Chapter 3: Hyein-imok

“—An explosion of unknown cause? Again?”

“Yes, Team Leader Lee Hana.”

An Awakener.

That’s the term for people who wield supernatural abilities, often called superpowers, which defy the universal laws derived from natural phenomena observed so far.

Existing at a rate of maybe one per tens of thousands, they’re the only ones who can effectively and actively deal with the mysterious entities known as “variants,” which is why, even today, they’re deployed across various regions, diligently carrying out their duties.

Of course, the Special Police Unit buys time by guiding civilians or holding the line until Awakeners arrive, but combat is generally our responsibility.

You can’t exactly use heavy weaponry capable of leveling buildings in the middle of a city, after all.

To put it another way, it means a mere few hundred Awakeners nationwide have to handle all the variant-related incidents that erupt simultaneously across the country.

Yeah, what’s the point?

The life of an Awakener is just fcking hectic.

“After reviewing the surveillance footage from the area suspected to be the blast’s origin, we found nothing that could be pinpointed as the cause. It’s almost as if the attack came from thin air—”

“—Like it came out of nowhere, right?”

“…Yes.”

Tap. With the situation growing increasingly complicated, I let go of the sword hilt I’d been fidgeting with out of habit.

Lately, a new type of variant, nicknamed “Invisible,” has been causing havoc.

With its cloaking ability, undetectable by human eyes or any optical equipment, it’s been giving the National Security Agency a serious headache.

In a situation where every single Awakener is precious, reports of a few Awakeners’ deaths have started to trickle in, making this crisis as severe as the “Sky Gate” incident ten years ago, which swallowed all of Jeju Island and reached the outskirts of Busan.

For now, we’ve deployed Awakeners with detection abilities across the country, and when a suspected Invisible appears, we rely on the local detector to take it down—but reality isn’t as sweet as that sounds.

“So, what about the detector?”

“…They’re currently on a mission to take down an Invisible spotted near Shin-Guro Station. The other detector is also—”

“—Not available, sht.”

Thud—

No one knows what criteria determine how an Awakener is born or why they awaken. It’s essentially a black box shrouded in mystery.

Research is difficult due to the small sample size and ethical concerns. Sure, there’s probably some shady research happening in secret, but no groundbreaking discoveries have surfaced yet.

As a result, there’s no clear way to categorize Awakeners, so we resort to grouping them by similar abilities as a makeshift solution.

The categories that emerged are: first, “Physical Enhancement Types,” who make up over half of all Awakeners, with overall physical abilities—strength, durability—surpassing human limits.

Next are “External Emission Types,” who don’t see much physical change but can directly or indirectly affect the external environment.

Finally, there’s the “Special Types,” who don’t fit into either category, are extremely rare, and are so difficult to study that they’re just lumped together.

Detectors, those with exceptional sensory abilities, fall into this third, chronically scarce category.

Naturally, there’s barely anyone available.

“Well, looks like we’re on our own.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? It’s those damn variants’ fault.”

Among the few hundred Awakeners nationwide, those with detection abilities can be counted on one hand.

Even among them, those with abilities like clairvoyance, tied to “vision,” can’t detect Invisibles.

After narrowing it down, only five people are deemed capable of tracking these things.

And in Seoul, the nation’s capital, only two are assigned.

…Both of whom are currently unavailable, which is the problem.

But no matter how much I want to complain, every moment is a matter of life and death.

In a dire situation where a single second could cost one life and a minute could cost ten, there’s only one thing we can do.

What else? We just have to get it done.

“—Sehee, you heard that? Get ready, quick.”

“Ugh?! More work? It hasn’t even been ten minutes since we got back!”

“Shut it. Do as you’re told, Sehee. Go downstairs, grab Taehoon. You’ve got three minutes to gear up.”

“Ugh… fine, I got it…”

I hauled Sehee up from the sofa where she was sprawled and strapped the weapon leaning nearby to my waist.

After taking down one variant, another pops up like it’s no big deal.

There’s always an overflow of work, leaving us no time to even catch our breath and reminisce.

Combat, scars, blood, and flesh. An endless cycle.

In this brutal reality, a long-buried urge to smoke crept up from deep within, but I clenched my itching hands and steeled myself.

There wasn’t even time to light one up—that was the reality.

“Alright then—”

Time to go.

To hunt those bastards down.

I threw on my coat and quickly left the office.

### Chapter 1. The Ditch Never Gets Filled.

Opening.

As long as you’re born human and choose to walk the path of humanity, there’s something unavoidable waiting for you.

Sometimes called fate, sometimes destiny, or even duty or responsibility, it’s the price you pay to enjoy your rights.

Yes.

This is something that must be done.

“—Everyone got that? If you’re walking down the street and suddenly hear a siren, what do you do?”

“““Don’t panic and head into the nearest building!!”””

“Good job~!”

Having to sit at wooden desks neatly lined up in a somewhat spacious room, with about ten heads in view.

Being at a designated place at a designated time—it’s all part of what you must do as a human.

The duty that all citizens have to ensure their children receive at least elementary education and the education required by law.

The obligation for children of a certain age to receive education.

In short, mandatory education.

“Class is over for today. Make sure to remember what I taught you!”

“““—Yes!”””

“…Yes.”

I quietly responded from within the classroom full of students.

…How did things end up like this?

But no matter how much I tried to trace the cause, finding the root of this major event wasn’t easy.

If I think there’s a problem, I’d have to go all the way back to the fundamental issue of being reborn.

Saying it’s because of the position of mitochondria a billion years ago feels a bit vague.

So, Shim Cheong. Eight years old this year by age. Add the previous life, and I’m a thirty-three-year-old geezer.

And so, starting this year, I’m attending elementary school.

Wah, I’m an elementary schooler. Gimme a textbook.

…What? You say it’s embarrassing for an adult to talk like that?

What do you mean? I’m a kid! Eight years old! Wah! Gimme milk!

“…Hoo.”

The world was still full of things I didn’t understand.

Why, out of all the people in this peculiar world, was it given to me?

Sure, being born a girl and having weird vision come with some issues, but a living beggar is better than a dead king. I had no complaints about being reborn.

Still, if I could wish for just one thing in this overwhelmingly generous opportunity…

It would be for this peace to last forever.

“Maybe I’ll grab a Pikachu ice cream on the way home.”

A cool breeze carrying a hint of chill.

Just another ordinary day in March.

*