Sometimes, a person acts unconsciously without realizing it.
For example, when lost in deep thought, one might flinch and swing their hand when touched by someone.
For a superhuman, such “unconscious actions” must be watched closely.
Atra is a hero who has reached the pinnacle of mastery in combat and person-to-person confrontations.
Bone density, muscle density and elasticity, reflexes and hand-eye coordination.
In battle, especially in close combat, a superhuman possesses not only a powerful body but also finely honed senses.
When Atra unconsciously throws a punch, even if she thinks it’s light, the impact is anything but.
Of course, as superhumans rise in level, they learn to control their subconscious actions, but sometimes that control fails.
Thus, training to manage the level of unconscious action is essential.
“What just happened?”
Atra blankly stared at her hand. There seemed to be perfectly smooth fingers.
Countless scars and blemishes had been there, but thanks to a remarkable recovery ability, only smooth skin remained now.
“What just happened…”
Unconsciously, she had wrapped her arms around Lee Ha-yul’s waist.
The warmth that had been in her embrace began to fade. More precisely, it was trying to leave. The warmth that had been dancing in her arms was about to slip away.
So, her hand moved of its own accord. Atra belatedly realized her hand had moved. That was shocking.
“What’s been going on lately?”
Atra recalled recent events.
It was as if she unconsciously and habitually patted Lee Ha-yul while holding him.
The diagnostic report had indicated that not only physical injuries but also mental burdens had piled up to a dangerously high level.
While the physical recovery was proceeding smoothly.
In fact, it was recovering at an astonishing rate, faster than one could imagine.
If it continued like this, the healing period would be cut significantly, and soon it would be at a level where regeneration of his lost arm would begin.
However, she didn’t feel at ease.
This was because Lee Ha-yul’s mental state had weakened compared to when Liana had conducted her mental health assessment.
Back then, the results were shocking.
She remembered the results that showed various mental fatigue levels were skyrocketing.
Now, it was even more serious. This was the reason Lee Ha-yul’s mind seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness even while awake.
Therefore, Atra particularly paid attention to mental care.
Lee Ha-yul spent most of his days asleep and, during his waking hours, he remained in a dazed state.
She kept an eye on him, and whenever Lee Ha-yul seemed to be having nightmares and groaned in his sleep, she would hold him close and soothe him.
Due to movement difficulties, she fed him and even gave him his medications.
Not wanting him to get bored just being in the healing room, she would take him out in a wheelchair to stroll in the park.
Whenever news of victims from Shifnah came in that left him downcast, she comforted him by saying he shouldn’t look so gloomy.
She had done this almost every day. Except for the unavoidable times when they were apart, Lee Ha-yul was always in Atra’s embrace.
Lee Ha-yul did not refuse. Instead, it seemed he liked being in her arms.
Atra felt no particular discomfort either.
Considering Lee Ha-yul’s petite build, he fit comfortably in her embrace, and there was no awkwardness one might feel from physical proximity between people.
The warmth of his body was soft, and the faint scent that occasionally arose when he sweated was sweet as if mixed with honey water…
“Thinking like this makes me sound so perverted…”
Atra shook her head. She had been lost in thought, leading her to some rather peculiar conclusions.
She regained her senses and sighed deeply as she fixed her disheveled hair and looked up.
“Huff, huff… Ha-yul, are you comfortable? Are you okay?”
– Nodding
Through Atra’s view, Lee Ha-yul was shaking his head side to side, tightly hugged by Hong Yeon-hwa.
It was a familiar sight. A scene she had become accustomed to in recent days.
It had once taken place in her own arms.
But now, it was different.
Suddenly, she felt a sense of emptiness. The embrace was not filled, and it felt hollow.
The satisfying sensation of being snug in her arms vanished.
The warmth they had shared, which seemed to heal both of their hearts, was gone.
This was something that had been there as a matter of course.
In that moment.
Hong Yeon-hwa, with a somewhat satisfied expression, gently patted Lee Ha-yul’s back and moved her other hand.
“…?”
The action that followed was something Atra could not have imagined.
Hong Yeon-hwa, momentarily shifting positions, reached under Lee Ha-yul’s patient gown and felt his abdomen.
For most living beings, the abdomen is a critical weak point.
Injuries to the abdomen can lead to fatal consequences.
Yet, the important abdomen was being brazenly violated by another’s hand.
Atra stood there with her mouth agape, trying to grasp the absurdity of the situation as she stammered, “W-What are you doing?”
“Hmm? Ah… this? It’s to maintain body temperature.”
“… Maintain body temperature?”
Such an action? When Atra asked with her gaze, Hong Yeon-hwa wore an expression of disbelief over how trivial her question was, and even seemed to insist on pushing her hand further into Lee Ha-yul’s clothing.
“Gop-hwa bearers can have erratic body temperatures when their condition is poor. Did you not notice this when taking care of him?”
Atra knew. She had met many members of the Gop-hwa Clan on the front lines and understood the unique abilities and their side effects.
She also knew Lee Ha-yul’s body temperature fluctuated. That was why she made sure to tuck him in tightly with blankets and paid attention to his body temperature while holding him close.
Even as she continued to explain, Hong Yeon-hwa’s hand never halted. The hand inside the patient gown rubbed Lee Ha-yul’s abdomen.
Feeling ticklish, Lee Ha-yul twisted his body, but he soon stopped squirming as he felt the warm energy emanating from her touch.
Hong Yeon-hwa, soothing him, continued her explanation.
“That’s why we sometimes transfer Gop-hwa’s warmth through physical contact. Honestly, this is a simpler and more efficient form of first aid.”
With that explanation finished, Atra could only feel incredulous.
She couldn’t believe such a grotesque-looking act was regarded as first aid.
However, she couldn’t argue back.
Atra had seen Lee Ha-yul use Gop-hwa. She didn’t understand why or how it manifested, but the sight was undeniable.
Hong Yeon-hwa possessed Gop-hwa.
As a descendant of the clan, she was undoubtedly learning about Gop-hwa in detail.
What could Atra possibly say to dispute her words?
But Atra was displeased.
Witnessing such a scene in front of her brought forth few pleasant feelings.
It was not enjoyable.
A bubbling sense of resentment began to rise within her.
At that moment, Hong Yeon-hwa looked down at Lee Ha-yul.
Their gazes met.
“……”
“……”
Pretending not to notice, their eyes clashed in the air.
For some reason, Atra felt a similar emotion brewing from that gaze.
‘… Was it a mistake to come here alone?’
In the midst of it all, Baek Ahrin was sweating coldly.
*
Hong Yeon-hwa and Atra exchanged icy glares.
In between them, Baek Ahrin tried her best to keep the conversation lively, feeling caught in a sandwich-like predicament, but she sighed deeply within.
‘… I should have just come alone later.’
Although Lee Ha-yul was small and cute, with an attractive appearance, and despite typically being gentle and timid, there was something behind the wall in how he treated others that any observant person would pick up on.
Moreover, Baek Ahrin was especially aware that the wall set up between herself and Lee Ha-yul was quite thick.
Why? She didn’t know. This wall had been in place since the first time she met him.
To achieve her goals, Baek Ahrin needed several powerful allies.
Thus, she was getting familiar with various students and building friendships.
Among them, the special admission student Lee Ha-yul was an essential target to befriend.
But since he was afraid of her, Baek Ahrin felt the need to break down that psychological barrier at all costs.
The cheat key to doing this? It was Hong Yeon-hwa.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s interest in Lee Ha-yul was anything but ordinary.
That rumor… there was no one in Shio-ram who didn’t know the truth.
Hong Yeon-hwa was extremely weak against Lee Ha-yul.
The reverse was also true.
Lee Ha-yul, who seemed to be cautiously guarding his surroundings like a wary puppy, noticeably wagged his tail around Hong Yeon-hwa.
Hence, Baek Ahrin thought to get close to him under the guise of Hong Yeon-hwa’s visit to gain favor…
However, with the chilly atmosphere settling into the healing room, she felt that wasn’t such a good idea…
‘Why does he fear me?’
She had wondered since their first meeting.
Baek Ahrin tilted her head in confusion.
Had Lee Ha-yul had a bad experience with the Changhae Clan?
That seemed odd.
The area of the Changhae Clan did not overlap with the orphanage where Lee Ha-yul had been raised.
There weren’t any members of the Changhae Clan active in that vicinity, so it was unlikely there had been any contact with Baek Ahrin.
And yet, a thick psychological barrier stood firm between her and Lee Ha-yul.
Whenever she worked with him, Baek Ahrin aimed to pierce through that wall…
‘Ugh…’
But she met with little success.
She could only grasp that he felt nervous and uncomfortable around her.
Yet at the same time, there seemed to be a tendency for him to think positively of her.
Even during the post-tower event, when Hong Yeon-hwa had tried to take him out, she honestly expected him to decline.
But Lee Ha-yul did not refuse. Even though he was intoxicated, he followed Baek Ahrin around like a well-behaved child.
He was afraid of her. But at the same time, he seemed to have a favorable view… or at least a desire to view her positively.
‘Hmm.’
At this point, Baek Ahrin gathered her thoughts.
Lee Ha-yul had no prior connections with her before Shio-ram.
Their first meeting took place within Shio-ram.
For Lee Ha-yul to be afraid of her implies that something in their first encounter made him uncomfortable.
From an objective standpoint, Baek Ahrin believed she had no traits that would warrant dislike.
It was not self-delusion but a fact.
Her outer appearance was quite beautiful.
Her figure’s proportions were just right; everything was pleasantly shaped.
Her disposition wasn’t vicious or predatory.
She was also endowed with ample wealth, and her family’s power was well-known.
She was currently growing in strength, and her potential seemed quite high.
Yet, Lee Ha-yul feared her…
There must be something about her that made him afraid, something that could lurk internally.
Baek Ahrin’s face hardened behind her ‘mask.’ She could still vividly feel her chilling heart.
This cursed thing that clung to her since birth emanated a dreadful and foreboding aura.
What if Lee Ha-yul could see through this curse? Is his perception so advanced that he can even sense curses? That would make his aversion understandable.
Why would she be the target of sinister stares from everyone if her ‘mask’ were gone?
‘…So am I in trouble?’
It seemed like she was marked as a bad omen from the beginning, as someone with a cursed heart.
‘No, maybe it’s not just that.’
Lee Ha-yul certainly expressed aversion, but at the same time, he seemed to harbor some feelings of affection.
There was hope. If she could navigate that affection well, she might be able to build a relationship that transcended the curse’s aversion.
She was already scattering herself here, carving out time from her studies to come.
She had no desire to live with this curse. She would somehow rid herself of it.
‘I don’t know how long I’ll survive until then…’
Baek Ahrin smirked bitterly as she rose to her feet.
She approached the bed.
Lee Ha-yul, cocooned in warmth from Hong Yeon-hwa, lay sleeping soundly on the bed.
‘Healing, well… I just need to pour the flow of the Changhae power liberally.’
Baek Ahrin had come for a bedside visit, a gift, and to provide some healing.
The power of Changhae was imbued with restorative properties.
Unlike other healing abilities, it didn’t just heal and regenerate; it could also bolster the innate recovery abilities of the target.
In blunt terms, it was akin to a potion that healed automatically without any special fuss when poured haphazardly.
Additionally, since Baek Ahrin had medical knowledge, she had also learned specialized recovery magic and the Changhae healing method passed down through her family.
Of course, the effects would not be substantial for Lee Ha-yul, who was already receiving extensive healing… but it wouldn’t hurt either, and it would be wise to gain some credit for later.
– Wooo…
The energy of Changhae pulsed within Baek Ahrin’s palm.
Then.
She felt the energy of Changhae.
‘… Huh?’
Inside the mask, Baek Ahrin’s face stiffened. Her fingertips felt as hard as ice.
She sensed the energy of Changhae emanating from her palm. Of course, that’s to be expected since it was her own control.
…But there was something else.
Within the healing room, she sensed another flow of Changhae energy that didn’t belong to her.
It was not in use—more akin to remnants from prior activation.
That energy was… unnaturally lingering at the spot where Lee Ha-yul’s arm had vanished.
Baek Ahrin gently retraced her thoughts, recalling the list of Changhae Clan members dispatched throughout the world.
None of the clan members were in the central healing room of the guild headquarters.
There were none active in Shifnah either.
“Is something wrong?”
Hong Yeon-hwa asked as she halted in front of the stiff Baek Ahrin.
“No, it’s nothing. I was just focusing for a moment.”
Baek Ahrin shook her head. Then, she smiled brightly, pretending nothing happened, and continued to channel Changhae energy.
While pouring out Changhae energy, Baek Ahrin’s gaze lingered on Lee Ha-yul’s shoulder.
– Flinch
As if responding to her gaze, Lee Ha-yul’s body twitched.
– Ding! Ding! Ding!
A strange alarm sound rang in his drowsy consciousness.
Lee Ha-yul’s smartwatch had been retrieved separately for safekeeping.
*
– Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Save Your Correction System: Destruction Mode]
[The “Curse of Eternal Winter” has been detected!]
[The system expresses intense aversion to the curse!]
[Should the Savior confront the curse, the system will provide full assistance to the Savior!]
…
[Save Your Correction System: Development Mode]
[Main Quest “Tower of Eternal Winter” generated!]
[Savior, please repel the upcoming curse!]
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