n

n

n“…”

nDohyuk was silent for a while.

n“So… it’s a gamble. And you want to give it a try.”

n“Yes, but I swore an oath to you to serve you as my master. Even if that is my will, I am not the one to decide.”

n“And the possibility of success?” Blass shook his head. “I do not know. Maybe half. Or maybe it’s even too foolish to give it a try.”

n“That’s reassuring,” Dohyuk smiled bitterly as he shrugged.

n“But why? As far as I know, you are not one to bet on a gamble without the chance of winning. And you are going all in here.”

n“It’s because I am powerless.”

n“…You?”

nDohyuk laughed. Even for Dohyuk with his current state, he couldn’t say Blass was ‘powerless’. Not counting the fighting prowess, every structure within the expanded cities were often Blass’s creation. And considering the fact that he was an experienced veteran in regards to the illumination in his world… Blass was far from being ‘powerless’.

n“It will not last forever.”

n“I can’t say no to that, but that’s really far away from happening.”

n“No, it will happen sooner than expected,” Blass declared. “As we all know, the illumination in this world is going at a faster pace than any other world. Not only that, but there are so many unexpected anomalies that are taking place now and then. The gray coin is a good example of that.”

n“That’s…”

n“I know what you are trying to say. You will say we will have to work together to fight it. That is what I think too. And I will do what I can on my part.”

nBlass’s voice hinted that he had been thinking about this for a long time.

n“Soon, Yuri and Giwon will become stronger than me. Heeyun is getting used to her Nature also. But will that be all? Within one or two years, there will be strong fighters who will follow the same path. I will be only one left behind. Me, who is trapped in this metal body.”

n“Yes… but it’s not like you love fighting. Honing fighting skills is different from becoming stronger with sheer power and you can still be an instructor or…”

n“That is something you, Yuri or Giwon can do. I can still work as a metal processor… but you know what I am talking about.”

n“…”

nDohyuk scratched his head. Blass was not only teaching his fighting style recently. Even if there was no one as talented as Cactus Bill, there were people with talents in controlling metals and Blass was teaching them also.

n“They are talented as they are determined. I’ve nearly finished nearly the beginning process already. You probably heard this in your report.”

n“Stop. Don’t try to prove that you are useless.”

n“I am. That is the truth.”

nIt’s not that Blass didn’t want to be left behind. Blass wasn’t an emotional being. If that happened, however, Blass was no longer needed in the city. So he wanted to give it a try to become a more valuable being before that happens.

n“I love this city.”

n“This city probably feels the same way. Everyone is thankful for everything you’ve done.”

n“Yes, but to give up on the possibility of letting the city becoming powerful to save me instead? That feels more miserable to me.”

n“…”

nIt wasn’t like a normal human mind, but Blass was not normal anyway. He was a strong being who had fought to the end to resist against Casita. Dohyuk asked, “…Do you have all that you need?”

n“There are some I still require, but it won’t be hard. The landscape around it should have enough deposits. About a week… should suffice.”

n“A week… is that enough?”

nBlass nodded. “It will be enough time to finish my lessons.”

n“Lessons, yeah. But they will be heartbroken.”

n“…They will adapt. Like all things do.”

nThat was true. Dohyuk nodded and reached out to Blass.

n“It might be early, but I don’t think I can do this when the time comes. There will be a lot of people who will try to talk to you then.”

n“Maybe.”

nBlass grabbed Dohyuk’s hand and they shook hands.

n“It’s not goodbye. You know this.”

n“Of course.”

nBlass then let go of the hand and turned back.

n“You should go back first. The energy has been recharged and there is nothing you need to do now. I will finish analyzing how the factory works until dawn.”

n“I see.”

nBlass didn’t need to sleep. Dohyuk nodded and turned back outside. As he almost stepped through the door…

n“If I succeed in altering my body… not that I need to do that, but I probably can sleep.”

nBlass’s voice came from behind.

n“And when the time comes, I will ask for overtime pay for work like this.”

n“…!”

nDohyuk raised his eyebrow to look back, but Blass was now looking at different parts of the factory as if he didn’t even make the joke.

n“Hah,” Dohyuk laughed and turned back. He didn’t need to see, and even if Blass didn’t have any facial features, he knew that Blass was smiling too.

nDohyuk stopped on his way back in the corridor.

n‘…Oh, right.’

nHe was hungry. He had given his plate to Kyuho the last time he tried to eat. Dohyuk turned toward the cafeteria. He needed to eat before going to sleep, or else he’d wake up in the morning with his tired aching muscles.

n‘Will there be leftovers tonight?’

nThe cafeteria was always filled with high-calorie foods and drinks to re-energize the citizens who were working and training hard every day.

n‘I should go to a place where there are no lights. People will be bothered if I go in.’

nAnd with that, Dohyuk went to the smallest cafeteria tent at the far corner. It was pitch dark with silence…

nIt was not slient. Dohyuk walked in silently and began to focus. There was the sound of clinking utensils from within.

n‘What is it?’

nStealing food? That was nonsense. Everyone in the city was allowed to eat until they were full. If so, whatever was happening wasn’t just eating food. Dohyuk walked in. He imagined that someone was using the tools of the cafeteria to make something, or hide something in it.

nOr maybe… it could be a cover-up of a crime that had already been made. A cover-up of a murder perhaps…

nDohyuk’s heart raced at that thought and he rushed in.

n“HEY!”

nWith his speed at full blast, he felt the figure freezing in shock and Dohyuk jumped up to the nearest table to take good look of what was being done.

n“What are you doing with the light off…!”

nAnd in the next moment, he froze too.

n“…”

nHe had guessed wrong from the beginning. He thought stealing food was not a possibility. Every citizen knew that the food was provided in unlimited amounts. But that person wasn’t a citizen, and they had snuck in to ‘steal’ the food.

n“Uh… It’s okay. I under…stand.”

n“…”

n“Y-yes, it’s alright. I- I… uh. You must be hungry. Yeah.”

nDohyuk wasn’t just talking on a whim. He also how hungry this person could’ve been. It was very much so since the person’s physical stats were about equal to Dohyuk’s.

n“B-but… you could’ve just asked someone for more… you can…”

n‘Eat much as you want.’ Dohyuk couldn’t speak. Inside the dark cafeteria, Swordmaster Feiyen was reddened with so humiliation to the point that it felt she was shining red.

nPerhaps because her mouth stopped, her bulging cheeks made her look like a… chipmunk. Both of them just looked at each other silently in the cafeteria.

n