After the binding failure, my first instinct was to curse.
"What the actual fuck…?"
I tried again.
Opened my inventory, touched Aether, focused every ounce of conviction on "equip"...
Nothing happened.
The error message reappeared, impassive as a bureaucratic executioner.
Every damn time I tried, Aether just slid back into temporary storage, like it was mocking me: "Not your time yet, dumbass."
"Luxxion. Any clue what's happening?"
[Unfortunately, no. This shouldn't occur, especially with an item obtained legitimately. Perhaps… you're missing a hidden condition of some sort.]
"Hidden condition my ass. It was supposed to be a 'click yes and done' deal."
[You're not the protagonist. Deal with it.]
I snorted and closed the system window. My patience was dangling over a cliff's edge, skimming stones.
I left the dungeon and retraced my steps, trudging down the mountain's steep trail with heavy footsteps, carrying a mix of frustration and genuine regret.
I'd hesitated with Aether—and now it felt like the universe itself was punishing me for it.
In the end, I'd done what I had to… and still came out losing.
Or maybe I was just over-dramatizing.
As I neared the teleport portal, I spotted someone familiar.
Kim Hajin.
He stood with his back turned, seemingly listening to—or ignoring—a ginseng hunter, a middle-aged man with patchy stubble, a rumpled shirt, and anxious eyes.
The man appeared to be pleading for something, maybe help with an expedition deeper into the mountains, but Hajin looked seconds from turning and vanishing.
[He likely came for the same reason you did. But… too late.]
It took less than a goddamn second.
Kim Hajin sensed he was being watched. He turned his head slightly, and our eyes met for a flicker.
I wondered what he saw when he looked at me.
Probably nothing.
I averted my gaze and walked straight to the portal.
Time to go back.
_________
I was back at Cube's.
When I finally shut my dorm door, I collapsed straight onto the bed.
The clock read 4:42 PM. Wednesday afternoon.
Tomorrow would be Thursday.
Tired of stewing over Aether, I pivoted to another topic.
If the plot unfolded as I remembered… tomorrow was the day the Hunting Club would head out on their expedition.
The day Sven would completely lose control.
"I'm not in the damn Hunting Club…"
[Then do what a good stalker does—lurk and intervene as you see fit.]
I sighed and pulled up the system interface.
[Daily Mission.]
[Objectives:…]
I sat up with a dry crack in my neck. Grabbed my training uniform, tied my sneakers too tight, and shoved the door open again.
Then, I ran along the trail skirting Cube's northern courtyard, past neatly trimmed hedges and digital warning signs marking the training track.
My thoughts, though, were elsewhere.
[Main Quest: Silent Sowing]
[Description: The roots of change already spread beneath the feet of those who ignore the omen. The surface is calm. But the underground… is at war. Observe. Grow. Stay alive.]
[Note: This mission will update as Corruption progresses and the user meets necessary requirements.]
[Objectives: will be defined when the user meets requirements.]
[Rewards: will be adjusted when the user meets requirements.]
I read it for the fiftieth time, trying to pry out hidden meaning.
But there was none.
No markers. No progress bar. Not even a specific objective.
Nothing concrete.
"Hey, Luxxion,'' I called.
[Yes?]
"Why's this mission so… vague?"
[Are you referring to the Main Mission?]
"Yeah, the damn Main Mission. I've been in this shithole over a day and a half. Fought a giant golem, almost died in a dungeon, and killed a child witch. But this mission's still here with its failed-poet bullshit, saying fucking nothing."
[I do not know.]
"What do you mean you don't know?"
[I mean precisely that. I also lack full access to this function.]
I exhaled sharply through my nose, irritated.
My foot kicked a pebble on the trail.
"That makes no sense. You're the system."
[Not exactly. I may have been redundant in past explanations.]
My pace slowed slightly as frustration bubbled up.
Still, I kept running, air heaving in and out of my lungs like hot steam.
"So either you're messing with me, or this is interdimensional schizophrenia with premium holographic UI."
[It's more accurate to say I am part of the system—just as it is part of me. We share overlapping functions but are not identical. Some decisions are made by me. Others… are executed by deeper mechanisms.]
[In other words, we are fundamentally linked, but neither holds total dominion over the other.]
"So you can tweak almost anything… except these decisions that come from god-knows-where?"
[Essentially, yes.]
He then elaborated:
[Think of it this way: the system is a living machine. It possesses its own will in certain aspects—especially regarding core functions like the Main Mission. I can interpret, interact, even influence at mid-level layers. But I cannot directly alter it most of the time.]
[Just as you might operate a computer but cannot change what it displays during a hardware error.]
"So the system gives me a mission that's basically a philosophical riddle and expects me to do… what?"
[Survive. Grow. Be prepared. Apparently, that's what it wants.]
I sighed even deeper. "Thanks for nothing, genius."
My sneakers pounded the ground in a steady rhythm.
I turned left onto a narrower trail leading into Cube's inner grove, where some students trained.
But it was empty now.
[Also—you haven't received any location or command regarding the Seed yet, correct?]
"No. And that's weird too."
[It is. But consider: if this mission updates as Corruption progresses, it means catalysts are already in motion.]
"…So, the Seed's already near someone."
[Likely. And if it's like last time, it'll orbit near the protagonists. Rachel. Nayun. Hajin. Any of them. Or all at once.]
I fell silent.
My legs still ran, but my mind was two steps ahead.
Something about this mission—or its lack of clarity—bugged me more than I'd admit.
And the worst part?
This feeling I was late. Even though I'd moved early.
When I stopped running, I stood at the grove's edge near a statue of one of the Nine Stars. The sound of my footsteps vanished, and wind filled the space again.
The silence between Luxxion and me lasted nearly a minute.
Then I heard:
"Didn't expect anyone to train here at this hour."
I looked up, curious.
The speaker stood tall with impeccable posture and a naturally earnest aura. He wore Cube's training uniform, a towel over his shoulders, and held a water bottle.
It was Kim Suho, the protagonist of the novel written by Kim Hajin.
"And I didn't expect Cube's poster boy to wander around alone," I replied, facing the voice's owner. "Especially this hour."
He gave a small, almost awkward smile.
"Ah... I usually use the gym, but wanted a change today. Don't often see anyone out here."
"Yeah. Guess no one likes smelling dirt during stretches. Shame."
He stepped closer, wiping sweat from his brow.
"You train here often?" he asked.
"First time, actually,'' I said. ''Just needed air that doesn't reek of disinfectant."
Suho laughed heartily, and that's when I saw him tilt his head slightly.
"Now that I look properly… I've seen you before. In class. You sit at the back, right?"
"Yes,'' I stated. ''But, you probably remember me 'cause of yesterday's embarrassment."
He seemed confused.
"Embarrassment?"
"Fell asleep in class," I started. "Snored, too. Cool, huh?"
Suho scratched his neck, as if trying to recall.
"Ahh… now that you mention it…"
"Relax, no need to force it," I said. "Happy to be remembered for my glorious academic nap. Especially by you, Kim Suho."
The boy's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, how do you know my name?"
"Hard not to know,'' I raised my finger. ''Kim Suho. Top of the year. One of the academy's best cadets in history. The future's golden boy."
The list of compliments in his name was almost impossible to say out loud. I stopped there, too lazy to continue.
Suho looked faintly awkward at the praise—or his fame.
"Whoa… that's… over the top."
"I just repeated what the teachers say when you pass," I explained.
He scratched his head, before speaking again:
"And you're… Liam, right?"
"Liam Han," I said.
Suho nodded slowly, as if committing the name to memory with more care than necessary.
"You seem pretty focused on training, for someone who slept through class. That's admirable."
I shrugged.
"And for someone at top of the class, you're awfully polite to a guy drenched in sweat and smelling like dirt."
Both laughed.
For a second, a light but not uncomfortable silence hung between us.
"Y'know… hope to see you around more, Liam."
I gave a slight nod before turning away toward the dorms.
"Count on it, protagonist."
________
''What—''
Kim Hajin narrowed his eyes at the scene before him.
He had expected it, but the atmosphere of the secret dungeon stage was quite oppressive.
Using stigma-mana flowing through his body, he could sense the residual magic clinging to the walls.
The spiral stairs led to a wide chamber, framed by petrified roots and thick with a weird, unknown smell.
At its center… stood nothing but a tree.
No Evangel.
Only traces.
"…Someone's already been here."
The shattered skeletons outside, which hadn't risen as undead to attack him, also fueled this idea even further.
He moved his head, scanning the surroundings intently, as if searching for something—or someone.
His palm slowly clenched.
The Aether wasn't there.
And he had a hunch where it had ended up.