35 – Trial and Growth (3)
Cozy light.
The darkness that sucks everything in.
I was able to immediately recognize what kind of ability it was.
Because it was the ability of a hero and a demon king that I had seen countless times in my previous life.
I looked around to see what had happened and saw a startling sight.
“Su-ah and Seo-eun?”
When I looked up, I saw two people standing in the air with their hands outstretched.
Yoo Soo-ah was looking at me and Yoo Seo-eun was looking at a black figure.
It was an amazing sight, but what caught my attention more than anything else was the changed appearance of the sisters.
‘Has your hair gotten longer?’
Illusion? Hallucination?
I wonder if my body is tired and I am imagining my future growth.
I stared blankly and the two of them moved on.
“Disappear.”
As Yoo Seo-eun raised her hand, several black orbs appeared in the air.
A black hole that sucks in everything with a crackling sound.
In an instant, it created a black hole and shot it at the black figure.
Koo-Goo Palace—!
The black hole flew at high speed and swallowed the black shape in an instant.
The ground vibrates and the place is dented and disappears without a trace, but not all the black shapes have disappeared.
The black figure with the powers of Impulse and Atrixia quickly moved its body to evade and aimed at me.
However, the attack came, but a wall of light rose from the ground to block the attack.
“I won’t let you go any longer.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yoo Soo-ah gestured, and swords of light rained down from the sky.
Like a divine punishment, the sword of light pierced the body of the black figure.
Just like that, all the black shapes disappeared.
After confirming that there were no more enemies, the two hurriedly moved as if coming down the stairs.
“Are you okay, brother?!”
“You’re not going to die, brother?”
As soon as they got closer, the two looked after me.
Then I had no choice but to stare blankly at the obvious change, unable to say anything.
First of all… The sister’s hair grew long. It’s not too long, just enough.
I grew taller and it seemed like my body had grown overall.
What should I say?
If you looked 2-3 years younger than your age before.
I can now say that I look 2-3 years more mature than my age.
Should I say that I grew up because my body was looking forward to growing in the future?
In addition, Yoo Seo-eun used to look younger than Yoo Soo-ah, but now they look alike and look like twins.
However, although she said she had grown up, she still had a hint of youth.
However, it was not the physical growth that we had to pay attention to.
“Eh. More than that, you guys… are you okay?”
“Of course we’re fine! Who are we worried about when we’re all messed up like this?!”
“That’s right. Brother, you have to take care of yourself now.”
The eyes of the two people shook.
I felt like I was about to shed tears, but I held back my tears and put on a firm face.
“This is fine. Get used to it.”
“Are you used to it?! You always roll like this when you become a hero?!”
“No. It’s not that I…”
“Older brother, don’t go anywhere from now on. I don’t know what happened, but I think we’ve awakened. So… We’ll take care of you from now on.”
“No. So…”
I know. The fact that the sisters became superhuman.
So it was more of a problem.
Because when I saw it earlier, I felt like a hero and a demon king when we met on the battlefield.
However, unlike then, the sisters now have just awakened their powers.
In other words, it also meant that he was subconsciously overtaxing his body.
That’s even more serious than I imagined.
“Enough. That’s it.”
Just right.
The sisters stopped abruptly when they heard the snapping of their fingers.
It went back to gray, and when it hardened, I looked at the test tube in amazement.
“What is this?!”
“I was careful not to use too much force. You vaguely noticed that too, so why are you so surprised?”
“You mean…?”
“The ability that the sister just showed was too much to the point of putting her life at risk. No matter how great a fate she has, power is different. If she just awakened her power, she could have died.”
“…As expected.”
It went well.
Perhaps the two of them continued to overdo it even though they had already used a lot of strength to heal me.
Even if it was okay, it was clear that he would not listen and be stubborn.
More than that… The examiner’s voice seems to have returned to normal?
Looking at it with a little doubt, the examiner descended from the air and returned to being a boy.
“Congratulations. Seojin Lee. You passed the test.”
“Passed?”
“Confirmed that the immutability was not broken, the sisters took a step forward to embrace you. The two of you will no longer crouch down, but will bring about positive changes and grow gradually. But—”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean everything is over. I have to find out what’s going to happen next, isn’t it?”
“You’ve become quite quick-witted.”
The boy laughed and snapped his fingers again.
Then her sister suddenly disappeared.
He looked at the boy in bewilderment as he disappeared before her eyes as if teleporting.
“What?!”
“Don’t worry. We’ve sent them back to where they came from.”
“Send them back…? Wait. If we go back, what will happen to the awakening of the two?”
“It doesn’t change. The two of them become superhumans and their destiny continues.”
“But the memory will remain?”
“Don’t worry. At least I don’t remember anything from this place. I don’t know if it’s anything else.”
“Another memory?”
I was a bit concerned about the ending, so I asked.
A different memory. Maybe it’s part of the background of awakening?
Or do you have any other memories?
Then the boy grinned and shrugged his shoulders.
“The process of becoming a superhuman is naturally memorable. What. Could there be something else besides that?”
“…You’re just saying things you don’t understand until the end. It looks like you did well on the exam, but can’t you tell me properly as a reward?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not fun to talk about things like this. Well. More than that, it’s a reward… Okay. Let me know if you have any questions.”
“What? Really?”
“Sure, but you’d better think fast. It seems like time is running out.”
The boy looked up at the sky in the distance.
Then the tip of the sky gradually faded and cracks began to appear.
As time passes, the space will start to break down.
I thought of the question in a hurry.
However, looking at his progress so far, it didn’t seem like he would answer all the questions, so I decided to ask the core part.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“Stay by your sisters’ side. Take care of them and lead them in a positive way. Then fate will flow naturally and then you will know the decisive part. A chance to change your destiny anew.”
“Is that war?”
“You can see it. It’s better to think it happens than to think it won’t happen.”
“Is it okay if I move to stop it?”
“Yes. Just to prevent war, don’t focus your attention primarily on war. The only thing you should think about is your sisters. If you neglect… Well, I don’t know what will happen.”
“Remember.”
War is just an additional goal anyway.
I was the one who put the safety of my sister first.
More than that, as we chatted, we could see that time was running out.
The sky has now turned distinctly gray, and fragments broken by the cracks have begun to fall.
Is space collapsing?
I know roughly what I need to know, but there are still many things I want to ask.
I hurriedly thought about the next question.
One last question I think.
Then one thing came to mind.
“What happened to the hero after that?”
“Huh? After that?”
“My death won’t be the end of the hero. I heard that the end of the devil and the hero came together. So what happened to the hero?”
“Didn’t I tell you? The ending is the ending.”
“…What is the end of it?”
“Hmm~ Well~? What do you think it will be?”
The boy smiled and tilted his head.
From what I’ve seen so far, I can see that that action is asking you to think for yourself.
Since there is no time, I started to think in a hurry.
‘End. It’s over… ‘
As a result, the Demon King and the Hero said they met the same end.
Let’s think of a fate where the hero is not the subject, but the demon king.
The Demon King obviously hated the world.
We started a war to destroy it.
But when I killed her, it disappeared… If she couldn’t kill… ?
In an instant, something flashed into my mind.
“…The end of the world?”
“Correct answer.”
The boy nodded his head at the low reply.
Damn it. I hoped it wouldn’t be the right answer, but I’d never expect it to be the right answer.
I was a bit surprised, but I put it aside for a while and hurriedly continued the question.
“Why? Why did the hero cause the end of the world? Did he lose the war? Or Tosa Gupin? Or…”
“Well, if I can tell you one thing, at least I can say it’s not what you’re thinking.”
“Then why…”
“Hmm… Well. Let’s think of it as the last answer and ask a question…”
The boy smiled and pointed at me.
“Has the death of someone dear to you had a significant impact on your mental state?”
“…What? What is that—”
I didn’t understand for a moment, so a stupid answer came out.
That means that the hero caused the destruction of the world because of my death.
Why? I wanted to ask, but unfortunately time ran out.
Because now the boy has begun to disintegrate.
“What is it? What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s nothing. Originally, I was an artificial being. I was an examiner to test the sword, so once I pass the test, I disappear.”
“…Are you dying?”
From noble mtl dot com.
“What is it? Are you worried? Fut. Leave those unnecessary worries aside. Rather, worry about your next exam.”
“What? Next test?”
“Then you thought there was only one test? There are three tests in total. Now there are two left.”
Ha. sh*t. Are there other tests like this?
It’s not good to roll over with your whole body in disrepair.
If I have to fight next time, I’ll have to conserve my energy.
“Well. Then, I guess I’m done with my work.”
Just right.
The boy snapped his fingers.
Then I couldn’t move and I felt my body getting stiffer.
I wanted to ask what was going on, but I didn’t have to.
A boy with cracks all over his body was waving his hand and saying goodbye.
“Goodbye. Do better in the next test. Oh. And check the sword when you wake up again. I have a present for you.”
With those words, my consciousness was cut off.
※
I came back to consciousness, just like when I came out of a long tunnel on the highway.
Looking at the situation, I was standing at the end of the lead.
Looking around, it was the roof of a department store, and one or two people were climbing up to clear things up.
There was something else that bothered me more than that.
“Brother! Are you awake?”
“Brother. Are you okay?!”
A grown-up sister was worried about me right in front of her eyes.
Looks like what happened then didn’t go away.
As I slowly warmed up, I inquired about the condition of the two.
“Yes. It’s okay. Are you guys all right?”
“Who cares who! It’s so messed up!”
“That’s right… I thought I was dead standing… Do you know how worried I was?”
“Sorry. More than that, you guys… You seem to have changed a bit? What happened?”
Then her sister looked a little troubled and began to hesitate.
Could it be that the memory was maintained without disappearing?
If so, I was worried about how to answer it.
Fortunately, when I heard the answer, I didn’t have to worry about that.
“That’s… I don’t know. When I woke up after losing consciousness, my body had grown and my whole body suddenly had strength.”
“I don’t know. While watching my brother fight, I lost my mind for a moment and collapsed… When I woke up, I suddenly became like this.”
“…I see.”
Is this the way that memories naturally remain?
There’s nothing more natural than losing your mind and collapsing.
By the way… Unlike earlier, when he was urgent, seeing her sisters now that he is calmer, the change was new.
“I didn’t expect to grow up like this. Originally, awakening happens suddenly, and it is said that physical changes occur when you become a superhuman… I never thought this would happen.”
“That’s right? I didn’t know it would be like that when I became a superman.”
“Huh. Hmm. Well. After all, when I grow up, it’s going to be like this anyway.”
“Is that so? You still look like a little pony.”
“Aren’t you a little kid?!”
“That’s right. I’ve grown taller!”
“Yeah, it’s small. It’s a bit shorter than me. Then you’re a kid. Kwuk-kuk.”
“Chi…”
“Hmm…”
The sisters got a little pouty as I teased them by shaking their hands and comparing their heights.
But he soon averted his gaze and muttered in a low voice.
“Still, it’s moderately small, so I think it worked well.”
“I think it suits my brother’s taste…”
“Huh? What did you say?”
I asked because I was muttering during a conversation.
The two turned their heads away from each other and did not meet their eyes.
“There is such a thing.”
“Yes. There is such a thing.”
“Hmm…”
Did I play too much?
It seems like everything is over, and now there’s a way to put your mind at ease, so I was joking around.
I was a little worried that I might have had a complex about growing up.
“Ahahahaha… Just kidding—”
I was trying to lighten the mood for the two of them with a good laugh.
Suddenly, my head rang—— and my body didn’t listen.
I instinctively noticed that my consciousness was being cut off as it stiffened as it was and my eyelids gradually became heavy.
“Ah…”
“Brother?!”
“Brother?!”
As I suddenly collapsed without strength, my sister supported me.
I tried to say it was okay, but the words didn’t come out.
While reminiscing in my blurred consciousness, wondering why this suddenly happened, one word came to my mind.
‘If I go back, there’s a high chance I’ll lose my mind.’
Is that it?
Come to think of it, even when I was being tested, my physical condition wasn’t right…
In the yard where I went through a rough battle, it seems that my physical condition reached its limit from then on.
As if I were sinking into the sea, my vision got darker and I closed my eyes as I heard the voice of my sister calling me.
※
After Lee Seo-jin collapsed, her sister hurriedly called for help.
Fortunately, there were several people who came to sort things out, including a doctor, so they were diagnosed with symptoms in a hurry.
After that, it turned out to be a temporary loss of consciousness, but the condition of the body was incomprehensible, so the paramedics rushed to the hospital.
But her sisters didn’t follow right away.
She was asked if she could make a statement for a moment, and after she hurriedly finished, she wanted to follow through.
However, while watching Lee Seo-jin being carried away, Yoo Soo-ah suddenly grabbed her by the head.
“Ugh…”
Sudden headache.
I wondered if there was a side effect of rapid growth, but fortunately the headache quickly disappeared.
When her sister stopped, Yoo Seo-eun asked worriedly.
“What’s wrong, sister?”
“…Ah. No. Let’s go.”
She smiled as if she was okay, and Yoo Soo-ah took her steps.
However, the expression was a little bad.
The reason was none other than a certain hallucination caused by a headache.
Crying while holding someone’s hand.