New Vegas…America's Hero. The Berserker, nicknamed not just because of his skill…but because of how he hunted rogue Awakened during the Chaos Era.
Minjae pushed through, his arms trembling but he gave it his all regardless.
"Twenty—two…!"
Clink!
He set the bar back on the rack, springing up from the seat and taking a swig of water from the bottle before he set it down again.
Analyze.
[Strength: 20 → 22 ▲]
Nice, my hard work's paying off. Thanks to Analyze, I can finally see my progress in real time.
"Already eager to train?"
Minjae looked up, though he didn't really have to as he already knew who the voice belonged to.
Choi Seongjin entered the gym with a towel around his neck and a small bottle that was already filled with pre-workout.
Minjae scoffed, "Are managers required to stay in shape too?"
The manager had already gotten onto one of the treadmills, casually setting up his phone before he started the machine and walked.
"It's…for the wife."
"Hoh, is that so?"
Minjae snorted softly to himself before he started back down into the seat, placing his hands on the barbell before Seongjin spoke again.
"You're probably curious, aren't you?"
"If I said I wasn't, would you believe me?"
The manager scoffed softly before he continued. "I did tell you that she wasn't related to New Vegas in the moment."
"But honestly…? I'm not really sure myself."
"What?"
Minjae sprang up from the seat immediately, almost hitting his head against the barbell. "If she's not related…then what is she?"
Seongjin didn't answer immediately. The treadmill hummed steadily beneath his feet, eyes still fixed on his phone as he chose his words carefully.
"…Yoo Sera," he said after a moment. "You know the name, right?"
In the heat of the reveal, Minjae hadn't even realized the other part of her name. "Yoo…as in that Yoo right?"
Seongjin gave a small shrug. "Yoo Corporation."
Of course.
One of the biggest conglomerates in Korea. It wouldn't be a stretch to consider them 'chaebol' under such circumstances. They're one of the top rising companies, on track to compete with established giants such as Sansung and Hyondai.
"…So she's from that family?"
"Most likely," Seongjin replied. "But they don't exactly hand out family trees to the public."
"Then, is it possible that she's New Vegas' child?" Minjae asked, almost offhandedly.
"It's highly unlikely."
Seongjin didn't even hesitate.
"Awakening isn't something you inherit cleanly," he continued. "The chances of becoming an Awakened are completely random, based on the body's physiology with ambient Mana."
"Two Awakened parents could end up with a non-Awakened child and vice versa."
"Yoo Yujin, head of Yoo Corporation, she's a non-Awakened and famously not so supportive of Awakened."
"So their family records are vague at best," Seongjin finished. "We even tried reaching out to New Vegas' side. Got shut down every time."
Minjae leaned forward, placing his elbows on his thighs.
Yeah…it's probably just a coincidence. Besides, being the child of an Awakened doesn't particularly mean they'll get the same skill.
He breathed out quietly.
You'd know that, Kang Minjae…you're living proof of that.
"You might've noticed that Sera's stats were below tier standards," Seongjin said, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, but I wasn't gonna comment on it," Minjae said, deciding to do some cardio and getting on the treadmill next to Seongjin. "Would've been weird to point it out to her face."
The machine whirred to life beneath his feet.
"…But how does that even work?" Minjae added, glancing over. "She's already registered, isn't she?"
"She shouldn't," Seongjin agreed. "But they made an exception."
Minjae frowned. "…Because of [Berserker]?"
"Yeah."
The manager stared down onto his phone for a while before he slowed down his treadmill. "She…can't use her skill, Minjae."
"What? I hate to be the one that says it, hyung. But if she can't use her skill, why keep her?"
The treadmill slowed to a stop beneath the Manager's feet. "…Because it's better this way."
Minjae frowned. "Better?"
"For her," Seongjin said. "And for everyone else."
"…What do you mean?"
Seongjin finally looked over. "If she's left alone, that skill's a problem."
Her skill? Minjae tried to remember, but noticed the detail that made it a problem right away.
"...at the cost of partial rationality, huh?"
"Right," Seongjin admitted. "It's not a stretch to say that she's a Battle Arena Player because she'd be too dangerous otherwise."
"And she's starting to find out as well…"
***
Minjae stepped into the stairwell, the Dorm front door closing with a dull click as he made his way up.
A petite and unassuming girl, that was all she looked like. And yet—she was a threat. Not because of what she'd done, but because of what she could do.
His grip tightened slightly on the railing as he climbed, letting out a slow breath.
Maybe Solaris wasn't wrong in their assessment. Awakened were dangerous, and an uncontrollable one…especially so.
But just as he made it up to the top of the stairwell, a figure caught his eye. Now that the cap, sunglasses, and mask combo wasn't present, Minjae finally got a good look at him.
Broad-shouldered but lean, like everything about him was built for efficiency rather than show.
Both his skin and messy long hair were a pale white, almost like all the pigmentation had been drained from them. Even from a distance, there was something sharp about his gaze.
His shirt was half-lifted, caught in one hand as he wiped the sweat from his jaw, completely unbothered by the fact that he wasn't alone.
That's Mikhail, isn't he? The import from Russia.
But Minjae was surprised. During the Chaos Era, Awakened from Russia were used for military purposes, trained like weapons. Even after everything settled, that image never really faded.
Minjae decided not to judge a book by its cover, walking up to him and initiating the conversation.
"Hey. I'm Kang Minjae."
He glanced around. Seeing that their rooms were next to each other, Minjae continued:
"Seems like we're neighbors. If you've got any pet peeves, let me know so I can try not to step on them."
That was when the man finally glanced over, his piercing dark eyes a stark contrast from everything else about him.
"…Don't kid yourself."
"..."
Before Minjae could respond—
Click.
He had already left, going back into his room and closing the door in the same motion.
Minjae stared at the closed door for a second longer than he should've. …What the hell is that guy's problem?
No answer came, of course.
He turned, heading the rest of the way down the hall before unlocking his own door and stepping inside.
And before he knew it, his body had already been embraced by the warm sheets. Yet, the thoughts of the day refused to leave his mind.
My teammates—Yui, Arthur, Sera…Mikhail. They all seem to have their quirks, don't they?
He sighed, rolling over to his side. "Maybe that's why Seongjin made me the Captain. Maybe I just got sweet-talked into it…"
"Arghhh…that old fox."
But before he could fully commit to blaming Seongjin for everything wrong in his life, his phone buzzed against the desk.
Minjae cracked an eye open, reaching over blindly before grabbing it and checking the notification.
[Han Minwoo: Yo! Are we still meeting up tomorrow? I got one of my professors on campus, she might be able to help you identify the Artifact.]
[Kang Minjae: Nice! Sounds good, I'll meet you at the coffee shop near the cafeteria?]
[Han Minwoo: Only if you buy me something.]
[Kang Minjae: Ugh, deal.]
[Han Minwoo: Kkk, see you tomorrow, bro!]
The screen went black as Minjae turned his phone off and put it back on the table.
His fingers instinctively dipped into his pocket, brushing against the cool metal before pulling it out.
The Ring of Gentle Requiem rested in his palm, catching the faint light. Yet the pearl in the middle no longer shone as bright as when he used it in the Cathedral.
Minjae held it up high against the light, staring at it for a moment longer. "…You're not normal either, are you?"
"…Hopefully we can figure you out."