CHAPTER 53

Opening his eyes, Hirayon was welcomed with the usual white ceiling of his room. He didn't need to look around to check if his guess was correct, as Savio's voice immediately confirmed his thoughts.

Yet, it was strange. He could hear his trainer, but none of the words made sense. All that reached his ears was a faint buzzing as if Savio had transformed into an irritating insect, its loud hum disrupting his thoughts and filling his mind.

Slowly, Hirayon focused and tried to wash the ringing until he could finally hear and decipher actual words.

"Why is he not responding? Did the Bind not work? Is it a side-effect?" Savio muttered to himself. He was constantly pacing back and forth in front of a table, looking straight ahead as if there were a hologram, with his back facing Hirayon's bed.

The child turned his head to look where Savio's voice was and stared at the pristine white robe that all the trainers wore like a sacred uniform. It flapped on the air as Savio restlessly paced and, eventually, stopped after a minute or so. When Hirayon raised his gaze, he met Savio's widened eyes.

"You're finally awake!" Savio exclaimed, swiftly approaching Hirayon's bed. Coming to a stop beside the groggy child, Savio activated his ability, scanning the young one's body from head to toe. He was trying to discover any irregularity, yet much like the results from earlier that day, Hirayon's body showed no sign of anything awry.

"How are you feeling?"

Hirayon opened his mouth, and an unfamiliar raspy voice came out, "I don't know."

Perplexed, Savio asked. "What do you mean you don't know? Are you feeling tired? Sleepy? Do you feel pain anywhere?" He rambled, his voice full of panic and concern, anxiously awaiting Hirayon's response. He was worried that Hirayon had a problem and even developed dark bags under his eyes due to the lack of sleep.

"I'm tired and hungry..."

Hirayon simply said he was tired, but that was an understatement of his strange exhaustion. He couldn't fully grasp his body's condition, but every fiber of his being felt weak to the core. He was utterly devoid of energy to do anything, and even the act of speaking was weakening him.

Savio nodded and used his Odilens to communicate with FORT685, instructing him to prepare food for his master.

"That's to be expected. You slept for ten days!" Savio remarked, emphasizing how long it took before Hirayon finally woke up. While ten days is the average recovery time for most children, it was not the case for Hirayon, who has an extremely fast recuperating ability. Despite being injected with a blood ability to aid in healing his own body, it still took an unusually long time, too much considering the child's records.

"What happened?" Hirayon asked, fighting against sleep, attempting to stay alert.

"A lot happened after you lost consciousness. But congratulations, you won the game," Savio replied, sounding nonchalant about the win. He didn't appear happy or sad.

"I won? How?" Hirayon asked, aware that he had slept most of the remaining time due to aura depletion. He had only hoped that Hirang would help him escape the place but didn't anticipate defeating the child.

"You and ODE152 passed the exit together, so it was initially a tie. But there can never be a tie in the games. You still won because of the Monster Cores," Savio explained.

"How about ODE152?"

"Him? He ranked second. Eliu looked livid when his child crossed the exit with you on his back."

Hirayon closed his eyes, and relief washed over him. He was glad to learn that they both made it out alive and that it was all thanks to Hirang.

Savio noticed Hirayon's expression and asked, "Are You friends with him?"

Opening his eyes, Hirayon replied with his gaze alone.

"It's good that you managed to befriend someone. It'll be helpful in future games. But... I hope you'll choose another person."

"Why?"

A flood of reasons surged through Savio's mind, but his lips remained sealed. He refrained from voicing his thoughts, deeming it futile given Hirayon's stubborn personality.

'Eliu can't do anything even if he didn't like Hirayon, but that darkness element is a different league. That boy acted calm and kind toward Hirayon, but he was ruthless. It'll be problematic if he decides to turn his back on this child,' Savio pondered as he observed Hirayon's clueless eyes.

"Nothing much," he said, turning around. At the same time, the door slid open, and FORT685 hurried in, pushing a cart laden with food.

"I'm glad you're awake now!" He exclaimed when he saw his master. Quickly, FORT685 assisted Hirayon in sitting up and activated the bed table. He then set the table with cutlery before finally placing the prepared food.

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"There's plenty, so eat as much as you want," he said, sounding like a concerned parent overly worried about his injured child. He feared that Hirayon might not wake up again, similar to other children he had cared for in the past. Thus, he was genuinely relieved to receive Savio's message.

Widening his eyes, Hirayon struggled to stay awake and eat the food. Typically, he could savor the flavors of each dish, but his mind was preoccupied with the desire for rest. Unable to taste anything, he consumed the food to silence his grumbling stomach without much thought.

"Is he alright?" FORT685 inquired quietly as he observed Hirayon, who was chewing exceptionally slowly.

"I don't know yet. Just be thankful he woke up," Savio remarked sternly before leaving the room. He needed to continue researching what was happening to Hirayon, or they couldn't proceed with the other experiments. While the child might be considered the strongest among all the players for now, others would eventually catch up and surpass Hirayon in his own game.

Hirayon found himself drifting in and out of consciousness a few hours after eating. Despite his efforts to stay awake, his body would abruptly shut down, preventing him from pondering why he was experiencing such exhaustion.

Hirayon continued to sleep, rest, and sleep some more. This persisted for days until Savio, unwilling to wait any longer, conducted various tests to identify the issue. And because of Hirayon's condition, he had to skip the next game as he couldn't even stay awake for ten minutes straight without eating.

Even in conversations initiated by Savio, responding briefly seemed to drain him of all energy, emphasizing his need for rest.

"He must participate in the next game," Aurelius declared, his stern, experienced expression on the hologram screen. His words caused deep concern for Savio as Hirayon was far from his usual self.

"I know, but I don't know what to do anymore. I've already checked thousands of records, but I couldn't figure out what was happening to his body."

"You mentioned it might be a side effect," Aurelius reminded, his expression getting darker by the second.

Savio released a frustrated sigh. "I believe it's a side effect, but of what? It's evident that it's not because of the elements we injected. And unlike before, where he grew stronger even in sleep, this is entirely different."

Aurelius fell into thought, his head dipped a bit, and the room's light cast dark shadows, giving his face a sterner, colder look. If Savio weren't so engrossed with the mystery of Hirayon's exhaustion, he'd surely freeze at the imposing visage of Aurelius.

"I'll check on some things. Continue researching. You'll hear from me tomorrow."

The video call ended, and the hologram screen blacked out. Without wasting time, Savio delved into other data he had yet to study.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the facility, where other children's rooms were located, a trainer grinned widely inside one of the rooms. With occasional sinister laughs, he resembled a mad scientist with a few screws loose.

Eliu stood in front of a large white table in one corner of Hirang's room. Above it were numerous test tubes, syringes, and scientific equipment containing various colorful substances.

"It's like the room was divided between night and day," FOSV463 pointed out the difference between Eliu and Hirang's moods.

Contrary to the elated trainer, Hirang sat with his back against the wall, feet on the floor, and hands resting on each knee. He stared at the ceiling, his normally expressionless face appearing slightly grim with worry.

If others were to see him, they might assume Hirang was his usual self. However, FOSV463 was different. Having served Hirang for a few months, after much observation, she could discern subtle differences in Hirang's otherwise expressionless face. Currently, she could tell that her master was worried. This had been his demeanor for a few days now, all due to Hirayon's absence in the last game.

Hirang couldn't shake off the memories of Hirayon's trainer and his reaction upon seeing Hirayon after the game.

"Move."

Hirang looked up and saw a frowning trainer approaching hastily in his direction. He had just exited the labyrinth, leaving Hirayon on a cushioned stretcher.

Following the trainer, Hirang stepped aside, allowing the trainer to check Hirayon's body. The trainer's hurried movements struck him as peculiar, prompting him to speak.

"He's just asleep due to Aura depletion."

Savio looked up and stared straight at Hirang's pitch-black orbs. He looked at the child with a complicated expression. Wariness momentarily reflected in his eyes but eventually turned to indifference.

"That's the best-case scenario," Savio said, his gaze shifting to the unconscious Hirayon. A dark expression clouded his face, leaving a lasting impression on Hirang's mind.

'It doesn't seem like a simple Aura depletion.'

"Did you receive any updates from Hirayon's servant?" Hirang asked in a hushed voice, ensuring Eliu wouldn't overhear their conversation.

"FORT685 said that he was in and out of consciousness. They still couldn't pinpoint the cause, but apparently, the trainer was certain it's not a side effect of any experiments."

Frowning, Hirang's chest rose, and his voice unconsciously grew louder. "How can he be so sure it—"

"Not too loud," FOSV463 hushed, concerned about Eliu catching wind of their conversation. She had been discreetly gathering information to share with her master, aware of the consequences if Eliu discovered her involvement.

'It might not be death, but I'm sure he will torture me himself,' she thought.

Realizing the situation, Hirang looked to the side, his expression revealing the weight of the matter. Fortunately, only his servant could discern the worry on his face, as Eliu would surely question him.

"Ask Hirayon's servant later for an update," Hirang said before standing up.

"Are you ready for your next element?" Eliu asked when Hirang reached him.

Having been in a good mood due to Hirang's recent victory, Eliu decided to push the child further, taking advantage of the momentum.

"That kid can use two elements, so you should too," he remarked, tapping a syringe containing a velvety black substance. Despite Hirayon's absence in the last game, Eliu wasn't complacent about Hirang's growth.

"What element is that?" Hirang asked, ignoring Elius' comment so as not to irk the man. He needed to maintain the impression that he only used Hirayon to keep Eliu from intervening in his plans.

While it was still far into the future, Hirang harbored a desire to form a formidable team with Hirayon. Their mission would be to protect civilians, especially those lacking the means and abilities to defend themselves against monsters and oddities.

Though he hadn't discussed these plans with Hirayon yet, Hirang was confident that his future friend, being a kind-hearted child, would wholeheartedly agree with his vision.

Laughing, Eliu waved the syringe. "I'll tell you later. But this is like the darkness, so you shouldn't have trouble controlling it."

'He still believes I can fully control the darkness element.' Hirang thought as he walked toward the bed.

Whether his trainer was too oblivious to notice or Eliu was deceiving himself into believing he had molded a child capable of complete mastery over the darkness element, Hirang didn't care, provided Eliu did his job.

'It doesn't matter what element it will be. As long as it strengthens me, I don't care about anything else.'

R E H I L I Y A