Possessor #2 Just Wants to Fangirl Chapter 6

I’m not mentally prepared yet though?

You guys might have seen monsters since childhood, but today’s my first time!

As I blinked my eyes like I was sending Morse code, Yeom Juwan stepped forward.

“Sora hasn’t fully recovered her stamina yet, so I’ll go first.”

Truly my soul’s gum!

Right, at times like this a named supporting character should step up, not some nameless nobody!

But the answer that came back was firm.

“Denied.”

“What?”

“The rule is to start with students who have ranged weapons. Rules must be followed.”

“But Yeon Sora’s condition…”

“If she can walk and is conscious, she can take the test.”

Yeom Juwan tried resisting a few more times, but Ham Sobong didn’t even pretend to listen.

For good reason—public interest hunters are civil servants.

And civil servants are a species trained to thoroughly follow manuals.

“Everyone except Yeon Sora, get inside the barrier. Yeom Juwan, you too.”

“Let’s go, Yeom Juwan.”

Looking full of complaints, Yeom Juwan was dragged into the barrier by Lee Hyojun’s hand.

“Yeon Sora, look this way.”

I turned around and a pitch-black dark goblin entered my vision.

Why does that thing look so scary for a goblin?

Its red eyes are filled with bloodlust, and it’s taller than me by two heads.

Massive build.

Muscles bulging like a bodybuilder.

That appearance alone is intimidating enough, but—

Sliiide!

Long steel claws extended from the goblin’s hands.

Um, excuse me?

Isn’t that plagiarizing Wolve… I mean, the steel-clawed wolf uncle?

The black goblin began viciously swinging its questionably copyrighted long steel claws.

Whoooosh! Whoooosh!

“Yeon Sora! Take out your weapon! You remember how to use it, right?”

I pulled out the gun with trembling hands.

I loaded the magazine and released the safety as Ham Sobong taught me in the car.

Kieeeee!

Seeing the gun, the goblin became excited and started thrashing about.

As the monster opened its mouth wide and roared, the breath of a creature that had never brushed its teeth in its life covered me.

Clank! Clank!

Ready to break the chains any moment and come stab-stab me.

I might really die.

To not die, I have to shoot.

No, I need to awaken too, right?

I need to shoot while desperately chanting ‘I want the ability to make items!’…

‘Why am I like this?’

My finger absolutely won’t move.

Strangely, even looking at the horrific monster before my eyes, I can’t pull the trigger.

I realized the reason belatedly.

‘Am I an idiot?’

Even killing becomes easier with practice.

But in my previous life, I never killed even a single mosquito.

When a mosquito appears, I’m the type to attempt negotiation saying ‘I’ll give you one free bite, so please just bite once and leave.’

If I can’t even kill a mosquito, why did I think I could kill a goblin?

If I’d known this would happen, I should have faithfully trained to catch bugs in my previous life…

“Yeon Sora, it’ll be dawn at this rate! Hurry!”

Kieeeee!!!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unable to resist Ham Sobong’s urging, I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled the trigger, and my body was pushed back by the recoil.

Kieeeeeee!

…Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

After flicking my finger a few more times, silence arrived shortly after.

‘Did I get it?’

Confirming the surroundings had gone quiet, I opened my eyes slightly, and locked eyes squarely with the goblin.

The goblin, without a scratch on its body, is looking at me with a dumbfounded face.

(What are you doing, human?)

…That’s what it’s thinking, right?

I can read goblin faces.

“Wow, how do you not hit even once?”

Ham Sobong is also letting out an exasperated laugh.

“If I wait for you, it’ll be dawn, so let’s just make you last. Next is Lee Hyojun, come out!”

Ham Sobong changed my turn to last place.

Having achieved the feat of making a civil servant act outside the manual, I obediently stepped back.

* * *

Next up was Lee Hyojun.

I thought he’d choose a sword, but Lee Hyojun unexpectedly picked up a spear.

“Aaaaah!”

Clang! Clang! Crash!

The wildly swinging spear got caught on the goblin’s claws and flew far away.

Looking at the defenseless Lee Hyojun, the monster smacked its lips.

Just as it leaped toward Lee Hyojun with springy, elastic body movements—

Thunk!

Gueeeek!

The hair-raising sound of skin being pierced.

The goblin collapsing while frothing at the mouth.

Only after seeing the blood pooled thickly on the floor could I grasp the situation.

At the critical moment, Ham Sobong had stabbed a sword into the goblin’s heart.

“I’ll call another one, so grab your weapon again.”

Whirrrrr!

The rotating goblin device turned.

The lifeless goblin was dragged along the floor, and the second goblin was thawed.

I don’t know if ‘thawed’ is the right expression, but it’s the only word that comes to mind.

As if someone had said ‘Red light… green light!’, the goblin that had been frozen until just now began moving vigorously.

Kieeeeeee!

The second goblin seems fresher than the first.

Like a live fish just dragged onto land, it was flopping about energetically.

And a repeat of the same thing.

Clang! Clang-clang! Crash!

Lee Hyojun dropped his spear on the second attempt too.

I don’t think ‘just a goblin…’

Lee Hyojun is still an ordinary person who hasn’t even awakened.

A freshly graduated middle school chick at that.

If such a chick defeats a goblin with an orc’s strength in one go, that would be strange.

Gueeeek!

“Again!”

Whirrrrr!

Once again Ham Sobong brought forth a fresh goblin.

Lee Hyojun’s face is deathly pale.

‘Isn’t this child abuse?’

Forcing kids to do this kind of thing—people who’ll be punished by heaven!

This is why your world is being destroyed!!

As I was pouring out a bucket of curses inwardly—

Thunk!

This time Lee Hyojun’s spear lodged in the goblin’s heart.

Grrrrr… gr… gr…

Perhaps due to poor skill, the fallen goblin couldn’t die immediately and writhed on the floor breathing shallowly.

Sticky blood spurted like a fountain and pooled on the floor, but Ham Sobong didn’t even glance at the goblin and approached Lee Hyojun.

“Results?”

“……”

“Did you awaken?”

“…Yes.”

“Trait?”

“…Don’t I not have to say that?”

“Haha, you really won’t fall for it? Right, you must never tell others carelessly.”

Ham Sobong burst into laughter so cheerful it was inconsiderate.

Awakened ones don’t have to reveal their skills and traits.

Because it’s a right specified in Article 1, Clause 1 of the [Awakened Personal Information Protection Act].

Anyway, Lee Hyojun successfully awakened.

“Next, Park Rahee!”

Park Rahee, who had been praying with clasped hands behind me, stood up.

I hate to say this, but her timid appearance looks really worrying.

“Examiner, can’t I… just give up on awakening? I really… can’t do this…”

“Awakening confirmation is a citizen’s duty.”

Even before the tearful girl pleading, Ham Sobong was firm.

In the <On the Brink of Destruction> worldview, the military service system was replaced with the awakening confirmation system.

‘I’m scared, can I not awaken?’ is regarded as tantrum on par with ‘I’m scared, can I not go to the military?’

“If you don’t comply here, it’s five years in prison.”

“……”

“Endure somehow. Just endure today and it’s over.”

Ham Sobong’s tone softened a bit.

She doesn’t seem to want to throw these chicks in front of monsters either.

“…Yes.”

Park Rahee mustered her courage, picked up a spear, and started the test.

Meanwhile, I crouched in a corner and started racking my brain hard.

‘What should I do?’

What I’ve repeatedly realized while watching other team members’ tests is that awakening is impossible for me.

What’s needed for awakening is strong will.

But having lived my whole life honing the aesthetics of giving up, how could I have that kind of willpower?

Now that it’s come to this, I need to understand my situation and find a realistic alternative.

Give up on following Gyeon Junhwi to gain item crafting ability and escape the crisis.

There must be another way.

First, I need to survive the outbreak that’s about to happen.

Earnestly rolling my eyes to look around once more, the prison bars of the underground dungeon caught my eye.

Black with a subtle glow.

That’s barrier stone, isn’t it?

A special stone that blocks up to A-rank monsters.

Even if an outbreak happens outside, as long as there are bars made of barrier stone, monsters can’t enter this test site.

‘There’s also a barrier magic circle here.’

On the floor is drawn a purple magic circle with complex patterns.

This is also a barrier that blocks up to A-rank monsters.

‘Wait, then if I just hold out here, I’ll survive, right?’

I see hope.

In the work, Phoenix Guild sends reinforcements around sunset.

If I hold out inside here until then, I survive!

I need to drag out the test as much as possible and endure until then!

Ham Sobong will rush me saying there’s no time, but…

‘I can cover that sufficiently with a tantrum!’

When my turn comes, ‘Ugh, I can’t shoot a gun!’ → ‘But I want to awaken!’ → ‘But I’m too scared!’ → ‘But I don’t want to give up!’ → ‘But I can’t do it!’

Won’t it work if I loop this infinitely?

Name: the ‘So what?’ strategy.

Ham Sobong definitely said we need to face ten goblins per person.

For the ‘duty of awakening confirmation,’ I have the duty to stand before ten monsters.

No matter how long it takes, Ham Sobong will have to wait for me.

“Whew.”

Having made that plan, my mind felt much more at ease.

I don’t have to die! What a relief!

It’s a relief… um, definitely a relief…

The fear subsided, but an inexplicable unease kept poking at the back of my neck.

A sense of incongruity.

The feeling of missing something important.

‘What is it?’

I searched my memories again and recalled the early part of the novel.

Not long after Gyeon Junhwi enters the cave, the air tears and monsters burst out.

Like a protagonist, Gyeon Junhwi immediately awakens and, showing tremendous adaptability, slices up the goblins bursting from the rift one after another.

Ki Hyeonmin, who belatedly rushes to the scene, makes a puzzled expression looking at Gyeon Junhwi, but given the situation, the two entrust their backs to each other and diligently set about massacring goblins.

And then after that…

The story proceeds from the guild member’s perspective.

After the situation is resolved, the announced number of survivors is only nine.

‘Why nine?’

Something’s strange.

In Gyeon Junhwi’s appearance scene, no one dies.

Gyeon Junhwi’s team members, the examiner, and Ki Hyeonmin—a total of seven survive.

That means everyone except two died in other test sites.

‘Why?’

The outbreak happened right at Gyeon Junhwi’s feet, so why did only people far away die?

The goblins that burst out from the outbreak can’t even enter the test site…

Then an important phrase floated up in my head.

— Accident of unknown cause.

The government had designated the ‘1/11 Disaster’ as an ‘accident of unknown cause.’

I thought they were just brushing it off to cover up the incident… but what if that’s not it?

What if an accident of truly unknown cause occurred?

Then I could establish this hypothesis:

Two incidents occur simultaneously in the ‘1/11 Disaster.’

One is the outbreak.

The other is an accident of unknown cause.

The cause of the catastrophic incidents isn’t the outbreak.

The outbreak is a kind of fake-out.

There’s a different real cause that led to fifty-one deaths.

I need to find out what that is.