Chapter 44 (Continued)

 

The reason.

 

─ ‘Don’t die to the small fry overflowing in this city…!’

 

Goliath’s warning.

 

At first, I had no intention of hiding my unique ability once I awakened it.

 

The problem was that I had awakened a top-tier unique ability that dealt with the concept of space.

 

The more widely this information spread, the more powerful adversaries would target me.
Proof of this was that Goliath, the one I was most worried about, had already shown interest in me as his top priority.

 

Of course, it was impossible to completely control the spread of this information.

 

It might be a futile effort, but it was better than doing nothing.

 

“There’s a lot to do anyway.”

 

Indeed, there was much to do.

 

Besides investigating the incident,

 

the General Student Council of Hanyang Federal Academy sent a notice that they would investigate the incident to hold Ahsung High School accountable.

 

One of the General Student Council’s roles was to hold the respective academy responsible when an incident resulted in many student casualties.

 

Facing the General Student Council head-on was our student council’s responsibility.

 

However, the Disciplinary Committee also had plenty to do.

 

Providing requested materials to the student council, attending meetings to give briefings…

 

‘Well, it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what the student council has to handle.’

 

Please let everything go smoothly without any mishaps….

 

In the game, this incident was one of the landmines that led to the impeachment of the Disciplinary Committee Leader. I just hoped I wouldn’t follow the same path.

 

Swish. As fatigue suddenly washed over my eyes, I rubbed my eyes once.

 

“Are you tired?”

 

“I haven’t been able to sleep lately.”

 

I didn’t bother denying it.

 

There was no point in hiding it from Baek-seo since she would find out anyway.

 

It was difficult to hide my fatigue to begin with.

 

I was dealing with lethargy from magic depletion on top of my injuries.

 

The healer had even nagged me to be hospitalized, but a Disciplinary Committee Leader couldn’t just lie comfortably in bed while there was an incident to resolve.

 

“Um… Aren’t you going to use the card?”

 

“Card?”

 

What card?

 

“…Oh.”

 

That card.

 

The Oh Baek-seo usage card.

 

The card’s effect was cleaning my ears, right?

 

“Especially for the Leader who worked hard this time, I can even offer a bonus pat on the head as a service.”

 

Baek-seo whispered in a confidential tone, with one hand shading her mouth, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

 

‘She must be worried about me….’

 

She was being playful to show her concern and encouraging me to use the card lightly.

 

I waved my hand.

 

“Later. Not now.”

 

I didn’t want to use that card right now.

 

“Later?”

 

“It doesn’t seem like the right time yet. I have work to do.”

 

This level of fatigue was bearable.

 

‘I want to save that card for when I’m truly exhausted.’

 

Using that card would bring me immense happiness at that moment.

 

I’d get tremendous motivation and healing.

 

So, I decided to save it for a crucial moment.

 

As long as I was the Leader, there was no expiration date on using the card.

 

“…If you insist.”

 

Baek-seo smiled and turned her head away from me.

 

Just then, the door to the Disciplinary Committee’s executive office swung open.

 

“Wild Ha Yesong has appeared!”

 

The Wild Ha Yesong, responsible for monitoring public disorder, had arrived.

 

Both Baek-seo and I turned our gazes toward Yesong.

 

“Leader! You’re still alive today!”

 

Yesong pointed at me with both index fingers, raising one knee. Her eyes sparkled brightly.

 

What kind of pose is that?

 

“Do I look like someone who would die?”

 

“Just by looking at you, it seems you could cross the River Styx at any moment. You look like you should be in a hospital bed!”

 

Well, she had a point.

 

“I can’t rest with just this. I’m the Leader, after all.”

 

“Ah, the fighting spirit of the Disciplinary Committee Leader! I, Ha Yesong, am moved…! How about dumpling stew for lunch today?”

 

“…The place where you need at least two people to order?”

 

“Exactly, our Leader! Spot on!”

 

So, she wanted dumpling stew but had no one to go with.

 

“Today, I, Yesong, will carry you there specially!”

 

“No, that’s not necessary.”

 

“No need to refuse!”

 

“I said no….”

 

With Baek-seo and Yesong supporting me, I stood up and walked with crutches.

 

When we arrived at the cafeteria, Yesong chatted cheerfully as if nothing had happened. This, too, seemed to be her way of showing concern for me.

 

Dumpling stew was served. Yesong praised the greatness of dumplings with exclamations as she saw the stew, which was full of dumplings, rice cakes, vegetables, and meat.

 

Bubble, bubble.

 

As I stared at the boiling dumpling stew, a conversation with Seo-jin suddenly came to mind.

 

─ ‘…I want to see the sea.’

 

I didn’t expect the broth to remind me of the sea….

 

Come to think of it.

 

“How’s the sea these days?”

 

A sudden question popped out of my mouth.

 

“Huh? Do you want to go to the artificial beach?”

 

Artificial beach.

 

It wasn’t the real sea but a resort designed to resemble the old sea.

 

It had a sandy shore, a lake, and a large screen displaying the horizon.

 

I remember it being quite popular.

 

“No, just the sea.”

 

“Oh… I think it was two days ago. An explorer who returned this time brought new photos of the sea!”

 

What?

 

Really?

 

I had been so busy dealing with the incident that I hadn’t had time to check the internet.

 

Photos of the outside world brought back by explorers were rare.

 

Even trying to view the Earth via satellite was challenging due to the thick magic energy and pollution caused by the beasts.

 

But this girl….

 

“You had time for web surfing?”

 

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Yesong.

 

We’ve been incredibly busy lately.

 

I worked despite being injured.

 

“Hehe.”

 

“Get back to work, Ha Yesong.”

 

“I am working! It was just a refresh!”

 

Yesong laughed awkwardly.

 

“Anyway, do you want to see?”

 

“…Show me.”

 

Yesong showed us the recent photos of the sea brought by the explorer.

 

“……”

 

A gloomy sky.

 

The sea, still unpurified and polluted with nuclear waste and the magic energy of beasts.

 

Countless skeletons, stripped of flesh and organs, scattered without burial.

 

The eerie landscape of the coastline resembled hell.

 

Beyond the horizon, gigantic, grotesque creatures walked bipedally.

 

Unknown black islands and sacred altars floated in the sea.

 

The other sea photos were similar.

 

“It’s fortunate that the Golden Sheep granted us safe lands, right?”

 

Yesong remarked suddenly.

 

“…Perhaps.”

 

According to history,

 

after the Argonauts challenged the Golden Sheep, the Golden Sheep seemed to appreciate humanity’s challenge and granted a few safe lands.

 

One of those was the center of the Korean Peninsula.

 

The current Academy City, Neo Seoul.

 

Though, the true intentions of the Golden Sheep were unknown.

 

─ ‘I want to see the sea, which is no longer beautiful, with my own eyes.’

 

The penalty for necromancy was becoming a revenant, wasn’t it?

 

If Han Seo-jin was freely roaming the outside world separated from her body,
was she witnessing such sea landscapes?

 

What kind of scene would the sea show Han Seo-jin?

 

Had she managed to glimpse the old beauty of the sea even a little?

 

It was something I couldn’t know.

 

* * *

 

Ahn Woo-jin unwrapped his bandages.

 

Thanks to the healer’s recovery magic, his injuries healed in about a week.

 

After being informed by the healer that his state of magic depletion would recover by early dawn the next day,

 

he exercised intensively at home, having rested sufficiently. Fortunately, it was the weekend tomorrow.

 

“Whew.”

 

After exercising, showering, and enjoying the pleasant muscle soreness, Woo-jin drifted off to sleep.

 

In the dark dawn,

 

as Woo-jin’s magic circuits recovered, the dormant magic began to return.

 

Crack!

 

A crack appeared in the air.

 

From it, a long, white, bare leg extended gracefully.

 

A girl emerged from the crack, her long golden hair fluttering as she landed barefoot.

 

Even in the dark night, the girl emitted a soft glow, displaying an elegant figure. Once the crack disappeared, the light flowing through her body faded.

 

The girl, who had her eyes closed, lifted her eyelids, adorned with light golden eyelashes.

 

She gazed at the sleeping Woo-jin.

 

“…He recovers slowly.”

 

The girl muttered, taking a deep breath of the room’s air.

 

She slipped under the blanket covering Woo-jin and hugged him as she fell asleep.