LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 27 - Trauma Test (1)
Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: SemiPickle
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The entrance test right after enrolling in the Academy.
It’s basically a time to get to know the abilities of your classmates.
It’s also the time when the hierarchy is roughly decided.
It should be the time Han Si-Hoo completely dominates.
“You can’t just attack anyone like last time.”
“Yes.”
There’s only Lee Yu-Ram and me here.
The training ground is wide but a closed space.
Beyond the glass, there are spectator seats.
Normally, the other classmates would be gathered there, watching.
But as for classmates, I’m the only one here.
I thought they would put at least one or two more people in the Special Class.
I didn’t expect there to be no one at all.
“You know that, right?”
“Yes.”
I’m refraining from acting out my usual persona here too.
I’ve taken off the blindfold, and my speech is back to normal.
Doing this was getting pretty exhausting, after all.
But it did make it easier to keep people at a distance.
“Here.”
-Thud.
[13 hours 25 minutes]
The drug started to take effect.
Pleasure flowing through the nervous system.
The feeling of euphoria lasted only briefly, as my surroundings soon came into sharp focus.
What am I supposed to attack?
“You need to distinguish who the enemy is. If you attack an ally like last time, it’ll really be a problem.”
-Static.
Lee Yu-Ram brought out an old MP3 player.
I have no idea what it has to do with the drug.
“It’s a bit old, but it should be fine.”
She pressed the button with a click.
With a scratchy noise, a voice came through.
-Listen after administration.
-Repeated playback is effective.
-The subject does not require psychological stability.
-It only lasts while the drug is in effect.
Strange words poured out.
What is this voice for?
-[You cannot attack a target not designated by a superior.]
Lee Yu-Ram looked at me with a peculiar expression.
As if she wasn’t sure whether it would work.
-[You must attack the target designated by a superior.]
“Hmm?”
The voice sounded familiar.
How many voices could Yoo Seo-Ah be familiar with?
A doctor?
I vaguely remembered, but wasn’t there a similar situation before?
After being given the drug, what was it that they said?
Something about only speaking the truth?
It must have been right after coming back from Han Si-Hoo.
-[You must…]
Click.
“That’s enough.”
Lee Yu-Ram turned off the sound.
I was curious about the rest, but it was a shame.
“This is enough.”
An old MP3 player.
I don’t know whose voice was recorded on it, but it definitely had some effect.
“Now, create a dagger. That’s your ability, right?”
“Yes.”
Swoosh.
A black dagger appeared in my hand.
This time, I didn’t feel a surge of murderous intent.
“Do you see that scarecrow over there?”
“Yes.”
A scarecrow appeared about ten steps away.
Did it rise from the ground?
The training ground really has all sorts of features.
“Attack.”
Attack.
Crack.
The black dagger expanded explosively.
It branched out, extending toward the scarecrow.
It looked more like the roots of a massive tree than a sword.
It was more violent than the last time, when I had extended the blade to attack.
[11 hours 20 minutes]
I saw the black roots lodged in the scarecrow.
[10 hours 51 minutes]
“Disappear.”
I dispelled the sword, alarmed by how time seemed to melt away.
The roots shattered like glass, dissolving into the air.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t particularly hate the scarecrow.
Last time, the weapon wouldn’t disappear, and I panicked.
“Was that your intention?”
“It just attacked on its own.”
“I see. Well done.”
Lee Yu-Ram jotted something down on the paper she had brought.
It was supposed to be a skills test.
I’m not sure if I’ll get a good score.
Other Academy students are probably taking their tests in other training grounds.
I’d like to watch them too, to be honest.
“Can you attack from a distance?”
“A distance…?”
That’s something I hadn’t considered.
Might as well try.
Although I have no idea how to go about it.
Should I make a bow and shoot it?
It doesn’t seem likely.
“Why don’t you try a long-range attack this time? It might work.”
With a snap of her fingers, a new scarecrow appeared.
This time, it was much farther away.
It was clearly out of range for a close-range attack.
But if it were Han Si-Hoo, he could probably swing his sword and hit it.
Once you reach a certain level, close-range and long-range distinctions become meaningless.
“A long-range attack.”
Drugs, please, give me a gun.
Then, a gun appeared.
It was crude and lacked detail.
It looked like something carved from wood.
“Bang.”
I pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.
No barrel, no bullets.
It would be more surprising if it worked as an attack.
“There are Awakeners who can shoot guns, but… I guess you can’t.”
“Is that so.”
“Then I’ll register you as a close-range attacker. Without weapons.”
Lee Yu-Ram had asked for a long-range attack.
I felt obligated to meet her expectations.
If I threw the gun, would that count as a long-range attack?
Isn’t there something cooler?
Like in the animations I watched.
When they waved their magic wands, lasers shot out.
A magic wand seems a bit off.
But lasers? That sounds interesting.
“Bang.”
Once again, nothing happened.
I thought it might work.
“To be honest, it’s normal for it not to work. This isn’t a drug that makes long-range attacks possible.”
“I see.”
So if I change the drug, I could do long-range attacks too?
Just how versatile is this stuff?
I don’t understand why people don’t use it.
I’d like to see someone else use it at least once.
“Do you see any level or skill names in front of you? Some people call it a Status Window.”
I glanced.
[10 hours 48 minutes]
Is this also a Status Window?
I’ve been using it effectively.
“I don’t see anything.”
“I see. That makes things complicated.”
“Are there other Awakeners like me who can’t see anything?”
“Yeah. When their Awakening rate is low.”
I remember mine being very low.
“You forced it up with the drug… It’s not surprising that it looks abnormal.”
“Abnormal…”
What does she mean?
Am I abnormal?
Or is this [10 hours 47 minutes] thing what’s abnormal?
I don’t know.
“Do you have any other abilities?”
Other abilities, huh.
I think I had something.
Swoosh.
A dagger appeared.
This is the ability I’ve had since I started taking the special drug.
I definitely had some kind of ability before that.
My ability can’t just be about making black blades, right?
[10 hours 39 minutes]
“Try whatever you want.”
Whatever?
I opened my left palm and stared at it.
It was wrapped in bandages.
“You need to test your limits.”
I’m roughly aware of my limits.
As long as the time doesn’t hit [0], I’ll be fine.
That’s my limit.
Thud.
“The training ground is spacious, so… Huh?”
I stabbed my hand.
I drove the dagger into my left palm, which was stretched out in front of me.
It wasn’t difficult to pierce through.
Blood began to seep out.
[10 hours 11 minutes]
“Like this.”
Even if my arm breaks or I get stabbed, it doesn’t hurt.
The only thing I fear is the drug wearing off.
But for now, I’m fine.
It’s not a fatal wound, Lee Yu-Ram is a healer, and I have more than enough drugs in this perfect environment.
“It doesn’t hurt. This is the ability I originally had.”
I said as I pulled out the blade.
The dagger dissolved into the air.
The bandages were stained red.
[9 hours 56 minutes]
Pain?
Instead, there’s a strange sense of pleasure.
No wonder I used to cut my arms out of boredom.
Especially when Han Si-Hoo wasn’t around, and I was alone.
“…Don’t do that.”
“Yes.”
She told me to test my limits, so I did.
Lee Yu-Ram grabbed my bleeding hand.
[9 hours 44 minutes]
“[Lesser Heal].”
The wound healed instantly.
“Wow.”
[9 hours 43 minutes]
The rapid time consumption also stopped.
No wonder people keep healers by their side.
They’re valuable assets.
“You don’t have any other abilities, right? Just say it, no more self-harm.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Alright.”
Lee Yu-Ram wrote something more on her paperwork.
She grumbled about being too scared to test me further.
Her hand seemed to tremble slightly.
“…The trauma test is still left. Last time we skipped it.”
It was a test I’d heard of.
Han Si-Hoo had told me not to do it, so I hadn’t.
The name alone sounded dangerous.
“Let’s do it. You have to try it at least once. It’s to check your resistance to mental attacks.”
If other students are doing it too, there’s no reason not to.
“I’ll do it.”
“Okay. Switching to the trauma test. If it gets too hard, I’ll stop immediately. If you say to stop, it’ll stop right away too.”
“Yes.”
Was it supposed to bring back bad memories?
Or show hallucinations?
I remember it being something along those lines.
“It’s about delusions or hallucinations… Some people aren’t affected at all. Then you pass right away. It means you won’t break from any ordinary mental attacks.”
“I see.”
“Are you ready? It’s better to start quickly and finish. Thinking about it only makes it worse.”
Lee Yu-Ram took a step back.
She clicked the pen in her hand.
“It’s starting.”
Boom.
With a loud noise, everything around me disappeared.
For a hallucination, this felt incredibly real.
A black space unfolded.
It was quiet.
“…So this is a mental attack.”
The darkness surrounding me was slightly scary.
I couldn’t hear anything.
Not even the sound of my heartbeat.
Too quiet.
I won’t fall apart from this level of fear.
This is nothing.
“That’s…”
There was something.
Someone was there.
“…Han Si-Hoo?”
The scene rapidly changed.
A gloomy sky that seemed like it was about to rain appeared.
A house that looked ready to crumble.
The middle of the slum.
An old memory began to replay.