Chapter 39

00039 Make an Offer =========================================================================

* Today's afterword is quite long. For Chapter 39, I will take a day off from writing replies. However, since there is important content, I hope you will read it at least once. (Please don't get caught up in the page fishing.) I plan to clearly organize my stance on afterwords and replies with this afterword. I ask for the readers' understanding.

"There are two major categories of humans living in this Hollow Plane. The original residents who have always lived in the Hollow Plane, and the users who came in through the angels. However, even among users, it would be a mistake to think they are all the same."

"Not all the same?"

In response to Hanbyeol's question, Hyunwoo nodded.

"There are users who are trying to return to Earth, and there are users who are content to live in the Hollow Plane. In other words, they have become residents of the Hollow Plane. Hmm... the term 'become residents' sounds a bit strange. To put it simply, they are people who refuse to return to Earth."

He swallowed, as if his throat was dry, and continued. I started to get more and more excited about what he was going to say.

"The members of the Golden Lion Clan, and you all, probably have the same desire to return to Earth. We are actively working to gather clues for our return. However, the users who have settled in the Hollow Plane are different. They wish to live forever within the Hollow Plane."

"Then, can't we just leave those people alone and band together with the users who want to return?"

It was a reasonable suggestion, but unfortunately, reality is not that simple. Shaking his head at Hanbyeol's question, Hyunwoo replied.

"Reality is not that simple. The Hollow Plane is not a game. It is a distinct reality and world. Various interests are intertwined, and conflicts arise accordingly. They do their best to hinder our plans to prevent us from finding a way back to Earth."

He might be talking about the vagrants. For example, there is a clan called the Murder Brigade. It's not officially established yet, but it is a representative clan of the users Hyunwoo mentioned. With about ten members, it is a gathering of psychopaths who take pleasure in killing. I remember the founding period will be after the first coalition war.

Incidentally, their end was quite violent. When the Northern Continent crossed the Steel Mountains and entered Atlanta (though it might not be accurate to call it 'entered'), they continued their activities. However, they inadvertently touched one of the users of the Red Fang Clan, who owned a major city. Enraged, Woo Jeongmin and Seon Yuun led the charge, and they were all wiped out without a single survivor.

"They will not hesitate to kill other users to achieve their goals. Of course, there are many users who are content to live in the Hollow Plane, but there are also dangerous types among them."

A heavy silence fell over the square. It seemed that most of them had always considered other humans as allies and had never thought they could be enemies. Of course, there might be users like Park Donggeol, who have a nonchalant expression, perhaps because they have already experienced killing or have killed for some reason during the initiation.

"They are currently operating in the shadows, but their power is not to be underestimated. If they get a chance or a lead, they will immediately come out into the open. The user who asked the question earlier wanted to know the true purpose of the Academy? Our answer is this."

He stared intensely at Hanbyeol for a moment before continuing.

"New users are often the targets of these people. They can be made into allies or used to satisfy their own desires. The User Academy protects and teaches new users from their clutches. It is a building that lays the foundation for training talents who can join forces with us to resist them. That's why both the angels and we recommend new users to enter the Academy early. There is no downside for new users."

The essence of Hyunwoo's words was essentially a call for mutual support. Existing users protect new users from danger and help them adapt to the Hollow Plane. In turn, new users grow and become capable users. This means that the more capable users become, the more valuable they are to the city and the continent.

Hanbyeol sat down with a look of understanding. Seeing that everyone around her agreed, it seemed they all resonated with Hyunwoo's words. Except for me, of course. Of course, everything he said was true and there were no inaccuracies. And entering the Academy early was something I had wanted from the beginning, so I had no complaints. However, he did not tell the whole truth.

If we trace the cause of the first coalition war, the important parts were missing from what he said. It was quite irritating to hear a member of the Golden Lion Clan, who was the cause of the war, speak like this.

He was criticizing the vagrants who operate in the shadows, but the vagrants are not just vagrants. The more extreme ones have wanted posters in every city and are unwelcome wherever they go, at least within this Northern Continent.

Then I wanted to ask: Aren't you all ultimately the same? Of course, I am not taking the side of the vagrants. However, I believe that the actions of existing users to protect their privileges and take them away are not much different.

In fact, during the first Hollow Plane, we overcame a critical moment and crossed the Steel Mountains to occupy Atlanta. However, other clans took advantage of this and, with support from other continents, we lost Atlanta (we later reclaimed it through the Ragnorok Encirclement and Annihilation Battle, which is considered one of the worst battles in history).

There is a famous saying in the Hollow Plane: Users with common interests form clans, and clans with common enemies form alliances. In other words, whether they are clans or vagrants, they are all ready to draw their swords when necessary. Seeing him package his words so cleverly, I felt a surge of anger. Even if it's not necessary or justified to say such things to new users, as someone who has experienced it, it was a hard pill to swallow.

Finally, I calmed down and composed myself as I saw Hanbyeol sit down again. It seemed she had a positive response to his words. It was inevitable. Without experiencing the future direction of the Hollow Plane, Hyunwoo's words were reasonable. When I turned back to the central stage, he seemed relieved, as if he hadn't expected such questions.

"I didn't expect a few questions to take so long. It seems some of you are tired... I think it's best to end it here today. I recommend you get a good night's rest. Training starts tomorrow. Now, please follow the instructions of the guides and move to your accommodations."

He said, "Yubin, cancel the voice amplification magic," and gave instructions to the users waiting nearby. Finally, as the users who received his instructions walked in our direction, Hyunwoo left the stage.

Just as he was about to descend the stairs, he turned his head, and his gaze fell on the users gathered at the stairs. For a moment, I saw him looking at Hanbyeol. His eyes seemed to hold a deep interest in her. When I quickly looked at Hanbyeol, she was also exchanging glances with him. I felt a bit uncomfortable.

In the case of large clans that have grown to a certain size, there are many users who wish to join, but there are also cases where they merge with smaller clans or preemptively secure promising new users. It is one of the privileges of the clans representing major cities, and it is difficult to interfere with.

I thought Hyunwoo's interest in Hanbyeol might stem from this. And for some reason, I had a strong feeling that Hanbyeol would receive an offer from the Golden Lion Clan.

*

When we arrived at the dormitory inside the Academy, it was already well past dusk and into the night. The dormitories were divided into groups of eight, with each group sharing a room. Anhyun, who was quick to notice, slightly broke from the line and joined me, so Hyun and I ended up sharing the same dormitory.

The sleeping arrangements were simple, with just a mattress and two blankets. They were quite meager, to the point where they could be considered quite poor. First-time visitors grumbled, but users who seemed to be veterans entered without a word and went to sleep. The User Academy had facilities similar to the military.

The training instructor said that today would be a day of relative freedom, with a sardonic smile. (I immediately asked for a cigarette. He wordlessly took out a few from his own stash and gave them to me.) Despite this, everyone, except me, immediately fell asleep from exhaustion.

Anhyun stuck to the bed next to me and fell asleep, which was a bit uncomfortable. Staring at his face, I saw him smacking his lips, as if he was having a dream. Is he dreaming about food? I thought it was quite peaceful and chuckled.

The User Academy in the Northern Continent is famous for its rigorous training, known throughout the continent. The training is intense, beyond imagination. It lasts for a total of 13 weeks, and as it progresses, the training becomes increasingly unconventional, making me worry if the new users can endure it.

"......"

I felt a tightness in my chest. I had been sighing deeply for a while. Thinking about it, I realized that one thought was dominating my mind. I kept recalling the scene where Hyunwoo and Hanbyeol were looking at each other.

The more I tried to shake it off and go to sleep, the more my mind became cluttered. After tossing and turning for a while, I finally got up. I put on a pair of slippers lying on the floor and opened the tightly closed dormitory door. Stepping into the dark corridor, I felt a cold chill that refreshed me. After savoring the cold air for a moment, I fished out a cigarette from my pocket that I had gotten from the instructor and put it in my mouth.

After checking that no one was around, I summoned a small amount of mana and slowly sent it to my fingertips. With a whoosh, the flame ignited and burned the tip of the cigarette before disappearing. I took a deep drag.

"Phew..."

The male and female user dormitories are in separate buildings. She was unexpectedly classified as a mana talent, which made sense given her highest mana value. My previous clan lord was a combat type, and I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

At first, I treated Anhyun and the others as mere means to an end. My ultimate goal hasn't changed, but my thoughts have. I acknowledge that Hanbyeol has something special that sets her apart from other users, but I didn't expect to be so affected by her.

Could I have developed some sort of bond with her over time? Or romantic feelings? I immediately shook my head at the absurd thought. The glowing ashes scattered in the air as I did.

I know myself best. I know myself well. Given my dry personality, the idea of forming a bond with someone I've only known for a week is a baseless and worthless notion. At that moment, I realized something. Why did I feel disappointed when she was classified as a mana talent?

From the first meeting, and during the initiation, I always thought of a certain woman when I saw Hanbyeol. She was one of the users I genuinely followed in the first cycle. Perhaps I had been seeing Han Soyoung in Hanbyeol all along. Thinking about it, a bitter feeling welled up inside me. It was ridiculous to be so troubled over such a trivial matter.

I dropped the cigarette, stomped it out, and turned to leave. I had a lot to do and a lot to think about. I didn't want to dwell on unproductive thoughts.

I still couldn't sleep. But I decided to force myself to sleep. If necessary, I was even willing to make myself faint. I quietly opened the door and entered the room.

============================ Afterword ============================

The reason Suhyun acts this way is because he still hasn't forgotten his nostalgia for Han Soyoung. During the initiation, he often thought of her when he saw Hanbyeol.

I will wrap up the User Academy in two chapters as promised. Therefore, there will be many skipped parts.

Hello, I am Royujin.

Sunday has passed. It's Monday. Yes, it's Monday. Sigh... ㅜ.ㅠ

Yesterday, I uploaded 9K in pure content, but I received many comments that it was too short.

That's right. Well, uh. I'm sorry.

When I first started posting, I said I would post at least 8K, excluding the prologue. After receiving a note saying 10K was the maximum, I thought I should aim for around 10K, so I posted 9K, but it seems it didn't meet the readers' expectations. ㅜ.ㅠ

I ask for the readers' understanding and tolerance.

And the afterword... Yes, I understand that some readers find the afterword and replies inconvenient. But to be honest, I don't want to stop writing them. I start writing the afterword about 20 to 30 minutes before posting the chapter.

I'm sorry for not being able to write regularly lately.

I'm sorry for the slow development. (Necessary parts are slow, and fast parts are skipped.)

Some readers suggest I should write more of the story instead of the afterword, but... I post one chapter a day, and 20 to 30 minutes is a sad amount of time to not be able to allocate for myself.

As I mentioned before, I enjoy writing afterwords. I wonder what comments will be left after posting this chapter. Will they find it interesting? What parts are lacking? What parts are intriguing?

When I decided to re-release Memorize, I wanted to communicate freely with the readers. That's why I chose to write afterwords and replies. There is no grand reason. I just want to talk to you all.

I will try my best to make the content at least 10K. So, I ask for the understanding of those who find the afterword and replies taking up pages annoying. This has become quite a long afterword. If any reader is upset by today's afterword, I sincerely apologize.

Starting from Chapter 40, I will resume writing afterwords and replies. I have read all your comments. Thank you. (I will include the replies for Chapters 38 and 39 in the afterword for Chapter 40. I'm sorry.)