NOVEL NEXT Chapter 125
The sensation of weightlessness was fleeting. My body plummeted uncontrollably, crashing into the fierce winds. Through the whirlwind of flailing hair, I spotted the shimmering object and stretched out my hand with all my might.
‘Please, just this once!!’
The stick slipped from my fingertips repeatedly until, after a few desperate grasps, I finally caught hold of it. As soon as I had it securely in my grip, I brought it to the sigil.
「00:00:00」 「Do not let go. Unlocking 100% complete.」The countdown hit zero, coinciding with the completion of the unlocking process.
「Quest ▒▒!」‘Damn it… is that success or failure?’
The quest window in front of me flickered, its text overlapping and unreadable. I tried to decipher it, but it was quickly obscured by a cascade of unintelligible error messages before disappearing entirely.
‘Whatever it is, it’s over.’
With the thought that I had done everything I could, the strength drained from my body. A small consolation was that the stormy clouds that had blanketed the sky began to clear, and sunlight peeked through again. Now, all that remained was the inevitability of my fall…
Just as I surrendered and closed my eyes, something thick and unyielding suddenly tightened around my neck.
“Argh!”
I instinctively clawed at my throat. My groping fingers found a collar—solid, unmistakable, and constricting. The very thing that should have turned invisible after unlocking was now choking me.
‘Why now? Why isn’t it gone?’
The sudden constriction left me gasping, but before I could make sense of it, chains glowing with light extended from the collar. They coiled around my body like serpents, halting my fall mid-air. Feeling dazed, I glanced around, catching sight of a clean system notification amidst the chaotic cascade of errors.
「Your Master has issued an ‘Over Here’ command. You are hurrying to your Master.」‘What the hell is this?’
For a moment, I wondered if Seong San-ha was here. Feeling annoyed, I tugged at the choking collar while peering down. The ground had drawn unnervingly close, and a crowd had gathered below to watch. But no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t spot Seong San-ha among them.
“What the hell is he up to now?”
Hovering awkwardly in mid-air, I started to feel afraid of the heights I normally didn’t. Desperately grappling with the self-moving chains, I began to struggle against the sensation of being suspended without support.
All of a sudden, I was pulled into a warm and secure embrace. Startled, I looked up to see a familiar face.
“Seong San-ha.”
His piercing gaze swept over the surroundings before landing on me. His usual sharp eyes softened slightly at the sight of me but narrowed as they caught the bandage on my forehead.
“…This is worse than I thought.”
“What?”
Seong San-ha extended a gloved hand toward my face. As his hand neared, my vision was momentarily covered by the white glove. Warmth radiated from my forehead as the torn skin healed, the sensation soothing the pain.
“What were you thinking, jumping off like that? What if I hadn’t caught you?”
“Of course, I would have di-”
I faltered, unable to finish my sentence, taken aback by the unfamiliar edge to his voice. I wanted to see his expression, but the glove shielding my eyes prevented me.
I knew Seong San-ha was coming, and he was someone who could save anyone, no matter how injured they were, as long as they were still breathing. So ultimately, this was a matter of probability.
If I jumped, there was a chance I might die, but if I didn’t, it was a 100% certainty that I’d fail. So why wouldn’t I jump?
‘Of course, I didn’t exactly anticipate being saved mid-air….’
I brushed his hand off my face casually and answered.
“Because I trusted you.”
When I pushed his hand away and met his gaze, Seong San-ha didn’t look angry. Instead, he seemed more flustered, avoiding my eyes as he bit his lips, which had been slightly parted.
“…Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
Letting out a quiet sigh, Seong San-ha began moving upward through the air. Over his shoulder, I watched as the Nox Guild headquarters quickly shrank into the distance.
‘That flight skill is amazing. I’m so jealous.’
As I stared blankly at the shrinking building, I suddenly grabbed onto Seong San-ha’s collar.
“Wait! Cheong and Zero are down there. We have to take them with us.”
As soon as I spoke, an explosion erupted below the Nox Guild headquarters. With a loud bang, a cold wind carrying the chill of the blast swept up to where we were.
“Ch-Cheong… Zero…”
I blankly stared at the building with smoke billowing from it. Seong San-ha landed on a nearby rooftop and gently set me down on the ground.
“Lim Dan is already on it, so you don’t need to worry about the two of them. More importantly, you.”
Seong San-ha cupped my cheek, forcing me to look at him as I kept glancing back toward where the Nox building was.
“We need to treat you first before we go back. I’m going to heal you. Even if you don’t like it, bear with it.”
“I’m not that hurt. Just a potion will do the— Hey!”
His silver dagger grazed the bandages wrapped around my body, its chilling touch making me stiffen. The sharp edge slowly cut through the tightly bound fabric across my chest, exposing pale skin beneath.
‘Did you always have to remove the bandages before healing?’
Unable to take my eyes off the glowing blade, I moved my lips to protest, but before I could say anything, Seong San-ha’s fingertips pressed against my bare chest.
“Where does it hurt? Here? Or…?”
His fingers, resting near the center of my chest, began to sink in slightly. The odd, ticklish sensation made me grab Seong San-ha’s wrist in a panic.
“Not—not there! Damn it, it’s my shoulder!”
“Your shoulder, huh.”
His large hand enveloped my left shoulder in one swift motion. As he inspected my shoulder, I found my gaze drifting toward Seong San-ha’s face. His finely spaced eyelashes cast shadows over a sharp nose, leading down to perfectly shaped, beautiful lips.
‘Looking at him like this, they really do look alike.’
“Was it Tae Jae-heon?”
Startled by his moving lips breaking my trance, I quickly averted my eyes.
“Huh?”
“Never mind, no need to bother hearing it.”
Warmth radiated from the spot where his hand rested. The comforting sensation made my body grow languid, almost heavy.
‘Healing is supposed to feel weird and unpleasant. That’s how it’s always been…so why does this feel so good?’
My whole body seemed to lose its strength, relaxing into an almost boneless state. My eyes, closing of their own accord, took every ounce of my will to keep open. This wasn’t just fatigue. This felt entirely different from before.
I raised a weak, trembling arm and grabbed hold of Seong San-ha’s hand.
“Wait, Seong San-ha. This is weird. My body’s losing… strength…”
“Mm-hmm. It’s not weird. Don’t fight it. Close your eyes.”
“N-No, I don’t… want to sleep…”
A flood of curses welled up in my chest, but my body had gone limp, leaving me with nothing to do but blink slowly. And I couldn’t summon the energy to resist.
“Sleep well, Kang Eui-jin.”
A gentle pat landed on my chest, his touch impossibly soothing.
***
I buried my face into the plush blanket. The soft, rustling texture was so pleasant that a satisfied hum escaped my lips.
‘This is my favorite type of blanket…’
I lay there lazily for a while, savoring the comfort. Slowly, the lingering haze of sleep lifted, and I started to piece things together.
‘Right, I escaped from Nox. Then… where am I?’
I blinked a few times before sitting up abruptly. The room I was in was a hotel room.
I got out of bed and walked toward the living room, where I locked eyes with Han Seo-jin, who was seated on the sofa.
“Han Seo-jin…?”
“Hyung! You’re awake!”
Han Seo-jin bolted over to hug me tightly.
“Where is this? And Seong San-ha?”
“This is a hotel. You’ve been here for two days already. You should rest a bit more.”
“Two days? Wait… two whole days?”
Time had passed more than I expected. I quickly opened my hands. The markings of Castor were vividly engraved on
both palms. Without hesitation, I knelt and called for Gureum.
“Cloud! Cloud……..?”
I tapped my ankle a few times, calling repeatedly, but there was no sign of Cloud. My voice grew quieter as unease crept in.
“Cloud……..”
Just as my voice trembled in a near-whisper, there was a loud
pop
, and finally, Cloud appeared.
“Cloud!”
“Baaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Cloud happily bounced in place upon seeing me but froze when noticing Han Seo-jin nearby. With a determined expression, Cloud charged at Han Seo-jin’s leg, bumping it with a little headbutt.
Han Seo-jin stepped back, seemingly surrendering, and Cloud lifted its chin triumphantly, reveling in the victory before dashing into my arms.
“Yeah, yeah, Cloud. Are you okay? I’m sorry. Did it hurt?”
“Baaah!”
“It didn’t hurt? That’s a relief. I promise, I won’t ever let anyone take you again. I gave that bastard a good thrashing.”
At my words, Cloud let out a snort, looking somewhat unconvinced.
‘Could it see what was happening while it was sealed?’
Han Seo-jin, who had been standing a step back, broke the silence.
“Aren’t you hungry? Should I order room service?”
“No, I just woke up, so I’m not really in the mood for food.”
I shook my head and stood up from the floor. It seemed someone had brought me to the hotel and changed my clothes, as I was now wearing loose pajamas. There was no way I could go out dressed like this. While rummaging through the wardrobe, I asked,
“More importantly, where are my clothes? I need to check on the workshop.”
“Where do you think you’re going? Tae Jae-heon is practically losing his mind trying to kidnap you.”
“…Really?”
It wasn’t surprising. I didn’t even want to imagine how furious Tae Jae-heon must be right now. But I still needed to get to the workshop somehow.
If he was in a frenzy trying to find me, it could mean that others were in even greater danger. Just as I was about to voice my concern, Han Seo-jin beat me to it.
“Everyone’s here.”
“What?” “Won Seung-won
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