SWNOVELXO Chapter 61
Chapter: The Starry Night and the Monsters
“Flashlight.”
“No.”
“Crackling wires.”
“No.”
“Lighter.”
“No.”
“Stars.”
“Yes. Looking up at the sky, that must be a star.”
I stood atop an appropriate abandoned building, gazing at the stars.
Actually, it’s a misconception that I enjoy stargazing.
It was just that I had nothing else to do.
There’s nothing easier than looking up at the sky.
When a person dies, they become a star, they say.
But that’s only for famous people, right?
If I became a star, Si-Hoo would know where I am.
I pointed to the sky.
Starlight flowed from the tips of my fingers.
It wasn’t falling because of gravity.
In fact, stars probably just wanted to be free.
From those distant stars floating in the sky to the faintly twinkling ones along the horizon.
[10%]
“I see numbers.”
“Huh?”
Si-Hoo thinks I’m weird.
And he’s right.
Even someone with poor judgment can see that I’m strange.
“Originally, I could see the time in front of me. So, I would use my medicine accordingly. It was like a status window, or more like a timer, I’d say.”
He looks like he doesn’t get it.
Saying just the facts makes me seem crazy.
I understand.
[10%]
“But now I see these weird percentages. This means I’m in debt…”
I don’t think I have a talent for explaining things.
Si-Hoo still has a perplexed expression on his face.
He looks troubled.
It must be hard to relate.
“I’ve always seen this. So, in a way, you could say we’re best friends. It’s been like that for ages.”
No matter how I say it, it sounds weird.
Now it seems I’m the one who’s really strange.
Or maybe it’s that I’ve truly gone insane.
Well, is that so?
Maybe the world has just gone crazy, and I’ve been ignoring it.
Seeing these numbers in front of me isn’t normal.
Is this late self-awareness?
“Probably since I started using medicine.”
“…I see…”
Si-Hoo tilts his head back to look at the stars.
The starlight falls faintly but continuously.
He reaches his hand towards the sky.
Then he drops it.
Something seems to shine at his fingertips.
“Hey, did you know?”
The content of a book I’d read comes to mind.
“What about?”
“I read in a book that starlight travels hundreds or thousands of years before reaching us. So, what we see now might be stars that have already vanished.”
“Right. I think I read something like that too.”
“So, with that in mind…”
“Yeah?”
Si-Hoo turns to face me.
“I wanted to become a star too.”
“Huh?”
“Like… even after I disappear, someone might still see me, you know?”
That would be nice.
I hope that someone remembers me.
“…You won’t disappear.”
Si-Hoo says.
“But now that I think about it, I don’t think I need to be remembered. I’m just satisfied living a normal life.”
[9%]
Though I probably can’t live a normal life.
“But how have you been, Si-Hoo? All this time?”
“Me? Um… No.”
“Why?”
“Because I couldn’t meet you. …Ah. I’ll apologize for what happened back then.”
“Huh? Ah… It’s okay.”
The last time we parted wasn’t a pleasant memory.
Si-Hoo seemed to attack me out of the blue.
Did he curse at me? I can’t remember.
“About that back then, it really wasn’t intentional. I’m sorry. It was a side effect of the skill. I should have apologized sooner.”
“It’s okay. I don’t even remember what happened.”
“I’m sorry.”
Was there really any need to be this apologetic?
Was there?
Let me think about what Si-Hoo said.
Now that I think about it, there was.
“Ah, I remember. You asked if I was selling my body, right?”
“Ah, no, that… I’m really sorry.”
It must’ve been something I was concerned about, which is why I asked.
“But questions like that…”
I can’t help but feel miserable.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I’m sorry.”
Response.
So, did you sell your body?
Are you a rag?
“Um, but if I did, like sold my body or acted like a rag… then we couldn’t be friends, could we? That wouldn’t be right. Right…?”
Si-Hoo seems to struggle to find his words, as if he’s choking.
Before he could respond, I continued.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to answer. Actually, I’m not sure myself! As far as I remember, I didn’t do such things. But I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
I feel Si-Hoo’s grip tighten.
He’s anxious.
“It’s okay. It’s all fine. Really. No matter what happened, it doesn’t matter. You’re alive. That’s enough.”
What a relief!
[8%]
This isn’t a relief at all.
I’m still falling.
“I think I’ve seen enough stars. Let’s go hunt some monsters.”
Then the percentage will go up.
“Huh? Monsters?”
“Yeah. Because I need to pay off my debt. They’re collecting the interest.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
You still don’t get it?
“Let go of my hand.”
I tried to go alone.
He wouldn’t let go.
“Are you really not going to let go?”
“Oh.”
“Just let go.”
“Where are you trying to go? Let’s go together.”
There’s no need to hold hands.
Wherever I go.
“Are you really not going to let go?”
“Yeah.”
Why won’t he let go?
What’s the reason?
Give me a rational explanation.
What’s the reason?
I have no clue.
It would be nice if he would tell me, but it seems he doesn’t want to.
Something feels off.
“My hand hurts.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll hold it gently.”
I tried to twist my hand to pull it away, but failed.
Han Si-Hoo is stronger.
[7%]
The numbers are going down.
“…Hey, this is purification or something, right? You grabbed my hand to do something?”
“Huh? No, I was just—”
“I’ve told you multiple times I’m fine. So why? Let go!”
Finally, Han Si-Hoo releases my hand.
“I’m sorry, I just…”
Wheeeeen.
I can hear a siren from a distance.
From up here, I can see it clearly.
The vehicles heading this way don’t seem to be looking for peace.
I see ones that look like fire trucks, and also armored cars.
They approach as if surrounding the whole district.
Yeah, I’ve heard of this.
When dealing with truly dangerous monsters, reinforcements come this way.
Along with vehicles that transport Awakeners.
They must have come looking for something.
A genuinely terrifying entity.
To capture a monster.
Yeah, it’s a place where few people live anyway.
Let’s keep ourselves anchored nearby and wait for reinforcements.
Is this how it works?
The sirens scream.
No wonder so many lights are flashing.
What isn’t shimmering looks like it’s not stars.
I thought stars had fallen to the horizon, but it was just the headlights of the vehicles.
Reinforcements.
Do I need help?
Normally, Si-Hoo would handle it, but right now, he’s injured.
So…
To kill someone for sure…
Who should I kill?
Me?
There’s no one else.
Oh no, this is bad.
All the monsters around are dead, and I’m the only one left.
So, they must be coming to kill me.
Han Si-Hoo was holding my hand so I wouldn’t escape, knowing this would happen.
The pretext was looking at the stars.
“If you hated me that much, you could’ve just said it. There was no need to hold my hand so kindly. If I were that horrifying, and you wanted to kill me so badly, you could’ve just told me to die and I would’ve done it myself.”
Si-Hoo seems to say something, but I can’t hear him.
[6%]
The numbers are disappearing.
I’m scared.
Black thorns extend in all directions.
I can’t hear anything.
No, I can, but it’s just a ringing in my ears.
[20%]
Oh no, it stabbed me.
That hurt a bit.
The percentage went up a lot.
Attack.
So, I attacked.
It seems I blocked Han Si-Hoo’s attack.
It kind of hurt, but it helps me repay my debt properly.
Caw.
“…Ice?”
My feet are frozen to the ground.
This was the work of an Awakener.
Chun Yu-Hwa.
Chun Yu-Hwa followed me to the abandoned building to keep an eye on me.
To try and kill me.
[23%]
I realized there was no need to hold back while attacking.
They’re all enemies anyway.
I knew this deep down.
It was a hopeful notion to think someone might stick around as my friend.
If they were a true friend, they would’ve come to rescue me long ago.
Someone must have come looking for me.
Black thorns rapidly extend towards Chun Yu-Hwa’s neck.
But before they could even reach her, they freeze.
And then they shatter.
[26%]
Pain, the more pain I inflict, the more I can pay off my debt.
That’s right.
This time, I created a black wall.
Bam.
As expected, it freezes and then shatters.
[30%]
I’m going to repay all of my debt.
I just have to repay all the debt.
It crumbles.
The ice spear I blocked comes flying.
Chun Yu-Hwa mutters something, but I can’t hear it.
Her face looks filled with hatred.
What did I do to make her angry?
I can’t understand.
She’s the one who tried to kill me.
[33%]
I will repay all my debts.
This is a very good opportunity.
If I repay this all, I’ll become a normal person.
If I fill it to 100%, I’ll be normal again.
Then I can go home.
Si-Hoo would probably like me if I return to being normal.
Then he wouldn’t want to kill me.
Then I could return as a friend.
And I could go home with him together.
“Hehehe.”
I’m excited.
Chun Yu-Hwa is yelling something, but I can’t hear her.
She’s pointing her finger at Si-Hoo.
Si-Hoo.
He’s lying on the ground.
What’s happening?
It seems he was attacked by someone.
What kind of jerk would do that?
What a terrifying world.
But it’s okay!
“That’s enough; with just one dose of medicine, he’ll be fine.”
That’s right!
“After a few hours, all his wounds will heal! So, you don’t need to worry about Si-Hoo.”
I hope someone gives Si-Hoo some medicine.
Chun Yu-Hwa is staring blankly this way.
“I know from experience that even if you slowly grind with a saw, you can recover, and you know, when I think about it, medicine is really great…”
Even someone as helpless as me can fight strong Awakeners like Chun Yu-Hwa.
Truly, it’s good medicine.
So, what if I used medicine on powerful Awakeners like Han Si-Hoo and Chun Yu-Hwa?
Would they become even stronger?
Then why didn’t we do this sooner?
“Medicine is great…”
And what was I doing?
Staring at the stars.
The stars are beautiful.
“I need to take medicine…”
Who was I watching the stars with?
With Si-Hoo.
Where did Han Si-Hoo go?
“Medicine…”
There he is.
But he’s collapsed.
Who attacked him?
……
It’s you, you trashy jerk.
Have you forgotten what you’ve done?
So why did Han Si-Hoo call for such reinforcements to kill me?
It’s not my fault.
Because I’m not normal, anything I do is excusable.
An abnormal human, more like a type of fish.
But I realize canned tuna tastes good.
But then again, everything tastes good.
If tuna isn’t frozen right after being caught, the heat of its body will cook the meat.
Is that why my legs are still frozen?
They’re not moving.
They won’t move!
Frozen tuna…
Now that I think about it, I’ve never had fresh tuna sashimi.
Because, as I said earlier, if you leave tuna alone, it’ll cook on its own.
So, there’s no need for cooking, isn’t that great?
That’s why ice is needed.
I’m frozen.
“Ahahuhaha…”
The stars are so bright that my head is spinning.
Huh?
What?
That’s not a star.
It’s the light from an operating room.
Or maybe someone is trying to cut tuna for sashimi.
But I’m just a person who likes canned tuna.
Sashimi seems a bit scary, though.
“I’m sorry. I’m not in my right mind; I’m feeling a bit off, but still, you understand, right? Thank you. So, could you please clean that up? There are plenty of other people around besides me. Seo-Ah is kind and gentle, so please just let it be this once.”