Catching up with the folks at home

Neo hasn't come back. It's been a few days, you know? Did he get kidnapped? Who can possibly kidnap someone like him? Or could it be... did he leave for good? Did he not like us? Was I too annoying? Neo... I'm sorry for being annoying, but I miss you... if you're going to leave, at least say goodbye....

Me and my parents are eating dinner. The room is silent. The dinner is typical. Rice, miss soup, some fried eggs, and pickled radish. Could it be... did he get tired of eating meager food? It's totally possible! I mean, who wouldn't grow tired of eating something like this every day? Except for me...

[Mom, do you think Neo left?]

My mother looks at me with a bitter smile.

[I'm not sure, Seol-ah. But it's Neo's life, so he gets to do whatever he wants with it. We can't stop him if he wants to leave.]

She's right... it's Neo's life. He can leave if he wants. If I had known this would happen, I would have spent more time with him... cherished the time I had with him more...

[Aw, did my little girl fall in love for the first time?]

My father tried to cheer me up, but hers ended up making me feel more sad.

[Dear....!]

[Ack, I'm sorry, I'm sorry honey!!]

My mother pinches his thigh with an irritated look on her face. Father apologizes in pain. Our family dynamics have always been like this. My father does something silly, and mother ends up scolding him for it. I wonder how they met? How they fell in love? Would I be like my mother some day?

Suddenly, the door swings open. Our house is small, so we can see the door from our dinner table.

[I'm back.]

That voice..! Those lifeless eyes! That empty expression! He's back! Neo came back!!

I immediately run up to him and jump onto him. I'm already crying before I knew it.

[Neoooo!! You're finally back!!]

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Seol-ah is crying. Just like last time. Do 16 year olds usually break down this often?

[I'm back, young lady. Is there something wrong..?]

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Author's note- by the way, Neo calls Seol-ah agassi, which means young miss or young lady.

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[Uaaaaaah..!!! I missed youuu..!!!]

Missed me? For what reason? Ah, I think she's reopening a wound... I'm flexing my chakra right now to keep my wound sealed.

[Neo! What happened to your body? You're covered in bandages!]

Oh, right. That blonde lady... Sharon, was it? She patched me up. Mrs. Yoo sounds a bit panicked.

[I came across some trouble.]

[What kind of trouble can get you that injured?! ]

[... I came across a few things in a dungeon.]

[You were in a dungeon this whole time? You must be tired. Come on in, Neo.]

At her words, I try to walk in, but... Seol-ah is still clinging to me and crying.

[Young lady... can I come in?]

She's still crying. No response. I guess I'll just wait here for a bit.

After a few minutes, Seol-ah finally stops crying and lets go of me. She's still got watery eyes that might burst again any time.

[Hic... don't leave.... Neo...]

What is this girl talking about? Why would I leave? This place is so nice and peaceful.

[I'm not going anywhere.]

[Hic... really?]

[Yes.]

She wipes her tears and looks up at me with big, teary eyes. Her pink eyes seem to shine with... actually, I'm not sure what emotion that is.

[Neo, you must be hungry right? Come on in, have some dinner. It might not be much, but it's better than nothing.]

I'm not exactly hungry... but there's no reason to not take in some nutrients. I can survive without them, but it's never bad to consume some when I have the time.

I sit down on the dinner table and Mrs. Yoo brings me some Miso soup and rice. As I eat, the Yoos sit down on the dinner table and they resume their meal too. The atmosphere seems to have lightened up.

[So, Neo, where were you this whole time?]

Should I tell them the truth? Or just make something up? Hm...

[I was really worried about you, Neo.]

Seol-ah tells me shyly from beside me. Worried? About me? Why? Is she lying? I don't think she would lie... but everyone lies. I look into her eyes. Her heartbeat is... abnormal. It's racing. She must be lying. It's getting faster by the second. Her face is flushing too. Yup. She must be lying.

[I just got lost in a dungeon.]

[What? For days?]

Mr. Yoo sounds surprised and skeptical.

[Yes. As you know, I'm only a C rank. I got stuck in a B rank dungeon so I didn't have the leisure to look for a way out.]

[I see... but Neo, you sure have a knack for finding dungeons. Most adventurers would rarely find a dungeon to enter in a month...]

[Then how do they make money?]

[Adventurers usually just take normal commissions and defeat monsters that cause problems in our world.]

I see. Wait, how come gates don't just pop up in the middle of cities? That would be troublesome.

[Why don't any gates form in the city?]

Seol-ah speaks up to answer.

[Settlements usually have a protective barrier around it that prevents gates from forming. An archbishop has to come and bless that settlement to obtain divine protection from gates.]

[I see. Then dungeons only form outside cities... then why do people even bother with them?]

[Dungeons are like a mine, you see. You can get a lot of money from magic stones that monsters drop! But the other reason is that gates can sometimes explode and open up a dome. In that dome, the dungeon is manifested and all resources that were in that area are contaminated and unusable. Those domes are called Corruptions. And, monsters in those corruptions respawn even if you kill them and it becomes a living nightmares. Monsters can come out of the Corruptions and attack settlements nearby. S rank gates tend to become a corruption within a month of its opening. That's why it's absolutely necessary for S rank dungeons to be cleared in a month.]

Interesting. Then that gate was going to become a Corruption. I would have liked to see what one would look like...

[A.ny.ways. Neo, don't you have something to say? At least, to my daughter? She was worried sick about you, Neo.]

...? Do I have to say something? Hm... she was worried sick. That must be a clue. Wait, worried sick? For me? I was only gone for a few days. Did she really worry?

[....]

So, what am I supposed to say?

[... you don't have to worry about me.]

Ah. I think I got it wrong. I just saw a flash of irritation pass by in Mrs. Yoo's face. I should just finish my meal and go back to my room.

I quickly finish my meal and stand up. I put the plate and bowl into the sink and I go back to my room.

... it's quiet. I don't smell any blood. It smells fresh. Looks like Mrs. Yoo kept this place tidy.

I sit on the floor, leaning back against the bed.

My body still isn't moving well. I'm still moving using my Chakra. How long is this going to last? I need to recover at least my ability to move without my Chakra. The connection between my brain and my Chakra is stable. And what I'm doing right now is carrying the electrical signals of my brain to various parts of my body through my chakra pathways to make it move. Normally, my body would move on its own even if my body can't send signals because I my nerves have been so badly destroyed repeatedly that my body started gaining the ability to move on its own based on my thoughts even if the signals don't reach them. That guy who did this to me... maybe that crushing force he exerted caused my body numbed my entire body. If my body won't move on its own... I'll just wake it up. I'll start with using my Chakra to create electrical shocks throughout my body... I think this is called electrotherapy. The voltage is a lot higher than normal electrotherapy though. I'm shocking myself in quick, separate intervals. Ah, my arms. I can move them now. I'll up the speed and voltage... and there. I can move my body now.... my brain can send out signals on its own, and my body's instincts have return too. Phew. But I still can't call any energy other than Chakra... I can't even think of what the reason for that would be. I guess that means only chakra for a while... which means no teleporting. What a pain.

Knock Knock

[Come in.]

Seol-ah peeks her head through the doorway.

[You can come in.]

[Ah, okay.]

Seol-ah comes in and sits down in front of me after closing the door behind her.

[What is it?]

[Uhm... Neo... are you really okay? You have a lot of bandages on you...]

[Like I said earlier, I'm fine.]

[Oh... okay... Neo, you were lying earlier, right? About getting lost in a B rank dungeon?]

.... how did she notice? Seol-ah looks into my eyes deeply.

[....]

[Why did you lie? Is it something you can't tell us?]

[.... no.]

[Then why...? Do you not trust us...?]

I just didn't want to shock them since they were making such a big deal out of S rank dungeons... they'll also probably freak out if they learned of my meeting with Sharon.

[... do you still want to know?]

[Yes, I do. Please tell me.]

Seol-ah looks like she's prepared to hear the story. I begin telling her about how I entered an S rank dungeon and cleared it but almost died. And then the rest of the story. I leave a few parts out though. Like how I met that guy who incapacitated me. Or about how I can't use anything other than Chakra. I just told her I fainted for a few days.

[Eeeeeh?! You met Sharon-nim?!]

...nim? Does she look up to her?

[Yes. Is that a problem?]

[Wooow!! I'm so jealous, Neo! Sharon-nim is so cool! I wish I can meet her... she's super pretty, right? She's really confident and dashing! And she's super strong too!]

.... I see.

[She's the second strongest out of all the 6 commanders! Isn't that amazing? There are stories about how she defeated a horde of rampant wyverns in the North by herself and her clearing A rank dungeons with ease!]

It really looks like Seol-ah likes Sharon. Her eyes are sparkling right now.

[So Sharon-nim helped you get better?]

.... I didn't really need her to do what she did. I would have healed naturally over time. But Seol-ah's eyes are sparkling. I felt like I should just say yes. Well, she did help me out of the dungeon.

[... you can say that.]

[Aww, I'm so jealous! If I got to meet Sharon-nim in person, much less have her touch me, I would be so happy!]

She's in a really excited state. All her excitement is making me tired. Is that all she has to say? Then I'll ask her to leave.

[Can yo-]

[Oh, right! Neo, can I see your wounds?]

[Why?]

[Just because... is that a no?]

[I don't mind... but it's not a pleasant sight. It's gross.]

[Still. I want to know... just how much you were hurt.]

[....]

I take off my shirt and take off all the bandages. Ah, my wound healed already. There's a scary, though. I'll have to cover it up with mana again later. Hide it along with all my other-

Seol-ah covers her mouth and gasps. Her eyes water up again. Is she going to cry again? I don't feel like dealing with another breakdown...

[A.... are you... really okay?]

[Yes.]

[But.... this scar... it's so horrible....]

A single teardrop flows down her cheeks. At least she's crying quietly this time.

[Can I... touch?]

[Okay.]

Seol-ah gently reaches out and traces my scar lightly. It stands across my left shoulder to my right thigh.

[Does it... hurt?]

[No.]

Seol-ah purses her lips and retracts her hand. She looks really... scared. Ah... I haven't seen that expression in a while. A look of fear from others. Looking at me as if I were a monster. Well, I guess I am a monster.

[I'm... sorry for taking your time, Neo. I'll go back to my room now.]

Seol-ah stands up and walks out of the room in a hurry. Wow. I guess she's scared of me now. Here I thought I could try to hold affection for this household... I guess this means I should leave soon. If she's that scared from seeing just a few scars, then she would have fainted if she saw what my body really looked like.

I put my shirt back on. I try to cover my body with a layer of mana to cover up my scars. Oh... right. I can't use mana right now. Doing this with chakra is really inefficient.. whatever. I'll just cover it up later on when I can use mana again. If that time comes.

-----------------------

I close the door behind me. My eyes are watering. Neo... just how much did you have to suffer to have a wound that terrible? I'm scared.... I'm scared of you getting hurt. Neo... I don't want you to get hurt...

More tears flowed from my eyes. A massive scar at least 3 centimeters thick spanning from his left shoulder to his right thigh. Another scar, slightly thinner, cutting across him on this torso, all around from his abs to his back. Numerous circular scars on his guts. Thin, jagged scars from his chest to up his neck. Scars mapped his entire body. How could someone survive that...? He shouldn't be alive. With that much damage, he's supposed to he dead...

But I'm so glad he made it. I'm so happy he's alive. And... so afraid of what more he might have to go through. Neo... just who are you?

Ah, this isn't good. I'm crying again. I should go take a bath....

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Hello, it's me again. Sharon. You can tell by now by my voice, right? Wait, who am I even talking to?

I'm kneeling in front of the king, with Brunheart and Jin kneeling in the same position at my sides. We just finished our investigation and came back to report to the king.

[Brunheart, you report first.]

[Yes, your majesty. I unfortunately did not find anything significant. I saw blood splattered everywhere in the boss room and the area in front of the boss room, but none before that. There are traces of destruction everywhere in the boss room and I saw an empty golden armor on the floor. There were craters on the floor and I also saw a crater on the ceiling. I collected some blood from the site.]

[I see. Sharon, you're next. What did you discover?]

[Yes, your majesty! There were no traces of destruction anywhere before the area of the boss room. Another thing I discovered is that monsters were most likely killed by what they specialized in. For example, the knights who used swords were cut up. Archers had holes in their armor, as if they had been hit by an arrow. Mages were burned badly, and assassins had multiple shallow cuts in their armor, indicating they were attacked by short daggers. I have also collected some blood from the site.]

And... I also found a man covered in blood walking around like a zombie... but I promised Neo I would keep it a secret! I never break promises, so I can't tell the king... I'm sorry, your majesty!

[Is that all you found out?]

[Yes, your majesty. I apologize for my incompetence.]

[No matter. You've done your best. Jin. Did you find anything these two haven't already mentioned?]

[Yes, your majesty. I saw someone in that dungeon.]

???!! He did?! Why didn't he tell us earlier?! Don't tell me he saw Neo?!

[Hm? Go on.]

[When we went there for the first time, I saw a man in the corner of the boss room, dying. I didn't recover the corpse because I doubted whether the man was a human or monster. But when I went back this time, he was gone. I think he got up and escaped on his own. I also found some cold water on the floor of the boss room. I think he can use ice attribute magic. There was no one else there, so he was either abandoned by his party, or his party was annihilated, or he cleared the dungeon by himself.]

He's talking about Neo! Neo was abandoned by his party... poor Neo. But more than that, oh no! Jin already knew about Neo! What do I do... well, I only promised him I wouldn't tell anyone, so it doesn't matter what Jin says, right?

[I see... do you remember what he looked like, Jin?]

[I could not make out his face because of the blood. All I remember is that his hair was white.]

[I see... if you ever see that man again, bring him straight to the palace and interrogate him.]

[Yes, your majesty.]

Eep! If they find Neo, they're gonna interrogate him...! This is bad... I'm sorry, Neo! I'll pray that Jin never finds you!

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I'm Rowan Dorgont. I'm finally healed after the efforts of many doctors and priests. I can finally go beat up that peasant...! I don't know his name, but I know Seol-ah... if he punched a noble for that girl, then he must be close to her. I'll capture Seol-ah and lure him out...!! Hehe.... just you wait, peasant. I'll make you pay for humiliating me!!

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It's late night. I'm closing my eyes in bed. I don't sleep, I only rest my body. I open my eyes and look up at the ceiling. That noble I punched. He's probably all healed by now. Given his rotten personality, he will probably try to get revenge. He doesn't know my name or where I live, so he'll probably send some people to capture Seol-ah. I can go kill him right now, even though I've been weakened, but I want to believe in the possibility that he may just wimp out and not do anything. But I have a bad feeling about this... let's hope I'm wrong.