novelraw Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125: Weirdo
Would it feel like this if you fell into a sea made of crystal?
The cool light shining from above illuminated the surroundings brightly.
Soon, small fish gathered around.
They were creatures with transparent and fluttering bodies.
A visual that could easily be mistaken for spirits at a glance, they slipped past brushing my cheeks.
‘Puh-up!’
The air leaking from my mouth formed bubbles and soared upward.
‘Breath…….’
I almost forgot that I had to go up.
The scenery is unnecessarily nice, damn it.
Bubbles from my mouth stretched upward for quite a while.
I can’t even gauge how deep I fell.
If she decided to let me go, she should have done it nicely. Dropping a person from hundreds of meters above?
Normally, if you drop a person from a high place, whether there is water below or not, they die.
‘Well, not that I’m in a position to complain.’
I waved my arms without delay and swam upwards.
The sensation of pushing through water was conveyed vividly.
I survived for now.
Considering I caused trouble in the Sanctuary, it can be said it was resolved quite peacefully.
Besides, thanks to the White Deer taking away the settlement pain, my body is moving well too.
[Tactical Manual]
[You have completed ‘Mandatory Task: Towards Baengnokdam’.]
[Obtained 50,000SP as objective fulfillment reward.]
‘Quest cleared too.’
This is pretty good.
But if I can’t reach the surface like this, it’s death just the same.
I decided to focus on swimming.
Climbing while cutting through water for quite a while.
SPLASH-!
Finally, the sensation of my hand cutting through air brushed past.
“Puh-ha!”
I pierced the surface and stuck my head out.
Cold air rushed deep into my lungs.
‘Thought I was gonna die.’
As I gasped for breath and calmed my mind, the view opened up wide.
Baengnokdam with a half-moon sitting on it.
Faint water fog and soft moonlight spread over the dark blue surface.
A scene unfolding like a fairy tale along with the sound of rippling water.
‘……Wow.’
It was pretty.
Enough to lose my mind for a moment.
And it was then.
The Moonlight Stone kept in my embrace began to vibrate lowly.
VOOOM-
With a faint tremor barely felt, the Moonlight Stone sparkled as if responding to the moon.
Silver light filled the stone smoothly as if inhaling moonlight.
‘Not yet.’
When the moon fills up a little more, this guy reveals its true value.
I firmly gripped the Moonlight Stone and put it back in my embrace. It would be troublesome if it stood out too much.
Breaking the silence, buzzing noises began to be heard from somewhere.
Come to think of it, the moon is up.
Meaning it became night.
I wondered if that much time had passed, but since I went to the Sanctuary, the concept of time outside was meaningless.
And if it’s night, it was time for quite a few people to be gathered around here.
Basically, instructors, safety personnel, cadets who reached the summit, and dropouts, everyone was supposed to gather at the summit of this mountain.
‘And I fell from the sky.’
While screaming too.
I properly drew aggro, so to speak.
Sure enough, busy footsteps were heard from over there.
Intense flashlight beams stretched out in the darkness.
It was clear they were trying to grasp the commotion just caused by me.
‘……Let’s get out for now.’
I swam towards the shore while submerged.
As carefully as possible, stealthily.
Moving quietly like that, I thought.
At this rate, I could slip away without drawing attention.
I thought so.
“Let’s see who caused trouble this time.”
Until I heard someone’s voice.
SPLASH-
Water rippled once.
Soon a giant silhouette cast over my eyes.
“It’s you again. Ryu Jinwoo.”
It was the Muscle Man instructor who appeared without fail, Kang Mooseong.
He grinned and looked down at me.
***
BEEP-!
[Ryu Jinwoo - Pass]
New information popped up on the watch.
It was a message that Ryu Jinwoo had reached the summit.
‘Jinwoo arrived too.’
Lee Junhyeok turned his neck briefly and looked down at the watch.
WHIIISH-!
Along with a sharp whistling sound, a guardian rushed in.
The higher he climbed the mountain, the more diverse the appearances and patterns of the guardians became.
Insect-type entities reminiscent of mantises, guys taking the form of golems.
While there were things flying buzzing in the sky, bizarre entities mimicking other cadets’ voices were also seen.
Such variability of guardians provided Lee Junhyeok with good training opportunities.
He welcomed the guardians with satisfaction.
He proceeded to eliminate all of them in ways suitable for their patterns.
He cut the golem types by smashing them as if hitting with Iaido, and for the entities floating in the air, he focused on targeting their wings.
SWISH-!
Lee Junhyeok twisted his body half a turn and slashed his sword.
The body of the newly greeted guardian was split in two instantly.
The bisected body of the guy gradually melted into liquid and was sucked into the ground.
‘Destroyed, reconstructed, and returning. They are definitely fascinating guys.’
That is the pattern of the guardians.
But there was one exception to that.
‘But is that guy not coming back.’
That guy.
There was one guardian Lee Junhyeok was waiting for, having singled it out separately.
A guy who moved like a human while hesitating despite being a guardian.
Every movement was interesting, and its combat sense was quite human-like.
That’s why he wanted to fight with the guy more.
Again and again, until he got sick of it.
However, the guy didn't return.
— Right here in this spot, I will be waiting! Let’s cross swords again and again!
Lee Junhyeok recalled the words he had spat out.
Since then, he climbed the mountain a little.
Is that perhaps why it cannot find him?
If he returns to the spot where they fought earlier, would the guy be waiting?
He cannot know.
And it wasn’t like he could go back now.
Because Lee Junhyeok had a very poor sense of direction, if nothing else.
“So that was the last fight with the guy in the end.”
He fought countless battles with other guardians that came afterwards.
Even so, the most memorable one was the battle with that guy.
The single instance of clashing sword and wooden spear.
Phew, Lee Junhyeok sighed and raised his head.
It was time to climb to the summit of the mountain.
SWISH- SLASH!
Lightly cutting down newly popping out guardians, he began to climb the mountain path.
***
As I crawled onto the shore, wind blew fiercely.
My whole body was soaked in Baengnokdam’s water, and the night air was colder than imagined.
“You look like a shivering mouse.”
Kang Mooseong smirked and shone the flashlight on me.
“Haha…….”
I laughed mechanically.
It’s an embarrassing situation indeed.
Because I was now in a position where I had to explain why I suddenly fell from hundreds of meters in the sky.
“Wipe yourself.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Kang Mooseong threw a towel.
I quickly caught it and wrapped it around my shoulders.
Wiping wouldn't do much, blocking the wind was the best I could do.
“Your coordinate data suddenly caused an error. For three hours.”
“…….”
“Missing for several hours like that, and then falling from the sky. Literally unprecedented.”
My conscience pricked at Kang Mooseong’s words bringing up the main point immediately.
He would come out like this, obviously.
Once one goes to the Sanctuary, coordinates on the ground become meaningless.
Naturally, it would have caused an error, and from the outside, it could only be a very bizarre occurrence.
A human passing the core and going to the Sanctuary is something that might happen once in a hundred years.
Since a cadet committed that during an exam, the instructors couldn't help but wonder what happened.
Of course, since I had decided to enter the Sanctuary early on, I had naturally thought of an excuse.
“I don’t know exactly either. Suddenly a rift appeared in the air. I looked into it for a moment, and swoosh…….”
“A rift?”
Inside the fog of Hallasan is a demonic realm.
In a demonic realm, there are cases where rifts are engraved in the air and function as a sort of portal.
Theoretically possible. Although in terms of probability, it is very rare.
“You’re saying a rift appeared and you were swept into it.”
“Yes, of course, I received education to take shelter immediately if a rift is engraved in the air, but out of curiosity, I just.”
The point is to lower my head with a face full of guilt around here.
A technique to make him believe such a thing actually happened by acknowledging my fault.
I calmly waited for Kang Mooseong’s reaction.
“……Bad luck. No, since you returned alive, maybe it can be said you were lucky.”
He stood facing me with a heavily serious expression.
“No need to apologize. It’s my oversight. Honestly speaking, until you told me, I didn't grasp that a rift had occurred. Because there were no peculiarities in the energy waves.”
Of course he couldn't grasp it, since there was no rift.
While inwardly feeling guilty, I remained silent.
Kang Mooseong opened his mouth again.
“Pay more attention in future evaluations. You worked hard.”
Done, I can pass over the Sanctuary incident like this.
Just when I was thinking that and about to cheer.
“So regarding that.”
Kang Mooseong brought up a topic.
“How was it meeting him in person?”
“Yes?”
“White Deer, I mean.”
At those words, bewilderment rushed in.
No, how did he know I met the White Deer?
That question momentarily raising its head subsided in 1 second.
‘Ah, at the end.’
I looked down at my chest.
A blue mark was slightly revealed between the clothes.
Did he notice immediately seeing this?
“That, it’s a blessing.”
“Blessing?”
“A mark engraved on those recognized by a transcendent being.”
As Kang Mooseong extended his fingertip and brought it close to the mark.
WHIIISH-!
Cool wind swirled around my body once.
A sensation of clearing up refreshingly down to the bones.
The mark reacted softly and emitted light.
I wondered what stigma she stamped, but this is a blessing?
“If you say blessing, doesn't it usually mean bestowing energy? Like sprinkling glittering powder a bit.”
According to the knowledge I have, it is so.
Where is a blessing bestowed like stamping a trademark logo on a finished product?
“Usually yes. However, in your case, it’s a bit of a special case.”
“Special case?”
“Right.”
Kang Mooseong grinned.
“Simply put, think of it as a 24-hour surveillance camera attached.”
“……Yes?”
“It means the transcendent being is constantly watching you. Seems it took quite a liking to you, that White Deer. You really give fresh shocks every time.”
Kang Mooseong speaking as if proud.
24-hour surveillance camera?
The White Deer keeps watching me?
For 24 hours?
‘No wait, that’s a bit…….’
Kang Mooseong continued nonchalantly.
“There might be differences depending on the recipient, but the effect of the blessing should be quite good too. Not to mention sustainability. You don’t feel very cold even now, right?”
No. It’s cold.
Can’t you see my body shivering right now?
I slowly backed away and showed the mark on my chest to the Mimic.
At the moment the Mimic’s gaze touched the mark.
DING-!
[White Deer’s Blue Moon Imprint]
[Cold Resistance increases minutely.]
‘This, is practically useless.’
It seems it was literally attached for surveillance purposes.
Well, there is no way she would bestow a good blessing on a guy who caused chaos in the Sanctuary.
But in the midst of that, constantly observing me?
“Instructor.”
“Hm?”
“That, it won’t do weird things, right? The White Deer, I mean.”
At my question, Kang Mooseong said firmly.
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“It’s an existence close to a demigod beyond a spiritual creature. Judging their thoughts like humans is absurd. What you have to do is simple.”
“What is it?”
“Think positively. You gained power to protect yourself and others. Be grateful for that fact.”
No, the power received is ‘Minute Increase in Cold Resistance.’
It’s meaningless.
But I couldn't say that.
‘I can’t say…… there is no good effect and purely a surveillance mark was attached.’
Because if it becomes like that, consequently I would have to talk about what I did in the Sanctuary.
It was better to carry the image of ‘a guy loved by the White Deer.’
[Your teacher is greatly mistaken]
‘Eh?’
At the voice ringing suddenly, I looked around.
The owner of the voice was not visible. The voice was ringing inside my head.
[I can't waste a precious blessing on a cursed child]
It was definitely the White Deer.
No, can she even talk to me?
Absurdity began to evaporate in real-time.
‘Just one more crazy person doing one-way communication added.’
I looked at the Mimic, and then looked at the brand on my chest consecutively.
And thought.
Something is going wrong.