Rank 0 of the Awakener Special School - Chapter 95

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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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Awakener Special School, Rank Zero
Chapter 95
“…….”
But Ji-u’s face remained dark.
Of course, what Moon Yu-jin said carried weight.
His father was a major figure in politics, after all. Rumor had it he was the first to draft legislation concerning national Awakers.
If Moon Yu-jin asked his father, there was a real possibility far more people would be mobilized than now.
‘But if it came to that, what would I have been doing all this time…….’
What could I possibly do?
All I seemed capable of was waiting.
Waiting for my captain to come back safely.
“…You know.”
Ji-u lifted her head slowly to gaze at the night sky.
“Have you ever thought you were useless?”
“…….”
Yu-jin’s words caught in his throat for a moment. He, who had been staring intently at Ji-u’s profile, slowly turned his gaze toward the starry night sky to follow hers.
“I’ve had similar thoughts before. The thought that I mustn’t become useless.”
“…You?”
“Yeah.”
Chirp-chirp…….
The sound of insects echoed from far away.
Ji-u curled her body slightly.
“So what do you do in times like this?”
“…….”
“You’re first in your entire class. So do you know about this? No matter what I do, nothing changes, and the more I move, the worse everything gets. What am I supposed to do about that?”
It felt like all the confusion she’d been holding inside came pouring out through her mouth.
She hadn’t wanted to do this.
She knew that saying such things to Moon Yu-jin wouldn’t resolve anything.
But even knowing that, she couldn’t stop herself.
“There’s something I need to do, but I keep having other thoughts. And the more that happens, the more my head gets tangled up…….”
“…….”
“My captain said something like this. If you know what matters most to you and understand your priorities, you won’t get lost. But it doesn’t feel that way.”
Ji-u’s voice grew gradually quieter.
“I keep having strange thoughts, and I don’t even know how to stop them.”
──I don’t understand anything anymore.
It was the moment Ji-u let her head drop.
“Me too.”
Moon Yu-jin spoke in a hushed voice.
Not expecting empathy to come back from him, Ji-u lifted the head she’d been lowering, slowly and smoothly.
Moon Yu-jin was gazing at the starlit sky.
“Looking back, I think I’ve lived pretty well up until now. Following what was set, living steadily.”
The subjects to study, the food to eat, tomorrow’s schedule, even clubs and studying abroad.
Following the path my parents set for me meant there was nothing to stumble on.
Even if it wasn’t enjoyable, it was comfortable. At least I never complained about it.
“But lately… it’s a little different.”
“Different how?”
“Yeah.”
“Different in what way?”
“I don’t quite know myself.”
Suddenly, his gaze settled on Ji-u.
“Wouldn’t anyone be confused if they suddenly tried to do something on their own after only ever completing what was already set out for them?”
“…….”
“At least I am. Each step I take becomes more cautious. I wondered why—”
Ji-u fixed her gaze on Moon Yu-jin, as if concentrating on what would come next.
Yu-jin, after a slight pause, looked back up at the starry sky.
“It was just anxiety.”
“…Anxiety?”
“When you think about it, it only makes sense. Wouldn’t anyone feel uneasy walking a path they’ve never experienced before? Because you don’t know where it leads.”
“…….”
Ji-u kept her mouth closed.
Contemplating something, she gazed at Yu-jin for a time, then unconsciously turned her head.
Toward the starry sky, following Moon Yu-jin’s eyes.
“…So? What did you do then?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“What?”
It was the moment Ji-u’s eyes widened slightly.
Tap.
Something cool touched her ear.
Moon Yu-jin’s earphones.
Music whose title she didn’t know flowed through the earphones.
No lyrics, no elaborate technique.
Just a gentle piano melody.
“I just listened to something like this.”
“…Does listening to this make you feel better?”
“Not really.”
“Then why listen?”
“Because there’s nothing else I can do right now.”
Moon Yu-jin smiled faintly.
“See? Even the top student in the whole school isn’t that impressive.”
Beneath the salt-like serene starlight.
Yu-jin’s dark hair fluttered, darker than the night sky itself.
Moon Yu-jin lifted his chin a little higher.
Countless galaxies reflected in his silver-gray eyes, eyes that resembled the quiet starlight.
“I’ve heard that from the perspective of the universe, we’re smaller than dust. So the problems we worry about must be even smaller than dust… what would that be, molecular scale?”
Moon Yu-jin brought his hand to his chin.
“Bacterial level, maybe.”
“……Pffft.”
Ji-u burst out laughing without meaning to, then startled at the sound of her own laughter.
No wonder—he was making a joke in such a serious tone that didn’t sound like a joke at all.
Ji-u, belatedly fixing her expression, asked.
“You know how to joke?”
“This is actually the first time I’ve tried.”
“Yeah, it shows.”
Glance.
Moon Yu-jin looked at Ji-u.
“…Was it that bad?”
“Do I need to grade it?”
“Not necessarily.”
Moon Yu-jin closed his mouth with a slightly embarrassed expression.
Chirp-chirp—
The sound of insects, which had seemed to come from very far away, seemed a bit closer now.
What was certain was this:
At some point, her heart had become a little lighter.
Music continued quietly from the small, round earphones.
The other earbud, suddenly resting in Yu-jin’s palm, caught her eye.
It was only then that Ji-u realized she was the only one wearing an earbud.
Yu-jin, who usually wore earphones like a tattoo, didn’t seem inclined to do so now.
She reached up slightly and touched the one earbud stuck in her ear.
Small.
Hard.
…Not as cold as she’d expected.
After a long pause, Ji-u curled up her small frame.
“……It’s a little cold.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Should we stay just a bit longer before heading in?”
At that question, Moon Yu-jin beside her took off his school uniform jacket.
“…I was thinking the same thing.”
Drape.
His jacket fell over her shoulders.
The night sky, painted with black ink. The crescent moon, tilted now, finally came into view.
The next song flowed through the earphones.
And the song after that, and the one after that.
The two sitting side by side gazed silently at the late-summer starry sky.
* * *
The next day.
Following the instructions of acting captain Do Min-ki, the Special Class dispersed to inspect the areas around the Narakh on campus.
Since the Gaon campus was quite vast, there was a need to allocate personnel efficiently.
Shopping district, student housing, dormitory, administrative building, Narakh vicinity.
Ji-u had been assigned to patrol the Narakh vicinity.
– Wait just a moment, Ji-u.
Just before departure, Do Min-ki quietly called her aside.
– If anything happens at all, don’t think of doing something by yourself. Contact me immediately. Here’s my number.
Ji-u stared intently at the slip of paper with the phone number.
…Come to think of it, she didn’t even know Do Min-ki’s number until now.
She usually contacted Tae Ga-young in case of emergency, so there was no one in the Special Class whose contact information she’d exchanged with.
Since Do Min-ki had taken on the role of acting captain, she’d need to exchange contacts with him for a while.
Meanwhile, as Ji-u stared at the slip of paper, Do Min-ki spoke in a low voice.
– According to the Narakh Resonance Device that Gaon possesses, there are signs that a Reverse Flow will occur soon.
– Reverse… Flow?
– Yes. However, when she was dispatched to Jeju Island, we’ve been on alert around the perimeter as much as possible, but we haven’t seen any real signals yet. In other words, it could happen today.
Having said that much, Do Min-ki lowered his voice even further.
– Of course, it should be fine with you, but… please refrain from rash actions. With the captain gone right now, each team member is precious.
Even until the moment Ji-u left the Annex Building, he repeatedly cautioned her with a careful expression.
His words were right.
Even if there weren’t any obvious signs of a Reverse Flow nearby, there was no guarantee that things would be fine right now.
However…….
‘It doesn’t seem like there’s anything special to see, just like the acting captain said.’
It had been about three hours since she started circling around the Narakh.
Ji-u checked the map in her hand.
The map was filled with checkmarks drawn in red pen.
She seemed to have checked everything by now.
Ji-u put the map back in her bag.
Even after doing this much, there were no signs of Infected Entities or thickening Toxic Aura.
And it didn’t seem like the quantity of Mana Stones rolling around nearby had increased significantly.
Everything was as it always was.
‘Would the captain have noticed something different?’
The moment that thought reached her, the hand closing the bag zipper came to a halt.
“……Captain.”
Her mood sank in an instant.
Last.
That scene of Tae Ga-young’s rubber boat drifting away smoothly beneath the monster’s shadow remained deeply etched in her mind, refusing to budge.
Ji-u was surprised at herself.
She’d known Tae Ga-young for less than a year, let alone six months.
A shallow relationship.
When she eventually fulfilled her role and returned to being Seol Ji-hyo, it was a connection she’d never see again.
So superficial and meaningless.
She’d thought of her as just another person passing by—
– You have a lot of affection in you, even if you don’t look like it.
Words that Ji-hyo had once spoken came back to her.
…Maybe she was right.
Judging by how deeply she felt the captain’s absence.

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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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