Chapter 22: City of Traps |
After a brief reunion, we all gathered and sat in the central living room. An Sol was nowhere to be seen, but the faint sound of breathing from the next room suggested she was still unconscious.
An inexplicable, anxious energy filled the living room where everyone was gathered. It felt like the quiet calm before a storm. It seemed I had returned at a rather inopportune moment.
While I hadn't expected a tearful reunion, I never imagined it would be in an atmosphere like this, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I could see An Hyeon's awkward expression, and Lee Yu-jeong and Kim Han-byeol were glaring at each other, fuming. It seemed a conflict had erupted between them due to a disagreement. I'd faintly heard Kim Han-byeol shouting at the end, but I decided to find out the details later.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a while, but the first to speak was An Hyeon, his face drained of energy.
"Su-hyeon hyeong. I don't know where to even begin. Thank you so much for helping us escape the forest. And I'm truly sorry that we left without waiting for you. I know any explanation will sound like an excuse, but I really wanted to say this."
Seeing An Hyeon bow his head to me, I smiled inwardly. He was bold when he needed to be, but knew when to yield. His disposition was neutral and moderate, which had made me a little uneasy, but thankfully, he didn't seem so ill-mannered. At An Hyeon's polite apology, I shook my head and spoke in a gentle, soothing voice.
"When I saw you all were gone... I was a little taken aback at first."
"I'm sorry. I have no excuse."
"You can stop apologizing. I'm sure you all had your reasons. But I don't see your sister?"
"Hey, An Hyeon. Wait a second. I'll explain. Is that okay, Oppa?"
Just as An Hyeon was about to speak, Lee Yu-jeong quickly cut in. Seeing her already speaking to me so casually, I thought she was quite the social butterfly. I would have preferred to hear it from the usually calm Kim Han-byeol, but seeing her brow furrowed in displeasure, I silently nodded.
"So, after Oppa lured them into the forest..."
After confirming An Hyeon's agreement, Lee Yu-jeong shot a glare at Kim Han-byeol and began her explanation. Her account was lacking in many details, but it was simple and concise. Since I already had a general idea of the situation, there was nothing I needed to ask for clarification on. However...
"You said something like a ghost appeared out of thin air?"
"Yeah. But thinking about it now, calling it a ghost feels a bit off. It was like it wasn't perfectly invisible? I could vaguely make out a shape that seemed to have wings. I could also see its path of movement. But no matter how many times Hyeon swung his sword, it just wouldn't go down."
This part required more detail. As I turned my head, An Hyeon closed his eyes, appearing to recall that moment. He tilted his head for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
"It was similar to what Yu-jeong said. I swung with all my might, but it just felt like I was cutting through empty air."
Cutting through empty air. Only a shape was visible, not perfectly invisible. It had wings. Putting the three conditions together, a memory flashed through my mind.
A Wraith. Hearing about an opaque, invisible being with wings, I immediately thought of a Wraith. Wraiths are monsters that cannot be harmed by physical attacks. They pass through people's bodies, inflicting mental anguish. The fact that An Hyeon had endured their attacks over a dozen times suggested that their power had been adjusted for the Rite of Passage.
As I listened, a question arose. The group currently had no conventional means of defeating a Wraith. So how on earth did they escape them? I decided to bring up An Sol as a way to find out.
"So your sister was injured because of them?"
At my question, An Hyeon slowly shook his head. And as he continued his story, I couldn't hide my astonishment. The Wraiths, seeing that An Hyeon's resistance was the fiercest, had focused their attacks on him. Naturally, An Hyeon was in agony, and eventually, unable to bear the pain, he dropped his sword and shield. In that moment of desperation, it was An Sol who saved him.
I asked for more details, but An Hyeon couldn't explain that part well. Lee Yu-jeong and Kim Han-byeol also shook their heads. All they could say was that An Sol had screamed, and then a white light flashed from her entire body, and the things attacking them had all vanished. Immediately after, An Sol lost consciousness and collapsed. She hadn't woken up since.
After hearing their whole story, I nodded. An Hyeon remained silent for a moment before speaking to me with a worried expression.
"Hyeong... Sol will be okay, right? She'll wake up, won't she?"
"What's her condition?"
"Her breathing is even, and her pulse is normal. But sometimes she grimaces as if she's in pain. She lets out a moan now and then, too."
Mana Overdrive. Could it be that An Sol had already manifested her mana? It was unbelievable, but I soon thought it might be possible. I had struggled immensely at the beginning because my mana stat was low. It also took me some time to draw out my sword energy after passing the Rite of Passage and entering the Hall Plain.
But An Sol had started with a mana stat of 75, so I figured it could be different for her. The realm of the unconscious was a field that couldn't be researched, so there could be things I didn't know. The one thing I was sure of, however, was that her untrained body would have struggled to handle 75 points of mana. The extent of the strain would vary, but as long as she hadn't overdone it too much, I should be able to help her.
"I'll have to take a look myself, but it probably isn't anything serious. Don't worry too much."
"Th-then, could you now..."
Seeing An Hyeon start to speak urgently, I thought he was quite something and was about to get up. Just then, a soft hand gently grasped my wrist. Feeling the soft touch on my left wrist, I turned my head to see Lee Yu-jeong pouting at me.
"Hey, An Hyeon. Is that any way to talk to Oppa who just got back? Oppa, aren't you hungry?"
"Huh? I'm fine, I can manage. First, An Sol..."
"We've already been taking turns checking on her. You're not a doctor, so you can look at her later. You've heard our story, so tell us yours. I'll go make a snack, and you can eat while you talk. Okay?"
Why was she acting like this today? Her unusually proactive attitude was a bit strange, but I wasn't displeased that she was looking out for me. At Lee Yu-jeong's remark, the atmosphere seemed to lighten a bit, and An Hyeon gave a slightly sheepish smile and nodded.
"Have this water. I had a little earlier and saved the rest."
"Huh? Oh. Thanks."
When Kim Han-byeol took out a water bottle from her pocket and handed it to me, I reached for it without thinking. In that instant, Lee Yu-jeong slapped the bottle Kim Han-byeol offered, sending it back to her. While I was dumbfounded by the sudden event, I heard Kim Han-byeol's sharp voice.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"You're giving him something you've already drunk from? I'll give Oppa a new one. You can drink that."
"What are you two..."
Before I could finish, Lee Yu-jeong quickly stood up and walked to the kitchen.
Soon, I heard the sounds of her rustling around and then the clatter of dishes, so it seemed she was actually making something. I turned back to look at An Hyeon and Kim Han-byeol with a bewildered feeling. An Hyeon had an awkward expression, while Kim Han-byeol stared at the floor with a cold face. It was an unexpected situation, but I cleared my throat and decided to quickly change the subject.
"Did everyone else eat?"
"...Yes, hyeong. We ate first. We were so hungry... haha."
"No, that's fine. You did the right thing. I never said when I'd be back... it would be foolish to just wait indefinitely."
As I replied to An Hyeon, who was scratching his head with an apologetic look, a new bottle of water was placed right in front of me. As if she had whipped it up in no time, she gently set a plate before me, making me wonder if this was the same Lee Yu-jeong I knew. On the plate were what looked like tuna crackers, with canned tuna on top of cracker-like biscuits. It was clear she had tried to make them look pretty. Lee Yu-jeong personally opened the water bottle for me and spoke in a cheerful voice that seemed forced.
"Ta-da! Presenting the special crackers made by the one and only Lee Yu-jeong!"
"Oh. Looks delicious. Let me have a bite... Ouch!"
As An Hyeon gulped and quickly reached out his hand, Lee Yu-jeong stopped him with a lightning-fast movement. An Hyeon rubbed the red mark on his hand with a dissatisfied look, but after seeing Lee Yu-jeong's glare, he grumbled quietly and withdrew his hand.
"So cheap. Getting stingy with food."
"I made this for Oppa to eat, why are you eating it? And where did you learn the habit of reaching for food before Oppa has even had a bite?"
"Tch."
"Oppa, try it. I guarantee it's good."
"Uh, huh? Right. Thanks. I'll enjoy it."
Watching the still-grumbling An Hyeon and Lee Yu-jeong, who had huffed and turned her head away, I couldn't help but laugh. I picked up a cracker and popped it into my mouth, the taste of cheap tuna and biscuits filling my senses. It wasn't exactly a delicacy, but it was decent enough. Of course, this wasn't a time to be picky, and it was actually quite tasty, so I chewed it thoroughly.
Thankfully, the atmosphere had lightened up considerably compared to before. As I reached for another cracker, the gazes on me felt so burdensome that I thought I had to say something quickly. Of course, I couldn't tell them I had taken care of over twenty Deadmen, so I planned to embellish the story a bit. After complimenting Lee Yu-jeong on how delicious it was, I immediately began to recount how I had lured them away in the forest.
"Hyeong, so you almost got bitten back then?"
"I was running in an S-pattern between the trees as best I could. I never expected one to jump out from right beside a tree I was passing. If my left hand had been just a little further over, I definitely would have been bitten. Just thinking about it still gives me the chills."
"Wow... so we almost lost our Oppa for real."
"Heh heh. Hyeong, you have no idea. This girl, Lee Yu-jeong, was making such a scene before you got back. She suddenly grabbed a knife and insisted we had to go rescue Oppa, that you might still be waiting. She was acting like she was ready to stab someone, I tell you."
"You wanna die? I wasn't that over-the-top."
"See? You admit it. That means you did do it."
"You little!"
Watching An Hyeon and Lee Yu-jeong bicker and laugh, I felt a sense of relief. Just as I was about to let out a sigh of relief in the gentle atmosphere, Kim Han-byeol's cold, hardened face caught my eye. Her icy expression as she stared at us was so different from before that I felt a chill run down a corner of my heart.
I thought it was nothing serious, but I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't lightly dismiss the words Kim Han-byeol had shouted at the end. I decided to talk to An Hyeon separately as soon as this was over.
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