ALL NOVEL Chapter 159
In the bustling corner of the classroom, a boy sat alone at his desk. Despite his pretty face, his stubborn and fiery personality meant he often spent most of his day in solitude.
“Hey, Hyun Ah.”
Amidst this, a cheerful voice called out, and the boy turned his head.
His only friend, a charming young man with a strikingly outgoing demeanor.
Jin Ho approached with a mischievous smile.
“You cried the moment you woke up this morning, didn’t you? Did you have a nightmare or something?”
“W-What nonsense are you talking about…”
The boy immediately denied it, but he couldn’t hide his swollen eyes and red, bloodshot pupils.
Seeing his flustered reaction, Jin Ho’s smile grew wider.
“I heard everything from your mom earlier. You were blubbering and crying… ugh!”
“Hey, stop it!”
Just then, Jin Ho, who was excitedly continuing, suddenly grabbed his head as he recoiled.
Of course, it was his only friend, the feisty girl Ina, who shot him a glare with cat-like eyes.
“Your mother asked us to keep an eye on Hyun. How can you tease him like that!”
“Hey! Boys do this sort of thing! Anyway, you don’t know anything…”
“This is…!”
“…!”
Before the boy’s eyes, his friends were squabbling.
A scene he was so used to that it even grew tiresome to him.
“Um, guys…”
“Hmm?”
The boy, gazing at them blankly, hesitated before speaking.
“But you guys… aren’t you dating? Why are you fighting like that…”
“…Who? Me? With her?”
“Ugh…”
The reaction was instantaneous.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I was just trying to cheer you up! But that was too much…”
“Hyun, even you shouldn’t say things like that, okay?”
As they continued to tussle, holding each other’s hair, they quickly distanced themselves and started gagging.
“Well, I guess… I’m sorry. Why did I say that…?”
The boy had a puzzled expression, as if questioning himself. There’s no way those two would ever end up together. So why…
He continued to look down at his palm with his still bloodshot eyes, flexing it slowly as if examining it.
A soft hand that felt no firmness whatsoever.
Heavy muscles like iron, protruding veins, and calluses that should have been abundant on each joint were missing.
“…?”
The boy tilted his head as if confused. Why had he thought those things were true about himself?
“Rather than be that close with her, I’d rather just bite my tongue…”
“Hey! That’s what I should be saying!”
Just as he got lost in thought, his friends resumed their bickering.
“…”
However, soon, the boy shook his head, scattering the dense questions.
No matter what their relationship was, or how his body felt, it didn’t really matter.
What mattered most was this moment.
So blissful, so precious were these days.
A scene that he could never lose, and one he longed for deeply.
“Guys, please stop. Class is about to end soon…”
The boy prepared to step between his friends, who were ready for a duel, having reached a conclusion.
Days turned into weeks, months, and years.
Time flows like this.
An ever-peaceful daily life that had always been and would continue on.
*
Jin Yeseo couldn’t take her eyes off the sudden occurrence. The sturdy man was now frozen, like a statue, at the delicate gesturing of that slender woman.
Through the glass of the gas mask he wore, pale and murky sky-blue eyes were reflected. They stared blankly into space, devoid of focus or intent.
Like the other followers gathered in the hall.
“How strange… You said he was a wizard?”
Then, standing in front of him, the nun looked into that emptiness with a puzzled expression.
“I didn’t feel the flow of particles at all…”
As she tilted her head in confusion, the nun brought her nose closer to him and sniffed.
“And this feeling… is it a sense of connection? …He’s definitely male, yet… we’re definitely not…”
However, her doubts vanished in an instant, replaced by a gentle smile as if nothing had happened.
“Well, I guess we’ll find out in due time… Wasn’t there about five hundred million beings worldwide…? Maybe there’s bound to be one oddball, right…? Truly… curious…”
As she gently placed her delicate finger on Lee Hyun’s chin, a clear blade targeting his throat quietly hovered in the air.
Jin Yeseo, using all her might to launch an attack, found it effortlessly dodged.
She intervened between him and the nun, pointing her blade at her and alternately checking the back before calling out to Lee Hyun.
“Hey, snap out of it! Hey!”
“It’s best not to touch him.”
Yet the response came not from Lee Hyun but from somewhere else. Jin Yeseo grit her teeth and glared ahead.
The nun still wore a calm smile with no trace of hostility.
“I injected him with power to the limit. At any moment, his body could collapse, you know? But he’ll be trapped in a happy dream for eternity…”
“You… what the hell are you?”
Jin Yeseo glared at the woman. Beyond the torn clothing, pristine skin was exposed instead of blood. Just earlier, there were clearly two hands that Lee Hyun had severed, still lying scattered on the floor.
The hand gripping the blade trembled. She had never heard of any being capable of regenerating its lost body.
Even surviving after being directly stabbed in the heart was more so unheard of.
“I’m just… a faithful servant of the divine.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
Jin Yeseo scoffed as if trying to muster her courage, countering the woman’s claim.
“How can a girl who feeds human heads to monsters be a servant of the divine?”
“They’re not monsters; they’re angels.”
The woman continued in a gentle voice.
“They’re the purest beings in existence, untainted by anything. Truly deserving of ascension. If they aren’t angels, who could possibly be called angels?”
“…”
Engaging in a philosophical debate with a deranged woman felt like a waste of time. Jin Yeseo thought as she surveyed her surroundings, focusing on the situation.
She couldn’t move the man. It was certain the woman had done something to him with that kiss. If she tried to ignore her and move him, anything could happen and then there’d be no going back.
“Hik…”
The pig who had seemed so smug just moments ago was now cowering and trembling like a mouse. No matter how much he called himself a wizard, it was clear he would be of no help.
Having reached a conclusion, Jin Yeseo spoke up.
“Hey.”
“Y-Yes?”
The head of the security bureau jolted, bowing to her.
“You said you knew the way out of here.”
“Uh? Yes, yes!”
“Then hurry and leave.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“Did you not hear me? I said get lost.”
As the pig, perplexed, asked her again, Jin Yeseo shooed him away, annoyed.
“It’s not like you’re going to be of any assistance anyway. Go call for reinforcements. Whether it’s the military or the Cradle, do it now.”
“B-But… can I really go alone…”
What was most irritating was the blush on his face, contrary to his words.
“Yeah. Get going. And remember one thing.”
“What… is it?”
Jin Yeseo shot him a fierce look while focusing on the man.
“Right now is a Class 1 danger situation. If you run away alone when there’s work to be done, I swear I won’t let you off easy. I’ll use all of Baekgwang’s power to find and tear you apart.”
“Huh… huh…”
“Don’t take my words lightly. Hurry up and scram.”
The man dashed behind the black curtain, panicked. Soon, the sound of him climbing the stone stairs gradually faded away.
Jin Yeseo continued to stare at the woman before her.
She half-expected the nun to stop that escape, but she stood there, watching her without even blinking.
It felt the most bizarre as if she were a monster carefully examining her prey.
“It’s quite unfortunate. I have gotten attached to this city. To leave a place like this…”
After a brief pause, the woman spoke again.
“But I think I’ll have a moment to satisfy my curiosity.”
“…Curiosity?”
Instead of answering, the woman lifted her hand meaningfully with a knowing smile.
In response, those who had been sitting motionlessly in the hall turned to gaze at Jin Yeseo in unison.
“Wizard…”
“We’re being oppressed…!”
“Filthy pigs…!”
Voices filled with animosity erupted from all sides. They curled their lips, baring their teeth, growling like wild beasts.
The change went beyond mere behavior. Their backs split gradually, bumpy protrusions and tentacles emerging. Their arms transformed into elongated scythes while their faces grotesquely swelled.
It became hard to call them human.
In an instant, the spacious hall was filled with thousands of monsters.
The woman gently patted one as if it were a puppy, speaking sorrowfully.
“It’s a pity. They’ve already been sullied as adults, so they can only change into these imperfect forms. Purity is of such great importance…”
“What the hell…”
Shock filled Jin Yeseo’s face. Fear of the incomprehensible beings consumed her.
She recalled the bio-contamination incident that the shabby old woman had mentioned, which had occurred at her sister’s house.
“The abundance of particles… He’s probably a promising young wizard, isn’t he? Perhaps even capable of surpassing the limits of his species.”
Taking a few steps back, the woman continued to look at her with that calm smile.
It was not hard to realize that what happened was no accident.
“I’m curious. I wonder how long you can last against them…”
–Grrr…
–Kyaaaak!
The cries of starving beasts echoed from all around. They trembled as if they were about to rush out at any moment.
“Hah…”
In the midst of the scene, Jin Yeseo exhaled deeply, steadying her breath.
“To make me go through this much trouble…”
Then she muttered softly to herself.
“Just wait until I get back. If you break your promise, I’ll really kill you…”
And it was at that moment when the woman lowered her hand. As if an invisible chain had snapped, the monsters rushed toward them in unison.
–Kyaak! Kaaak!
Suddenly, Jin Yeseo, who was ready and poised, locked eyes with one of them.
The first day. The old man from the restaurant who had kindly provided them various bits of information.
“Of course, I have to kill you first. But let’s get some extraction done first.”
–BAM!
Yet then came a voice from someone else. Immediately, she swung her blade horizontally, cutting down the monster. There was no hesitation in that movement.
The being, once a human, lay sprawling on the floor, its neck cleanly severed, limbs and tentacles twitching helplessly.
–Kak!
–Kyaaaak!
“I confirm the occurrence of Class 1 danger. As a student of the Cradle, having been delegated on-site judgment authority by the Supreme Council, I will pass sentence on the rebels.”
She glared fiercely at the surging monsters as though they were living waves. Then, with her resolve solidified, she whispered under her breath, tightening her grip on the blade.
“Sentence. Immediate execution.”
*
“Did you hear about that?”
“What about?”
On the way back from school, the three were returning to their living quarters together, as always.
“The person moving in behind Hyun’s house. They say they might be from a really high-status family?”
“Where did you pick up such ridiculous gossip…”
“Hey! If people are talking, you should believe it!”
Jin Ho and Ina, walking ahead, engaged in their usual lively debate.
“You saw it too. The way the security chief was acting like a servant to them. I’ve never seen that pig behave like that before.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Who is coming, anyway? I’m really curious. If they’re coming, I hope it’s a pretty girl our age… ugh!”
While lamenting, Jin Ho suddenly kicked Ina in the shin and yelped.
“You only think about girls the minute you open your mouth. The girls who come by will run away after hearing that.”
“Hey! Stop hitting me! You’re not even a wizard; why are you so hostile towards girls? That’s why you haven’t gotten a girlfriend even at your age, while others already have two or three!”
“Be careful with your words! I’m not single by choice!”
The two erupted into their usual heated physical exchange.
“…”
However, unlike usual when he would quickly intervene, the boy remained silent. He just walked with a vacant expression, listlessly plodding along.
“…Ah…”
“…”
“…What do you think…?”
“…”
“Hey, Hyun Ah!”
“Uh, h-huh?”
The boy seemed to snap back to reality from the loud call of his name.
The two who had stopped fighting now stared at him, puzzled, waiting for his response.
“What do you think, then?”
“What about…?”
“About the new person moving in behind your house. Aren’t you curious who they are?”
“Uh…”
Finally regaining focus, the boy shook his head.
“…I don’t know. I’m not interested.”
“What? Come on, don’t be boring!”
Upon hearing his response, Jin Ho made a deflated expression.
“Would it change your mind if the person moving in was an incredibly pretty girl?”
“What’s the point? Looks don’t matter. What matters is the heart. No matter how pretty, if she has a bad personality, I don’t want that.”
“…You don’t sound like someone who should be saying that…”
Jin Ho looked genuinely confused at his answer. Ina nodded in satisfaction, unlike him.
“Just like I thought, Hyun is definitely different from others. Right?”
“Hey! Don’t you get it? I said I don’t want someone with a bad personality, just like you… Ugh! Hyun Ah, help me out…!”
“Today… I’m really going to… kill you…!”
“…!”
Their uproar diminished into bubbles. The boy drifted back into his empty world with his vacant eyes.
It felt like a precious daily life that couldn’t be traded for any treasure. He had already spent countless days in that happiness.
But the more he savored that sensation, the more an unfillable void swirled around his heart.
As if he were someone who had forgotten something he must never forget. A certain shadow flickered through the mist, yet its shape never came to mind.
“…”
After pondering for a moment, the boy shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. There couldn’t be a flaw in this perfect scene. No matter if it was a person or something else.
It was merely an illusion he felt because he hadn’t fully blended into the scenery.
As he thought this, he took a step forward.
–…You said…
“Uh…?”
But suddenly, hearing that voice, the boy froze in his tracks.
–You promised to hug me…
He looked around, but the voice resonated more clearly in his head. It was a voice from within, not from outside.
A desperate yet earnest plea. Their first meeting had been one for the books. Yet now, she would think of nothing less than to live without her for a single day.
“…Yeon Minha?”
And in that moment, recalling everything, the boy unconsciously spoke someone’s name.