Chapter 257: Outsiders (1)
mqUzx4‘When I open my eyes, I find myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.’A7h
N8hTZBzThat’s what I’d like to say.GudX
yl4xBut what greets me is a very familiar white ceiling. Even the scent of disinfectant tickling my nose.a5Xd
RaIEverything is so identical to the scene I imagined before losing consciousness that I can’t help but let out a dry laugh. I inhale through my lips, swallow the sound, and hold back my emotions.NKlcnkM
qdrPjaIf I so much as chuckle, I might faint. And if I cough, I feel like my lungs might explode.0VnJXc
cc8There’s no concrete basis for this—it’s just a hunch based on experience. After all, even a dog learns something after three years in a temple; after three hospitalizations, you become something of a self-diagnosis expert.hoq
47nJCAlthough my body feels like it’s been smashed to pieces with a hammer, my mind is fairly clear.lMcJb7
Kf6mFg‘Looks like things turned out okay.’CKTmPqX
ZmVo8BhIf this place where I woke up isn’t some afterlife disguised as a hospital, then it means they brought me back to the Academy while I was unconscious.MdzGA
wl95orWhich also means the operation to defeat Fermush was a success. It’s just my own assumption, but I’ve decided to believe it.5RYz
APs31Since I’m hospitalized for the first time in a while, I might as well take the time to fully recover. That was my train of thought when—2gT
xgB0Shaa, shaa.uO9i
hSaKEI heard the faint sound of a knife. Like someone peeling fruit.O7Gb
BubuVL9‘Who is it?’Thmmd
pO6UoURI tried to move my eyes to catch a glimpse, but just then the sound stopped, and a sigh followed.M8H
i47zo“Don’t move.”uHB7SEm
MJ2BIf I’d only heard the voice, I might’ve hesitated. But with that peculiar way of speaking, I instantly knew who was next to me. There’s only one person who talks like that.dSj
tUIyf‘Yu Sein.’W6hwQ6M
RRs3vgG“What?”RjW8
zEPS‘……!?’uMwN
9QWEntWhat the hell!? She responded to something I only thought! Is she psychic or something?2uLqDBy
r8WTC6N“It’s not telepathy. And by now, you must have noticed, right? That the one communicating with you through the system was me.”LNxQ2w2
csGyoWhat’s up with her? She’s not using her usual cold, clipped tone but a totally normal one. Yu Sein continued.JrA0acJ
zylFoY“Anyway, if you have something to say, just think it. I’ll answer accordingly.”MVjv
0cep7jAlright. First question.WwtX
f8GJo“How did you get into the hospital room?”PsNfNbi
FC2A“You and I are officially distant cousins. Since I’m family, they let me in.”ZZc7LV
YOcrd“……”KSexPNj
oeOmXceYou get past security just by claiming to be family? That’s ridiculous.DBzawIy
alj6EMaybe she sensed what I was thinking because she added right away.wnT
QfL7Dx“It’s not that the Academy’s security is weak, it’s just that you and I are too different from this world. That’s the reason.”a3uV74
gfRx“Different? How?”mkv
Gm9lWhen I asked, Yu Sein stopped slicing the fruit and leaned in close with a gentle look. Her warm breath brushed against me, our noses nearly touching. She tapped the small mole under her eye.D6oQ2mU
Y3g7qF“Black eyes.”td9u
vkhOEY4With that, she sat back down in the chair beside the bed. In that calm atmosphere, she went on.sdfVuWq
AbVJjNy“Listen closely. You probably realized it already, but I know you’re not from ‘this world.’”FuXW
K17uQ“Cough!”bnxM
hbJuI nearly choked dry. Yu Sein clicked her tongue in annoyance.cli
vWa“Has your body weakened so much your mind’s gotten sluggish too? You’re startled by anything?”FqisWEe
YIk“……”xQ19FB
zAWbt7N“Anyway… ah, I forgot where I left off.”kkA2
Hf2Yt“You said you were an outsider like me.”xfKh0
Ixv“That’s it. In short, I’m in a situation similar to yours.”cPlf
A4RH4Yu Sein paused her explanation to take a bite of an apple and sighed contentedly.phz
eRIeY7U“Wow, this apple is amazing. Seriously, it pays to be successful. An apple sent to the Seven Stars is on another level. I’ve never seen one with a quality certificate per piece. It’s so sweet it melts in your mouth.”Fbyk
z74ESo it was for her all along. And on top of that, it was an apple sent to me. And now that I’m Seo Kang of the family, I’ve been robbed right to my face. How shameful.uU3N
wgnDc“I’d give it to you, but you can’t eat, right? Aww, what a shame. If I leave it, it’ll go bad, so as your distant cousin, I guess I’ll have to eat it for you…”OiaZvD
TFvkANot only was she an expert at provoking, but she did it with style. This so-called “saint” was, at the same time, a shining prospect as a first-rate thief.Jmh
mA0And to top it off, she bit into the apple with a deliberately irritating crunch.wggA
LiiqnMTI’m seriously starting to doubt the authenticity of the religious order Yu Sein belongs to. They must have a commandment like “Thou shalt covet thy neighbor’s goods.” Or maybe she’s just a fallen, wayward saint.pmW4
hRr5“Enough already. Finish what you were saying.”0vRtDg
bLwJv“Ever since you became one of the Seven Stars, you’ve gotten too bossy, don’t you think? Why are you barking orders like you’re my superior?”PKwT2
buA52mRight in the gut. Damn it, that hurt.ZH3izLf
pzJCQc7“Well, I said it just to annoy you, so I’ll drop it. Anyway, you and I come from similar roots, but we’re different in essence. In short, I’m also an outsider who came from elsewhere. Just that my route was different from yours. I was born here. And the world I came from isn’t the same as yours. We’re talking parallel timelines or a multiverse—something like that.”rFma
9cSWYoTimeline, parallel universe, multiverse.RIF6
LZxWOConcepts straight out of a superhero movie, tossed around like it was nothing. It made my head spin. But despite the confusing content, her tone was completely calm. As if it were an everyday matter.mWF4
BbvXqrG“So, Yu Sein, you reincarnated?”fPWt
lntSlThat was the conclusion I reached after a moment of reflection. Yu Sein, chewing on the apple, nodded nonchalantly.MWXr
v9hk1“Yep. If we put it in ‘Earth terms,’ yeah. You’re a ‘possessor,’ I’m a ‘reincarnator.’ So here’s a quiz, If you and I, with black eyes and hair, are possession and reincarnation, then—”ohTluZK
CHlT“What!? You don’t even have black hair!”mliRq
x0n166X“Oh, this?”zGeWWeT
DI1Yu Sein stroked her long, waist-length white hair.GrNwo
WjTAvO“I dye and bleach it regularly. Black hair draws too much attention—I didn’t want to stand out. And I can’t wear contact lenses because my retina is too sensitive.”0MWs
KbmMaBGood grief, what a ridiculous story. And then she says she didn’t want to stand out, while talking like some robot with “style”? Did she think that would make her sound young?pCfAiUO
sa0A‘Wait a second.’VUtuO
yyq1Just as the suspicion showed in my eyes, Yu Sein quickly added.1f4oI0T
VzaW“If you’re wondering, I was already a woman before reincarnating. And my face looked the same too. I don’t remember how old I was. Maybe due to the effects of reincarnation, my memories of my past life are blurry. The only difference I recall is that, being born a saint, they removed any ‘romantic emotion.’”zYJv
zK4AdfJ“…Removed?”3rQwd
mGxe“Too strong a word for a man to hear? But there’s no other term. ‘Cutting’ sounds off. ‘Extracted’ doesn’t fit either.”Xp0o
QhXbRIf she used such harsh words so naturally, maybe she really had lost all emotional affection.TQyJ14D
MYO“We’ve gotten way off topic. Let’s go back to my question. If there’s possession and reincarnation, what’s left?”WIQu7B
tQgmRWYu Sein pressed me to answer.WgLCQv2
082zhfPossession, reincarnation. Aside from those two, only one option remains. Any Korean with experience in genre novels or games would know.ciphVjM
d1xq“Regression.”wjjFIb
9UZ“Correct. One more question. Aside from you and me, who else has black eyes and hair?”Q4wg
PusIAI knew that too.0Y5199
aiX“Balor Joaquin.”4tNJOv
znx“I like how quick you catch on. Exactly. The founding hero, the man who saved humanity 700 years ago. Balor Joaquin was a regressor. More precisely, an ‘infinite regressor’ who kept reviving over and over until he saved this world.”iB4C5v
ylQI listened in silence. Yu Sein spoke with a serious expression, and I was too shocked to respond.viG
wCz“Unlike us, Balor Joaquin was born in this world. But like us, he was chosen by the ‘external entity.’ That’s why he too is a human with black eyes and hair.”PF4b
cs7GkA wave of discomfort swept over me. Not just for myself, but for the boss. Are they saying Balor Joaquin was trapped in an endless loop until he saved the world? That some “entity” did that to him on purpose? Disgusting. It’s slavery dressed as salvation.cqdjjij
5VlThe boss is my teacher and a father figure. And now I’m being told he was used like a hamster in a wheel. It pisses me off. Deeply.FAbhImo
9yWNM5QI frowned and said.hZOwSM
AL9umP“If that ‘entity’ is so powerful, why doesn’t it do it itself? Why use others, like you, like me?”WFIBRBN
wUne61“I know how you feel, but there’s no other way. I admit that external entity seems pretty comfortable. But it actually doesn’t have a choice. To protect the entire timeline, it needs to act through representatives. It wants to intervene directly, but it can’t. The necessary conditions haven’t been met. It may sound like I’m defending it because I’m its saint, but that’s the truth.”VeUCd0m
aktmDespite her cutting words, Yu Sein remained calm.XAj6UL
E9EmY3“I can’t tell you more. There’s a lot I’d like to say, but the price would be too high. In the end, everything we do is just to survive, right? Besides, I don’t know everything either. I’m only telling you this because you, with your actions, have tangled the fate of this timeline more than usual. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, but a good one.”RvJSrKM
mr9Yu Sein took another bite of apple and stood up. Then she leaned over me, getting very close. She placed her right knee and one hand on the bed, stretching out her left arm and leg like a cat lazily stretching.coLPPP
9lqxUVmWith the apple in hand, she opened her mouth in front of me like saying “Aaah.” She tapped my front teeth with the fruit as if trying to feed me.TdvNu2d
VBc“Open your mouth. You’ve been fasting for three days, so it might upset your stomach, but you need to eat to live. You’re so skinny—how are you supposed to stay a man? At least eat a little, for the girls fighting over you.”EocSRDd
q5Jo9GbWhen I hesitated, Yu Sein tilted her head.Gxc
KbH7EHonestly, after all the talking, I felt like I could move a little. But I couldn’t. This upperclassman from another world had no concept of personal space.7wVVg
7lNLoDwHer serious expression murmured.Sjf
qqivv8“Not even enough strength in your jaw? Want me to chew it and feed you mouth to mouth?”QE1FN
XdG2Like a turtle, I stretched my neck and bit the apple. I chewed energetically so she’d see I could.7wA
pzpebOnly then did Yu Sein realize how suggestive her position was and stood up. Hands on her hips, she looked down at me, satisfied.SKUJl
p6t“You eat well.”iGs5
kcYbUiqShe pulled a stone from her pocket and placed it on my chest. It wasn’t big, but it had an uncomfortable weight. As she stepped away from the bed, she explained.QSr
F4U5rS“You said you were collecting magic stones to reinforce your weapons, right? Turns out the holy knights recently hunted a ‘manticore’ and picked one up. So I stole it.”0Wotd
UT1g“Is it really okay to steal something like that?”qvg21
EEaIaYu Sein shrugged.XlwI
IGEGu“I’m the only saint in this world. Within the order, I’m practically the Pope. If I ask for something, they have to give it. Don’t get the wrong idea. I only stole it because I was too lazy to explain.”wx25Z
UbGauJF“…And you’re the one who accused me of being authoritarian?”f2iRK
LbZ“People are always two-faced. Especially you and me. Our existence is dual by nature.”nt6wL
UXuYLCShe had a slick tongue, that much was clear. Maybe it was the saint thing? I caught myself nodding. Damn it, she convinced me.yj5SjZB
MjHfU“Well, if you’re giving it to me, I won’t turn it down.”F3RPaB4
V8z“That’s right. Accept it when it’s offered. If you hadn’t, I was planning to sell it on the black market.”epviFE
uLiok“And what were you going to do with the money?”lDCWH
jCVb4Xk“Top up in a mobile game, obviously.”fWymITi
RQHSCI’m convinced this saint is completely rogue.QaIKS
FT3NHaving fulfilled her mission, Yu Sein paused for a moment at the door before leaving. And suddenly, she said something unexpected.Hhi
lQj“You’ve done well all this time.”rYq
YzswGeuA sentence packed with meaning.WfsM4
RLpTkgrYu Sein had lived seventeen years as a solitary outsider.2nil2j
hLKB1OGHer loneliness had to be several times greater than mine.tbmc
TBOhFZSo this young man, wanting to return at least a little comfort, replied.DEvPy
KnLEF“You’ve done well too.”biPSL
MueDfXvAt that moment, for the first time, a gentle smile appeared on Yu Sein’s usually serious face.ogM0
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Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaIn this chapter we get so many Important stuff.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaHard-core gamer.
Haimiya_cutie.
MahayanaHow does she know about that?
Sergey Kononov
MortalOoh, good lore