Chapter 49
Dream’s Boundary (4)
“…By substituting that proof, we can see that even an F1 born between P with a particle sensitivity of 0 can bloom into a mage. Now, everyone turn to page 412 and check the summary of the Fermat formula at the top. According to this formula, we can see that 55-87% of the summed Rubin values of the parent entities is the upper limit of the particle count in the offspring’s body. However, the higher the sum of the Rubin values in the P combination, the slower the improvement in the offspring, with this upper limit estimated to be around 7000R…”
The afternoon lecture hall was drowsy. The elderly professor’s calm voice spread like a lullaby across the room.
Among the students struggling to stay awake and absorb the knowledge, one girl stood out, brimming with vitality and maintaining a straight posture.
Noticing her unusual demeanor, a girl sitting next to her spoke with a sycophantic smile.
“Minha, you look really bright these days. Did something good happen…?”
“…Huh?”
Yeon Minha frowned and glanced sideways at the oily voice breaking her concentration.
It was then that she realized the corners of her mouth were slightly curved upwards.
In an instant, she reverted to her usual cold, expressionless face.
“Hehe. Oh, it’s nothing…”
“Tsk…”
At the other girl’s flustered expression, Yeon Minha clicked her tongue lightly and turned her gaze back.
But she had to exert considerable effort to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting again.
In truth, the girl’s comment wasn’t entirely off the mark.
***
On the first night, she thought it was just a coincidence. Or maybe it was some ploy to drag her into a deeper nightmare, so she tried to calm herself.
It was that unbelievable.
But now it had been three days.
Three days without the whispers of shadows or the hallucinations of the outer voids that made sleep impossible.
Today, too, she had slept comfortably, almost begrudgingly opening her eyes. The persistent headaches were gone. Her body felt as light as a feather, ready to float away.
During the day, she still saw shadows and illusions from a distance. But they no longer came close enough to disrupt her daily life. There were no malicious chuckles or hallucinations.
Perhaps due to the mental restoration from rest, she no longer felt as afraid. Moreover, their forms and sounds were fading day by day.
As she walked back to the dormitory after class, Yeon Minha looked up at the sky.
“Ah…”
What she saw was the beautiful scenery of the early evening sky, filled with stars and the rising moon.
A small exclamation naturally escaped her lips.
She could no longer suppress the upward curve of her lips.
At this point, she had to believe it.
She had finally succeeded in overcoming the mental contamination that had long plagued the Yeon family.
Of course, it was immensely frustrating not to understand how it happened.
It was peculiar that her symptoms were worse during the day when particle sensitivity was lower, while nights were calm.
T his w a s c op i e d f r o m kin g mt l. o rg
Still, it wasn’t a significant concern. She could research it when she returned to her family.
Naturally, Yeon Minha thought of her parents.
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n gm t l.o r g
Learning of this achievement, they would surely have no choice but to acknowledge her.
Th is w a s co p i e d f r o m ki n g mt l . or g
When she clenched and opened her hand, a few bright sparks appeared and disappeared instantly.
The restoration of her mental state also translated into a boost in her magical abilities. She had even discovered and bonded with two more spirits over the past few days.
Throughout her journey back to the dormitory, Yeon Minha was filled with deep happiness.
The past few days had been unbearably difficult, but now she thought they were merely the last hurdle to complete recovery.
-Myaong…
“…Oh.”
Upon entering the dormitory entrance with a spring in her step, she saw something fluffy, and let out a small exclamation.
The cute, pert little cat from before was once again sitting at the entrance.
However, with its eyebrows drooped and its eyes moist, it gave off a very sorrowful impression.
She always liked animals more than people. The insidious creatures that couldn’t be understood could never compare to the honest and instinctive animals.
-Hiss…!
She approached, trying to pet it, but had to retreat due to its defensive hiss.
She regretted missing the chance last time. She had wanted to gently scratch the belly of the cat lying comfortably as if in its own home, but unfortunately, that guy had spoken, waking the cat.
“…Hmph.”
Shivering from a sudden chill, Yeon Minha unknowingly hugged her shoulders and let out a small groan. Thinking about him alone made her feel this way, which was humiliating.
She avoided the cat slightly and opened the dormitory door to enter.
T h i s wa s c o p i ed f r o m k i n g mtl . or g
The dormitory seemed completely deserted. It was, after all, the first day of the first-year students’ external request week. She had seen him packing his things and leaving this morning.
Thinking he wouldn’t show up for at least the next two or three days, she sighed in relief.
T h i s wa s copi e d f r o m k i n gmt l .o r g
“…”
It had been almost a week since that lunatic had occupied the dormitory.
It had been shameful and humiliating days.
She had felt like hanging herself, having shown all kinds of disgraceful sights to an outsider man that should never be shown.
T h i s w a s co p i ed fr o m ki n gm tl. o r g
She had ground her teeth, wanting to tear him apart, but trembled in deathly fear at the tingling sensation in her lower abdomen.
Even this morning was the same.
She had gathered the courage to confront him, but a single gesture from him had left her mind blank, unable to do anything.
By the time she regained her senses, he had long left the dormitory.
What was more frustrating was that she still couldn’t fathom his purpose.
Rumors abounded that he was a pervert who enjoyed training others, so she had even resolved to bite her tongue if he ever laid a hand on her.
Yet, he showed no interest in touching her, let alone anything else.
Like a silent slug, he simply stuck to her dormitory.
“…”
She glanced toward the room that had once been hers, now his abode.
He was a sinister one. Surely, under that mask was a twisted, ugly perverted face.
It made no sense, logically or otherwise, for such a person to humiliate her like this and then do nothing.
Maybe he had drilled a hole in the wall to secretly spy on her bedroom…
“Hik.”
The mere thought sent shivers and fear through her body.
Steeling her resolve, Yeon Minha reached out a trembling hand to the doorknob. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, she reassured herself. If not now, when he was gone, when else could she confirm?
Resolutely, she turned the doorknob.
“…Huh?”
It was supposed to be the moment she would uncover all the vile deeds he had committed, but a dumbfounded sound escaped her lips.
What she faced was a surprisingly empty void.
The room was exactly as she had left it, seemingly uninhabited.
There were no spying holes, no suspicious recording devices, nothing that stood out.
“…”
She tilted her head in confusion, wondering if a ghost had been living here.
-Rustle!
“Hik… Huh…”
Lost in thought, she was suddenly startled by a sound of something falling outside the window, causing her to sit down on the spot.
Her heart sank, thinking he had returned, but it was just the sound of a bird flying off and dropping a fruit from a tree branch.
T his w a s c o p i e d f ro m k i n g m tl. org
“Hm.”
Whatever his purpose, she couldn’t continue living like this.
It was absurd to overcome mental contamination only to face this.
But no matter how much she thought, she couldn’t find a solution.
Regardless of his perverted and ruthless nature, his skills were real. Defeating him head-on was already impossible.
T h is w a s c o pi e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
He had even threatened to expose her disgrace to the world if she caused trouble.
She couldn’t ask her family for help. With the aftermath of the Teradite Mine terrorist attack still unresolved, she couldn’t burden them with her humiliating situation.
Feeling despondent, Yeon Minha shook her head, trying to dispel her sadness.
“Oh, I hope it takes as long as possible…”
T h is w as c o pie d f r o m k i ng m t l. o rg
She muttered reflexively, wishing for Yu Jinhyun’s delayed return.
Though it was still early evening, she left the room and headed to her own.
Eager for another night of happy sleep, her heart was already full of anticipation.
***
On the second night since leaving the Cradle, I returned to the dormitory grounds. The request had been completed sooner than expected, and Sera, as the team leader, had taken care of the paperwork.
We had captured all the mutants listed in the request. The job was done quickly, preventing further casualties. I was quite satisfied with the astonished expressions of the security bureau staff when we handed over the captives.
Completing the upcoming B Level request in a few days would lay a solid foundation for achieving top grades.
Moreover, moving around for the requests had somewhat diluted the depressing thoughts that filled my mind while cooped up.
The Cradle was never a pleasant place for me. I thought it might be better to accumulate points through requests rather than attending classes once I got the solo request qualification.
With these thoughts, I entered the now-familiar dormitory entrance.
From outside, it was already dark, and all the lights were off. Yeon Minha must have gone to sleep already.
“…?”
But as soon as I stepped inside, I sensed something was off.
A strange chill wrapped around my body.
The dark, long hallway was even more cluttered than when I had left.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i n g m t l . or g
-Sob… sob… no…
And soon, I heard the faint sound of someone sobbing from somewhere.
The cry was eerily familiar. I soon saw someone curled up in a corner of the living room, huddled like a caterpillar.
“Sob… go away… please…”
End of Chapter