Memorize

After a brief reunion, everyone, including myself, gathered in the central living room. Although An Sol was nowhere to be seen, faint breathing could be heard from the adjacent room, indicating that she was still unconscious.

A strange, unsettling tension filled the air in the living room, like the calm before a storm. It felt as though I had arrived at a bad time.

While it wasn't exactly an emotional reunion, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in such an atmosphere. An Hyun's awkward expression stood out, while Lee Yun-Jung and Kim Han-Byeol exchanged tense glances, clearly clashing over some disagreement. I vaguely remembered hearing Kim Han-Byeol shouting earlier, but I planned to find out the details later.

There was an awkward silence for a while, but the first to speak was An Hyun, his face weary and defeated.

"Su-Hyeon hyung, I don't even know where to start. First of all, I'm really thankful that we were able to escape the forest because of you. And I'm truly sorry for leaving without waiting. I know any excuse I give will just sound like an apology, but I still wanted to say this."

Seeing An Hyun bow his head toward me, I smiled inwardly. He's confident when he needs to be, but knows when to bow down. I had been slightly worried because of his neutral and moderate nature, but fortunately, he wasn't as reckless as I feared. With a gentle smile, I shook my head and spoke in a soft, reassuring tone.

"When I couldn't see you all... at first, I was a bit surprised."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to say."

"There's no need to keep apologizing. I'm sure you had your reasons. But, I don't see your sister anywhere?"

"Ah... About that…"

"Hey, An Hyun. Wait a sec. Let me explain. Is that okay, oppa?"

Just as An Hyun was about to speak, Lee Yun-Jung quickly interrupted him, stepping forward. I found it amusing how she had already grown so comfortable around me, casually dropping formalities. Normally, I would have preferred hearing from the calm Kim Han-Byeol, but seeing the furrowed brow on her face, clearly irritated, I decided to stay silent and nodded for her to continue.

"So, after you lured those things into the forest, oppa…" 

Confirming An Hyun's agreement, Yun-Jung cast a brief glance at Han-Byeol before beginning her explanation. Though her explanation lacked some details, it was concise and clear. Given that I had already pieced together much of the situation, I didn't feel the need to ask for further clarification. However...

"A ghost-like figure appeared out of nowhere?"

"Yeah. But thinking back, calling it a ghost doesn't feel quite right. It wasn't completely invisible, more like a faint, incomplete transparency. You could kind of see a shape, like it had wings. We could even track its movements. But no matter how many times Hyun slashed at it with his sword, it just wouldn't go down."

This part intrigued me, so I turned my attention to An Hyun. He closed his eyes, as if trying to recall the moment. After tilting his head in thought, he slowly began to speak.

"Yeah, Lee Yun-Jung is right. No matter how hard I slashed, it felt like I was just cutting through air."

"Cutting through air," "a visible shape, but not fully transparent," "it had wings"—as I combined these three clues, a memory surfaced in my mind.

A Wraith. The mention of a semi-invisible figure with wings immediately reminded me of a Wraith. Wraiths are monsters that cannot be harmed by physical attacks. They pass through people's bodies, inflicting mental agony. The fact that An Hyun had endured their attacks multiple times suggested that, during this rite of passage, the Wraith's powers were somewhat nerfed.

While listening, a question formed in my mind. Normally, there's no way to defeat a Wraith with conventional means. So how did they manage to escape? With that in mind, I decided to bring up An Sol as an opportunity to dig deeper into the matter.

"So, was your sister injured because of those things?"

At my question, An Hyun slowly shook his head. His subsequent explanation left me unable to hide my disbelief. The Wraiths, seeing that An Hyun's resistance was the fiercest, focused their attacks on him. Naturally, he suffered greatly and eventually could no longer bear the pain, dropping his sword and shield. In that critical moment, it was An Sol who rescued him.

I asked for more details, but An Hyun couldn't provide much more information. Lee Yun-Jung and Kim Han-Byeol also shook their heads. The only explanation was that An Sol had screamed, a white light had flashed from her body, and then all the attacking Wraiths had vanished. Immediately afterward, she lost consciousness and hasn't woken up since.

After hearing their account, I nodded in understanding. An Hyun remained silent for a moment, then looked at me with a worried expression.

"Hyung... Sol will be okay, right? She'll wake up, won't she?"

"How is her condition?"

"She's breathing steadily. Her pulse is normal. But sometimes her face contorts as if she's in pain, and she occasionally moans."

Magic Overdrive. Could it be that An Sol has already triggered her magical powers? Though it seemed unbelievable, I started to consider it a possibility. I had struggled a lot with a low magical level when I first started. Even after passing through the rite of passage, it took me some time to draw out the sword's energy.

But since An Sol started with a magical level of 75, things could be different. The realm of the unconscious is a field where research is impossible, so there might be unknown factors at play. However, one thing was certain: managing 75 points of magical energy with an untrained body would be extremely challenging. Although there might be some variation, as long as she didn't overextend herself, I should be able to help her significantly.

"I'll need to take a look myself to be sure, but it doesn't seem like there's a major issue. Try not to worry too much."

"So, then can we…"

Seeing An Hyun about to speak urgently, I was just about to get up when a soft hand gently grabbed my wrist. Turning to the sensation on my left wrist, I saw Lee Yun-Jung giving me a pout.

"Hey, An Hyun. Is that really something you should be saying to your hyung who just returned? Oppa, aren't you hungry?"

"Huh? I'm okay for now. I just want to check on An Sol first…"

"We've already checked on her while we were coming back. Since you're not a doctor, you can see her later. We've talked about our side, so why don't you share what happened with you? I'll go get some snacks for us, so you can eat while you talk, okay?"

I was a bit puzzled by her unusual assertiveness today, but I didn't mind the gesture. It was nice of her to look out for me. Seeing Lee Yun-Jung's comment, An Hyun seemed to relax a bit and gave a small, awkward smile before nodding.

"Here, have some water. I saved this after taking a sip earlier."

"Oh? Thanks."

As Kim Han-Byeol took out a bottle of water from her pocket and handed it to me, I reached out automatically. At that moment, Lee Yun-Jung abruptly swatted the bottle from Han-Byeol's hand, sending it back to her. Confused by the sudden action, I heard Han-Byeol's sharp voice.

"What are you doing?"

"Why would you give her something you were drinking? I'll get him a new one. You can drink that one."

"What are you guys…"

Before I could finish my sentence, Lee Yun-Jung quickly stood up and walked toward the kitchen.

Soon, I heard the clinking sounds of someone preparing something, indicating that Lee Yun-Jung was making some kind of food. Turning back to face An Hyun and Kim Han-Byeol, I saw An Hyun with an awkward expression and Kim Han-Byeol staring coldly at the ground. It was an unexpected situation, but I decided to calm my voice and quickly change the topic.

"Did everyone else eat already?"

"Yeah, hyung. We ate first because we were really hungry… Haha."

"No worries. It's better than waiting around. It's foolish to just wait around indefinitely."

As I responded to An Hyun's apologetic comment, a new bottle of water appeared in front of me. Lee Yun-Jung had already brought a plate and set it down neatly in front of me. It seemed almost unrecognizable compared to the Lee Yun-Jung I knew. On the plate were crackers with canned tuna, resembling tuna crackers. It was clear she had made an effort to present it nicely. Lee Yun-Jung opened the bottle with a cheerful voice that seemed a bit forced.

"Tada~! Lee Yun-Jung's special crackers are here!"

"Oh. They look delicious. Let me have a bite… Ugh!"

Seeing An Hyun quickly reach for the food, Lee Yun-Jung intercepted with lightning speed. An Hyun, rubbing his reddened hand, had a disgruntled expression but eventually withdrew his hand, muttering under his breath at Lee Yun-Jung's stern look.

"That's so unfair. Is this really necessary over food?"

"I made these for oppa, so why would you eat them? And besides, oppa hasn't had a chance to eat yet. Where did you learn such manners?"

"Geez."

"Oppa, try it. I guarantee it's good."

"Uh, okay. Thanks. I'll enjoy it."

Seeing An Hyun's continued grumbling and Lee Yun-Jung turning her head with a huff, I couldn't help but smile. I picked up a cracker and took a bite, the cheap tuna and biscuit flavor spreading in my mouth. It wasn't anything special, but it was decent enough. Of course, it wasn't the time to be picky about food, and since it was reasonably good, I chewed it thoroughly.

Fortunately, the mood seemed to have improved significantly compared to the initial tension. As I reached for another cracker, the stares from everyone felt a bit overwhelming, and I felt the need to say something. I couldn't mention that I had taken down all twenty or so Deadmen, so I decided to embellish the story a bit. Complimenting Lee Yun-Jung on the food, I began to recount how I had lured the creatures in the forest.

"Hyung, so that was when you almost got bitten?"

"I was trying to escape through the trees, making a serpentine path as best as I could. I didn't expect one to pop out right next to me while I was passing through. If my left hand had moved just a bit more to the side, I definitely would have been bitten. Just thinking about it still gives me chills."

"Wow… So, we almost lost you."

"Hehe. Hyung, don't even get me started. Before you arrived, it was complete chaos. Suddenly, she grabbed a sword and started insisting we needed to rescue you quickly, saying you might still be waiting. She was practically stabbing the air with her frustration."

"You're exaggerating. I didn't go that far."

"See, you're admitting it. That means you did go a bit overboard."

"This is ridiculous."

Watching An Hyun and Lee Yun-Jung bicker and laugh, I felt a sense of relief. The soft atmosphere was comforting, and I was about to let out a sigh of relief when my eyes fell on Kim Han-Byeol's cold, stern face. Her gaze, unlike before, seemed to cast a chill over the room, sending a shiver down my spine.

It didn't seem like anything major at first, but Kim Han-Byeol's final outburst felt like something I shouldn't ignore. I had a vague, uneasy feeling that this was not something to be taken lightly. I decided that once this conversation was over, I would have a private discussion with An Hyun.

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