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Chapter 870


It was only after several minutes had passed, when the cavalrymen had been sent away and the surroundings tidied up, that they could engage in a proper conversation.


"What's this about? So, you mean to say, you had another strange dream and you want to find your Commander?"


"..."


Yuder simply nodded without a word, causing Enon to shout in a voice tinged with embarrassment, his brows furrowed.


"You should have said that right away!"


What was Yuder to do when he wasn't even given a chance to speak before Enon's anger flared?


Nevertheless, Yuder didn't feel any particular discontent knowing that Enon's anger stemmed from his concern for him.


"Your Commander isn't here right now."


"Why?... cough cough cough."


Just as he tried to raise his voice, a cough burst forth, feeling as though his throat would tear apart from the inside.


"Cough gently! Do you want to dislodge the ribs I've just set back in place? Drink this!"


Enon, clicking his tongue, immediately brought a cup of water to his lips.


"Open your mouth."


"...No. I'll just, with my own hands...."


"Don't you see your arms are both sealed? Stop complaining and drink. My arm's getting tired."


Yuder hadn't realized when he first woke up, but as Enon had said, both of his arms were immobilized from shoulder to wrist with splints and thick bandages, only the tips of his fingers visible. He swallowed the water flowing into his mouth, though he had doubts about the need for such extreme measures, even if divine power had been used.


The water Enon offered wasn't clear like ordinary water. It was a deep red, brewed strongly from dried herbs, and emitted a bitter smell. But the taste wasn't what mattered. As soon as it entered his mouth, it caused an intense burning sensation that seemed to scorch his esophagus.


It was such an unfamiliar sensation that even Yuder, who usually didn't react to pain, momentarily flinched.


'...Is it really safe to drink this?'


"Finish it. It's good for you."


"..."


Reading his hesitation, Enon, with frighteningly narrowed eyes, commanded. Ultimately, Yuder drank all the water offered by Enon. With every breath, the bitter smell lingered, and a burning sensation spread from his mouth to his stomach, causing him to exhale deeply. Enon, frowning, muttered,


"Stubborn guy. Not even a hint of nausea."


"...Wasn't I supposed to drink it?"


"Are you an idiot? Of course, it was a punishment. I purposely made it more effective and worse tasting. Any normal person would've been retching by now!"


So that was it.


Despite saying something ominous about increasing the dose next time, fortunately, Enon didn't give him any more of the unpleasant water. Placing the cup back on the table, Enon crossed his arms and sat back lazily, starting to speak.


"You didn't think your Commander would be in any better condition than you are, did you? Internally, he's a mess, even if it doesn't look like it from the outside. Isolation was necessary. Ah, but don't worry, he's not about to die. So, stop thinking about getting up and doing something. He's already regained consciousness and is working."


"..."


Yuder closed his mouth just as he was about to say that. Enon scoffed as if he had anticipated this, dismissing the idea as preposterous.


According to Enon, Kishiar had returned here immediately after everything had ended that day and had been confined to the temporary leader's office bedroom. Currently, Nathan was the only person other than Enon who could enter that floor. It seemed that even Enon had mostly just dropped off medicine and briefly checked the state without really meeting him properly.


Yuder reflexively recalled memories from the past upon realizing that it was primarily Kishiar's own decision to sever ties so completely with the outside world.


He remembered the days of Prince Kishiar's residence, which had three secret walls within the bedroom.


The door to the Kishiar's bedroom remained firmly shut, barring everyone except Nathan when the cycle approached.


'...Could it be that the cycle has come again, just like back then?'


Considering the extent to which Kishiar's abilities had been drained, leaving him in shambles internally, the possibility seemed more than plausible. It wasn't life-threatening, but Yuder wanted to be sure that Kishiar was truly alright.


"Anyway, at first, I planned to leave you there with him, but your condition was so erratic that I had no choice but to bring you here. Last night, I thought I was about to deal with your funeral. Hey, are you listening to me?"


"...Sorry. I missed that.”


Yuder, having been preoccupied with thoughts of Kishiar, admitted honestly to missing part of Enon's words. Enon clenched his eyes shut, his fingers revealing a strong desire to grab and stretch Yuder's cheeks, but eventually, they reluctantly retreated.


"Ha. You know..."


"..."


"Do you have any idea how many days it's been since you passed out?"


Come to think of it, what day was it? Yuder didn't feel particularly terrible, so he had assumed quite some time had passed since he had fainted, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact duration.


From his previous life, the longest he had been unconscious after an injury was about a week. Of course, having spent such a period as a Cavalry commander, the consequences were severe, and since then, he had ensured not to leave a day's gap in his duties, no matter what.


'Last time, during the giant Pethuamet incident, it was three days... So, this time too, it must be around that.'


"...Three days?"


"Haha. Three days, you say."


Enon replied coldly, his eyes unsmiling.


"It's exactly two weeks today."


"What?"


Two weeks?


Yuder's mind momentarily froze in shock, far exceeding his expectations.


By Yuder's sense, he had fainted after fighting alongside Kishiar, briefly encountering a hand in white gloves in a strange dream before being abruptly woken up. The perceived passage of time felt barely a day, making the reality of two weeks hard to believe. He would have never believed it if someone other than Enon had said it.


Seeing Yuder finally reacting like a patient who had properly awoken, Enon sighed.


"Now, are you ready to understand the state of your body and how I've treated you up to this point?"


"..."


"Whatever you saw in your dream, as a patient, you should be more concerned about your condition first. No matter how much others try to take care of you, if you don't care for yourself, there's nothing we can do. Do you understand what I'm saying now?"


Enon's words were utterly true. Swallowing the shock of having lost two weeks unknowingly, Yuder quietly listened as Enon explained his condition during that time.


Yuder's external injuries appeared almost miraculously healed, thanks to the divine power of Lusan and Enon's medicine. However, Enon believed it best to allow a few more days for complete stabilization.


"You know the reason. Even if injuries as severe as yours seem healed, they can easily rupture again with just a slight shock. In fact, when we tried to move you here, your arm broke again just from trying to change the bed."


"...My arm?"


"Whose arm would it be if not yours?!"


Although Yuder had no memory of such an incident, it had apparently occurred, leading to his arm being heavily splinted and bandaged for absolute stability. The external injuries could be roughly dealt with in this manner, but the real issue lay elsewhere.


"The others might not have realized, but your soul's state was continuously in disarray. Though you had gradually improved from a similar state before, I thought this time would be the same, but..."


According to Enon, Yuder's soul remained in a consistently poor condition throughout the period he was unconscious, unlike his physical body, which was healing. Concerned about the unchanging state of Yuder's soul, Enon faced an unexpected situation the previous night.


"Yesterday, when I briefly left to give some medicine to the Commander, I returned to find your soul missing."


"A missing soul means...."


"That only happens to the dead."


"...You mean I was dead?"


However, Yuder was very much alive at the moment. There were no unusual signs, nor any unfelt pain from unseen aspects. As Yuder looked down at his own hands with a bitter expression, Enon rubbed his hair roughly, his face contorted in frustration.


"You weren't dead. You were breathing just fine. Even the strap of the sword was properly in place, but your soul was just invisible to my eyes."


"So, what happened?"


"I intended to call the Commander, but when I returned, your soul was visible again. Ha... You have no idea how baffling that was."


Yuder finally understood the meaning behind Enon's earlier statement about thinking he was dealing with a funeral. Indeed, for someone like Enon, who could see souls, the sudden disappearance and reappearance of Yuder's soul would have been startling.


Yuder felt a renewed sense of gratitude and remorse for the troubles Enon had endured on his behalf.




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Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'

Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.

Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.

"Since when have you been watching me?"

Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.

"From the very beginning."

cover

In the autumn of his 18th year, after winning the high school kendo championship finals, an unexpected accident occurred.

Due to that incident, Kang Mu-heon lost one of his legs, his closest friend, and his promising future. He closed off his heart and shut himself away alone.

A few years later, the world's first real virtual reality game <THE MIST> was announced, where even those with physical disabilities could play in healthy bodies.

By chance, Kang Mu-heon encountered it and began a new life as the mage Kapros, facing unexpected meetings, reunions, and days of change....


***


"Why was someone like you born into this world to make me so miserable? Do you understand when I say it like this?! You were born with talent for the sword, a bright personality, everything - you must have been laughing at me always lagging behind! Did you even know how pathetic I felt because of your stupid hypocrisy? A genius? What does any of that matter!"


Seung-jo's cries stabbed at his heart, wailing as if he were crying even though he wasn't, but there was no time to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.

He looked surprised for a moment, but he was desperate.

Just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved Seung-jo hard. Right after Seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—


Screech!

Bang! With an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.

And in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......


***


[ Then in THE MIST, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]

Whoosh!

When his vision returned after everything went white, he was standing in the middle of a bustling town. Amidst the clamor, countless people were busily going about their business here and there.

He looked down at himself, standing dazed and wearing clothes of unknown origin. When he touched the sleeve, he felt the texture of fabric as real as reality. His hair felt the same, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.

Is this... VT?

It seemed like a joke. It truly felt as if he had come to another world and was touching everything.

As he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly remembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this game, and snapped back to attention. His two legs were still as they had been when he first stood.


'Can I really walk?'


He first stepped out with his left foot, then very slowly put strength into his heavy right foot. It felt like cold sweat was running down his spine.

And then,

He lifted it,

Moved it,

And took another step to touch the ground again.

So easily. As if there had never been any problem with this leg from the beginning.


"Ah..."


At that moment, something that was neither joy nor emotion shot up his spine. Suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, he lowered his head and leaned against the wall. His right foot, bearing his weight, was doing its job perfectly.


"..."


Holding back the tightness in his throat, he took another step.

It didn't hurt. It wasn't heavy. His leg was no longer a useless piece of wood that ached.

Damn it, to be able to walk so easily like this.

To be able to run so easily like this.

He had wished even in his dreams for the day to come when he could walk and run like this again.

And so he walked again, kept walking, slowly getting faster, until finally he started running like a madman through the entire town.


***


"Kap. ...There seems to be a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant."


Just as he was thinking he should throw a punch, Yu-wan sighed with a troubled look and said.

A misunderstanding? How could it be a misunderstanding when he said with his own mouth that he didn't think of me as a friend?


"I didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. Let me rephrase."


Yu-wan reached out his hand, his face completely changed from before - intense yet resolute - as he stared at him. As he didn't reject the hand suddenly approaching his face and kept his gaze fixed, his cool large hand touched his cheek completely.

A shiver ran down his spine at that moment.


"I'm sorry to say this to you, but I don't see you only as a friend. ...This is the complete answer."

Check out the new project 2:

Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'

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