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Chapter 741
In the midst of tension, an unexpected event occurred to Ever as she watched over Pruelle. It was just before Baron Renbow began showing unusual phenomena.
"Huh? Nipollen? What's wrong?"
Nipollen, who had been quietly nestled in Ever's arms, suddenly perked up his ears and lifted his head. He repeatedly narrowed and then dilated his pupils as he stared intently at something, his small nose pointing upwards. Finally, he opened his mouth and let out a soft cry.
It was unusual for Nipollen to speak unless prompted by his brother. Concerned he might be in pain, Ever was genuinely startled.
"Nipollen? Oh no...!"
Just as Ever was about to comfort the little cat, Nipollen fluidly slipped out of her embrace and leaped away, evading Ever's grasp with unexpected speed.
'Oh dear!'
This was an emergency. With Pruelle unable to come to their aid, Ever hadn't expected such a situation. She heard a whooshing sound and felt a gust of wind as she chased after the fleeing cat.
"Ever! What's going on?"
Appearing with the wind was Hinn Eldore. Utilizing the ability of the siblings to teleport others when at least one of them was present, Finn had sent Hinn.
Ever quickly surveyed her surroundings. The few people around were all distracted by the exciting chaos caused by Kiolle Da Diarca, paying no attention to anything else. No one noticed Hinn's sudden appearance beside Ever, given his small stature.
Ever hastily explained the situation.
"Nipollen suddenly ran away! We must find him."
"Nipollen? Did he flee out of fear, or was it something else?"
Hinn asked, keeping pace with Ever without losing her breath.
"It didn't seem like fear! He just suddenly took off after looking somewhere."
"How odd. Did he spot someone familiar, perhaps?"
"I wish that were the case... Ah, he seemed to go that way, but where did he go?"
It was difficult to track the small kitten, especially as he blended into the underbrush. Just when Ever was about to pause in confusion, a tree's shadow among them suddenly undulated and morphed into a human shape.
The shadow, without rising, pointed in a direction. Hinn exclaimed with joy.
"It's Gakane's shadow clone!"
"Over there, let's go!"
Grateful for Gakane's timely assistance, Ever hurried in the direction the shadow indicated. Nipollen was not far, near a secluded, shadowy spot by the lake.
"Nipollen!"
Ever was about to embrace the cat in relief but then hesitated.
Nipollen sat in front of a large tree, as if facing an impassable door, looking at something. What could he be staring at in the seemingly empty space?
Nipollen turned to Ever, flicking his tail. Ever watched, feeling a strange sense of foreboding.
‘This... feels...’
"We've come a bit off track, but we're not far from where we were, right? Look, there's Diarca acting foolish over there. Anyway, now that we've found Nipollen, we should head back!"
"Just a moment, Hinn."
"Yes?"
"Do you remember Nipollen's second power?"
"The one besides transforming? Of course, I remember."
Nipollen, who could transform into a cat from his childhood, had more abilities than just this transformation. This young boy also possessed another ability: he could discern Awakener from non-Awakener with uncanny accuracy.
This second ability usually didn't stand out much in the Cavalry, where most were Awakeners. However, it became quite noticeable when non-Awakener guests or mages visited.
Like all Awakeners, Nipollen's abilities had evolved slightly during his time with the Cavalry. Ever recalled a conversation with Pruelle, who had recently spoken of his younger sibling with great delight.
"Nippy's abilities seem to extend beyond just distinguishing between the Awakeners and non-Awakeners and feeling comfortable around the Awakeners. Lately, it appears he can even detect invisible powers. Isn't that remarkable?"
Ever had heard that Nipollen had once suddenly disappeared, only to be found observing Kanna, who was using her powers in a room.
The extent of Nipollen's perception wasn't fully understood, as communicating with him was difficult, but Pruelle saw this as a positive development.
‘He's always been sensitive since he was young. If he becomes more attuned to sensory perception, maybe he could be more comfortable even when not in his cat form...’
Ever gazed thoughtfully at Nipollen and asked,
"Nipollen. Is there something there?"
"...Ever. Do you think Nipollen came here because of his second power?"
"I'm not sure. But I heard something from Elle recently."
"Hmm..."
At this, Hinn's expression subtly changed.
After a moment, Nipollen, who had been slowly moving his tail, turned to Ever and opened his mouth, emitting a squeak more than a meow.
As Nipollen suddenly stood up on his hind legs and scraped at the ground, Ever reached out, and Hinn's fist, which had swiftly grown, surged toward the large tree in front of the cat.
Had there been nothing there, it would have been a simple strike shattering a tree.
But just before the attack landed, Ever felt a strange sensation, as if the area around the tree was trembling.
By chance, Kang Mu-heon encountered it and began a new life as the mage Kapros, facing unexpected meetings, reunions, and days of change....
***
"Why was someone like you born into this world to make me so miserable? Do you understand when I say it like this?! You were born with talent for the sword, a bright personality, everything - you must have been laughing at me always lagging behind! Did you even know how pathetic I felt because of your stupid hypocrisy? A genius? What does any of that matter!"
Seung-jo's cries stabbed at his heart, wailing as if he were crying even though he wasn't, but there was no time to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.
He looked surprised for a moment, but he was desperate.
Just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved Seung-jo hard. Right after Seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—
Screech!
Bang! With an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.
And in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......
***
[ Then in THE MIST, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]
Whoosh!
When his vision returned after everything went white, he was standing in the middle of a bustling town. Amidst the clamor, countless people were busily going about their business here and there.
He looked down at himself, standing dazed and wearing clothes of unknown origin. When he touched the sleeve, he felt the texture of fabric as real as reality. His hair felt the same, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.
Is this... VT?
It seemed like a joke. It truly felt as if he had come to another world and was touching everything.
As he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly remembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this game, and snapped back to attention. His two legs were still as they had been when he first stood.
'Can I really walk?'
He first stepped out with his left foot, then very slowly put strength into his heavy right foot. It felt like cold sweat was running down his spine.
And then,
He lifted it,
Moved it,
And took another step to touch the ground again.
So easily. As if there had never been any problem with this leg from the beginning.
"Ah..."
At that moment, something that was neither joy nor emotion shot up his spine. Suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, he lowered his head and leaned against the wall. His right foot, bearing his weight, was doing its job perfectly.
"..."
Holding back the tightness in his throat, he took another step.
It didn't hurt. It wasn't heavy. His leg was no longer a useless piece of wood that ached.
Damn it, to be able to walk so easily like this.
To be able to run so easily like this.
He had wished even in his dreams for the day to come when he could walk and run like this again.
And so he walked again, kept walking, slowly getting faster, until finally he started running like a madman through the entire town.
***
"Kap. ...There seems to be a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant."
Just as he was thinking he should throw a punch, Yu-wan sighed with a troubled look and said.
A misunderstanding? How could it be a misunderstanding when he said with his own mouth that he didn't think of me as a friend?
"I didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. Let me rephrase."
Yu-wan reached out his hand, his face completely changed from before - intense yet resolute - as he stared at him. As he didn't reject the hand suddenly approaching his face and kept his gaze fixed, his cool large hand touched his cheek completely.
A shiver ran down his spine at that moment.
"I'm sorry to say this to you, but I don't see you only as a friend. ...This is the complete answer."
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[BL] Cloudless Sky
Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'