TSOT#1 Chapter 8

“Put it back to the way it was.”

 

The woman seemed stunned by Joo-ah’s demand and wrenched her hand free from Joo-ah’s grip.

 

“You think I’m crazy enough to put it back? This trash!”

 

She angrily stomped on the plant lying on the floor, crushing it underfoot. The flower was crushed and buried in the dirt.

 

Watching the scene with a sense of futility, Joo-ah wondered.

 

What kind of life had Seo Joo-ah led until now?

 

What kind of life would leave her unable to find a single reliable teammate and being treated this way by peers?

 

The woman, still seething, grabbed Joo-ah by the collar with a rough motion.

 

“Try saying anything like that to me again. I won’t let it slide.”

 

She spat out her words, looking Joo-ah up and down as if ready to bite.

 

“A low-ranked nobody.”

 

It was ridiculous even to treat such a lowlife as a friend in the first place.

 

Joo-ah smiled faintly and calmly removed the woman’s grip from her collar. She moved her fingers and glanced at the woman’s system screen.

 

A blue screen appeared in mid-air, displaying a name Joo-ah didn’t recognize.

 

“Oh, right. Your name’s Boram, isn’t it?”

 

Joo-ah said, smiling brightly as if she’d just remembered. The woman struggled to pull away from Joo-ah’s grip.

 

“Let go of me!”

 

Joo-ah replied calmly, watching the woman’s fierce expression.

 

“You know very well how influential my father’s background is, don’t you?”

 

The woman froze at the mention of Joo-ah’s father. Joo-ah flashed a smooth, controlled smile and continued.

 

“Just like you said, my father’s influence is so strong that it even affects team arrangements. The Chairman of the Association can’t even blink without a word from a congressman.”

 

Joo-ah gently played with a strand of the woman’s blonde hair as a tense silence settled between them.

 

“Don’t throw such a tantrum with me. It would make my father sad.”

 

Joo-ah murmured, releasing the woman’s hand. With barely any resistance from her, the woman stumbled, her legs going weak. If her friends hadn’t caught her, she might have fallen over pathetically.

 

“Pretending to be so innocent all this time, only to show your true colors now.”

 

Leaning on her friends, she spat out one last remark with the last bit of her pride.

 

“Disgusting bitch.”

 

And with that, she hurried away, putting distance between herself and Joo-ah. The plant pot, which had been knocked over and trampled, was left behind, but Joo-ah didn’t bother to stop her.

 

After all, nothing would come from it.

 

Joo-ah crouched down, gathering the scattered dirt back into the pot. She carefully placed the battered flower atop the soil.

 

As she carried the pot into the elevator, Joo-ah’s face was filled with weariness.

 

Six months ago, after she’d awakened in the hospital, Joo-ah’s parents hadn’t visited her even once.

 

The Special Awakener Academy had gone on break just three months later due to graduation season, giving her no chance to really understand Seo Joo-ah’s past relationships.

 

All she knew about Seo Joo-ah was the personal details displayed in the system window.

 

Or perhaps the painful scars etched on Joo-ah’s own wrist.

 

A deep fatigue washed over her.

 

The more she understood about Joo-ah’s body, the more she felt she understood why she had ended up hospitalized. And it only made her headache worse.

 

When Joo-ah entered the luxury room, the rest of the team was still in the training area.

 

She placed the pot on the table and sat down on the sofa. The plant was in worse shape than when she’d first seen it. There were no flowers left, and even the roots were crushed.

 

“…Can this even be restored?”

 

Joo-ah let out a small sigh and cupped the pot with her hands.

 

A gentle warmth began to flow from her skin.

 

It was a faint, delicate power but pure and clear as crystal.

 

A soft white light gradually emerged over the pot. It was undoubtedly a healing energy. She wished this beautiful light would sink into the soil and bring life back to the wilted flower.

 

But the radiant glow faded almost immediately, leaving no trace.

 

Joo-ah’s hands dropped from the pot, weakened.

 

It had failed.

 

She hadn’t expected it to work on the first try, but seeing no change at all made her feel bleak.

 

Then, Joo-ah noticed something strange. She touched her system window, scanning her personal stats.

 

Stamina: 101 / 263 (+25)

Magic: 141 / 193 (-10)

 

Joo-ah frowned at the numbers.

 

Due to the training session with virtual monsters, her stamina and magic were both depleted, yet oddly, her stamina had increased.

 

Normally, her stats would slowly recover over time, but Joo-ah’s low rank meant it took a long time for her to recover fully.

 

Magic had decreased due to her attempt with the plant, but why was her stamina going up?

 

As she puzzled over her stats, the team members returned from training.

 

“I guess we’re still not ready to handle an SSS-grade monster,” Yeon-joo said, handing water bottles to the team. Chan-hee, cursing under his breath, muttered,

 

“We’ll have to try increasing the number of SS-grade virtual monsters in the next training.”

 

Jae-rim sat across from Joo-ah, a scratch on his cheek from battling a virtual monster.

 

Yeon-joo fetched a first-aid kit from a corner of the room.

 

“Let me apply some ointment.”

 

But Chan-hee reached over and snatched the first-aid kit, pointing to Joo-ah as he spoke.

 

“Why bother with this when there’s a healer right here?”

 

He looked at Joo-ah and added,

 

“Don’t tell me you can’t even manage a scratch like this?”

 

He smirked in a mocking tone. Joo-ah glanced at him, unperturbed, then turned to Jae-rim.

 

“I can help if you like.”

 

But Jae-rim ignored her, reaching to take back the first-aid kit from Chan-hee, as if to say he didn’t need her help.

 

But Chan-hee held it out of his reach, even placing it on the opposite sofa so Jae-rim couldn’t grab it.

 

“You complain about being left alone, but now you’re treating the E-class like she’s invisible?”

 

Sighing, Jae-rim leaned back on the sofa, looking directly at Joo-ah as he replied.

 

“She’ll be gone soon anyway.”

 

Although it was meant for Chan-hee, it felt like he was speaking to Joo-ah.

 

Chan-hee, sitting next to Joo-ah, asked with mock pity,

 

“So, what if she doesn’t leave? Will you finally treat her better?”

 

“No.”

 

Jae-rim’s flat voice filled the room.

 

“I don’t want more people on our team.”

 

His tone was resolute, and Chan-hee shot Joo-ah a pitying look.

 

“Tough luck. No one here wants you around.”

 

Listening quietly, Joo-ah calmly placed the first-aid kit back on the table and said,

 

“I don’t particularly want to stay here either.”

 

She glanced indifferently at Chan-hee beside her.

 

“To be honest, I was expecting more from a top-ranked group, but seeing you up close…not that impressive.”

 

Her gaze met Chan-hee’s, who scoffed in disbelief.

 

“Are you looking at me like that because you think I don’t live up to your expectations?”

 

Joo-ah merely shrugged. Her lack of denial made Chan-hee pull a face, clearly taken aback.

 

Yeon-joo, watching from across the room, chuckled.

 

“I like that Hunter Seo Joo-ah doesn’t get intimidated. No pretense.”

 

She took the first-aid kit and began treating Jae-rim’s scratch.

 

Joo-ah stood up, taking the plant pot with her. As she turned to leave, Chan-hee asked,

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Joo-ah paused, giving him a sweet smile.

 

“Stop caring about me, Hunter Yoo Chan-hee.”

 

She left him staring blankly after her and walked into the training hall.

 

Unlike the rest area, the training hall had plenty of windows and was perfect for plant growth.

 

Joo-ah placed a chair by the window and sat down. Sunlight poured over the plant in the pot.

 

As she prepared to use her healing magic again, a message popped up in the air.

 

[An Anonymous Constellation sends their encouragement, hoping to see your hidden power.]

 

Mystical energy gathered around her hands. A faint shimmer appeared around the leaves in the pot. Slowly, the dead roots began to take shape.

 

Joo-ah’s face lit up, sensing the faintest sign of life restored by her healing magic.

 

But it was brief.

 

The light around her hands vanished in an instant. The fragile life that had begun to form quickly withered.

 

With a sigh, Joo-ah looked out the window, feeling deflated.

 

Through the glass, she saw the six tall towers standing in the city.

 

The dark towers clashed starkly with the bright sky, looking like a gathering of all the world’s negativity—a hellish scene.

 

Joo-ah’s gaze focused on one spot.

 

In the upper floors of the fifth tower, a white light suddenly flared. A window shattered, and a giant bird burst out.

 

Startled, Joo-ah stood up.

 

A distress alarm sounded from her wrist communicator.

 

[Fifth Tower — Gate at Floor 622. Deploy immediately.]