Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 91

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School
Episode 91
Ji-u froze in that instant, unable to affirm or deny anything.
‘Did she… figure it out?’
That he was moving this massive cruise ship right now.
While alarmed at being discovered, Ji-u hadn’t entirely failed to anticipate such a scenario either.
Tae Ga-yeong wasn’t stupid, after all.
After she’d gone so far as to bleed from her nose advertising it, there was no way she could have missed it.
But then…….
Why had he used his Core in front of Tae Ga-yeong, risking exposure of his ability?
Because it was a moment of desperation?
Because there was no other way?
To stop Tae Ga-yeong from going down alone to find the engine?
‘…Or maybe it wasn’t that.’
Perhaps he’d been thinking something else in a corner of his heart.
That it wouldn’t be so bad if she found out.
“Seasickness really that bad?”
Tae Ga-yeong tilted her head with a smile.
Ji-u swallowed hard.
Looking at that face, he couldn’t tell how much she’d actually figured out.
Had she only caught on that Ji-u was moving the ship?
Or that it was a Telekinesis Core?
That someone other than Seol Ji-hyo was playing her role?
He didn’t know. Tae Ga-yeong didn’t mention any of it further, after all.
Or perhaps she simply didn’t have time for that now.
Even in this moment, that monster-like creature behind the cruise glowed with predatory eyes.
‘…Yeah, a monster.’
Ji-u snapped back to focus.
An unidentified massive Infected Being.
He reminded himself of its existence.
No matter what, he had to stop Tae Ga-yeong now.
“Still, going alone is too dangerous.”
Against his true feelings, the words that tumbled from his mouth made no logical sense.
Tae Ga-yeong’s response came as expected.
“Then do you have a better idea?”
“…….”
His mouth shut of its own accord.
The best option would be to increase the cruise’s speed.
But how could he move a cruise this size—tens of thousands of tons?
Even for Ji-u, that was theoretically and practically impossible.
The moment that creature decided to chase them down, it would almost certainly catch up.
Tae Ga-yeong turned her back to Ji-u.
“I appreciate the concern, but when executing a mission, reason must come before emotion. Haven’t you heard the same thing from Do Min-gi?”
“Then… I’ll come with you. We’ll go down together, finish it, and come back.”
“…Ji-hyo.”
“I’m not speaking emotionally. I can fight too.”
Of course, they’d have to stop the ship at some point, but that would be far better than Tae Ga-yeong fighting alone. He had no doubt about that.
However.
“What if we can’t finish it?”
The question came flat and cold, riding on the dark sea breeze.
“Do you have any guarantee we can kill that creature 100%? I don’t.”
“…That’s—”
“If we do as you say and fail, then not only do we two go to the afterlife, but all the ordinary people on this ship join us merrily. The mission fails, and this ship—our only piece of evidence and salvage—sinks into Narac forever.”
You can’t not know that, Tae Ga-yeong said.
There was no way to counter her words.
……None.
“Unless there’s a better option, I choose the method with the highest survival probability.”
Whoosh.
Gripping the railing, Tae Ga-yeong leaped lightly and hurled herself overboard without hesitation.
No splash echoed.
Ji-u rushed to the railing and grabbed it.
Below, on the yellow rubber boat they’d arrived in, Tae Ga-yeong stood.
“Then… what about your sister?”
His voice trembled more than he’d anticipated.
“If something happens to you, haven’t you thought how sad your sister will be?”
Only after he spoke did he realize it.
That I.
That I don’t want the captain to die.
He knew Tae Ga-yeong was strong. He’d heard the rumors of how remarkable she was.
But what was out there on the sea defied all reason—a monster. Over fifty meters tall, a true beast.
His senses, his instincts all spoke to him.
That thing was danger itself.
To approach it on nothing but a flimsy tube of a boat… there was no returning alive.
“It’s fine. By the time the cruise reaches the Lighthouse, I’ll keep that thing pinned down somehow. So you do what you need to do.”
Resolve resonated in Tae Ga-yeong’s voice.
She probably knew it too—the high likelihood she wouldn’t come back.
“You said you have a sister.”
Ji-u gripped the railing so hard his knuckles went white.
“Don’t you know how terrifying it is to think you might lose family, that you might never see them again?”
The trembling in his hands intensified.
He was clearly looking at Tae Ga-yeong, yet Seol Ji-hyo’s face kept overlapping in his mind.
The sight of her being shunned by her classmates.
Ji-hyo’s screams as she was savaged by the Infected Being.
The way she lay with medical equipment dangling all over her body, her complexion pale, eyes closed.
‘It’s horrifying.’
If something went wrong with the captain here, would the captain’s sister not feel the same way?
Not just anger and sorrow.
Vicious self-hatred.
Loss. Helplessness.
“The captain doesn’t know anything.”
His final voice was very small.
Yet it apparently reached Tae Ga-yeong’s Awakened ears.
“I do.”
A calm answer came from below.
“You asked once—if my sister were bullied, what would I do? I said I’d kill them all. But I couldn’t do anything in reality.”
Tae Ga-yeong looked up.
Their eyes met.
“That’s why my sister died.”
* * *
At the same moment, Gaon Special School.
The Special Unit’s annex building.
Scratch-scratch—
Do Min-gi, filling out documents with a fountain pen, looked up slightly.
“You’re back.”
Across from him stood Nam Rae-in, who had just opened the door.
While Tae Ga-yeong headed toward Jeju Island, the vice-captain Do Min-gi remained on campus.
Recently, Narac located at Gaon Special School had begun showing strange signs.
The Research Institute at Gaon had special sensor equipment installed that could detect the toxins and vibrations from Narac.
But this year, the vibrations the device detected had been abnormal.
Looking at the graph alone, it was almost like it was bouncing wildly.
‘That must be a sign of Backflow.’
Conducting a full investigation during the school term was difficult, so now—with students away on break—was the perfect time.
Thinking about it, this year alone had seen more than one bizarre incident.
Infected Beings had been popping up without Narac even experiencing a Backflow…….
Elementary school students had even gotten caught up near the area for no apparent reason.
In any case, this side needed to prepare as well.
Do Min-gi asked Nam Rae-in, who had returned.
“So. Did you notice anything unusual?”
“Nothing special? Didn’t see anything remarkable, really.”
Nothing remarkable?
That was strange.
If the device had detected abnormalities and it was truly a sign of Backflow, there should be some signal.
For instance, Infected Beings appearing, or maybe disappearances.
It would be ideal if nothing happened until the captain returned, but that wasn’t guaranteed.
“…You did check thoroughly, didn’t you?”
“What kind of person do you think I am? I went everywhere you told me to go. There’s been no sign of anything strange so far.”
Having said that much, Nam Rae-in turned toward the nearby sofa.
Screech.
Do Min-gi pulled back his chair and walked over to Nam Rae-in by the sofa with heavy steps.
“Rae-in.”
“Yes?”
“Have you checked today’s fortune yet?”
At that, Nam Rae-in, whose gaze had been fixed on his smartphone, looked up.
“…Why? I haven’t looked yet.”
“Then let’s check it now.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, just in case.”
Do Min-gi couldn’t shake a nagging unease.
Normally he didn’t believe in fortune-telling superstitions, but it was different when it came from Nam Rae-in.
Because it wasn’t superstition—it was his Core.
“I told you. There was nothing strange around Narac.”
“It’s not that area. It’s what’s happening where the captain is—on Jeju Island—that’s bothering me.”
From the start, pairing Do Min-gi and Nam Rae-in was Tae Ga-yeong’s design.
In other words, if Do Min-gi gave an order, Nam Rae-in was to use his Core without question.
“…Well, it’s not hard to look.”
Nam Rae-in put his phone back in his pocket and slowly opened an empty palm toward the air.
“You know? I’m not a fortune-teller. Don’t put too much faith in this.”
Shiiiiii…….
Above his palm, space twisted and warped as a pale vortex swirled into being.
Do Min-gi watched without alarm, his eyes fixed on it.
In time.
Something appeared where there had been nothing.
A Tarot Card.
A single card with a white background and ornate gold foil patterns.
Nam Rae-in plucked the floating card and flipped it to check the image on the back.
“Well?”
“…….”
“Rae-in?”
“…….”
No answer came.
Finding it strange, Do Min-gi carefully approached Nam Rae-in.
And the moment he saw the card image in his hand.
“This is…….”
His eyes hardened behind his glasses.
A skeleton in a black hood.
A massive scythe, and withered roses blooming around it.
Even Do Min-gi, who knew nothing of Tarot, could only recognize it.
──The Grim Reaper.
In other words, the Death card.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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