Chapter 16: The Price of Awakening

Suddenly, everything went dark before my eyes.

I quickly checked the drawer.

Dozens of Petra were lined up neatly inside an empty snack box.

Reusing an empty snack box had been the problem.

Fortunately, judging by the number left, it didn’t seem like he had eaten many.

“Ha… Are you okay? Does your body feel weird anywhere?”

I grabbed Jaeyul’s shoulders and checked his condition first.

Because the nightmare of the Black Petra flashed through my mind.

“D-Did you get mad because I ate this…?”

“I’m not mad. I just meant it’s not good to eat too many at once.”

Actually, Petra did taste good.

It tasted somewhere between roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes, with a texture similar to boiled chestnuts.

Of course, it wasn’t confirmed that eating too many at once was bad… since no one had ever eaten something that precious like a snack before.

Still, Jaeyul was too young, and I couldn’t help worrying about possible side effects.

If he ended up like me… Just the thought made me dizzy.

And no, it wasn’t because Petra would one day become ridiculously expensive—definitely not!

“I’m fine though…”

“Alright then… finish eating.”

Jaeyul froze mid-bite, startled by my sudden outburst.

After watching him chew and swallow the Petra carefully, I sat him down, and we shared some fish-shaped bread.

“Let’s not eat that again, Jaeyul.”

“…What even is that?”

“Hmm… It’s kind of like a supplement. But it might be bad for kids, so it’s a medicine you shouldn’t take yet.”

I had actually considered giving Petra to him too.

He was smaller than other kids his age, so I thought it couldn’t hurt.

After all, Petra was known as a miraculous medicine that healed diseases and boosted abilities.

But with someone that young, I couldn’t risk something happening.

If he ended up like me… no, that was unthinkable.

“Okay…”

“Good boy. I’ll buy you a yummy supplement later.”

“Yeah!”

I quietly watched Jaeyul munching on his fish-shaped bread with a cheerful grin.

Whenever I looked at him, I used to recall the image of ‘X,’ the one who killed me.

But ever since I awakened as an Omega, I couldn’t help but sometimes wonder… what if—just maybe—

It must’ve been because of that dream I saw while unconscious.

‘What’s the difference between a human and a monster?’

‘Then, what am I? I talk like you, look like you, and it’s not like I have a hobby of eating humans, you know?’

Could it be… that ‘X’ was actually human?

Back then, I dismissed it as nonsense.

But when I looked at Jaeyul, I couldn’t shake the suspicion that maybe, just maybe, it was true.

He looked so much like ‘X.’

Even when he alternated between biting the head and tail of the fish-shaped bread… it was ridiculous, yet—

What if Jaeyul really was ‘X’?

“…Why are you staring, hyung…?”

“Nah… Just, that’s my fish-shaped bread you’re eating.”

“…You saw that…?”

Yeah, right. As if this tiny kid who’s stealing my snack could ever be ‘X.’

I must be losing my mind.

“Jaeyul, wake up. You have to go to school.”

I forced awake the deeply sleeping Jaeyul.

Even saying those words felt weird.

Going to school… I sounded like some parent sending off their kid.

“Ugh… I’m sleepy, hyung…”

He clung to me for a long while before finally waking up.

“Still, you have to get up today. It’s been a while since you’ve gone to school. Let’s make you look nice.”

Even though the school term had started long ago, we bought new clothes and a backpack as if it were a new year.

Being poor isn’t a sin, but it’s nothing to be proud of either.

I didn’t want to send him to school with traces of poverty on him.

I grew up poor—I knew better than anyone how cruel school could be to those without money.

Maybe that’s why Jaeyul had been reluctant to go.

Because he knew that pain too.

Thanks to waking up early, we managed to leave on time.

“Get on.”

When I crouched and opened my arms, Jaeyul hugged my neck tightly.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been outside this early.”

I had planned to live a relaxed life this time around, but thanks to this kid, that dream was gone.

Still, breathing in the crisp morning air wasn’t bad.

Though… if I had to do this every day, I’d probably sigh myself to death.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if school started at lunchtime?”

Huh, we think alike.

I’d love that too.

“Have fun today. And if someone bullies you, don’t you dare just take it, okay?”

“…Shouldn’t you tell me to study hard and get along with friends instead, hyung…?”

“Nope. If you let them push you once, they’ll just keep doing it. Bad kids deserve a lesson.”

Of course… with Jaeyul’s small frame, that was nearly impossible.

The kids we passed on the way looked at least half a head taller than him.

And knowing his gentle nature, violence wasn’t in his blood.

“Then you too, hyung! Don’t work too hard. Just come back safe!”

“…What a thing to say. Go on now.”

Ever since I got sick after my awakening, Jaeyul worried more about me.

Getting lectured by a little kid like this… I really was pathetic.

At the school gate, I told him to go in, but he didn’t move.

Instead, he looked up at me and said,

“Wait for me a little! I’ll grow up fast and make lots of money for us!”

Then he dashed inside.

I stood there for a while, dumbfounded, before chuckling helplessly.

What was that, coming from this tiny peanut of a kid?

He was half my height, yet talking about earning money someday.

Still… it didn’t sound bad to hear.

Now that I’d completed the “send child to school” mission, it was time to get to work.

Today… I had something very important to do.

“Phew…”

After sending Jaeyul to school, I cleaned the house, did laundry, and packed my gear before entering the Gate.

It was pretty far from home, so I had to hurry.

With one more mouth to feed, chores had somehow multiplied severalfold.

Anyway, after finishing everything, I snuck into the Gate and sat cross-legged.

I could feel it—today, I might finally awaken again.

Last time, I became an Omega unwillingly, but this time was different.

It felt like the wall blocking my mana core near my heart had thinned.

If I focused just a bit more, I could probably break through it myself.

So I sat near the entrance of the Gate, meditating, nibbling on Petra I’d brought from home.

When I was too full to eat another piece—

“Ugh…”

Like a broken dam, mana burst violently inside me.

The pain wasn’t as bad as my first awakening, but it still felt like my body was tearing apart.

Far worse than the awakening fifteen years ago.

“Guh—!”

Blood surged up my throat.

Still, I forced myself to stay conscious.

If I passed out inside a Gate… that was as good as death.

I realized I’d picked the wrong place for this.

I should’ve done it safely at home.

Luckily, my past experience with mana control helped.

I focused everything on taming the wild mana within me.

Slowly, painfully, it began to calm.

Thank goodness.

“Wow… that was close…”

I had no idea how long it had taken.

When I finally opened my eyes, sweat drenched me, and I gulped down a full bottle of water.

But I could tell—I’d done it.

I had awakened.

No more breaking rocks with a pickaxe.

No more smashing monster skulls to extract Petra.

Now I could lift Jaeyul easily, or even take Gate-cleaning mercenary jobs for cash.

Goodbye, money problems.

From now on, I’d work less and earn more!

“I need to test it…”

To check if my black flame had returned, I stepped deeper into the Gate.

Soon, I found a small beast-type monster corpse.

It looked intact—probably one of the final creatures left alive before the Gate’s closure process.

Perfect for testing.

I raised my palm, focusing my mana.

If my black flame had returned, it should burst forth in dark fire—but… nothing happened.

Not even a spark.

The mana inside me was eerily still.

Something was wrong.

Yet, I was sure I’d awakened.

The mana flowing through me was undeniable.

Maybe I’d gained a new ability instead of the black flame?

As I stepped closer to the monster’s body to test again—

“Grr…”

A faint groan escaped the mouth of the wolf-like monster I thought was dead.

At first, I thought I misheard, but when I looked closer, its forepaw twitched.

Sometimes, this kind of error happened.

The Gate recognized nearly dead monsters as dead, changing its color from red to green.

Still, it meant the creature was on the verge of death.

“Sorry. I hate humans, but I hate monsters too.”

Oddly, it seemed to be begging me for help.

But I had no way to heal it—and no reason to.

Even a small monster remained a monster at its core.

The only mercy I could offer was a swift end.

I placed my palm on its abdomen and focused my mana, intending to end it quickly.

But then—something strange happened.

Mana started being sucked out of me, flowing into the monster like metal pulled by a magnet.

“What the—ugh…!”

I tried to pull my hand away, but it was too late.

Most of my mana had already been drained.

A familiar emptiness flooded me—the state of mana exhaustion.

The world spun, and I collapsed to the ground, too weak to move a finger.

“Raaawr!”

Through my fading vision, I saw the wolf-like monster sit up and roar.

Moments ago, it was dying—now, it was perfectly fine.

Its golden eyes gleamed sharply as they locked onto mine.

Step, step—

It started walking toward me.

I couldn’t move.

Even my consciousness was fading.

This… this was bad.

Really bad.