Chapter 33

“Ugh…”

When I came to, the only thing I could feel was an intense pain throughout my body.

What I saw was a white ceiling. It seemed like I had woken up in a hospital room.

‘What happened…?’

I remembered being stabbed in the arm by that guy’s dagger.

‘After that, someone… I think they were running towards me…’

“Y-Yoon Seong!”

‘…Yoo Ju?’

“Ugh… Yoo Ju…?”

Yoo Ju, tears streaming down her face, spoke to me.

“A-Are you okay? Please, just lie down for now. Please…”

“…Where am I?.. *cough*… I was definitely…”

Hearing the sound of my conversation with Yoo Ju, the party members rushed into the room.

“Y-Yoon Seong oppa…!”

“…Yoo Rim…?”

“Oppa… are you okay?”

“…I’m fine… but what happened… *cough*…!”

“P-Please stay still, hyung. They said you shouldn’t move.”

I tried to get up but stopped when I noticed the empty left sleeve.

‘Sigh…’

It wasn’t like I hadn’t prepared myself. I had made the decision to sacrifice one arm, but the bitterness in my mouth was unavoidable.

In reality, I had lost my value as a combatant. I probably wouldn’t be welcomed anywhere now.

Seeing that I had noticed my missing arm, the party members all fell silent.

“…Yoon Seong.”

“……I’m fine. Why is everyone acting like this? Haha.”

“……..”

“I really am…”

“…Oppa. Don’t say you’re fine… There’s no way you’re fine…”

“…….”

“…You lost an arm… *sob*… There’s no way you’re fine…! Stop saying you’re okay…!”

“…Yeah…”

“……”

I had something to ask, so I opened my mouth to Yoo Ju. I needed to know what had happened while I was unconscious.

“By the way… Yoo Ju. I have a question. How long has it been since I lost consciousness?”

“…It’s only been a day.”

“…*cough*… Can you tell me roughly how things unfolded?”

“…Is understanding the situation your priority right now? Please take care of yourself first…”

It seemed like the party members were exasperated that the first thing I did after waking up was ask about the situation.

“…I understand your concern, but I need to grasp the situation to know what I should do next.”

“Ha… You’re hilarious.”

Yoon Yeon walked into the room, spitting out her words.

“…Instructor Yeon?”

I was completely taken aback because I hadn’t expected Yoon Yeon to come.

‘Why is Yoon Yeon here?’

“At first… I didn’t understand why your party members were so frustrated with you, but seeing the situation now, I get it.”

“Huh..?”

“The first thing you say after waking up is that? It’s even more ridiculous that you’re saying that knowing you’ve lost an arm.”

She had dropped her usual formal speech, so it seemed like she was really angry.

“…Instructor Yeon, what brings you here?”

Yoo Ju answered my question.

“…After hearing the explosion, I found Yoon Seong, and Instructor Yeon came to help clean up the situation…”

“So, you two found me?”

“Yes… If it weren’t for Instructor Yeon, you would have probably…”

‘I see…’

It seemed like after Yoo Ju found me, Yoon Yeon came and took care of that crazy bastard. I needed to thank Yoon Yeon.

“…Thank you so much, Instructor Yeon.”

“Save the thanks. That’s not what I want to hear. Do you really want to die?”

“…..”

Her words suddenly echoed in my head.

– That crazy bastard said you stabbed your own arm with a dagger.

Hearing her words, I flinched inwardly.

– The others didn’t believe it, but I’m different. I know you can see your status window.

“…….”

– You crazy bastard… Judging by your reaction, it seems like it’s true. Are you out of your mind?

“…….”

– You… Do you know you could’ve died if you were unlucky? If I had been even a little late in getting you to the treatment center, you would’ve died. You know that, right?

I understood Yoon Yeon’s words, but at the time, I had no choice. That was the only way.

‘…Damn it, it’s not like I wanted to lose an arm…’

Yoon Yeon sighed and composed herself.

“Phew…”

“…….”

“Anyway, think about yourself first, okay? I have some business to attend to, but Kang Seong-jun will probably come by soon. He’s also in a state of shock.”

“Does that mean…”

“Roughly speaking, I talked with the instructors and the large clan officials early this morning, and it seems like Kang Seong-jun really didn’t know anything. It seems like that crazy bastard acted alone…”

“I see…”

“Anyway, I have to go. This is for the other trainees, but if anything comes up, come to room 406 on the 4th floor of the building across from the main hall. That’s my office.”

After the party members thanked her, she left the room.

“……”

As soon as Yoon Yeon left, Kang I-seo spoke to me.

“…That’s what I wanted to say. Do you really want to die? Please take care of yourself… Damn it… Think about the people watching over you. You’re getting treated now, but do you know how messed up your face was from the burns at first?”

“I’m sorry.”

At my apology, she choked up and spoke.

“…No. Why are you apologizing… We’re the ones who should be sorry. While you were going through all that… *sob*… Your arm… What are we going to do…”

I also had mixed feelings about my arm. Honestly, compared to my life, losing an arm was nothing, but it wasn’t like I was a lunatic. Losing an arm was definitely a huge blow to me.

I was already untalented, and thinking about having to live without an arm made the future seem so bleak.

‘Damn it… Getting involved with that crazy bastard for nothing…’

As I was thinking about my arm, Yoo Ju spoke to me.

“…Yoon Seong, your arm… It might be possible to recover it.”

I was shocked by the idea that my arm could be recovered and looked at Yoo Ju.

‘…Is it really possible to treat something that wasn’t just cut off but blown to pieces?’

“Really…?”

“Yes… I’ll explain the details later. But the treatment method isn’t easy, and we’ll need to make a request to the Hwashin Clan.”

As soon as I heard that we’d need to make a request to the Hwashin Clan, I knew it would be difficult. Normally, we wouldn’t need to go as far as requesting something from a large clan.

“…Is it really possible?”

“It’s not easy, but… we’ll do our best.”

“…If it’s going to cause trouble for everyone, then it’s not necessary…”

“Hey!”

“…Huh?”

Kang I-seo, who had been crying, suddenly grabbed my collar and spoke to me face-to-face.

“Damn it! Are you still saying that?! Get a grip! You need to think about your arm first!”

“P-Please calm down! Yoon Seong is a patient! Think about his arm first!”

“I-seo unnie! Please calm down…!”

“Hey, damn it, look at me! This guy’s mind is messed up! You crazy bastard…! You need to fix your arm first!”



Hey, you jerk…!

“Cough… Ugh… S-stop…”

“Speak properly…! I’ll fix your arm first. Got it, or not?!”

“Ah, I g-get it! Just this…!”

Hearing my answer, she finally let go of my collar.

“Phew… Crazy bastard…”

Kang I-seo couldn’t hold back her anger and kept fuming for a while.

Seeing that no one else said anything to Kang I-seo, it seemed like everyone felt the same way as her, even if they didn’t express it.

“…. Then, what happened to the person who did this to me?”

Yoo Ju answered my question.

“That person… was arrested on the spot and is in prison. I heard there’s a small prison in the training facility’s basement, just in case trainees or instructors commit crimes.”

“I see…”

It seems they didn’t kill him right away. I don’t know what punishment is usually given for harming a trainee, but I think the punishment won’t be light.

Just like on Earth, crimes against minors are punished severely, so here, committing crimes against trainees is strictly prohibited.

‘Of course… if a large clan wanted to, getting rid of one or two newcomers wouldn’t be a big deal…’

But this case is different. If they had handled it quietly, it might have been one thing, but they were caught right at the scene.

Not only that, but they were caught by Yoon Yeon, the Clan Master of another large clan, so it’s too late to cover this up quietly.

I heard the news spread throughout the training facility in just one day, so Kang Seong-jun must be going crazy.

If he had just stayed quiet, he could have recruited some amazing talents to his clan, but because of some crazy bastard’s trolling, the clan’s image has gone down the drain.

While I was thinking, Kang Seong-jun, who couldn’t stay still, came to the hospital room.

“It’s Kang Seong-jun. I’m coming into the room.”

Creak –

As Kang Seong-jun entered the room, the looks our party members gave him were no joke.

Clearly, Kang Seong-jun is the strong one here, but even he seemed to realize that the looks he was getting weren’t friendly, so he approached with a solemn expression.

It seemed like it was Kang Seong-jun’s first time seeing my condition, as he let out a sigh as soon as he saw me.

“….. You really… lost your arm.”

It seemed he couldn’t believe the news that I had lost an arm. No matter how crazy Joo Seung-hwan is, he probably didn’t believe he would go this far.

At Kang Seong-jun’s words, Yoo Ju spoke up.

“…. As you can see, because of the Hwashin Clan, Yoon Seong lost an arm.”

“……”

“Even this is after treatment. Before treatment, his ribs were broken, his right arm was shattered, and his face was burned.”

“……”

“I found Yoon Seong and was trying to take him to the treatment room when the other guy threw a dagger at me, trying to kill me. Luckily, Instructor Yoon Yeon helped us, so we survived…”

“……”

“If it weren’t for Instructor Yoon Yeon, both Yoon Seong and I would be dead.”

“….. I’m really sorry. I… I don’t know what to say…”

Kang Seong-jun bowed his head deeply, seemingly at a loss for words.

The fact that he apologized like this showed that he was a good person.

‘Though the people under him might be different.’

Kang Seong-jun carefully asked me.

“Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

“…. After the demonstration, late at night, a trainee came to me and said someone from the Hwashin Clan wanted to see me privately.”

“…….”

“I didn’t understand why they wanted to see me privately so late, but as a trainee scheduled to join the Hwashin Clan, I couldn’t ignore it.”

“…. I understand.”

“When I arrived at the place, someone from the Hwashin Clan was waiting for me. He said this place was too public and suggested we go somewhere quieter.”

“… Did you agree?”

“At first… I felt uneasy and wanted to refuse. Something felt off. But he said it was an important matter involving Yoo Ju and Yoo Hyun, so he urged me.”

The party members, hearing this for the first time, looked like they couldn’t contain their anger.

Especially Yoo Ju. Hearing her name being used to threaten me, she bit her lip so hard it bled.

“So I followed him. At that point, his tone was still polite.”

“Meaning…”

“Yes, as soon as we got to the quiet place, his attitude changed. He called me trash and threatened me to go to Instructor Kang Seong-jun and cancel my clan membership alone, excluding the party members.”

“……”

“When I refused, he started using violence. He punched me in the stomach, broke my right arm, and then hit my face with the hilt of his dagger.”

“……”

“Even after that, when I still refused, he threatened me with the blade of the dagger. While I was resisting, the dagger got stuck in my left arm, and for some reason, there was an explosion, and I passed out.”

As I explained the detailed situation of the violence, the party members looked shocked, as if they hadn’t expected it to be this bad. Yoo Ju had her head down, so I couldn’t see her expression.

Kang Seong-jun, realizing the situation was more serious than he thought, looked very grim.

He’s not incompetent, so he must have figured out how this would affect his reputation and the clan’s reputation.

Yoo Ju raised her head and continued speaking to him.

“Chief Instructor… As the victim, I have a request.”

“…. Go ahead, Trainee Yoo Ju.”

“First… I want our party members to cancel joining the Hwashin Clan.”

At this point, it’s practically impossible for our party to join the Hwashin Clan.

Kang Seong-jun seemed to know that, as he replied.

“…. Understood.”

“Second… I demand strict punishment for the perpetrator. I want the death penalty or at least something equivalent. That person might retaliate against us.”

Joo Seong-hwan seemed to be a valuable asset, as Kang Seong-jun hesitated for a moment before finally replying.

“….. Understood.”

He must have realized that protecting Joo Seong-hwan was impossible no matter what.

“Third… This is the core of the request. Yoon Seong… lost an arm. He can’t function normally on this continent anymore.”

“….. I understand that part too. So… as compensation, I was thinking of a large amount of gold and… equipment and support that Trainee Lee Yun-seong would be satisfied with…”

Yoo Ju cut him off and spoke.

“No. I want the Priest of Time to be called to heal him.”