Omega is dead?
Hex could sense it.
The moment Omega’s life signals were cut off.
He accepted the conclusion for now. But the process…. that was something he couldn’t accept.
It wasn’t simply that Omega failed to finish the fight before the effects of the drug wore off, making the escape route he had prepared meaningless.
He couldn’t even run. He was outright severed from life.
This is a perplexing mystery.
Knowing Omega’s obsession with survival and the painstaking effort he had poured into this battle, Hex’s face showed an unusual tinge of surprise.
The possibility that he lost simply because of a mistake is too slim. His body was one that could easily recover even from mistakes.
Whatever the case, the result was clear. The central pillar that was Omega had been destroyed.
Joo-yeon had regained her freedom.
The monsters that had been rampaging across the deserted island were rapidly entering the process of vanishing.
“Hmmm…”
Hex wiped his glasses and put them back on.
And continued his contemplation.
Where did the gap appear? What did I overlook? With current technology, there’s no way to further develop resistance beyond that point.
The desire to recover Omega’s corpse and perform an autopsy surged within him, but if he approached now, he would undoubtedly run into the hyper-alert Joo-yeon.
I’ll have to give up.
To begin with, Joo-yeon was not the kind of person who would leave Omega’s corpse behind.
The chances were high that she had already burned it to ash.
Ssshhh…
Hex gave an order to the sea monster he was riding, increasing the distance further.
Then quietly observed the deserted island.
Did Joo-yeon hide her true strength all this time? Or was it the effect of some special artifact?
There might have been a flaw in the data Hex had been investigating for so long.
“….…”
But trying to build a hypothesis only led to too many possibilities, making it impossible to reach an answer.
He needed more information.
And so, in the end, there was only one answer.
I’ll have to pay a visit to Black Hand.
Black Hand. The organization that ruled the underworld from the shadows along with the Reverse Reverence Society.
Hex decided to meet the leaders who ruled that place.
The two organizations shared a symbiotic relationship.
Despite being massive organizations that split control over the underworld, they had led the dark world without a single conflict.
That alone was certainly unusual, but the reason why the lords of the underworld who were extremely sensitive to profit and willing to risk their lives over their shares had no opposition or discord was simple.
The leaders of the Reverse Reverence Society and Black Hand revered a single being like a god.
Because they worshiped the same existence and moved toward the same goal, there was understanding between them.
If it helped that being, these believers wouldn’t even bother to haggle over information sharing.
Perhaps calling them a religious group rather than an organization was more fitting.
***
Rohan felt his consciousness drifting, floating aimlessly.
Somewhere that could have been space or underwater. He wasn’t sure.
His eyes were closed, and in the darkness of his mind, information forcefully etched itself in, as if telling him to look.
[You have judged Omega, the traitor of humanity. Achievement unlocked.]
[As a reward for the achievement, you have obtained a Point Pouch.]
So he’s dead. That dumb bastard… Serves him right.
It was an achievement he had never seen before. He liked how clear its meaning was.
The main story must have been greatly twisted, but for now, it was a relief.
The moment he allowed himself that small comfort—
As if to warn him not to relax, the notification window began to go haywire.
[The main story is ■@%$ ■ni■!¿.]
Perhaps it was because Omega’s death on the deserted island had twisted the main storyline that was supposed to unfold.
It was practically announcing to everyone that it was broken.
Had Rohan been in his right mind, he might have tried punching the notification window with his fist.
“…….”
Before he knew it, the glitch that had been distorting the text came to a halt.
The letters repeatedly rearranged themselves until they finally formed a proper notification window.
[You have taken one step closer to salvation.]
An overwhelming and grandiose sentence.
.
It was a notification window he had never seen before. Its meaning was completely unknown.
[You may now play classified footage #3 for authorized personnel only.]
A footage … I doubt I’d be able to take in anything if I watched it now.
With that final notification, Rohan slowly opened his eyes.
“…….”
It was an unfamiliar ceiling.
But sitting right beside him was a very familiar face.
He could also see the IV drips hanging all over him with their fluids seeping into his body.
“Instructor…?”
“You’re awake. Are you feeling any discomfort or pain?”
“My friends…”
“All three of them are safe. But for now, you need to focus on taking care of yourself.”
“I’m… fine.”
It wasn’t because she was Joo-yeon. Anyone could tell Rohan was far from fine.
His gaze was unfocused, and the usual liveliness about him was nowhere to be found. Even his voice was so faint it barely counted as a murmur.
Looks like his mental strength has hit rock bottom.
According to the testimonies of Ichinose and Noah, Rohan had been subjected to treatment that was no different from torture.
It was no wonder he had lost all strength and let go of his grip on reality.
To think he had to go through the horrifying experience of torture as a student…
Suppressing the rising self-loathing and a sigh, Joo-yeon began by imprinting the facts onto Rohan.
“This is the infirmary aboard the transport ship. Do you understand?”
“Ah, I see… the transport ship’s infirmary…”
“……”
Faced with Rohan’s blank stare, Joo-yeon found it difficult to speak.
Should she start by apologizing for failing in her role as an instructor? Or should she first say how relieved she was that he was safe?
As Joo-yeon struggled to hide her complicated emotions, Rohan spoke up.
“Instructor.”
“Hmm, go ahead.”
“You look tired.”
“…….”
Seeing Rohan give such a powerless smile as he said that made Joo-yeon feel like she couldn’t breathe.
Rohan called out to her again.
“Instructor.”
“…Yes.”
“You must not have bad thoughts.”
“Bad thoughts…?”
“This whole incident… it’s not your fault, Instructor.”
“!”
Rohan’s faint murmur dug into her deeper than anything else, with quiet strength.
Was he referring to her arriving late? Or to her unresolved past with a certain someone?
From Rohan’s point of view, it was probably the former. But somehow, it felt like his words embraced everything, past and present alike.
Joo-yeon felt, somewhat embarrassingly, her heart grow lighter at those simple words.
“Thank you for saying that. And… I’m sorry I was late.”
“You weren’t late, Instructor. I’m here alive, aren’t I?”
“…….”
Looking at Rohan, Joo-yeon found herself thinking for a brief moment.
He was half-asleep and barely conscious, yet he still had a way with words.
“Rohan.”
“Yes….”
“I heard your testimony. Why did you charge at an opponent like that without hesitation? Didn’t it cross your mind to try stalling for time by talking or something?”
It wasn’t that she was trying to blame him.
Joo-yeon simply wanted to understand what had been going through Rohan’s mind.
“Hmm….”
At her question, Rohan let out a low hum.
Then, as if recalling a distant memory, he shifted his gaze to the ceiling and murmured,
“That monster of a man… was the type who enjoyed tormenting and breaking his opponent.”
“……..”
“I’d seen that vivid, predatory look on someone’s face countless times before, so it felt familiar. The more I struggled, the more he probably wanted to see me break. If he gave up and killed me right away, to him, that would’ve felt like a loss.”
There was no need to ask where Rohan had seen such a type of person before.
Even without knowing his full past, she already knew where he came from.
“So, knowing full well what might happen to you… you willingly charged in?”
“Half of it… was a gamble.”
Rohan didn’t deny it. In fact, he even let out a silly grin, as if satisfied with the outcome.
Because of that, Joo-yeon couldn’t bring herself to praise him.
Rohan looked so dangerously unstable, like someone walking a tightrope.
She was even afraid that one wrong step might lead to disaster overnight.
“Rohan. It might sound ridiculous coming from me, since I failed to prevent this from happening in the first place… but value your life.”
As they continued talking, Rohan’s consciousness seemed to grow clearer.
He began speaking in a voice filled with conviction.
“Instructor, I don’t want to die either.”
“For an instructor to believe that, your actions leave a lot to be desired, don’t you think? If you’d taken even one wrong step back there, you really might have died.”
Despite the harshness of Joo-yeon’s tone, her sincere concern came through unmistakably.
To Rohan, that concern felt incredibly precious. It made him think once again that he was glad he had stepped forward. No regrets whatsoever.
“Instructor. But isn’t there at least one thing in this world that’s worse than dying?”
“…….”
“I just can’t bear to see my friends get hurt. And besides, this is all I know how to do… Ugh!!!”
Joo-yeon grabbed Rohan’s cheek and gave it a long, hard pull.
He was admirable. But praising him might only fuel more reckless self-sacrifice. And that, she couldn’t allow.
“Does a student think that saying something like that will make an instructor proud of them?”
Rohan’s mindset was the kind that, without strength to back it up, would only lead to an early grave.
Even after returning to Academy City, she had a feeling that at the first sign of trouble, he would go charging in again. The thought alone weighed heavily on her.
“I-Instructor! I’m a patient! A patient!”
“Haah…”
With a long sigh, Joo-yeon finally let go of his cheek.
Knowing that she couldn’t stop him only made her feel more hopeless. People with a mindset like his were the type to move before they thought.
Telling him not to do anything reckless would never work on someone like that.
“.…….”
Just like the little brother she missed so painfully.
“Get some more rest. As soon as the treatment and checkups for the other students are finished, we’ll be heading straight back to Academy City.”
“Is everyone safe?”
“There are no deaths, and no one’s seriously injured. Just minor wounds all around. We brought medical facilities better than most hospitals, so the treatment will be over soon.”
“Oh! That’s a relief.”
“We’ll talk about the rest in detail once we’re back.”
When Joo-yeon finished speaking and got up from her seat,
Rohan who suddenly remembered something reached out and stopped her.
“Instructor.”
“Hmm?”
“Um… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention to my friends that I went into this fight knowing I’d probably lose.”
“Why not?”
Joo-yeon’s lips curled into a faint smile.
It was a beautiful smile. But for some reason, Rohan felt a little uneasy. Even so, he decided to speak his mind.
“I think things like this become a matter of pride the moment the truth comes out.”
Ichinose was a prime example of that.
Even on the deserted island, she absolutely hated being protected. She wanted to be seen as a fighter in her own right.
On top of that, Noah clearly had an even stronger sense of pride than Ichinose.
Back when they had faced Omega —
Even if Rohan had explained the situation and said he had to step up, there was no way they would have accepted it.
It was obvious they would’ve seen surviving at the cost of someone else’s sacrifice as nothing but shameful.
After listening to Rohan’s long-winded explanation, Joo-yeon nodded in admiration.
“You seem to understand Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart quite well. It’s a fine friendship.”
“I’m asking for your help.”
A brief silence followed.
Then, with a faint chuckle, Joo-yeon gave Rohan a regretful answer.
“Of course, I understand your good intentions, and as an instructor, I’d like to keep my mouth shut too. But I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep that promise.”
“……?”
“Seems like your head’s still foggy. To think you haven’t even noticed this.”
Joo-yeon who was still smiling extended her finger.
She pressed against Rohan’s cheek and turned his head to the side.
Through the gently swaying curtain —
He saw Corin fast asleep on the bed and breathing softly.
And next to her…. he saw Ichinose and Noah sitting there.
Their heads were clearly turned in this direction.
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