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Join the Server“Why are they going that far, anyway?”
Seong Ji-woo took his eyes off the screen and turned toward Park Su-jin. Park Su-jin was glaring so fiercely it looked as though he might crawl into the monitor—or bite straight through it.
“People at the top are always the same. What they fear most is anything slipping out of their control.”
“……”
“Variables can’t be allowed to exist. The moment something happens outside their predictions, they try to rip it out by the roots.”
Those words carried layers of implication. To someone out there, Yu Hye-ro’s very existence was an eyesore—a troublesome variable that needed to be eradicated. It might not be just a matter of wanting to turn a failed experiment into a success.
“And it’s not just about Yu Hye-ro. To them, our existence as ability users is the biggest headache of all—no different from a variable.”
In the end, it all came down to controlling ability users themselves.
“But looking at how things are going, it seems like they’ve messed up again.”
The white document that had filled the screen receded into the distance. Park Su-jin leaned back in his chair, as if he was done.
“You can tell just by looking?”
It didn’t seem like he’d even had time to properly read it. At Seong Ji-woo’s curious question, Park Su-jin smiled.
“If I were a genius, maybe.”
“……”
“Come to think of it, I never told you what my ability is, did I?”
Now that he mentioned it, Seong Ji-woo realized he had never once seen Park Su-jin actually use his ability. He’d vaguely assumed it was some kind of offensive type. Given his personality and appearance, it seemed like he’d be specialized in combat.
Park Su-jin placed his hand above the table. In the small gap between his palm and the surface, something began to form. It was the research data from the screen he’d been staring at so intently.
“I can reproduce anything I’ve seen once.”
“……Then you’re a supporter?”
“A damage dealer.”
“…What?”
“I can copy abilities too.”
It was an ability he’d never even heard of. Seong Ji-woo couldn’t hide his shock.
“Then why did you start out as a researcher?”
“At the end of the day, they’re still someone else’s abilities. When I copy one, it’s like using it for the first time. I can’t ever truly get proficient. And I’m not copying the essence of the ability—just clumsily mimicking the skills I’ve seen.”
“…I didn’t think of that, but you’re right.”
“And back then, killing something didn’t really sit well with me.”
Seong Ji-woo nodded slightly in agreement. He’d been the same at first.
The reproduced research data was now lying on the desk. Park Su-jin pulled out the first file—the one containing records about Yu Hye-ro.
It was something even the research institute had failed to secure. Everyone believed it had vanished forever in the flames, yet here it was, perfectly restored in Park Su-jin’s office.
Even so, only the records from before the fire remained. There was no way to know what had happened to Yu Hye-ro afterward, or what kind of changes he’d undergone.
Instead, they had a witness—Seong Ji-woo.
“You said Yu Hye-ro couldn’t use his ability when you first met him, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know when he first started using it?”
Seong Ji-woo recalled their first meeting. Back then, Yu Hye-ro had felt indescribably innocent. He’d honestly confessed that he didn’t know how to use his ability, and even when Seong Ji-woo forced some strange meditation logic on him, he’d followed along without complaint.
“At first, it seemed like he didn’t even understand abilities themselves…”
Mid-sentence, Seong Ji-woo frowned.
“But he knew what his ability was.”
“Huh?”
“He said he didn’t know how to use it, but normally, if that’s the case, you don’t even know what your ability is.”
Yu Hye-ro had clearly said back then that his ability was darkness. Since he was a student at a special ability high school, Seong Ji-woo hadn’t found it strange that he knew. Only now did it feel off.
Seong Ji-woo’s eyes widened as realization struck.
“Oh—he said he received an implanted ability. So that’s why he knew.”
“No.”
“…What?”
“The ability Yu Hye-ro was implanted with wasn’t darkness.”
“…What?”
“What he received was an ability called ‘Clone.’ For some reason, it changed into a darkness-type ability. Most likely, some kind of mutation occurred during the stabilization process after implantation.”
That explanation only made things harder to understand.
“Then how did Yu Hye-ro know? Did you know what his ability was during the research?”
“…No.”
Their gazes collided in midair.
“Then that means Yu Hye-ro could already use his ability before meeting me.”
“…That’s the most likely possibility.”
A truth neither of them had ever considered came to light. The puzzle pieces in Seong Ji-woo’s head began snapping into place.
“Come to think of it, something strange happened the first time we entered a dungeon together.”
“What was it?”
“He said he’d never used his ability before, but he controlled it perfectly.”
Seong Ji-woo recalled that moment—the gate anomaly caused by himself, and how he’d run desperately to save Yu Hye-ro, who supposedly couldn’t use his ability… only for Yu Hye-ro to save him instead.
“I thought it was survival instinct. When people are pushed to the edge, they can do anything. But looking back now, he already knew how to use his ability back then.”
“……”
“Then why did he hide it?”
He remembered Yu Hye-ro being looked down on for not being able to use his ability. Not being acknowledged by his peers. Always alone.
“…Maybe he didn’t want to become a success story. Yu Hye-ro had already been labeled a failed experiment. From his perspective, it might’ve been better for that research to remain a failure.”
“Then why on earth…?”
Why become a hunter, even using the ability he’d hidden all that time?
Countless words Yu Hye-ro had spoken flashed through Seong Ji-woo’s mind. He felt like he could guess the reason—but he deliberately pretended not to know.
Seeing Seong Ji-woo press his lips shut, Park Su-jin didn’t push further.
“Either way, if he could already use his ability before meeting you, figuring out the trigger for its manifestation will be difficult.”
Since when had Yu Hye-ro been hiding his power? Park Su-jin traced his memories back step by step.
At the very least, on the day Yoo Ji-eun died, Yu Hye-ro wouldn’t have been able to use it. If he could, he never would’ve let things reach that point.
That narrowed the window—from Yoo Ji-eun’s death to the moment Yu Hye-ro met Seong Ji-woo.
A hypothesis surfaced in Park Su-jin’s mind.
‘Yu Hye-ro became able to use his ability because Yoo Ji-eun died.’
His face went cold. If that hypothesis were true—and if the Association learned of it…
“Things might be worse than we thought.”
At his grim tone, Seong Ji-woo’s expression stiffened as well.
“Why?”
“When did Yu Hye-ro start being able to use his ability?”
“…I don’t know. At least before he met me…”
“Right. And after I left the institute.”
“……”
“There was only one incident in that time frame.”
“…Which?”
“That person’s death. The moment the implanted ability core was severed from its original body. Until then, the ability core was just parasitizing Yu Hye-ro’s body like mutated cancer tissue.”
“……”
“But once the person died and the connection was cut, the donor’s ability core fully settled inside Yu Hye-ro’s body. That’s when Yu Hye-ro became able to use his ability.”
The moment he voiced the hypothesis he’d only been thinking, Park Su-jin felt a horrifying certainty. This wasn’t just a theory.
“Wait—then does that mean the kid currently being experimented on can’t use their ability because the donor is still alive?”
“…Probably.”
“Then if they find out about this…”
The donor might die. Neither of them could bring themselves to voice the worst-case scenario.
***********
A few days later, the moment Jung Su-han’s father was rushed to the hospital with acute cerebral infarction, Jung Su-han experienced his first ability manifestation. And that ability was identical to the one he had received from his father.
Amid the chaos, the worst-case scenario was beginning—slowly, inexorably.
“So you’re saying the donor’s health condition affects the test subject?”
The Association president raised an eyebrow as he skimmed the hastily submitted research report. It was the most intriguing case he’d seen so far.
“Yes. When we compared it with the hospital’s medical charts, the first ability manifestation occurred precisely when the donor fell into a coma.”
“Then the reason the first test subject became able to use their ability as well…”
The president’s hand traced the edge of the report. A long red line remained on his finger.
“We suspect the direct cause was the death of the researcher who served as the ability core donor.”
“Interesting. But then why did this one manifest the ability without mutation?”
“We’re not entirely sure about that part yet…”
“Keep observing. And since the donor needs constant monitoring, persuade them to stay at the research institute instead of a regular hospital.”
“Yes, understood.”
After the institute director left the office, the Association president fell into thought. It didn’t take him long to reach a conclusion.
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