46 – Pre-Investigation (3)

[Seoul – Zones 1-3 Restrictions]

Inside the park, where the checkpoint is in direct view.

A man sitting on a chair with his back to the distorted space and enjoying web surfing.

“Heuuu.”

A man proudly holding his official ID card around his neck lets out a long yawn and leans on the back of his chair.

A clear sky without a single cloud and warm sunlight.

The wind that touched my cheek was still a bit chilly, but the coolness combined with the sunlight made my body even more drowsy.

-I hope I don’t waste my time today… .

-Fuck, does it make sense that reservations are fully booked until May?

-It’s a plate where you have to go down to the real province. Hey.

At a glance, the Awakeners wearing shabby-looking equipment had just passed through the checkpoint and entered the restricted area.

‘Tsk tsk, anyway, there are a lot of complaints about people with no skills.’

People always have to live a life that fits their means, the man thought, so that life is not tiring.

Look at those three people passing by mumbling now.

There are quite a few cracks with empty reservations even if you just move on to the area starting from stage 4 right away. However, their skills are poor, and they don’t have the courage to take risks, so they wander around this place made for beginners to gain experience.

In order to find even a new crack that has not been registered anywhere.

It’s a very pointless thing to do.

The low-level areas are managed by the state and large guilds, and cracks are distributed for practice in most specialized schools and academies. In other words, it was said that there were Awakeners dispatched from large guilds as well as civil servants like himself.

Awakeners with detection-type abilities are raising the edge to discover new cracks from all sides, but those who are far inferior to them are not able to discover new cracks to step foot here and there.

“I’d rather be a laborer.”

These days, articles like this have been posted saying that they plan to build convenience facilities in stable cracks and set up recreational facilities in places with good scenery and run them on a trial basis.

If I had applied to such a place, I would have filled my bank account without wasting time.

The man, who briefly watched the backs of the three walking away, turned his head again.

I was thinking of spending time until lunch reading ten more novels than yesterday.

“… … ?”

I was about to give a thumbs up to the notification asking if I would like to continue reading, but the checkpoint suddenly became busier.

As the awakening people who use it mostly are students, it shouldn’t be a big deal because there are talented people on standby to prepare for emergencies. However, since I heard a sound, I couldn’t help but naturally turn my gaze toward it.

After a while.

The gate at the checkpoint went up and a pair of men and women entered the area.

The man stared at the two and blinked blankly.

“… It’s big.”

An incredibly tall man who looked to be a good 2m tall and a blonde woman walking side by side next to the man.

The modest-looking woman had tremendous volume on the other side of her height.

Glasses and coats of similar design.

I had a strong feeling that the female side was adjusting it, but I thought it was a couple that would suit them well.

‘… … uh?’

The man saw a large man and woman approaching him and stood up, putting the phone in his hand.

“Are you from Arena Academy?”

The man with the official ID card around his neck asked, and Claire, standing side by side with Baek Woo-jin, nodded.

“I see.”

The civil servant man stepped aside without checking.

If it was a necessary procedure, it was unnecessary since it had already been completed at the checkpoint.

Baek Woo-jin entered the crack through which soft light flowed, followed by Claire.

The man pulled the chair aside and took out the phone he had put in.

**

[Following a loud roar, a powerful shock strikes the entire cave.]

【Screams from students coming from here and there.】

【Blue rocks falling on top of students who lost their balance and collapsed.】

【The only way out blocked by the collapsed ceiling.】

【With dizzying screams, the rift collapsed.】

A cave bathed in blue light.

An environment of cracks with unpleasant humidity, like a midsummer night in the rain.

The moment you see them and feel them on your skin.

Memories of that place came to my head naturally.

“Excuse me.”

A radiance emanated from Claire’s body as she approached, dispelling the unpleasant dampness.

– Guaac.

A rock placed not far away wriggled and made a painful sound.

A monster that lives on rocks as a home.

It was the sound of the moss turtle.

At first glance, the rocks that make up the cave appear to emit a blue light, but in reality, moss grows on the walls and ceiling, creating a blue light.

It just looks like a smooth rock when you look at it from the outside because it contains a lot of moisture.

-Guat.

A moss turtle that slowly runs away from the divine power.

I reached out my hand to Claire, who was quietly waiting for me to move next to him.

“… … ?”

Claire stared at my palm, then looked up at me.

Long eyelashes go down and up once.

“I didn’t specifically come here to harass them, so it means to use holy power efficiently.”

“… I will.”

Claire nodded and carefully reached out and placed her hand on my palm.

At the same time, the divine power that was covering the outside flowed in from the touching hands and was wrapped around the body anew.

-Guang.

The guy who was running away stopped his legs little by little and sat down on his stomach on the floor.

“That’s not going to happen, but even if you run at it first, just leave it alone.”

“… Yes.”

The Moss Turtle is a monster, but it is a very rare, non-professional individual.

If you don’t harm it first, it’s just a slightly bigger turtle, but the poison it spits out from its mouth corrodes everything it touches.

Of course, since it is a sunfish that will die if anything is pushed into the hole where it hides its head, there is no chance of getting poisoned.

– Kwu-eung.

– Kwaaang.

The guys who were laying on their boats on the street corners evade us and run slowly toward the wall.

“First reported… The environment is the same.”

“Right.”

“… I think it will be okay if we stop going back.”

“Go in a little more.”

“… … Yes.”

It was only after we reached the place where the core of this rift was, that we stopped, taking Claire, who had become quiet, a little deeper.

A light blue jewel floating at the end of the cave.

I let go of her hand and approached the crystal.

A small jewel with an unknown aura that even I cannot comprehend.

I put my hand on it.

“professor… ?”

“I’m not trying to break it, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Yes.”

“It may take a little while, so if you are uncomfortable, sit down and wait.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I will.”

He nodded, then moved his gaze back to the crystal in his hand.

An incident that could happen here tomorrow.

The cave collapses, and the students disappear.

It’s an incident that occurs in every episode, but it always ends with just an incident without anything being revealed.

Neither the identity of the culprit nor the forces that benefited from it were mentioned.

‘One hundred was not the goal.’

As an apprentice paladin, this incident occurred regardless of whether or not Baek Ha-na participated in joint practice.

I’ve put together some assumptions and speculations over there.

So I’m going to take this opportunity to see what is the correct answer.

Of course, the event may not happen because of the variable ‘I’.

However, personally, I want the incident to happen.

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this kind of interest since Claire… .

‘I don’t know if it will be better than that.’

It’s something I’ve done countless times over there, but it’s the first time I’ve tried it here.

It wouldn’t be a problem if I failed, but I wanted to avoid being cumbersome, so I hoped for success as much as possible.

I put my will into the magical power accumulated in my heart and pushed it into the crystal that emits light as if I was terrified.

**

“… Sue.”

I opened my eyes to the faint voice of Claire.

“Im here.”

“… Right.”

I got out of the car leaving her looking at me with a slightly worried expression.

The cool night air brushed his cheeks.

First of all, you have succeeded in achieving what you want.

Although it took quite a bit of time and consumed more than half of my own magical power stored in my heart, I achieved my goal… .

‘The outside has managed to hold the frame, but the inside is still meager.’

My body became heavy like a lump of lead just because I used up the mana I had accumulated.

It’s a languor that I haven’t felt in a really long time.

“I will take you there.”

I’m awakening my mind while being blown by the night breeze.

Claire, who got off the driver’s seat, approached and carefully embraced her left arm.

“Please.”

“Yes.”

Claire carefully supported me and started walking in line with my stride.

It wasn’t to the extent of being particularly supportive, though.

I accepted the favor because I had something else I wanted from her.

-wow… … .

-Shh, shh!!

-Is it okay if I take a picture?

There was still a little time left before the curfew, so I could see quite a few students walking around.

If Baek-Ha was supporting him right now, he would have killed his presence, but he and Claire were already known to be lovers, so he didn’t use his hands.

Click.

After passing through the maze, we arrived at the mansion, and Claire opened the front door and said,

“then.”

I greeted her politely and grabbed her as she was about to return.

“… … ?”

“Eat dinner and go.”

“It’s better to rest… .”

“It’s okay, let’s go in.”

“… … Yes.”

Claire followed me into the foyer.

“We are here to help.”

Then he takes my coat and hangs it on a hanger instead.

I changed my shoes and walked down the hallway, unchanged from when I left in the morning.

– Pinch.

An ominous chick sound came from the corner where the kitchen was.

I took her to the kitchen.

A dark kitchen with the lights off.

And a small green light shining from below.

Click.

– Beep?

The darkness that had been cast was lifted, revealing the evil figure shining on the floor.

Pure evil that broke a barrel of honey in a cupboard and drenched itself in the honey that spilled out.

“I, Professor… … .”

“Take him and wash him.”

“Yes.”

Claire quickly goes into the kitchen and carefully wraps the honey-soaked fairy with both hands.

-Beep!!

“It’s not possible.”

-Beep… … .

The guy who was about to reach for the honey that had fallen on the floor quickly calmed down when Claire tightened his eyes.

I was convinced of that.

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Right now, I absolutely need her.

Even for my body and mind, I think she should stay in this house for a while.