Retire 357

357 Molting (4)

My father taught me nearly everything he knew.

How to move my body, how to use my head.

How to become a passable Hunter and clear dungeons, how to think strategically to become a decent Hunter.

…And so on.

He didn’t just teach me how to become a Hunter.

He taught me the things a parent should teach a child, the things a father should pass on to his son.

He taught me, truly, everything necessary to live.

Of course, that didn’t mean my father could prepare me for everything. Life, after all, is a series of the unexpected.

But my father taught me what to do in those moments as well. Don’t panic, look around, figure out what you can do.

It’s a little embarrassing to say, but I was a pretty good student. I managed to do most things above average. That was true of my father’s lessons as well.

However.

“……”

“Hey? Heeey??”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A grotesque, pulsating mass of magic, and the person—well, I suppose I can call him a person—who appeared to be swallowed up by it.

This was the sort of situation even my father hadn’t prepared me for.

“Is anyone there???”

Hope waved his hand, which protruded from the mass, as if trying to get my attention.

Maybe because the world was awash in red, that white hand looked even more ghostly pale.

“Say something!”

I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to do something. That much was clear. Don’t waver—just deal with what’s in front of you, one thing at a time. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts.

Still, I supposed it was a relief I could at least communicate with Hope. He must have some idea of what’s going on with himself.

“Hey!!!”

After tapping the bed a few times to get my attention, Hope finally raised his voice. I couldn’t see his face, swallowed as it was, but his voice sounded not just normal but lively. Maybe I was worrying for nothing.

Well, not worrying about Hope, exactly, but about how to resolve this unprecedented situation.

Still, I felt a little less tense.

“What’s this? Did you die with your eyes open?”

“……”

“I thought there’d be something to you, being that man’s disciple, but I guess humans are hopeless after all. Leaving Sandra with you was a bad call.”

I let out a very obvious sigh.

“What? I’m the one who should be sighing here!”

Hope protested vehemently.

“Don’t just stand there watching—help me!”

“What exactly happened?”

“Huh?”

Judging by how energetically he was talking, he didn’t seem likely to die anytime soon.

That pulsating mass of magic on his body? Of course it was unsettling. But the magic flowing into the infirmary, which had been erratic, was now moving steadily in one direction. Whatever it was, it seemed to have stabilized. It didn’t look like it was about to explode, as Park Seohyun had feared.

It looked like I had time to get an explanation.

“Start by telling me what this is.”

“……”

For once, Hope, who had been chattering nonstop, fell silent.

I knew he couldn’t see me, but I couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of my mouth.

“Explain first.”

“Uh, well. Can’t I get myself sorted out first and then—?”

“Explain.”

“Why are you in such a rush?!”

“Explain.”

“C’mon.”

Hope dragged out the last syllable, grumbling, then clicked his tongue.

“Fine, fine. You’re so stubborn.”

With every word Hope spoke, the mass of magic quivered faintly.

With magic that dense, I wondered if even people who couldn’t normally see it would be able to now. The magic had clumped so tightly it had become a solid mass. If you compress gas, it becomes liquid—why should magic be any different?

“Um… so…”

“Don’t dodge the question. Explain properly.”

“I’m not dodging—why are you so impatient?!”

“Do I look like I’m not in a hurry?”

“Ugh…”

Hope seemed at a loss for words, his hands fluttering helplessly.

“…Where’s Sandra?”

After all that hesitation, that’s what he asked? I snorted.

“This is the school, isn’t it? That woman said so earlier.”

“That woman? Oh.”

Shin Minseo had said she spoke with Hope during the brief moment he was awake.

“How’s Sandra? Is she doing all right?”

“If you’re just asking about her well-being, she’s fine.”

I pictured the engineer hugging her computer tower as if it were a sacred relic. When the Dasun Hunter offered to help carry it, Gamble had flatly refused. Even in the car, she’d kept it on her lap, treating it with utmost care.

“She’s still at the school?”

“No. Why would I leave her here when things are like this? Everyone’s evacuated.”

“Everyone? There’s no one left?”

“Except me.”

“Why didn’t you run?”

“To clean up after you.”

Hope didn’t say anything more, but he tried to nod at my words. Or tried to, anyway.

Looks like he could only move his hands. I glanced aside. His legs, not swallowed by the magic, were twitching left and right. So, his feet too.

“Wait… so if there’s no one else, there’s no mage either? That scary archmage?”

Kim Chaemin? Why is he asking about her?

“No.”

“Oh… that’s a problem.”

Hope sounded genuinely flustered.

“I need a mage.”

“A mage? Why?”

“…Never mind.”

Hope fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.

“You can see magic, right? Good, then you’ll be able to manage somehow.”

He muttered something under his breath, then slapped his palm on the bed sheet.

“Are you good with chopsticks?”

“…What?”

It was a completely unexpected question.

“Or with a knife?”

“Depends on the kind of knife.”

“As long as you can handle it! Good, good. Now, let’s see.”

“I told you to explain properly.”

“Man, you’re so impatient. Is it because you’re Korean? I heard Koreans are all impatient.”

“That’s a stereotype.”

“Okay, okay. So picky. Then is it because you’re human?”

“You said you’re human too.”

“Right. That’s why I’m impatient too!”

Hope burst out laughing. The mass of magic suddenly rippled.

“I’ll explain, I will. I don’t know if I’ll do as good a job as Sandra, but… Oh, right.”

The quivering mass was revolting. It looked like a hunk of flesh, streaked with blood. If only it were a different color.

“What do you want me to be?”

Hope couldn’t explain. I knew that, but my irritation spiked.

“What?”

“Am I dead?”

I barely managed to keep up with Hope’s train of thought. That was only possible because I was the one listening.

Before falling into a coma, Hope had come here from Boston after fighting some unknown monster. He’d been so badly wounded it took dozens of potions to patch him up.

The last thing Hope said to me before losing consciousness was that he was dead. I’d handled things accordingly.

“Yeah. We even held a funeral.”

“Oh. A funeral? I always wanted to attend my own funeral!”

If he ever saw what his beloved mother looked like at that funeral, he wouldn’t be so glib.

Whether it was fortunate or not, Alex Hope’s funeral had made headlines around the world. Even if not the whole thing, parts of it were easy to find in news clips.

I told Hope as much, feeling a bit strange.

“Why not ask Dr. Gamble to show you the video later?”

“Did Sandra go to the funeral?”

Hope asked in surprise.

“Oh no. I’m really going to get scolded.”

Now you realize…? Never mind.

“Anyway, you’re dead.”

“Good. Noah won’t want to think about me now that I’m dead, and Henry… he probably won’t believe it, but he won’t do anything openly either.”

Hope’s hand started moving energetically again. Even unable to move his body, he was noisy as ever.

“So now I’ve got a card to play from this side, right?”

“You? That’s some confidence.”

“Aw, come on!”

But I didn’t deny his words.

We’re in no position to turn down any advantage. Noah Michel’s magic is already enough of a headache. With Hope’s abilities, the possibilities are endless.

“So, what do you want me to be?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Uh, hmm. How should I put it? What should I be?”

“You’re asking me?”

“I just thought you’d know even if I didn’t say it…”

How would I know if he doesn’t say it? If not for that ominous mass of magic, I’d have hit him. Hard. Actually, I still want to.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. There’ll be a chance.

Hope groaned, then finally spoke.

“Look.”

“At what?”

“It’s… a kind of crossroads. That’s what this is.”

He curled his hand into a fist, then extended his index finger to point at the mass of magic writhing above him.

“You know I’ve been moving around a lot, right?”

“Like coming from Boston to here? Yeah.”

“That’s… one of my old abilities. In terms of this world, it’s a monster’s power.”

“Didn’t you say you were human?”

“I can’t deny my past!”

Hope said, smiling brightly. I really can’t hit him.

Whether he knew I was conflicted or not, Hope continued nonchalantly.

“Still, as I grew up, my powers weakened. Even without this incident, they would have disappeared soon.”

“This incident?”

“My wings got torn from pushing myself too hard to move. That’s why I ended up like this. Crossing the Pacific was just too much, no matter what.”

Wings. So, wings.

Hope went on.

“It’s easier to spy on Noah with wings, you know.”

“You can’t use that power without wings?”

“Of course not.”

Hope’s tone was as if to say, what kind of question is that?

“So it’s better to have wings…”

“Right?”

It’s a useful ability to have in a pinch. He’s already dead, so it’s easy to put him to work, and even with his flashy personality, he managed to smuggle out the lab kids, so he knows how to move quietly.

The more cards I have to play, the better.

But Hope’s way of speaking made me uneasy. It sounded almost like he was asking for my permission.

And that talk of a crossroads.

Why do they all end up leaving the decision to me? At least Hong Seok-young does it out of laziness, but Hope…

“What happens if you have wings?”

“Huh?”

“And what happens if you don’t?”

“…I wouldn’t be able to move around like this anymore, I guess?”

“That’s all?”

Hope fell silent.

Which meant it was definitely not all.

“Tell me.”

“…Humans don’t have wings.”

“Of course.”

“No wings. Humans.”

Hope repeated it once more.

Humans don’t have wings. So what is a human with wings?

Not a human?

I let out a sigh.

There was someone who used to insist, over and over, that they were human. A boy with an androgynous appearance, who spoke of love with an ecstatic face.

“What do you want to be?”

“Hm?”

“Seems to me you should be asking yourself that, not me.”

“……”

Am I supposed to be giving career advice to someone who isn’t even my student?

I glared at the pulsating mass of magic. Since I couldn’t hit Hope, it was all I could do.

“Don’t push it off on others. Decide for yourself what you want to be.”

Hope clenched his fist tightly.