Possessor #2 Just Wants to Fangirl Chapter 10

“Yeon Sora, did you… also awaken?”

Ham Sobong was looking at me with a mysterious expression.

It feels like he has lots of questions but can’t quite bring them up.

‘Is it because of the Awakened Personal Information Protection Act?’

In this worldview, you can’t force awakened ones to reveal their traits or skills.

Since I slammed down burning spears so spectacularly, everyone will know I have a flame magic skill.

But forcing me to acknowledge that ability with my own mouth is a separate matter.

If you violate the [APIPA], you have to pay half of one year’s income as a fine.

They don’t punish kids joking around with each other saying ‘That’s your skill, right?’ but if you’re an examiner, it’s a different story.

Anyway.

Ham Sobong wants to ask about my ability, but he’s being cautious.

‘Should I hide my power?’

Why though?

When I have such an amazing skill, I have no intention of sealing it away to play hide-my-power games.

Even when I go to buffets, I eat my favorite food first, and when my paycheck comes in, I buy the thing I want most first.

What’s the point of saving it?

If I meet even one truck before I get to enjoy the good days, I’ll be too frustrated to even close my eyes.

It’s best to enjoy good things when they’re good.

“That was me.”

When I boldly acknowledged being the source of the flame spears, Ham Sobong’s pupils widened slightly.

“I see. A flame mage.”

Actually, it’s skill copying?

But I decided to keep this to myself.

If I go around saying I’m a copy machine, jealous people will inevitably appear.

People who fabricate accusations might treat me like a parasite.

Ham Sobong seemed lost in thought with his chin resting in his hand for a while, then suddenly opened his mouth.

“Inventory.”

A purple ripple appeared next to Ham Sobong.

This is… a subspace inventory?

I’ve never seen this before!

Wow, his hand really disappears into thin air!

Ham Sobong stuck his hand deep into the inventory, then pulled out three black glass bottles.

“It seems like your mana consumption must be severe. These are mana potions. Drink them.”

To give me something so precious again…

When I readily accepted what he offered, Ham Sobong seemed a bit puzzled, but I’m the type who never refuses gifts.

Enjoying things before getting hit by a truck… I’ll skip the rest.

To check its effectiveness, I immediately opened a potion on the spot and downed it in one shot, and my mana that had been at 0 was completely filled.

“Put the rest in your pockets, one each. And if something happens by any chance, use them then.”

Magic-based skills like flame magic are useless without mana.

They won’t activate properly without fuel.

But if I carry these potions around, even if my mana runs out, I can immediately refill the fuel and activate skills.

‘By the way, the examiner’s condition is a mess.’

Though he gave first aid, his body is full of various injury marks.

Because he faced 40+ goblin experimental subjects alone without being able to hear.

Since Ham Sobong doesn’t know about the ‘gets stronger the more it’s cut’ setting, he must have struggled even more.

Even amid all that, seeing how he brought them all down—as expected, a ranker is a ranker.

The goblins I took down were seven.

That person handled all the rest.

“From now on, everyone moves outside the test site. This isn’t a natural disaster. It’s an emergency situation, so I can’t say it’s good to just keep waiting here.”

Ham Sobong opened his mouth with a resolute face.

“We don’t know what might happen outside, so everyone be careful.”

On the last sentence, he stared at me intently.

So that’s why he gave me the potions?

If something happens by any chance, to slam down flame spears.

* * *

We followed behind Ham Sobong.

Ham Sobong would walk a bit, then examine traces on the ground, walk a bit more, then listen carefully while cautiously leading us.

How long had we walked like that?

An underground dungeon appeared in the distance.

Since it’s similar to the underground dungeon where we took our test, that must be a test site too.

“Wait here. Don’t let your guard down.”

Ham Sobong approached the dungeon alone.

When Ham Sobong peered in, jet-black arms stretched out between the bars.

Not human arms.

Dozens of such arms.

Ham Sobong swung his sword to sever all the arms protruding outside the iron bars, then returned to this side.

His expression is deeply dark.

“Let’s go.”

Even without him saying it, I could tell what happened.

Everyone brutally killed.

‘There must have been a ranker on that side too…’

There’s no answer for ambushes.

Even for us, if I hadn’t discovered the grasshopper in time and warned them, who knows what would have happened.

In the heavily darkened atmosphere, we walked again.

And in front of the second test site.

“You’re alive?”

“Ham Sobong?”

This time, a human voice was heard from inside the bars.

“What the hell happened?”

“If you’re not dead, open the door. I’ll explain inside.”

Both the examiner and students were all alive at this test site.

Not only that, the rotating goblin device was intact too. Judging by how dozens of goblins are still frozen solid.

The adults whispered among themselves, and soon reached a conclusion.

“We all move together. Follow without letting your guard down.”

The new ranker gave directions, and Ham Sobong joined the formation after eliminating all the goblins at the test site.

There were survivors at the third test site too.

“You’re alive?”

“Kim Gyuhwan?”

The next test site, and the one after that also had no casualties.

The only place with casualties was the first test site we visited.

‘Was there only one grasshopper?’

Perhaps the grasshopper I killed was in charge of this entire area.

What does that mean!

It means everyone survived because I killed the grasshopper.

Wow, it’s the first time I’ve ever killed a bug, but I killed it well!

We went around test sites one by one collecting survivors. Everyone moved in groups to the next test site.

How many times did we repeat this?

“Why are there only four students?”

“Huh?”

A test site appeared that was missing one student.

“Didn’t you just not bring them from the start?”

“That can’t be… It’s not like there are many kids—it’s only five, how would you not notice?”

“That’s true.”

“This is driving me crazy, should we form a search party?”

“Let’s secure these kids’ safety first, then come back later.”

The examiner in charge was making a fuss with an expression like he’d seen a ghost, but there’s no need to worry like that.

Because the missing student was Ki Hyeonmin.

Our regressor concealed his presence to trick the examiner and rushed to the outbreak scene.

So we’ll meet him soon enough.

“Only one last test site left.”

The place we’ll visit ahead is Gyeon Junhwi’s test site.

Since it’s the location of the outbreak.

* * *

Even before reaching the last test site, the rankers stopped walking.

“Wait.”

“Quiet!”

“Shh.”

When we shut our mouths and listened carefully, faint sounds could be heard from far away.

Kieeeeeee!

Grrrrrowl!

I could see the rankers’ faces hardening.

“Kim Gyuhwan, Lee Seoyun, Yoo Jihwan, Kang Yeonseo. You four come with me to check.”

The one who spoke was Ham Sobong.

Come to think of it, Ham Sobong is taking the leader role?

Does he have the highest ranking among them?

“The rest of you take the kids and wait in Test Site 9 with the door locked. Once we finish checking, we’ll head over there.”

The group protecting students, the group exploring the outbreak scene.

It meant splitting into two groups and acting separately.

Because we can’t drag little kids to a combat scene.

“I want to go too.”

When I opened my mouth, several rankers frowned.

“What kind of nonsense is that!”

“Are you crazy?”

“Can’t you hear that sound right now?”

I ignored them and looked only at Ham Sobong no matter what.

At times like this, it’s faster to speak directly to the head.

“You know my ability. I’m confident I’ll succeed this time too.”

Ham Sobong is someone who witnessed my Flame Baptism.

He even gave me mana potions to sprinkle flame spears just in case.

Which means he’s thinking of me not as a protected target, but as combat power.

Sure enough.

“Let’s do that.”

Ham Sobong immediately gave the okay.

“Hey, Ham Sobong!”

“How are you going to take responsibility later?”

“That kid will be useful.”

“Even though she just awakened?”

“I guarantee it.”

“Still…”

The other rankers still looked uneasy.

Ham Sobong seemed like he very much wanted to say something but was holding back.

To explain why he’s taking me, he’d have to reveal my ability, but Ham Sobong arbitrarily revealing my ability risks touching the law.

I have to say this with my own mouth.

“I’m a flame mage.”

“What? You?”

“Yes, and it’s also an area-of-effect, targeted-type skill.”

“Wh-what!”

Reactions erupting from all around.

Strictly speaking, this isn’t my ability but Yeom Juwan’s ability.

That makes me even prouder.

‘My baby’s ability is pretty amazing, right?’

There’s a reason Yeom Juwan rose to the ranks of the strongest in <On the Brink of Destruction>.

There’s the power flame magic itself possesses, but also because Yeom Juwan has an area-of-effect ability that can simultaneously handle tens of thousands of enemies alone.

Plus a targeted-type ability that accurately selects and attacks enemies.

The combination of these three characteristics can only be seen as heavenly fortune.

“We’re going to rescue students my age, right? If there’s a targeted-type skill, it’ll definitely help.”

I did my best to promote myself.

Even from the rankers’ perspective, a targeted-type ability would be tempting.

Targeted-type is a skill that only eliminates targets.

An ability that precisely eliminates only monsters without touching students.

Revealing my ability in front of many people is a bit uncomfortable, but…

Well, it’s not actually my real skill anyway, so it doesn’t matter much.

More than that…

‘I have to follow somehow!’

Right now, I want to go to the outbreak scene no matter what I have to do.

Because I’m deeply worried about Ki Hyeonmin and Gyeon Junhwi’s safety.

Of course, those two will survive.

But…

‘It’s not 100%!’

Just a while ago, I nearly lost Yeom Juwan, who I thought had 100% guaranteed survival.

From the point I possessed, things have already twisted slightly from the original work.

You know, that thing called the butterfly effect?

What if Ki Hyeonmin or Gyeon Junhwi become endangered because of me?

‘It’ll be different from Yeom Juwan, but…’

Unlike Yeom Juwan who kept sticking close to me, I didn’t exchange a single word with Ki Hyeonmin.

With Gyeon Junhwi, exchanging a few words of conversation is all.

Even so, I can’t be certain ‘there’s no butterfly effect.’

There’s a possibility the outbreak became worse because I killed the grasshopper, or Gyeon Junhwi’s thoughts became complicated from the conversation with me so his actions might change…

If I had no ability, I’d obediently shrivel up in a corner, but the current me is a munchkin.

Of course I should go check on my babies.

“Then I want to go too.”

“Me too.”

“Me as well.”

The ones who spoke behind me were Yeom Juwan, No Jitae, and Lee Hyojun.

These guys really are loyal!

“Up to Yeom Juwan is fine, but I can’t permit No Jitae and Lee Hyojun.”

“Why? We can help too…”

“You guys didn’t do much earlier either, did you?”

Ham Sobong was firm.

Come to think of it, No Jitae and Lee Hyojun didn’t kill a single yellow-eyed one.

‘There are no experimental subjects at the outbreak though…’

Experimental subjects were only prepared inside test sites, but it’s also ridiculous for me to say this with my own mouth.

My loyal and good teammates, you guys wait here obediently.

“Then let’s depart.”

With Ham Sobong’s words as the signal, me and the rankers, plus Yeom Juwan became a separate unit and set out.

To the outbreak scene.