Chapter 115: Everyone Has a Darkness (3)
“You can make a different choice.”
“It doesn’t matter. At least not now.”
“Hah…”
Early in the morning, my younger sister, Kang Do-yeon, was getting ready to leave. I knew it was coming, but a sigh escaped me.
She was planning to return to REDRIUM, where the Legion’s main base was, crossing the gate once again.
“If even this false daily life I can obtain through disguise flows on like this, it can’t last forever. This is what I chose. As a submind of the Legion, I work for the Legion, for all of us. It’s much more efficient than pretending to be an ordinary high school girl here.”
Her will was firm. She had just said goodbye to our mother. I know well how that feels right now.
“Open the gate.”
Eve opened a gate in the corner of the room.
Beyond the gate was a desolate, dry landscape, with the Legion’s nest dominating the area.
“Just take care of yourself.”
“We both know too much about each other, right? You and I are one.”
Kang Do-yeon chuckled as she stepped through the gate. An instant later, the gate closed, leaving nothing but an eerie silence in the room.
“Kang Do-yeon is already one of us; there’s no reason to worry.”
“That girl has already changed too much. That’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Well, Kang Do-yeon’s way of thinking is still quite human.”
Eve took it lightly, as if it was obvious, but I couldn’t help but react differently.
Becoming gradually more blunt and indifferent isn’t necessarily a good thing.
[Then survive, and win.]
“…”
Words flickered before my eyes. Even Eve, who shared everything with me as one, couldn’t see them.
These were the stumbling blocks implanted in my soul, which Eve had described. It must be because of their influence.
“Did Do-yeon… leave?”
“Don’t worry too much. As I said, she’ll come back in one piece.”
“That girl next to you, she’s Do-yeon’s friend, right? Is she… involved in the same thing?”
Just as I was about to leave the house, my mother, sitting blankly in the living room, spoke to Eve.
“…Yes.”
I made a laborious answer while trying to keep Eve calm.
Then, my mother stood up and approached, grabbing Eve’s hand tightly.
Unlike my startled self, Eve’s expression didn’t change at all. There was no sign of emotional disturbance.
She remained still, just as I had told her to.
“Take care of yourself.”
My mother, thinking of her daughter who had just left this place, was filled with sincere concern.
Kang Do-yeon was merely making excuses, but my mother would have sensed a certain amount of the truth.
In some ways, it was a natural response that parents might show.
‘I still can’t understand. I’m not a precious presence to this woman.’
‘…Just acknowledge it. That I’m someone your mom can trust.’
‘My ally.’
Perhaps I succeeded in convincing her to some extent, as Eve remained still even when my mother finally embraced her tightly.
After leaving the house like that, we climbed back into the car.
The atmosphere was slightly awkward. It was entirely my fault. This shouldn’t be happening. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
I couldn’t afford to act so timidly any longer.
Since I had become one with Eve, I needed to think and act somewhat like her.
“Let’s go. The branch isn’t far.”
I gathered my thoughts and set off towards the branch of the Guardian Alliance to which I belonged.
It was time to move seriously, and there was no room for distractions.
“There’s a lot of information, but 99% of it is just trash.”
As the car crossed the road, Eve sat beside me, browsing the internet on her phone.
However, contrary to expectations, Eve assessed most of the information on the internet as “not worth remembering or useful.”
Given Eve’s current state, it was quite understandable.
Most of the information about humans created by Earthlings no longer held any value for Eve.
“There are various martial arts schools that have emerged in modern times.”
Of course, there were also pieces of information that she deemed helpful.
“We’ve arrived.”
The branch was located right in the middle of a bustling city.
Even though it was essentially a state of emergency, since it was not a typical wartime situation, economic activities were still ongoing.
Perhaps because of this, the expressions of the people bustling around the streets weren’t particularly bright.
It was an era where news of war was reported almost daily, both domestically and abroad.
“There they are waiting.”
“That person?”
As I parked in the building’s lot, I saw someone standing outside. Although he wasn’t that tall, he had a solid build and a rugged demeanor—Team Leader Baek Jong-hoon.
Eve eyed him warily. To be honest, she was cautious of all humans.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Baek Jong-hoon, the team leader of the Guardian Alliance’s Seoul branch.”
“…”
Baek Jong-hoon approached us and immediately extended his hand to Eve.
Naturally… Eve didn’t take his hand. Instead, she was about to scowl, but I stepped in before that could happen.
He seemed a bit embarrassed and subtly lowered his hand. Then, he tugged me aside and whispered.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“I told you before. Um… there’s a backstory with her.”
“That’s fine and all, but if there’s a mental issue, it’s a problem. This is about handling force. First, she needs treatment.”
“She just tends to shy away from others. I can handle it well.”
At that moment, I felt a shiver. Treatment? The moment he said he’d put Eve in a psychiatric hospital, Earth would immediately have to wage war against another major force.
“…Alright. For now, let’s see her skills. Honestly, I’m curious. I could tell enough just from that short video.”
Fortunately, he passed my expectations as he managed to navigate the situation, despite it being strange and suspicious.
“Let’s go.”
“…You certainly seem to listen well. You’re a girl rescued on-site, right? I see.”
As I gestured, Eve quietly approached.
Noticing her, Baek Jong-hoon tilted his head and entered the building first.
“The method of measurement is pretty simple. You’re from the martial arts school, right?”
“That’s correct.”
We headed straight to the training ground in the basement.
It was a specially designed space for combat training, quite spacious and sturdily built.
‘What’s a martial arts school?’
‘Didn’t you have that information yet? To put it simply, it refers to those who manifest Formancy in ways other than status screens or abilities.’
As Baek Jong-hoon prepared a few things, I answered Eve’s question. The martial arts school introduced alongside the Guardian Alliance had dramatically increased in numbers compared to the existing hunters.
Even without the blessings of status screens, one could display superhuman strength through training. Of course, it required talent, but still, it was a glimmer of hope, a miracle for those who longed for the power to fight.
“What about this?”
At that moment, Baek Jong-hoon finished preparing and brought out a mannequin. It wasn’t just an ordinary mannequin.
As I took in the blue suit it was wearing, my brow furrowed.
I had already seen it several times, but how could I possibly forget? That suit had turned my sister into a living corpse, which we had to send to the Legion to save her.
The Alliance’s nanotechnology-enhanced suit.
It was apparent that a player from the alliance had leaked information about Earth, allowing their mothership to warp in.
The massive spaceship of the galactic force that warped in? Even now, various countries on Earth were struggling to curry favor with the alliance.
Thanks to that, the ruckus created by the player’s units wearing the suit was dismissed as an accident during the reconnaissance process, despite people getting brutally killed and injured in broad daylight.
‘How dare you…’
My boiling anger stirred as Eve reacted. With her eyes glinting, she glared at the suit.
“This is the best reference point. The ranking of martial arts practitioners depends on how much damage they can inflict on this suit. Frankly speaking, why do those who are far superior to us have such a deep interest in negotiating with us? They’re keen on our martial arts training methods.”
Unaware of our situation, Baek Jong-hoon set down the suit and continued talking.
I inwardly apologized to him. That suit was indeed quite valuable, but I wondered if it could regenerate itself.
“Go ahead and hit it as hard as you want…”
Before he could even finish, Eve kicked off the ground and threw a punch.
The shockwave erupted, cracking the floor and pushing me back a bit.
The energy shield and the suit’s body shattered, scattering pieces across the ground, and the stunned Baek Jong-hoon blinked in surprise as he fell.
It seemed he was taking a moment to comprehend the situation.
“Team Leader, about the next assignment, we’re planning to start work immediately. Is it possible for the two of us to go to the demonic realm?”
I laughed and pushed forward with our next plan before he could gather his thoughts.
“Are you really not going to conceal your name?”
“If it doesn’t affect the disguise, absolutely not. It’s a sacred and precious name. It’s the only word that defines me.”
“…Just say you’re a mixed foreigner.”
The major procedures were over. After seeing the shattered suit, Baek Jong-hoon coughed up blood, saying he wanted to conduct another test and used his ability to create wind to directly charge at us.
And then, he was thoroughly smashed right there by Eve, who was holding a sword. It’s still rare to see a purely martial arts practitioner break an A-rank hunter without the aid of abilities.
It meant he had to acknowledge her strength.
“He’s weak. He lacks depth and experience.”
“You’re—no, we’re the extraordinary ones. Team Leader, you’re an experienced active hunter.”
I shook my head at Eve, who seemed unimpressed.
The terrifying aspect of the Legion was that all entities shared the knowledge and experiences they had acquired.
Eve’s experience was a mere few months, but in that time, the wars she endured and the enemies she defeated were countless.
With all that experience, Eve’s skills were already complete, bordering on the mastery of a warrior.
“Anyway, it seems like the first step of our plan has ended successfully.”
I handed Eve a red badge and a small card.
Eve slowly accepted it, pinning the badge to her dress shirt like how I wore it on my coat.
The card was a kind of license. Similar to that of hunters, it permitted her to carry weapons and use them if necessary.
“See? Now you’ve become a part of this society.”
I grinned and showed her the profile picture of Eve that I had just taken with my phone.
Her name is Eve, age estimated at 17, origin unknown, rescued while having lost her memory. Weapon used: sword.
That was Eve’s new identity.
