10. Relationships and boundaries
I was walking holding someone’s hand.
I looked up and saw a face I had seen a long time ago.
Perhaps she was a relative on my mother’s side, I think.
The man had a scary face.
The hand that grabbed me was also extremely menacing.
There was another relative there that I was dragged to by my relative’s hand.
He shouted at me as he forced me to leave the job to someone else.
[We can’t take care of this kid anymore! Ever since he came into our house, all kinds of bad things have happened!]
[You’re leaving it to us? Our kids had an accident and were hospitalized!]
Yeah, I remember this conversation too.
After my parents passed away, I was left in the care of relatives.
But as all sorts of accidents happened in every house I entered, they started to pass me off to each other.
[But I can’t abandon the child. What should I do?]
[Isn’t this incident caused by him refusing to be baptized?]
[That shaman told me to go see the person called Master?]
[Okay, let’s take him to him and ask him to perform a ritual for us!]
The flag is fluttering.
I was standing in front of the shaman’s house and looking up at the fluttering flags.
It was a peaceful quiet I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Outside, I was hearing all kinds of auditory hallucinations and feeling suffocated, but when I came inside, my body felt much more at ease.
Then someone put a hand on my shoulder.
[Are you Kangrim?]
I looked up and saw an unfamiliar face.
She was a woman who looked to be around the same age as my deceased mother, but her impression was quite blunt.
The woman looked down at me quietly and spoke.
[My name is Seo Hwa-kyung.]
[… … .]
[The authors asked me to do a ritual for you… … .]
She said, glancing around the inside of the temple.
Her relatives were watching her with horror.
[You, you don’t really want to be possessed by a god, do you?]
I didn’t answer at all.
Then Seo Hwa-kyung said with a slight annoyance.
[no?]
[… … I don’t want to receive it. But if I don’t receive it, the people around me will get hurt… … .]
She was looking at me quietly.
The scary impression has eased a little.
It seemed a little bit awkward, and it also seemed like he was feeling sorry.
[Why is that kid’s expression like that?]
She grumbled, then squatted down so that she was level with me.
[The god that is trying to come down to you is too strong, so I cannot protect you completely. However, I can block it to some extent.]
[… … .]
[Come as my disciple, until you learn how to protect yourself.]
Seo Hwa-kyung held my hand tightly.
I flinched and tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let me go.
[The lady will get hurt too.]
[You’re making fun of me? Don’t worry. I have a god who protects me too.]
She smiled confidently.
And now, not content with holding my hand, he placed his other hand on my shoulder.
Seo Hwa-kyung looked at me with unwavering eyes.
[It’s painful now, but it’ll be okay someday. Good people will come around you, and you’ll be able to be happy too.]
[… … .]
[So, Seo Kang-rim.]
At that moment, the scenery behind her seemed to be rippling slightly.
As if a stone were thrown and the water shook.
Seo Hwa-kyung put her hand on my head and said.
[Open your eyes now. It’s time to go back.]
* * *
The air in the room was calm and still.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, and the interior was neatly organized like a hotel.
The only difference was that there were several medical devices surrounding the bed I was lying on.
It was probably a hospital.
Memories came to me a little late, through my hazy consciousness.
I barely managed to reach level 30 and open the twelve branches.
I barely managed to knock down the shadow in the room of the giant and collapsed.
I thought he was dead like that… … .
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But what happened to Shin Soo Ah?
As I sat up, the devices hanging all over my body were ripped off with a thud.
The IV in my arm was forcibly pulled out and blood was gushing out, but it was not the time to worry.
I tried to force myself up, but I immediately rolled on the floor.
“Ugh… … !”
My whole body was screaming in excruciating pain.
A pain that feels like all the bones in my body are being shattered and my internal organs are being stabbed.
Is this a penalty for ‘Roar of the Palace’?
It was hard to even breathe, but I didn’t die.
As I was trying to crawl out, the door flew open.
“Patient Seo Kang-rim! Don’t move!”
The people who came inside were nurses.
They tried to force me up and lay me down on the bed.
Even though they were just ordinary people, I couldn’t shake off their hands.
“Shin Soo-ah, Shin Soo-ah is… … .”
“Are you talking about patient Shin Soo-ah? She is also fine. So, for now, just stay calm!”
Was she hospitalized too?
No, it was natural that he was hospitalized.
The last time I saw him he was so miserable that he would have been hospitalized if he had left the demon realm.
As I was forced to lie down on the bed, the nurses hurriedly cleaned up the room and spoke.
“Please wait a moment. I will bring the person in charge soon. You have been asleep for a month. I am glad you woke up.”
A month, a month?
I think I woke up early thanks to my teacher appearing in my dream.
No, I was more concerned about something else.
If a month had passed and Shin Soo-ah was still hospitalized, she must have suffered serious injuries as well.
At that moment, a notification window appeared before my eyes.
[Youngsu ‘Lini’ is summoned from the spirit world!]
[Youngsu ‘Yorongi’ is summoned from the spirit world!]
As soon as the vortex of magical power appeared, two appeared out of thin air.
Heavy lumps fell onto my stomach.
“Coolook!”
Even at this level, damage occurs. The penalty must be quite strong.
As soon as they saw me, the two of them ran wildly towards me and licked my face.
“Wow!”
“Kyaaang!”
There were even tears welling up in Linnie’s eyes.
Even Yo-rong, who always had a prickly attitude, seemed to be very worried about me because he was wagging his tail wildly.
“I’m awake now. I’m okay… … .”
While I was petting and soothing the two, something strange came into view.
There was a person I had never seen before standing in the hospital room.
I thought the nurse was still there, but her attire was different and one of her arms and legs was missing.
It was only then that I realized that it wasn’t a mountain.
I watched it for a moment, and it quietly disappeared.
I saw it often as a child.
Should I call it a ghost or a demon?
In any case, they were all non-beings of this world.
After receiving the nurumgut and spending time with the teacher, I forgot about it after I stopped seeing it.
But why did it suddenly appear again?
[You are getting closer to the boundary due to karma.]
I smiled bitterly as I looked at the notification window that appeared in front of me.
Is it a karmic penalty?
I had expected this since I started stealing hundreds of fortunes.
The educational facility had been quiet, but now it seemed to have become active.
When karma builds up, several problems arise.
One of them is that it is getting closer to the ‘boundary’.
No one knows exactly what that boundary means.
Some have said it is the border between the living and the dead, and others have said it is the border between humans and ghosts.
As you accumulate karma and get closer to the boundary, you will see things you shouldn’t see and hear things you shouldn’t hear.
Then, when you cross the border… … .
“Huh?”
Linney suddenly thrust her face towards me.
It’s a surprise.
She was looking at me as if to ask what the heck she was looking at, so I petted Linnie.
“No, it’s nothing.”
The approaching border was an ominous sign, but there was also some good news.
I checked my fortune and saw that my destiny level had risen.
═══════════════
[Name] Seo Kang-rim
[Rank] Ghostly Three Ranks
═══════════════
After conquering the Poisonous Snake Room and recruiting Jang Tae-heon, he was at the Destiny rank of In-ipum.
But then he went up two levels at once and became a noble third rank.
It certainly seemed like I was on the brink of death there.
Not only me, but Shin Soo Ah almost died too.
By the way, I wanted to go out and check on Shin Soo-ah, but there was no sign of the nurses coming.
I got used to the pain and started moving my arms and legs.
I guess it’s okay to go out for a bit.
Just as I was about to send the patients away and leave the hospital room, the door opened and someone came in.
“Mr. Seo Kang-rim, you’re finally awake.”
The people who came inside were Team Leader Gongju and an unknown man.
I checked the fortune telling and the name was ‘Joo Seong-tae’.
Judging from the attire, he also seemed to be a messenger.
Team Leader Gongju approached me with a calm expression.
“It’s been a while, Seo Kang-rim.”
Team Leader Princess pulled up a chair and sat down in front of me.
First of all, he was a patient, but there was no mention of congratulations on his recovery.
As if he knew I would wake up.
Then he crossed his arms and glared at me for a moment before suddenly asking a question.
“Why didn’t you tell me that there was a power to steal powers?”
It was exposed to the protectorate as well.
It wasn’t particularly surprising or regrettable.
I always thought that among my abilities, ‘stealing fortune telling’ would be discovered someday.
I was fully aware of the possibility of being caught in the final magic circle.
The reason he tried to hide that fact was to gain the trust of Shin Soo-ah and others.
If everyone got out safely, it wouldn’t matter if it came to light now.
When I didn’t answer, the princess asked the question again.
“Answer me. Why did you hide your power?”
“I was worried that this would be the reaction I got.”
At those words, the princess stopped in her tracks.
My answer probably wasn’t all that strange.
It’s only natural that if you can steal someone’s power, you’ll be persecuted by everyone.
It’s such an obvious fact, but who would be honest about it from the beginning?
The princess looked at me silently and then asked the next question.
“Have you ever intentionally killed someone to steal their power?”
“doesn’t exist.”
“What if it’s not intentional?”
“There are cases where we responded in self-defense.”
When we moved in here, we signed a contract.
The contract also included provisions for injury and death.
Warning that conflicts between students or instructors may result in injury or death.
In the case of indiscriminate killing, the crime is naturally punishable, but self-defense is given some leniency.
Still, murder is murder.
Joo Sung-tae seemed to think so too, as I could sense hostility in the way he looked at me.
I glanced at them and asked.
“So, what happens to me now? Will I be punished?”
The princess did not answer my question.
Just stare at me quietly.
The princess, who had finished observing, opened her mouth.
“Congratulations, Seo Kang-rim.”
The princess continued speaking with an indifferent face.
“I completed the course with the highest grades among all trainees in the district.”
Joo Sung-tae, who was next to me, had a look of shock on his face.
He said, unable to bear it any longer.
“Team Leader, this kind of dangerous molecule… …!”
“Shut up, Joo Sung-tae.”
Joo Sung-tae shut his mouth as Team Leader Gongju threatened him in a low voice.
The princess continued speaking slowly.
“And I have a proposal for our best student, Seo Kang-rim.”
“If you have any suggestions?”
He extended his hand to me as if asking for a handshake.
A clear voice was heard.
“Team 2 of the Fate Protection Agency offers Seo Kang-rim a full-time position.”
