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Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…
The sound, repeating with regularity, irritated my ears. I slowly opened my eyes to see a white ceiling. My eyes were hurting from the brightness of the fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling. I squinted my eyes and took a look at my surroundings. It wasn’t my room. It wasn’t anywhere I recognised. It was a small room surrounded by unknown machines.
Alarmed, I tried to lift myself up, but there was something stuck to my finger. I looked up to see a small monitor after following the wires that were fastened to the pincers. I’d seen something similar in dramas. The ones where the patient’s electrocardiogram would be drawn with zigzags, and a long beep– sound would signify death. I put my hand on my chest. There was no way to be sure, but it seemed like my heart was fine. I tossed and turned for a bit, but nothing felt particularly painful.
I raised myself, but I had to stop breathing for a moment. I was naked. There were machines hanging all over my body. I couldn’t get a hold of the situation, wondering why I was in this state. I carefully searched through my memory and soon remembered the robbers breaking into the bank. I also calmly thought of the man who called me an ability user. My university tuition… I sighed when I reached that point. It was too late. I had already paid for the tuition at the other university I had been accepted to in the first round, so I had no choice but to go there. There was barely any difference between the two, but it was still a place I wanted to go to more. I ruffled my hair with my hand.
It seemed like I was doing an ability examination at S.E. right now since they had called me an ability user. It was more thorough than the one that was required for the entire nation. It was ridiculous. Even if it was entirely at the discretion of the military, a place that managed ability users, it wasn’t even certain that I was an ability user yet, so what on earth were they doing, bringing me here in a manner that was on par with a kidnapping? I had a good chance of winning if I sued them for preventing me from attending university, but if I wanted to sue them or anything else, I had to leave this place first. To get out, I’d have to remove the machines from my body, and I didn’t know what they were, so I was too anxious to remove them on my own.
“Excuse me.”
I let out a noise and called out to someone, though I wasn’t sure who I was calling for either. I was pretty sure there was no one in the small room, so I called a little louder, hoping there might be someone in the hallway.
“Is anyone there?”
No response came, no matter how many times I called. I looked around for an emergency call bell or anything similar, but there was nothing of the sort. I sighed. When they confirm that I’m not an ability user, they’ll send me home. Anyhow, no one would worry about me being late, and no one would realise I hadn’t been home for a few days. It would take at least a month for my father to notice my absence and report me missing… I had called him just the day before yesterday. Everything would likely be sorted out before then. By the way, I’d like to cover up down there… I looked around my surroundings again, but the only piece of cloth I could find was the bed sheet.
“Hngh…?”
The more time passed, the more something felt strange. Bit by bit, I couldn’t breathe. The sensation of taking in air was strange. It was a colourless, odourless gas, but the more I breathed in, the more I choked, so it wasn’t normal oxygen. My vision became blurry, and I heard a long beep– sound, just like in those dramas. I thought my heart was fine, but it felt like it was stopping. What is this? Was I going to die before even getting a chance to go to university? Before the beep– stopped, my vision went black.
∞
I opened my eyes again. I didn’t know how many damn times it’d been. This time, I found myself submerged in a jelly-like liquid, with a respirator clamped over my mouth and nose, forcing oxygen into my lungs. It was oxygen now, but I was afraid it could turn into some unknown gas at any moment again.
I had no idea how many days had passed, and during my unconsciousness, I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything, yet I didn’t feel hungry or thirsty. Whatever I did while unconscious, I didn’t even want to go to the bathroom. I was just being kept naked and immersed in some strange experimental devices. Were ability measurement exams always this prolonged and laborious?
“Ngh!”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
I couldn’t groan properly because my respiratory system was blocked, but I felt an intense electric shock coursing through my entire body before it stopped. They seemed to have found my limit this time, ensuring I wouldn’t pass out. My consciousness didn’t fade. I trembled and shivered in the aftermath of the electric shock, but the puttering culture medium quickly absorbed the shock.
P kjrc’a regf ktja atf qegqbrf bo atlr fzqfglwfca kjr, yea la rffwfv ilxf atfs kfgf agslcu ab olcv atf qblca ja ktlmt P mbeiv klatrajcv la. Cii atf ktlif, atfs qgbafmafv wf ogbw vslcu, pera lc mjrf. Pa ageis kjr jc lwqbrrlyif, glvlmeiber, jcv qgfqbrafgber fzqfglwfca. Pa kjr j mbwqifaf nlbijalbc bo fzqfglwfcaji fatlmr. Ktfs vlvc’a tjnf ws mbcrfca, jcv fnfc lo atfs vlv, atfs tjv cb gluta ab reypfma wf ab remt ilof-atgfjafclcu fzqfglwfcar. Dea P mbeivc’a jguef yjmx. P tjvc’a fnfc rffc j rtjvbk bo j tewjc yflcu tfgf. Ktfrf oemxlcu yjrajgvr—atlr wluta yf V.S., yea…
I could no longer think after the shock that shot through my body again.
∞
A flash of lightning struck just above my head, powerful enough for it to be visible. It struck me right on the crown of my head, but I only slowly closed and opened my eyes. The mock battle room. The only place I could see people. No, a place where I could recognise the presence of people. They could see me, but I couldn’t see them.
Within this room with rapidly changing holographic backgrounds, I was subject to dozens of different attacks. I admit it now. The fact that I am an ability user. Because no normal person would survive being struck by a current that could be tens of who knows how many thousand volts. But that didn’t mean I agreed with the reason they kept me here. It was because the only currents I didn’t react to were those made by ability users. I reacted the same way as a normal person when I was struck by a normal electric current running through a wire.
I had experienced burning my hands while boiling ramen, but I remained unscathed by the fire generated by an ability user. It may seem decent, but it was actually useless. If you locked me in a room and started a fire using abilities, I would suffocate to death from the smoke produced by burning other things.
Abilities couldn’t be used to make me float. However, if someone were to make the ground I was standing on float up, my body would naturally be lifted as well. If they break the ground after making it rise about fifty metres, I’ll fall to my death by the laws of gravity, breaking my neck bone or spine.
I couldn’t feel the sensation of someone digging into my head. My body did not move on its own accord, as it was obeying someone else’s will. It wasn’t my will, however, to have to sit still here and now. I desperately wanted to go back home, a place I’ve never missed in my life, but I couldn’t.
An ability user on whom abilities do not work. The words of the man I met at the bank come to mind. Yeah, let’s say I am, but I still didn’t know what use that was. It was just that abilities didn’t work on me; if I get shot in a vital area, I’ll die. Even if I were instead wounded in a non-critical area, I’d die if I lost a lethal amount of blood. These bastards have tried everything they could think of to kill me, not just abilities but knives, needles, and even poison.
I didn’t know whether this was a bad or good thing, but I was still alive and well. Just as they couldn’t damage my body with their abilities, they couldn’t heal me with their abilities either, but even without healing-type abilities, S.E.’s medical technology was remarkable. I’ve read rumours and speculative articles on the internet claiming that the S.E. had made medical advances unrivalled by the rest of the world after decades of unethical bio-experimentation. At the time, I assumed it was just the usual false propaganda geared against the government, but the article had actually been watered down.
The conclusion of all the experiments conducted so far was that all destructive weapons, with the exception of abilities, worked on me, and apart from being immune to abilities, I had no other ability. So, I was an ability user, but I didn’t have any combat abilities. Therefore, I wasn’t needed in the military. Following the final conclusion that was naturally laid out, they should’ve let me go, but they didn’t. Why?
I looked at the black window. There must have been people beyond that window. People toying with me. I wanted to kill them, but I didn’t have the ability to kill. Now, there were too many things that I didn’t have. I didn’t even have clothes. I’ve been naked for months. Well, they don’t put clothes on animals when they test them.
As I sighed softly, a chill ran down my spine. Water was rising from beneath me. Feeling the dampness of it, it really was water. Wouldn’t they know by now, without even having to experiment, that if I was submerged in water, I’d drown? Wasn’t it time for them to draw an inductive conclusion after having accumulated enough examples?
However, the rapidly rising water eventually engulfed my face. They weren’t going to kill me, but they weren’t going to interfere while I was on the brink of death either. Were they trying to see if I’d awaken some kind of sealed ability when I’m faced with the crisis of death, like in those manhwas? I’d rather that be the case too, so that I could beat the shit out of all of them. But no matter how many times I’ve come close to death, I’ve never triggered any kind of ability. Because I don’t have one. I don’t have any abilities!
Because I was submerged in water, I thought I could cry a little and no one would notice, but tears wouldn’t even come out now.
∞
“Here, your ID card.”
They finally provided me with clothes to wear. I was sitting on a normal chair, listening to the words of a normal-looking woman. Although I could see a human being at last, I wasn’t feeling happy. My eyes fixed on the small card placed before me. My photo and name were familiar, but I couldn’t see it as my ID card. Because I had never consented to becoming a member of this place.
“I have no intention of becoming a soldier.”
“Rather than a soldier, it’s more of a special position? We’re affiliated with the military, so the rank and organisation structure are similar, but we’re…”
“Whatever it is, I’m not doing it.”
“Ability users must be in the military. You know the law, don’t you?”
“No, what use is my ability in the military? How can a government organisation do this to someone without their consent…”
“We did receive consent, though?”
“…What?”
“From your guardian. You’re still under the age of nineteen internationally, so your guardian’s consent is required.”
The woman in the white gown laughed and said, “We’re not such a lawless bunch.” My guardian. I thought of my father. Yeah, if it were my father, he could have consented. No, come to think of it, he’d be thrilled to. Why hadn’t I thought that far?
“Anyhow, your name has been added to the list. You do know that the list of ability users is shared among countries worldwide, right? This isn’t a situation in which everything is decided simply because you don’t want to. Don’t you know that we’ll give you a good annual salary? A hazard pay as well.”
“…Ha…”
“Or maybe you don’t need a high salary because you’re a rich young master? Anyway, with a gold spoon…”
I kicked the table in front of me with a loud thud, and simultaneously, the muzzle of a gun came to my head. The security guard standing behind me had a gun pointed at the back of my head. I was handcuffed, so I couldn’t resist anymore. No, even if I tried to resist, I had no abilities I could use…
“Then you should have said so from the beginning! You did all sorts of experiments on me without explaining a single thing, and now you want me to work here? If you were me, would you agree?”
“We were unsure if you were an ability user. We’ve never seen anything like you before. We can’t explain these kinds of things to civilians, and what are you going to do now if you’re not going to do it? Are you going to refuse enlistment and go to prison?”
I wanted to punch her for being so laid-back. I would rather have a real, decent ability; then, I wouldn’t be feeling this unfair. What kind of state was I in, having my life taken hostage for some ability that didn’t even seem like an ability? I lowered my head and calmed my anger, and the woman slipped the ID card into the front pocket of the shirt I was wearing.
“Use of violence and abusive language towards a superior. Three days in military prison.”
I jerked my head up. Who decided she was my boss? I didn’t even belong here. How was kicking a table violence? What they did to me was kidnapping, imprisonment, and attempted murder! I didn’t even swear, so what abusive language? Not just prison, but military prison?
“Hey! You crazy—!”
“Take him away.”
As the woman’s words fell, the men in black forced me to my feet. I tried to shake their hands off, but I had no choice but to be dragged away by the strength of their grip. I grabbed whatever I could get my hands on and threw it, screaming, “Let me go! You fucking bastards, I didn’t fucking do anything wrong!”
However, the woman just sat cross-legged and watched the scene with a relaxed air. I was so enraged at the sight that I spat out every curse that came to mind, but the woman spoke nonchalantly to the men grabbing me, “He’ll have to stay there for a week.”
I was led down a long corridor by the men’s hands, into an iron elevator, and then down somewhere. Afterwards, they locked me up in some place. The door slid shut in front of me. I kicked at the door with a loud thud, but it didn’t make the slightest scratch.
The questions that had been festering inside me lately about where I was and why I had to do this amplified to their highest levels, but no one gave me an answer. There was only unilateral information and coercion. I roughly ran a hand through my hair and screamed, but nothing changed.
After a while, I was able to breathe more easily. Only then could I look around my surroundings, realising I was confined within a space so small that if I were to take two steps away from the wall, my nose would be touching the opposite wall. I had never been to jail or a military prison before, but perhaps because it was a place meant to imprison ability users, it was different from a normal prison. Weren’t prisons supposed to be dark? This place was overly bright, with red lasers cutting through the space and lighting it up.
There was supposed to be something like an old iron bed and a toilet here, but there was nothing. Literally nothing. There was nothing on the glossy walls either. There were no light bulbs, so the walls themselves were emitting light, but the light was so intense I thought my eyes were going to fall out. Shouldn’t they be able to slip a shabby meal through a small gap in the door or something? But there were no gaps in the door, as if it had never been opened.
I looked around my surroundings again and was dumbfounded once more. Why should I be held in the same level of confinement as an ability user when I don’t even have an ability? I wouldn’t even be able to escape from a normal prison, so there was no need for them to go this far. I was speechless at the injustice. They didn’t even remove my handcuffs. Even a murderer had no right to be treated like this. I needed to file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission. Such brutality.
My eyes hurt from the light coming from all directions, so I just sat down and buried my face in my knees. It was still bright. After squatting like that for a while, I got hungry. It was funny how I could still get hungry in such a situation, but it had been so long since I had last felt this sensation that I welcomed it. Now that they weren’t forcefully feeding me some moisture, I also felt thirsty. I wanted to chew and eat something, not be supplied with nutrients through my blood. I wanted to drink water from a cup. I wanted to be in a dark place where I couldn’t be seen. I wanted to sleep without passing out.
“Ah… seriously…”
I was dying of thirst, but I couldn’t let the moisture drain from my eyes. If I wanted to hold on a little longer, I couldn’t cry. I was painfully aware that they weren’t human enough to let me cry. I had no sense of time either. I couldn’t believe I had to stay here for a week. I shouldn’t have sworn. No, weren’t they the bad ones for creating a situation where I was forced to swear? Why am I blaming myself?
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep—beeeep!
As I lay on my stomach, it seemed like I had fallen asleep for a bit, but my head lifted at a sudden, ear-piercing noise ringing in my ears. The noise stopped as I looked around.
“I can’t even sleep?”
I was in disbelief at the conduct of this place. If you wanted me to work here so badly, you should’ve treated me well from the start. Or at least treat me well now. There was no way I was going to spend the rest of my life in a place that only ordered and threatened. I vowed to myself. I would never yield.
orcinus comments:
actually, i feel that the story’s narrated in a much more light-hearted way because of mc’s personality lol
thank you for translating this novel !!
This is crazy. If I were him, I would be crazy too.
Bro, this is just chapter 2 omg