Chapter 146: Ending the Vacation (1)
Everything went smoothly after that.
Immediately upon hearing the request for backup, the support team arrived quickly, and we returned together.
The debriefing ended simply because the instructors and players insisted on handling the statements themselves, out of consideration for the exhausted cadets.
I was prepared to be cornered by my companions and braced myself for a lecture, but...
"May I borrow Cadet Yu-seong for a moment? I apologize for interrupting your reunion with your comrades, but I have something urgent to discuss with him."
Fortunately, that was delayed thanks to Yu-hyeon.
They say it is better to get a beating over with early, but as a human being, I could not help but want to enjoy the happiness of the moment.
And so, I was able to spend some time alone with Yu-hyeon.
We arrived at a quiet cafe.
I was the first one to speak.
"So, what is going on?"
"I wanted to talk a little bit about future matters."
"If you mean future matters..."
"It is likely about the Reverse Heaven Sect. One way or another, it is a fact that they have lost their leader, and it is also a fact that they have lost their main fighting force."
Well, that was true.
It was a fact that those four deserved to die, but from the perspective of the Reverse Heaven Sect, they had lost their key power.
"Then is the Reverse Heaven Sect going to disband?"
"No, I intend to lead it myself. There is a limit to what one can do as an individual."
"Um, is that going to be okay?"
I did not ask because I felt Yu-hyeon was lacking as a leader. It was a question asking if he could take over the Reverse Heaven Sect, which was stained with the previous leader's colors, without any issues.
Yu-hyeon understood that fact, so he answered without any sign of offense.
"Haha, Brother, really now. Have you forgotten my affiliation?"
"What affiliation all of a sudden... Ah."
"That is how it is. So, I do not think there will be any problems at all."
The affiliation Yu-hyeon was referring to was not the Reverse Heaven Sect.
He was likely talking about the distinction between villains and players.
And when it came to villains... was it not the law of the jungle?
To those living a lawless life, power was the law, and within that world, Yu-hyeon would be the apex predator.
"If there is a brother who cannot understand that, well... it would be a pity."
"If you talk about affiliation and then say it is a pity, I do not think it is going to end with just feeling a little bad."
"Haha, the intensity of 'pity' varies from person to person."
Yu-hyeon laughed and moved on to his next point.
"And besides this matter, there are other issues, so I think I will be quite busy for a while."
"If you mean other issues, you must mean that, right?"
"Yes. If a man who possesses even a modicum of intelligence made such a judgment, then surely another force must have intervened. So, I think I should look into that."
He was right.
In fact, had the Apostles not said something meaningful before entering the battle?
When I relayed what I had heard back then to Yu-hyeon, his expression seemed to harden even further.
"I thought there might be intervention from another force, but to think those guys entered with that purpose from the very beginning..."
"It seemed like it was not something they prepared in just a day or two."
"I suppose so. That was quite useful information. I was already planning to purge the ranks, but it seems I need to pay a bit more attention."
After that, we continued to talk about various things.
Most of the conversation was about the Reverse Heaven Sect or Ha Eun-ha, though.
When he heard about the awakening of Ha Eun-ha's talent, he seemed genuinely happy.
Anyway, after that short but intense conversation ended, Yu-hyeon smiled as if it had been a satisfying discussion.
"Really, I am glad you are here, Brother. Furthermore, have you not changed this time?"
"Suddenly?"
"The way you fought while holding the sword with both hands, and even the way you incorporated my talent. It was good to see. It looked as though you had overcome and transcended many things."
"...Were you watching the whole time?"
"I happened to arrive at that timing. I thought about helping right away, but it is more stylish not to interfere in scenes like that."
If you try to be stylish just one or two more times, I am going to end up dead, you jerk.
'Well, it does not particularly matter.'
In the end, the world is about results, and as long as the result is good, that is all that matters.
And it was not a big problem that I was caught using Yu-hyeon's talent.
In the first place, this guy already knew that I could use the talents of others, and he was not the type to make an issue out of me using his own talent.
As I was thinking that, Yu-hyeon checked his watch and spoke.
"I think it is about time I should be going. I have a lot of work to do, and you must have a reunion to share with your companions, Brother."
"Even if you call it a reunion, I suspect it is going to be more like a hearing... well, it is something I have to endure. Are you going straight back to the Reverse Heaven Sect, then?"
"No, I think I will stop by the graveyard before returning. I have not visited in a long time, and this incident reminded me of it."
"...Is it the grave of someone precious?"
"Hmm, that is a difficult question. It is a grave for the discarded futures I have encountered while living until now."
I did not quite understand what that meant.
A grave for discarded futures...
However, since it seemed like there was a story behind it, I decided not to press further.
There is no death without a story, and it is rude to try and dig up a death that someone does not want to talk about.
Yu-hyeon chuckled at my reaction.
"You are quite considerate in these matters. I would be grateful if you would treat me like that normally as well."
"...Shut up. There is no such thing between you and me."
"Haha, what is wrong with our relationship? Are we not comrades chasing the same dream and wanting the same future?"
"Do you even know what my dream is and what kind of future I want? We have not really talked about it except for things regarding Ha Eun-ha."
"There are things that can be understood even without words. For your information, my dream is the disappearance of Gates."
"I knew that even without you telling me, you jerk."
"Hahaha! I suppose so. To add to that, I want to see a world where no one suffers because of Gates."
Yu-hyeon spoke lightly with a laugh.
However, I could tell.
Even if he spoke lightly, the dream he harbored was not light at all.
'That must be why we are having this conversation.'
Even though he is a villain, he is clearly different from the textbook villains.
If he were a textbook villain, I would not have even opened my mouth to talk to him like this in the first place.
There would have been no way he was sincere about Ha Eun-ha, and if that were the case, we would not have met there.
'Besides, honestly, the future I want is similar to what he said.'
If I had to be specific, it would be different.
I do not particularly want it for everyone; I just want to see a future where the heroes are not sad.
Well... if I were to dig deeper, it might become even more similar.
In order to see a future where Kim Su-hyeok is not sad, does it not mean that everyone else should not be sad either?
'It is a damn difficult task.'
To have to take care of everyone's smiles for the sake of one person's smile, I think it might be easier to rescue a princess captured by a dragon in a fantasy world.
But.
'I already knew it was not an easy path. And...'
It is not a path I am walking alone.
Since there are people walking with me, is that not enough?
And... in a way, this guy is also one of the people who will walk with me.
Therefore, I decided to reply a bit more kindly than usual.
"Work hard. Do not go dying in some ditch somewhere. Even if you cannot achieve what you want, you should at least stay alive to see whether it is a success or a failure."
"Haha, that is true. I do not know how long my life will last, but I will try to hold on as long as possible."
The problem was that it was not easy.
Even though I tried to be kind, I had a certain way of treating him normally, so the words did not come out easily.
Still, Yu-hyeon did not seem to dislike it, so maybe that was enough.
"Then I should probably get going. The kids will be waiting."
"Let us do that. If there is anything you need help with, contact me. Even if I am busy, I can make some time for you, Brother."
"Sure."
"Then, may the blessing of Reverse Heaven be with you, Brother."
With those words, Yu-hyeon left first.
By the way, what on earth is the blessing of Reverse Heaven? I am sure he meant it in a good way, but it feels more like a curse.
I just came back from cutting off the heads of the Apostles of the Reverse Heaven Sect a few hours ago, and now he talks about a blessing.
"Well, it does not matter."
Whether the blessing of Reverse Heaven was with me or not, the fact that there would be trials in the future remained unchanged.
"For example, like right now."
I wondered what would be said during the conversation with the kids; considering the looks I saw last, it would certainly not be an easy trial.
I suspected it would be a more difficult time than when I was stabbed by the Apostle and collapsed.
***
In the late evening when silence had settled.
Having parted ways with Yu-hyeon, I returned to the dormitory first and had no choice but to throw my exhausted body straight onto the bed.
"Ugh..."
My body was thrown down along with a groan that sounded like something a zombie would make.
It was not because of physical exhaustion.
What I was experiencing now was mental fatigue.
No matter how much of a player someone was, mental fatigue was unavoidable.
"I never imagined I would be lectured for five long hours..."
After Yu-hyeon left and I returned to the kids.
Without an ounce of exaggeration, I was lectured for exactly five hours.
"I expected to hear a few words, but I did not know it would last for five hours..."
The content was exactly as I had expected.
How could you be so reckless? What would have happened if Ha Eun-ha had failed to awaken and things had really gone wrong? And so on.
However, just because the content you expected appears on an exam does not mean the exam is easy.
In particular, after listening to Kim Su-hyeok alone for three hours, I felt as if my soul were leaving my body.
"Still, if it had not been for that judgment, we would not have been able to save Ha Eun-ha, so that is why it was only five hours. Otherwise, I would probably still be listening to it now."
Since the kids all knew that part, it ended at that.
But you know how it is—the kind of nagging that comes from a place of worry even if it was the right decision.
So, even though I was mentally tired, I did not feel entirely bad.
It was because everyone had said those things out of worry for me.
"And it ended on a good note at the last minute."
The incident itself was the worst, but what we gained from it was not small.
Ha Eun-ha's awakening, Ryu Jin-oh's flowering, and everyone else grew in terms of both skill and experience, did they not?
Therefore, the conclusion of the conversation ended with congratulations.
"And I also gained a lot."
First of all, unlike before, I can now definitely swing a sword with both hands in real combat?
Of course, the trauma has not disappeared.
Every time I grab a sword, the painful memories still resurface.
But.
"I cannot allow myself to witness even greater pain while being trapped by that agony."
What if I were to lose precious people because I was consumed by past pain?
That is something I do not want to experience even in my imagination.
So, instead of regretting past pain, it is important to use it as a stepping stone to create a future I will not regret.
To create a world where the heroes I admire—my comrades and friends—do not have to be sad.
Because that is what I truly want.
"Accordingly, I must work even harder."
Can I really be satisfied with just overcoming one obstacle?
the moment I am satisfied and stop, there will be no further development.
So, it is at times like these that I must polish myself even more diligently.
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A familiar flow, a familiar development.
You should know enough by now, right?
Yes, it is the so-called reward time.
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