Turning

Chapter 769

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chapter 769

"is it a matter too difficult to share with me beforehand?" he inquired.

"no, it's not that..." yuder hesitated briefly before continuing. "i plan to tour the entire south and return."

"the entire south?" the quill in kishiar's hand came to a halt. yuder chose his words carefully to explain further.

"in the previous game, starting with charloin, the entire southern region suffered equally. it's hard to be sure the same will happen this time, but just in case, i thought it best to check the areas in advance."

yuder usually remembered well the battles and missions he partook in, but this case was different. the earthquakes and disasters he recalled in the south were years away from now. the landscape in his memories differed significantly from the current situation in the south, making it imperative to assess the area before any reinforcements arrived.

kishiar tilted his head, listening to his explanation, and asked, "but is it something you can do 'briefly'?"

"it's not a detailed inspection, so with efficient use of my strength, it's entirely possible even before the day ends."

the day was already turning to dusk from his various tasks, but this was no issue for yuder. his vision remained clear even at night, thanks to his eye of magic, and he had no fear of unexpected enemies or monsters.

the only problem was the decreased efficiency if he brought others along, as he would need to ensure their safety too. realizing why he preferred to go alone, kishiar slowly nodded.

however, this was not consent.

"i see. but it's not possible right now."

"i planned to finish as soon as possible, before the reinforcements arrive... is there something else i need to do now?"

"no, but i still have some work left."

"really?"

"wait until i'm done, then let's go together. i have useful abilities that won’t interfere with what you want to do, and i look so good, so why do you want to leave me behind?”

kishiar blinked and smiled charmingly.

yuder, taken aback by his words, struggled to respond.

"shouldn't you stay and guard this place, commander?"

although it seemed unlikely that an emergency would arise, unforeseen delays could occur. the trip, which was expected to take about half a day, could be delayed a little more due to that.

in case such a situation occurs, there must be someone to support the southern branch, so yuder did not even think about going with kishiar from the beginning. kishiar also thought he would naturally judge that way, but his thoughts seemed to be different from yuder’s.

a depth of emotion rose on kishiar’s face in an instant. his exaggeratedly trembling eyelashes gave off a deliberately made-up vibe, but even knowing that, his appearance looked miserable like a daffodil soaked in water.

while yuder was slightly doubting his eyes, the man who bowed his head and covered his cheek with one hand whispered in a seemingly sad voice.

"incredible... are the memories of that night, which seemed inseparable, left only here?" he whispered with feigned sadness, his hand gently touching his cheek.

"really?"

"i feel the rising sun is meaningless without your breath, rooted in this land, while you, heartlessly, move forward without looking back."

"what?"

"even if my roots wither away, please, do carry me on your waist. the place from which i am taken will one day sprout a new shoot, but nothing can suffice for the touch of your hands."

it was only after questioning twice that yuder finally realized that kishiar was reciting one of the most famous poems from the empire. it was the tale of a mage from ancient times and the spirit who loved him, so well-known that even children were familiar with it due to its frequent performances by jesters and bards in markets and taverns. yuder, too, remembered it without much difficulty.

the issue, however, was that kishiar was reciting lines typically spoken by the spirit, who is often portrayed as a delicate woman.

'the lines spoken by the spirit when offering its life-like golden apple to the mage, who needed to collect the greatest treasures to aid in guarding the king's land, yet couldn't bring himself to kill and take the spirit of the golden apple tree... wasn't it?'

that golden apple was the last fruit borne by the tree. knowing that taking the apple would cause the golden apple tree to wither and die, the mage intended to refuse the spirit's offer. however, the spirit, assuring that what seemed like death at the moment would not be so, cut itself off and dropped the apple into his hand.

as expected, the tree withered and died upon dropping the apple. but the dead tree became the nourishment for a beautiful forest. later, when the mage returned to the king's land and planted the golden apple, a new sprout grew, fulfilling the spirit's words.

so... kishiar's use of these lines now meant that, although it seemed necessary for him to remain here, it was not strictly so.

'...is this what he means?'

yuder was at a loss for words, struck by the brazen yet mournful way kishiar recited the spirit's lines, yet also finding it strangely fitting.

and that was precisely kishiar la orr.

yuder finally sighed and nodded his head.

"i understand. i will wait until you are finished."

"much appreciated."

the spirit, who had seemed like a flower shaking the human heart, quickly returned to being kishiar la orr. he then began to write responses to the remaining letters and handle a few documents at twice his usual speed, speaking again.

"i thought you might not have heard this story, having lived in the mountains. i'm relieved."

"i know it well enough."

"do you also know the story behind it, where the mage is speculated to be the archmage luma?"

of course, yuder didn't. such old tales had never interested him, and this was completely new to him.

"...is that so?"

just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved seung-jo hard. right after seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—

screech!

bang! with an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.

and in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......

***

[ then in the mist, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]

whoosh!

when his vision returned after everything went white, he was standing in the middle of a bustling town. amidst the clamor, countless people were busily going about their business here and there.

he looked down at himself, standing dazed and wearing clothes of unknown origin. when he touched the sleeve, he felt the texture of fabric as real as reality. his hair felt the same, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.

is this... vt?

it seemed like a joke. it truly felt as if he had come to another world and was touching everything.

as he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly remembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this game, and snapped back to attention. his two legs were still as they had been when he first stood.

'can i really walk?'

he first stepped out with his left foot, then very slowly put strength into his heavy right foot. it felt like cold sweat was running down his spine.

and then,

he lifted it,

moved it,

and took another step to touch the ground again.

so easily. as if there had never been any problem with this leg from the beginning.

"ah..."

at that moment, something that was neither joy nor emotion shot up his spine. suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, he lowered his head and leaned against the wall. his right foot, bearing his weight, was doing its job perfectly.

"..."

holding back the tightness in his throat, he took another step.

it didn't hurt. it wasn't heavy. his leg was no longer a useless piece of wood that ached.

damn it, to be able to walk so easily like this.

to be able to run so easily like this.

he had wished even in his dreams for the day to come when he could walk and run like this again.

and so he walked again, kept walking, slowly getting faster, until finally he started running like a madman through the entire town.

***

"kap. ...there seems to be a misunderstanding. that's not what i meant."

just as he was thinking he should throw a punch, yu-wan sighed with a troubled look and said.

a misunderstanding? how could it be a misunderstanding when he said with his own mouth that he didn't think of me as a friend?

"i didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. let me rephrase."

yu-wan reached out his hand, his face completely changed from before - intense yet resolute - as he stared at him. as he didn't reject the hand suddenly approaching his face and kept his gaze fixed, his cool large hand touched his cheek completely.

a shiver ran down his spine at that moment.

"i'm sorry to say this to you, but i don't see you only as a friend. ...this is the complete answer."

check out the new project 2:

[bl] cloudless sky

jin soram, the top-ranked hunter representing south korea's rift phenomenon management headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. as soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. when he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...anyway, the next round will come, so this time, i'm just going to play it recklessly."

in fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the great rift but failing each time. after repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"i know. you worked hard, jin soram."

and then there's han tae-un, the man who saved soram and died in all three previous lives. as he did in every life, he comes to soram's side once again. the great rift is approaching soon. it's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. soram vows to save tae-un in this life and die himself. at least, he won't let tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"for now, until then, let's sleep..."

as soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'i thought this was a messed-up round... but i want to live a little longer here.'