SWNOVELXO Chapter 67 - Imprisonment
Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: SemiPickle
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It hurts.
But it’s okay.
It hurts.
But it’s okay.
It hurts.
But it’s okay.
Is it really okay?
This feels like multiple bones have been broken.
My body doesn’t move well.
Even when I try, some muscles don’t respond at all.
Where is the drug?
The drug.
I can’t see it.
It’s too dark.
“…Si-Hoo?”
I called out a few times, but there’s no answer.
It’s so dark I can’t see anything.
Or is it that I’m already dead?
If so, this pain feels far too real.
So does the dusty air.
And the sensation of the cold, hard floor.
The pain receptors are still active.
Though dulled by the drug, I can still feel the pain.
So, give me more drugs.
No, I can endure this.
It’s still okay for now.
It’s just that my body isn’t functioning properly.
“Si-Hoo, Si-Hoo, Si-Hoo.”
I keep calling out into the empty air.
Not long ago, we were having a conversation.
I’ve been trapped here for hours.
If my sense of time hadn’t been distorted, it might have been over ten hours.
“It hurts a little…”
It’s only painful enough that I can still manage to speak.
If it gets any worse, all I’ll be able to do is twitch.
If I keep calling for Si-Hoo, won’t he come?
“Is anyone there?”
I just woke up in the lab, and maybe this is all just a dream?
It feels similar to being abandoned in a dark lab.
But at least there were drugs back then.
[Deactivated]
It seems broken.
Deactivated, it says.
I don’t see a timer either.
Damn it.
“Where’s the drug…”
Wasn’t I supposed to transform into a dragon?
I touch the top of my head, but the horns are gone.
Maybe only my eyes turned strange.
I think I know what the problem is.
There’s no mana.
This room has a structure similar to the lab.
They remove mana from the room to keep test subjects from rampaging.
That leaves the test subject with almost no options.
But no matter how you look at it, something cannot come from nothing.
You need mana to use skills.
It’s a physical law of this world.
“Drug…”
Taking the drug makes me feel better.
That’s another rule.
If I don’t take it, I feel bad.
It’s inevitable.
With superhuman willpower, I can stop thinking about the drug temporarily.
But using willpower also consumes energy.
And I don’t have that kind of strength.
I’m telling you, the drug’s effects are wearing off.
Show me the timer.
There can’t be much time left.
[Deactivated]
And then a few more hours pass.
I want to sleep, but I just can’t.
Clang.
Somewhere, I hear the sound of a door opening.
Click.
The lights turn on.
It’s so bright that I can’t see anything.
“Seo-Ah.”
It’s Si-Hoo’s voice.
It sounds like he’s speaking from behind a wall.
“Si-Hoo?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m sorry. This was the only way.”
“Give me the drug.”
My eyes start to adjust to the light.
I can’t see Si-Hoo, but I can see a metal door.
The place I’ve been lying in is a small room, barely big enough to fit a bed.
It reminds me of a solitary cell in a prison.
Why am I in a place like this?
The resemblance to the lab makes me hate it even more.
At least they gave me drugs back there.
“Give me the drug.”
I ask again.
“…Just a moment.”
I hear the sound of a lock being undone.
Creak. The door opens.
I can feel the mana in the air again.
[Activated]
It’s easier to breathe.
My energy returns.
And my body starts moving on its own.
For the grand goal of destroying the world.
I can’t stay trapped in this tiny cell!
Let’s kill Si-Hoo and get out.
How should I kill him?
With this lack of mana, I can’t do anything extraordinary.
Oh, dear drug, give me a weapon.
Then, a familiar-feeling dagger forms in my hand.
Thud.
The door closes.
Han Si-Hoo enters the room.
He’s close.
[Deactivated]
I thrust the knife at Han Si-Hoo.
“Ah—”
The mana disappears.
The weapon I created vanishes, and my strength leaves my body.
I almost fall, but Si-Hoo catches me.
It’s because the door closed.
The mana completely disappeared.
“…Ah…”
Si-Hoo doesn’t seem particularly surprised.
His expression suggests he expected this.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Si-Hoo. I wasn’t planning to attack. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I know.”
“Uh, thanks. I, uh, I need to use the drug. Do you have it?”
Si-Hoo shakes his head.
“Seo-Ah.”
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t it hurt a little less now?”
“Huh?”
Come to think of it, my body doesn’t hurt anymore.
It’s just that I can’t muster much strength.
I really needed the drug earlier.
“Oh… It doesn’t hurt. How did you do that?”
“It’s the same as last time.”
“…Last time?”
“Yeah. Here.”
Faint memories surface.
We definitely talked until just a while ago.
Right here, in this place.
But did I lose my memory?
“…Where is this?”
I should’ve asked this question first.
“A solitary cell. It’s an old, abandoned facility I modified.”
“S-Solitary cell?”
“It’s a room with mana-blocking functions.”
“Mana blocking?”
“Yeah. When you come into contact with mana… like earlier, you try to attack me or lose your sanity.”
This sounds bad.
From what he’s saying, it seems like I’ll lose my mind if I’m not in this solitary cell.
Does the dragon emerge then?
What is this?
“S-So, then… I’m not sure, but… I just need to stay here, right?”
“Yeah.”
“But how did I end up here? I don’t remember.”
My head feels foggy.
I don’t understand what’s going on.
Recent memories are hazy.
When I tried to attack Si-Hoo earlier, things became even blurrier.
“…You don’t remember?”
“I’m not sure… What was I doing before I came here? The lab?”
I was in the lab.
What happened after that?
Oh, I almost turned into a dragon.
Was it in the lab?
No, that’s not right.
My memories are tangled.
“Ah, did you save me, Si-Hoo? Thanks. But I still can’t go outside, right?”
I must have asked too many questions, as Si-Hoo hesitates.
“At least it’s a relief you’re okay without the drug.”
It seems all I need is a proper supply of mana.
Is it thanks to becoming something dragon-like?
I think I don’t need the drug anymore.
“Then, um… how do we treat this? Do I have to stay here forever?”
Si-Hoo remains silent.
His words are on the tip of his tongue, but he can’t seem to say them.
“So…”
Si-Hoo finally opens his mouth.
“There’s a safe way to get you out. There’s a method, but…”
“A method?”
Si-Hoo hesitates again.
I don’t understand why he’s hesitating if there’s a way.
“…They’re selling a device in the black market. It controls mana.”
“A device? Will it work?”
Magical tools are fairly common.
Usually, they’re just clothes enchanted with strengthening spells, but occasionally, useful items with unique properties appear.
“You told me about it.”
“Me? What did I say?”
“Still, using it on you…”
“Huh?”
What is it?
Si-Hoo seems deep in thought.
“…You don’t remember?”
“If it’s not something important, I probably don’t. What did I say? A mana control device?”
I feel like I’ve had this conversation with Si-Hoo before.
“No, it’s nothing.”
The more he says that, the more it bothers me.
What is it?
“For now, sit tight here. I’ll go get it.”
Click.
The doorknob turns, and the door opens.
[Activated]
The door closes.
[Deactivated]
So mana is only cut off when the door is closed.
This place is definitely similar to the lab.
But I still can’t figure out what’s activated and deactivated.
Is it the presence or absence of mana?
Is a dragon really about to awaken?
The whole “sealed black flame dragon in my right hand” was supposed to be a joke.
Why did it turn out like this?
If only my memory was intact, things might have been better.
***
“This is it.”
What Si-Hoo handed to Seo-Ah was a collar.
It looked like a dog collar but was a magically enhanced version.
Seo-Ah tilted her head in confusion, wondering what it was.
“I bought it from the black market… It seems to work. Though I haven’t properly tested it yet.”
“A collar?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, I know this.”
“You do.”
Of course, she does.
If Seo-Ah hadn’t mentioned it in the first place, Si-Hoo wouldn’t have thought of buying it.
But the current Seo-Ah doesn’t seem to remember.
It was something she had said on the day she was transferred to the solitary cell.
One week ago.
—“Ah, Si-Hoo, sorry. My body moved on its own. I wasn’t trying to attack.”
She had said something similar back then.
—“Ahhh, uh… there’s better equipment for blocking mana.”
—“A collar… We used it for transporting in the lab…”
He somehow managed to get the collar.
—“If possible, bring me the drug, too.”
That request couldn’t be fulfilled.
The more mana she’s exposed to, the bigger the problem becomes.
Her memory distortion worsens.
The drug wouldn’t help improve her condition.
But they also couldn’t keep her confined here forever.
Since it’s an old government facility, continuing to use it risks being discovered.
Avoiding attention was paramount right now.
Securing Seo-Ah’s safety was the priority.
“This is the one they used for transporting, right?”
Transporting.
Seo-Ah wearing a collar?
For a moment, Si-Hoo imagined someone leading her around with the collar.
“Transporting?”
“Yeah. When they moved me between facilities, they often tied me up with it in the vehicle… Oh, I think I told you about it before. I just remembered.”
Seo-Ah gave a bashful smile.
But this didn’t feel like something to smile about.
Si-Hoo couldn’t shake off an uncomfortable feeling.
“I’ll show you how to use it.”
Seo-Ah picked up the collar and handed the leash to Si-Hoo.
“Here, hold this.”
Si-Hoo held the leash as Seo-Ah put on the collar.
Click.
She couldn’t take it off by herself, but it was fine because Si-Hoo was there.
Seo-Ah didn’t seem to think much of it.
She was just happy she could finally go outside.
Si-Hoo stared blankly at Seo-Ah.
“What’s wrong?”
It felt strangely familiar.
“Oh, no… Are you okay? Does it feel weird?”
“What? The collar? I think I could pass it off as a fashion statement. I can go out now, right?”
Calling it a fashion statement felt like a stretch—it was too reminiscent of a dog leash.
It clearly wasn’t made for a human.
Looking closely, the collar even had faint lettering that said it was for transporting monsters.
“…It’s weird if I’m holding the leash. You hold onto it.”
“Is it weird…”
Seo-Ah pondered what was weird about it.
Was holding the leash too bothersome?
But someone had to hold it.
“I’ll try opening the door.”
“Okay.”
Click. The door opened.
Fresh air mixed with mana filled the room.
[Activated]
This won’t do.
So much for mana suppression.
It seems they’d gotten a defective product from the black market.
One of Seo-Ah’s eyes glowed faintly.
It was the eye of a dragon that had devoured mana.
Seo-Ah, now full of killing intent, lunged to attack Si-Hoo again.
She created a weapon first.
[Deactivated]
Si-Hoo grabbed the leash.
Seo-Ah faltered as if she had lost all strength.
She became docile.
“…Ah.”
So the collar only worked when someone held the leash.
Si-Hoo figured out how to use it.
“Heh…”
Seo-Ah gave an awkward smile.