EFME 53

[Title: Video of I-21 talking to a monster]

(Video)

Comments

—He’s really talking to it clap clap

—I saw other videos, and that monster was super aggressive… it’s insane that it’s only acting like that with Yiili

└Look at it circling around him.. my dog does that

└They look really friendly haha

└It’s breathtaking, truly breathtaking

[Title: Forget the talking, what the hell is that skill]

They said he wasn’t a threat at all lololololololol

One-shotting monsters from an A-rank dungeon, and that’s not a threat??

That’s fucking bullshit

Comments

—That puts most S-rank hunters to shame, and they just let him loose

└He’s seriously a threat… gives me the creeps

[Title: All you bastards who defended Yiili, come out]

I told you you guys weren’t in your right minds lololololol

Comments

—Finally, I won’t have to see people defending Yiili anymore

└Seriously, so sick of it lololololol

—The defenders are still alive and kicking

└For real?

[Title: This doesn’t add up right now]

The logic that he’s on the monsters’ side because he talked to them… I don’t get it, but let’s just say I do for now

But if he’s on their side, does it make sense for him to slaughter all the monsters?

I’m not defending Yiili, just saying let’s look at the situation calmly

He’s not an ally of the monsters, he’s their enemy

Comments

—Get lost, defender

└I’m not defending him, I’m just saying it doesn’t add up

—Even when you criticize, you should get the cause and effect right. Cursing someone out emotionally is ridiculous

└I agree with this

└Aren’t you guys just feeling sorry for Yiili emotionally? lololol Acting like you’re the only rational ones is amazing

[Title: Seeing Valeria’s interview in a new light]

She said Yiili was probably related to the Fissure yes yes seems legit

Comments

—Valeria has said a lot of bullshit

└An accuracy rate of 68% could be achieved just by guessing

└She gets the past almost 100% right, not the future

└Doesn’t really matter if it’s the past, does it?

└Valeria can’t distinguish if what she’s seeing is past or future. It could be the future.

—So did she say Yiili would open the Fissure?? She just said he was related to it lol. You’re talking as if he’s going to reopen it.

└Being related to it probably means opening it. What other relation could there be?

└He could be closing it

└Closing what lololol why don’t you all just form a Yiili cult

└That’s some real cult-level faith

—It’s the Fissure we’re talking about… if there’s even a 1% chance, we have to be cautious. We’ve been too complacent.

└My mom died in the Fissure. Just the thought that that bastard might be connected to it makes my blood run cold.

└ㅠㅠ I can see why

[Title: Valeria’s skill is that one, right?]

The one that sees one truth from the past, present, or future

Comments

—yes yes that’s right

—If it’s the future, we’re fucked

[Title: How does this even make sense]

How can they just let him go after the investigation is over???

What do they even know about him to just let him go???

Comments

—Kwon Muyoung is taking him, is he a fucking psycho?

└As much as I respect Kwon Muyoung, this is crossing the line;

└They should at least put restraints on him before taking him… he’s just letting him go so freely

└Guess he can use his skills whenever he wants now ^^

—If anything happens, make Kwon Muyoung risk his life to stop itㅡㅡ that crazy bastard is doing whatever the hell he wants

[Title: He didn’t hurt anyone]

If Yiili hadn’t caught the monster, there would have been more casualties, right?

If you want to be technical, Yiili saved people this time, so what’s with this reaction?

Comments

—??????

—No lol isn’t it too naive to think he’s on our side just because he saved someone?

└If he saves us, he’s on our side. Are you saying if he kills us, he’s on our side???

└Yeah let him die lol

└There’s no talking to you ;;

⊹₊｡ꕤ˚₊⊹

The Ability Management Office grilled Sunyul. Sunyul had no choice but to honestly tell them everything he knew.

That he had been able to hear the monsters’ speech for a while, and that a being calling itself a constellation had allowed him to use the skill.

Putting aside hearing the monsters’ speech, the Ability Management Office was particularly persistent in their questioning about the constellation and the skill.

Sunyul still didn’t know anything, so he could only stick to saying he didn’t know. Though the people didn’t believe him.

Sunyul arrived home, completely exhausted.

A few hours ago, when he had confidently declared he was not a threat, that he was human, felt like a lie.

Muyoung didn’t speak to him the whole way home. After Sunyul had just shaken his head and remained silent when Muyoung first asked if he was okay, Muyoung had also kept his mouth shut.

Sunyul couldn’t understand why Muyoung had brought him back again.

The being he was protecting had caused an incident he himself didn’t even know about, becoming the subject of gossip. Even Sunyul, who knew nothing of the world, could tell that Muyoung would also be criticized for this incident.

“…I’m sorry.”

Muyoung turned around. Sunyul couldn’t meet Muyoung’s gaze directly and lowered his head.

“What are you sorry for.”

For being able to talk to the monster, for using the skill, for not telling him about the constellation.

“Everything.”

“I won’t know if you say it like that.”

“…For hiding things from you, Guild Master. But the skill… I also… I used it for the first time today, too. I didn’t even know I could use it. I used it to protect people…”

“I know.”

Sunyul raised his head. Muyoung was looking at Sunyul with the same expression as always. An expression too indifferent to be called affectionate, yet too affectionate to be called indifferent.

“Did you think I’d think you deliberately tried to harm people?”

“No, that’s not what I thought, but…”

“Right.”

“…You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be?”

“You’re going to get blamed for no reason because of me, Guild Master.”

The gazes directed at Muyoung when he came to pick up Sunyul had been extremely harsh. There was no reason for Muyoung to receive such looks. If only it wasn’t for him.

“I don’t care. It’s not like it’s the first or second day I’ve been criticized.”

“…It’ll be much worse than before.”

“I don’t care if it’s worse or not.”

How could he be like that.

Even with criticism raining down on him from all sides, Muyoung was unshakably firm. As if he really didn’t care.

But Sunyul cared. It pained his heart that Muyoung was being blamed for no reason because of him.

“No matter what anyone says, don’t think useless thoughts. You are just you.”

Sunyul wasn’t that strong. This time, he couldn’t even lean on Muyoung’s words for comfort. The self-blame was just too great.

“Go up, wash up, and go to bed.”

“…Yes.”

There were many things he wanted to say, but they were all just complaints, so he swallowed them instead of spitting them out. He did as Muyoung said, washed up, and lay down in bed to try and sleep. But sleep wouldn’t come. Sunyul stealthily took out his smartphone.

What Sunyul usually did on his smartphone was either CocoaTalk or Malrang Farm. But today, instead of the game he hadn’t been able to play all day, he turned on the internet.

After hesitating for a moment, Sunyul searched his own name. To be precise, the designation I-21.

An enormous number of articles poured out.

[Is I-21 truly a threat to humanity?]

[I-21, who spoke with a monster, clearly one of their own]

[Ability Management Office, reconsidering I-21]

[I-21, imitating a human, is it a weapon against humanity?]

[Fiercely boiling public opinion, “Isolate I-21”]

[Valeria’s prophecy, “I-21 is a being related to the Fissure,” being re-evaluated]

Sunyul, who had been looking through the articles, clicked on one of them. The hastily written article contained concerns about Sunyul and criticism of Muyoung.

Sunyul scrolled all the way down.

Comment

Like if you agree with just killing I-21, dislike if you’re against it

Likes 12,832 Dislikes 294

The moment he saw that comment, his heart pounded violently.

12,832. That was the number of people who hated Sunyul enough to want him dead. In reality, there were probably far more.

Sunyul thought about clicking ‘dislike’ but stopped. He wasn’t even sure if he should really dislike it.

Maybe it would be better to just die.

At the thought that popped into his head, a wave of sadness washed over him. Sunyul had no desire to die. And yet, this situation made him think it would be better to be dead.

It was horrible. He wanted to turn away from this situation. But even as he thought that, he couldn’t stop looking.

While searching, Sunyul also found out that people called him ‘Yiili’. When he searched that name, he could find people’s reactions that were much more raw than the articles.

Severe profanity. Harsh reactions saying he should be killed. Even scathing curses directed at Muyoung.

He tried not to cry, but his eyes welled up with moisture. He tried to rub it away, but it overflowed and dripped down, drip drip.

“Ugh…”

Just then, the door suddenly opened and Muyoung came in. With a light sigh, as if he knew this would happen.

Muyoung checked the smartphone in Sunyul’s hand and immediately took it away.

“No smartphone for the time being.”

“…Everyone is cursing me. Me, and you too, Guild Master.”

Sunyul ended up blurting out the complaint he had been trying to swallow. Muyoung gazed at Sunyul quietly.

“I don’t care. As for them cursing you… that’s something that can’t be helped right now.”

“…”

“I wish I could do something about it… but for now, just pull yourself together. I’ll figure out a way to solve it.”

Muyoung’s words were honest. It was just like Muyoung not to reassure him with empty lies. But it seemed it would be difficult for even Muyoung to reverse the current atmosphere.

“How?”

“Well. I’ll have to find evidence that you’re harmless. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just have to fabricate some.”

“Don’t do that. What if you get caught…”

“I’ll make sure I don’t.”

Sunyul, feeling anxious, shook his head. He hated him saying such things, even as a joke. Because he didn’t want to cause any more trouble for Muyoung.

“It’s okay. It will all pass.”

Would it really pass safely? It felt like it would sweep everything away like a huge, powerful storm. It was all so bleak. The current situation, the future ahead.

Muyoung gently stroked the head of Sunyul, who still seemed to have a lot on his mind.

“Just sleep for now.”

“…Can’t I sleep with you, Guild Master?”

At the timid question, Muyoung readily nodded.

“Alright. Wait. I’ll be there as soon as I finish what I’m doing.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Do as you please.”

Sunyul trotted after Muyoung to the study. As he sat on the small sofa in the study, lost in thought, Muyoung handed back the smartphone he had taken.

“Play a game or something. Just don’t go on the internet.”

“…Yes.”

He wasn’t really in the mood, but he turned on Malrang Farm and harvested his crops. As he did it mechanically, it became bearable again, so he continued playing.

Muyoung confirmed that Sunyul was focused on the game and went back to what he was doing. Though his “work” was just consistently ignoring the protests about Sunyul.

Today, Sunyul had definitely used a skill. But he hadn’t harmed anyone; on the contrary, he had protected them. The patch item that activates when humans are attacked also remained quiet.

They were just being stubborn. If they knew Sunyul, they wouldn’t be able to say that that kid would harm people.

The hypothesis that he was a being related to the Fissure…

That was a question even Muyoung couldn’t answer. But one thing was certain: even if Sunyul really was a being related to the Fissure, they wouldn’t be able to find out a single thing with their methods.

‘Or maybe I just want to believe that.’

Muyoung smiled bitterly. In any case, in Muyoung’s eyes, Sunyul didn’t seem like some ominous being related to the Fissure. If anything, he was the opposite, a being who would stop the Fissure.

Muyoung finished his work as quickly as possible and stood up. When he said it was time for bed, Sunyul quickly turned off his game and followed him. Instead of going to Sunyul’s room, Muyoung started to go into his own room before pausing.

“Should we go to your room?”

“No, I like it here.”

Sunyul, who had spoken quickly, scrambled onto the bed and lay down. Muyoung, who had gone to the opposite side and lay down on the bed, said to Sunyul, who was far away.

“Come to the inside.”

When he shuffled closer to Muyoung, Muyoung swiftly pulled Sunyul into his arms. For a moment, his heart pounded hard.

“Sleep. Don’t think about useless things.”

Muyoung patted his back as if soothing a child. He didn’t know if he could sleep, but it felt like the useless thoughts were subsiding a little, and Sunyul closed his eyes.