I Became the Childhood Friend of a D*ug Dealer

If hell exists in this world, it must be here.

Inside the dormitory.

My room.

Right here, right now.

[12 minutes]

Lunch with Han Si-Hoo was delicious.

Seol Ha-Jin, who was talking about the slums, disappeared quickly.

From what I’ve heard, Han Si-Hoo is a high school student who won a duel against a middle schooler.

No wonder things looked tense between them.

Afternoon classes with Lee Yoo-Ram were also beneficial.

But this order of mine doesn’t seem to vanish.

If it’s not a target designated by a superior, you can’t attack.

Having this in the way really messes up my plans.

If it weren’t for Seol Ha-Jin, I might have taken longer to notice the issue.

Still, I found a solution.

As soon as it hits zero, I’ll use the medicine.

The moment the time hits zero.

Even if I feel like dying, I can hold on for a little while.

I already feel discomfort crawling on my body like bugs, but it can’t be helped.

There’s no other way to lift these annoying orders from my superior.

I shake off the effects of the drug.

The command left by the doctor seems to have been lifted after I narrowly escaped death last time.

That’s why this is the only method left.

Blood seeps from the cut on my wrist.

“Just a little more.”

I cut my arm directly.

When blood flows, the drug’s effects diminish faster.

But if it wears off too quickly, it will be a problem, so I’m regulating the speed a bit.

If I don’t want to bleed, I could choke myself or find another method.

But this seems the easiest option.

[7 minutes]

As the drug’s effects wear off, the pain becomes sharper.

It’s clear I was born to suffer.

That’s all I can think about.

“Not yet.”

Should I just give up?

Four empty syringes sit on the desk.

This is my fourth attempt.

If I go beyond this, I’ll run out of syringes.

[4 minutes]

“Now.”

Smash!

I hit my finger with the prepared hammer.

I know this will evaporate about five minutes at once.

It hurts.

[0]

At that moment, I have to stick in the syringe right away.

Last time, I failed with a minute left.

[4 hours 13 minutes]

Done.

My hand is a bit bruised, but this time seems successful.

Bandages are still a must.

“Haah, haah.”

Breathing heavily.

I feel like I just came back from the gates of hell.

It’s better to die than to endure without the drug.

“Done. Anyway.”

I immediately bandage the bleeding wrist.

With the medicinal supplies sold at the academy, I can stop the bleeding quickly.

Wash it a bit with water, then just wrap the bandage well.

That’s the advantage of a personal dormitory.

Nobody cares what I do, no matter how absurd.

“Acting… I can’t ask to unwrap the bandages…”

While at the academy, I’ll have to keep playing this way.

It’s a great excuse for the bandages.

If Han Si-Hoo and Lena find out, it might get troublesome.

Both see me as a friend.

I appreciate their concern, but it can be a hassle.

“Should I ask Lee Yoo-Ram to treat me?”

That might be quite a bother.

If he asks how I got hurt, it’ll be annoying.

Even if I tell him it’s for fun, I think he’d accept it, but…

Time.

[4 hours 11 minutes]

Not this time, the real time.

07:46 AM.

Morning.

It’s almost time to go to school.

I had been up all night trying to remove the drug’s effects.

But since I succeeded, it’s fine.

How dare they impose such restrictions on me?

I can attack at will.

I have freedom.

“Alright, morning class starts.”

Lee Yoo-Ram hits a button.

With a buzzing noise, his voice comes through.

Freedom, my foot.

Another day repeats.

-Please listen after administration.

-Repeating this is effective.

-Subjects do not need psychological reassurance.

-It only lasts while the effects persist.

The voice repeats again.

I tried to block my ears.

But then I’d lose my dose, so I dropped my hands.

-[You cannot attack a target not designated by a superior.]

What the hell.

-[You must attack the target designated by a superior.]

I need to find a way.

Well, I mean, I have a method, but I thought it would end with just one shot.

I never expected to have to listen to this every time the drug is used.

“Aha.”

I’m finding this amusing.

I think I feel happy.

Teacher?

What would happen if the phrases coming from that mp3 player were a bit different?

Seems a bit omnipotent, doesn’t it?

Can they make me do anything?

There have to be some limitations, right?

“Other classes are about to head into real combat. We should prepare too.”

“Combat?”

“Our target is the monsters. Clear out the dungeon or the Gate. That’s why the academy exists.”

“Am I supposed to do something like that?”

That’s the job of an academy student.

But am I really going too?

“You need to do it at least once.”

At least once?

Once means once.

That sounds odd.

“What should I do?”

“First, we need to prepare. It won’t be a simulation; we’re going to practice fighting real monsters. At the training grounds.”

I wanted to fight properly just once.

That’s what academy students do.

“If the results are good, you’ll be allowed to fight outside too.”

“I can’t fight for long.”

As long as I have enough medicine, I can fight.

But with the experience I have, I can only engage in short battles.

Quickly ending it before the drug wears off.

“Use one more.”

“Huh?”

“Military-grade medicine. It will be stronger since we’re using it a lot.”

“Wow.”

Lee Yoo-Ram pulls out another syringe.

[13 hours 58 minutes]

Do I take another hit here?

This is fantastic.

My mind feels elevated.

–Whoosh.

[21 hours 14 minutes]

It’s been ages since I’ve gone over 20 hours.

“Haha.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

What about taking one more?

“Alright, then again. Attack the target. It should be stronger than the last scarecrow.”

If I’m told to attack, then I have to.

I approach the target.

It looks like a pole made of metal.

First, I’ll make a handle and then the head of the hammer.

Swing!

[20 hours 2 minutes]

It’s a one-hour weapon.

Smash!

The target cracks.

If it were a scarecrow, it would have broken already.

Smash smash smash.

I remember the bruises on my fingers.

I struggled to shake off the drug back then.

Why am I still obeying commands?

Crack.

So, I must have lifted the hammer subconsciously.

[15 hours 36 minutes]

The target is destroyed.

“The attack method has changed. Can you freely create weapons?”

“I’m not sure.”

I think I can create a weapon I’ve used once.

Or maybe one I’ve been hit by before.

Sword, awl, hammer, scissors…

“I’ve got a pretty good idea of the power now. How long can you fight like this?”

“Maybe about 5 minutes? 3 minutes? It might be even less.”

“Then it’s alright to keep using the medicine as needed.”

“I—uh, yes. Right.”

Looks like they intend to keep handing out the medicine.

I’m fine with that.

I know the medicine is expensive.

Is there anything left if you hand it out like candy?

“You can keep using it. Yeah, even if it’s over the threshold. It’s your choice after all, to stay at the academy.”

“Threshold?”

“Normally, an animal wouldn’t last long if given this much. The lethal dose varies by person, but… using too much is hazardous.”

But I’m still alive.

[15 hours 33 minutes]

I’m fine.

Not using the drug means death.

Ah, that’s it.

If I misuse the medicine without being a patient, it could cause issues.

But I’m indeed a patient, so there’s no problem.

What do I look like to them, using this much medicine?

It’s not like I’m going to die from this.

“By the way, have you ever killed a monster?”

“A monster?”

“Call it whatever. But, have you ever caught one?”

Did I?

I saw Han Si-Hoo kill one.

I’m not sure if Yoo Seo-A ever did it herself.

“Um…?”

Did I actually do it?

With my memory all scrambled, it’s a problem.

I think I might have.

The only memories I can recall are bits where Yoo Seo-A’s memories and the stories I’ve read overlap.

But there must be more.

There’s something else.

“Well, you can learn from now on. Monsters are essentially…”

*

Fundamentally ferocious and aggressive.

They generally despise humans.

They’re hostile by nature.

It’s generally better to avoid them.

“…but this one seems tame.”

What do I even mean by that?

Lee Yoo-Ram looks bewildered by the sight before him.

It’s a wolf monster, about the size of a large dog.

It’s small, yet its aggressive demeanor makes it logical to not approach.

“Wow.”

He’s petting it like a pet.

It’s perched on his lap, looking quite content.

Can a monster feel something other than anger?

When Lee Yoo-Ram approaches, it growls and shows its teeth.

Even that is an extremely restrained aggression.

In a normal case, it would have already lunged and bitten.

‘Monster affinity? There’s no way it could be like this just from using the medicine.’

Initially, the plan was to document the process of Yoo Seo-A killing a monster.

Now I’m on track to document their friendship instead.

It feels oddly fitting.

They both possess black magical power.

“The fur is so bristly.”

Even when Yoo Seo-A pets the monster, it behaves like a normal dog.

I wonder how far this goes.

What if it’s not this low-tier monster?

How much larger of a monster could this affinity extend to?

It might be a good idea to suggest altering the direction of the experiment.

Monster affinity could very well be the best trait for handling monsters.

They seem to be getting along well.

It’s surprising to see Yoo Seo-A, who avoided people, engaging with it.

Kids typically have a fondness for animals.

“How cute.”

Even if it’s just a compliment, it’s not that cute.

All it is is a monster, and if let loose, could kill dozens of people in the blink of an eye.

You can’t raise it like a pet.

If you want to raise something, you should stick to real animals.

Yoo Seo-A should know that well.

The reason she doesn’t have parents is probably due to a monster attack.

Lee Yoo-Ram has memories of losing loved ones to monsters too.

“That’s enough. Deal with it.”

Thud.

The black blade pierces the wolf.

“Eh?”

Yoo Seo-A looks surprised as she glances down at her hand.

The blade emerges from the hand she was petting with.

The blood is just as red.

With no intention of violence, she looks down at the wolf, but it’s already dead.

In a daze, she stares at the corpse of the wolf.

Being a monster, it quickly decays.

Leaving behind only a few processable items.

“Yeah, that’s a really great ability. It’ll be very useful for taking care of monsters.”

Deceivingly sweet, she pins it down and stabs.

Very efficient.

“Since it’s an animal-type monster, it seems to have worked, but what about moving on to a golem-type for the next monster? I think there’s a recent specimen available.”

Yoo Seo-A continues to look blankly at her hand.

“Seo-A?”

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