M E M O R I Z E Chapter 71

"Be quiet."

As soon as I'd said that, Vivian bit down on her lip. She still looked at me with eagerness in her eyes, as though she hadn't lost all hope yet. Suddenly, I recalled something from the vacant place; I recalled the memory of Jung Ji Yeon. She also hoped for something; please save me… kill me. That was something only she would know. However, Vivian was different. She was sure about what she wanted.

From what I saw in the detailed information that I had obtained previously, the rare classes and abilities were adhered. Magic to 92 points. It was a really good ability to use later in the future. And the other stats were also good for a mage. Although it wasn't enough to get a user into the < Top 10 > or the top players, it had been issued gratis.

The problem was that one bottle of elixir had already been consumed. I couldn't buy it again using GP; after all, I had already paid 77,777 GP and purchased the hidden items. Since there was no way to save it again, I won't use it again, and it wasn't a necessity.

I know how to get two more bottles of elixir in the future. I can not go now, but I definitely remember it. And Yoo Hyun left two bottles of Elixir for his brother and Han Soo Young, but they were to be used in the worst kind of situations. I don't want to use them in the first place.

I took a look at Vivian's abilities post-recovery. [ Strength  48] [ Durability 50] [Dexterity 56] [ Stamina 45] [ Power  92] [ Luck 74]. If she was lucky she can get one or more points for power. It was obvious that this kind of talent would be helpful for our party if she joined from the beginning. She could fill the empty slot of the wizard in our group.

The possibility that there could be two rare classes was the best thing. If I used the book that Vivian had given me, it could prove useful for two jobs. And Vivian, who had learned a lot about its uses and how effective it was, would be a good mentor for the future players.

I felt my thoughts leaning towards a side. As a player, the encumbrance of death wasn't little, so I wasn't going to hold back on the demands I had planned for her. After calculating various possibilities, I turned to Vivian with a soft smile.

"Vivian."

"Yes?"

She nodded, as I donned a nonchalant expression. As I gazed at her, I couldn't help but admire her beauty, especially when I had seen her naked. Her hair was long and dark; her eyes were silver-colored, and her white skin had no cracks or freckles. I felt her shrink as my gaze lingered on her glowing body. She seemed really nervous.

"If you are an Alchemist, you'll know about the law of equivalent exchange.

"That… one. Exchanging things of equal value…"

“Yes. You have given what you could, so I decided to spare you. That was an equivalent exchange. Now, on the other hand, If I am to give you your old life back, what can you offer?”

"But… But."

“I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough. I can heal you, and I probably can restore your lost power. Not as the spider, but a genuine opportunity to return to your human form.”

"Ho—How?"

Upon hearing my words, Vivian's pupils trembled visibly. I was rather surprised that she seemed to express regret that she became a spider without knowing it. Once the first button was done, I whispered in her ear with a more subtle voice. I grasped her head with one hand and her back with the other. Her body got worse with every action I took.

“You'll understand when you see it. If I give you your life back; help you regain your lost power, and return you back to the human you once were, you would have to pay the equivalent price.

"—What do you want? You do understand that, right now, I have nothing to give to you…"

"No, there's still one more left."

I poked my finger into her back and her stomach. Her skin split, but I paid no mind; after all, I could fix that with a bottle of Elixir, anyway. Although Vivian was sad, she understood my words. Now was the time to choose.

A moment of silence ensued. However, I could tell that Vivian had a passion for life, and I smiled in satisfaction when Vivian weakly nodded her head.

"Listen to my words very clearly from now on. Okay?"

"…okay."

Vivian didn't know why I sounded so dangerous, so she could only answer me with a low voice.

I picked the two cocoons which had users within it and went to the vacant lot alongside Vivian. There were four cocoons in the lot, and I swiftly severed the threads wrapped around the cocoons, releasing the kids. Upon their release, each kid would look at me and jump out of the cocoon in excitement.

After a short break, the kids began showing interest in the remaining two cocoons and Vivian, Their interest in Vivian was a pressing problem, so I was a bit worried; however, Vivian behaved much better than I had imagined.

“So, you're saying a bad wizard turned you into a spider a long time ago?”

"Huh. That's right. The man put the nucleus inside my body, turning me into a spider."

"But… even if you turned into a spider, you must remember…. killing players, and creating dungeons, right?"

“Once I had turned into a spider, I could reverse the transformation, so I just hunt anyone I see. The transformation also caused by intelligence to deteriorate. This was further worsened due to the adverse effect of the monster nucleus. I have a clear memory, but my view was clouded. If i were human, I would have never done those things.”

"Hmm…"

Yoo-Jung glanced at with a suspicious gaze, before turning towards me. I immediately offered some explanation.

"Her words are true. If it wasn't for Vivian, I'd be dead too. If we hadn't managed to stop her from exhibiting the spider's behavior, we would already be dead.”

Upon hearing my revelation, distress clouded Yoo-Jung's and An Sol's faces. As i watched Vivian who had been behaving really well, I couldn't help but smile. I had deceived the kids with a speech that contained both lies and some truth. If i wanted to add Vivian to the party, some things she had done must remain hidden.

“But, the things you've done; it doesn't change.”

"That's right. I don't want to avoid it, either."

"But what about your body? I think your shoulders and your back is a little cracked….."

An Hyun asked Vivian right before Yoo-Jung could ask a question. She gazed at me and answered immediately.

"Actually, my body is in a very dangerous condition right now. The body did return after the nucleus was extracted, but the burden it had on my body is highly troublesome.”

"Then, are you going to die soon?"

"Looks like it."

"Oh…"

As soon as she mentioned that she may die, the complexion of both kids became complicated. They were confused which was just as i expected. I took a step forward. First, I needed to prevent any more questions.

"First, we need to think about Vivan's condition."

As soon as I spoke up, the kids instantly turned to face me. An Hyun looked surprised, but Yoo-Jung and An Sol both had frowns on their faces. But the kids hadn't gone against my decision since I entered the Hall Plane, and I've no thoughts of going back.

Although recruiting good prospects was always a welcome development, we still needed to move things faster. It was more sensible to hire a player or resident who could power-up immediately, rather than a player who needed a lot of time to grow. Therefore, If Vivian was recruited into our group, the time needed to carry out my plans will reduce by one third.

“Vivian also has a lot of conflicted feelings that she's had to deal with. If one had a chance to live, it should be a life of atonement. Although what she has done so far isn't right, there is still room for reflection, and I really can see signs of deep reflection in her. So, let's go to the city and look for a cure. If we act together, we may succeed. If not, then I can't do anything. Can this be done?”

An Hyun had a look of understanding, but I was worried about Yoo-Jung and Sol, who still had dull looks on their faces. Although it did seem like they had been debating amongst themselves, they had a good nature, and they did save me. Vivian soon said, " I might die soon…" I saw them eventually nod, although they seemed barely convinced.

I heaved a sigh of relief, as though I had just solved a huge problem. Although their suspicions hadn't fully rescinded, I still had to get her into the party; I had almost succeeded that time.

It was the first two players caught by Vivian. I sighed again and diverted the attention of the kids to the lot where the other players lay. In the empty lot, both cocoons contained a male and a female; they were both lying down flat within the cocoons. These were the first players caught by Vivian.

To be honest, it was so much fun to tease Vivian, forbidding her mere existence. Honestly, I had a lot of fun teasing Vivian, forbidding her mere existence. *Maybe if I did not have the voice of Vivian telling me to step out of the aisle, I might have..*

Their breathing indicated that they were still alive, but their faces were quite pale. Two of them wore wizard robes, so their physical abilities probably weren't high. Yoo-Jung looked at them and asked with worry.

"Oppa, these two people haven't died yet, right?"

"They're not dead, but it would be nice to get back to the City as soon as possible."

"I know the shortcut."

As Vivian lifted her hand and offered, Yoo-Jung just sighed

"Hmm. You speak well, but they are only like this because of you."

Vivian's face turned red, but she bit down on her lip and endured the anger. I was a little relieved to see that she still obeyed my instructions faithfully. However, I couldn't help but cast my mind back to the period when she was unrestrained with her actions. I couldn't help it.

I turned to face the unconscious players once again because I wanted to check their player information. Just as I was about to activate the 3rd eye, I shivered. I shook my head, trying to dispel my blurred vision. A few seconds later, the feeling had disappeared, and I was able to focus again. However, the others had noticed and were concerned.

"Oppa, what's wrong?"

Sol looked at me as if I was about to die and came closer. why were they like this?

Hyun, Yoo-Jung, and Vivian also came to my side when they noticed how strange I had acted. I waited for a moment before assuring them that I was alright. Afterward, I tried to activate the 3rd eye again.

"Oh…"

"Hyung!"

"Oppa!"

I felt the power leave my body, and the sight in front of my eyes change. I was experiencing burning sensations, and at that moment, the words that Seraph had spoken flashed across my mind.

< Player Kim Soo Hyun. The power that Hwajung possess is beyond the level of humans' comprehension. It is not unreasonable to seek power, but controlling that power is another matter altogether. If you do not use force properly, you must exceed 101 points. No at least over 90…>  

I didn't push it to the maximum. This way….. The surroundings got darker, and I knew that my eyes were closing.

[ Potential Ability: I can't fall (Rank: )]

At that moment, a message popped up in midair, and the will to resist my fall grew.

Chapter end