IN GAMAND
NO. 17
W. Seolha
"…yunki min?"
"You're badly hurt."
He muttered as he embraced me, floating in the air. Only after I was completely embraced by him did the black fog that had been supporting my body disperse. Was that the spirit? Only after I safely stood on the ground did I fully grasp the situation. The fact that he, a necromancer who deals with spirits and vengeful spirits, had used those spirits to catch me from falling into the black lake. From afar, I saw Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung running towards me, their faces pale.
"Julia!!"
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
It was only after seeing them in their thoughts that reality hit me. "Oh, I almost died." As that thought crossed my mind, my legs gave out. Min Yoongi, who had gently picked me up as I stumbled, gestured for someone. Only then did I realize he wasn't the only one who had come to this cave.
“Oh my, the soles of my feet… I guess I’ll need to get them treated first.”
Jeong Ho-seok frowned and said. The soles of my feet? I looked down at my feet in confusion, then squeezed my eyes shut. I looked for nothing, I looked for nothing. The reddened insteps looked serious, but the soles were even worse. Not only was the skin peeling, but wherever the liquid from the black lake touched, the flesh was searing and burning. As they say, knowing something hurts more, and only then did I feel the intense pain in my soles.
Just a fleeting touch would be enough, but if I fell in there… I felt a chill run down my spine, so I carelessly stroked the back of my neck. Min Yoongi set me down a fair distance from the lake, and Jung Hoseok grabbed my ankle. "It might hurt a little," he said, and I squeezed my eyes shut and balled my fist. I felt someone wrap their arms around my hand, which was clenched so tightly that the veins were bulging. It was warm.
While most summoners, commonly called magicians, preferred to master powerful, offensive magic, Jung Ho-seok said he ended up primarily using healing magic for some reason. He added that it was because he was more comfortable caring for others than harming them. He also thought it suited his gentle and gentle personality.
“It might feel a little… strange.”
"…are you okay."
I'd only ever received healing magic once before. It was when I'd first entered Julia's body, just as I'd regained consciousness after a month of unconsciousness. Duke Orte, noticing my disarray, summoned a healing wizard to examine me. As someone who vividly remembers that experience, I couldn't help but understand why Jung Ho-seok had said such a thing. Healing magic is essentially magic that heals, but Jung Ho-seok's magic seemed subtly different. For example, it could rewind time to a state before a wound occurred.
Jung Hoseok, who had clearly noticed that I was injured in more than one place, treated all the minor wounds, including my shoulder, before letting me go. Needless to say, my physical condition had improved beyond words. Since Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung's injuries were also serious, Jung Hoseok immediately began examining theirs after finishing mine.
"How did you come?"
I looked down at my tightly held hand and asked. Min Yoongi looked down at me quietly and answered. The spirits told me.
"No, how did you get out of the academy?"
"…stealthily."
At that answer, I couldn't help but sigh, rubbing my forehead. Somehow, I felt strongly that things had gotten out of hand.
IN GAME
"I'll have to explain it properly."
I met Jin's harsh gaze and slowly averted my gaze. It was too much for a younger sibling who had barely survived. Of course, he wasn't my real sibling, but he was still my sibling in name only. The first person I had to face upon returning to the academy wasn't the instructor, the professor in charge, the principal, or even the chairman. It was Jin, furious and bloodshot. His furious expression made me, as well as Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung, who were with me, tense up. But I couldn't avoid Jin's angry scolding.
"Julia."
“…No, that’s not what I meant.”
"Everything that happened, from beginning to end."
"……."
"I have to explain everything, without leaving anything out."
Of course, his words, "It was nothing serious," fell on deaf ears. Jin, who also ignored my words that it wasn't what I intended, stared intently at me.
"I just took a wrong turn in the forest. I thought I was near the habitat, but I ended up deeper into the forest than I thought…"
"So I came back as a beggar,"
“…If you stay up all night in the forest…”
"Then I hurt my shoulder."
"that…."
"I almost died."
As I quietly looked around, I saw Jung Ho-seok fidgeting and looking this way. It was you, the one who told everything to Jin. I glared at Jung Ho-seok with a sharp gaze and turned my head away. Of course, in front of Jin, my gaze, which had been glaring at Jung Ho-seok as if I was going to kill him, could not help but become as calm as a mouse.
I wanted to refute Jin's claim that he nearly died, calling it an exaggeration, but I kept my mouth shut because it was the undeniable truth. I knew better than anyone that if Min Yoongi hadn't been there, I would have fallen into that black lake and vanished from this world without a trace.
Jin nagged me for a while. Even if it was a departmental internship, I shouldn't act too recklessly. "Please don't do anything dangerous." "If something like this happens again, I'll have no choice but to return to the estate." Because I had sinned, I had no choice but to listen to his worried ramblings in silence.
“I’m so scared of that guy….”
All the way back to the dorm, Kim Taehyung muttered. Well, Jin, who was usually always smiling, might have felt that way, too. Even I, with his hard, hard face and the sly, life-threatening aura he exuded, found Jin… incredibly scary.
We reunited in room A210, now our hideout. We'd shed our clothes, all tattered from the night, and washed ourselves to a crisp, almost squeaky clean, so it was hard to believe we'd just rolled around in the mud. I leaned back on the corner of the sofa where the others, now feeling fine, were sitting. I felt drowsy, but I told them not to go to sleep.
[Main Quest: Search]
Compensation settlement has been completed.
Would you like to confirm?Y / N
The first thing I did was check the compensation, which, unlike before, had been settled promptly. As soon as I destroyed the source, a notification window popped up indicating that the compensation had been settled, but given the circumstances, I had put it off. As I pressed "Y," as I had always done, the notification window changed.
[Main Quest: Cooperation]
player: Julia Bian Orte / ?Hye?
-Rewards available 1 There is a dog.
· Skill: Focused Bombardment
1 Would you like to receive the dog's reward?
Another skill. It was the skill I had failed to receive during the previous "Cooperation" quest. Without hesitation, I chose to claim the reward, and a stone similar to the one from before appeared in my hand. It was a stone scribbled with glowing lines, like countless lines converging into a single point, a concentrated barrage. I applied force to my hand, and the stone crumbled, its once-dim halo becoming clearer. It was just like [Skill: Barrage].
[alarm]
[Skill: Focused Bombardment]Acquire.
[Job-exclusive skill: Focused Barrage]
Deals a critical hit to a single enemy.
-Passive Skill: Sharpshooter
The hit rate increases by .
-Passive Skill: Bullet Boost
Attack speed increases by 10%.
-Passive Skill: Infinity Bullet
The number of magic bullets is set to infinity.
"Skill Stone? Did you get a new skill?"
"Oh, yeah."
Kim Taehyung asked, stroking the remnants of the skill stone that remained in his palm. At my affirmative answer, Kim Taehyung smirked and shook what he was holding in his hand. It was a skill stone. Seeing him rejoice, saying that he finally had an attack skill, I burst out laughing. Judging by Jeon Jungkook's expression, it seemed like he had also received a new skill. Only Min Yoongi and Jung Hoseok sat there blankly.
"You guys, have you already completed the quest?"
"huh."
Min Yoongi nodded at my words. It was even a relatively easy quest. Unlike the quests that me, Kim Taehyung, and Jeon Jungkook had to complete, it was a simple quest that simply required finding a single item. At first, we were the ones who complained about the quest's unfair difficulty, but after hearing Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi's quest, we couldn't help but blink and ask them, "It was easy?"
"The quest was to find the Academy's materials viewing pass, but the location kept changing, so I checked and it seemed like only high-ranking professors had it."
"……."
"But I couldn't go to the professors and ask for it, so I decided to just steal it."
"……."
"Security wasn't that tight, so it was easy. Jeong Ho-seok put the sheriff to sleep, and I had the spirits find the access tickets. Well, that's all."
In short, he had entered a senior professor's lab and stolen items. The Academy's faculty, like university professors around the world, conduct diverse research in various fields, and to protect the results of their research, they strictly enforced entry and exit. So, security was bound to be tight, but I remained silent when I saw Min Yoongi sitting on the sofa with a calm expression. Whatever the method, I thought, it was for our benefit.
"So what's that access ticket?" Kim Taehyung asked, crossing his arms. Min Yoongi rummaged through his pockets. What he pulled out was,
[Main Quest: Finding Materials]
Required Quest
[Main Quest: Search]has been completed.
You have met the entry requirements for the linked quest.
Linked quests are automatically granted.
One of the players you collaborated with
Academy's[Data] Reading rightsI got it.
[data] Find out where to use your reading ticket
Academy's [data]Please read .
In 'abnormal phenomenon'For information on
You can obtain it.
Success Reward : ???
It was a single key, rusted here and there. At the same time, a quest window popped up, making me flinch. What was that [data]? The [data] that had been mentioned consistently since the collaboration. I narrowed my eyes and examined the key. Despite its flashy appearance, it was a worn-out key.
"We searched the entire academy to find a use for the key, but we couldn't find a place where it could be used."
"Could it be somewhere other than the academy?"
"That can't be right. The data is said to be from the 'Academy,' and since only high-ranking professors have this key, it must be inside the Academy."
Jung Ho-seok and Min Yoon-gi said they searched the academy like a mouse while we were out on our training. From each classroom to the now-defunct annex. They said the key, unlike the other keys used today, resembled a key from the Crea Kingdom, making it impossible to guess where it was located.
"I intentionally omitted the dormitory. Only the senior faculty members know of the key's existence, so it doesn't seem like they'd bother to create a place for it in the dormitory."
I nodded at Min Yoongi's words. It made no sense to choose the dormitory, the closest place to the students, as the location for hiding something from them. It was only natural that the dormitory would be excluded from the search area.
Jung Hoseok unfolded the map of the academy. He said he had marked places he had already been to with an X. Merlin Academy was one of the largest academies on the continent, but I was astonished to see that about two-thirds of the academy had Xs marked on it. His execution was no joke. Anyway, if I were to list the places on the map that weren't marked with Xs, it would look like this. The professors' research building and the academy's west wing were all there were. In any case, the scope had been drastically reduced. It was then that Jeon Jungkook spoke, watching the scope narrow.
"As far as I know, there is a forbidden book vault here."
A long finger pointed to the basement of the library, where an X was marked, and down below. The combination of basement and forbidden books seemed quite plausible, so I raised my head and looked at Jeon Jungkook.
"Many people don't even know it exists. You can tell just by looking at the fact that it's not even marked on this map."
“…I’ve already been to the basement of the library. It’s a place to store old books, so I couldn’t find a keyhole no matter how hard I looked.”
"I'm talking about the lower part of the basement."
Min Yoongi clenched his jaw at Jeon Jungkook's words. "How did you know that?" Kim Taehyung asked.
"Real or not, I am now the crown prince of this empire."
"…ah,"
"I researched the Academy before coming here. The materials available only to the royal family often contain hidden facts."
"……."
"It's not so strange that I know things you don't."
"Sure," Kim Taehyung replied affirmatively. There was no disagreement that the information he, as the crown prince, accessed was a step ahead of what we were used to, so I nodded, looking at Jeon Jungkook's finger on the map. "Then we should definitely head towards the forbidden books," I said, to which everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Do you know the entrance to the Forbidden Book Vault? My spirits told me there's no other door in the basement of the library."
Jeon Jungkook nodded at those words. Of course, I know.
"It's more likely that your spirits couldn't find the door."
"It's not a door?"
"Forbidden books are things that should be hidden. Simply possessing them is punishable by death. Would you want to show others the 'entrance' where those forbidden books are located?"
"I guess that means the entrance is hidden."
"You could say they're similar. The only difference is that the entrance is blocked by something other than a door."
“…With what?”
In response to that question, Jeon Jungkook only gave a playful grin. He added, "It'd be faster to go and check."
/
It was a slow dawn. With only a few hours left until sunrise, we left the dormitory early, having managed to catch a brief nap. Our destination, of course, was the library. We figured there was no need to delay, since we'd already located the most likely location for the [material]. We were all too exhausted to move immediately, so a brief rest was necessary.
The sound of five footsteps echoed through the empty academy hallways. Pulling the robe tightly over my face, I hurried my pace. I'd planned to time the guards' shift, but it was impossible to know when or where someone might pop up.
From the dorms, the library was close to the other end of the academy, so we had a long walk. Min Yoongi and Jung Hoseok, who had already been to the library once, led the way, followed by me, Kim Taehyung, and Jeon Jungkook. It was a quiet march, without a word of conversation.
“…I thought about it.”
“…what?”
Jeon Jungkook spoke, his voice low. He slowed his pace, putting more distance between himself and the group, and I followed suit. Maintaining a certain distance from the three in front of me, I looked up at Jeon Jungkook. His face seemed uneasy.
"You know what you said in the cave-,"
"ah…,"
"At first, I had no idea what he was talking about. I thought I knew perfectly well that my body was Kylos, but inside, a person named Jeon Jungkook was living inside me. But..."
"……."
"After thinking about what you said, I realized something."
Jeon Jungkook took a deep breath. His throat was moving violently. It was also a sign of nervousness.
"Listen carefully, maybe this isn't just about me."
“Why are you taking so long…”
"I feel like I'm forgetting the memories of when I was Jeon Jungkook."
"……."
"No, it's not like I'm forgetting, I'm definitely forgetting."
…What? I had no choice but to stop my plodding pace completely. Jeon Jungkook, who had been three steps ahead, stopped.
"What does that mean?"
My voice rose without me realizing it. Jeon Jungkook turned around and placed a long finger on my lips. It was a signal to lower my voice.
"In the cave, you remembered everything from your childhood to the most recent events without exception."
“…That’s right.”
"That's not for me. It's like someone erases them with an eraser, gradually fading away until they are completely forgotten."
"……."
"And that gap is filled with Kylos' memories. You could say that 'Jeon Jungkook's' memories are replaced with 'Kylos' memories."
My lips moved as if I was about to say something, but nothing came out of my mouth. I just thought Jeon Jungkook was confusing 'Jeon Jungkook' with 'Kailos'. In reality, it was worse than that. 'Jeon Jungkook' was disappearing, buried in 'Kailos'. Only then did everything click. Aside from his tone and actions, the fact that he spoke as if he knew this world so well, and the fact that he knew things that 'Jeon Jungkook' would never have known. I even thought that maybe this forbidden book repository was not known through 'Jeon Jungkook's' memories, but through 'Kailos's'.
"Let me ask you one thing: do you have even a single memory of 'Julia'?"
At Jeon Jungkook's question, I rummaged through my memories. However, all I could remember were from when I wasn't Julia. I had no recollection of anything from Julia's past. Jeon Jungkook, seeing my reaction, nodded slightly. "I see."
"If my guess is correct, you are probably the exception."
"Why?"
"You showed me your status screen before. The one full of question marks."
I nodded. Towards the end of the "Cooperation" quest, after I'd gained about 90% trust in Jeon Jungkook, I explained what had happened and showed him the status screen. I even told him everything about the system.
"And the hidden quest too,"
"That's right. It was about the name."
“…Julia, I’ll tell you since you don’t seem to have noticed yet. Open your status window.”
As I muttered the words to myself, a bright blue window appeared before my eyes. I sighed as I looked at it, still littered with question marks. I wondered, "When will this ever return to normal?" as I looked up at Jeon Jungkook. I saw him looking down at me with a very complicated expression.
"Isn't your hidden quest to remember all three letters of a name?"
"that's right."
"Julia, look at the status window carefully."
"…?"
"Isn't there a letter 'Hye' next to your name?"
"…!"
[Player: Julia Vian Orte / ? Hye ?]
I felt my face harden. What an idiot, why hadn't I noticed this before? The question mark aside, the word "Hye" clearly meant a name. I hastily opened the hidden quest window. However, upon seeing the [Condition], I could only let out a dumbfounded "Huh?"
[Hidden Quest: The One Who Forgot His Name]
·
·
·
[condition]Every time you meet
One letter of the name is given.
Find all the letters
Find out your name.
[Condition 1] Error / Unable to view
[Condition 2] Error / Unable to view
[Condition 3] Error / Unable to view
[Condition 2] still didn't open. The quest window was no different from the first one. If "Hye" were the middle letter of my name, there should have been some change, like clearing [Condition 2]. But the status window showed no change. What does this mean?
"It may be a guess, but I had a feeling that you might not be the one who was originally supposed to enter 'Julia's' body."
"……."
"If the name of the person who had to enter Julia's body had 'Hye' in it, and your name didn't have the letter 'Hye' in it, I think it would be reasonable to suspect it."
"……."
"Perhaps Kim Taehyung, Min Yoongi, and even Jung Hoseok are forgetting their original memories. It's just that the process is so natural that they don't even realize it. If you hadn't told me, I might have gone my entire life unaware."
I stared blankly at the three people walking ahead. Everyone? Everyone had forgotten who they were? Then what about me? Why was I the exception?
"You're the exception, Julia. Perhaps you're the variable in this world."
“…Huh, this is ridiculous….”
“…Anyway, that’s what I was trying to say. You may be the variable, and I may be the intended result of the system.”
"……."
"I think it's better not to trust the system too much."
"Jeon Jungkook said." I closed the status screen with a blank look in my eyes. I saw the three of them waiting for Jeon Jungkook at the entrance of the library building. If those three lose their memories, I'll be the only one left. I felt like crying, so I widened my eyes.
"Why are you walking so slow?"
"……."
"The way down to the basement is over there. I think it'd be best to go quickly-"
At the same time, my mind raced. About this situation, about what the system had said. It felt like tiny puzzle pieces were falling into place on their own. A corner of the picture, a tiny part of the puzzle, was finally coming together.
[It seems like someone has intervened in your system itself and created an 'error'.]
[Someone accessed the system that handles that 'main quest'.]
[If you succeed in hacking me, you will be able to grant me the 'main quest' as you wish.]
[What if he uses that authority to give you a quest that goes in a direction completely different from 'his' intention?]
As I walked into the library's basement, I thought to myself, "I have a strong feeling I know who caused all this."
[Main Quest: Cooperation]
Required Quest
·
·
·
Excluded Players : 1
✨
Seol-ha is sad because her current life is busy,,,