I stretched my arms like I was warming up.
I’m moving even better than before.
Feels like I’ve oiled up my machine or something.
‘Surely, a body infused with vitality moves better. After all, I’m alive, so I should be brimming with life energy for my body to feel invigorated.’
One of the reasons why Taesan’s manifestors have such absurd physical abilities.
With their bodies packed full of life energy, they can’t help but be activated.
So it’s pretty hard to kill a Taesan manifestor beyond a certain level.
I guess if you’re at Lee Ji-yeon’s level, even if your head is dangling, as long as you piece it back together, it should naturally heal itself.
And if she consciously focuses on healing, the speed would double.
‘Hmm…’
I touched my shoulder with a strange look.
There’s a question I feel every time I think about life energy.
Even now, while I’ve achieved perception of life energy, Lee Ji-yeon is still infusing me with it.
It’s strange that different life energy is squeezing into my body, which should be full of life energy.
Even when I carefully observe where that energy is going, it disappears like it’s swallowed by a dark space.
It’s an inexplicable phenomenon.
“Um… Junior. May I excuse myself for a moment?”
That’s when it happened.
Out of nowhere, Lee Ji-yeon reached out and grabbed my right wrist.
“Was it painful or anything…?”
With an expression of genuine concern, she gently caressed my wrist.
I wondered what was it, then I realized it was because she had grabbed my wrist too tightly.
She seemed worried that I might have gotten hurt.
[No]
[It didn’t hurt]
I shook my head to tell her not to worry.
My physical abilities are pretty absurd too, you know.
I wouldn’t get bruises from just this.
“I’m relieved. I got a bit riled up earlier and acted a bit too aggressively. I’m really sorry.”
At my words, Lee Ji-yeon smiled faintly as if genuinely relieved.
I chewed on my words for a moment, then nodded.
‘…Did something change?’
This felt a bit different from the previous timid Lee Ji-yeon.
How should I put it? I felt like I was facing a version of Lee Ji-yeon I only saw in the original story.
‘In the original, Lee Ji-yeon… had a timid side, but she was someone you could rely on.’
Using Taesan, she supported the party as a frontliner and cared for psychological aspects as a leader.
Though she didn’t possess the unprecedented output like Hong Yeon-hwa or Baek Ahrin and her mother, her skill, honed to the limit, made her stand out in leading the party.
In the first run, even just having Lee Ji-yeon in the party significantly reduced the psychological burden on the player.
She was literally the backbone of the party, like Taesan.
[Hmm…]
[Shall we go in now?]
“Ah, yes.”
After a while of caressing my wrist, Lee Ji-yeon turned to leave.
[?]
She still held onto my wrist.
Her behavior was like that of a child trying to ensure I wouldn’t wander off. My steps inadvertently stopped.
“Hmm? Why are you acting like that?”
Lee Ji-yeon looked back at me, tilting her head, seemingly oblivious to the situation.
[Um… No, it’s nothing]
It was somewhat ridiculous, but feeling a little uneasy, I shook my head.
Lee Ji-yeon blinked her eyes, then resumed walking.
Come to think of it, lately, the way people around me were treating me has been remarkably consistent.
It felt like they were treating me like a child by the river, and it confused me deeply.
‘Of course, it’s true that my mental age is that of a kid, and I don’t completely dislike being treated that way…’
But it felt like a bit of my dignity was crumbling… my feelings were complicated.
Anyway, with Lee Ji-yeon still holding my wrist, we headed towards the mansion…
– Isn’t everyone going home soon? It’s already way past lunchtime, and you should be preparing for next week’s lectures, right?
– Huh? But I’m living here, you know?
– No way, who decided to change the address? Since I’ve had a meal already, you should scram.
– Who decided? I got permission from the owner here yesterday~ I’m a bona fide resident now! Oh! Did our Yeon-hwa drink and pass out so she didn’t hear?
– What the hell?
[Huh]
– I don’t have any lectures assigned, so there’s nothing to prepare. Besides, I need to oversee my disciple’s training, so it’s better if I stick around.
– What are you talking about? What era is this where a master and disciple share the same house?
– I got permission ages ago. I don’t remember exactly when… but I clearly heard it from my disciple. ‘When I buy a house later, you can come live with me too!’… something like that.
– …That was obviously lip service. How could sweet Ha-yul say something like that to your face?
– The training facility in this mansion is really great. If it’s mediocre, it’s not even worth using, but with this level, we can use it actively.
– Is this crazy girl not listening to what people say? Get out of here.
[Huh…]
– …Professor Liana Velus? Don’t you have lectures you’re responsible for? Like spirit magic?
– Ah, haha… The facilities here are really awesome… the grounds are perfect for spirits to reside, and there’s a lab on the east side! Since it’s a facility used directly by the Chancellor, each part is of exceptional quality!
– This guy is something else too…
– Well… I got permission yesterday too, and she said, ‘No, don’t go, stay with me…’
[Huh…]
– I got permission from the start, Yeon-hwa.
– …I know that.
Just as I was about to open the door.
I froze at the sound coming from inside.
Baek Ahrin… how did it end up being permitted?
I was intoxicated, and when they were teasing me referring to Baek Ha-yul, I unconsciously accepted.
Master… did that happen? I racked my memory.
I remembered.
It was a memory from a while ago.
When I said it would be really sad if I wandered away from her, and suggested we live together, she smiled.
Professor Liana… when did I say that?
I recalled memories I didn’t want to think about again.
I remembered.
When Professor Liana said this shouldn’t be happening, and I should start leaving, I rubbed my face against her and whined not to go…
“Junior?”
Lee Ji-yeon looked back at me, tilting her head.
– Tori, tori.
I resisted the tugging hand that was pulling me and shook my head.
I shouldn’t go in now.
Of course, I desperately wanted to go in and see Hong Yeon-hwa, to act like a child.
But I felt like I shouldn’t step in at this moment…
– …Ha-yul, we can feel you right at the door. Hurry in.
[Huh…]
The voice from inside made my shoulders tremble.
– Be good. Come on.
Come to think of it, my life energy was bursting, and my stealth was entirely gone.
I wasn’t even trying to hide my presence…
I went pale.
[Se, senior…]
“Uh, um? Yes?”
Pulling at Lee Ji-yeon’s arm with trembling hands, I turned my head.
Did she hear the noise from inside too? She gazed at me with a somewhat startled expression.
[He, help…]
The pendant of the confession clicked.
A rather desperate voice echoed softly.
If it were a different Lee Ji-yeon, it might have been a different story, but the assertive and reliable Lee Ji-yeon just now could definitely provide help…
Calling me a savior?
And actually, she hadn’t said it, but apparently, she saved that child as well as a Mumyeon?
I didn’t know at first, but I learned from Maxwell’s subtle hint.
Not as precious as the one from the main house, but surely a rare one…!
I saved her…!
“Uh, uh!”
As Lee Ji-yeon’s eyes bulged wide, seeming to respond to my earnest wish.
She slowly turned her head.
That betraying little timid girl.
Soon after, the door flung open, and a hand reached out to pull my wrist.
*
[Player Correction System: Affection Level]
Lee Ha-yul → Lee Ji-yeon
●●●●●●○○○○(60/100)
‘Heir of Taesan’ ‘Good Person’ ‘Assertive’ ‘Coercion’
▽Change▽
‘Heir of Taesan’ ‘Good Person’ ‘Bittersweet’
*
“What’s this about?”
In the ruins tangled with debris and various monster carcasses.
A man grimaced as he rummaged through the wreckage.
After kicking the debris aside with his feet, he finally revealed an object.
The man pulled it out with a strong yank.
“Looks like a plain straw doll on the outside… oh, definitely has some magical energy, so it must be a decent artifact.”
“…Uh, that’s it. Finally found it.”
“Damn, how long has it taken? It feels like it’s been buried for two or three months.”
The red-haired man standing next to him responded.
The other man let out a huge sigh and shook his head.
The sky above was a gloomy gray.
There weren’t any clouds floating in the sky. The gray of the sky was not due to dark clouds, but simply the inherent color of the sky.
The oddity of the sky didn’t end there.
There was no sunlight that should normally be shining down nor moonlight illuminating the ground at night.
The typical breeze was almost non-existent, and the little wind that did blow lacked warmth.
It was a world where the natural laws didn’t apply.
A separate space that danced away from the original world’s principles.
“Of all places, it had to be buried here, and I couldn’t bring anyone else… damn it.”
The man clicked his tongue, glaring at the sky while inspecting the artifact in his hand.
An old straw doll. It looked like junk, clearly showing signs of damage everywhere.
Threads that secured the straw were missing all over, ready to fall apart at any moment.
“So, what’s this artifact that you’re searching for? Even if it’s a high grade, it’s worthless if it doesn’t perform well.”
“I don’t know, it’s supposed to be ‘Divine Manifestation.’”
“Divine? Is this thing supposed to summon some god?”
“Don’t be stupid. It’s me.”
“Then what is it? Trying to summon your own general early?”
“Honestly… I didn’t hear the explanation, but they said it summons something else… what was it…”
The red-haired man closed his eyes as if trying to remember.
And then he spat out the vague thoughts that remained in his memory.
“Celestial General, Protector of the Diamond?”
“Celestial… what?”
“I don’t know, I just heard something, so can we please stop asking me?”
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