Chapter 243 - Exclusive Administrator (2)

“First, what happened? At first, I thought Sigma was you…”

The events of when I first entered this world flashed through my mind once again. Instinctively, I grabbed the bundle of yarn spinning around me and shook it.

“Since when were you watching?!”

[If you shake me like that, I'll get a little dizzy.]

“If you don't answer me honestly, I'll unravel you.”

I grabbed the end of his wool and threatened him. When I unraveled a loop of yarn, the emoticon that looked like a drawing floating in the wool bundle changed to ㅠㅠ.

[I've been threatened with all sorts of things before, but it's the first time someone said they'd take off my clothes—]

“What are you saying! What kind of clothes are these?”

[Then what is it?]

…Are you asking me what it is? It was a bundle of wool, but was there a core or something inside? Then that would be his body, and the yarn… My mood worsened a bit. Don't imagine that.

Let's pretend that what just happened didn't happen.

[I could see you after the first tremors. Until then, I could only lightly intervene in the system.]

The first tremors… were they after installing the disk? So at least he didn't see my status window… But he saw everything after that. I wanted to throw away the wool bundle in my hands. If I hit the back of his head, wouldn't he lose some of his memories?

Just in case, when I asked him about the status window to be sure, he said he couldn't see it.

[It's not easy to operate mission windows. You entered with your original body, and thanks to your strong external interference, I was able to get close to you, but as for the others, I don't even know where they are.]

So, he said, until I called 'Sung Hyunjae', he couldn't even appear in this subconscious space, and that even sending messages to Yoohyun was only possible through me.

[The visible range is up to about a hundred meters? Centered on you. That's the limit.]

“But didn't you give me a lot of information through that collection of missions?”

[For that, I would □□□□□□□□□□— Oh God, so I can't say it after all.]

Sung Hyunjae shook his head. Well, the wool bundle swayed left and right, so close.

[At this moment, this place □□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□, so □□□□□□□□□.]

^^; The yarn bundle seemed worried. There wasn't much he could say correctly.

[Even so, thanks to the second tremors, I was able to get close to you like this. Did you continue installing the disks?]

“There are three left now. Newcomer said he would tell me how to conduct the raid if I installed them all. Are you in contact with Newcomer? The volleyball guy?”

[Not really. I was informed that my body and the world are not currently real, that I could accumulate points through missions and hunts to buy items and skills I wanted in the store, and that was all.]

Newcomer, why aren't you doing your job properly?

[If you install all the disks, I'll be able to tell you more. But right now, I can't do much.]

I needed to finish installing the disks quickly. Even so, I wasn't alone anymore, so I could finish soon. Moving between cities would be more troublesome than installing the disks. What if it took more than a week by car instead of two days? I couldn't take a helicopter like Sigma.

At this moment, there wasn't much information Sung Hyunjae could give me. If he tried to say something of the slightest depth, it resulted in floating □s. Even so, I was now sure that he was in the system of this world.

'If I install all the disks, will we even get information about the system?'

Even Newcomer probably wouldn't have expected this. Originally, in a world he had chosen, we would have possessed the people he had chosen. For this, I was grateful to the filial duty addict who had interfered in the dungeon. It was motivating me again.

“Don't lose your memories again, take good care of them.”

[Making □□□□□□ would be □□□□□□□□□□□.]

“What are you saying? Holding the bundle of yarn with both hands, I looked at the screen. At some point, the top of the building disappeared.

Dark blue flames fluttered like waves of the night. The electricity in the Defense Agency building had been cut off, and as only the moonlight shone white, the faint blue flames rose even higher.

It was beautiful. Even as I admired it, I felt bitter.

The Han Yoohyun in my memories had flames of such intense darkness that it even turned toxic. Black blood flames that bloomed from drops of blood. It was something he was praised for. People would call it an efficient but devastating attack ability that slowed down the opponent's recovery.

“...That mixed blue, it's probably because of Alpha's abilities, right?”

[No, you can confirm this once you return, and you'll probably learn it immediately, but Alpha wields ordinary red flames and □□□□□□□□□□□.]

“…Pardon?”

[Even if his body is different, the one using the mana at the root is Han Yoohyun. That's the power of the young master.]

Sung Hyunjae clearly ended my doubts. The back of my neck warmed.

…How should I explain this feeling? I knew that Yoohyun and... that Yoohyun were changing. That was inevitable.

Many things were changing around him, so it was impossible for him alone to remain as he was.

I knew that, but...

“You once told me that Yoohyun was acting in a way that didn't fit his original nature.”

And that the way he gathered people to establish a guild and lead it was a novel spectacle. And that by nature, he would have been an even wilder vagabond than Riette.

“Was... was it bad for my brother? To tell him to get along with other people? Did I make a mistake by telling him that?”

[It depends on your point of view.]

The intense pink wool bundle rolled on my palms.

[Considering that □□□□□□□, without you, Han Yoohyun would have remained alone. Without getting close to anyone or wanting to be close to anyone, he would have burned himself out until the end.]

“Even himself?”

[Yes, no matter how excellent one is, this is not a world where it's easy to endure alone for a long time. Although Riette doesn't have a guild or a formal team, she doesn't attack S-rank dungeons on her own. She'll either look for a temporary team or take her brother. But Han Yoohyun would have been alone until the end, and when he reached his limit, he would have met his end alone in a dungeon. Without retreating or avoiding it.]

That was his nature, Sung Hyunjae said.

[Life is often said to be a flame that burns briefly, isn't it? Han Yoohyun would have taken that to the extreme. He would achieve impressive feats on his own, but it wouldn't be long before he burned out.]

Unable to speak, I looked at the wool. My heart ached. When a sigh escaped me unconsciously, the bundle of wool smiled ^▽^. I wanted to punch it.

[He would have been incredibly free. Without regrets, having lived as he wanted. I'm sure some people would think that's better. On the other hand, some might think it's better to associate with others even if it means suppressing oneself. As for me.]

...What about you? Suddenly, he stopped talking. His smiling expression vanished too.

"Sung Hyunjae-ssi?"

Had I lost the connection? I was about to call him again, but suddenly a hand reached over my shoulder. That hand grabbed the ball of wool. Just when I thought he should have remade his body with the suit and gloves again.

"You raised him well."

I heard a voice. I turned around reflexively. A hand holding the yarn, a body dressed in a suit, and connected to the neck, a head. To my annoyance, his welcoming face was smiling.

"I believe that you, Han Yoojin, raised Han Yoohyun well."

"...Because he's more interesting to you that way?"

"Because the Han Yoohyun raised by you can change."

Sung Hyunjae tossed the yarn lightly and caught it.

"His nature isn't one to limit himself just because he's ordered to. I wouldn't be interested if he were such an easy opponent. But Han Yoohyun would accept it from you. Someone weaker and more trivial than him. It's easy for the strong to persuade the weak and make them listen, but the opposite isn't easy."

My heart was pounding. I felt a bit nervous. Like a child waiting for praise.

"So you raised him well. You worked hard to raise him. If it weren't for you, Han Yoojin, his change would be impossible. I can't go so far as to say that you were perfect, but I would like to express my admiration. Indeed, there's no perfect way to educate people. You just need to do your best, and I think you certainly did."

My face flushed. Though I felt embarrassed, I was satisfied. A wave of unexpected warmth spread through my guts.

"...Thank you."

"I think it's you who deserves thanks, not someone who should express it."

"Even so. Sincerely, thank you very much for this."

And sincerely, I was pleased. The fact that the one saying these words was none other than Sung Hyunjae made them mean even more to me.

I didn't think it was perfect either. Yoohyun's end... was something I could never call desirable. But still, even though Sung Hyunjae didn't know about the events before my regression, it was comforting to know that I had done my best to raise him well.

I was grateful that he acknowledged it.

"It's time for you to wake up."

"Yes, I'll finish installing the disks soon, so we can talk properly outside..."

At that moment, something I hadn't noticed caught my attention. One of Sung Hyunjae's arms, the one not holding the yarn, had disappeared. Only fabric remained hanging.

"Wh-When did you get your arm cut off?!"

"It was unlikely that there wouldn't be some negative reaction since I'm directly interfering in this. Still, this isn't my own body, so it's a small price to pay."

"No, even if it's not your real body—!"

"In that case, I'd appreciate it if you could also overlook an eye. So..."

Before I could ask what he meant, my vision turned black. When I opened my eyes again, a huge blue hole filled my field of view. I quickly looked around. Yoohyun, holding my body, was nearby.

[Will you resurrect?]

Along with the message appeared the remaining wait time. When I chose to resurrect immediately, I was drawn back into my body.

Like resurrecting a character in a real game, I emerged unscathed and didn't even feel any pain. How had they resurrected me?

"...Yoohyun."

"...Hyung?"

"Hyung!"

Yoohyun and Irin cried out at the same time.

"Hy-Hyung. Are you okay...?"

"I'm fine. Really. I'm not hurt at all."

When I told him he could put me down, Yoohyun withdrew the wall of flames surrounding us. The moment he let me go, frighteningly, Yoohyun collapsed on the spot.

"Yoohyun!"

- Yoohyun!

"Are you hurt... Of course you're hurt, damn it! Wait, I have potions..."

"That... hk... that's not all, hyung..."

The halted tears began to drip once again as Yoohyun spoke haltingly.

"M-My legs suddenly... I-I can't even remember how to... how to stand..."

"Yoohyun-"

For now, I used the potion I had taken to treat the wounds on his shoulder and back that he still had. Meanwhile, my brother, sobbing, stretched out his arms and hugged me.

"...Hyung."

"Yes?"

"I can wait too."

Yoohyun continued, holding back tears.

"I believe in you and I can wait. I can wait forever. So don't come alone. Come with Peace or Park Yerim, please. Don't rush and come to find me safe and sound. I'll wait until then."

"Well... I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Yoohyun."

I had been too reckless. My brother had told me not to rush, but I made a mistake.

"Are you injured anywhere else? Are you okay? Those bastards probably didn't even feed you properly."

The mere thought made me furious. For now, I took out a bottle of water and some dried fruits from my inventory and fed him. I should have brought more food. We hadn't destroyed the building with the cafeteria, so let's go there. No, there was a fridge and simple food in the accommodations, so the best room they had... Was there any way to kick Sigma out of his?

I lifted my still trembling brother. Taken by surprise, Yoohyun clung to me.

"Hyung! I must be heavy!"

"I'm a rank C right now. You weigh nothing. I can pick you up like I used to in the old days."

Maybe. Irin crossed to my arm, climbed up, and circled around my shoulder.

- Hyung, hyung! Do you want to see how Rin changes?

"I saw. It was great."

- Okay?

"But how did that happen? And you can talk too."

- That blue thing. Near Mana Halls, Rin-ie can even talk! Because Rin-ie is full of mana! And it also goes really well with Rin-ie!

Was it because of the power of the Mana Hall? Could elementals quickly absorb mana from Mana Halls without an engraving? Yoohyun stared at the chatty Irin, oddly disgruntled.

"Why do you call him hyung?"

- Because he's Yoohyun's hyung!

Upon Rin's response, Yoohyun seemed convinced. Uh, I really don't get it, but the kids seem to have clicked.

"Is this when I should applaud?"

At that moment, Sigma's voice sounded.

I looked at the man standing among the nearly extinguished flames.

"Once you've applauded, you can say goodbye."

"I was going to shout for an encore."

"If you give up your room, I'll consider it. Or a similar quality room. My little brother needs to rest."

"Younger brother, you say."

A particularly interested light appeared in Sigma's eyes, and he looked between Yoohyun and me.

"I'm sure Alpha didn't have any siblings. It doesn't seem like a mental skill effect, so what did you do?"

"Let me formally introduce him. This is my only younger brother, Han Yoohyun. I'm sure I told you not to lay a hand on him. I told you to watch silently and enjoy your slice of cake, so why did you flip the table?"

Didn't they have cake in this world? Didn't he get it?

"I'm sure the contract continued until Alpha was released."

"Forget the contract, you don't lay a hand on anyone's little brother, you son of a bitch."

[◑▽◑ Introduce your partner too!]

...I thought you were being a bit quiet. Someone take mission authority away from Sung Hyunjae. But neither Sigma nor Sung Hyunjae seemed to have any intention of cooperating.