THIFSGSTW CH 2

Chapter 002 : Let’s do what we can do

“Sun Yi-Han,”

“Teacher?”

As Teacher called my name in an unusually quiet voice, my voice trembled. Standing with his back against the moonlight, his face was pitch black, and I couldn’t see what expression on his face.

Teacher was the only priest here at the temple who cared about me. The other priest… Well, thanks to them, I learned just how painful indifference can be.

I decided that I would never treat anyone as if they didn’t exist—the way I was treated

I could somewhat guess why the other priests acted that way.

‘Because I’m the only one in the temple with mana.’

Humans are usually born with mana in their bodies, so they can use magic. However, some are born with no mana at all.

Since the space meant to hold mana is empty, those born without mana can never use magic. People like that usually come to the temple to serve the gods.

I was also born without mana, so I joined the temple from a very young age, until one day my body began to contain mana.

‘They said the cause was unknown.’

Apparently, there had never been a case like mine before. Even Teacher said that the amount of mana in my body was almost non-existent, so I couldn’t even use magic.

Still, just because I somehow ended up with a little bit of mana, how could they treat me like I didn’t exist? The more I thought about it, the more unjust it felt.

There were countless times when I thought it would be better to leave the temple than live like this. I even mentioned it to my Teacher a couple of times. But every time, Teacher persuaded me to stay.

I understood the concern my Teacher held, and more than that, Teacher’s reasoning wasn’t wrong. It was true that I had nowhere to go if I left the temple. So, I stayed until now…

“Sun Yi-Han.”

Hearing my name called again, my scattered thoughts returned to focus. Teacher’s voice sounded a little softer, and I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Teacher slowly walked over and sat on the chair beside my bed..

“Yihan-ah.”

Teacher placed his hand gently on my head, stroking it tenderly. The hand that softly brushed my hair slid down to caress my cheek. The cool touch of his hand felt comforting on my warm skin.

“You used to run around full of energy, even with just a thin layer of clothing in the middle of winter… I should’ve known when you suddenly collapsed like that. You were unconscious for quite a while.”

Even though his voice was warm and kind, it felt heavy.

“I guess you must have many questions. There must be things you don’t understand.”

Teacher said slowly.

“I saw the future while I was praying.”

At those words, I gasped. Though I hadn’t received a proper education in the temple, I knew how powerful the future shown by the gods could be.

If you look at the future, you must not reveal the details. This is because you can disturb the natural order.

While it’s safe to share a little, the boundaries are unknown, so it’s better not to say anything at all.

“Yes. You must’ve know that there’s not much I can tell you.”

Teacher paused briefly before continuing in a calm voice.

“A week from now, you will leave this place. Someone will come to pick you up.”

I didn’t understand Teacher’s words right away; they swirled around in my head before suddenly hitting me all at once.

… Leave this place?

It was something I had hoped for, but I didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly. It didn’t feel real. Not knowing what kind of expression to make, I fidgeted with my sleeve. Seeing my face, Teacher gave a bitter smile.

“Are you happy to leave the temple, Yi-han?”

“…Yes.”

“Of course. It must’ve been hard for you here. You’ve done well.”

“…No. It’s because you were here, Teacher.”

“You don’t have to say that. I know that keeping you by my side was my selfish desire.”
Teacher gently took my hand and met my eyes. The moonlight softly draped over his white robes.

“I should have paid more attention to you, I’m sorry.”

I shook my head silently. I knew how busy Teacher was, so his attention toward me had always felt enough. Wanting more would’ve been my own greed.

So I was fine.

“No. I was always grateful, Teacher. ”

Teacher lightly tapped my head and stood up.

“Take care. You will do well. ”

With that, Teacher turned his back and walked briskly to the door without looking back. He stopped at the doorway, still facing away.

“The gods are always with us.”

With a creak, the door closed. Silence filled the room.

Suddenly, the darkness felt overwhelming. I reached out and turned on the bedside lamp.

Click.

The faint orange light chased away some of the darkness.

On the table where the lamp sat there was a thick, worn-out book. Did Teacher leave this?

I lifted the book and put it on my lap. It was quite heavy. When I opened it slightly, the densely packed text made my head spin just looking at it. Why did Teacher leave this behind? As I wondered.
‘Future Vision’ Training in progress.

「Progress 00:00:01 / 144: 00: 00」

A blue quest window appeared before my eyes.

I looked back and forth between the book and the quest window. The progress number on the left ticked upward.

「Progress 00:00:02 / 144: 00: 00」

「Progress 00:00:03 / 144: 00: 00」

No way.

Could the 6 days the system mentioned before really mean 144 hours?

◇

Alright, I barely managed to calm myself down.

Actually, I’m not fine. I haven’t calmed down at all. But at least the situation is somewhat under control now.

There are three things I’ve sorted out for now: the so-so news, good news, and bad news.

Which one is wiser to hear first? If it were me, I would just say, “I don’t mind, just speak quickly,” and answer like that. Then let’s go through them in order.

First, the so-so news: my eye color has changed.

I was so shocked when I saw myself in the mirror. The pitch-black color that was almost eerie had disappeared, replaced by transparent, water-like eyes that sparkled in the reflection.

They looked exactly like the color of the status window floating before me and the flower that had flown to me in my dream.

Though I wasn’t thrilled about the increasing number of unexplainable things happening, I decided to let it slide since the clear eyes weren’t too bad.

Second, the good news: I checked the tutorial rewards.

It would’ve been embarrassing to mumble ‘Status Window, but luckily, it popped up just by thinking about it. Along with a cheerful ba-bam sound, the rewards appeared.

Tutorial Reward:

The passive skill <Fearless Healer!> has been applied.

Pain Immunity! You won’t feel any pain.

Immortal Body! You won’t lose your life until a fully peaceful world arrives.

Third, the bad news: 144 hours really meant 144 hours.

Life isn’t easy. But at least they give me some mercy. Even if I didn’t fully understand the text in the book, just skimming the letters in a daze keep the time ticking.

I wonder if it was really necessary to go through all this trouble to gain the, but my philosophy is “Let’s do what we can do” so I couldn’t miss this opportunity. I’m sure it will be useful someday.

I had to finish everything before leaving in a week, so the time was tighter than I expected. Considering the time for washing up and eating.

It’s an all-nighter marathon for the remaining time.

◇

<Unexpected! Quest> <Future Vision> training, success!

As a reward, you have obtained <Future Vision> Beginner

….I did it…

It was worth it. It wasn’t easy, but it was bearable.

Even while dozing off here and there, I had to keep my eyes glued to the book. But maybe thanks to the passive effects <Fearless Healer!>, it wasn’t unbearably hard. Other than feeling a bit dizzy, I was fine.

A week had already passed. Morning sunlight streamed through the cracks of the door.

Knock, knock.

I heard a knock at the door. Stumbling to my feet, I opened it. A refreshing breeze rushed in and swept over me.

I lifted my head. Standing there was a man taller than me, bathed in the blue morning sunlight pouring in from behind him. His deep brown hair swayed gently in the breeze as he smiled brightly.

“Hi! Are you Sun Yi-han?”

His voice was so bright and energetic that it cut through my foggy head with clarity. A cool, refreshing scent lingered in the soft gust of wind.

For a moment, I froze. Everything before me was too bright. The direct gaze and the way he called my name felt unfamiliar.

As I stood there blankly, he spoke again, sounding slightly unsure.

“I was told this was the place… Is it not?”

After staying up several nights, my brain wasn’t functioning well. I barely managed to pull myself together and respond.

“…Yes, you’re right. I’m Sun Yi-han.”

Hearing my answer, he smiled as if he knew it all along, his lips curling into a sharp smile. It was a clean, straightforward smile, without any disguise. Somehow, his expression put me at ease.

Seeing that he came to pick me up, he must be part of the hero’s party. Are all heroes this bright?

“Feel free to speak casually. I’m the same age as you. Im Min Joo-Hyuk.”

“Alright.”

Min Joo-hyuk approached me with an ease that made it hard to believe we had just met. With his ever-bright voice, he continued.

“Did you hear that I am coming?”

“Yeah. You’re here to pick me up, right?”

Glancing inside my room, Min Joo-hyuk added, “That’s right. We’re heading out together. I’ll wait outside, so take your time getting ready, Sun Yi-han!”

“There’s not much to pack…. I’ll be out in a moment.”

It was true. I didn’t have much to pack, so I held my loose bag in one hand and looked around the room. The room was empty.

I never felt like I belonged here, nor was I ever recognized as a member of the temple. It always felt like I was just freeloading, so keeping personal belongings felt like a luxury to me.

Maybe that’s why I never grew attached to this room. I didn’t feel any lingering attachment.

Creak.

As I stepped outside, the cold air made me shiver. Min Joo-hyuk was leaning against the wall next to the door, lost in thought.

“Min Joo-hyuk.”

“Oh, you really came out quickly.”

Min Joo-hyuk’s eyes, which looked at me in a surprised voice, seemed to open wide for a moment. Min Joo-hyuk’s face, which had been smiling playfully, hardened.

Or is it not? In the blink of an eye, his bright expression returned, leaving me uncertain.

“Shall we go?”

His casual tone made it seem like nothing had happened. Maybe I was just imagining things because I was sleep-deprived. Nodding at him, I started walking.

The carriage was right outside the temple. The ride turned out to be longer than I expected.

Min Joo-hyuk told me several things, or rather, he tried to explain them to me, as I didn’t know much about the situation.

After a few sentences, he paused and asked,

“Sun Yi-han. Are you having a hard time right now?”