The Foreigner on the Periphery

Following Yuntus’ guidance, Minjun then fell into a nightmare. He saw the distant past in his dream, a memory he didn’t want to recall. 

*** 

“Who is that woman? Is she a new recruit this time around?” 

“That’s right. They said this was their first exile.” 

“What, are you a complete novice?” 

At the words of his colleague, Minjun turned his gaze. They sat at the bar, the only entertainment facility on the space battleship. In this mobile prison, where only inmates could board, it was the type of place where one could feel a sense of openness, so those who were the leisurely types would spend most of their time here. The newcomer who caught their attention was a short-haired woman. small physique. Working hours should be over, but he was still in his battle suit. 

“How much is it?”

“I don’t know.” 

When a new inmate appeared, one of the things they tend to wonder about the most was severance pay. What was the price of freedom this newcomer had to pay? By hearing the number of Talents one would have to collect, they could gauge the heinous crime the individual has committed. According to committee guidelines, a misdemeanor killing a few people would start at one hundred talents, and war crimes would cost between 500,000 and one million Talents. 

It was difficult to predict accurately because weights were given according to the agenda, but it was natural that the larger the amount, the more heinous the criminal. 

“Hey, Cain.” 

She didn’t think she was calling him. However, Regardless, his mouth opened. “What?” 

Minjun, an observer, only then remembered. Yes, it was the name he had used when he was working in the previous dimension. Cain. It had been too long. “Last time I saw you, you had been with that newbie for a long time. Are you serious?” 

At this, Minjun shook his head. They had only slept together once. However, he did not dare to speak of that fact at this place. It was about a week ago that he had first met her, who gave herself the pseudonym ‘Dell.’ 

It was a face that seemed unfamiliar, so he began to welcome her instead, but aside from that, there was no particular intention. That day, Dell displayed both the characteristics of her teeth and the characteristics of her new recipient, who had just begun her prison life. 

She looked quite confused, meaning that her body movements were awkward. When Minjun spoke for the first time, it seemed that it had taken ten seconds to receive a response. Dell turned to the side where the sound was coming from, and her mouth slightly opened. She just stared at him. 

An awkward silence followed. He understood this as a gesture of not wanting to mix his words and tried to get up again. However, the moment he turned around, she grabbed his sleeve. 

“·····?” 

At this, she apologized. “I’m sorry…” 

Although he did not make any excuses, Minjun, who assumed that the silence was due to shyness, sat down again and talked lightly. His expression was stiff and he looked psychologically atrophied, but once the conversation was opened, the story began to flow well. 

After one drink, the party ended in her cabin. “You’re not serious, are you?” Minjun lost his gaze on Dell. The silence seemed to have been interpreted by his colleague as ‘nothing happened between the two of them.’ 

Minjun did not feel the need to correct the misunderstanding. He remembered that it wasn’t until about 200 years of his prison life that he stopped being in too deep a relationship. If one was to give his heart to a short-lived species, it didn’t always end well. The same was true if they were a prisoner. 

In the end, the relationship would be torn apart by the committee’s instructions. No one had kept their promise to be together forever. Minjun was also not capable of that. 

Dell seemed to be thinking the same thing. It was the first time they had seen each other since that day, but they never exchanged glances. There was no contact between them.

‘I realized the truth of prisoner life pretty quickly. She’s a smart woman.’ 

Minjun had no intention of restraining his opponent, and she definitely looked the same. Like many inmates, one was trying to maintain an open relationship. And so, Minjun let his colleague reach out to Dell. He didn’t even bother to look. However, he couldn’t help but change his mind again. 

“What? What did this crazy bitch say now? Say it again!” 

Hearing this, Minjun’s expression darkened. ‘What is he… Is he crazy?’ 

What was even more absurd was that Dell herself, who said that, was now in a human body. Minjun muttered, ‘You looked fine that day?’ 

Though the colleague apologized, Dell refused to hear any more.  

Paah! The opponent’s body began to swell, his clothes tearing as he changed in an instant from an ordinary human form to a blue-skinned monster. He was both a Breed-shift ability and a Weapon Master. 

“Hey, calm down!” Only then did someone intervene, but it was too late. 

Boo-woong! There was an imminent sound ripping through the air. A fist like a lump of rock then cut through the air. The intention was to give it away enough not to fall victim to the crime of destruction. The moment she was hit directly, the dwarf woman’s body seemed to be thrown away like fallen leaves hit by a gust of wind. 

However, everyone’s expectations were wrong. “················?! 

“That’s so big…!”

Minjun raised his eyebrows. Everyone could see the scene in astonishment. Dell only lightly raised one of his hands. A span of a palm then extended forward, and then the man’s clenched fist stopped. His arms fixed in the air trembled and blood vessels protrude unsightly. A faint aura was wrapped around his skin, but his fists couldn’t advance an inch. 

“Telekinesis?” 

It was blocked by creating an intangible wall in the palm of the hand. By the way, what was the telekinetic power that could withstand the power of the Weapon Master?! 

The face of the person with the ability to transform was contorted into a mess as if his pride had been hurt. At that moment, the aura that flowed through the body became more intense. 

It was then that Minjun got up from his seat. ‘Your eyes are turned over!’ 

Up until now, it was a common fight among inmates, but now the story had changed. If one could draw out such power and fight, one of the two would then be arrested for destruction. 

Minjun began to sing a curse and aimed at his brain vessels. However, he did not achieve what he had planned. Kwajik!

“·······?!”

There came a clear and bright sound. Fragmented molars of the monster then flew in the air. His head was bent at a dramatic angle. In addition to this, Dell’s fists rose above his head. The expression on her face was that of a person who knew exactly what her colleague was trying to do a while ago. 

“From now on, it’s self-defense.” 

Puck! Dell’s head was bent before the fist hit the opponent. Minjun noticed that it was a way to amplify kinetic energy by surrounding his body with telekinetic energy. 

Puck! Another shot, intangible power was properly applied to the chin. 

‘I haven’t seen that level of control in a long time!’ 

The function it exhibited was far too great. “Aww!”

The person with the ability to transform had completely lost his sanity. Auror waves began to seep through his body. Then, the colleagues looked at Minjun. It meant that they had passed the level of intervening, so they would definitely want to stop it. 

However, he shook his head. He smiled faintly. “Do you think it will be okay?” 

“···········?!”

The monster then launched an onslaught. Dell pretended to dodge to the left, then quickly flew away and then clung to it again. It was a surprisingly quick and light movement. Then, relentlessly, he slammed his right foot down his thigh. 

“·······!” 

At this, the monster screamed. Dell then soared, spurring her rocky thighs that served as her springboard. Bouncing her body up to shoulder height, she spread her legs and clamped her neck like scissors. And then, using the recoil of her telekinetic power, she then broke her center of gravity and began to shoot down. 

Thud! Even after the feat of throwing a prisoner who weighed more than ten times his body weight to the floor, Dell’s offensive did not stop. He began to chase and kick the fleeing monster by rolling backward.

Puck! Then there came a flying kick that would go down the abdomen. “Queeeeeek!” 

At this, the monster fell and rose again. Then, this time, his fist was clenched. Those with good eyes noticed that it was the spot where the kick was put in a while ago. 

Puck! Puck! Puck! He hit the monster’s stomach and sided with his fists without mercy. A crackling sound like a drum beat proceeded to resound. In the meantime, not aiming at the head was to avoid damage. 

The monster also resisted by waving Lich’s long arms and legs, but Dell quickly ran out of range once more. Eventually, her attack stopped only after the monster lost consciousness. 

“…”

Afterward, the prisoners looked at Dell in silence. She then paid the android for her drink to make sure she didn’t want to stay here any longer and then moved on. With this, she suddenly looked at Minjun. 

The eyes of the two intertwined. However, Minjun didn’t say anything. Then, she turned her head again and headed towards her door. “Shouldn’t this be reported as damage?”

However, Minjun had a different opinion. “No. If I put it in a recovery capsule, how long before it will be okay? I estimate about a day.” 

After saying that, Minjun turned his head again. Dell was no longer there, and Minjun felt sorry for that. 

*** 

“Another accident?” 

When Minjun asked, Dell, who was lying next to him, got up. She removed the hem of the duvet, pulled out of bed, and then stood up and stood in front of the mirror. At first, she had hated seeing her face, but now she seemed to be fine. 

After a while, Dell opened her mouth. Instead of looking back, her eyes met in the mirror. “…It was nothing.” 

“Isn’t it a big deal that I almost shot down the evacuation ship after sending it to catch space bugs?” 

Dell was recently mobilized for the Manova wasp control operation. Telesia, knowing in advance that a large-scale bee swarm was coming in from another galaxy, evacuated the colony’s inhabitants from orbit. 

The body that temporarily governed this dimension, which was virtually anarchy, was a committee, and prisoners were in charge of it, so no one disobeyed her instructions. However, a contingency happened during the operation. A swarm of wasps approached before the evacuation was complete. Telesia ordered fire immediately, and it was Dell who shot down the most bugs among the fighter pilots.

Not many people believed her when she told this story. Even though she began to pour out bullets with only her naked eyes and six senses, she had white hair. When she saw the feat, she wondered what the original race was. 

The problem, however, was that that sense sometimes made fatal errors. It was not an error of not being able to match what should be matched. It was an error of matching what should not be matched. 

“The feeling came from the shelter side.” 

“How do you feel?” 

“…The same feeling as catching an insect.” 

“Ah, this is driving me crazy.” 

That spaceship was also a target to be caught. Even the evacuation line was far away from being detected by radar. How the hell did one get people to stick their tongue out

Minjun knew that the truth was not. He took a deep breath and then added, “And when you come back, you beat up another guy?” 

Even if they did not profess, rumors of the two’s “close relationship” were spreading within goodness. The problem was those who were dispatched to other places and returned to the carrier. After her long-awaited return, some of them wanted to establish a new ‘close relationship’ with her. 

Each time, Dell had a similar reaction. “Do you really have to fight like that? You can just politely decline. I’m not interested.” 

“But···” 

“That’s really disgusting.” 

“·······?!”

“The prisoners here were all given human bodies. I can’t stand it. It’s disgusting just looking at it, but when you see me approaching and betting on my best…” 

Minjun said it was ridiculous. “Hey, now your body is human too, right?” 

“That’s right. And so, at first, I hated looking in the mirror.” 

“·······” 

Dell stared intently into the mirror. “Perhaps I had committed a huge sin before I lost my memory. It must have been an unforgivable mortal sin, which is why I’m stuck in this body. In creatures that I detest and detest.” 

Minjun pondered the question he had thought of over and over again. What was the original race? If one was to consider mammals disgusting… Was it an insect or a fish? That thought was cut off by a sudden confession. 

“53 million.”

“…” Minjun, noticing the meaning of the number, cast a heavy gaze. 

“Are you surprised? I need to pay that money back so I can be free.” 

Then, she burst out into laughter. “It is practically equivalent to life imprisonment. Isn’t it weird? It’s not that I’m afraid of how I’m going to collect the money and pay it back, it’s that I’m afraid of imagining what horrific crime I’ve committed that might have caused this amount to be set. I fear how many people have suffered and sacrificed for my sins.” 

It was the first thing she said to him. Minjun was silent for a moment at the sudden confession. And, instead of answering the confession as a confession, he changed the subject of the conversation. 

“By the way, how about me?” 

“Yes?” 

“I am human too. Why didn’t you do that to me the day we first met?” 

When Minjun approached, the reaction was different. Dell didn’t say no. “What do you mean? You are completely different.”

“Different, what?” 

“…I can’t answer a question like that.” 

After thinking for a while, she said, “You knew it as soon as you saw it. You can’t compare it to other prisoners. It’s wearing a human shell, but the fundamentals inside it are completely different.” 

At this, she headed back into bed. He brought his face close to his head and whispered. Minjun felt the heat build up on the back of his nose. 

“In you, you shine.” 

Dell didn’t stop talking. It was as if she had been feeling emotional for a long time. “I am sure that no one like you could have sinned. It’s different from the prisoners here. You are an innocent person. There must have been a misunderstanding.” 

Dell’s expression, illuminated by the light, created a strange curve in the shadows. The two eyes seemed to be possessed and worshiped. “Maybe that’s why I’m more attracted to it. Because he is the only one free from the bondage of atonement. He is someone who should be free, but for some reason, he has come down to the side of sinners like us.” 

Minjun didn’t know what to say. “….” 

He tried not to put much meaning into it, but it was clear that he left a heavy mark in his heart. Whether the reason for saying such a thing was the runaway hormones, over-immersed emotions, or attachments in the midst of anxiety… It was the first time he had ever seen someone so blindly affirming himself. It was the first time he had said something like that even though he knew he was a prisoner. 

“Thanks.” 

However, in the end, he couldn’t say it. And so, instead of continuing the conversation, he decided to focus on something simpler. He then pointed to the watch and said, “I still have about 20 minutes to switch to landing poise… How about it?” 

Dell didn’t say no. 

*** 

Even after that, Minjun never made their relationship public. It was the same with Dell. However, something had changed.

For once, Dell’s method of rejecting men (and a handful of women) who approached her became much more moderate. As if she had taken the advice, there was no more bloodshed, or insults thrown thereafter. Naturally, Dell’s evaluation among the prisoners improved slightly. 

‘She finally became a human.’ 

Another change was announced a little later than previously mentioned. Although they were rejected favorably, there were cases in which prisoners with a history of hitting them suffered from various diseases. Most of them were not life-threatening, but they were of a kind enough to give a psychological shock to those who suffered. 

Even if one was to use the recovery capsule, that was the only time, and the disease that recurred when one was to come out of the capsule was cured more than a week after the first symptom appeared. At this point, he didn’t know what was going on. 

In the end, Telesia, who took on the role of the leader, went mad. “Hey, Cain! Dell! Please just make an announcement! Officially let other colleagues know! Say you’re dating! Why can’t you speak!” 

With that, she came to inform her colleagues about their relationship instead. It was only then that Minjun realized why he was being sarcastic. He was afraid that the moment he spits it out with words, it would then be irreversible. 

He was uneasy about starting a relationship that would crumble in vain with a single gesture from the committee. However…

‘Maybe it will work out this time.’ 

With such baseless confidence, Minjun went into Dell’s cabin with all his household necessities. With Telesia’s permission, the room was expanded to double the size. He thought this time he was going to be something different. She had a premonition that if she were Dell, she could be together for a very long time.

In addition to this, he also had a feeling that this relationship would be right, unlike the previous ones.