Dream Breaker

Chapter 9 (2)

I was foolish to expect an intellectual conversation based on science.

'Right. I'm the fool.'

My stubbornness to deny the already occurring occult situation by approaching it scientifically is the problem.

Still,

"The condition of going back to the past through the occult doesn't make sense. People keep dying somewhere on Earth. If the universe disappeared every time someone died, time wouldn't flow like this."

Human A dies and regresses, Human B dies and regresses, Human C dies and regresses, Human D dies and regresses...

Not only would time flow normally, but it would also go backward.

"Shaman."

Song Seon-young looked at me with a very pathetic gaze.

"Why? Was I wrong?"

"Am I the same as everyone else? You shouldn't see me the same way~"

"What's different?"

"There's only one Song Seon-young in this universe."

"There's only one of me too, right?"

Kang Moon-soo, a high school senior who works at a convenience store every night, is confident that there is only one 'me' in this universe.

That's why there is a saying, 'I am the protagonist of my life,' right?

"But you're ordinary."

"Aren't you?"

In a story where everyone is the protagonist, everyone is also a supporting character.

"Of course. When I die, I return to the past like this. This is an ability only I have."

"That's a result-oriented argument."

"Isn't it the same with report cards? It doesn't matter how much you've studied."

"Hmm..."

She's not wrong. Effort and grades aren't always directly proportional.

"Don't be too disappointed. You, as a shaman, are not ordinary either. You don't lose your memories, do you?"

"Well..."

I was at a loss for words when Song Seon-young lumped me in as a 'special peer.'

'Now that I think about it.'

I don't know why I, who is not special, can retain my memories.

I mentioned it first, but is it because I am a 'shaman' like her misconception?

I don't know.

"To be honest, I was surprised. I didn't expect a shaman to question science."

"......"

My aptitude may be a 'shaman,' but I'm not a real shaman like Yoo Il-am. I have no foundational knowledge.

'...Should I ask Yoo Il-am?'

No, not that.

That seems too far ahead.

"Anyway, Shaman, save your headache-inducing science discussions for later when you're alone."

"Alright."

"I committed suicide right after parting with you at the convenience store to check something."

"What?"

"To see if your memory is really preserved."

"So, what's your impression after checking?"

"I'm satisfied."

Song Seon-young's eyes squinted as she stood on the rooftop railing without any safety measures, and she smiled with her eyes.

A relieved expression.

A little exaggerated, but it was joy!

It was definitely not a face to be seen in a dizzying situation where you could fall just by slightly losing your footing.

"I couldn't ask anyone for help."

"Why? You have parents, teachers, and friends..."

"It was frustrating. Everyone would forget when I went back to the past."

"......"

I held back from telling her that if she didn't like it, she shouldn't commit suicide.

Because I had a hunch about the reason.

"42 times. The number of times I've committed suicide whenever things didn't work out."

"Hmm..."

Even if everything isn't satisfactory, we cannot turn back, so we endure and choose the next best option.

But what if we could artificially turn back?

This is the devil's temptation.

"Help me."

"Me helping you?"

"Yeah."

"Is there something you haven't been able to solve even after repeating the same situation 42 times?"

It doesn't seem easy to fail that many times unless you're challenging the impossible or have some sort of obstacle.

"There is."

"What can I do to help?"

"First of all, promise me you'll help me unconditionally."

"......"

It was very suspicious.

"Wouldn't it be better for you, Shaman, to help me too? If you don't want to take the same classes every day."

"...I promise."

"Really?"

"Really. So tell me."

I, too, want to stop solving the same problem on page 338, number 3.

* * *

The unidentified inventor, commonly known as 'P,' has completely changed the course of human history with the public release of his aptitude testing device.

Politics, culture, economy, leisure, sports, services, education, science...

Every field has become specialized, eliminating inefficient personnel and talent waste.

"My aptitude is a swimmer."

"I know that. You told me from the beginning. I also know that you don't like it."

No matter how good a policy is, it always has side effects.

P's aptitude testing device, which was introduced and praised by every country from developed to developing, is no exception.

"I want to change my aptitude."

"Give it up."

I tried my best to struggle while reading fantasy novels, but it didn't work.

"You promised. You said you'd help."

"I want to help you. But how can I help with something impossible?"

"Still, help me. You promised to help. You promised!"

"Gosh..."

"Are you going to help?"

"...Alright. I'll help you to change your aptitude."

"Yay!"

Was she worried that I might break my promise?

Song Seon-young was noticeably happy.

'But there's no way...'

Before I was born, when P's aptitude testing device wasn't commercialized as it is now, there were swindlers selling 'aptitude-changing medicine.'

And now?

The 'medicine for good aptitude,' which cannot be verified, is selling well in the black market.

"You must have tried the medicine already..."

"Yeah. I even died from an overdose and couldn't take the aptitude test."

"Don't say it like it's something to brag about!"

It seems that the occult is triggered even if Song Seon-young dies without jumping off the school rooftop.

"I've tried everything I can do on my own."

"Everything?"

"Yeah. Everything."

"But is there anything you can't do on your own?"

"There is."

"How could that be..."

Aptitude is ultimately self-improvement. Others can't do it for you.

"Listen, it's said that aptitude is greatly influenced by the mind."

"The mind? Like the soul?"

I want to avoid the occult now.

"Belief. The firm confidence that I am good at this field."

"Hmm..."

The theory that Song Seon-young picked up from somewhere was as dubious as the occult.

'It's all a scam.'

There wasn't a single case where someone claiming their aptitude had changed was actually true. Witnessing an alien would be much more credible.

Changing one's aptitude is nothing more than a way to make money by exploiting people's desperation and anxiety.

P's aptitude testing device, invented by P, is not so flimsy that it can be changed by drugs or prayers.

History proves it.

"That's why I need your help. It's hard on my own."

"Do I really have to do it?"

"Absolutely!"

"......"

"I've tried all the other methods. This is the last one."

The last.

It means that if this method, which requires my help, fails, she will give up cleanly.

And if she gives up?

The occult will end.

'Do I have no choice?'

Unless I monitor her all day so she can't commit suicide or confine her.

There is no other option.

"What can I do to help?"

"Do you, by any chance, swim well?"

"Huh?"

From this moment on, I started challenging the impossible.

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