Chapter 61

— Could I… just stay here…?

Hearing such words from Choi Soo-eun was something I never imagined.

“Huh…!”

Not only was I surprised, but it seemed like Choi Soo-eun herself was shocked after saying that. As soon as she finished speaking, she hastily took her hands off my clothes.

“What am I saying…”

Apparently, her mouth had moved on its own without her realizing. Choi Soo-eun brought her hand close to her mouth as if she couldn’t believe it.

Looking at the bewildered Choi Soo-eun, I decided to confirm the truth.

“What did you mean by that just now? Surely, you’re not feeling regretful because I might leave this school?”

When I was pretending to consider whether or not to join the guild, Choi Soo-eun grabbed my clothes and asked me to stay.

Clearly, a moment that anyone could see was her trying to hold me back.

“…”

It was confusing why Choi Soo-eun would try to hold me back. She usually never paid attention to someone like me. She always thought of me as troublesome.

But why is she acting this way now?

Could she have changed her mind about me? Has her opinion of me slightly changed?

“That’s not what I meant…”

But Choi Soo-eun denied it. She shook her head, saying it wasn’t that. Then she explained her reasons.

“What I just said was… just out of concern…”

“Concern?”

“Yes… you always get hurt, so what do you think will happen if you join the guild like that…?”

You’d definitely get hurt even more often. Once you join the guild, you’d be roaming around catching monsters every day.

That was what Choi Soo-eun was worried about. She meant that it might be safer to stay in school rather than risking so many injuries.

There didn’t seem to be any other underlying meaning. And it wasn’t because she missed me.

“I’ve finished my medication, so I’ll go now.”

Choi Soo-eun quickly tidied up the medical cart with her hands and exited the room swiftly, without showing her face.

It was as if she had rushed out, feeling like she had done something wrong.

That was another side of Choi Soo-eun I hadn’t seen before.

*

After Choi Soo-eun left, I took out the spoon from the safe I had.

— ANDBARIS —

– Error!

– An error occurred, preventing the system window from activating.

– Please reconnect through the proper channel.

—

“Here we go again.”

Ever since the battle with Marcothius, the spoon had been in this state. Whenever I tried to open the system window, an error message always blocked my way.

And it didn’t end there. Aside from the system issues, its appearance was severely damaged as well. Last time during the fight, it got drenched in flames, causing the spoon’s head to completely melt.

It was no wonder it was an A-Rank Monster. The previously smooth surface of the spoon had been transformed into something resembling the moon’s craters.

“A repair is necessary.”

Come to think of it, this might not be such a bad thing. I was considering getting it serviced anyway. Now that I’m hospitalized and resting, I should take the opportunity to send it for repair.

It’s just a good break.

Knock knock knock.

While I was focusing on the spoon, someone knocked on the door outside. Then, a female student entered the ward.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

It turned out to be the Operator who had helped me enthusiastically during the last battle.

She was Kim Han-bit, a second-year student in the Technical Division.

“As you can see, I don’t have much difficulty moving.”

“Thank goodness. I was genuinely shocked when I first heard you had collapsed.”

Kim Han-bit sat down on a nearby chair.

On the other hand, I got up from the bed and headed towards the refrigerator.

“Want something to drink?”

“Eh, I’m fine.”

There’s no way I can just stay still when a guest comes to visit, right? I should offer something to drink as a sign of gratitude.

I took out a can of soda and handed it to Kim Han-bit.

“Huh…?”

But after looking at the can, Kim Han-bit tilted her head in confusion.

“This is Sol’s Eye, right? Don’t you have anything else?”

“What else? There’s Dejawar and Silonti.”

“I’ll just drink this then…”

After hearing the list of other drinks, Kim Han-bit sighed and gave up. She decided to drink the Sol’s Eye she had been handed.

Chhh—

“Ugh…! It tastes awful…!”

After having one sip, Kim Han-bit wrinkled her face in a big way. She then tried to push the can far away.

“If you’re going to throw it away, you could just give it to me.”

The idea of discarding such deliciousness after just one sip annoys me. What a picky eater she is.

I took the soda back from Kim Han-bit.

“So, what were you doing alone?”

Kim Han-bit sat down again and looked around the entire ward. Her question was basically asking what I’d been doing alone in this tiny room.

“What else can you do in a ward besides getting treated?”

I showed her the spoon I had been messing with just now. In reality, what I have now is less like a spoon and closer to a lump of metal that has almost melted away.

“Wow, that’s pretty broken. Shouldn’t you go get it repaired soon?”

That’s right.

Upon reflection, Kim Han-bit happened to be here. There was no need to go far. All I had to do was ask her to recommend a skilled repairman from her spot, right?

She is a student in the Technical Division. She’s sure to be knowledgeable about these matters. Let me ask her once.

“By any chance, do you know any good engineers I can recommend?”

“Engineers?”

Hmm. Kim Han-bit crossed her arms and thought deeply.

“Oh!”

Suddenly, someone came to her mind as her face lit up.

“Recently, an incredible freshman joined our Technical Division!”

“Incredible freshman?”

“Yeah, do you know someone named Yoo Ji-woo?”

Yoo Ji-woo. A name I’ve never heard before.

If she were a student in Combat Division, I might’ve known, but the Technical Division doesn’t have many students I’m familiar with.

Moreover, since Yoo Ji-woo is a new student who just entered, it’s understandable that the name feels unfamiliar.

“They say that any broken item can be fixed by Yoo Ji-woo.”

“Any item?”

“Yeah, I heard this person can even repair Artifacts.”

Artifacts are different from ordinary electronics. Since they rely on magical power, they have more complex structures and intricate circuits.

Besides, not all Artifacts are the same. There are countless forms of Artifacts. Once damaged, it is almost impossible to repair them because there aren’t many people who have the knowledge to do so.

But…

If even Artifacts can be repaired by this person, then they must be an exceptional expert.

“Can you give me the contact number for this Yoo Ji-woo student?”

“Uh… That’s…”

When I pulled out my smartphone, Kim Han-bit showed a slightly complicated expression.

“I’m not that close to them…”

“Then can you give me their Instagram ID?”

“Yoo Ji-woo doesn’t seem to use Instagram…”

“Huh.”

A person barely over 20 years old, attending university, and without an Instagram account?

That’s when I started to trust her more.

She must be a real nerd of the nerds.

“Looks like I’ll have to visit them directly.”

“Ah, I can give you the location of the lab.”

Kim Han-bit held out her hand. She wanted my smartphone.

So, I handed it over to her.

“You should be able to meet them right away. I heard they lock themselves in the lab every day.”

Kim Han-bit opened the school map app and designated a location. This was where Yoo Ji-woo’s lab was located.

“I hope it gets repaired.”

“Thanks.”

I should visit tomorrow morning. It wasn’t too far away. With a short walk, I could easily get there.

“Wow, it’s almost time for class. I should go.”

Kim Han-bit checked the time and abruptly stood up from her seat. It seemed like she had come to visit me during her free time.

Still, it’s always nice when someone visits.

“Take another soda with you.”

“Stop, who’s going to drink that stuff?”

After sticking her tongue out at me, Kim Han-bit left the room.

Even though this was our second meeting, while chatting, it didn’t feel awkward at all. She felt as comfortable as if we had known each other all along.

She’s a pretty interesting person.

Drurrrkk—

It hadn’t been a minute since Kim Han-bit left the room when the door opened again.

She must have forgotten something.

“…?”

But contrary to my expectations, the person who entered the room wasn’t Kim Han-bit.

It was Choi Soo-eun.

Choi Soo-eun stood outside the door, sticking her head out while looking at me. With a somewhat sulky expression.

“What’s the matter?”

There’s no reason for Choi Soo-eun to visit my room at this hour.

The medication time has already passed. It wasn’t mealtime either. Definitely not cleaning time.

What could be the reason she came?

“Who was that person just now?”

She came to ask about the identity of Kim Han-bit, who had just left the room.

Is she documenting the visitors?

I told her the truth.

“Kim Han-bit, second-year, Technical Division.”

“Technical Division…? Why would someone from another division visit you?”

That’s a derogatory remark, isn’t it? You’re implying I don’t have friends now, aren’t you? You’re now openly provoking me.

“An acquaintance I met during the last Break incident. She worked as an Operator then.”

But what can I do? I’ve already become friends with Kim Han-bit. We even shared the soda of my favorite drink, Sol’s Eye.

At this point, we’re practically best friends.

“…”

Upon hearing that I made a new friend, Choi Soo-eun was at a loss for words.

She just looked displeased, muttering silently to herself with an annoyed expression.

Something was clearly bothering her.