Chapter 72 – Purgatory (1)
“Sorry, let’s do it later.”
No, do it with me.
Azalea barely managed to swallow the words that reached the end of her throat. If it doesn’t work this time, maybe next time. Thinking so, the next day came.
“Sorry.”
And the next day too.
And the day after that.
For some reason, Azalea’s chest felt tight with the sensation of falling during every training session.
When Lee Si-heon studied, he clung to Gu-seul’s side, and whenever he trained, he always sought Cornus. Azalea felt an indescribable emotion as she watched Cornus, who followed Si-heon with quick steps, from a distance.
“Let’s go eat spicy tteokbokki.”
“Again?”
“We’re tteokbokki friends.”
Me too, I’m a friend.
As he tried to justify himself in such a manner, the karmic debts he had amassed previously returned to him like a boomerang. What did he say? He had carelessly criticized everything, from her appearance to her personality. Frankly, wasn’t it a nuisance for someone like her to even attempt to approach him? He had spewed so many harsh words, yet now the issue was her effort to get closer. It would be better for her to just keep her distance.
Whenever a surge of desire arose, such negative thoughts would flit through his mind.
Lately, her interpersonal relationships had started to twist and contort bit by bit.
In the relationship she had initially intended to exploit, guilt had crept in, making it impossible for her to maintain it any longer.
She knew spirit magicians, wealthy tycoons, and promising swordsmen.
It was only natural for her to distance herself from the strained relationship, and lately, she hadn’t engaged in much conversation with Jung Si-woo.
Lee Si-heon seemed to think of himself as someone who was friendly with everyone, but in reality, that was not the case.
He became acquainted with loneliness. It felt like he was sitting alone on a drifting sailboat that had been cast away to a desolate place.
It was inevitable.
From the beginning, I had approached it with a sinister intent, leaving nothing behind. To others, I must have appeared as a strange woman, suffering alone and drifting away.
– Thud.
Dormitory.
I opened the refrigerator and took out a remaining piece of chocolate and a water bottle.
I swallowed a pill, drank some water, and bit into the chocolate, allowing its sweetness to counteract the bitterness.
‘…Sweet.’
Even amidst all this, a faint smile formed on my face. Taking the pill and biting into the chocolate was the happiest moment in my 24-hour day.
It hadn’t been long since I started taking the medication. A relative advised that I seemed to be under too much stress, so I began consuming something to help my mental state. As a result, I experienced drowsiness throughout the day, but it wasn’t a significant issue.
Ah, I can’t fathom what made me so desperate during those malicious days. If I had lived a bit more flexibly, perhaps I would have had fewer regrets.
Despite having no health issues, a deep-seated pain welled up in her chest.
“Mother.”
Azalea had recently been contacted by her own mother, Jin Yeo-hee.
She claimed to have barely overcome her addiction and expressed a longing to meet.
Even though Azalea had heard from intermediaries that the addiction had been an unavoidable consequence of brainwashing, she struggled to feel any affection for her mother.
In truth, her mother’s situation had partly led Azalea to start taking medication.
“I’m going insane… really.”
Azalea leaned against her bed as if she were collapsing.
There was no progress in the relationship she desired,
and just when she thought something might develop, it slipped through her fingers as easily as a grain of sand.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
The timely sound of knocking. Thinking it was a delivery, Azalea heaved herself up and trudged toward the front door.
“…Get out.”
*Thunk.*
As she opened the door, a familiar silhouette came into view.
A mask obscured the face. A man with a striking smile in his wide-open eyes stood there.
Objectively, he couldn’t be considered handsome, but Azalea’s face tensed as she tried to relax upon seeing his comforting presence.
“Why are you here at this hour?”
“Well, I couldn’t give it to you last time.”
Lee Si-heon nonchalantly scratched the back of his head and handed her a box of chocolates held in his right hand.
It was something he had bought quite a while ago, and only now remembered to give her.
“…Ah.”
The ribbon wrapped around the black packaging was truly captivating.
“Th-thank you. You even gave me this…”
“Oh, but do you like chocolate? I should have asked that first… Things were a bit odd back then.”
She had disliked it for being too sweet. She used to hate it, but now her taste had changed.
Azalea grinned at the black wrapping paper. It felt like the regrets of the past were gently melting away.
“Thank you. Really. Truly…”
“It’s no big deal.”
As Azalea looked up at Siheon’s mask, she suddenly realized something.
He was the only connection she had left in this academy.
“Should I go then?”
“Ah, yes. Please, go in.”
“But when will you stop using formal language with me?”
“I, I’ll try my best.”
-Thunk.
The door closed.
-Sleep well.
Azalea watched his retreating back as he spoke tenderly, her lips tightly pressed together as she swallowed.
What was this emotion welling up within her chest, like a bruise?
Possessiveness?
No, even more embarrassing to admit than that… She didn’t know yet. Azalea closed her eyes and tightly embraced the box of chocolates.
She wanted to strengthen this relationship further.
‘In order to do that…’
* * * * *
-Kkak-kkak!
-Kkak-kkak!
At the sound of the vibrating bell, I picked up my phone and, as expected, it was a message from Azalea.
This time it was a greeting. Once in the morning, once at lunch, and twice in the evening, during dinner and before bed. Lately, I could tell the time of day just by the sound of the vibration.
It wasn’t to the point of being annoying, but what should I say? Maybe I’m the odd one, but lately, an obsession seemed to seep through the messages.
‘Is she really okay?’
Indeed, if I were to pick the most mentally strained person at the academy right now, it would undoubtedly be Azalea.
Her brainwashed family members were gradually being freed, and even though she had completed her revenge, there must have been some lingering discomfort since I was the one who carried it out.
Suddenly given the responsibility to lead her family, there were rumors that she had become more reticent these days. It’s understandable; it must be difficult.
I felt that I should take her out for a drink sometime soon.
“Are you listening?”
Cheondo, sitting on the bed and tapping my thigh with her foot, furrowed her brow nervously.
“I got distracted for a moment.”
“Feeling bold, do you want to suffer?”
“So, what were you saying… Ah!”
She pinched my side with two toes.
Her grip was so strong that I doubled over in pain, and Cheondo struck my head with her palm as if tousling my hair.
“There are many ways to improve your skills. You’ve heard this far, right?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Among them, the most immediate results can be seen in a dungeon.”
Dungeon.
An unconfirmed place whose origins have not been revealed, it is widely known as a location where one can encounter various resources and artifacts. Cheondo was likely referring to something that could be obtained within such a dungeon.
“So, are you telling me to clear the dungeon?”
“Similar. But usually, clearing a dungeon doesn’t dramatically increase your magical power.”
“Yes, it’s generally impossible to have such an odd experience of suddenly improving one’s skills in the first place.”
Upon hearing my reasonable words, Heaven offered a light smile, as if to disagree.
“You know about Purgatory, right?”
“I don’t.”
“How can you not know something that everyone’s aware of? Sometimes, you seem like someone who’s lived detached from the world for a while.”
Heaven sighed and slowly began to enumerate information about Purgatory.
Purgatory.
A place where, if you manage to overcome its challenges, you’ll encounter a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you’ll never experience again. However, the requirements to enter the dungeon and the penalties are so immense that countless individuals hesitate to venture inside. It is said that only a handful of people have survived Purgatory’s dungeon thus far.
The fact that an S-class Hunter recently perished in Purgatory, prompting the issuance of a special warning, speaks volumes about the level of difficulty.
“How can I survive when even an S-class Hunter couldn’t?”
“It’s possible.”
“So how…”
“Because I survived.”
Heaven took a breath and continued again.
“The content of the test that purgatory presents to the challenger varies for each individual. It assesses which direction they need to go in order to become stronger and constructs that bridge for them.”
“But it’s equally difficult, isn’t it?”
“Perhaps experiencing failure or a setback at least once wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”
Though it was said nonchalantly, I immediately grasped Heaven’s intention. It was a series of warnings and advice stemming from the experience of being determined not to falter or become pitiable.
“But doesn’t it generally take a few days to clear a dungeon? With exams approaching and academy classes…”
“You don’t have to attend the classes. Right?”
I nodded slowly, already feeling worried.
“…Yes, I suppose that’s true.”
“Then start tomorrow and see it through.”
“What do you mean?”
Cheondo casually took out his possessions from the wardrobe and set them down.
*Thud.*
In front of me was a heavily packed, bulging backpack. Cheondo pulled a piece of paper from it and handed it to me.
“It’s an attendance acknowledgment. It has my name on it. You can tell her the reason.”
I smiled wryly, seeing how everything was already prepared.
* * * * *
“You always seem to disappear from the academy, don’t you?”
“It just so happens to be that way.”
“Well, update it for me.”
In her own office, Lee Se-Young lifted her choker with only her index finger and clung to me. As I licked the faint mark with my tongue, a joyful moan escaped her lips.
“…Ah.”
“Do you only feel it here now?”
“I don’t know, it’s just with you.”
She leaves a bold kiss mark.
Se-Young then grabbed my wrist and pressed my hand against her chest. At the soft sensation enveloping my fingers, I flinched and removed my lips from sucking on her neck.
“Aren’t you wearing a bra?”
“Since you were coming, I took it off quickly. Hehe. Why? Did you want to undress me?”
“You’re such a rag.”
“Hey, don’t say that out of the blue.”
Se-Young pushed me away, feigning seriousness.
“Ah, the switch is on. I didn’t plan on fooling around today.”
“Well, I have time this evening.”
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
At my subtle suggestion to meet up, Se-Young’s face lit up, and she hugged me tightly.
“Hey, it’s not going to be dangerous again, is it?”
“I’m going with Heavenly Demon, what could possibly go wrong?”
“I know, but… Seriously, why do I feel so anxious when you’re going? You always manage to cause trouble. Sometimes it feels like I’m not just having fun with you, but raising a son. And we’re not even married.”
“Wait, what…?”
“Am I wrong?”
That’s true.
Chuckling at my compliant response, Lee Se-Young removed her mask, pressed my face against her chest bone, and brushed her hair aside.
“Did you contact all the members?”
“Yes. Sansuyu said she’d be fine with tteokbokki. Si-woo and Gu-seul offered their support, and Sooyoung expressed regret… Oh right, Azalea hasn’t replied yet.”
“Well, you’ll have to manage on your own now.”
“Are you really treating me like your son now?”
“Hehe. I’m just doing it because I like it. Or do you enjoy that kind of thing? Like having your chest sucked while receiving a handjob…”
“You never run out of things to say, do you?”
I lifted my face and playfully smacked Lee Se-Young on the forehead.
– Woo-woo-woo!
The sound of vibration came from my pocket. I quickly took out my cellphone and checked the message. It was a text from Azalea.
– Me: Starting the day after tomorrow, I’ll be training in the dungeon with my master. I probably won’t be back for a while. – Today 6:23 AM
-Azalea: Do you have time tomorrow? I want to have a drink… – Today at 4:21pm
How many hours had passed before I received this reply?
Without much thought, I tapped away at the keyboard.
-Me: Sure
Since we’re departing the day after tomorrow, the rough schedule up until then has been set.
