"Yes, it's been a while, Joan…"
Facing the man with deep, amused eyes, Kim Sae-Jin smiled slightly. His brown eyes, always shining, gave the impression of being golden under the dim office light.
"Well, I heard you got into a fight yesterday, didn't you?"
Joan asked with a smirk.
Sae-Jin scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly.
"I wouldn't call it a fight… More like putting someone in their place."
Joan chuckled.
"I couldn't have said it better myself, haha!"
But his expression quickly changed, his gaze growing more serious.
"Jokes aside, what brings you here?"
A brief silence followed.
Sae-Jin sighed.
"Oh, just stopping by to say hi, nothing—"
"Don't give me that nonsense."
Joan cut him off, closing his eyes with a tired look.
"I know you, Sae-Jin. There's always a reason behind what you do."
Sae-Jin was momentarily speechless.
"Ah… Yeah, you got me. Actually, I have… a small favor to ask."
"And what would that be?"
Joan raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was off.
"Well…"
.
.
.
"ARE YOU INSANE?! THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I CAN JUST CAN ASK LIKE THAT !"
"I knew you'd react like this… but I need to get it. And you're the only professor here who has the means to do it since you're one of the few working with [The Hunter Agency] on the side."
"Yeah, but still, this isn't something I can just ask for. It's highly confidential! Sure, you know a lot about the agency, and you have access to crucial information—even things I wasn't aware of—but what you're asking for is beyond anything imaginable…"
Joan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Sae-Jin simply smiled.
"That's true, but I know you can do it. Besides, don't forget—you owe me a favor, remember?"
Joan had no comeback for that and sighed again.
"Ah… I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee anything."
[Bzz]
[Bzz]
[Bzz]
"Who is it?"
"Oh, it's probably Eve… She must have seen my message."
"Apprentice Kim Arrietta Eve? How do you know her?"
"She's a friend's sister. Actually, I should tell you about him—he's pretty special!"
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Sae-Jin answered the call.
"Yeah, hello—"
[WHERE IS HE?!]
The voice was so loud that Sae-Jin flinched, almost dropping his phone.
'Ah… damn it… my ears—'
"You mean Sugil? Well, he told me he had something urgent to take care of, but he didn't say where exactly. So, I don't know any more than you do."
'Though, I have a pretty good idea…'
Sae-Jin thought with a slightly awkward smile.
[Ahh… alright. That's weird for him, though. He never goes out during his free time… Did he finally decide to be social, that shut-in geek?]
'Ouch.'
Both Sae-Jin and Joan had the same thought at that moment.
[Anyway, tell him he can take as much time as he wants, but he better be back before we head to the simulation room.]
"Got it."
[Alright, see you later, Sae-Jin.]
Sae-Jin hung up.
"Well, I didn't know Apprentice Kim Arrietta Eve had a younger brother. Is he strong?"
"Heh…"
"Yeah, he's insanely powerful—way more than me."
"Stronger than you? Is that even possible?"
"And he'll become even stronger… But for now, I've been quicker than him."
"What do you mean by 'quicker'?"
"Anyway, I have to go. And don't forget what I asked, okay?"
Joan sighed.
"Alright, alright… I'll see what I can do."
Sae-Jin left the room, giving Joan a quick wave before heading toward the dorms.
'Kim Sugil…'
'You found answers to Madam Kang's questions, you know about Yeon-Seo's sister's death, and most of all…'
'You know about the existence of constellations. And maybe… about 'them' too.'
'Could it be… that you're like me? Could it be that you also…'
[Regressed?]
'I completely forgot about you in my past life. Honestly, I didn't think you'd survive the apocalypse, let alone come back in time with me. But after everything that's happened, I can't ignore it anymore…'
[We… have to save the world together. Because we're the only ones who know the future… isn't that right?]
A smirk appeared on his face.
'…But in the meantime, I'll get ahead of you a little.'
___
"Achoo!"
"Ugh… I think I caught a cold…"
I muttered to myself.
'No, it's probably just the dust in this place…'
Ruined buildings, collapsed structures, mold growing everywhere, unbearable cold, and above all—a red sky similar to blood covered the entire floor
[The Ruined City]
'Yeah… we're definitely in the right place.'
"Mr. Ho-Bong?"
When I turned to him, I could see pure terror on his face. His legs were shaking so badly it looked like he could collapse at any moment.
You know that sound when your teeth chatter uncontrollably from the cold? Yeah, it was just like that. Except on top of that, it looked like his glasses were about to crack…
"Uh… sir, are you—"
"Y-Y-YES! I-I-I-I-I'M P-PERFECTLY F-F-F-FINE!"
His voice was trembling as well… Honestly, I couldn't even mock him. Yesterday, I would've reacted the same way.
"Alright, just stay close to me, okay?"
"O-O-Okay…"
He stuttered, pulling a small blade from his pocket.
'Will that even be enough to kill a goblin?'
I wondered, but I let it go.
Because in the end…
"System."
[Character Description: A simple student—]
[Stats:
STR: Rank-F ★☆☆☆☆
INT: Rank-F ★☆☆☆☆
END: Rank-F ★☆☆☆☆
AGI: Rank-F ★☆☆☆☆
CHA: Rank-F ★☆☆☆☆]
'…It'll be up to me to fight.'
I thought, gripping my short sword tightly, my heart pounding with both fear and excitement.
'I wonder… will I get stronger after finding [The Nameless Tree]?'
Well, only time will tell!
[Quest: Reach Level 5 during the entrance exam
Rewards: New card abilities of 1 or 2 stars, gain points in STR and END.
Failure to complete the quest within the time limit will result in penalties for the next 10 days. Quest difficulty: RANK F.]