Chapter 93 (2/2)

[General Information]

Summoned date: November 18th, 2015

Marking Grade: Red

s.e.x/Age: Female/22

Height/Weight: 170.2 cm/58.6 kg

Current condition: Healthy

Cla.s.s: LV. 4 Divine Champion

Nationality: Hong Kong (Area 7)

Affiliation: Carpe Diem

Alias: Go-stop, Slaughter Maiden, Six Crazy, Chung Tricked-Again.

'Huh…?'

It was true. Seol Jihu was just about to ask Chohong to read her aliases on her status window, but then his eyes spotted the shattered drawer next to his bed. Suddenly, a chill ran down his back.

“Ah, I haven't laughed that hard in a while.”

Chohong finally grabbed a hold of herself and was wiping tears off her eyes.

“Anyways, you're going, right?”

“Hm?”

“To Earth.”

Seol Jihu suddenly felt he was caught off guard.

“h.e.l.lo? Don't you need to go back? Your contractor is calling you, you know.”

“Uh, yeah… I'll give her a call.”

“What are you talking about? How are you going to call someone on Earth from here? What, is there something you need to do? Why do you sound reluctant to go back?”

“Princess Teresa said she'd invite me to the palace.”

“Who cares? That can go once you come back.”

Seol Jihu was a loss for words and could only stammer. Chohong felt that something was off, and her eyebrows perked up.

“You… do you really not want to go back?”

“N-No.”

Seol Jihu answered reflexively, but he couldn't hide his Adam's Apple trembling slightly. It was then that Seol Jihu noticed his fingers shaking and hid them under the blanket.

To be honest, he wanted to tell her he didn't want to go back. He didn't know why. It was just that when he thought about leaving Paradise… an instinctive sense of rejection swelled inside him. He felt his chest congest uncomfortably and even felt a bit of anxiousness.

But he couldn't bring himself to say all this. If he did, he knew Chohong would ask why. He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to tell the truth either.

'…No.'

Now that he thought about it, he did have to go back at least once. It was hard to say he was in a secure position on Earth, and he also figured it would be easier to find basic knowledge of spear throwing and energy circulation on Earth.

Thinking about it this way, he felt a bit better.

'Right, if I want to live in Paradise….'

“Of course, I'm going back. I have things to take care of, so it might take a while until I'm back.”

“…Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry about it and have a safe trip.”

Chohong erased her suspicions hearing Seol Jihu's straightforward answer. Seol Jihu smiled. He was already excited when he thought about learning Mana Spear and Mana Circulation once he returned.

Carpe Diem's new direction was revealed. The three remaining members decided to take a break and use the time to think about the future.

Chohong and Hugo said they would go back to Earth today. Seol Jihu figured he shouldn't waste any more time. After asking Chohong to bring him a bag, he contacted Kim Hannah through the communication crystal ball she gave him.

'She's not picking up….'

However, he couldn't get in touch. It seemed she still had not returned from Earth. He grabbed the clothes Chohong brought him and left the treatment room. Since he wasn't in a hospital, he didn't need to go through formal procedures to be allowed to leave. Still, he had to pay for the treatment he received.

'It looks like my body's gotten a lot better.'

Seol Jihu cracked his neck and swung his arms around, only to be surprised beyond belief. His physical body was simply too healthy. His wounds had all closed up, and although he might just be mistaken, he felt like his mana was circulating more intensely than before.

Overall, it felt like he powered-up, almost like he ate a precious herb or pill. However, he couldn't remember a thing about the Priest who healed him. It was because he did nothing but sleep after seeing that bright light.

That said, he knew someone had taken care of him deeply for the 24 hours he was asleep or barely awake.

'Who could it be?'

To pay for his treatment and to thank the Priest who took care of him, Seol Jihu headed to the reception desk of the temple. However, he was met with an unexpected predicament.

“She's not here?”

“No, she said she had something urgent to take care of.”

“Then can I at least know her name…?”

“I apologize, that isn't something I can reveal without her permission.”

He was even told that he didn't need to pay. Apparently, whoever treated him had given the Priests a strict order not to receive payment. Still, Seol Jihu remained persistent, and the reception lady eventually said that the treatment cost at least one gold coin. Seol Jihu couldn't hide his shock when he heard that.

'H-How amazing was the person who treated me?'

In the end, he gave in and stood in front of the returning warp gate. He told himself that going back was the right choice, yet he was still hesitant.

'Don't expect anything. Don't expect anything.'

He muttered to himself multiple times before he entrusted himself to the blue light.

Returning to Earth. He had experienced it once before, but he couldn't help but feel a little strange. It wasn't that he was unfamiliar with the sensation of returning. He was unfamiliar with the clean room he returned to.

'How long was I gone?'

He looked around his room like he was standing in someone else's place. He then found his phone lying on the ground. Perhaps because of the constant reminder to not expect anything he muttered in his head, his hands didn't immediately grab it. He knew he would only be disappointed. However, he still needed his phone if he were to contact Kim Hannah. Seol Jihu smacked his lips and picked up the phone.

'It looks like it's still morning….'

When he opened the window, he was greeted by blazing sunlight. He furrowed his brows as stuffy hot air rushed in.

It was early May. The weather was too hot considering summer had only just begun.

'Guess I'm back.'

He watched cars running through the streets under his apartment buildings. Then, he suddenly grabbed his wallet. Like a donkey stung by a bee, he hurriedly left his apartment building and ran to the convenience store by the road.

“Keu!”

When he bought a can of c.o.ke and chugged it down his throat, he felt like he had the whole world under his grasp. He never thought carbonated drinks would feel so good. Only after purchasing a pack of cigarettes on top did he feel like he was finally back on Earth.

After emptying the can of c.o.ke and finis.h.i.+ng a cigarette by the roadside, he felt relaxed. He wanted to go grab some tasty food but knew he had better things to do.

He took out his phone and pressed the power b.u.t.ton with his thumb, his eyes constantly staring at the screen. The moment the phone finished booting and the screen popped up….

Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz!!

The phone buzzed crazily. Although there was a short pause between each vibration, he could count at least ten of them. His eyes now widened, Seol Jihu checked his messages. His jaw dropped slightly.

'Mom… and Hyung, too?'

Most of his missed calls seemed to be spam calls, but his mother had called him twice and his older brother, Seol Wooseok, once.

'W-Why?'

It wasn't as if someone was chasing him, but Seol Jihu panicked. He checked the date of the calls. Although it had been a while since then, he was still tempted to call them back. But after thinking about it a little more, he decided that wasn't such a good idea. They had to be calling to ask where he got the money he previously showed up with. Seol Jihu had yet to come up with a good answer.

As such, there was only one person for him to call right now.

'It was April 17th the last time I was here, right?'

He remembered Kim Hannah yelling at him for not picking up his phone as he scrolled down the list of past callers. An unregistered phone number had called him several times on April 17th. Judging by the time the calls were made, he became positive that this was Kim Hannah's number.

But now that he thought about it, calling her wasn't so easy either. He tried his best to calm his beating heart as he pressed the call b.u.t.ton.

Beep-!

Before the ringtone sounded out once…

—You-

Seol Jihu quickly pulled his phone away from his ear. He could barely hear the voice coming out of the phone, but he picked up on a few words, including 'son' and '-tard'.

%@#^^#@!

Like a sparrow that met a bird of prey, Seol Jihu blankly stared at his crying phone.