blue sword qi rose up around the Seven-Branched Sword. The purity of the blue mana brightened up the sword's blade. Sneaking a glance at Kim Suho's Seven-Branched Sword, Chae Nayun asked.
"You ready?"
"Yeah."
"Were they supposed to defeat him easily?"
°From what Hajin wrote, the answer to your question Rachel is yes. But unfortunatly for him, some changes were done...°
Some looked perplexed by this and curiousity rose in the room.
Meanwhile, I slowly backed off. There was nothing I could do here. Kim Suho would reveal his hidden power and easily take care of this Djinn. Overwhelmed by Kim Suho's might, Chae Nayun would give up seeing Kim Suho as a rival and come to admire him instead.
Jonghak didn't like the idea at all. He had a crush on her but admired another boy.
"Did it work?" asked Yeonha. Nayun looked at her friend embarrassement clear on her face.
"I guess you should take it as admiration.."
"Support me."
Fixing his grip on the sword, Kim Suho spoke.
"Support? Please, I'll be one killing him."
Nayun didn't want to admit that she was full of herself even now. She only narrowed her eyes at the sight of her dialogue showing on the screen.
Rebutting playfully, Chae Nayun nocked another magic arrow.
"Guooo—!"
But before she could fire, the Djinn ignited his magic power. A jet-black evil qi hurled towards them like hellfire. But a single streak of light annihilated it. A Sword Saint could cut fire, wind, as well as magic power.
Chae Nayun's arrow then flew through the lifted magic power. The arrow containing condensed mana then pierced through the Djinn's shoulder.
Kim Suho didn't miss this opportunity. Leaping up, he cut down diagonally with his Seven-Branched Sword.
This attack should have severed the Djinn's flesh, immobilizing him.
'Why did he say should have ?' thought the other cadets aparts from the ones involved in the affair. The report was clear and most people assumed it was Suho who defeated the djinn.
But despite having his flesh cut, the Djinn smiled. Kim Suho instinctively felt that something was wrong.
Immediately afterward, fierce magic power shot out from the cut.
As though standing under a torrential rain, Kim Suho was swept away by the magic power. He didn't even have the chance to scream. He flew across the museum and became stuck inside the museum's wall.
"..."
"..."
Both Chae Nayun and I became speechless.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like that am I right?"
°You're quick to catch on Yoo Yeonha! No wonder you became the 🂱🂱🂱🂱🂱 🂱🂱 🂱🂱🂱🂱🂱~° (I censored her future title~ Why do I get orv flashbacks with these blanks)
"What did you say?" The cadets didn't understand the voice's words because of a weird sound that was censoring the last words. What did Yeonha become?
°You'll find pretty soon so keep reacting°
Disappointment was shown on their faces or at least on Rachel's and Suho's. The others were more curious and annoyed by all the mysteries.
Strange.
Something was definitely strange. This shouldn't have happened. After being pushed back for a bit, Kim Suho should have released his hidden power and overwhelmed his enemy...
"That's when Suho was supposed to discover his true proper?"
°Yes, you can put it like that°
"Uuu..."
Thankfully, Kim Suho got up. But he didn't seem to be in a good state.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine... Kuu."
Kim Suho needed time to mend his wounds. Now, the Djinn was walking towards Chae Nayun. Her face stiffened.
Nayun frowned at the memory of her being overwelmed by the enemy and how weak she was when fighting them.
Chweek—
Chweek—
Chae Nayun fired two arrows. But none of them were effective. Even though she continued to shoot arrows until the Djinn looked like a porcupine, he didn't stop.
"...This isn't regeneration."
Chae Nayun murmured in a daze. Just like she said, this Djinn didn't have high regenerative power. He simply had a sturdy body. In the first place, I didn't design him to be an opponent Chae Nayun could defeat.
'So Suho was supposed to take him at his first try?' thought Yeonha. The fact that he didn't design it to be defeated by Nayun and that he was supposed to be paralized at Suho's attack means that this fight was quick and wasn't supposed to end up with injured people.
Chae Nayun's face turned ghastly pale, as fear and horror began to crop up.
Nayun looked away from the screen.
"Just support me!"
At that moment, Kim Suho jumped in front of her, blocking the Djinn's path. However, the Djinn kept his eyes on Chae Nayun. Condensing his black mana on his arm, he produced a giant beast. A wolf-like creature bared its fangs as it shot towards Kim Suho.
"Uuuk!"
The Djinn fought Kim Suho with one hand and held Chae Nayun's face with the other.
"Are we screwed?" I murmured.
'You tell us' said Jonghak in his mind.
By now, I had run away to the back of the exhibition. However, this place was already occupied by what seemed to be a father-and-child duo.
"...Go that way."
"Y-Yes?"
"There, go farther back. It's dangerous here."
I could feel my voice trembling, and to be honest, I was scared to death.
'It must have been a shock to Hajin' thought Rachel as she frowned her eyebrows worried for her friend.
"B-But..."
"While the Djinn's too busy fighting, hurry!"
At my urging, the two quickly scurried away.
From my cross bag, I took out my laptop.
The Djinn in my setting shouldn't have been that strong. What even was that arm? Sneaking a glance, I saw the Djinn's wolf-like arm fighting Kim Suho evenly. I had no memory making such a setting.
They all looked at the screen with surprised eyes. "Then who changed all this?" asked Yeonha.
Something, I had to do something. At this rate, both Kim Suho and Chae Nayun could die.
Unloading the magazine, I place a bullet on the laptop. My damned hands kept trembling.
With the laptop, I checked the bullet's setting.
===
[Mana Bullet]
「Null attribute」 「Attack Power (3/10)」
—A bullet with condensed mana. It is much stronger than a gunpowder bullet.
===
It wasn't enough. With an attack power of 3, even scratching that Djinn wouldn't be possible. But would increasing the attack power be enough? That was another question.
Thankfully, there was a hint within my setting.
The reason this world required a variety of Heroes was the concept of 'attributes'.
"What is he going to pull off this time" said Jonghak.
Depending on one's attribute, an attack could have varying effects. Contradicting attributes like water and fire could allow one to overcome a difference in power to a certain degree.
Now, the Djinn in question clearly had a darkness attribute. What pushed back darkness was undoubtedly 'light,' and I could do exactly that.
"What- How?!" shouted Nayun.
"I think I know how.." responded Yeonha. "Just keep looking at the screen."
I just had to change the bullet's attribute.
Nayun and the others looked at the screen with disbeliefed eyes, only Yeonha managed to conclude that from the past actions they've witnessed.
===
[Mana Bullet]
「Light attribute」 「Attack Power (5/10)」
—A bullet with a condensed essence of light. Starts a secondary explosion after hitting its target.
===
[This modification requires 104 SP. Would you like to save this setting?]
It was expensive. 104 SP was 80% of what I gathered in the past week. But I still wasn't sure if this was enough. Rather than falling short, it was better to overdo it.
I tried adjusting the attack power to 6.
[You do not have enough SP. The value will be adjusted.]
「Attack Power (5.6/10)」
[Would you like to save the adjusted modification?]
"He can change his bullet's attribute by writing it on his laptop?" asked Rachel. "It seems quite unreal."
"We're talking about Hajin here." said Suho with a smile even with the circonstances.
Jonghak and Nayun looked at the screen flabberghastes. This was unfair setting.
I hit save. In that instant, a white light erupted from the laptop before melting into the magic bullet.
A silver-white light glistened from the bullet's iron casing.
Modification complete.
With only this single bullet loaded, I took in a deep breath. Then, I peeked past the wall.
Chae Nayun was still struggling to escape from the Djinn's grasp, while Kim Suho was fighting the Djinn's right arm. No, Kim Suho was pushing the Djinn back. We were at an advantage. It seemed he would defeat the right arm soon.
The problem was Chae Nayun. Because she couldn't breathe or because the Djinn's magic power was poisoning her, the area around her neck was purple.
Clicking my tongue, I jumped out.
"Hey!"
'What did he do?' Yeonha and Rachel looked at the screen with interest in their eyes.
Then, I shouted loudly.
"Move!"
Without even turning around to look, Kim Suho rolled to the side. The Djinn's right arm came chasing after him, but that only increased the surface area for me to hit.
With a slightly calmer mind, I pulled the trigger. A bright light flashed from the gun barrel as though a flash bomb exploded.
The bullet of light emitted pressure and heat befitting its brightness. Unable to withstand the bullet's power, the handgun exploded in my hand. The gun's broken components fell down, while I writhed in unendurable pain.
Rachel looked even more worried than before and was gripping her seat with stenght.
Thankfully, the trajectory of the bullet didn't change. It flew along the intended trajectory, striking the Djinn's left shoulder.
Bull's eye.
A clump of light erupted from the Djinn's arm. The bullet's secondary explosion had detonated. The light disappeared, purifying the Djinn's arm. The Djinn had thus lost its arm.
Chae Nayun, who was on the brink of death, fell to the ground.
Kim Suho didn't miss this opportunity. A metal attribute magic power rose up from his sword. The Sword Saint's all-severing sword technique finally activated. It should be limited to just once or twice a day for now, but that was enough.
'He sure knows a lot about our abilities'
I could just watch from the side now.
"... Hm?"
At that moment, a child approached me. It was the child who I met before. The child had a pretty face, but the short hair made it hard to identify her gender. Suddenly, the child grabbed my hand.
In an instant, my hand was healed completely.
"What a very useful gift. I'm sure she will be a popular healer in the future" said Rachel.
I see, this must be the child the Hero Association barely managed to find. The child with the Authority of healing.
"Thanks."
With a grin, I stroked the child's hair.
Guuuu—!
At that moment, a deep growl rang out. I quickly turned my sight towards the direction of the noise. The Djinn, who had lost one arm, was gasping for breath while kneeled in front of Kim Suho.
It seemed Kim Suho managed to win.
"Huu..."
Feeling strength leaving my body, a sigh came out naturally.
I sprawled down on the ground.
"He still has a weak body." stated Jonghak.
**
"Gueeek!"
Chae Nayun, who just regained consciousness, was emptying her stomach with her face pointed down. From her small mouth, vomit continued to fall. The food she had yet to digest dirtied the ground, while pale yellow liquid stacked up around it.
'No need for details!' shouted Nayun angrily in her head.
Chae Nayun continued to vomit, as though she was coughing out blood. Looking at the horrific scene, I could practically feel her pain.
'Poor both of them' thought Rachel.
The reason Chae Nayun picked a bow was similar to mine. Though she acted manly on the outside, she was a sheltered lady on the inside. It wouldn't be until much later that she would overcome her delicate nature.
"What?! I'm not delicate at all! I'm a front fighter!"
"..."
Kim Suho approached her to pat her back. But Chae Nayun hit his hand away fiercely. Kim Suho reluctantly backed away.
"Leave her be. I'm sure her older brother will come to console her."
They all frowned at what Hajin has said. They would now know why did he say that to her and why was he like that when he met her for the first time.
I said so thoughtlessly. In reality, things would turn out that way. Her older brother would arrive first, then her father would come to clean up everything.
'What?.....' Nayun looked pale at the sight of the screen while her friends looked shocked at Hajin's statement.
But it seemed Chae Nayun took my indifference as an insult.
"You, you... Gueeek!"
Her bloodshot eyes stabbed me. Did she want something or someone to blame? It was understandable. Unlike Yoo Yeonha, Chae Nayun was a real lady. Anything but the highest quality food would upset her stomach, and seeing a cockroach or a rat would ruin her mood for the whole day.
Yeonha took the compliment in a good way and continued to react.
"... You."
"I'll head out first."
Kim Suho tried to say something. For some reason, Kim Suho's face was stiff. But ignoring it, I turned back. I also needed time to reflect.
The Djinn's strength was far greater than what I had set.
I couldn't understand why.
**
With a single swing, a thin blade cut through the air. But from the tip of the blade, an unidentifiable white magic power undulated, shooting out in all directions and obliterating all monsters.
A clean execution.
Yun Seung-Ah took back her sword and turned around. Her hair fluttered in the gentle breeze. Dozens of ordinary people, who watched her attack, were left speechless. In their eyes, an unshakable respect and admiration could be seen. Seeing the world's most popular Hero attack would become a great bar story for a long time.
Why did the POV change so quickly?
"You can rest assured."
"Vice-leader!"
A coarse voice interrupted Yun Seung-Ah's sentence. Yun Seung-Ah was slightly surprised.
The man who ran over quickly dropped a bombshell.
"A Djinn appeared at the National Weapons Museum!"
"I'm surprised it was reported that fast." said Suho trying to stop Nayun's mind.
"... What?"
"You should head over immedi... What? What?"
But soon, he tilted his head and focused his hearing on the transceiver in his ear.
"... Ah, yes."
"What's wrong?"
"Um... Apparently, the Djinn has been taken care of. Three cadets from Cube happened to be at the museum..."
"Oh? That's great. Who were they?"
"Kim Suho, Chae Nayun, and... Ugh!"
"Now I understand how they became lovers" commented Yeonha with a small smirk on her face. Suho looked at her with defeated eyes.
Before he could finish, a violent gale rose up, blinding him momentarily. By the time he opened his eyes back up, the Hero who had decimated dozens of monsters was gone.
Running at the speed of light, Yun Seung-Ah arrived at the museum. An ordinary looking man walked out of the museum at the same time. Seeing Yun Seung-Ah, the man flinched for a moment before quickly bowing down.
"So he can show respect when he wants huh-" said Jonghak.
"Hello."
'Does he know me? Well, there aren't many who don't.'
"She's so full of herself." started Yeonha.
"Right?" answered Jonghak.
Though something felt out of place, Yun Seung-Ah greeted the man without much thought.
"Ah, yes, did something happen inside?"
"Yes. A Djinn appeared. He just died though."
"I see... And you are?"
At Yun Seung-Ah's question, the man replied with a grin.
"I'm a cadet."
At his word, Yun Seung-Ah was taken aback. She finally figured out the previous strange feeling she had. Though she was acting humble, Yun Seung-Ah was one of the most popular Heroes in Korea. As a result, most cadets would freeze in front of her or act nervous at the very least.
Rachel didn't want to admit it but the woman was right.... and also full of herself.
"...Oh, I see."
"Then, I'm off. The ones you're looking for should be inside."
But the man who introduced himself as Kim Hajin walked away smiling without a hint of nervousness. Yun Seung-Ah observed him walking away for a moment.
"Who is he?"
"Doesn't she recognize the gun user?"
Quite daring for a young cadet. But Kim Hajin...? I wasn't familiar with the name. How did he know who I came for?
'He was the one who created you like that' they all thought at the same time.
Thinking so, Yun Seung-Ah sauntered into the museum.
The inside of the museum was a mess. The tiled floors were full of signs of battle, and an ominous magic power still lingering in the air proved the existence of the Djinn.
"Nayun!"
At that moment, a vehement voice rang out from the entrance. Yun Seung-Ah turned back. There, she saw a middle-aged man looking around the museum with reddened eyes. It was someone she knew.
Chae Nayun's father, Chae Shinhyuk.
"Chae Shinhyuk-ssi?"
"...Vice-leader Yun Seung-Ah?"
"Ah... You must be busy lately. It's been a while. Should we go together?"
Pointing deeper into the museum, Yun Seung-Ah smiled.
There's absolutly nothing to smile about in this situation.
*
A curved telephone pole and a car sticking out of a window, in this strange place that couldn't possibly be normal, I managed to grab a bench for myself. Heroes were busily running around cleaning up the situation, but I was in a bit of a panic myself.
The story had changed. If this world was the world within my novel, this couldn't have happened. Of course, an oddity known as 'Kim Hajin' had already intervened, but his role had been minimal. Everything had also been fine until now.
I most certainly had not done anything that could have affected...
Suddenly, a streak of thought flashed across my mind.
"Did he find the cause of the changes?"
"...Ah, that's right."
I had forgotten until now.
I wasn't the sole author of this story.
"What does that mean?" They looked perplexed.
To be precise, this world wasn't the novel I wrote.
To be even more precise, this world was the remake version of my novel.
"There's a co-author..."
"Does that mean the co-author was the one changing all these things?" If Nayun was right then.... her brother wasn't supposed to be in the hospital right now and she misunderstood what Hajin said back then.... Guilt started to take possession of her as she didn't dare to look at the screen.
After thinking that far, an unknown feeling of emptiness rose up within me. Why was I so relaxed this entire time? Live a comfortable life? No, that was impossible from the start. Just like when someone stopped me from modifying invariable stats, that 'someone' wouldn't let that happen.
Wiing—
At that moment, the laptop vibrated like a phone.
When I opened it, I saw a message.
[Flaw. There is no semblance of danger for the main character and others. If the story continues this way, the readers would become bored thinking, "The main character will win anyways."]
"... This crazy motherfu..."
No danger? Of course, there was no danger. Readers didn't like extreme danger! This thoughtless amateur...
However, there was another line below.
[Makeshift solution. Even if things become a mess, increase the power of antagonists.]
They all tried to process the information as silence rose in the room.around 1 P.M. today, a group of monsters appeared in Seoul, leaving 500 wounded and 7 dead.]
"So that's why Hajin said that outside was more dangerous..." said Rachel.
A new anchor was reporting on today's incident. With a deep sigh, Chae Shinhyuk stroked the bedridden patient. Her pale complexion seemed to stab her father's heart. Though she was an adult who would soon become a Hero, Chae Nayun was still like a little girl to Chae Shinhyuk.
Yeonha scoffed while Nayun turned away from the embarrassement.
[...According to the investigation, the monster group was led by the intermediate rank grade 1 monster, 'beast inciter'. This man-sized, badger-shaped monster has never before appeared in Korea. The Association believes that the monster was brought in by a third party, and has set out in a search.]
"...Mmm."
At that moment, Chae Nayun opened her eyes. Chae Shinhyuk immediately shot up and called for a doctor.
"You're awake. How are you feeling?"
"...Fine."
"You should add the not before the fine" commented Yeonha. Rachel and Suho nodded at her statement.
Chae Nayun raised her feeble body. A doctor came running in to check her pulse, but Chae Nayun pushed him away with a smile.
"I'm fine, Dad."
"Really?"
"Of course. I'm not injured. Didn't the doctor tell you?"
"I, I did."
The doctor spoke up inadvertently. Chae Shinhyuk was a powerful figure who had the country's economy in his palm. He knew being on this man's bad side would only make his life more difficult.
'The poor doctor' thought Rachel. She had to admit that anyone in the doctor's place would feel scared to be honest.
"...She seems fine, so you can go now."
"Yes, sir."
The doctor hurriedly ran out. Looking at the closing door, Chae Nayun spoke briefly.
"...Dad."
"Hm?"
Chae Shinhyuk replied kindly.
"About Oppa."
Nayun closed her eyes to not revive the same memory displayed on the screen. She didn't want to feel sad again.
Her low-spirited voice evoked the dark past he wanted to forget. Remembering his son always caused a sharp pain in his heart. With a gentle smile, Chae Shinhyuk held his daughter's hand.
'I feel bad to remind dad about what happened to oppa' thought Chae Nayun. She was made like that by Hajin so it's HIS fault and not hers. He created her to make blunt decisions and react like she feels to.
"...What's wrong?"
"Can I go see him when I'm discharged? I'm on a sick leave anyway, right?"
"Of course you can."
Chae Shinhyuk agreed easily.
Chae Nayun leaned her head against her father's shoulder and recalled what happened earlier in the day.
The Djinn from the museum, the black hand that strangled her, and a voice that mentioned her older brother... At that point, Chae Nayun's fury revived.
Nayun felt quite bad about her attitude toward Hajin and looked down. Yeonha patted her shoulder to try and comfort her.
"Dad, by the way..."
Chae Nayun's tone was dark. Her voice carried a heavy emotion. Chae Shinhyuk asked worriedly.
"What's up?"
"...No, it's nothing."
Suddenly, she began to loathe someone from the bottom of her heart. But she couldn't tell her father how she felt.
She thought back to when her stomach was boiling from being poisoned by the Djinn's magic power. Even while she was writhing in pain, she could hear that man's voice clearly.
"oh my bad-" Yeonha's voice slipped from her mouth as she didn't intend to make any comment about the situation and closed it right away.
—I'm sure her older brother will come console her.
'I think we should have talked more with Hajin to understand the situation. Maybe none of this would have happen if we came to this place before it occured.' Suho was wondering all kind of possiblities and scenarios but shook them off thinking it didn't matter since everything was already done.
That man had mentioned her brother. Four years ago, on the day the sky fell, everyone in the world found out. So she didn't have the time to be sad. After that day, her brother's name was etched deep inside her heart, and he became an untouchable subject to her.
As a cadet at Hero Academy, that man should have known about her brother's state. Even so, he had mentioned her brother in that way.
'Hajin always end up in complicated situations. I feel bad for him.' Rachel didn't want to see Hajin pay the price of his misunderstood actions. He already was dragged in a universe he created but with all the changes, anyone would have struggled and made the same mistakes.
Chae Nayun suppressed the fury rising from her heart and engraved the man's name in her head.
Kim Hajin, Kim Hajin.
From this day, Chae Nayun would no longer forget this name.
"In a bad way I guess." Yeonha glanced at Nayun but the girl was still looking down.
**
Seoul's sky was dyed in an orange hue. The movement of the sun was no different than usual, but the scene reflected by the setting sun could only be described as a pandemonium.
Pieces of asphalt littered the road, while a child was crying under a telephone pole snapped in half. Ambulances traveled back and forth, carrying wounded people or corpses.
Although the situation had been taken care of by the dispatched Heroes, the aftermath of chaos still remained.
"Kim Suho, Kim Hajin. We heard the story."
Kim Soohyuk was waiting at the Portal connecting Seoul and Cube.
"We will ask for details later, so go back and rest for now. Agents will take care of the rest."
"what happened here so that the screen would show us a scene as useless as this one." Jonghak didn't attend to waste his time reacting to Hajin and was pissed at the smallest thing happening.
For the record, agents were different than Heroes. Agents were those who graduated from Agent Military Academy but didn't enter Cube. In other words, they were non-combatants. Most of them had abilities that were very useful in day-to-day life. For example, I saw a man on my way back, who was fixing the broken asphalt with a wave of a hand.
"Um, instructor. Chae Nayun is..."
Kim Suho asked, to which Kim Soohyuk gave a short reply.
"She's taking a sick leave. She's with her family right now."
"Yes, understood."
Kim Suho didn't ask any more questions.
"Go back."
Other cadets seemed to have helped out with the unexpected emergency, as even Yoo Yeonha looked tired.
One by one, we trudged to the Portal. The odd sensation enveloping my body didn't feel interesting anymore. After a short sigh, I found myself back at Cube.
It was good that Hajin wrote the scene so that everyone helped fix the damages caused even though it was more intense than expected.
Without any words, the group walked to the dorm.
"...Hey."
On our way back to dorm 1, after the girls went ahead, Kim Suho stopped me.
"What."
"Why did you say that?"
'So even Suho misunderstood the situation...' Rachel couldn't hold a grudge against the cadet because if she was in his place, she would have thought the same thing as him. Hajin can easily be misunderstood as a proud and mean person if you don't know him for long.
"...Say what?"
"To Chae Nayun."
What was he talking about all of the sudden? When I furrowed my brows in incomprehension, Kim Suho suddenly became a bit more hostile.
Rachel closed her eyes but opened them just after. She didn't want to see the scene play before her but she also didn't want to miss it.
"Why did you bring up her older brother? In such a condescending way too."
"What do you mean? I didn't mean much by..."
"Did thid idiot finally understood his mistake?" Jonghak didn't like Hajin. His actions proved it. But we all know that he will become his friend after right? *a kind of friend still counts as one*
At that instant, I swallowed my words.
This world had a co-author. My setting wasn't the only setting at play.
"He's quick to understand." said Yeonha.
Something had to have changed.
"...What about her older brother?"
At my question, Kim Suho stopped his steps. Gritting his teeth, he glared at me.
Rachel looked at the screen surprised by the sudden description. Suho glared at Hajin. It was the first time she saw that.
"It's something every cadet knows, but you're going to pretend you don't know?"
"What? No, I really don't—"
"Whatever. We can talk about it later. For now..."
'Suho was angry at Hajin?' Yeonha was as surprised as Rachel at this point. The friendly future hero who only glared and showed hostility to his enemy reacted the same way to Hajin.
Kim Suho quickly walked past me and got on the elevator. Under his glaring eyes were thick dark circles. Since he used 'that' ability, he needed to crash.
Since my room was on the first floor, I didn't need to get on the elevator.
*
The moment I sat down on my couch, I turned on my smartwatch. An internet window popped up in the air. This world's main search engine was Neighbor[1]. The interface was no different than what I was used to, so getting used to it posed no problem.
First, I looked up Chae Nayun.
What Kim Suho said and how Chae Nayun reacted were indeed strange.
'He at least got to know the truth after'
===
[Chae Nayun] (Hero cadet)
Family – Father: Chae Shinhyuk, Older Brother: Chae Jinyoon
Education
—Agent Military Academy Rank 4
—Currently attending Hero Military Academy (Cube)
===
"So what's the problem?"
"He still doesn't get what's going on?" Jonghak rolled his eyes.
Chae Jinyoon. It's not like he was dead or missing, so why were they so worked up?
'Cause that is the case'
Even as I tilted my head, I looked up Chae Jinyoon.
At the same time, my jaws dropped.
"Took him some time to figure out a simple thing like that" said Jonghak sarcastically.
"...Huh?"
[Chae Shinhyuk's son, Chae Jinyoon. In critical condition from a Djinn attack.]
[The Djinn suppression operation, 'Fireflake', succeeds... However, the rookie Hero, Chae Jinyoon, falls in a coma.]
There were headlines I couldn't understand.
"What?"
'Does that mean that my brother would be alive if it wasn't for this stupid co-author?' she gritted her teeth in anger. She had accused someone innocent for the whole time and felt her blood boiling. She would direct her anger toward the co-author from now on.
Djinn suppression operation, Fireflake. I knew what it was. It was the first operation that gave Chae Jinyoon fame.
Her brother was supposed to become famous after the mission. Not dead!
By leading this operation to a success and rescuing three comrades in the process, he would have been promoted to an intermediate rank Hero. Chae Nayun, who was only 13 at the time, would have always bragged about her older brother who suddenly rose to fame.
Tears began to form in Chae Nayun's eyes from what was supposed to be her past if noone changed it. She would have been happier. Her brother would have lived a better life.
No, that was how things should have been.
The cadets in the room felt strange. Hajin had the best intentions toward them but didn't show it. And now, all what he created was changing for the sake of a stupid entertainment purpose.
"What the hell is going on?"
Unable to take everything in, I took out my laptop. If there was a hint, the laptop had to have it.
[Thanks to your high luck, light bullet deals critical damage to 'Dog of Lucius'.]
[With great luck, your understanding of the light attribute increases!]
[With extreme luck, you absorb part of the magic power emitted by the light bullet! Your magic power increases by 0.03 points.]
[You dealt critical damage to a more powerful enemy. The skill, 'Sharpshooter of Reversal', has been added to your Gift 「Master Sharpshooter」.]
[Yor SP increases by 131.]
It was not the time for these good pop ups. It was not the best situation.
There were many pleasant alerts, but I turned them all off.
I looked for my settings book. No, I didn't need to look for it. This settings book was something I wrote. Since what happened today wasn't part of my setting, looking for my settings book wouldn't do anything.
However, I had received a message on my laptop.
[Chae Jinyoon – In the original story, he was Chae Nayun's reliable older brother and Kim Suho's trustworthy helper. However, it has been judged that the main character has too many helpers, and thus this setting was changed.]
Why... Why was it her brother who had to pay for the consequences... Tears fell down Nayun's eyes. She wanted to believe it was not real or at the best that it was reality.
[Modified setting – In his first mission as a Hero four years ago, Chae Jinyoon receives a Devil's Branding and falls into a coma. Currently, he is a Devil's Seed.]
Everyone looked at the information shocked. What was that? From a trustworthy helper to a massive enemy? They couldn't understand but they came to the same conclusion that it wasn't anything good.
[Note: Modified settings will be provided as messages once the target, 'Kim Hajin', becomes aware of it.]
Without realizing that my mouth was open, I stared at the screen in a daze.
By the time my saliva dropped on the laptop, I barely managed to eek out a voice.
"Fucking..."
And that was all I could say.
If this message was true, this was an extremely serious problem.
"How so..?"
Devil's Seed was something that only appeared in the latter half of the novel. If it sprout
ed, the current Kim Suho was nowhere strong enough to stop it. A Master rank Hero would be able to stop it, but most Master ranks had left the secular world.
"What is he insinuating?" asked Jonghak. They began to feel scared for the outcome.
Even if high-rank Heroes were dispatched, a few of them would surely be sacrificed.
That couldn't happen. Their strength was needed in the novel's latter parts.
That much? Do they have to fight even harder in the future? Sure, they were simple cadets but the thought of them fighting a real and more dangerous enemy that even the author felt too powerful for them to beat... It was more than just terrifying.
In other words, everything would go awry if this Devil's Seed sprouted. Of course, things had already gone awry, but it was still to a manageable degree.
Then what could I do?
There was only one answer, so I didn't need to think for long.
"...He needs to die."
This conclusion made everyone in the room astonished. Was there no other options? Was the situation that hopeless? Tears of anger floxed down Nayuns cheeks. She was starting to loose her mind from all the discovers and decisions made.
Thankfully, the Devil's Seed had an incubation period. From what I recall, it should be 5 or 6 years.
Four years had already passed.
Only one year or two? Why? Can't they just train themselves until they were enough strong? They felt countless of emtions flowing in them and didn't sem to react at other stimulations.
As quickly as possible, before the Devil inside Chae Jinyoon's body woke up, Chae Jinyoon had to be killed.
The problem was 'who'.
Who should kill him?
Rachel looked at the screen with horrified eyes. 'Don't tell me he's going to...' she could't bear the thought...
I couldn't hire an assassin. Even if I offered billions of won, no mercenary was crazy enough to accept a mission to kill a chaebol.
He was right but such extreme measures? Suho clinged to his seat.
Not to mention, because the Devil's Seed was undetectable, no one would believe me even if I told the truth. In fact, I was sure I would just be treated as a crazy person.
He was right again.... They weren't supposed to discover these seeds until much later. They understood the hopeless situation they were put in.
He needed to die.
There was only one way this could be done.
"I have to kill him."
'NO!' Nayun screamed in her head. She could find solution! She was desperate to at least try her best and not see her dear brother die or become an evil being. She was resolute... and though, even she can't seem to think about something.
With a deep sigh, I closed my eyes.
Chae Jinyoon was a reliable friend and helper for Kim Suho, though he was an idiot when it came to his sister. But in this world, he had become a character that had to be killed. While this complete change was shocking, I didn't have the peace of mind to be shocked.
I got up. My body felt especially heavy. The sense of familiarity I felt towards the world I created transformed into a greater anxiety.
But perhaps thanks to my high perseverance, my legs weren't heading towards the bed, but the physical training room.
Hajin was preparing himself to kill Nayun's brother... The atmosphere in the room changed to an obscure one while an oppressive silent reign in the room....