Immediately after entering the academy, we undergo the entrance test.
It’s basically a time to learn about the abilities of our classmates.
It’s also when the hierarchy gets roughly established.
This is the time when Han Si-hu would be devouring everything.

“You can’t just attack anyone like last time.”

“Okay.”

Here, it’s just Lee Yoo-ram and me.
The training ground is spacious but a closed-off space.
There are spectator seats beyond the glass windows.
Originally, our classmates would be gathered there to watch.

But if we’re talking about classmates, I’m the only one.
I thought they would add a few more to the special class, but I didn’t expect there would be no one.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

I’m also holding back on the concept play here.
I’ve put away the eye patch and spoken normally.
Doing this is quite tiring.
Still, it helps to block people from approaching.

“Okay.”

—Whoosh.

[13 hours 25 minutes]

The effects of the drugs are starting to kick in.
A pleasurable sensation flows through my nervous system.
After hesitating over the pleasure for a moment, the surrounding environment becomes vividly clear.
What should I attack?

“You need to distinguish who the enemy is. If you attack an ally like last time, it will really be a problem this time.”

—Crackle.

Lee Yoo-ram brought an old MP3 player.
I have no idea how it relates to the drugs.

“It’s a bit old, but it should be fine.”

He presses a button with a thud.
Voices come through with a crackling noise.

—Please listen after administration.
—Repeating it is effective.
—Psychological stability is not necessary for the test subject.
—It lasts only while the drug is effective.

Strange words spill out.
What on earth is this voice for?

—[You cannot attack a target not designated by your superior.]

Lee Yoo-ram looks at me with a peculiar expression.
It seems he’s unsure if this will work.

—[You must attack the target designated by your superior.]

“Hmm?”

I feel like I’ve heard that voice somewhere.
It’s a familiar voice.
How many voices would Yoo Seo-ah be familiar with?

The doctor?

My memory is hazy, but didn’t a similar situation occur?
What did he say after administering the drugs?
That I must tell the truth, wasn’t it?
It must have been right after I went to Han Si-hu.

—[You are designated to...]

Thud.

“That's enough.”

Lee Yoo-ram turns off the sound.
I was curious about what came next, but it’s a pity.

“This much is sufficient.”

An old MP3 player.
I don’t know whose voice is recorded, but it clearly has some effect.

“Now, create a dagger. That’s your ability, right?”

“Yes.”

Thud.

A black dagger is gripped in my hand.
This time, I don’t feel any murderous intent rising.

“Do you see that scarecrow over there?”

“Yes.”

About ten steps away, a scarecrow appears.
Did it rise from the ground?
The training ground really has all kinds of functions.

“Attack.”

Attack.

Boom!
The black dagger expands explosively.
It stretches toward the scarecrow like branches.
It resembles a massive tree root rather than a blade.
This is more violent than the last time when I let the blade droop during the attack.

[11 hours 20 minutes]

I can see the black roots sticking into the scarecrow.

[10 hours 51 minutes]

“Disperse.”

I’m horrified at the sight of time melting away, and I dispel the weapon.
It shatters like glass, and the fragments dissolve into the air.
It seems I don’t harbor hatred toward the scarecrow.
Last time, I was quite flustered because my weapon didn’t disappear.

“Was that your intention?”

“I just attacked on a whim.”

“I see. Good job.”

Lee Yoo-ram writes something on a piece of paper he brought.
He said it was a skill test.
I wonder if I can get a good score.

Other academy students are probably taking tests in different training areas.
I want to watch too.

“Can you do long-range attacks?”

“Long-range…?”
That’s something I hadn’t thought of.
Let’s give it a try.
I have no clue how to do it, though.

Should I make a bow and shoot?
That doesn’t seem likely.

“Want to try long-range attack this time? It might work.”

As Lee Yoo-ram snaps his fingers, a new scarecrow appears.
This one appeared from a distance.
It’s definitely out of reach for close combat.
But for Han Si-hu, he could swing his sword and hit it.
Once you reach a certain level, the distinction between close and long-range attacks loses its meaning.

“Long-range attack.”

O drug, give me a gun.

Then a pistol appears.
It looks rough, with no real details.
It resembles something carved from wood.

“Bang.”

I pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.
There’s no barrel and no bullets.
If it actually shot, that would be more surprising.

“There are awakened people who can shoot guns, but… it seems it doesn’t work.”

“Is that so?”

“Then I’ll have to register it as a close-range attack. I won’t use any weapons.”

Lee Yoo-ram requested a long-range attack.
I have an obligation to meet that expectation.
If I throw the gun, would that also count as a long-range attack?

Isn’t there something cooler?
Like the attacks I’ve seen in animations.
Swinging a wand and shooting out dazzling lasers.

The wand might not be suitable.
Shooting lasers is intriguing.

“Bang.”

Again, nothing particularly happens.
I thought it would work.

“Honestly, it’s normal for it not to work. This isn’t a drug that enables long-range attacks.”

“Aha.”

If I change the drugs, can I do long-range attacks?
Just how versatile are they?
I don’t understand why people don’t use them.
I’d like to see someone else using it at least once.

“Don’t you see levels or skill names displayed before your eyes? Some people call it the status window.”

Glance.

[10 hours 48 minutes]

Is this also a status window?
I’ve been using it effectively.

“I don’t see anything.”

“Is that so? That must be tricky.”

“Are there awakened people like me who can’t see such things?”

“Yeah. When the awakening rate is low.”

I remember mine being quite low.

“You’ve forcibly raised it by using drugs, so it’s not strange for it to look abnormal.”

“Abnormal…”

What does that mean?
Does it mean I’m abnormal?
Or does it refer to this [10 hours 47 minutes] that appears to be abnormal?
I don’t know.

“Do you have any other abilities?”

Other abilities?
I think there was something.

Thud.

I create a dagger.
This is the ability I’ve had since I started taking the special drugs.
There must have been some ability from the beginning.
My ability shouldn’t just be limited to creating black blades.
Right?

[10 hours 39 minutes]

“You can do anything.”

Anything?
I spread my left palm and look at it.
It’s wrapped in bandages.

“You’re testing your limits.”

I know my limits roughly.
As long as time doesn’t hit [0], it’s fine.
That’s my limit.

Whoosh.

“The testing area is wide, so… huh?”

I stabbed my hand.
I plunged the dagger into my left hand, which was spread out before me.
It wasn’t difficult to pierce through.
Blood oozes out.

[10 hours 11 minutes]

“This way.”

Even if my arm breaks, it doesn’t hurt, and getting stabbed by a blade doesn’t hurt either.
I’m just afraid of the effects wearing off.
But it’s fine right now.
It’s not a fatal injury, and Lee Yoo-ram is a healing-type awakened, and the environment is perfect with an abundance of drugs.

“It doesn’t hurt. This is the ability I originally had.”

I say as I pull out the blade.
The blade I removed shatters in the air as it disappears.
The bandages are being stained red.

[9 hours 56 minutes]

Pain?
Rather, there’s a strange pleasure in it.
It’s not that I used to play around by cutting my arms out of boredom for no reason.
With Han Si-hu gone, I felt lonely by myself.

“…Don’t do that.”

“Yes.”

I only did it to test the limits of my ability.
Lee Yoo-ram holds my bleeding hand.

[9 hours 44 minutes]

“[Lesser Heal].”

The wound instantly heals.

“Wow.”

[9 hours 43 minutes]

The rapid loss of time has also stopped.
This is why you keep a healer by your side.
He’s a precious asset.

“You don’t have any other abilities, right? Speak, speak, don’t harm yourself.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Alright.”

Lee Yoo-ram writes something down on the paper.
He grumbles about what he’ll make me do because he’s scared.
His hands seem to be trembling a bit.

“…There’s still the trauma test left. We skipped it last time.”

I’ve heard of that test.
It’s the one Han Si-hu told me not to do.
It sounds like a dangerous name.

“Let’s give it a try. We have to do it at least once. It’s to check your resistance to mental attacks.”

If other students are doing it,
there’s no reason not to do it.

“I’ll do it.”

“Okay. Switching to the trauma test. If it seems too difficult, I’ll stop right away. You can say stop, and it’ll be stopped immediately.”

“Yes.”

Was it about evoking bad memories?
Showing hallucinations?
I remember it being something similar.

“It’s about mental confusion or hallucinations, something like that… those who can’t handle it won’t be affected at all. Then it’s an instant pass. It means you won’t crumble under ordinary mental attacks.”

“Is that so?”

“Are you ready? It’s better to start quickly and finish it. Overthinking can be poisonous.”

Lee Yoo-ram takes a step back.
He snaps his fingers holding a pen.

“Here we go.”

Boom.

With a loud noise, everything around me flies away.
For a hallucination, it feels extremely real.
A black space unfolds.

It’s silent.

“…They said it was a mental attack.”

With everything around being dark, it feels a bit scary.
I can’t hear anything.
Not even the sound of my own heartbeat.
It’s too quiet.

I won’t crumble under this level of fear.
This is nothing.

“That’s…”

There’s something.
Someone is there.

“…It’s Han Si-hu.”

The scenery changes abruptly.
I see a gloomy sky as if it’s about to rain.
A house that looks like it’s about to collapse.
In the middle of a slum.
Old memories are replayed.