Sesuatu terasa tidak wajar.
Beberapa waktu lalu, Jack—seorang anak yang berhasil melarikan diri dari benteng kuat Bintang Nagran—kini seorang kandidat yang berhasil lolir pada rangkaian uji pertama rekrutmen Kavaleri, menatap pemandangan yang berkembang di hadapannya lalu berkata ke dalam.
'Rasanya seperti semuanya berjalan lancar, tapi kenapa terasa aneh?'
Bagi sang anak, kemarin terasa seperti sehari di mana segala kesulitan terhapus, hanya tersisa kesuksesan.
Berhasil melarikan diri dari Pangkalan dengan saudara sebayanya yang ada bersama, tiba-tiba tanpa ada yang terluka, dan dengan yakin mengirimkan aplikasinya ke Kavaleri. Ia cukup gugup tak longgar sebelum memasuki gedung cabang, namun rasa cemas itu pun lenyap seperti dibawa arus setelah menerima penerimaan akhir pekan pertama.
Lusa kemudian, kembali ke penginapan, sang tuan tiba-tiba berkata, "Dengan begitu banyak pengunjung yang datang ke kota, kami kehabisan ruang. Entah bayar lebih, atau kalian harus pergi," yang memungkinkan tekanan finansialnya membesar, namun untungnya ia menemukan solusi yang baik.
Di kota kekotaan bagian selatan yang ramai ini, ada sebuah arena bertarung tempat siapa saja bisa menghasilkan uang dengan memenangkan pertarungan.
Tanpa aturan sulit untuk diikuti dan hanya perlu menang untuk menghasilkan uang! Bagi mereka yang pernah bertahan hidup di hutan barat yang gersang dan bahkan menghadapi monster, ini terasa terlalu mudah.
'Kami banyak berhutang pada Dagon dan orang lain yang membawa kami sampai ke sini. Sekarang gilirannya kami untuk membayar! Aku hanya butuh cukup uang untuk bertahan hingga akhir uji kedua. Beberapa pertarungan saja seharusnya cukup. Cepat saja, dan takkan ada yang menyadarinya.'
Jack pergi ke tempat itu bersama beberapa Pembangkit lain yang seumurannya. Setelah mengetahui mereka adalah Pembangkit, arena menyarankan mereka untuk berpartisipasi dalam pertarungan eksklusif khusus Pembangkit. Sepertinya jauh lebih berbahaya bagi non-Pembangkit untuk bertarung melawan Pembangkit, sehingga adanya arena terpisah, dan uang hadiah pemenang jauh lebih tinggi di sana.
'Hanya dengan satu pertarungan saja, ini sudah cukup!'
Pembangkit muda yang belum berubah menjadi dunia yang kejam, gembira sekaligus setuju untuk berpartisipi dan menandatangani kontrak.
Si manajer, Regina, yang membantu mereka dengan kontrak, sepertinya agak meragui kemampuan mereka, bertanya berkali-kali, "Benar-benar bisa memperanganimu?"
Itu tidak apa-apa. Setelah mereka melihatnya bertarung, mereka akan yakin betapa tidak perlu semua kekhawatiran itu.
'Jadi memang baik jika datang ke sini hari ini dengan dalih melihat-lihat penginapan...'
Regina, yang mereka temui kemarin, membawa para peserta pertama kali ke ruangan penunggu di bawah tanah untuk para petarung. Melihat wajah mereka, ia membuat ekspresi yang sedikit rumit dan berkata, 'Baiklah, sekarang kalian sudah di sini, kalian harus mengatasi sisanya,' lalu memimpin ke depan.
Sejak saat itu, Jack mulai merasakan rasa aneh yang halus.
Saat tiba di ruangan penunggu, mereka mendapatkan pakaian yang sedikit memalukan, seperti berasal dari cerita kuno. Mereka diberi tahu untuk mengenakannya karena pertarungan hari ini akan berlangsung di zaman kuno. Kostum yang memamerkan dada, perut, dan kaki terasa aneh, namun mereka mengenakannya dengan mengira ini hanya sekali saja.
Sementara mereka berusaha mengatur pakaian yang belum pernah mereka kenakan, Regina juga sibuk berkelana.
"Seharusnya sudah waktunya. Kenapa belum muncul? Ada yang aneh..."
Menatap pintu dalam ruangan penunggu, Regina terus mengatakan bahwa sesuatu terasa aneh. Jack mendekat dan bertanya dengan pelan.
"Apa yang terasa aneh bagimu?"
Regina tiba-tiba berbalik, terkejut. Sebentar, wujudnya seperti memudar dan distorsi sebelum kembali jelas, membuat Jack menguncupkan mata dengan bingungan.
Apa itu? Tapi sebelum ia sempat mengucapkan pertanyaannya, ia memperingatkan Jack dengan wajah yang tidak pernah dia akui sebelumnya.
"Maaf, tapi ini waktu yang sangat sibuk. Bisakah kamu tidak mendekat tanpa memberi tahu? Kamu mungkin cukup menakutkan seseorang hingga mereka tertikam di tempat seperti ini."
"Ah, ya... saya minta maaf."
"Tidak perlu meminta maaf. Masalahnya bukan pada para peserta yang belum tiba."
"Ah... kita bukan orang terakhir?"
"Tentu saja tidak. Jika ada masalah, kita akan diberi tahu. Tapi aku tidak bisa pergi lebih jauh dari sini..."
Regina, sambil menempatkan tangannya di forehead-nya, berseru, mata-nya yang gelap membelitar sejenak. Jack merasakan kesegaran dingin, namun tak lama ia kembali tenang.
"Apa pun, ini bukanlah sesuatu yang harus dikhawatirkan oleh peserta pertama kali seperti kamu."
Jack mengakui pernyataannya itu, namun secara internal, ia tetap merasa sesuatu yang tidak wajar.
Apa ini yang membuatnya terasa aneh? Teman-temannya dan dirinya berada di tempat yang indah dan megah ini hanya untuk satu pertarungan guna menghasilkan uang dan pergi. Namun, segalanya—dari sikap Regina yang menjadi manajer, hingga suasana ruang ini—terasa sangat mengganggu.
Ia hendak menyuarakan perasaan tidak nyamannya kepada teman-temannya ketika tiba-tiba pintu ruangan penunggu terbuka.
Beberapa orang memasuki ruangan sekaligus, auran pengalaman mereka yang sudah lama di tempat seperti ini membuat para peserta pertama kali termelayang.
'Wow... kita benar-benar harus bertarung melawan orang-orang ini?'
Tiba-tiba, monster yang selama ini mereka temui di alam bebas terasa remeh. Sementara Jack dan teman-temannya merasa kewalahan, Regina mendekat ke mereka.
Ia tampaknya adalah orang-orang 'yang belum tiba' yang sebutkan Regina tadi.
Ia memandang ke belakang peserta-peserta seolah mencari seseorang, lalu mengeluarkan napas sejenak frustrasi.
"Mereka mengirim peserta dan pergi untuk_minum kembali..."
Sepertinya, manajer lain yang seharusnya menyertai mereka belum muncul, dan hal itu membuatnya sial.
Regina menghitung para baru dengan tatapan tajam. Mereka semua terlihat gelap dan sangat kelelahan, dipenuhi dengan niat membunuh.
Jack merasakan ketidaknyaman yang tak terkendali melihat mereka, semuanya diam seolah sudah terikat oleh aturan diam mutlak.
'...Kenapa ini terasa salah? Apakah arena ini benar-benar aman?'
Tiba-tiba, ia merasakan tatapan tajam yang menusuk. Berbalik, ia melihat bahwa datang dari sosokan seseorang yang sangat serius di antara para Pembangkit yang diam tersebut, yang mengenakan topi gelap, menampakkan kehadiran yang seram.
'Apa... kenapa dia memandang aku?'
Terasa seperti tatapan yang tak pernah padam, menuju ke tempat yang seharusnya tidak ada, seperti ia telah menangkap sesuatu yang seharusya tidak terlihat.
Jack, yang kewalahan oleh tatapan intens dan menakutkan yang belum pernah dirasakan sebelumnya, secara sembunyi mengembara di antara orang lain. Ia dengan tulus berharap agar Pembangkit berjubah gelap ini tidak menjadi lawannya dalam pertarungan ini.
"Sekarang semua orang sudah hadir."
Setelah menghitung seluruh para peserta, Regina bertepuk tangan untuk mengumpulkan perhatian dan mulai memberikan penjelasan tentang beberapa hal.
Kata-katanya, yang terdengar seperti sudah direhearsal dan tak berperasaan, terlihat terpaksa di permuka namun secara samar memberi pesan, 'Jika kamu mati di sini, arena tidak bertanggung jawab.'
"Ditempat ini ada gudang senjata. Para peserta yang butuh senjata dapat memilih di sana. Setelah pertarungan dimulai, mereka yang dipanggil dapat keluar. Tidak ada yang akan memandu pertarungan ini; kamu akan mencari tahu setelah kamu keluar. Itulah perananku di sini."
Regina tidak tersenyum lagi. Berbalik, meninggalkan para peserta tanpa kata-kata akhir, sikapnya sedingin dan sekasar sebelumnya.
Seolah-olah ia tidak akan pernah menemu mereka lagi...
Ruangan penunggu, kini tersisa hanya dengan para peserta, menjadi sunyi seperti das laut yang terdalam.
Jack, yang menggosok telap ujung tangan yang basah kering kepada kaki kakinya, serius mempertimbangkan apakah ia masih bisa mundur.
'...Tapi aku tidak bisa. Dagon dan orang lain sudah berusaha sangat keras untuk membawa kami ke sini...'
Jack merefleksikan betapa banyak ia dan teman-temannya berhutang pada Dagon dan saudara sebayangya yang lain. Ia juga memikirkan senyuman bahagianya ketika mereka kembali dengan uang yang dihasilkan di sini.
'Orang tua kandungku meninggalkan aku dengan menyebut aku monster, namun saudara sebayangku menerima aku. Aku tidak bisa mundur. Bagaimana bisa aku menjadi anggota Kavaleri dengan semangat seseorang yang mundur hingga di tempat seperti ini?'
Dengan menggigit kuku, ia memandang ke sekeliling dan melihat para Pembangkit lain dari Bintang Nagran yang lainnya mengangguk setuju. Mereka tarik napas dalam-dalam dan berharap keberuntungan kepada satu sama lain.
Tiba-tiba, suara dari sebuah alat musik besar meletup dari panggung tersembunyi, diiringi oleh suara seperti meledak kembang api.
Teriakan antusiasmasuk bahkan ke ruangan penunggu itu.
Terkejut, Jack dengan cepat menenangkan denyapnapnya dengan tangan yang ditekan pada dada.
'Aku hanya berharap tidak menjadi orang pertama yang dipanggil...'
"Orang pertama yang dipanggil adalah~!! Tamu istimewan yang semua orang di sini tunggu dengan penuh antusias~ Second gender! Second gender Awakener~!!!"
Beberapa desis, tepuk tangan.
Dan tiba-tiba, Jack menengok ke atas dengan kagum.
'Second gender Awakener? Siapa itu?'
Jawaban datang dengan cepat dari suara yang gema-gema dari jauh.
"Apakah ia Omega atau Alpha, kalian semua akan melihatnya sendiri! Namanya adalah, Yudrain!"
"..."
Di ruangan penunggu yang sejuk seperti berada di dunia lain, seseorang mengeluarkan napas pendek. Bunyinya hampir seperti sebuah tawa kecil. Berbalik, Jack menyadari bahwa itu adalah Pembangkit yang tadi memandangnya tanpa alasan yang jelas, dan bahu-nya ketat karena kekhawatiran.
'Orang itu...?'
Chapter 669
Something felt amiss.
Not long ago, Jack, a boy who had escaped from the Star of Nagran's southern stronghold, now a successful candidate in the first round test of the Cavalry's second recruitment, looked at the scenes unfolding before his eyes and thought to himself.
'It seems like things are going well, but why does something feel off?'
To the boy, yesterday seemed like a day where all hardships were washed away, leaving only success.
He had successfully escaped from the base with his older brothers and sisters who were with him from the west, arriving at Charloin without anyone getting hurt, and confidently submitted his application to the Cavalry. He was very nervous just before entering the branch building, but the anxiety disappeared like washed away after receiving the first round acceptance.
Later, returning to the lodging, the owner suddenly said, “With many visitors to the city, we are running out of space. Either pay more, or you'll have to leave,” which did strain his finances, but luckily, he found a good solution.
In this bustling southern metropolis, there existed a betting arena where anyone could earn money by winning fights.
With no difficult rules to follow and just winning to earn money! For them, who had survived the harsh western jungles and even faced monsters, this seemed all too easy.
'We owe a lot to Dagon and the others for bringing us this far. It's our turn to repay them! I just need enough money to stay until the final pass of the second test. A few fights should do it. It won't take long, and nobody will notice.'
Jack went to the place with several other Awakeners of similar age. Upon learning they were Awakeners, the arena suggested they participate in an exclusive fight for Awakeners. Apparently, it was much riskier for non-Awakeners to fight against Awakeners, hence the separate arena, and the prize money for winning was incomparably higher there.
'This should be enough with just one fight!'
The young, naive Awakener, not yet tainted by the world, excitedly agreed to participate and signed the contract. The manager, Regina, who helped them with the contract, seemed somewhat distrustful of their ability, asking several times, “Can you really fight?”
It was fine. Once they saw them fight, they would realize how needless their worries were.
'So, it was good to come here today under the pretext of looking around the lodging...'
Regina, whom they met yesterday, had taken the first-time participants to the underground waiting room for fighters. Seeing their faces, she made a slightly complex expression and said, 'Well, now that you're here, you have to figure out the rest,' and then she took the lead.
From that moment, Jack felt a subtle sense of strangeness.
Upon arriving in the waiting room, they received slightly embarrassing clothing, like something out of an old tale. They were told to wear it because today's fight was set in ancient times. The costume, revealing the chest, belly, and legs, seemed odd, but they wore it, thinking it was just for once.
While they struggled with the clothes they had never worn before, Regina was also very busy moving around.
"It should be about time for them to come up. Why haven't they yet? Something's odd..."
Looking at the inner door of the waiting room, Regina kept saying something felt strange. Jack approached her and asked quietly.
"What feels strange to you?"
Regina suddenly turned around, startled. For a moment, her figure seemed to blur and distort before becoming clear again, leaving Jack blinking in confusion.
What was that? But before he could voice his question, she warned him with an uncharacteristically cold face.
"Sorry, but it's a very busy time right now. Could you refrain from approaching without notice? You might startle someone enough to get stabbed to death in a place like this."
"Ah, yes... I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. The problem lies with the participants who haven't arrived yet."
"Ah... So we weren't the last ones?"
"Of course not. If there was a problem, we would have been notified. But I can't go beyond this point..."
Regina, with her hand on her forehead, murmured something, her eyes darkening for a moment. Jack felt a chilling sensation, but she soon regained her composure.
"Anyway, this is not something first-time participants like you should worry about."
Jack acknowledged her statement, but internally, he still felt something was off.
What was this feeling? His friends and he were here in this grand and magnificent place for just one fight to earn some money and leave. But everything, from the attitude of Regina, the manager, to the atmosphere of this space, felt strangely eerie.
He was about to express his uneasy feeling to his friends when the door to the waiting room opened.
Several people entered all at once, their experienced aura indicating they had spent a lot of time in a place like this. The eyes of the first-time participants widened in awe.
'Wow... Are we supposed to fight against these people?'
Suddenly, the monsters they faced in the great wilderness seemed trivial. While Jack and his friends were feeling intimidated, Regina approached them. It seemed these were the 'yet-to-arrive participants' she mentioned.
She looked around the back of the participants as if searching for someone, then sighed in frustration.
"Did they send up the participants and go off to drink again..."
Apparently, another manager who was supposed to escort them hadn't shown up, and that annoyed her. Regina counted the newcomers with a sharp gaze. They all looked extremely dark and exhausted, brimming with a killing intent.
Jack felt an indescribable chill as he observed them, all silent as if bound by a rule of absolute silence.
'...Why does this feel so wrong? Is this arena really okay?'
Suddenly, he felt a piercing gaze. Turning, he saw it came from a particularly grim figure among the silent Awakeners, wearing a dark hood, exuding an ominous presence.
'What... Why is he staring at me?'
It felt like a persistent, sharp gaze, as if he had caught something that shouldn't be there.
Jack, overwhelmed by the intense and frightening scrutiny, the likes of which he had never felt before, discreetly hid among the others. He sincerely hoped that this dark-hooded Awakener wouldn't be his opponent in the fight.
"Everyone's here now."
After counting all the participants, Regina clapped her hands to gather attention and began briefing them on several points. Her words, seemingly rehearsed and emotionless, appeared well-packaged on the surface but subtly implied, 'If you die here, the arena is not responsible.'
"Right next to this place is the weapons depot. Participants who need weapons can choose from there. Once the fight starts, those who are called can head out. There's no one to guide the proceedings; you'll figure it out once you go out. That concludes my role here."
Regina no longer smiled. Turning her back on the participants, she left without any formal farewell, her demeanor as cold and unceremonious as could be.
As if she would never see them again...
The waiting room, now left only with the participants, became as quiet as the depths of the ocean. Jack, rubbing his sweat-dampened palms on his trouser legs, seriously considered whether he could still withdraw from the fight.
'...But I can't. Dagon and the others have put in so much effort to bring us here...'
Jack reflected on how much he and the others owed to Dagon and their older companions. He also thought of their happy faces when they would return with the money earned here.
'My parents abandoned me, calling me a monster, but my brothers and sisters accepted me. I can't run away. How can I become a Cavalry member with the spirit of someone who runs away even here?'
Clenching his fists, he looked around and saw other Awakeners from the Star of Nagran nodding in agreement. They took deep breaths and wished each other good luck.
Suddenly, the sound of a large instrument burst from the concealed stage, accompanied by a noise like exploding fireworks. Enthusiastic cheers penetrated even the waiting room.
Startled, Jack quickly calmed his racing heart with a hand pressed to his chest.
'I just hope I'm not the first one up...'
"The first up is~!! A special guest that everyone here is eagerly awaiting~ The second gender! The second gender Awakener~!!!"
Exclamations of surprise, cheers, applause.
And then, Jack looked up in shock.
'Second gender Awakener? Who is that?'
The answer came quickly from a loud voice echoing from afar.
"Whether he's an Omega or an Alpha, you'll see with your own eyes! His name is, Yudrain!"
"..."
In the waiting room, cold as if in another world, one person let out a low, short breath. It sounded almost like a scoff. Turning his head, Jack realized that it was the same Awakener who had earlier stared at him for no apparent reason, and his shoulders tensed in alarm.
'That person...?'
[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] 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.'
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