Chapter-10
Mysterious Boy
Cover Art Credits : Evan Lunes. Discord : @suptlr
Ha-Jin's eyes fluttered open as he slowly took in his surroundings. As his eyes slowly cleared he pushed himself upright on the bed with a sluggish groan,"Uhh…" one hand came to rub his eyes, he was still feeling slightly disoriented.
"Where am I? Oh… right."
The memory drifted back… Jae-Woo knocking him out cold to force him to finally rest.
"He could've gone easier on me… damn."
His body felt lighter than before, almost unnaturally refreshed even better than before.
"What did Jae-Woo do to me…?"
"..."
"Speaking of which… what day is it?"
The sterile white interior of the infirmary came into focus as his mind cleared. Ha-Jin scanned the room for Joo-Hee, but she was nowhere to be seen. He stretched, letting out a half-suppressed yawn before starting to wander aimlessly around the infirmary.
"Joo-Hee…? Where are you…? I'm awake. If you don't come out now, I'm leaving~ …" he called, shuffling toward the reception desk.
A pale hand suddenly rose from behind the reception counter.
"H-Huh…?!"
Ha-Jin yelped and stumbled backward, landing on his butt with a loud thud that echoed off the walls.
Joo-Hee's exhausted face slowly came into view as she climbed up to the reception counter, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes half-shut, barely staying conscious.
"I thought you were a zombie…" Ha-Jin muttered while rubbing the back of his head, trying to salvage what was left of his dignity. "At least make a sound next time…"
"Uhg… five more minutes…" she mumbled before collapsing back into sleep directly on the floor behind the counter.
Ha-Jin snorted, barely holding in his laughter, before leaving her behind and returning to his bed. He laid back down, reminiscing, as his mind drifted back to the fight with X.
The memories of the fight dawned on him as multiple questions rose in his mind.
"How was he that strong…? How did he even control his mana attribute so precisely… and efficiently…?"
Piece by piece, the puzzle clicked until it finally dawned on him.
"The true essence of mana and body!" he blurted out in excitement, obviously proud of himself.
Not even a moment later, a syringe whistled past his face and clattered onto the bed beside him.
He froze.
Joo-Hee, eyes still closed, had thrown it.
Mental note: never wake her.
The door swung open as Jae-Woo stepped inside with Alex beside him.
"Heya… how you doing, kiddo?" Jae-Woo asked, concern tucked beneath his usual casual grin.
"I'm fine. Why the sudden visit…?" Ha-Jin replied as he was interrupted from his thoughts.
"Just checking up on you…" Jae-Woo said, glancing at Alex. "My student got carried away and put you in this miserable state."
Alex looked away, ignoring Jae-Woo's silent nudge to apologize.
Jae-Woo gave up with a sigh.
"Ha-Jin, this is Alexander… call him Alex."
"….."
Awkward silence hung in the room but Jae-Woo continued.
"Alex, this is Ha-Jin. He's from that junkyard hellhole."
"Nice to meet you," Alex muttered with a small nod.
"Same," Ha-Jin replied, eyes narrowing as he studied Alex. He attempted to activate his perception ability, the one that let him analyze bodies, muscles, and movement down to the bone.
Nothing.
Not even a flicker.
Jae-Woo raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you staring at Alex like he's your long-lost soulmate…?"
Ha-Jin jolted.
"It's nothing… just testing something…"
Another memory surfaced… the question he had meant to ask.
"Does Alex have the prodigal body too…?"
Tension thickened instantly.
"…Yes," Jae-Woo admitted at last. "He was born with it. But for him, it's a curse… not a blessing."
"What…? How…?" Ha-Jin frowned. "Isn't it supposed to make life easier…?"
Alex stiffened. His fists clenched. His voice cracked when he shouted:
"Shut up…! All of you saying it's easy…! What good is being a prodigy when all it brings you is pain…?!"
Ha-Jin quieted, because he recognized those eyes… eyes that were too old, too scarred. Eyes like his own. Eyes that had seen far too much.
"What happened to you…?" Ha-Jin asked softly. "Tell me…"
Alex froze. A single memory surfaced in his mind. His expression twisted… anger first, then a deep sadness that filled his gaze. A tear streamed down his face that he wasn't aware of.
"Ha-Jin… enough," Jae-Woo warned gently. "He doesn't want to talk."
"It's fine…" Ha-Jin said calmly. "Tell me whenever you want…"
He meant it.
Jae-Woo exhaled, relieved.
"He'll get used to this friendship… hopefully…"
He turned toward the exit.
"Anyway… about your traini…"
A thunderous crash shook the Arena, shaking the walls of the infirmary itself.
Joo-Hee shot upright, instinctively taking a battle stance.
"What was that…?!"
"No idea…" Ha-Jin said, already back on his feet.
Jae-Woo nodded before sprinting out the door. It was a signal for them to follow him, which they immediately understood.
"Wait for me…!" Ha-Jin shouted, ignoring Joo-Hee's protests.
Together they burst into the main hall… only to freeze in place, taking in the scene before them.
Blood splattered the floors. Bodies lay ripped open. A massive hole gaped in the outer wall.
And through it poured hundreds… no… thousands… of massive mana beasts, crawling over each other as they devoured fleeing spectators.
A grotesque sight not anyone could handle.
A cold bead of sweat slid down Jae-Woo's cheek.
"…What kind of monster controls a damn massive horde like this…?" he muttered. "Even if I kill them, it'll take too long and by then… it'll already be too late…"
Ha-Jin swallowed hard.
"So what do we do…? Run…?"
"I would…" Jae-Woo said grimly. "But the Arena supplies me with dungeons and training grounds and other necessities. If it falls… so does our support…"
"Oh, come on…" Ha-Jin groaned. "So we fight…?"
"Yup. Get ready and be on your toes… because complaining won't get you nor us out of here."
Alex steadied himself, taking a deep breath as his mana surged rapidly.
[Your Mana Attribute: Earth has been activated]
[Martial Art: Kyokushin Karate activated]
[Preparing Active Skill: Storm of Mother Nature]
[Activate?]
Ha-Jin exhaled, his aura flaring massively.
[Martial Art: WTF Taekwondo activated]
[Mana Attribute: Fire activated]
[Adjusting… body not yet fully compatible]
Jae-Woo stood ahead of them, his aura silent and invisible… too advanced to be seen.
"We strike on three," he said, sounding nervous, though it was excitement, not fear. "Don't worry about dying… I'll save you if it comes to that… let's do this, shall we…"
All of them got ready for the attack as the countdown started.
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
"….."