Life was a real mediocre struggle back in the original world.
If I had turned into a partial cripple and couldn’t move at all, I would have given up, but here I was, just healthy enough to get around annoyingly.
If I had really been a terrible person, I could have just ignored the world and let it die, but instead, I meddled just enough to end up with a leg injury.
– Whoosh!
Even in this world, it’s the same.
If I had no regrets, I would just let it all go and die, but here I am, crawling around desperately because of the lingering attachments.
It’s hard, you know? Getting up early every day to train my body and cramming strange knowledge into my head is the worst.
Swinging weapons during training, tearing skin on my palms, breaking nails, running until my legs feel like they’ll break, and blistering my feet.
Returning home all worn out, struggling to catch up on theoretical lessons alone, and every time I pass out from exhaustion, I have those damn nightmares.
It’s all just so annoying.
– Whoosh…!
I hate it all.
A curse of short life. I have no idea when I’ll die. I can only guess about ten years from looking at the examples and explanation texts of NPCs with similar curses.
Short-lived, as the term suggests, means I could drop dead any day now. It’s terrifying. I hate feeling that fear.
I want to savor real flavors again. I want to smell that vanilla scent that used to calm me when stressed.
I want to experience the world through my own eyes, especially the sky that I can’t see anymore.
I don’t like it when a little mistake leads to agony.
It’s unfair. Why do I have to endure this? What did I do wrong? I tried my best not to be a burden to anyone.
Am I really the one at fault as those jerks say? Should I have never been born? Am I nothing but an annoyance to others?
I…
– Whoosh!
I heard something burning. Combustion. Firewood… emotions burning away. Emotions amplifying to replenish what was consumed.
Suddenly, an oddly familiar piece of knowledge flashed in my mind. My senses snapped back to reality.
“Wait… no, no! What the hell is this? Get a grip!”
What was I just thinking about?
The moment I realized I was whining like a fool, my sluggish mind sharpened.
I shook off the emotions that clung to me like a swamp. At the same time, I became aware of my surroundings.
Something was burning right next to me. No, it was one of my arms that was on fire.
My entire right arm, which was pulling the bowstring, was engulfed in flames. It was a powerful fire, infused with a noticeable amount of magical energy.
“What the hell?”
Flames exploded from my arm. It was something I could never have imagined.
Inside the tower, even a cut from a sword would only feel like a minor sting, but now the pain was drastically reduced.
“Hot…!”
Yet, it was still hot. The most intense sensation I had felt since entering the tower. The flames were becoming fiercer. At this rate, my arm might just get devoured.
Thankfully, I hadn’t taken much damage yet. But seeing how the flames were intensifying, I felt like I’d get hurt if I left it as it was.
– It’s unfair. Why am I stuck here like this?
“Ugh…”
My mind wavered for a moment. The swell of emotions shook my rational judgment.
My arm trembled. I felt like I lost consciousness for a brief second, but thankfully it didn’t last long.
The sky was still filled with parasitic moths, and Baek Ahrin was keeping their attention.
A little ways off, Elia and Hong Yeon-hwa were looking for an opportunity.
Everyone was sending horrified glances my way. Especially Hong Yeon-hwa, whose reaction was intense, like the ground was crumbling beneath her.
I didn’t understand what was going on. But standing there, dazed, was the worst thing to do.
Even in this moment, the inferno was still raging.
Flames that amplified the owner’s emotions, burning brightly on the fuel of those emotions.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s strangely intense reaction.
All of it conjured a certain flame.
But I decided to put those questions aside for now. I’d figure it out later…
…Would I actually figure anything out? Have I discovered any answers to the questions I have?
– Whoosh!
I survived daily beatings from my parents as a weak child.
I survived with my guts opened by a sword.
I emerged alive from a fire that consumed my parents.
I lived on the streets for years without proper food.
I recovered from a crippling accident.
I was dragged into this world.
The rampage of spatial perception, the truth behind the emptiness I saw at the gate, the true intentions of the head honcho who brought me here, and the disaster event that could happen at any moment.
Have I figured anything out from all that? Can I even figure anything out? Can I do anything about it?
“I… I have to shoot.”
I clenched my teeth. My emotions were boiling. Following suit, the flames raged alongside them.
This wasn’t a normal emotion. Repeating that thought, I aimed my bow at the parasitic moth.
I didn’t know why my arm was in this state, but for now, I just had to shoot and think later.
I narrowed my focus. I dismissed all the excessive thoughts and fixated on one thing.
– Whoosh!
The enchantment magic adhered to the arrow… but more than that, my consciousness focused on the wild flames dancing chaotically from my arm.
Suddenly, a thought sparked in my mind.
The flames that wrapped around my arm seemed to burn brighter. I wouldn’t know the reason for their emergence, but they were fueled by the magical energy surrounding me, igniting due to my own magic.
Then surely, I should be able to control it.
I gave it a shot.
Whoosh! The flames roared as they became more vigorous, as if rebelling by lifting their heads.
But, that was just for a moment; they gradually lowered their heads and followed my lead towards the arrowhead.
The previous arrow was already threatening enough, and given that all it took was one shot, I poured in a generous amount of magical energy.
Right now—
– Whoosh!
This looked like the strongest attack I had ever made.
I was ready to let go of the bowstring that had been taut to its limit.
From the ground to the sky, a red line was drawn. The arrow sliced through the air, the wind currents rising, grazing my skin.
It was fast.
I felt the urgency in the flapping wings of the parasitic moth. The flow of the wind became chaotic.
I hit it. That thought came first.
– Boom!
A loud explosion echoed behind it.
*
My eyes felt dizzy. I doubted what I had just seen.
I would have preferred it to all be a lie, or just a dream.
If it were a dream, I could wake up and be mad for a moment and then still let out a sigh of relief.
I wish it were a dream. But her senses, her instincts pointed to this place as the harsh reality.
“Ugh…”
My head throbbed painfully. Hong Yeon-hwa was panting heavily. Blood seeped from her tightly clenched fists.
Beyond her, I could see my flaming right arm and the ominous-looking arrow. The shot arrow pierced through the air at a speed that would surprise even her.
– Boom!
The arrow that struck the parasitic moth caused a colossal explosion of flames. The monster’s scream echoed everywhere.
Soon, a fierce gust followed, causing Hong Yeon-hwa’s clothes to flutter violently. The aftermath of the battle blew debris and dirt everywhere.
Flames. She was familiar with them. Her family’s symbol was fire, and her unique abilities flowed from that flame as well.
But this fire… the flame that burst out from the scars inflicted by her family…
It felt all too familiar.
That realization gnawed at Hong Yeon-hwa’s heart.
“Yeon-hwa!”
A familiar voice. She turned her head at Baek Ahrin’s shout.
“First! Let’s take down the boss!”
A brief, to-the-point statement. Hong Yeon-hwa faltered for a moment, then bit her lip.
She was right. This was… the boss first, and then she could worry about the rest.
– Whoosh!
Flames erupted. The fire that always blazed whenever she wished. The flame, carrying her unpleasant emotions, raged more intensely than before.
Boom! Covered in Gop-hwa, her legs slammed into the ground. The scenery pushed back, and with all her strength, she lunged upward toward the sky.
– Wheeeeee…
As the explosion settled, the form of the parasitic moth became clear.
The precariously wobbling moth tilted to one side. Its left wing, struck by the arrow, was utterly ruined, preventing it from continuing to fly.
Hong Yeon-hwa thought there would be a gap to create with Baek Ahrin, but she had never anticipated such a lethal opportunity.
Sensing its imminent death, the parasitic moth tried to escape from Hong Yeon-hwa, but she had already closed the distance, right in front of it.
With bloodshot eyes, she stared at the parasitic moth.
Right now, Hong Yeon-hwa was furious. That was an understatement. It felt like she might explode at any moment.
Gop-hwa feeds most voraciously on the emotions of its wielder. Thus, the user had to learn to exploit those feelings.
Various thoughts swirled in her mind, guiding them to a singular conclusion.
The instigator of all these emotions—it was that damn monster.
It was perfectly fine to place blame. It was a simple thought. And with it, she effectively fueled her emotions into a fire.
“Not yet.”
Tier 5. She had taken it down alone once before, but this time something felt lacking. She had no certainty of killing it.
Even if she could kill it, she didn’t want to let it go easy.
A uniqueness that set it apart from other entities. The right to assert independence in a world abounding with special abilities.
That was the unique power.
“Gop-hwa.”
The flames that burn oneself and the world, the fire that leaves no ashes of what it hates.
While it converts magic and vitality into fuel, it especially burns emotions well. For that, it amplifies the owner’s feelings.
Gop-hwa was a unique ability that couldn’t easily be classified.
A property-based ability that manifested flames, while also being a physical enhancement within the body.
Furthermore, it brings multiple advantages in combat situations.
Uniqueness.
To distinguish it from the rest.
To be unique is not enough. It is a universal thought among the original superhumans and those who live in this moment.
Even if one is unique now, it’s uncertain whether they will remain special and unique in the future.
Stagnating while everyone else advances equates to regression.
Therefore, one must progress. Not complacent in the now, but extend that uniqueness.
She approached right up to the parasitic moth. An opportunity that arose after a sudden attack. Hong Yeon-hwa tossed away the sword in her hand and reached out.
Gop-hwa coiled around her hand like a thread.
‘Expansion capability.’
Kaihwa.
Whoosh. The flames in her palm flickered out. The fire that had been violently swirling around her body also suddenly vanished.
The added physical abilities from Gop-hwa dissipated too.
In exchange—
– Whoosh!
A different kind of intense flame surged from her grasp.
Focus and concentration.
Discarding trivial parts, concentrating solely on output.
“Die.”
– Kaaaarrrgh!
A deep crimson light enveloped the sky. Enormous heat spread all around.
The moth’s body, swallowed whole by the flames, flashed like a shadow.
However, the shadow flickered uncertainly like a torch before a storm and failed to produce even a proper death cry before disappearing completely.
.
.
.
Having poured out Gop-hwa to the last moment, Hong Yeon-hwa descended to the ground.
What once was solid ground was now melting and scorched, a complete mess.
She had controlled it. To minimize the impact on the ground, she deliberately opened it toward the sky.
However, that didn’t mean her worries could ease. Hong Yeon-hwa urgently scanned her surroundings.
Off in the distance, a hemispheric ice structure came into view. A defensive measure by Baek Ahrin against the backlash.
Hong Yeon-hwa dashed toward it with relief.
As she approached, the ice parted with a shudder. Inside were Baek Ahrin, Elia, and Lee Ha-yul.
“Ha-yul!”
Hong Yeon-hwa’s face filled with worry. Lee Ha-yul looked incredibly uneasy.
His breathing was rough, and his face was flushed. His body swayed slightly, almost as if he would collapse any moment.
Dashing past Baek Ahrin and Elia, she reached right in front of Lee Ha-yul.
“Ha-yul! Are you okay?! What should we do… Oh, that’s right! Healing! Ahrin! Heal Ha-yul… No, before that! Show me your other arm, Ha-yul!”
Hong Yeon-hwa waved her hands frantically. She had just depleted a massive amount of magical energy and was feeling dizzy.
“?”
Lee Ha-yul tilted his head. After a moment, he nodded several times and reached his arm forward.
– Poof.
“…Huh?”
Feeling fulfillment surge as he collapsed into her embrace, Hong Yeon-hwa let out an astonished gasp. Then, his arm wrapped around her waist.
Her eyes widened, shaking like a leaf.
Lee Ha-yul nestled into her arms.
“Uhm…?”
Her thoughts clouded, but oddly enough, her mind analyzed the current situation at lightning speed.
For some reason, flames surged from Lee Ha-yul’s arm, resembling… no, they were Gop-hwa.
Gop-hwa, a unique ability.
Flames that burn wildly, fueled by emotions.
Because of that quality, it had the notable disadvantage and advantage of inciting the owner’s feelings.
It incited emotions…
As Hong Yeon-hwa connected the dots, her gaze drifted over Lee Ha-yul’s face.
His flushed cheeks, ragged breath, and the soft moans escaping his lips…
Despite having the same expression from before, now it softened, looking quite at ease in her embrace.
As she grasped the situation, along with her worries, a different emotion surged forth.
“…gulp.”
Hong Yeon-hwa swallowed hard.
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