Turning
chapter-720

Speaking the truth was always a challenging task, especially when many were involved, and any misstep could endlessly spread the blame. This made silence seem like the better option.

Nevertheless, the Awakeners of the Star of Nagran, showing courage, broke their silence.

"We've been together since we came to support this cause, a fact well-known to many. Earlier, out of fear, we couldn't disclose where we came from, but in truth, we are... escapees from a group where only the Awakeners lived."

"A group of only Awakeners? Does such a thing exist?"

While the Cavalry members intertwined with the Star of Nagran in the west fell silent, sensing something familiar, the imperial special forces, unaware of this, looked puzzled. When one of them asked with a perplexed expression, Dagon, the young man named as their leader and who had brought them here, nodded.

"Yes. It's a place formed in secret by those who, after awakening, fled persecution in their hometowns. There are a few stronghold villages with their own rules. At first, we thought it a safe haven, but over time, it didn't feel entirely secure."

And so, those with shared convictions secretly gathered and journeyed here, spurred by news that the Cavalry was recruiting new members.

After explaining how they arrived, Dagon continued with a somber expression.

"Not all at our former home wanted a quiet life away from the outside world. Some believed we should use our powers to gain nobility's recognition and ensure complete safety. Others, and it's hard to say, thought that having become powerful, we should... stand above the non-Awakener, or rather, the nobility."

His risky statement shifted the mood drastically. Dagon, understanding their reaction, nodded. The beads of sweat on his forehead indicated the difficulty with which he spoke these words.

"The reason we were startled by the people the children saw is that they would never leave that group, especially being spotted near a Cavalry branch... It's unbelievable. They must have a sinister agenda. Especially Sera... She was a temporary leader of a stronghold. Why would she come here?"

The decisive reason for the southern stronghold escapees, including Dagon, to leave was Sera's overly close dealings with southern merchants during the sage's absence.

Sera, naturally anxious, grew worried when communication from the sage's side in the capital ceased, fearing she'd have no way to defend the southern stronghold in an emergency.

Although it was a tense time, with Nahan, who seemed like a disruptive element within the group, leaving with his followers, the atmosphere was incredibly tense between those sympathetic to his ideas and the sage's followers. Sera, who blindly believed and revered anything the sage said, couldn't properly mediate the internal conflict, and the situation worsened by the day.

Then the southern merchants arrived in the village. Initially, they seemed to be looking for Nahan, but even after learning he had left, they strangely remained at the stronghold.

Although the intentions were unclear, it was customary in the Star of Nagran to accept any Awakener, so their actions were tolerated. Frankly, as the atmosphere worsened day by day, it was difficult to pay much attention to them.

As the internal strife continued, injuries inevitably began to occur. Those Awakeners who desired only to live peacefully felt greatly threatened by this development. It was around this time that people began leaving the village quietly.

Up until then, Dagon had not considered leaving the village. But then...

"A monster suddenly appeared, putting the village in peril. It was a problem that could have been easily resolved if we had united our strengths, as usual... But Sera, distrusting each other, started seeking external help," he explained.

Sera, a follower of the sage, judged it too dangerous to unite with those following Nahan amidst the monster threat. She feared they might not fight properly, betray them, or stab them in the back.

Therefore, she chose to ally with the southern merchants instead of Nahan's followers and successfully repelled the monster.

This incident shocked both the sage's and Nahan's factions. The sage's followers realized they could protect the village without Nahan's people, while Nahan's faction was enraged at being excluded.

The southern merchants rapidly became closer with Sera, even inviting their colleagues to the village. People expressed discontent over this sudden development without explanation, but those who did were branded as Nahan's followers and faced cold stares. Some were even confined to their homes for breaking the stronghold's rules.

While the original southern stronghold residents might have been oblivious, those from the western stronghold, including Dagon, found the situation incomprehensible. They didn't want to take sides and also found the southern merchants suspicious.

At this time, a letter from a former comrade, Robel, about the Cavalry's recruitment, came as a much-needed oasis. Robel, unlike the vague external rumors, provided practical information as someone involved with the Cavalry.

Eventually, they left the village, leading them to their current situation.

Dagon didn't mention names like Nahan or the sage directly in his story, but otherwise, he spoke quite candidly.

"I believe you can now roughly guess why we were startled and suspicious. Sera always spoke ill of the Cavalry, accusing them of persecuting us. If she's not here to capture us, her purpose is hard to fathom. It's unlikely to be anything favorable to the Cavalry."

"That makes sense. Is it the same with the central stronghold?" asked one of the Cavalry members seriously.

Dagon shook his head slightly. "I'm not sure. There might be some from there who, like us, secretly escaped to join the Cavalry. But if so, why travel all this way? It would be much quicker to head to the capital. I certainly wouldn't have done that."

Indeed, for those living in the central location, heading to the capital would have been much faster. There seemed to be no reason for anyone eager to escape and join the Cavalry to come south instead.

After pointing this out, Dagon hesitated for a moment before concluding his thoughts.

"Perhaps our young ones misjudged the people they saw. But in a situation where the entire Cavalry could be suspected and endangered, I felt I couldn't stay silent, knowing that such incidents were happening one after another. It might be helpful to find them and ascertain their purpose," Dagon said.

Though his experience with polite speech was limited, making his manner of speaking quite awkward, the sincerity in his words was unmistakable. The other members of his party, nodding earnestly beside him, also conveyed this sincerity.

The Cavalry members looked at each other seriously. With the Cavalry Commander, Yuder, and Kurga, who had led in their absence, all missing, it was now up to them to make a decision.

Should they believe this story? Or should they doubt their identity and intentions?

Should they wait for the Commander to return? Or should they verify it right away?

"It must have been a tough decision. But in the end, everyone decided not to overlook the story and went to see the applicants," Kishiar, who had relayed the events so far to Yuder, said with a faint smile.

"Isn't it admirable? In a situation where the Cavalry was deemed in danger, they didn't just wait but actively sought what they could do, showing how much they've grown."

"Commander..."

The faces of the surrounding members flushed with embarrassment at Kishiar's praise, resembling dogs that expected to be scolded but were instead commended.

‘Well... Certainly, such initiative would have been unimaginable before.’

It's not wise to just wait for the higher-ups to return. The Cavalry, comprised of a few elite soldiers, had a completely different set of expected behaviors compared to regular soldiers, whose existence and best course of action typically involved following the commands of their superiors.

Yuder glanced at his colleagues and then spoke with a softened demeanor.

"So, what happened then?"

"It turned out that there were more Awakeners from the Star of Nagran's central stronghold among the applicants than initially thought. They pretended to be from different regions and used aliases to apply. At first, they denied it, but when the members and successful applicants acted in unison, they were deceived and revealed their purpose."

They managed to do all that? Yuder looked at the members again. The previously Awakeners of the Star of Nagran, who had been peeking out, suddenly became extremely bashful when their eyes met Yuder's.

"...To set such a perfect trap, you guys have done something remarkable."

"Right?"

Kishiar's smile deepened.

"Their purpose was to infiltrate the Cavalry under someone's orders. Who exactly gave the orders is still unclear, but we'll find out soon enough."

Who else would give orders to infiltrate the Cavalry from the Star of Nagran?

Yuder, thinking of the sage, responded.

"...I see."

[BL] Cloudless Sky

Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'

[BL] Bermuda

Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.

Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.

"Since when have you been watching me?"

Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.

"From the very beginning."

[BL] The Mist (Same author as Turning)

In the autumn of his 18th year, after winning the high school kendo championship finals, an unexpected accident occurred.

Due to that incident, Kang Mu-heon lost one of his legs, his closest friend, and his promising future. He closed off his heart and shut himself away alone.

A few years later, the world's first real virtual reality game <THE MIST> was announced, where even those with physical disabilities could play in healthy bodies.

By chance, Kang Mu-heon encountered it and began a new life as the mage Kapros, facing unexpected meetings, reunions, and days of change....

***

"Why was someone like you born into this world to make me so miserable? Do you understand when I say it like this?! You were born with talent for the sword, a bright personality, everything - you must have been laughing at me always lagging behind! Did you even know how pathetic I felt because of your stupid hypocrisy? A genius? What does any of that matter!"

Seung-jo's cries stabbed at his heart, wailing as if he were crying even though he wasn't, but there was no time to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.

He looked surprised for a moment, but he was desperate.

Just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved Seung-jo hard. Right after Seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—

Screech!

Bang! With an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.

And in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......

***

[ Then in THE MIST, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]

Whoosh!

When his vision returned after everything went white, he was standing in the middle of a bustling town. Amidst the clamor, countless people were busily going about their business here and there.

He looked down at himself, standing dazed and wearing clothes of unknown origin. When he touched the sleeve, he felt the texture of fabric as real as reality. His hair felt the same, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.

Is this... VT?

It seemed like a joke. It truly felt as if he had come to another world and was touching everything.

As he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly remembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this game, and snapped back to attention. His two legs were still as they had been when he first stood.

'Can I really walk?'

He first stepped out with his left foot, then very slowly put strength into his heavy right foot. It felt like cold sweat was running down his spine.

And then,

He lifted it,

Moved it,

And took another step to touch the ground again.

So easily. As if there had never been any problem with this leg from the beginning.

"Ah..."

At that moment, something that was neither joy nor emotion shot up his spine. Suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, he lowered his head and leaned against the wall. His right foot, bearing his weight, was doing its job perfectly.

"..."

Holding back the tightness in his throat, he took another step.

It didn't hurt. It wasn't heavy. His leg was no longer a useless piece of wood that ached.

Damn it, to be able to walk so easily like this.

To be able to run so easily like this.

He had wished even in his dreams for the day to come when he could walk and run like this again.

And so he walked again, kept walking, slowly getting faster, until finally he started running like a madman through the entire town.

***

"Kap. ...There seems to be a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant."

Just as he was thinking he should throw a punch, Yu-wan sighed with a troubled look and said.

A misunderstanding? How could it be a misunderstanding when he said with his own mouth that he didn't think of me as a friend?

"I didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. Let me rephrase."

Yu-wan reached out his hand, his face completely changed from before - intense yet resolute - as he stared at him. As he didn't reject the hand suddenly approaching his face and kept his gaze fixed, his cool large hand touched his cheek completely.

A shiver ran down his spine at that moment.

"I'm sorry to say this to you, but I don't see you only as a friend. ...This is the complete answer."

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