Chapter 27: A Familiar Return

Chapter 27

A familiar, yet unidentifiable, sensation washed over me. The moment I believed I had lost consciousness, my vision abruptly returned, accompanied by a blinding flash that threatened to engulf me. Unable to regain my balance, I stumbled weakly, only to be steadied by a firm forearm.

“Shit. What is this?”

Even in my dazed state, a terribly low voice reached my ears. As I struggled to inhale, the familiar, earthy scent of dry firewood filled my nostrils. It was Yoon Geon-woo. I yearned to respond, but a fierce, searing pain erupted throughout my entire body, rendering even a simple reply impossible.

“Stay still. Something feels off right now.”

What exactly was so strange? While I faltered, wracked by phantom pains, Yoon Geon-woo seemed to be on high alert, his senses acutely tuned to his surroundings. My abdomen, which had suffered a grievous wound, and my broken right arm—nothing felt whole.

‘It hurts… Damn it, it hurts too much…’

Perhaps due to the catastrophic state of my body, my head felt muddled, and my stomach churned unpleasantly. Yet, despite the throbbing headache, the veil obscuring my consciousness slowly began to lift.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly raised my head, and a shimmering blue light flickered directly before my eyes. Yoon Geon-woo, whom I now faced up close, was utterly pristine; not only was the red scar absent from his face, but there wasn’t even a trace of monster slime upon him.

‘Again… have I returned…’

Scanning my surroundings, I realized that the place I currently occupied with him was well within the boundary line. It appeared to be the exact moment just prior to discovering Park Hyeon-seo.

Could there, perhaps, be a specific rule governing these regressions? The most perplexing aspect was the utter lack of consistency in the timing of each regression. If I were to desperately search for a common thread, it would only be that in all three instances, I had been with Yoon Geon-woo at the very last moment?

As this phenomenon repeated itself several times, my adaptation period seemed to notably shorten. Enduring the persistent abdominal pain, I checked the contamination level of Yoon Geon-woo, the most probable culprit behind this bizarre occurrence.

[Contamination Level 56%]

His contamination level remained largely unchanged from immediately after our half-body guiding session. While there had been some minor fluctuations due to his use of abilities several times before entering the boundary line, the overall change was negligible.

‘This regression… it definitely seems like Yoon Geon-woo’s ability. But even using such a tremendous power, his contamination level isn’t accumulating?’

From the looks of it, he seemed completely unaware of having used any such ability. Nevertheless, just in case, I decided to subtly probe Yoon Geon-woo.

“Yoon Geon-woo, besides the fire-based ability you frequently use, do you… perhaps have any other powers?”

“Why ask such a thing?”

As expected, Yoon Geon-woo offered no immediate, straightforward reply. It was understandable, of course; revealing an Esper’s abilities in detail was akin to exposing their most vulnerable points.

However, I couldn’t simply concede defeat, so I pressed him once more, refusing to let the matter drop.

“Why? We’re a team, aren’t we? I thought it might be beneficial for me to know more about the abilities you possess.”

“Don’t get presumptuous. ‘Team,’ my ass.”

Yoon Geon-woo snorted, as if my words were utterly ridiculous. I couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of dissonance from his demeanor. Wasn’t this reaction drastically different from the one he’d displayed before the regression?

“Friend or not, don’t trust anything during combat.”

“…Even you?”

‘But you said we were a team. I have to believe that.’

‘Then why are my memories still intact?’

While it was a relief to have narrowly escaped death, the repetitive nature of these events was driving me to the brink of madness. Amidst this internal turmoil, and to make matters even worse, blood gushed from my nose. I should have known this would happen. I’d wondered why this particular regression had seemingly bypassed the usual consequences.

“Ah… again…”

As I clutched my face and let out a pained groan, Yoon Geon-woo scrutinized my condition with a suspicious, questioning gaze.

“Hey, why are you acting like this again?”

“…Good question.”

Instead of offering him a clear answer, I simply scrubbed at the gushing nosebleed with the cuff of my sleeve, my face a mask of discomfort. Lacking a precise explanation myself, I had no way to articulate the reason to him. Seeing my predicament, Yoon Geon-woo, as if resigning himself to the situation, pulled a small piece of cloth from his back pocket and offered it to me.

“Take it.”

What he offered was a neatly folded, dark navy handkerchief. With the SAA logo embroidered in gold thread on its corner, it certainly appeared to be an Esper-issued supply item, but…

Could this possibly be a dream? Not a regression at all? Perhaps a hallucination experienced in the throes of death.

Yoon Geon-woo and a handkerchief. The combination was utterly incongruous, almost horrifyingly so. I was so utterly taken aback that I froze, unable to even contemplate accepting the piece of cloth he extended.

“What are you doing? Take it and wipe yourself.”

Yet, as if to directly contradict my burgeoning doubts, he once again thrust the small piece of cloth toward me. His expression, when I briefly glanced up, remained as impassive as ever. With a questioning expression, I finally accepted the handkerchief.

“This… is it yours?”

“Then, would I lend you something that isn’t mine?”

Yoon Geon-woo reproached me with an expression that clearly conveyed his thought: *What kind of bizarre question is that?* Witnessing his confident assertion that it was indeed his, I found myself, ironically, speechless.

“No, I just found it surprising.”

Shaking my head as if it were nothing, I took the handkerchief. As I brought it to my face to wipe, a pungent, bracing medicinal scent wafted up to my nose.

‘What? This isn’t just an ordinary handkerchief!’

The handkerchief, imbued with the bitter scent of medicine, instantly absorbed the copious amount of blood I had shed. Not only that, the bleeding ceased at once, as if the damaged mucous membranes had been magically staunched. It was then that I realized this was no ordinary item.

“Yoon Geon-woo… what is this?”

As I gazed up at Yoon Geon-woo with a surprised expression, he merely twitched an eyebrow, as if to ask what the fuss was about.

“Have you never seen a handkerchief before?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Is this an artifact?”

I held up the handkerchief, which remained miraculously dry despite absorbing a large amount of blood. Then Yoon Geon-woo spoke, as if my astonishment were entirely unwarranted.

“It was given to me here.”

“I understand that, but they distribute *this* kind of item as a standard supply?”

“Well, if you overuse your abilities, you tend to bleed.”

How much did a single artifact cost? To think they were providing such high-value items free of charge, and only to Espers! It was a stark reminder of the vast disparity in treatment between Espers and Guides. As I meticulously examined the handkerchief clutched in my hand, an indifferent voice abruptly cut through the air.

“You can keep it.”

“This?”

“Just take it so you don’t keep bleeding all over the place. Seeing you like that, it’s just…”

‘Why is he suddenly taking care of me?’ As I looked up at him with a puzzled expression, Yoon Geon-woo, meeting my gaze, furrowed his brow.

“…Disgusting.”

‘What, you bastard? Calling someone who’s bleeding from pain disgusting is a bit much!’ I fumed internally. ‘Who do you think I’m going through all this for right now?’

As I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded, Yoon Geon-woo, with a subtly complex expression, questioned me in return.

“Shit, why do *I* feel disgusted?”

‘Your mood always seemed disgusted, so if you ask me now, will I have an answer?’ Just as I was about to retort sharply, a pitiful voice drifted from not too far away.

“Um… hello…? Is anyone… there?”

Yoon Geon-woo and I, without needing to prompt each other, ceased our bickering and listened intently to the sound. It was a stammering voice, seemingly caught in a difficult situation.

‘It’s Park Hyeon-seo!’

Having experienced this situation before, I instantly recognized the owner of the voice. To avoid repeating past mistakes, I quickly reviewed the tasks I needed to handle:

Identify the culprit who had infiltrated the training ground, safely deal with the monster Ophedian, and as for Park Hyeon-seo…

‘What was Yoon Geon-woo’s reason for attacking Park Hyeon-seo?’

He was a man of few words, so I hadn’t gotten a satisfying answer from him last time. Many unresolved questions lingered, leaving me with much to ponder.

‘He eliminated all the other students, but there was someone who shot Yoon Geon-woo at the very end. That means someone else remained in the training ground….’

As I speculated, a sudden hypothesis flashed through my mind. Resolved to confirm it immediately, I drew the taser from my waist.

‘Damn it, my hand…’

The phantom pain of my broken arm seemed to persist, causing my right hand to tremble severely. Yet, there was no time for hesitation. I swiftly turned my body and completed the reload.

*Bang!*

A single gunshot echoed throughout the interior of the boundary line. Fortunately, the bullet aimed at Park Hyeon-seo struck him directly in the heart.

‘Done.’

As proof, Park Hyeon-seo’s frail body staggered violently. I immediately looked up, scrutinizing the electronic display panel attached to the ceiling. According to the rules of the death game, Park Hyeon-seo should have been disqualified immediately.

“What are you doing?”

Yoon Geon-woo, standing beside me, looked down at me with a bewildered expression, his intentions unknown. I did not answer him. As I stared blankly at the ceiling, I felt Yoon Geon-woo follow my gaze upwards.

‘…Why on earth?’

Strangely, Park Hyeon-seo’s display panel did not turn gray.

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