Chapter 134

Even after all the calamities had passed, Soram was not left alone. And, for the first time in his long life, the hand he had grasped was still holding on.

"Han Tae-un."

"Yeah."

"..."

They had survived.

When there was no follow-up after calling his name, Tae-un waited for a moment before asking again, "What is it?"

Words he wanted to say surged in his throat like a sunflower towards the sun. It was a strange feeling of wanting to laugh and cry at the same time.

Han Tae-un, the truth is, I'm a person who's tired from knowing too much. I only know many things but have failed everything until now. In this life, I ran away because I was afraid of that, and even now after overcoming a hurdle, I'm still anxious.

Originally, I had given up on this life. But, if you're with me, I've come to want to live longer.

"...Why do you just call my name and look at me like that?"

As if to signal that now was the time for confession, the root of his tongue tingled.

"I..."

Just as he was about to open his lips filled with words, the sky stretching out behind Tae-un's back through the window suddenly shone bright blue.

The white blinds rattled as they shook. The wind that ruffled Tae-un's hospital gown as he sat motionless also brushed past Soram's clothes. In the hospital room where only the sound of the humidifier spread like white noise, the sound of his own heartbeat was added.

"..."

And Tae-un looking at him intently, this scene of just the two of them, looked so beautiful it almost hurt his eyes, as if it were the only moment across all his lives.

So much so that he wanted to say only pretty words fitting for this moment.

"Tae-un-ah."

Soram suppressed all the many things he wanted to say and summed it up in just one. A smile he wasn't even aware of rose to his lips.

"Let's live together."

Instead of a long confession, what came out was a short sentence. Han Tae-un probably didn't know how much determination was contained in these words. However, the answer to the confession at the train station, though a bit late, headed precisely in the direction it should go.

"Live with me, Tae-un-ah."

In this ambiguous expression, he conveyed his most earnest meaning.

***

"Heave-ho."

The materials piled up to his chin weren't actually that heavy by 1st-grade standards, but somehow it felt like the atmosphere called for making such a sound when putting them down.

Soram was alone in the strictly access-controlled archives. On the desk piled high with file folders, two laptops were open, and underneath were thick file folders, a tablet PC, old newspapers, and more.

It would be a shocking sight to the people he had met in this life, but Soram was originally someone who kept records quite close. In this life, he had deliberately avoided looking at them.

The reason for examining so many records was obvious. The differences between past lives and the current one could be indicators of hope or warnings. Especially in his previous life when he was desperately struggling, he used to examine such aspects without missing a moment.

Flip.

Fortunately, the memories from that time remained, and as he entered the data, his head started to creak into motion. Known information and newly learned facts combined in his mind.

Being alone buried in materials in a dark place reminded him of his past life. But the feeling was different from the anxiety of that time, which was like running towards despair.

'We can live.'

His heart was pounding just the same, but the feeling was completely different.

'This time we can live. I'm going to keep living in this life.'

Never in any round had so many 1st-grades survived to this point. Also, he had never come this close to the truth before. In addition, the relationship with the Busan branch, the potential of the current domestic 1st-grade hunters, and more. As a result, everything that couldn't be achieved in previous rounds aligned in the most ideal outcome.

This time, they might really be able to live.

To overcome the next Great Rift, and a future he had never seen before.

Whenever he harbored hopeful thoughts, his face came to mind along with them. It wasn't clear how Han Tae-un had understood the confession to "live together," but since returning to the dormitory, he had been preparing breakfast, sighing and cleaning up when the room was left messy, and taking the piled-up laundry to return it neatly folded and fluffy.

'He's quite peculiar himself, after all.'

Twitching his lips as if holding back a laugh, Soram opened a thick file folder. What Soram had spread out were the records of the patterns and damage of the 1st Great Rift, and the list of hunters who were in this country at that time.

Of course, it wasn't a time when there was a systematic system like now, and with the government in chaos due to the sudden situation, there wouldn't be complete records of everyone's capabilities. Moreover, it was before the current grade system was applied.

Therefore, video materials were employed. While there weren't many officially compiled statistical data, there were plenty of video materials from just 10 years ago. Based on these, Soram assumed their grades. The writing on the spread-out paper gradually increased.

If the grades of the agents at that time were divided by the same standards as now, Director Park Jae-seon was naturally 1st-grade, and including the young Branch Director Shin Gi-hyeon, five or six seemed to be 1st-grade. And there were three people who were ambiguous whether they were 1st or 2nd grade. Twelve 2nd grades...

After looking up videos and photos of each of them and watching the videos of the 1st Great Rift for a long time, Soram moved on to the 2nd Great Rift.

The 2nd Great Rift was more powerful than the 1st. There were many sacrifices among the hunters, but ultimately, three people were added to the hunter side: Kim Ga-eul, Seo Min-ki, and Jin Soram. Three high school students whose abilities could be compared to the strongest in Korea from the moment of their awakening.

Taking this into account, it could be seen as balanced with the intensity of the 2nd.

And between the 2nd and 3rd, three more 1st-grades were added: Do Jong-chan from the Busan branch, Lee Ayoung from the Seoul headquarters, and Han Tae-un.

Although it was the 3rd Great Rift that he had experienced from beginning to end with his own eyes, this one took the longest to organize. It was because Soram had experienced this in four different ways in different lives.

The pen that had been moving for a long time stopped, and he traced down the chronologically organized data from the beginning with his fingertip.

"As expected..."

The assumption that Great Rifts occur in proportion to the power of awakeners was only half correct.

The 1st Great Rift was too powerful for unprepared people to handle. That's why those who harbored desperate wishes appeared, and with their abilities, the 1st Great Rift was resolved.

In the early stages of the 2nd Great Rift, many hunters died due to the government's chaotic instructions. In other words, a situation arose where the power of the Great Rift became overwhelmingly strong. The weights that balanced the scales that had tilted heavily to one side were Kim Ga-eul, Seo Min-ki, and Jin Soram. With the addition of their forces, the 2nd Great Rift could be overcome after a fierce battle.

Balancing both sides applied not only to the rifts but also to the hunters.

"..."

A battle of wishes harbored by those who resented the world and those who wanted to protect it.

And balance.

"...Haa..."

He had grasped a clue, but he sighed as there was more to know to unravel it. As Soram stretched and turned his neck, something else beyond the documents entered his view.

'Another thing I don't understand is this...'

The red magic stone he touched with his fingernail sparkled with light inside even in the dim archives. It was the very thing that had helped him several times by temporarily increasing his ability when inserted into his body and then removed.

Just in case, Soram had tried wounding his body with other magic stones. But only the red magic stone gave the effect of temporarily increasing abilities.

Tok, tok.

Each time he touched the surface of the magic stone, his ability was blocked, and when he removed it, it returned. Because of this effect, this magic stone is generally used to restrain awakened criminals. It was also what was applied to his body when Soram was confined in the guard floor.

This much was a known phenomenon, but... why does it have a different effect when inserted into the body?

...Hmm, then since this is a temporary effect, does using this to become stronger not affect the strengthening of the rift? Then can I just live lazily and only stab myself with the stone at crucial moments and use it?

"That's quite something in itself."

It's really strange and Han Tae-un would hate it. His thoughts once again headed towards someone as if it were the only path with one exit.

There were plenty of things to do and to find out in order to live. But Soram didn't find all of this process overwhelming. It must be evidence that he was quite immersed in happiness.

Soram suddenly checked the time and opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"Gasp... It's 10 o'clock."

It was already a time when the sun would have set. Being underground with no way to check outside, he hadn't realized how much time had passed. He hadn't even felt how hungry he was after sitting all day.

He immediately got up and started packing his things. Although preparing for the future was important, he had no intention of running madly forward looking only ahead like before. If he was going to neglect the happiness that had come to him now, there was no reason to draw the future. It was because he was struggling with the thought of wanting to continue living like this.

Since most of the materials couldn't be taken out, he left them here and only packed the tablet he had brought in and the A4 paper he had been writing on all along. Originally, even this wouldn't be allowed, but as he was a symbolic figure known to everyone and a person obviously destined to be a senior member of the future headquarters, even the manager didn't act too strictly and allowed him to take out a small amount of personal belongings.

While waiting for the elevator, it felt unusually slow to arrive. Due to the signal interference installed throughout the underground floors for security reasons, his mobile phone was naturally useless. It was better to go up quickly than to make a call on the elevator.

When he reached the dormitory floor, he dashed to the door.

Beep, beep, beep― Click.

"Han Tae-un, I'm back."

Soram opened the door to his room while looking for someone else.

"You're late."

An answer came from him. The place where there used to be a door separating the two rooms was now wide open, transmitting the voice from the next room without filtering.