"Why the grim expression?"
The boy smirked as he observed Sihyun's forlorn expression upon hearing his class name. Sihyun, looking at the typical passionate youth with an expression that conveyed his inability to understand, sighed inwardly, thinking, *How could you possibly know what's on my mind?*
He preferred being ordinary. He didn't want to stand out. But with such abilities, not standing out seemed impossible. Whatever limits came with abilities, the rarity of his copy ability itself wouldn't change.
He could copy any skill. That meant he could temporarily become a healer or a buffer. The repercussions of this fact were unimaginable, making Sihyun nervously bite his lip, a sense of unease creeping in.
Surely, they wouldn't announce it to the whole world like they did during the test.
Sihyun remembered the dozens of eyes that had focused on him when his class was revealed on stage. If they were to announce the Copy Class just like they did during the test, shouting out to the entire student body, it would be truly...
"Ah, I was hoping for a bit more 'wow!' or 'whoa!' reaction, but your expression is rather dull. Is it because your ability is weak?"
Interrupting his thoughts, a voice broke through Sihyun's reverie. He lifted his gaze, previously scratching his throat, to look at the boy. Weak ability? Just moments ago, he had been pondering the aftermath of his copy ability. But now, to be told his ability was weak... a bitter laugh escaped him involuntarily.
"That's not it."
"It sure looks like it to anyone."
"Not really."
As Sihyun tried to rectify his words, narrowing his eyes in a sullen manner, the boy shrugged and casually draped an arm around Sihyun's shoulder. It felt oddly natural.
"Well, it might not be much. It's alright, it's alright. I get it! People have their preferences, right? Just choose another ability you want, and it'll be fine."
Slapping his back with enthusiasm and laughing heartily, the boy seemed like a top-tier charmer. Sihyun, on the verge of sighing at being treated like a lifelong friend despite just meeting, widened his eyes, nearly blurting out something that might have given away too much.
"What did you just say?"
Thinking he misheard, Sihyun straightened up and asked, only to see the boy, who had stopped tapping his back, open his mouth with a perplexed expression.
"I said, choose another one you want."
"I... Did I not explain?"
Doubting his own explanation, the boy scratched his cheek.
"I'm a Dual."
"...."
It felt like hearing from a childhood friend of ten years saying, "I'm transferring schools" the day before summer vacation. It was shocking news, and looking at the boy with astonishment, he chuckled.
Sihyun felt like crying.
"Ah..."
Exhaling a sigh and trying to compose himself, the boy consoled Sihyun, saying that life was like that sometimes. Sihyun wanted to retort, "I've lived six years longer than you," but it all felt futile, so he let out a deflated breath instead.
How could things go so wrong?
Copying alone was challenging enough, and now there's talk of being a Dual.
"But why didn't the tester react...?"
Was it because copying a new class didn't trigger a response? Lost in thought, Sihyun couldn't find a solution to his dilemma. Even if he were to grasp "Kang Sihyun" and unleash enhancement, he couldn't enter a state of copying enhancement. Copy, Dual - ultimately, it all came down to his abilities.
"...No help."
"Oops, sorry!"
Removing his hand from patting Sihyun's shoulder, the boy exaggeratedly held his chest, feigning injury. Seeing his pitiful act, the boy redirected the topic.
"Shall I continue explaining?"
He hadn't yet heard in detail about the Copy ability, its limitations. Nodding, Sihyun allowed the cheerful boy to continue.
"Copy. Literally copying and using one of the skills from another class. Sounds amazing, but it's more complicated than you'd think."
"Complicated?"
"Yeah. Just because you copy a skill doesn't mean your body transforms like that of the skill user. So, skills dependent on physical abilities can't be used even if you copy them. Even if you copy a skill for wielding a greatsword, you won't be able to wield it. Look at these awkward arms of mine! What have you done to my body?"
"...."
That was true. Sihyun acquiesced, understanding the explanation but adding his own musings, grabbing the boy's arm and comparing it to his own with a somewhat nostalgic expression.
Indeed, the boy, or rather, the original Kang Sihyun, had more muscle mass than him. Only then did Sihyun recall his own state immediately after the fusion, spending days in seclusion without eating. He wanted to deny it, but the memory was too vivid.
"...Enough teasing, just continue explaining."
Pulling his hand away from the boy's, Sihyun prompted him to continue. The boy, disappointed, lowered his hand with a regretful look.
"Anyway, that's the first limitation. To be efficient, you have to copy skills that you've seen with your own eyes. Not through videos or anything else. And the second one. You can copy any skill, but only those you've directly witnessed. And the third. Once you copy a skill, you have to wait 15 days for a re-copy."
"And how long does the Copy skill last?"
"Ten minutes from the time you use the Copy ability."
"It's fewer than I thought. Just a 10-minute usage and a 15-day term. But considering the various skills I can copy, it doesn't feel like an excessive limit."
"And the fourth thing. You can copy up to three abilities per day. So, I'd prefer if you kept this fact a secret."
"...I've heard that everything about skills gets recorded in the registration machine. Is it possible to keep it a secret?"
Recalling a passing remark, when asked about the impossibility, the boy looked at Sihyun as if to say 'why wouldn't it be possible' and lightly tapped his fist on his palm.
"Come to think of it, you didn't receive Awakener education, did you? Awakeners learn basic knowledge related to awakening during middle school. Hmm… You must have a lot you don't know then?"
It was an obvious statement. Even when he first encountered Mirgun, didn't he have to scour the internet out of confusion? Remembering the struggles with terms like Awakeners, Marks, and Classes, he frowned at the memory and the boy, in defense, returned to the main point.
"The registration machine merely records, and the information stored in it can't be accessed by anyone not in the same class. It reacts to an Awakener's Mark. So unless someone from the same class reveals it, the information recorded in the registration machine won't leak."
"That's convenient."
"The Copy class is a new class, so there won't be any Awakeners in the same class as you. Therefore, you can hide as much as you want. So, if a situation arises where you need to disclose your abilities, don't be too detailed. You never know what might happen."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Nodding, Sihyun replied dryly, prompting the boy to nod faintly, indicating there was nothing more to explain. As the boy closed his eyes in silence, the surroundings quieted. Sihyun, who found comfort in the serene silence, exhaled a languid breath. When the stark silence felt as familiar as his own skin, a prolonged silence was broken by a voice.
"...it's there."
Turning to the boy cautiously opening his mouth, he was still gazing up at the sky. Slowly, the boy took a breath that resembled a sigh.
"I did say it was mine, but in reality, it's your body now."
"......"
The boy fell silent again. His closed eyes revealed no change in expression. Unable to guess what he was thinking or feeling, Sihyun sank his gaze.
The sudden possession had two victims.
Me and the boy.
But if one were to ask who suffered more, it was undoubtedly the boy, so Sihyun pursed his lips.
It's your body now, so why is it mine?
At that moment, trying to console the boy with such words.
"I can't go back to that body now."
His breath stopped. Despite his previous liveliness and playfulness, the boy spoke seriously, causing Sihyun's breath to hitch. The nonchalant remark made by the boy caused Sihyun's heart to squeeze.
The growing weight of guilt pressed on his heart, controlling even his breath when the burden made him feel as though even his breath was under control.
"...So if possible, I'd like you to treat my people well. I don't regret choosing to come here, but when I see them through you..."
The boy stopped there, hesitating in his words. As the boy struggled to speak, Sihyun's eyes wavered, trying to decipher the meaning behind the incomplete information.
"What did you just say..."
Unable to organize the confusing fragments of information, Sihyun's mind slowly pieced together one fact.
Kang Sihyun had started speaking abruptly and disjointedly, but he was perceptive. After a few conversations and understanding the personality, even with limited information, he deduced one thing. And that deduction... It was difficult for Kang Sihyun to comprehend, let alone accept.
Slowly, closing and opening his eyes, Kang Sihyun stared at the boy with a slight movement in his pupils.
"...It's you?"
You who brought me here, resurrected me in a stranger's body. So, is it because of your damn choice?
Spitting out the question that lingered only in his mind, Kang Sihyun swallowed the bitter taste accompanying his words. As he tried to breathe, his words were choked along with his breath. He knew well what this emotion was. It was guilt.
He repeated the words he had spoken many times, whispering them once again. With closed eyes, his dry lips moved weakly.
"…I don't regret it."
A few times, he repeated the words he had uttered. The boy, lying on the floor as if collapsed, stared at the sky in a world devoid of it. It was silent and still. In a space devoid of any warmth, facing emptiness, the boy slowly opened his mouth.
"...Until next time, Yoo Sihyun."
The words he couldn't say to the disappearing Yoo Sihyun echoed in Kang Sihyun's mind.
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