VSP 162

 Sejun realized he’d returned to his original self. He was alone again.

It should’ve felt natural to feel his body was entirely his, but it felt strange because it hadn’t been that way for a long time.

“……”

‘Trace back your memories’? What memories?

His memories remained perfectly in his head, but they were piled up in layers, so they didn’t feel organized. Sejun struggled to open his mind’s memory drawer. If it was something the man had stayed behind to tell him, it had to be a very important.

Fortunately, the memory was recent and intense. Sejun didn’t have to rummage through his past for long.

‘You aren’t a living person.’

Ah, this was it.

‘Why do I think that? I felt your authority was weaker than expected for an original author.’

Sejun found what he wanted in the flood of memories and placed his hand on his forehead. Maybe it was because he hadn’t experienced it personally, but the conversation was tangled up.

Why would I have accessed Sejun’s system for no reason?

Use it. You can do it, right?

I’m not the absolute being you think I am.

Both of you made a mess of ‘Seo Sejun’.

I’m the only author who finishes a story after getting scolded by a character…

Wait. I’ll fill the urgent things first.

Go to a good place once you achieve what you want. I mean it.

You cause the trouble and then give the fix…

My head felt like it was going to explode. Perhaps it was the sheer effort of trying to recall memories that caused a headache to arise. Of course, there were benefits.

Ah, anyway, you got what you wanted. And so did I.

Sejun clenched and unclenched his fists.

Mana overflowed. He was confident that he could do anything. It wasn’t just a feeling.

This is what it feels like to have an overflow of mana and for your body to evolve accordingly.

Did other S-ranks always live with this feeling?

With this mana and this body, there’d be no more restrictions on using Hoya. He wouldn’t have to vomit blood and collapse from drinking mana potions, worry about reverse summoning, or anxiously calculate his remaining mana…

…Wait?

Sejun felt a shiver run down his spine as he thought that far, and instinctively kicked the ground and jumped up.

Boom!

“Whoa!”

Something burst through the floor where Sejun had been standing just a moment ago. Sejun didn’t know his limits yet, so he jumped pnearly three stories high. He screamed at the height.

Kyaaa!

It was a beast-like monster with extremely sharp front teeth.

Right. Asura isn’t the only enemy right now!

The monster had tried to attack Sejun but only chewed the concrete floor. It screeched and lunged toward its prey in the air. Sejun was horrified as he watched the monster leap up with its mouth wide open beneath him.

“Argh! No!”

I can’t do anything in the air! It was good that he’d jumped to dodge, but the problem was that his body was defenseless until he hit the ground again. This was the downside of his lack of experience, since he’d never been a physical fighter.

The monster saw its prey falling back down because of gravity and opened its mouth wide. Sejun closed his eyes and braced for injury. A flash appeared, and Sejun’s vision was suddenly dyed blue. He felt the bright blue flash clearly even though his eyes were closed.

Thwack!

Kya!

Then came the sound of tearing flesh and the monster’s pathetic scream. It happened in an instant.

“……Huh?”

Sejun landed on the floor without a single injury, though he looked dazed. As a summoner, Sejun knew what this sensation was. It was a very familiar feeling. It was the feeling of his mana moving elsewhere.

But it was a bit different from usual. Usually, he’d feel his mana plummet, like someone scooping water out of a sink with a bucket. This time, however, the sensation was slight, like he’d scooped a single cup of water from a full lake.

Screeeech!

The monster that had opened its mouth to swallow Sejun screamed. It was more of a shriek than a scream. The being that made the air shimmer blue was tearing the monster apart without mercy.

Sejun swallowed dryly. It was definitely cathartic to watch the monster that tried to eat him get devoured by a stronger being, but… the catharsis wasn’t what mattered to Sejun.

A massive beast stood before him, enveloped in a shimmering haze like flames. It was a being that made the surroundings go silent even without moving. It was the one Sejun had missed so much.

[Grrrr.]

Hoya was right there. His summon had ripped the monster into two pieces and was chewing on its flesh. He looked different than usual. He didn’t look like the usual transparent, shimmering image. Every single strand of fur was clear, as if his resolution had suddenly spiked.

He’d thought his body felt full just because his mana increased, but that wasn’t it. Hoya had returned to his side, and that was why he felt whole.

Right. Why did I think I was alone after ‘Seo Sejun’ left? I have a summon who’ll stay by my side for a lifetime.

“Hoya!”

Sejun called out Hoya’s name, unable to contain his joy. Hoya had been mangling the monster’s corpse as if he were venting his anger on it, but he turned around when Sejun called.

Even though they hadn’t always gotten along, Sejun thought Hoya would be at least a little happy to see him. Just a little. But what happened next was nothing like Sejun’s imagination.

[…….]

Hoya stared at Sejun for a moment without a sound. Sejun held his arms open in joy, but Hoya’s gaze as he watched him was strange. Sejun thought the beast’s eyes were shimmering.

Hoya spat out the meat in his mouth and rushed forward at an invisible speed. He slammed right into Sejun.

“Gah!”

Sejun barely managed to stay on his feet, but that wasn’t because Hoya was gentle or because Sejun was strong. It was simply because Hoya had wrapped his body around him. Hoya didn’t stop there. The giant tiger started to rub his head against Sejun’s body.

Hoya rubbed his head against Sejun’s stomach and thighs, then moved to his shoulders. He wrapped his tail around Sejun’s legs and growled as he nuzzled him. Finally, he nudged and knocked Sejun over.

“Oof.”

Sejun couldn’t hold his ground. He didn’t know it, but Hoya weighed over 300kg now that he’d been summoned in a perfect form for the first time. No matter how much Sejun’s body was enhanced, he was destined to be tossed around by Hoya’s paw unless he really tried to resist.

Naturally, Sejun had no intention of resisting. Hoya would never attack him or have bad intentions. Never.

“Ouch.”

But when a rough tongue started to lick his face, Sejun wondered if ‘never’ was the right word. It stung. Hoya licked Sejun from his nose to his cheeks. After a few swipes of his tongue, Sejun’s face became soaking wet.

“Ah, it stings! It stings! Wait, the drool…”

It was a lot to handle, but Sejun had studied the internet to get closer to Hoya even though he didn’t own a cat. He knew this was the highest form of affection a feline could show. Even without that knowledge, he couldn’t miss the meaning behind such clingy behavior. It was a sign of how much Hoya missed Sejun, just as Sejun had missed him.

Sejun’s hands hovered awkwardly in the air as Hoya fussed over him. He hesitated for a moment before he pulled Hoya into a hug.

[…….]

Hoya stiffened as the hands pulled him close. What should he say? ‘I missed you’? ‘Thank you’? There were so many things he wanted to say, but he didn’t know which one was right.

Finally, Sejun blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Hoya, I’m sorry.”

Things he couldn’t see before finally became visible as his mana grew. He understood now. He knew how to resonate with his summon and Hoya’s true feelings. These feelings were so desperate that it felt unfair he hadn’t heard their plea until now.