The flow of time, even the goddess herself said, cannot be stopped.
Those words were spoken by the goddess during a life-or-death battle against a high-ranking demon commander, echoing in my consciousness.
When I asked her if time had been frozen, she lamented that if such a thing were possible, everything would be much simpler.
I still remember that moment vividly how her words almost made me relax at the worst possible time.
She explained that it wasn’t that time had truly stopped; rather, my perception of time had become so condensed and rapid that everything around me seemed to move slowly.
Time, in reality, always flows at the same pace it doesn’t truly stop, speed up, or slow down. We merely perceive it differently, if it feels like it rushes by too quickly, then to us, it is quick; if it drags on endlessly, then it feels slow.
The goddess added that even though time is constant, how we experience it determines its significance.
That moment in the battle, I had survived because the goddess had helped me pause and assess the situation slowly, allowing me to handle it.
In hindsight, the time then might as well have stopped for me. That’s how it felt to me—and ultimately, it was true.
Now, I wonder, how about now?
Honestly, I’ve never thought time was slow.
Well, maybe there was a time. When I first came here and lived alone, before my comrades arrived in this world.
Back then, there were nights when I’d wake up abruptly and search the house, wondering if an enemy had snuck in.
During those nights, time crawled unbearably slowly. By the time I realized it, morning had come but not because time had flown by. It was because I’d been too consumed by panic to notice the sunrise.
When I was with my sister, even the quiet, wordless moments felt comforting. I used to wish those moments would pass slowly. But the time spent alone, without her, felt so slow that I never wanted to return to it.
Even so, those hours felt hollow, utterly empty.
Mornings were bearable, thanks to exercise, but after work, returning home to confront the fact that I had no hobbies was anything but pleasant.
But now?
Now things are different.
Since my comrades arrived, time has flown by at an incredible pace.
The once-empty routine of my days is now bursting with life. In the mornings, we all head out together to jog along the Han River. During work hours, I get to spend time with my sister.
And when I come back home
“Welcome back!”
….there are people waiting for me.
It’s a new experience.
I never knew how happy it could feel to have someone waiting for you at home.
When I was a student, I was always the one waiting.
Mom wouldn’t come home until late at night, exhausted from work. My sister always had evening classes that ended later than mine.
After school, when I came home, the house was always dark.
In the summer, when the days were longer, it wasn’t so bad to walk into a dim house. But during the shorter days of winter, it was a different story.
I’d shuffle down the dim staircase, stand in front of the front door, and take a deep breath.
Slowly, I’d open the door and step inside, only to be greeted by complete darkness. The windows in the living room faced nothing but a brick wall, and the tiny window in the small room used as a storage space was always closed. Not even the streetlights could reach inside.
Cautiously, I’d fumble along the wall with my fingertips to turn on the light before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Of course, living alone in my current home wouldn’t feel the same.
The lobby and hallways were always brightly lit in this luxury apartment.
The front door light turned on automatically when someone entered, and even without turning on the room lights, as long as the curtains weren’t drawn, the unending lights of Seoul’s skyline could be seen outside the windows.
But that didn’t change the loneliness.
The sound of my footsteps echoed through the living room.
And now, having people waiting for me, I finally understood how wonderful that truly was.
Today, it seemed like Fia was on cooking duty.
I could hear bubbling sounds from the kitchen, accompanied by a delicious aroma. Was she making some kind of meat soup?
“Oh, you’re here?”
Kalia peeked her head out from the living room. The faint sound of the TV could be heard behind her—she was watching the news, as usual.
“Yeah, I’m back,” I replied, smiling as I took off my shoes and stepped inside.
As always, everyone was gathered in the living room.
“Ah, Shihyeon!”
Dana greeted me enthusiastically, waving her hand.
“Look at this!”
At the tip of Dana’s finger, a faint light glimmered.
“Huh?”
For a moment, I thought she had attached a small LED light to her fingertip, but that wasn’t it. The soft white light emanating from her finger was entirely self-generated no device was involved.
“Is that….magic?”
“Yep!”
Her response left me slightly speechless, my mouth hanging open.
Well, to be honest, I’d vaguely suspected that if anyone could figure out how to make it work, it would be Dana.
The fact that my comrades had managed to cross over to this world suggested that magic had, at least once, been active here. And that meant there had to be some trace of mana lingering in this world.
Besides, I could sense the presence of the goddess every time I prayed, even here.
Without even taking off my coat, I rushed over to Dana and closely examined her glowing fingertip.
It was Leuc, a magic spell used to create light without fire.
While fire-based magic could also illuminate dark places, it came with inherent dangers. The flickering nature of flames also made them less than ideal as a stable light source.
The light produced by Leuc, on the other hand, was consistent and steady, much like modern LED lighting.
It consumed far less mana than fire spells, and since it emitted a white light instead of red or orange, it was easier to discern the true colors of illuminated objects. It was a highly practical spell in many ways.
“How?”
Dana puffed out her chest proudly.
“Of course, it’s all thanks to the overwhelming reserves of mana this body possesses! If I pump in way more mana than usual, it seems to work somehow.”
“Ah.”
So, in other words, it was something that only Dana could manage.
Mana isn’t something that can be endlessly stored in the human body. Since living beings lack an organ specifically for storing mana, most magic relies on tapping into the mana present in the surrounding environment.
But there are rare individuals like Dana, who are born with extraordinarily high mana sensitivity. These people instinctively understand how to manipulate mana, giving them a significant advantage when it comes to using magic.
What set Dana apart from others like her, though, was her ability to organize and refine her techniques, making them accessible for ordinary people to use.
Not only was she born with exceptional physical aptitude for magic, but she also had the intelligence to systematize it.
“When I first came here, it felt like all my mana had been drained, but after a very long time, I started feeling mana gradually accumulating in my body. So, this world must have at least a small amount of mana. Maybe there are mana stones here too!”
“R-Really…?”
“Yeah, yeah! So, if I keep researching, I might be able to develop magic that ordinary people in this world can use!”
“Well, whether we share it or not is another issue entirely. There would definitely be a lot of problems with that.”
At Kalia’s words, Dana made a face that showed she thought Kalia was ruining the mood, but Kalia just shrugged her shoulders.
“To be honest, I think it’s better to pretend we don’t know anything rather than mix things up unnecessarily. These are two worlds that developed in completely different ways. I think it’s enough if just the few of us know about this.”
Arna added to the conversation. Fia, who had gone back into the kitchen, couldn’t join in on their discussion.
“But still, it’s worth researching!” Dana said, turning her head away sharply as if she were sulking.
“Haha…”
Even in this world, my companions were still the same as ever. Truly, just as I remembered them.
It was… such a sight I had longed to see.
“Oh, by the way.”
“Your birthday is coming up soon. Is there anything you want? Well, even if we do get you something, it’ll probably be with your money in the end.”
Her follow-up comment, as if embarrassed after saying it, made me laugh.
“It’s fine. As long as I can spend this year’s birthday with all of you—”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!”
A voice came from the direction of the kitchen.
When I turned my head, Fia was setting a large pot down on the dining table.
“It’s not about what you want! We’re the ones who want to give you a gift, okay!? So, Shihyun, you have no right to refuse.
Just accept the birthday celebration and the present, no questions asked! Like Kalia said, sure, it’ll be your money we’re using, but we’ll definitely pay you back later!”
At Fia’s words, I couldn’t help but laugh again.
When Fia raised the ladle like she was about to do something, I quickly got up and hurried into the shower room.