Her pale, slender arms wrapped around my neck.
At first, they felt incredibly warm.
“Why… did it change to the second one instead of the first…?”
With that one question…
Creeeak—
Those arms transformed into a white rope, tightening around my throat and slowly applying pressure.
‘How… was she able to see everything? Did she pretend not to know all this time? What?!’
No way… That can’t be… I vividly remember wondering what abilities I gained each time I acquired a trait. It couldn’t have been an act.
So what is it…? I must have missed something.
Right at this moment, I had a gut feeling that if I didn’t handle it properly, the distance between us would rapidly grow larger.
And if I drifted too far away, if she stopped calling for me, I would be subjected to a punishment worse than death. Forever trapped in that dark space, alone until the world ends…
Crack— Crack—
Reaching such a conclusion sent shivers down my spine.
It was just a fleeting moment, but my mind became a tangled mess, spiraling into endless chaos.
‘…Hold on. Don’t stop thinking. Why did it end up like this?’
Even as I tried to think, reason had a hard time functioning in my state of confusion. It felt as if the world was flipping upside down and slowly bending. And then, I feel myself falling downwards.
– Trait [Calm] is activating.
– Resisting status change [Confusion]!
But, as always, [Calm] firmly held onto my center.
‘Huh— Am I going crazy…? I really fell into an abnormal state… Snap out of it. If I think about it, there are a few puzzling points.’
Let’s go backwards. What did Yeon-hee say in the last question?
“The second one, not the first… She clearly focused on the order.”
She might have said it without much thought, but if she truly couldn’t comprehend anything other than the order?
If the summoning list was represented by question marks aside from the order…
‘But how could that be? If she can see everything, she’ll see everything, right? Why would some things be visible and others not? She’s my summoned creature!’
Yet if that’s right, it resembles a pattern where I need to meet certain conditions to use job changes or skills.
“… Il-wol… why won’t you say anything… Ran is right next to you…”
(Il-wol is relaying exactly what that guy mentioned. Master, she hasn’t spoken a word yet.)
Damn it, Ran. Why do you have to have such a useless ability! Just give me a moment.
Alright— let’s sort this out.
1. Yeon-hee couldn’t see the detailed contents of my status window.
2. But now, she’s able to see part of it.
3. Because of that, she is harboring a strong suspicion about my silent skipping of the first summoning list.
‘These three points are highly likely to be true. What I overlooked is that her ability would remain in the past.’
I was complacent. As my level increased and experience accumulated, her ability must have also enhanced.
Was I too caught up in my own growth lately? Or had I fallen into the arrogance of thinking I was special…?
While feeling that self-reproach, one thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘…! Wait, is it that stat?’
Dominance.
I recalled the moment Ddung-i went wild seeing the blue-eyed deities. She had a stat called Dominance that others didn’t have.
‘Wasn’t Dominance just the ability to control summoned creatures…? If I think that way, it perfectly aligns.’
If Dominance exceeded a certain threshold, then it would make sense for her access to my information to be partially unlocked.
‘Okay. Then another question. Why is Yeon-hee so angry?’
At first glance, it could be considered that she might think I was ignoring her.
Since I always paid attention to her, if I suddenly didn’t mention my new ability to her, she might get angry. But, considering Yeon-hee’s personality, I doubt that’s the reason.
“… Il-wol… can’t you tell me quickly why you skipped the first list…? If there’s something you’re hiding from me… I…”
*Clutch—*
‘Um?!’
She loosened the grip of her tightening arms and instead pulled me closer, pressing my head against her chest, whispering into my ear.
“… I have no choice but to make sure someone like Il-wol doesn’t turn bad… After that… I’ll lock you up so you can’t go anywhere…”
‘…… What does that mean?!’
It didn’t make sense since if the summoning was undone, I would be trapped. What did she mean by locking me up?
In any case, my senses had become sharper than ever, as I faced the most concerning situation I had imagined.
‘Hmm? Something… is shifting…?!’
But I found myself unable to move a muscle, as if turned into a marionette. When did this start?
It wasn’t just me. Ran was stiff, frozen as if time had stopped. Did she really possess this level of control over summoned creatures?
“Hehe… Il-wol… Actually, I’ve never told anyone this… I can pour all my stats from leveling up into a single ability.”
‘… What?’
What on earth does that mean? In this world, every Awakened One had to allocate their stats into three abilities, but Yeon-hee could focus on just one?
“But… recently, my level has risen a lot, and I have quite a few stats saved up… Hehe… Wonder if you’ve figured out what that means, Il-wol…”
‘Don’t tell me she’s thinking of putting all of that into Dominance…?’
Then the idea of locking me up to prevent me from going anywhere meant…
“So I’m telling you. I can’t give you any more time. You’re smart enough to come up with another scheme, so. Now— it’s a command. Why didn’t you change into the first person?”
Just that word “command” fills my mind with a hazy fog. My resolve weakens, and all I can see is her.
– Trait [Calm] is activating.
– Trait [Calm] is activating.
“Ran, what is Il-wol thinking?”
(Yes… Il-wol is now…)
Ran looked as if she had fallen under Yeon-hee’s mental control, her gaze completely unfocused.
‘… Hah… I understand. The reason I didn’t change into the first list is…’
(The reason I didn’t change into the first list is…)
“Uh-huh! What is it?!”
‘I wanted to transform into my Master’s form and surprise you…’
(······ That’s what they said.)
“… That’s a lie! That’s not true! There’s another reason, right?!”
Yeon-hee tightened her headlock around my neck, shouting for the truth.
‘I barely held on…’
My mind wasn’t clear enough yet to say everything right away.
I wanted to see how she would react once she witnessed my true form tomorrow before deciding whether to speak or not. But I was reaching my limit. Her commands, gestures, and presence were unraveling me.
I felt like I would lose myself if I kept wavering. I am a summoned creature, but even so, I wanted to live as my true self.
– Trait [Calm] is activating.
At the perfect moment, [Calm] activated.
Shaking my head back and forth against her grip, I seized the chance where her hold loosened and reached out with all my strength.
‘Stop it—!’
As I suddenly stood up and reached out, she jolted back in surprise and fell onto the floor.
Thud—!
“Kyaah?!”
She instinctively let out a short scream, tightly closing her eyes.
‘Oh, no…’
“… Hiiing…”
Her Dominance was still quite effective. But it wasn’t enough to control my actions.
And her face didn’t reflect that of a ruler.
She looked anxious and restless, as if being chased.
‘There’s absolutely no need for her to feel uneasy… Did I cause her to feel like this…?’
I couldn’t fully comprehend why she was reacting so emotionally.
I was gifted with the ability of sense, but I wasn’t particularly good at reading emotions. In a word, I was a bit blunt.
Yet her eyes glistening with unshed tears was a sight I couldn’t bear to watch.
I didn’t want her to spend even a day in anxious unease.
Gently placing my hand on her shoulder, which was hunched forward in confusion.
‘Those damn thorns, get to the back!’
With my strong will, the blade-like thorns that were fronting me began shifting subtly to my back.
Things that wouldn’t move when I attempted to control them shifted obediently once a crisis came about.
Hugging her waist, I pulled her into my arms. My fear of harming her stopped me from holding her tightly. I carefully embraced her as if handling a newborn.
In the awkward space between us, we locked eyes for a moment.
“… Ugh…”
For some reason, she was choked with emotion. I couldn’t grasp it. Perhaps she was feeling regret for using a somewhat forceful, even violent power, unlike her usual demeanor?
“M-Make… can you… tell me… why…”
I nodded silently.
‘I’m sorry. I’m scared too.’
I gently tapped her trembling back. She leaned her forehead against my chest, staying like that for a while.
Phew—
I could feel myself gradually escaping her control. Both my body and mind began to feel lighter.
‘She will definitely feel distance once she sees my true self tomorrow… I see no way out of this.’
But what could I do? The die had already been cast.
It seemed like just under an hour had passed.
‘……’
Swish— Swish—
‘Are you sleeping?’
A steady breath, a stable heartbeat. Just as I’d observed when Yeon-hee normally fell asleep.
‘She’s definitely asleep now.’
I casually lifted her and laid her on the bed in the room.
Having seen her sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the chaos not long ago, she looked incredibly cute.
Phew—
This is one thing, but I must do what I need to do.
‘…… I’ll be right back.’
With that, I gently closed the door and slipped out, plunging into stealth mode as I leaped out of the window.
It was to eliminate the wicked group designated by the system.
Thud!
It was my first time going out alone. There was never a need to go out and wander, considering the training I needed to do. However, if it was an opportunity to gain free stats, it was worth putting that aside for a moment.
Whoosh—
Instead of casually strolling through the neighborhood, I headed straight towards the target location I had identified.
‘Here it is.’
Just as expected, the target was holed up in an apartment building.
[Adhesion]
Utilizing adhesion, I climbed up to the fourth floor where the target seemed to be.
Swish—
The window was slightly open, and luckily, through the gap, I caught sight of a woman sitting in front of a computer. It wasn’t the target. The figure looked masculine.
Regardless, it wasn’t easy to accurately judge, but she appeared to be in her mid-thirties, wearing glasses.
‘Naturally, she’s an Awakened One.’
Her combat power was at the E-grade, considerably weaker than me.
Not long after, she exited the room, and I cautiously pried the metallic window frame apart.
The window yielded easily, bending like a stretchable snack.
As it was just the right size for my body to slip through, there was no need to break down the wall.
Creeeak—
Once I opened the window and entered the room, I carefully monitored the movements of the target above the sensory waves. She seemed entirely oblivious to my presence, busily preparing something while humming to herself in the living room.
‘Computer…’
I sat down and moved the mouse to see what she was up to on the screen.
‘Shopping mall, nothing special…’
Whatever I found, the conclusion was already drawn. I was going to kill her. There was no need to exchange words. I imagined what it would be like for her to walk in.
Step—
While in stealth, I sat on the bed, and the moment she opened the door and walked in, I sliced my dagger across her neck.
Sluuurrrk——!
“Ukk—”
Thud—!
She couldn’t even scream properly before losing her neck and collapsing.
‘Hmph…’
It couldn’t have gone any cleaner. As long as I stored the body in my inventory, there wouldn’t be any traces left aside from the blood.
However, I wanted to maximize the efficiency.
Step—
This time, the actual woman entered the room. Even though I stood less than a hair’s breadth away from her, she sensed nothing out of the ordinary. I clenched my fist and lightly struck her abdomen.
Thump—!
“Cough—!”
Thud—!
Crumpling like a shrimp, she kneeled before me.
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