Chapter 71: New Member (3)

“#@$$!#%!@#@#☐☐&*(”

A deafening buzzing sound. A sharp pain pounded against my eardrums as if they were being hammered.

—…What is this?

My voice got caught in my throat, reverberating internally. That sensation felt familiar. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around.

Whooooosh.

The landscape was completely white. Everything I saw was covered by a whiteness that seemed to absorb me.

In front of me stretched a world like a blank sheet of paper, without the slightest trace of impurity. However, the confusion only lasted a moment. I knew exactly where I was.

—A dream.

Yes, I had experienced this type of dream before. Although it disappeared like a mirage the moment I woke up, this one felt as vivid as that. A sensation of floating and exhaustion enveloped my entire body.

Only this time, the place was different.

—Last time, it looked like space.

Before, there had been nebulas, star clusters, and suns scattered like points of light. In contrast, now it was a world without a single blemish.

There was no distinction of up or down, left or right. Every stimulus I should have perceived seemed blocked, except for the buzzing that deafened me.

It was hard to tell whether my eyes were open or closed.

Meanwhile, the annoying buzzing continued to tear through my ears.

—This dream is complete shit.

I knew that upon waking up, this dream would probably fade from my mind. Even so, I tried to stay calm. I felt that this dream was a clue, a message from someone. It wasn’t an idea but an indescribable will.

That will probably belonged to—

—‘G.M.’

The moment I thought of that, the buzzing in my ears suddenly stopped.

Then, as if black ink was being spilled over a canvas, black dots and lines began to appear. The world of emptiness started to transform little by little.

Black outlines were drawn on the canvas, and the vast void began to take shape.

I was standing—or perhaps sitting—watching carefully. Then, a palpable silence touched my ears. It was an inaudible sound, yet somehow I could hear it. What does this mean?

My gaze instinctively turned toward the origin of that sound. When I turned my head, I saw a human figure.

—…What is that?

It was a white shadow without facial features. Its silhouette was outlined only by black lines. Although it looked like a drawing, it had volume. Its appearance was strange.

I squinted to focus on its shape, but it remained blurry. After a while, the figure spoke.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you.”

Although it had no mouth, I could see lips moving.

A strange voice, simultaneously soft like a woman and rough like a man.

I was stunned by this supernatural experience, and the figure smiled, showing its teeth.

“Ah, this is the first time you’ve seen me here, isn’t it? My mistake.”

—Are you perhaps…?

Before I could finish the sentence, it shook its head nonchalantly.

“Sorry, but I’m not G.M.”

—…..

I felt as if my mind had been read. The figure smiled even wider and said:

“But if you think about it, we’re not that different. Or maybe we are. Actually, I could be him, or he could be me. Call me whatever you want, Kang Geom-Ma.”

What do you mean? I didn’t quite understand what the figure was implying, so I focused again on its words.

Perhaps because it spoke like some sort of philosopher, I couldn’t interpret its meaning at all.

However, with every word, there was an overwhelming feeling that couldn’t compare to anything else. I felt sick to my stomach because of that inexplicable sensation. I swallowed my anger and asked.

—What are you?

When I said that, it laughed. What was so funny? Its shoulders trembled, and tears welled up at the corners of its eyes.

‘What’s so funny?’

Then, suddenly, I became certain—it had no eyes or mouth. It felt as though my mind was being manipulated, which made me frown.

—…Are you just going to laugh the whole time?

“I’m sorry, I was just thinking about the old days. I apologize if I offended you. Well, Kang Geom-Ma, it’s only natural that you’d be curious about me. But…”

It raised its chin and pointed at something with its gaze. It was a large clock drawn with lines.

Tick, tock.

It had no hour hand, only minute and second hands. After observing it for a moment, the figure looked back at me.

“Explaining who I am would take too long. And we don’t have much time, so I’ll tell you quickly.”

Its expression changed slightly. On its featureless face, a faint grimace appeared as it murmured:

“People call me by many names. To some, I’m disaster. To others, I’m nature, the universe… or even a god.”

—A god?

It nodded.

“Yes, but not just any god. Specifically…”

Its eyes slowly opened. It wasn’t an abstract feeling but something physical.

In its dark swirls, I felt a chill run through my body. A mixture of instinctive rejection and terror paralyzed me.

“The God of the Sword.”

—……!!?

“I’m not the kind of god you might imagine, but you can call me that if you want. Or call me whatever you prefer. In the end, it all comes down to me.”

When I was deeply shocked, the god smiled cheerfully. There was a huge difference from the image of God I had always imagined.

“Well, for now, that’s all I can tell you. I’d like to explain more, but we don’t have time.”

—Why are you appearing now?

“Because a seal was recently broken. Don’t you remember?”

I pondered it for a moment. A phrase quickly came to mind.

[The Blessing of the God of the Sword has been temporarily deactivated.]

When Agor tried to manipulate my mind with his magic, that voice had echoed. The figure smiled.

“Yes, that’s it. But it hasn’t been fully released yet, which is why I can only manifest like this. Being able to talk to you is already a miracle. Anyway…”

Ding, ding, ding.

The clear sound of a bell echoed three times.

Crack—

Small cracks began to spread beneath my feet, like a spider web, breaking apart the landscape. This dream—or rather, this world—was collapsing.

I lunged toward the figure, but I couldn’t reach it. No matter how fast I moved, the distance didn’t shorten.

The figure smiled softly, waved without looking at me, and spoke:

“Ah, and… don’t overdo it with all the cutting and killing without thinking.”

The distance increased, and its figure faded. I reached out desperately, my heart pounding hard.

Crack—

The cracks spread rapidly, destroying the white background. I shouted in frustration:

—Damn it, I have so many questions!

“For your information, the power you wield is… Well, even if I told you now, you wouldn’t understand.”

Its voice resonated in my mind. I heard a faint laugh.

“Anyway, don’t make any mistakes this time.”

At that moment, the white-paper world shattered.

Boom!

Total darkness, devoid of light, engulfed my entire body.

“I trust you, Kang Geom-Ma.”

***

Flash—

== ==

[NEW! The synchronization rate has been readjusted from (17.9% ▶ 21.3%).]

== ==

I blinked, and suddenly, I felt a tingling sensation in my eyes.

“Ugh…”

Rubbing my eyes as if I had been exposed to an incandescent light, the pain gradually subsided.

I abruptly sat up in bed and started jotting down the contents of the dream in a notebook.

Scratch, scratch.

The sound of the pencil moving rapidly stopped suddenly.

I wanted to remember it in more detail, but it slipped away like sand through my fingers. The more I tried to grasp at the scattered fragments of memory, the more they faded.

⌜God of the Sword⌟

⌜G.M.⌟

In the end, only two words remained written in the notebook. I gently tapped the paper with the tip of the pencil while staring at it, and the remnants of the dream completely vanished.

“Hmm.”

I frowned slightly and looked to the side. Through the window frame, a cloudy sky was visible. Thick, grayish clouds filled the sky entirely.

“Is it already the rainy season?”

A gust of wind entered through a crack in the open window. The humid smell seeped into my nose.

Thud.

After shaking my head once, I closed the notebook.

‘The important thing is to gather clues, even if it’s little by little.’

Although the sudden increase in the synchronization rate bothered me.

‘At least so far, there haven’t been any disadvantages from the synchronization increase.’

I slid the window halfway shut and sat on the windowsill. A breeze smelling of rain cooled my sweat. I had always liked cloudy days more than sunny ones.

In this world, people often compared life to the sky. While it might seem superstitious, this world is filled with gods, blessings, and magic.

That’s why they use the sky as a mirror to reflect themselves. They only lift their heads on sunny days. On cloudy days, they don’t even look up. But the value of clarity stands out precisely because gray days exist.

“…Wishing for something and reality are two different things.”

I murmured bitterly and hung my clothes over the back of the chair. My sweat-soaked shirt hung limply.

“It seems my body has improved.”

I touched my abs with my fingers. The abdominal muscles, divided into eight distinct segments, felt firm.

I hadn’t done any exercise while hospitalized, but my body had improved.

While admiring myself with a satisfied smile, I quickly erased the expression from my face.

My room was on the second floor. I couldn’t allow anyone to see me touching my abs with my shirt lifted. There was already too much gossip about me among the students; I didn’t want to be labeled as a pervert.

“…Stop being ridiculous.”

Rolin~

The ringtone of my phone chimed indifferently along with a vibration. I wondered who could be calling so early in the morning and stepped down from the windowsill. Either way, it was time to get ready.

“It must be Ryozo or Speedweapon.”

Yesterday, the club members had invited me to a meal to celebrate my discharge from the hospital and the founding of the exploration club. They told me they had pooled their resources for it. Apparently, there was a new famous sushi restaurant at the academy.

At first, I had firmly refused. There wasn’t any specific reason; I just wasn’t used to being invited to things like that.

But when they showed me their phones with bright, expectant eyes, I had no choice but to accept. Besides, they came from wealthy families, so a meal was nothing to them.

“But I’m a bit picky with sushi.”

I let out a small laugh and looked at my phone. The sender wasn’t one of the club members.

[Media: Did you sleep well, Geom-Ma? I’m writing because I investigated what you asked me about.]

“What I asked…?”

“Ah, I asked her to look into my family ties and personal information.”

I had been constantly worried about what Lei Shen had said before dying, so I personally asked her when I stopped by the academy director’s office.

I slid my finger across the screen. A few more messages had arrived.

]Media: Originally, I planned to tell you in person… I suppose I’m being cautious. I sent you an attached file, review it and contact me when you can. Oh, and I heard you have a new member in your club. Good job, our Geom-Ma! Later, this noona will give you a special reward⎯.]

I scrolled down a bit more.

[Media: Student Data – Kang Geom-Ma.xlsx]

It was a message with an attached file. It was protected, so I could only read it. I felt a slight nervousness and wiped the sweat from my palms on the hem of my clothes before tapping the screen.

“…What the hell is this?”

The moment I did, a curse slipped from my mouth.