Ah. It came back to me. I regained consciousness.

I’m in that state where I’ve just woken up, still drowsy, but I remember now. I remember the day I opened my eyes in this world.

Back then, I had a clear goal. Though I didn’t get very far with it.

I did have a goal. I really did. Looking back, I realize I wasn’t holding on—I had already crumbled a long time ago. I was just stuck in that state, unable to move forward.

There was a clear goal: somehow, make Han Si-Hoo reconcile with Yoo Seo-Ah. Get them close again. Make it so there was no unfortunate past. Prevent any tragic events from happening. Why would the author kill off the childhood friend so early on?

If I had been the protagonist. If I had been the protagonist, none of this would have happened. Being a protagonist and being this incompetent? If it were me, I could have protected everything. A baseless belief that I could have done it all.

But what I see before me is a tangled mess of a story. I can’t even remember what the original plot was anymore. It’s still early in the novel, and yet everything has already gone wrong.

Still, I did something right. The fact that Yoo Seo-Ah is still alive—that’s something, right?

[Paused]

Or is it really something to be proud of? Is being alive alone enough to call it an accomplishment? It feels like Han Si-Hoo deserves most of the credit. But Han Si-Hoo must have paid some price. I need to apologize to him.

The fact that I don’t need to use the drugs anymore is a relief. Maybe now, I can truly heal Yoo Seo-Ah.

"It’s been a while."

Someone is sitting next to the bed. The voice is familiar. It’s similar to the one I used to hear back at home.

The doctor.

"Ah...?"

Where am I, that the doctor is here?

"I heard you tried to kill Han Si-Hoo. Unfortunately, you failed."

"What? I—what?"

How does he know that? More importantly, where am I? Where am I?

"Calm down. You’re in the academy’s medical facility."

"......"

Then why is the doctor here? It’s hard to understand. Is this all a dream?

"That promise. You remember it, right? The one where you’d receive drugs if you killed Han Si-Hoo? Of course, I assumed you would remember."

Even though I used a lot of drugs, I wouldn’t have attacked Han Si-Hoo if it weren’t for the doctor’s promise. Back then, it felt like my brain had been cut off, and all I could think about was malice. Kill Han Si-Hoo. I kept asking myself what the doctor had said. And what did he say? Kill Han Si-Hoo. Was that a suggestion, or an order?

"You tried your best."

The doctor pats my head. The touch is strangely comforting. For a moment, I feel my mind ease and my body relax.

It’s all the doctor’s fault for giving me the drugs. I should hate him. But I don’t feel any resistance or anger. I don’t see the doctor as an enemy. He just seems like a good person.

"You’ll do better next time. The drugs will continue to be provided for free."

"Drugs? For free?"

"It’s under the guise of military supplies from the academy. But in the end, I’m the one prescribing them."

I don’t understand. Why is he talking as if the drugs from the academy are his?

"But... they’re from the academy..."

"That’s not entirely wrong."

The doctor speaks calmly, as if it’s no big deal.

"I’m on the academy’s board of directors. The supply of your drugs is handled through me."

"Board of directors?"

I think I remember Lee Yoo-Ram saying something about the drugs coming from the board. I didn’t expect the doctor to be involved.

"In any case, you’re free to use as much as you like."

The doctor opens a briefcase similar to the one Lee Yoo-Ram had carried. Inside are several syringes.

"Ah, I don’t need the drugs anymore."

I would have been grateful before. But not now.

"I’m all healed now. I don’t need the drugs anymore."

[Paused]

Time freezes. There’s no need for them anymore. What is the doctor’s expression right now? I can’t quite see it. It’s strange—the room is brightly lit.

The doctor seems to study me for a moment.

"Is that so. I had a feeling you might say that. It seems Han Si-Hoo really did fix everything."

Yes, Han Si-Hoo solved it. How the doctor knows that, I don’t know.

"Yes."

Even though I stabbed him with a knife. I still feel incredibly guilty. I never wanted to do that.

"Then you don’t intend to try to kill Han Si-Hoo again."

"Kill Si-Hoo? Why would I ever think of doing that?"

It sounds absurd. Killing? I would never. No matter how much I hate or resent someone, it never leads to thoughts of murder.

"He’s my friend."

Especially because he’s my friend. Who in their right mind would kill a friend?

"Then it seems you’ll need to repay your debt to Han Si-Hoo."

"Yes."

Repaying him is the right thing to do. At the very least, I need to thank him.

"What do you think is the best way? Helping Han Si-Hoo would be ideal, but what you can do is quite limited."

"Hmm..."

"If you were still using the drugs, you could fight like an Awakened, but that’s no longer an option."

"Still..."

I was never an Awakened in the first place. It’s disappointing that I can’t fight, but there must be some other way to help.

"But since Han Si-Hoo seems to like you, it would be good for you to meet him. Talk things over."

"I’ll do that."

The doctor is always right. That’s a fact. Even without the drugs, I know that much.

He doesn’t try to force the drugs on me either. After all, they were prescribed because I was in pain. If I don’t need treatment anymore, there’s no reason to take them.

"Before that."

The doctor grabs my hand.

"Ouch."

It hurts. It hurts. He only touched me lightly, but it’s already this painful. Without the drugs, my whole body feels like it’s going to break apart. I’m just holding on.

When I use the drugs, my mind goes hazy from the effect. Without them, my mind goes hazy from the pain. There’s no way out.

"Would you like to treat your wounds first?"

The doctor lets go of my hand. It seems like he’s asking if I really don’t need the drugs anymore.

[Paused]

But I won’t use them anymore. This is the opportunity Han Si-Hoo gave me. I can’t waste it.

No matter what, I won’t use the drugs again.

"I’m fine."

I’m normal. Sure, my body aches and stings, but I don’t need the drugs.

"As you wish."

It seems the doctor has decided to respect my decision. If the patient doesn’t want treatment, there’s not much he can do.

"Han Si-Hoo is in the medical facility downstairs."

"Yes. I’ll go see him. Thank you."

The doctor really is kind. He even tells me exactly where to go.

Han Si-Hoo opens his eyes.

"The medical facility?"

It’s the academy’s medical ward. Where Lee Yoo-Ram is.

The wounds on his body have already healed. It feels strange. It’s been a long time since he’s been knocked out like this.

[Status Window] Level: 31 HP: 1381, MP: 990... Skills: Swordsmanship X, Purification X, Magic VI...

Purification has caught up to his swordsmanship level. He isn’t sure if it was the right choice to invest all his skill points into Purification. But he believes saving his friend was the right thing to do.

Status: Purification Penalty (1720 hours)

Looking down, he sees an unexpected number.

"...1720 hours?"

A quick mental calculation tells him that’s around 70 days. The last penalty didn’t feel great, but this time the scale is entirely different. Still, he can endure it. It’s only about two months. He can manage that.

"Si-Hoo?"

There’s someone there.

"You’re awake? Are you alright?"

Yeon-Hwa steps through the curtain surrounding his bed. Han Si-Hoo feels something off and starts to recall his memory. The last person he saw before passing out was none other than Yoo Seo-Ah.

"Yeon-Hwa?"

"I found you passed out. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up."

"What about Seo-Ah?"

The important thing is what happened to Seo-Ah. Yeon-Hwa must have followed Han Si-Hoo after he disappeared during the battle.

"Huh?"

"We were together at the end."

His last memory is still blurry. He shouldn’t have passed out at that moment, not just from being stabbed. It must have been the backlash from using his skills.

It seems the Purification penalty had amplified. Using it with his level 10 Augment skill must have made this Purification work perfectly.

"...That strange girl? Teacher Lee Yoo-Ram took her separately."

"I see."

Yeon-Hwa finally asks the question that’s been on her mind.

"But why was someone like her at the academy?"

The last time she saw an unfamiliar girl emerge from Han Si-Hoo’s house, her brain had nearly frozen. But now, she understands. Han Si-Hoo had been dealing with something enormous. An old friend turned drug addict, and he was trying to take care of her—that’s the only conclusion she could draw.

But in the end, that friend stabbed him. Because she’s from the slums. It’s a filthy place. If a girl from a place like that did something awful, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Though Han Si-Hoo had been connected to such a person, thankfully, it was now over. There was no way he would continue to protect a girl who not only lacked gratitude but even tried to kill him.

"It’s my fault."

Han Si-Hoo answers. It was his fault that Yoo Seo-Ah ended up at the academy.

Han Si-Hoo’s mistakes were his to fix. No one else could solve his problems for him. So he had found a way.

He poured all of his skill points into Purification. Now, all that remains is the 1700-hour penalty. The concern is that he still doesn’t know exactly what part of him is affected by the penalty.

It’s different from last time. He can no longer hear that voice. He doesn’t feel like his thoughts are being interrupted.

If Yoo Seo-Ah is alright, everything will be perfect. He needs to find out if the Purification worked properly.

Will everything finally go back to how it was? At last? He doesn’t regret using his level-up points. He can always level up again, and there might be more situations where the Purification skill will be useful.

"Sorry you had to deal with all this, and thanks."

Yeon-Hwa blushes.

"I was just repaying my debt from last time. So don’t worry about it."

She had owed Han Si-Hoo for saving her before. Delivering a gift hadn’t felt like enough. Now, she felt more at ease.

Good, this is good. Yeon-Hwa thought to herself. She was happy to feel closer to Han Si-Hoo.

"...Then I’ll go see Seo-Ah."

He rises from his bed.

"Huh?"

Han Si-Hoo has unfinished business.

"That’s dangerous."

"What do you mean?"

"She’s the one who tried to kill you. I don’t see why you need to go."

"Ah, that. It should be fine now, probably."

On what grounds? She’s just a drug addict. Still, Yeon-Hwa remembered how pitiful Yoo Seo-Ah looked, trembling and gasping for breath at the end.

Syringes, knives, hammers, ropes. Signs of drug use. Bandages. Even to Yeon-Hwa, who had only caught a glimpse, she looked pitiful. Though she was unconscious when Yeon-Hwa sent her off to the treatment facility.

"Seventeen hundred, huh."

Purification Penalty (1720 hours)

"Huh? Numbers? What about them?"

Yeon-Hwa asks, confused by the sudden mention of numbers.

"It’s dangerous."

Han Si-Hoo holds his head. His thoughts are becoming contaminated.

"...Are you okay, Si-Hoo?"

Silence.

Yoo Seo-Ah is garbage. A hindrance. A fool. An obstacle to his growth.

If he meets her again, he might just strangle her right away.

But he won’t. Never. Just having these thoughts makes him feel disgusted.

He won’t kill her. Instead, let her suffer and pay for what she’s done.

Shut up.

Han Si-Hoo crushes the rising malice within him. The penalty has started.

"No."

He’s not okay. But if Yoo Seo-Ah is truly better now, then it’s a success. If he sees her himself, who knows what he might do. So what should he do?

He needs someone reliable to check on her condition. Han Si-Hoo briefly thinks about the friends he’s made.

There’s no one closer to him than Yoo Seo-Ah. But there are a few people he trusts.

Just as he’s debating who to send, someone opens the door to the medical room. A familiar silhouette staggers in.

It’s Yoo Seo-Ah. She smiles when she spots Han Si-Hoo.

"Si-Hoo."

Purification Penalty (1719 hours)

The person most in need of Purification is standing right there.