Memorize Chapter 213

“Sol.”

“Yes?”

“Oppa has something he’s curious about.”

“Hmm? What is it? What are you curious about?”

It was as if a question mark was floating above Sol’s head. She stared at me with sparkling eyes, and I met her gaze with a gentle look. After a moment of just looking at each other, as her face began to flush, I spoke.

“Do you remember the things you said to me in front of the warp gate?”

“Huh? Y-Yes…”

“And how about now? Are you still anxious?”

Sol nodded silently, then spoke with a crestfallen expression.

“But… Oppa, you believed me back then and told me not to worry. If I keep acting like that, I feel like I’m causing you unnecessary worry…”

Seeing her piece her words together haltingly, I felt a warm sense of affection well up inside. ‘No wonder dads dote on their daughters so much.’ Smiling with satisfaction, I reached out and gently patted her head. Sol grinned shyly.

“That’s right. Oppa always believes what Sol says. In fact, our little lucky charm has helped me a lot by trusting her words.”

“Hehe. Oh, no way… I feel like I’m always causing trouble…”

“Trouble? Nonsense. Anyway, that’s why I want your help again this time.”

“Huh? Help?”

Sol’s eyes widened in surprise. I nodded once and put on a serious expression. She wouldn’t understand if I jumped straight to the point, so I needed to guide her step by step, calmly. (I’d learned this approach when her Luck stat reached 101.)

“Lately, things at the academy aren’t going as smoothly as I’d hoped.”

“Oh…”

“I think Sol might be able to help me break through this frustration.”

“N-No way! I don’t even know much about the academy… And how could I possibly…”

Misinterpreting my words, Sol shook her head vigorously, showing signs of unease. I let out a small laugh, reassuring her that it wasn’t a difficult task. Adding that she was the only one who could help with this, she finally showed a hint of calm.

After soothing her for a moment, I stood up abruptly. She followed suit, tilting her head with a puzzled expression. The sudden outpouring of trust seemed to weigh on her; she appeared uncertain. She had come to ensure I wouldn’t regret anything, yet now that I was giving her the opportunity, she hesitated.

It’s a bit strange to think it’s just a simple misunderstanding. Did she assume that once she got here, I’d somehow handle everything for her?

Sol was a girl who thrived on the mood. Rather than pressuring her, it was a hundred times better to gently coax her into using her abilities. First, I needed to ease her burden. So, I put on a slightly playful expression and teased.

“Don’t worry. Just do what Oppa tells you.”

“Oh~ What do you tell me? Okay! I don’t really get it, but… I just need to trust Oppa, right?”

“Exactly. You trust Oppa, don’t you?”

I was about to make another lighthearted joke, like “Just hold my hand and follow me,” but seeing the fervent look in her eyes, I decided against it. She nodded enthusiastically, showing her agreement. Now, all that remained was to test her Luck ability. I was genuinely curious about how she would help resolve my frustration. What kind of answer would her ability bring?

With a sense of anticipation, I left the Easter Egg.

*

Though many thoughts swirled in my mind, my first plan was to let Sol follow her instincts freely. I urged her to shake off all her anxieties and led her to the front of the main building.

“Alright, go wherever you want.”

“Huh? Wherever I want?”

“Yeah. You don’t need to overthink it. Pretend you’re visiting a zoo. There are lots of places you’d want to check out, right? Just follow your heart to wherever feels most compelling. Don’t be nervous.”

“Umm…”

One of Sol’s strengths is that she listens to me well. She tilted her head for a moment, then, as if something sparked in her mind, she began walking energetically. Wondering if her instincts had already kicked in, I followed her with a mix of surprise and excitement.

When we headed to the Easter Egg earlier, she had looked around with curiosity, but this time, she didn’t even glance at her surroundings. It was as if she truly had a destination in mind. Trying to calm my half-thrilled, half-nervous emotions, I kept following her.

But that excitement didn’t last long. The scenery grew increasingly familiar, and the more I saw, the more uneasy I felt. This was clearly the path I walked every morning after waking up…

“Oppa, Oppa! There, there! I want to go in there.”

Sol finally stopped, pointing in one direction and whining. Following her finger, I let out a gasp of shock.

“Sol, no. Not there.”

“Ugh? Why not?”

“You just can’t go in there. If you do, a scary man will yell, ‘Hey, you!’ and scold you. So come back here.”

“Nooo, I want to go in!”

The place she’d stopped at was none other than my private instructor’s dorm. I quickly scanned the interior with my detection ability and, thankfully, found nothing amiss. However, since Kim Han-Byeol also lived there, her belongings were scattered about. Not to mention the beds pushed close together. Even though Sol could be naive, she was still a woman by nature, and unless she was a complete fool, she’d pick up on the situation.

Seeing my reaction, Sol narrowed her eyes and darted forward with quick movements. But I wasn’t about to let her go. With our massive gap in agility stats, her attempt was futile. I grabbed her waist as she ran and lifted her up, leaving her flailing her arms and legs in the air, clearly desperate to get inside.

“I’m going! I’m going in!”

“Hey, hey, be good. Listen to Oppa.”

“Waaah! Why won’t you let me go in?”

Sol puffed out her cheeks and looked up at me with a disgruntled expression. I felt cold sweat trickle down my back. I had told her to go wherever she wanted, but this wasn’t the place. Confirming once again that her Luck ability was unpredictable, I tried to soothe the grumbling Sol.

In the end, we hurried back to the front of the main building.

“Sol, let’s try something different this time.”

“Huh? Different?”

“Yeah. Do you remember when we explored outside the city? In the Blue Mountains, you pointed out directions, this way and that.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Remember what I said earlier? This time, think about those words as you go.”

“Okay… Huh?”

At that moment, Sol let out a puzzled exclamation before finishing her response. It was the kind of tone someone uses when they realize something’s wrong. Her expression quickly turned into a frown, then shifted to urgency. Just as I wondered what was going on with her, she began walking at a brisk pace.

This time, Sol headed down a staircase leading to the side. I hurriedly followed, trying to gauge where she was going. There were several buildings around, but it was clear she had no more business in the main building.

She walked with such urgency, not even opening her mouth, focusing solely on moving forward.

As we followed a path to the left, I saw a few new players gathered, giggling. Some were chatting in small groups, while others were sprawled on wide rocks, napping. Though they’d been given a day off, the sight made me frown involuntarily.

I briefly considered enforcing some control but quickly gave up. Sol seemed in a rush, and in the distance, I spotted a control instructor laughing with a group of new players.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I could appreciate that they were able to laugh after just two weeks, but compared to the past, the overly lax atmosphere felt strangely unfamiliar.

As we passed through them, various buildings came into view. This area was dense with auxiliary structures, with many narrow paths branching off like a maze.

I hadn’t noticed while following her, but when I caught a glimpse of Sol’s profile, I couldn’t help but catch my breath. The naive look from earlier was gone, replaced by something else entirely.

She was deeply immersed in something. I couldn’t pinpoint what, but it felt like she was gradually sinking into that state of focus. Just as that sensation seemed to peak, Sol stopped again. I quickly spoke to her.

“Sol, what’s wrong?”

“Oppa, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know exactly. I just keep feeling this urgent need. Like I should’ve gone faster… That feeling keeps coming.”

Her response was sharp and swift. Seizing the moment, I studied her face closely. It wasn’t her usual delicate expression. Her eyes were narrowed, and she was glaring around as if something displeased her. Then, without a word, she reached for my sleeve.

I wanted to pull away. If possible, I wanted to observe her without her holding onto me. But the moment I tried to twist away, an inexplicable sense of unease enveloped me. I couldn’t identify it, but I wondered if it was the same indescribable aura Go Yeon-Joo had mentioned. In the end, I let her grab my sleeve, and Sol let out a satisfied sigh.

After scanning the buildings around her as if searching, she led me in one direction.

“…”

The building she was aiming for slowly came into view. It wasn’t inside a building, exactly—she was heading down a path between them. I started to tense up.

I only had a general knowledge of the Player Academy, not its every nook and cranny. Aside from not having connections here in my first life, the site was vast, with numerous buildings. Moreover, the place Sol was leading me to was a maze-like area of narrow paths crowded with structures. She was gradually guiding me to a secluded spot.

How long had we walked? It wasn’t just buildings—there were warehouses that looked like containers tucked into the gaps, and stacks of heavy-looking boxes. If this were the modern world, it’d be the perfect place to skip class and hide.

Sol stopped again. In front of her were four paths. It wasn’t quite a neat crossroad, but there were paths leading forward, backward, left, and right. She let go of my sleeve and bit her lip, her face etched with deep thought.

“Umm.”

After pondering, she turned to me. Her expression was sharp, almost fierce. Despite her gentle appearance, there was an unapproachable aura about her. Yes, it was similar to the feeling I’d later get from the awakened Holy Queen, Yoo Hyun-Ah.

After glancing between the paths, she raised both hands, pointing to the left and forward, and spoke in a quiet voice.

“I think it’s better if Oppa chooses here.”

Her words left me momentarily stunned. Choose? But I quickly regained my composure and began asking methodically.

“Choose what?”

When I asked, Sol swiftly raised both hands again, pointing to the left and forward, and answered in a low voice.

“It’s weird, but I can’t choose here. I feel drawn to both, but it seems like we should only pick one. So, Oppa, please choose one quickly.”