I Became the Childhood Friend of a D*ug Dealer

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The Black Dome surrounding me hasn’t been destroyed yet.

It seems to have calmed down a bit since the thorns spread out in all directions.

And then, something strange started appearing right in front of me.

[Warning – External stimuli may shorten the time.]

Thinking about it, this is the only warning the Status Window has displayed.

[98%]

It definitely seems like the time to hit 100% has been shortened.

The external stimuli were just too intense.

And now, a new warning message appeared.

The previously silent Status Window has begun to speak.

[Warning – External stimuli will cause gradual loss of self, destruction of thought patterns, loss of language system, restructuring of nervous system and magical circuits, physical and mental overload, confusion, and fear.]

“…Since when did you start being so kind and tell me everything?”

This external stimulus seems way more intense than the last.

It states things more definitively than before.

Not “you can do it,” but “it will cause.”

“But why?”

Wasn’t I supposed to become normal?

Haven’t I paid off all my debts?

[99%]

Ah.

Is something going wrong?

But I have no other options.

“…Why?”

Loss of self, loss of language… all scary keywords.

Even when I read the warning again, I still don’t understand.

Wasn’t I going back to being normal?

“Wait, wait, why?”

But why does it feel like I’m not becoming normal?

My brain feels like it’s rotted away already.

Can it get worse from here?

If only I can avoid external stimuli, would it be okay?

“I— I survived this far? I made it this far!”

I don’t even know who I’m shouting at.

“If I disappear… if I disappear…”

People would be sad.

But would they really?

“…What about Si-Hoo…”

Would he be sad?

Or would he be happy that the obstacle is gone?

There’s got to be a happy ending with Han Si-Hoo.

He’s supposed to be the protagonist who brings about world peace.

“If I just don’t use the medicine, I’ll be fine! I’m sorry!”

I’ve definitely overused it so far.

Is this my punishment?

I don’t know what’s happening, but I just feel scared.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! But I still have hope—”

Do I still have hope?

Light pierces through the Black Dome.

The barrier has been penetrated.

The gap that has formed in the dome gradually widens and splits apart.

And then someone appears.

“…Si-Hoo?”

“Yeah. It’s me, Seo-Ah.”

The arm wielding the sword is trembling.

He had just collapsed and now he’s up.

He can’t possibly be in good condition.

“Si-Hoo, Si-Hoo, why are you trying to kill me? Don’t do that.”

“I never did that. Those people weren’t summoned by us.”

“Then, then that means I attacked you.”

I have a memory of attacking wildly.

“It’s because of a misunderstanding.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Really.”

“It’s okay, so calm down. I told you to stop attacking.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

[99%]

Ah, no wonder the number doesn’t seem to go up anymore.

It used to increase by 1% every time I got attacked, but it just froze here on the edge.

“You can’t attack. Got it?”

Then it will hit 100%.

I thought I was paying off a debt, thought I was becoming normal.

Why did I even think that way?

I don’t understand at all.

“It’s okay. Calm down.”

Calm.

I try to calm down.

How?

“Ah, right. That. The Purification skill, can you use it for me? I’m in a bit of a precarious situation right now.”

“Purification? Right now?”

Si-Hoo answers with a troubled expression.

“Yeah. Is that not okay?”

“The thing is, I’m sorry. My condition isn’t good, so I probably can’t use it.”

Blood is flowing.

With the hand that isn’t holding the sword, Han Si-Hoo keeps pressing on the wound on his chest.

“Ah, you’re hurt, I’m sorry. I keep making unreasonable requests and causing trouble.”

“No. Don’t worry about me. Let’s just get out of here for now.”

“Okay!”

The dome-shaped barrier is almost completely destroyed.

The ongoing attacks have caused a heavy fog of smoke.

I grab Si-Hoo’s hand and run.

There has to be a safe place somewhere.

Bang.

Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!

I hear the sound of gunfire from somewhere.

And I’m the one who gets hit.

[100%]

Hah.

The number has filled up completely.

So now what’s left?

First of all, it hurts.

It feels like something inside is bursting out.

My breath disperses dizzily.

Why did it come to this?

I wasn’t special at all.

I didn’t do anything wrong to deserve this.

I wanted to become something great or important, but I couldn’t become that.

I just want human warmth.

Because I’m human, not a monster.

[3 seconds until system shutdown]

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry.

[2 seconds until system shutdown]

SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1Y2Q0WUl2OTBSbWU1QnJLaTk2TnJhN3B3Y1hOdnU0eU9VclpGd2JpQkVscA

But I don’t want to die.

I’ll stay alive.

I’m going to stay here.

[1 second until system shutdown]

Shutdown (Euthanasia)

Is that how it is?

Si-Hoo is holding my hand.

“Ah-hah.”

I see a glimpse of childhood.

Was it when Seo-Ah was really sick, and Si-Hoo was beside her—

[System shutdown.]

***

“Seo-Ah?”

Han Si-Hoo was also shot in the leg.

Someone recklessly fired a gun.

But that’s not what matters.

“…Seo-Ah?”

I hope it’s all a delusion.

I hope it’s just a hallucination due to blood loss.

I shake her, but she doesn’t respond.

Stop the bleeding.

But it’s hard to apply pressure on this area.

They taught us at the Academy that even one hit could lead to death.

Due to the continuous gunfire, there are too many wounds.

“……”

Pain I had momentarily forgotten crashes down on me.

Han Si-Hoo tries to support Seo-Ah to stand up, but his leg hurts.

He can’t walk.

He just falters and collapses together.

Chun Yu-Hwa is shouting something while fighting the person who fired the gun.

The situation is strange.

There’s infighting among the Awakeners, and someone from the military is intervening.

-Who told you to shoot!

I hear someone faintly shouting from far away.

No, they shouldn’t be alive.

I thought they died last time, but they’re alive again.

Stop the bleeding.

I don’t know if I can, but I have to.

I remove my outerwear to apply pressure.

As I untie Seo-Ah’s clothes, scars appear.

I notice that the pressure marks form letters.

“Can of tuna.”

It’s written on her lower abdomen.

“Ah… damn…”

So that’s why she didn’t want to show her skin.

Is that why it’s a can of tuna?

What on earth happened?

I only remember devouring cans of tuna.

Why was it like that?

“Ah… Ah…”

It’s not just one doodle.

It’s cruel.

But first, I have to stop the bleeding.

The blood is stickier than normal.

I think fleetingly that it could be because of the medicine.

Didn’t they say it was a recovery薬?

I have to make her take the medicine.

The medicine.

I brought along some emergency medicine.

Just in case I might unexpectedly meet Seo-Ah, I thought I might need it.

Did I bring it with me?

I search my pockets.

I grab something that looks like a pen.

“Ah.”

It’s a syringe.

Only it’s broken.

The contents have all leaked out.

Because the battle was so fierce.

I have to save her.

I have to survive.

The battle continues around us.

Seo-Ah has collapsed, but for some reason, she keeps fighting.

I have to protect Seo-Ah.

To a safe place.

To a place where we can treat her.

“I need to… go.”

My consciousness is fading.

I’ve already forced myself to wake up from a foggy mind.

To the limits of my mental strength.

I pressed it until the very end, but I gained nothing.

Again, again.

I’ll support her and keep moving.

There must be someone who will help us.

But it’s Han Si-Hoo who needs the support.

Thud.

I kneel down.

I see the concrete and rebar that collapsed during the battle.

Tok, tok.

Rocks fall.

Dust settles.

I see a huge building ruin collapsing.

I have to stop it.

But I don’t have the strength.

I don’t have the energy to grip my sword properly and fight.

I tried to use a skill, but my magical power is depleted.

I’ve used up everything completely.

It wouldn’t be strange if I passed out right now.

I’ve pulled every last bit of strength I could.

So what can I do?

I have to protect Seo-Ah.

I brace myself to take the impact while hugging Seo-Ah.

Can I take the falling debris on my back?

Bang!

***

“If anything happens from now on…”

A faded memory from childhood.

I even doubt if I’m remembering it correctly.

“Tell me. Because we’re friends.”

The time when I had truly begun to become close with Seo-Ah.

“I’ll protect you.”

So just relax.

“Really?”

Seo-Ah asks back.

“Yeah.”

“Then, I’ll also protect you, Si-Hoo.”

She smiles brightly.

“So if you have any difficult times, just tell me!”

Confidently.

With a confidence from who knows where.

“I’ll solve everything.”

Puffing out my chest, as if to say trust me.

Smiling brightly.

***

The battle has become far too chaotic.

Chun Yu-Hwa bit her lip.

I wish it would have ended just by taking Yoo Seo-Ah with me, but the military got involved.

It’s just a guess, but the escape of monsters nearby is the cause.

Among the group that came with us, there is an Academy teacher, so we let our guard down.

They are trained to kill when they see monsters.

Yoo Seo-Ah, being human or whatever, they just shoot.

And then, from far away, Lena who was watching went on a rampage; Awakeners and others, indiscriminately shooting—why they came, countless Awakeners got entangled, and this is what it looks like now.

It’s a mess where you can’t tell who’s an ally or an enemy.

Han Si-Hoo was also shot.

I want to go help, but one of the Awakeners is attacking Chun Yu-Hwa herself.

The reason is unknown.

Bam.

A great sword swung by one of the intervening Awakeners brings down a building.

Where the debris falls, there’s Han Si-Hoo.

I have to stop it.

“Is my magical power depleted?”

Skills cannot be used.

I can’t block it.

Bang!

The collision of building debris.

I avert my gaze.

Si-Hoo must have blocked it.

Let’s just focus on the immediate battle.

That’s what’s important.

Since my magic is depleted, pure skill is being tested.

But it’s strange.

My magic shouldn’t be completely gone.

The battlefield has strangely quieted down.

I suspect that the inability to use skills is a phenomenon that everyone is experiencing alike.

The skills of the Awakeners have been sealed.

“Where is everyone looking…”

Everyone is looking at the place where Han Si-Hoo should have been crushed by debris.

But what can be seen there is neither the rubble nor Han Si-Hoo.

A girl is floating in the air.

She has horns that resemble tree branches on her head.

Are those horns made of magical power? They’re shimmering.

I understand where all the magic has gone.

It has been entirely sucked into that spot.

All the magical power in the vicinity.

No wonder the air feels clear.

Air without magic.

It’s unreasonably fresh air.

“She’s a dragon.”

One of the nearby Awakeners spoke up.

“What?”

“That’s a dragon. A dragon! This is why dragon hunting is so tricky.”

It doesn’t look human at all.

Something that has taken on a human form.

But there’s no reason to see it as a dragon.

“Speak in a way I can understand.”

“It’s a magical predator… You guys, students like you wouldn’t know. It’s a magical predator used by dragons. But don’t worry, the magic will return, just hold on until then. With this many, we can catch a dragon.”

It’s a dragon.

The dragon has consumed the magic.