complicated. I reached out to stop her, but…
“Professor, I’m giving it to him. So what is the fucking problem?”
The bomb had dropped.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
