If there is hell in this world, it would be here.
Inside the dormitory.
In my room.
Right here, right now.

[12 minutes]

My lunch with Han Si-hoo was delicious.
The mention of the slums quickly faded away along with Seol Ha-jin.
I heard that Han Si-hoo was a student from the high school division whom I had beaten in a sparring match when he was in the middle school division.
No wonder he looked displeased.

The afternoon class with Lee Yu-ram was also beneficial.
However, this command of mine refuses to go away.

I can't attack unless the target is designated by a superior.

With this in place, my planned strategy takes a significant hit.
If it weren't for Seol Ha-jin, I think it would have taken me longer to notice this issue.
But I found a solution.

As soon as it reaches zero, I will use the drug.
The moment it hits zero.
Even if I feel like I want to die, I can hold out for a brief moment.

I already feel an unpleasant sensation as if bugs are crawling all over my body, but there's nothing I can do about it.
It can't be helped.
The only way to break this command that says something about following the orders of a superior is this.
I’ll lower the effect of the drug.
Previously, it seemed like the command set by the doctor was lifted after I barely escaped death last time.

So, this is the only way.
Blood seeps from the wound on my wrist.

“Just a little more.”

I cut my own arm.
When blood flows, the effect of the drug decreases faster.
But if it decreases too quickly, that would be a problem, so I adjusted the speed a bit.

If I don't want to see blood, I could strangle myself or use another method.
But this seemed the easiest way.

[7 minutes]

As the drug effect wears off, the pain becomes sharper.
I was clearly born to suffer.
That's the only thought I have.

“Not yet.”

Should I just give up?
Four empty syringes lie on the desk.
This is the fourth attempt.
If I go any further, I'll run out of syringes to use.

[4 minutes]

“Now.”

Bang!

I hit my finger with the hammer I had prepared.
I know this will make the time evaporate by about five minutes instantly.
It hurts.

[0]

At the same time, I have to insert the syringe right away.
Last time, I failed with about a minute left.

[4 hours 13 minutes]

Got it.
My hand is a bit bruised, but this time it seems to be a success.
A bandage is still essential.

“Hah, ha.”

I’m out of breath.
It feels like I've gone to the threshold of hell and back.
I'd rather die than endure without the drug effect.

“It's done. Anyway.”

I immediately apply pressure to the bleeding wrist.
If I had the medical supplies sold at the academy, I could stop the bleeding quickly.
I wash it a bit with water, and now I just need to wrap the bandage properly.

That's the advantage of a personal dormitory.
No one cares what I do alone.

“Playing pretend... I can't ask to loosen the bandages...”

While I’m at the academy, I guess I’ll have to keep fooling around like this.
It’s a good excuse for the bandages.
If Han Si-hoo and Lena find out, it would be bothersome.
Both of them see me as a friend.
I'm grateful for their concern, but it's a bit annoying at the same time.

“Should I ask Lee Yu-ram to treat me?”

That seems like it could be quite a nuisance.
If they ask why I got hurt, it would be bothersome.
Even if I said I was self-harming for fun, I feel like Lee Yu-ram would just accept it.

Time.

[4 hours 11 minutes]

Not that, real time.

7:46 AM.

It’s morning.
Time to head to school.
I stayed up all night trying to remove the drug effect.

But since I succeeded, it’s fine.
How dare they impose such restrictions on me?
I can attack as I please.
I have freedom.

Freedom.

“Alright, morning class starts.”

Lee Yu-ram presses the button.
Along with the crackling noise, a voice is heard.
Freedom?
It’s another repetitive day.

-Please listen after administration.
-Repeating it is effective.
-Subjects do not need psychological reassurance.
-It will only last as long as the drug effect persists.

The same repetitive voice again.
I tried to cover my ears.
But at Lee Yu-ram's words that I couldn't administer the drug like that, I lowered my hands.

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

What a load of crap.

-[You must attack the target designated by a superior.]

I need to find a way.
No, there’s a way, but I thought it would be over with just once.
I never expected to hear this every time I used the drug.

“Ahaha.”

I can’t help but laugh.
I feel happy.

Teacher?

Teacher, what would happen if the sentence coming from that MP3 player were a bit different?
It seems too versatile.
Can it command anything?
Even so, there must be some limitations.

“Other class kids are starting to head into actual combat. We should prepare too.”

“Actual combat?”

“The goal is to eliminate monsters. Cleansing dungeons or gates, that’s what the academy is for.”

“Is that something I’m supposed to do?”

That’s the job of academy students.
But are they sending me too?

“At least once.”

At least once?
Once is once.
This wording is strange.

“What should I do?”

“We need to prepare first. We’re going to practice fighting against actual monsters, not simulations. In the training ground.”

I’ve always wanted to fight properly at least once.
Because that’s what academy students do.

“If the results are good, you’ll be able to fight outside too.”

“I can't fight for long.”

If the drug is sufficient, I can fight.
But based on my past combat experience, I can only do short-term battles.
Quick and decisive.
Until the drug effect wears off.

“Then use one more.”

“Huh?”

“Military drug. It will get stronger the more you use it.”

“Wow.”

Lee Yu-ram pulls out one more syringe.

[13 hours 58 minutes]

Am I getting one more shot here?
This is the best.
My mind is racing.

-Swoosh.

[21 hours 14 minutes]

It’s been a long time since I’ve gone over 20 hours.

“Haha.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

What if I use just one more?

“Okay, then again. Attack the target. It should be stronger than the last scarecrow.”

If they say to attack, then I should do it.

I get closer to the target.
It looks like a steel pillar.
First, I create a handle, then form the head of the hammer.
I swing it.

[20 hours 2 minutes]

It’s a one-hour weapon.

Bang.

The target cracks.
If it were a scarecrow, it would have already broken.

Bang bang bang.

I recall the bruise on my finger.
While I was suffering through that, I had dropped the drug's effect.
Why am I obeying commands again?

Crack.

So it seems I unconsciously gripped the hammer.

[15 hours 36 minutes]

The target shattered.

“The method of attack has changed. Can you freely create weapons?”

“I don’t know.”

It seems I can create weapons I’ve used once.
Or maybe weapons I’ve experienced fighting against.
Sword, awl, hammer, scissors...

“Now that I have a rough idea of its power, how long can I fight like this?”

“About 5 minutes? 3 minutes? It could be even less.”

“Then I can just keep using drugs whenever I fall short.”

“Ah, huh? Yes, that's right.”

I guess they’re planning to give me the drugs.
That’s good for me.
I know the drugs are expensive.
Will there be any left if they just give them away?

“You can keep using them. Yes. You’ve already exceeded the lethal dose, after all. Since you chose to stay at the academy.”

“Lethal dose?”

“If an ordinary animal were to take this much, it would die quickly. While the lethal dose varies from person to person... using too much is dangerous, regardless.”

I didn't die.

[15 hours 33 minutes]

I’m fine.
Without the drug, I would die.

Ah, that’s it.
If I use drugs without being a patient, that could be a problem.
But since I am a patient, there’s no problem.
How much do they think I’ve used?
I won’t die from this much.

"That's beside the point. Have you ever killed a monster?"

"Monster?"

"It doesn't matter what you call it. Have you ever caught one?"

Did I?
I saw Han Si-hoo kill one.
I don't know if Yu Seo-ah has killed one herself.

"Umm...?"
Have I killed one?
It's a problem since my past memories are all jumbled up.
I feel like I might have, though.
The only memories I can clearly recall overlap with Yu Seo-ah's memories and the novels I’ve read.

No, there must be more.
There has to be something else.

"Um, um?"

"Right, you can learn from now on. Monsters, by their nature..."

Fundamentally, they are ferocious and aggressive.
Fundamentally, they despise humans.
Fundamentally, they are hostile creatures.
Fundamentally, it’s best to avoid them.

"...but that one seems tame."

What does that mean?
Lee Yu-ram is taken aback by a sight he’s never seen before.
It’s a wolf beast about the size of a large dog.
Though it’s small, it’s so aggressively mad that it shouldn’t be safe to approach.

"Wow."

He’s petting it like a pet.
It’s lying on his lap.
The beast looks satisfied as well.
Is it possible for a monster to feel something other than rage?

As Lee Yu-ram approaches, wondering if it’s not a monster, it growls and shows its teeth.
Even then, the aggression is remarkably restrained.
If it were a typical scenario, it would have already lunged and bitten.

‘Monster affinity? There’s no way it could behave like this just because of some drugs.’
The original plan was to record the process of Yu Seo-ah killing monsters.
Now it looks like I’ll be documenting the process of them becoming friends.
It strangely fits together.
Perhaps it’s because they both have black magical powers.

“The fur is coarse.”

Even when Yu Seo-ah pets the monster's head, it behaves as if it were just an ordinary dog.
I’m curious how far this connection goes.
What if it’s not this low-grade monster?
I wonder how large of a beast its affinity extends to.

I should suggest changing the direction of the experiment.
Monster affinity might be the best trait for dealing with monsters, in a sense.

They seem to get along well.
Yu Seo-ah, who usually avoids people, is acting this way.
Kids typically like animals.

“How cute.”

Even if it's a compliment, it’s not actually cute.
After all, a monster is still a monster; if let loose, it could kill dozens of people.
It cannot be raised like a pet.
If one wants a pet, they should raise a real animal.

Yu Seo-ah should know this well.
The reason she has no parents is likely because of a monster’s attack.
Lee Yu-ram also has memories of losing close people to monsters.

“That’s enough. Take care of it.”

Thud.
The black blade pierces the wolf.

“Eh.”

Yu Seo-ah looks down at her hand in shock.
A blade has emerged from the hand that was petting it.
The blood is the same shade of red.
As if it’s unintentional, she examines the wolf, but it’s already dead.

She gazes blankly at the wolf's corpse.
Since it’s a monster, it vanishes quickly.
Leaving behind a few processable items.

“Yeah, that's a really good ability. It’ll be very useful for dealing with monsters.”

I approach, pretending to be friendly, and stab it.
It’s efficient.

“It seems to have worked because it's a beast-type monster, but should I bring something like a golem next? There should be some recently captured specimens.”

Yu Seo-ah is still staring blankly at her hand.

“Seoa?”