NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 50
50.
The bus vibrations made the mind feel at ease. Lee Seong-han wasn’t used to such a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.
Lee Seong-han hesitated for a moment, then rested his head against the window.
Sleep came gently. The sunlight was warm, and the temperature was cool—perfect for a nap.
It was a 30-minute bus ride to the lodging, about an hour away by road. A few more stops to go.
*Thud!*
The bus shook as it went over a speed bump.
*Clang!*
The head that was pressed against the window also got a bump.
“Ughhhh!”
Lee Seong-han let out a scream.
He pressed his temple hard with his hand.
His head didn’t break from hitting the window, but bruises always hurt. It just hurt. And what’s worse…
*Crackle-*
“Ah.”
A chilling sound came from beside him.
Perhaps because his body was so sturdy, the window actually cracked. A white line spread out like a branch.
“Ahem.”
He decided to stay quiet.
The disrupted nap plan was more important. The Kang sisters would take care of the broken window later.
Lee Seong-han, with his nerves on edge, held his forehead.
He thought he heard someone laughing. Probably his traits acting up again.
“Ah, what a dream.”
His head was ringing as if it might split open.
He opened the backpack on the floor, took out some painkillers, and chewed a few pills. A sip of 200ml water washed them down, and the pain subsided like a gentle lamb.
He wondered if this sleeping spot was cursed.
Today was especially bad. He dreamed of jumping off a bridge.
He didn’t know why.
He remembered wearing his college outfit, back when he used to take walks out of boredom.
Still, it was a relief to be heading home this early.
Normally, he’d be getting squeezed by the Kang sisters right about now.
Having escaped the practical exam, he ended up handling miscellaneous tasks while being held by the association.
Awakened Ones were only allowed to move during designated times.
“…Did you do all this? All these documents?!”
Kang Jin-young asked.
She had just returned after a 30-minute phone call that left the office in chaos.
“Yes. You said it was necessary before leaving, so I organized it beforehand. I also prepared the charts and formula analysis here. The content was too long, so I edited it.”
“Seong-han. This is a week’s worth of work. Did you finish all this in the 30 minutes I was on the phone?!”
“Yes.”
“And you even followed all the other official document formats perfectly?!”
“Yes.”
Kang Jin-young was momentarily stunned. It was a face she hadn’t seen before.
“Why?”
“Of course… you’re not feeling well, right? Hehe, it’s nothing serious. Especially since you were hit by shadow magic, it must be tough. Here, will you accept this?”
He handed her a white bag from the office.
Kang Jin-young took it with a strange expression and checked the contents.
“Abalone porridge!”
After handing over the porridge—a bribe—he finally managed to escape.
What kind of report gets processed in 30 minutes? In college, that level of assignment was routine.
Yeah, this is how hard my life is.
Fatigue washed over him. He had burned himself out.
His mind was gone, but his body was still full of energy, like a corpse.
He thought about taking out his phone, but there were eyes watching. It was in his backpack.
There weren’t many passengers.
Just one woman in the back. Were there always this few passengers? It wasn’t like this when he was returning to his unit before. Maybe everyone ran away because they’re scared of Awakened Ones.
As he turned his gaze away from the back.
*Snap.*
[‘Ultra-Reconnaissance’ detects an impurity.]
An impurity?
Before he could think, a small, mischievous hand covered his eyes.
*Wriggle wriggle.*
He didn’t react. He had a feeling he knew who it was. There’s a saying, if you meet a bear, stay still.
The opponent was a cub, but I’m a man who gives his best even against elementary schoolers.
“Hello, oppa.”
“…”
“Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you, oppa? Oppa, are you sleeping?”
Crazy girl.
That was all Lee Seong-han could say.
Where? From where…?
It’s highly possible she got information beforehand and waited for me. I’ll stay still for now. Don’t want to provoke her unnecessarily.
“Your hobby is as pretty as your face, oppa. Do you remember me?”
The hand covering his face was withdrawn.
*Pat!*
“Oppa?”
Kang Seo-jin looked much more lively than before.
Her loose shirt, damp with sweat, subtly revealed her chest and breasts. Her black skirt, with its H-line, accentuated her pale thighs.
Maybe because she’s short.
Or maybe because I dislike clingy people.
She just looked like a kid trying to act like an adult. Cute, but just child’s play? Ah, right. She’s an adult now. I heard she turned 20 this year.
No need to hold back. Upperclassmen are all the same anyway.
“O-oppa? You answered me so well back at the association. Why are you ignoring me now? Are you upset?”
Ugh, she’s fidgeting. This must be what it feels like to be possessed by a ghost. We’re not in that kind of relationship.
Her golden eyes curved like a crescent moon, as if asking for more attention.
“Oppa, you remember me, right? That bridge.”
No, we’ve never met before. ─Lee Seong-han twitched his lips.
I know she’s crazy.
I also know that the most powerful person in the Gangcheon Group is determined to exploit me. And to think she’d show up in person. I thought she’d send someone.
“Ugh…”
“You said it!”
“Go away, oppa’s busy.”
“No. I came out just to see you, oppa. Do you remember? When we first met on that bridge.”
Wondering if he was still half-asleep, he rubbed his eyes.
She didn’t disappear.
I heard she was at the Gangcheon building. This is troublesome.
When did she sneak out?!
His eyes widened.
“Sigh… so what do you want?”
“You, oppa.”
“So, what about me?”
“Just you.”
“?”
Lee Seong-han felt like the conversation wasn’t going anywhere.
[Trait Enhancement Ticket]
[Random Trait Acquisition Ticket]
[Reward Expansion Ticket]
[‘■■■■ Eye (EX)’ is screaming about new recruits.]
[‘Regeneration’ is criticizing why it wasn’t given special treatment.]
[‘Ultra-Reconnaissance’ is mocking, saying ‘Weak~ weak~’.]
I’ll have to consider the new recruit first.
***
The traits started talking to me right before Hong Seo-min’s arrest.
To be precise, it was when I got hit in the back of the head by the genius of “Shut up!”, Kang Mi-young.
“Oppa. Do you remember me?”
“No. Sorry, but I’m bad with faces.”
“Why did you leave me?”
“I didn’t leave you.”
“Yes, you did.”
Lee Seong-han responded as if annoyed.
No matter how much of a beast king this kid is, in front of someone with a gun, she’s just a growling kitten.
She keeps getting on my nerves.
“I just reported it to the person in charge.”
“The sisters aren’t my family.”
“You call them sisters.”
I won’t mention that their relationship isn’t good.
That’s clearly a provocation. Kang Seo-jin sat in the front seat and turned her body around. She said she rented this bus.
Typical Gangcheon. This is the interview method of Korea’s top conglomerate.
“Do you like the military, oppa? I don’t. I have a way to get you out of the military.”
Lee Seong-han’s expression soured.
“What are you trying to say?”
“…If you become mine, oppa, maybe there’s a way to get you out of that proud military? Hehe.”
Kang Seo-jin smiled sadistically.
What nonsense. Even if I got out of the military, the proud (sarcasm) Military Manpower Administration would drag me back in.
Some crazy people even fled to America.
Travel bans were legally enforced.
Because of that, Awakened Ones can’t travel abroad.
It’s already hard enough to raid towers. And I’d rather not be bothered.
*Beep beep-*
An alarm went off. Not mine. My phone’s in the backpack, so it’s probably Kang Seo-jin’s.
Kang Seo-jin didn’t seem to care.
“Hey, the alarm went off!”
It wasn’t Lee Seong-han’s.
With his nerves on edge, he urgently shouted and stood up. He grabbed Kang Seo-jin’s arm and made her stand.
“Huh? Isn’t that how alarms usually are? Are you too close?”
“No. That’s a beep-beep. This is air raid siren level! Get up! Something’s happening. Stay close to me.”
“Ooooh. Nice smell.”
“One more sniff and I’ll take you away?”
“Pfft.”
Kang Seo-jin took out her phone.
The culprit of the alarm was ‘Awakened Alarm Mobile.’
It’s used to notify civilians when Awakened crimes occur. If that alarm went off…
*Screech!*
-Warning. Warning. Dangerous target detected.
The bus slammed on the brakes. The AI had lost control.
Since it’s an unmanned bus, the AI handles all the driving.
A warning alarm sounded from the driver’s seat. Of course, there was no way to drive. I’ve never driven a bus before. And there’s a civilian next to me.
“Whoa!”
Kang Seo-jin, about to lose her balance and fall, was skillfully caught in his arms.
“Uh, uh uh?”
“Stay still. You’ll get hurt if you move.”
“Okaaay……….”
“Good.”
The safety of civilians is a hunter’s basic duty. Worried she might panic, he patted her head. She didn’t seem to dislike being held like this.
“Ooooh, ooooh.”
It’s a relief she likes it.
This is probably being recorded by the hunter cam. Such ‘positive’ actions reduce the discharge period.
No ulterior motives.
It’s the right thing to do. Well, if they pay me, I won’t refuse.
“Oops.”
He checked the front windshield.
A curse escaped his lips. A car was flying straight toward them. Almost head-on.
Did they mistake the unmanned bus for an armored vehicle?
The impact was unavoidable. Looking at the speed, it would hit in 5 seconds. He had to either cut it down or escape before then.
[‘■■■■ Eye (EX)’ says it will give you time to think.]
The surroundings turned blue, and time slowed down. A familiar sensation. That guy had helped him through several near-death experiences.
“What should I do?”
[‘■■■■ Eye (EX)’ argues that you’ve already decided.]
“True, but if this kid gets even a scratch, I’ll become a criminal. Huh?”
Lee Seong-han stroked his chin. His expression turned grim.
“Because of that Hong Seo-min puppet terror incident, all sorts of laws popped up. Damn her. Right? I don’t want to cause trouble for others.”
It didn’t feel like swimming underwater, but more like facing a strong wind. Maybe because I’ve grown. Whatever.
“I guess I have no choice.”
Lee Seong-han opened the backpack next to his seat. With time stopped, opening it wasn’t hard.
Unzipping it revealed a pitch-black space.
This was his ultimate weapon. An all-purpose item that could summon any weapon!
He reached deep into the backpack and rummaged around.
It’s around here.
I definitely left it here.
It can’t be missing…?
“Got it.”
The familiar grip in his hand. The bumpy texture. Definitely it.
*Whoosh─*
A long sword, disproportionate to its size, was pulled out.
It was about as tall as Kang Seo-jin. A bit heavy to wield with one hand, but there was no other way.
[Wandering Vagabond’s Relic Sword (Copy) (B)]
-A sword of a wandering vagabond. A copy of the original. Its original performance has degraded, but there might be a way to restore it.
-This item is currently bound to a subspace. If destroyed, it will immediately undergo a restoration process in the subspace.
(Creator: Hong Seo-min)
‘Subspace.’
A truly infinite space that can hold anything.
Storing a sword is child’s play.
It’s equipment obtained from the Awakened Market. Specifically, a quest reward.
The copy’s durability was significantly lower, breaking after a few uses.
But, whatever. It’ll get repaired anyway. He tightly fastened the scabbard to his belt and struck a cool pose.
I’ve always wanted to try this pose.
[‘■■■■ Eye (EX)’ is glaring.]
“Got it. I’ll do it, man.”
Can’t I show off a little?!
[‘■■■■ Eye (EX)’ asks if you’re ready.]
“Of course.”
He prepared to draw the sword.
If this gets captured well, will my discharge period be reduced?
[!– Slider main container –]