Chapter 153 – Narcissism (Two)

That day, the boy remembered.

The terror he had felt at the hands of that bastard.

The humiliation of being utterly defeated by a dictionary.

‘What kind of crazy bastard is that…!’

Thanks to growing up fighting in the streets since childhood, he prided himself on knowing how to handle most weapons perfectly.

Wooden planks, iron pipes, clubs.

Knives, bricks, whips, etc.

The slightly more skilled ones sometimes used things like knuckle dusters or nunchucks.

But he could say with certainty.

‘No one ever used a dictionary as a weapon…!’

He couldn’t even begin to grasp how to counter it.

Just seeing that square, angular object made his eyes well up, his hands and feet tremble, and his breathing grow ragged.

‘Do people in the Mage Tower normally fight with books? Is it because it’s a place for pursuing knowledge?’

Suddenly, a past conversation with his teacher flashed through his mind.

「Books are stronger than fists.」

「What does that mean?」

「You’re quite good with your body. Why don’t you learn magic from me? Then you can become much stronger.」

It was their first meeting, in a back alley.

He had been beating up some kids who had picked a fight with him on the street.

‘So that’s what it meant. It was a proverb about the superiority of equipment.’

A tear welled up in his eye.

Then, there was no way his knuckle dusters could defeat that bastard’s dictionary.

Proverbs were like immutable laws that applied everywhere in the world.

Ah… the Mage Tower.

‘It was a terrifying place.’

While the boy’s mind constructed the Mage Tower as a place where people sparred with books and boasted about their thickness.

“Haa…! Haa…!”

Rough breaths escaped his lips.

He couldn’t even remember how long he had been running, tearing through every corner of the mansion.

His heart felt like it would burst any moment, but.

Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud!

‘That bastard doesn’t even get tired…!’

Because of the fierce footsteps echoing behind him, he couldn’t stop for even a second.

Fortunately, he was faster than his opponent and made good use of the mansion’s layout, so he hadn’t been caught yet.

But with his stamina steadily decreasing, it was a situation where he could be caught at any moment.

‘Should I just apologize and say I was wrong?’

Then maybe I could avoid getting hit in the head with that deadly weapon?

Despite his ferocious appearance, maybe he’s someone you can reason with?

But wait, what did I do wrong?

‘He’s the one who did wrong.’

Just as a surge of anger was rising within him.

“Ain, is that you?”

“Why are you running like that?”

“Hey! What are you doing, not cleaning?”

The voices of the Class C kids doing chores reached him.

“Th-there’s someone chasing me from behind!”

“Isn’t that the Mage Tower guy? Are they fighting?”

“Is Ain losing and being chased?”

Ain’s eyebrow twitched.

“No way. It’s Ain we’re talking about, not just anyone else. That one-sidedly?”

“There was a rumor yesterday that he fought 10 against 1 against that Mage Tower guy and lost.”

“Eh, that can’t be. Even so, Ain is in Class B.”

He felt his eyes widening.

In an instant, the confidence he had forgotten surged back.

Who was he?

A bit lacking in theory, but when it came to practical combat, recognized by everyone in the mansion as the next best after the direct disciples—a super rookie.

Also, a man of romance from the cold Sector who deliberately stayed in Class B to protect his Noona, even though he had the skill to easily rise to Class A.

‘I lost?’

It was clearly a mistake.

If they fought again, the result would definitely be 360 degrees different from yesterday.

The moment he regained belief in himself.

Oooong—!

The Sky Blue Mana inside his Ring, which had been temporarily inactive, began to stir and move gently again.

Ooooooong—!

Following the anger, a scene from the past replayed in his head.

The ice sculpture with a drop of blood flowing down it.

The vicious bastard threatening his Noona.

‘This bastard…! Hurt my Noona…!’

Grrrrind!

I’ll show you what I’m made of…!

To the point you’ll regret being born…!

Screeeech— Thud!

Ain, who had abruptly stopped his feet, spun his body around in a circle.

The moment he saw his expressionless opponent charging from the other end of the hallway at a terrifying speed, and the deadly weapon in his hand.

Spin.

He turned his body again and resumed his escape.

‘I’ll show you what I’m made of next time.’

I’m busy today.

Originally, everything has its proper time and season.

For now, that day just wasn’t today.

Thud thud thud thud thud—!

At the very same moment this chase was unfolding.

Ray was intently watching the Sky Blue Mana flowing through Ain’s body.

‘The Sky Blue Mana is transforming into wind and accelerating his movements.’

So that kind of utilization is possible too.

Ray inwardly marveled and drew Sky Blue Mana from the atmosphere.

The moment Sky Blue Mana spread throughout his entire body and transformed into magic.

Whoooosh—!

A massive wind explosively pushed Ray’s body forward.

He felt so light he might fly, and the distance to his prey—no, specimen—rapidly closed.

“……!”

Ain, who briefly turned his head and witnessed the sight, had his pupils dyed with terror.

The moment the distance was less than 5 meters.

Slam—!

Ain opened the laundry room door and went in.

The series of actions that followed were as quick as lightning.

Bang—! Clank!

After slamming the door shut and locking it.

He even applied Locking Magic as a double layer.

Slam!

He hurriedly ran and left the door on the opposite side open.

Tap tap tap!

Finally, he got into one of the large laundry baskets in the corner and buried himself.

‘Done.’

Even he thought it was perfect.

His opponent would surely check that the laundry room was empty and leave through the open door on the other side.

Thud thud thud— Thud, thud.

The footsteps stopped in front of the door.

‘Still, it’ll take him a minute to unlock it. I need to catch my breath for a bit…’

Just as he was thinking that.

Click!

……?

Ain’s chest, which had been starting to calm down, began racing again.

‘What? I locked it in a hurry, but the Locking Magic was perfect?’

It was bewildering.

But it didn’t disrupt the plan.

His opponent wouldn’t realize he was hiding here anyway.

‘It’s the spot I always use when slacking off. I’ve never been caught by anyone before.’

Just as he was thinking that.

Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—

Footsteps approached without a hint of hesitation.

……?

It was bewildering.

But it didn’t disrupt the plan.

Even if he suspected the baskets, he wouldn’t be able to immediately find which one he was hiding in among so many choices.

‘He’ll check a few and then leave. He wouldn’t search this whole place.’

Just as he was thinking that.

Thud.

The footsteps that had stopped right in front showed no intention of moving even as time passed.

…….

It was bewildering.

But it didn’t disrupt the plan….

“Uwaaaaah! Die, you bastard!”

Ain burst up through the laundry.

Ayla flinched upon seeing Ray return with Ain tucked under his arm.

“Did you kill him…?”

“He’s alive.”

Looking closely, his chest was moving.

He was definitely breathing.

“I’ve never seen anyone do this to Ain and drag him back. It’s usually the opposite case… if anything, it’s the opposite case. Well, you did beat 10 of us at once…”

While Ayla was bewildered.

Ray sat Ain against the wall and examined the Ring’s Mana.

Perhaps because its owner was unconscious, the Sky Blue Mana had temporarily ceased activity.

‘I probably need to wake him up first to observe anything.’

Just as Ray thought that and began generating a large amount of cold water droplets in the air.

“Wh-what are you trying to do?”

Ayla, who was watching, asked.

“Trying to wake him up.”

“If that’s the case, there’s another way. I’ll do it.”

Ayla approached, bent her knees, and took a small, measured breath.

Then she whispered into her younger brother’s ear.

“Ain! Help me! Someone’s trying to hurt m…!”

“What bastard!”

Instantly, Ain shot up, eyes blazing, and looked around.

Then his eyes met Ray’s, and he almost plopped back down.

He barely pulled himself together, grabbed Ayla, and backed away ten steps from the dangerous entity.

“Noona! Your hands! Are your hands okay? That murderous weapon with no blood or tears is the one who harmed you, right? Right?”

Ayla calmed Ain down.

“No. It was my mistake that got cut. Heiler actually used Healing Magic on me.”

“It was Noona’s mistake that got cut?”

“Yes. You misunderstood.”

While the two were talking, Ray calmly observed their emotions.

They were similar yet different.

First, they were the same in that they possessed emotions far more diverse than ordinary people.

‘But the central color is different.’

Ain had Sky Blue Mana.

Ayla had Blue Mana.

Unlike Ain, whose every emotion moved freely as if flowing on the wind around the Sky Blue Mana.

Most of Ayla’s emotions were trapped, unable to move, stuck to the Blue Mana spread like ice over her Vessel.

Also, even the same emotions had distinctly different directions.

‘Both of them harbor White Mana.’

White Mana associated with the emotion of worry.

In Ain’s case, the White Mana was directed towards both himself and his Noona.

In Ayla’s case, it excluded herself and was directed solely towards her younger brother.

…I think they said they were biological siblings.

Did they have different upbringings?

Ray, curious, asked right away.

“You two are biological siblings, right?”

“Yes. That’s right. A 3-year age difference. I’m 17. Ain is 14.”

“Can you tell me how you two grew up?”

“Hmm, it’s not a difficult request…”

“Noona, you don’t need to answer that bastard.”

Judging by the address being upgraded to ‘bastard,’ it seemed the misunderstanding was cleared up.

“He definitely used Healing Magic with ulterior motives. Dirty wolf bastards. Guys who approach after seeing Noona’s face, where have I only seen one or two?”

It seemed not.

However, the word Ray reacted to was different from ‘wolf’ or ‘ulterior motives.’

“Not ‘bastard,’ but Hyung.”

“What…?”

“Hyung. I’m older than you.”

For Ray, it was a response ingrained to an instinctual level.

During his time under the bridge, one of the most important things for maintaining the pack was establishing hierarchy and addressing titles.

Ain looked at Ray with a ‘what kind of guy is this’ expression and said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve never called anyone Hyung in my life. Do you think I’m that easy of a guy?”

Ray picked up his dictionary.

“But it’s a problem easily solved if you call me Hyung-nim, not Hyung. They’re different words. Right, Heiler Hyung-nim?”

Ayla, who was listening, asked.

“Heiler, how old are you, by any chance?”

“16.”

“Then I’m your Noona.”

“…….”

“Noona, me.”

Ayla pointed at herself with her finger and stared intently at Ray.

So, Ray picked up his dictionary.

“Ahem, I think things like titles aren’t important at all. Heiler, just call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Afterwards, Ayla began to speak about her and Ain’s childhood.

“We grew up in a lower-class family. It was almost close to poverty.”

She said both their father and mother were alive, but both were people who couldn’t properly fulfill their parental roles.

Their father was a gambling addict who was always drunk and causing trouble.

Their mother was a luxury addict who was always looking to latch onto a rich man, ready to abandon the family and leave at any time.

Ain clicked his tongue at that part.

“They were trash. Couldn’t even act like proper people.”

“Ain…! You can’t say that. They were still our father and mother.”

“I don’t acknowledge those humans as parents. I only stuck around the house because of Noona, otherwise I would’ve run away and lived on the streets long ago.”

Ain was extremely firm.

As if his thoughts about his parents were a non-negotiable point.

“…….”

Ayla looked at her younger brother with a pitying gaze and continued the story.

It was a very precarious household.

But she and Ain started going out to work on the streets from a young age, so they somehow managed to sustain it.

Ain spoke from the side.

“Noona’s foolish too. What was so great about those humans that she fed and supported them.”

“Ain, please…! We were family.”

Ain looked at his Noona as if he couldn’t understand her, then continued.

“Anyway, there’s nothing Noona and I haven’t done on the streets. Selling gum, shoe shining, newspaper delivery, dishwashing. We set up stalls and sold things, worked as servers in restaurants. Sometimes we even delivered dangerous items in back alleys.”

At the last sentence, he glanced at Ray.

His eyes said, ‘I’m this amazing and dangerous guy.’

The reaction came from the other side first.

“You…! I told you not to do such dangerous work. Don’t tell me you’ve been doing it behind my back all along?”

“Not all along, just sometimes. And if you know the tricks, it’s not as dangerous as you think.”

Both siblings were sharper than their peers and possessed tenacity and fierce determination.

The cause and effect weren’t clear.

Was it because they had to grow up early that they developed such traits?

Or was it because they were born with such traits that they could be mature?

But in the end, the siblings were able to adapt to the streets—not easily, but not with extreme difficulty either.

Of course, there were dangerous times.

「You son of a bitch! You’re the son of that bastard Felton from the brick house on 132nd Street! Like father, like son!」

Sometimes they were pointed at.

And at such times.

—Thwack! Wham! Thwack!

「Urk! Uuurgh!」

Ain would later use any means necessary to break that finger so it could never point again.

「So what? I’m an uneducated bastard, got a problem with that?」

It was an action to prevent such words from ever reaching his Noona’s ears later.

He himself didn’t care what people around him said.

Parents were parents.

He was himself.

Even though he had been tossed and broken by the world, becoming not a gem but an angular stone.

「This is me, so what?」

The boy was always proud of his appearance.

He took pride in it.

In a way, he loved it.

He also thought it was a shape, though not glamorous, that was extremely suitable for surviving in the world.

To deal with the crazy bastards swarming the world, you had to become a crazy bastard yourself.

“Anyway, so, I like who I am.”

At that moment.

Oooooooong—!*

The Sky Blue Mana contained in Ain’s Vessel expanded uncontrollably.

The moment enlightenment came to Ray was also that moment.