Chapter 2: It Was There, But It Wasn't

< Chapter 2: It Was There, But It Wasn't (2) >

I quickly returned home because I needed time to think things through.

As soon as I arrived home, I sat in a corner and thought for a total of 3 hours. As a result, I was able to come to my own conclusion about this situation.

The conclusion was mainly three.

First, I have possessed the protagonist of the novel [S-Class Status Window] written by author Kim Shin.

Second, I don't know why this situation happened.

Thirdly, since I don't know the cause, I obviously don't know the solution either.

In other words, there is no way to return to the original world right now.

The conclusion is 'no solution'.

"...Ah. Annoying."

Since there were no clues, there was no way to find out the cause of this situation. Since I didn't know the cause, I didn't know how to escape from this world either.

"....The most plausible hypothesis is that Shin-hyung was really a god (神)!"

Kim Shin, the author (creator) who created this world. He was with me until the end before I came to this world.

"Ah, if only the memories hadn't been cut off."

If Shin-hyung was the one who put me in this world, then considering his personality, he wouldn't have thrown me into the novel without any clues or triggers.

There must have been something that happened last night. But I had no memory of last night. Alcohol is really an enemy. An enemy.

"Uh, my head hurts."

My head was throbbing. The hangover wasn't completely gone yet, and it seemed like I had overworked my head too much. I layed down on my bed.

Even though it was a different world, my house was exactly the same as my house in the original world. The familiar scenery made me feel a little more comfortable. Then suddenly I had this thought.

"...What am I doing that's not like me?"

I felt like an idiot for spending 3 hours worrying about something useless.

The important thing is not 'Why did this happen?' but 'What should I do from now on?'

I smiled awkwardly.

Whether I like it or not, since there is no way to escape, I have to live in this world. In this dangerous novel world where all kinds of dangers are scattered, unlike the original world.

"Sigh."

I picked up my smartphone at the head of my bed and unlocked it. The phone was used by the original protagonist, not mine. I opened the text message box and checked the text message that I had checked earlier again.

[Superhuman Officer School Entrance Ceremony Guide.]

[Entrance Ceremony Date: April 13th, 2021]

Today's date is April 9th.

The first chapter of this novel is one day before the entrance ceremony.

In other words, it starts on April 12th, 3 days later.

And that day is when the protagonist, in other words, when I awaken.

* * *

I went outside again. I needed to learn more about this world before the story of the novel officially began. Seeing something for yourself and just knowing about it is completely different.

After wandering around for about 3 hours.

"The World Tree can be seen wherever you go. How big is it?"

I gazed at the World Tree and was lost in thought.

The novel [S-Class Status Window] is a typical modern fantasy world novel full of magic, monsters, and villains.

The only unusual thing is that all living creatures had a [Status Window] and that the worldview of traditional fantasy is mixed in a little bit despite being a modern fantasy.

"Other than that, the title itself is a two-sided sword."

The protagonist's ability, as can be seen from the title of this novel [S-Class Status Window], is an S-Class Status Window.

What is a Status Window? It is a novel device that shows the indicator of strength in objective numbers and a means to quickly grow abilities.

So what is an S-Class Status Window? It's very simple. It grows 3 times faster than others and has 3 times more ability points than others.

In other words, even if you grow at the same rate, it means you grow 9 times faster than others.

"That hyung made the S-Class Status Window too overpowered..."

This is what ruined the novel. It's too strong and predictable, so there's no room for fun. I knew Shin-hyung and had enjoyed his previous work, so I watched it to some extent. If not, I would have given up on it long ago. But if the novel becomes reality, it's a different story.

"Right now, I feel kind of thankful."

Munchkin? Power inflation? What's the problem with me getting stronger?

"Tell tension or crisis to go away."

In addition to my overpowered ability, I also gained knowledge about the future. There was no way for a crisis to occur.

"My goal is a boring novel."

As I walked down the street with an evil smile.

Whiik- Whiik-

Three people swinging swords in an empty lot caught my eye. One woman and two men. They looked like handsome men and women in their 20s. All three were holding real swords. They seemed to be lightly sparring.

Judging by the equipment they were wearing and their familiarity with the sword, those three were probably students or incoming students at the Superhuman Officer School.

"Tsk. Are you tired already?"

"Shut up. Kim Chul, Jin."

Only one of the three men seemed tired. The other two seemed to be breathing normally.

"So far... it was just a warm-up."

The man gritted his teeth and pulled out a black sword from his sci-fi like carrier.

"...Where did you get that sword again? You're really spending money. Can you even handle it before that?"

"Hmph. Of course. Just watch! Huh!"

Seeing such a sight made me feel more real. The feeling that this is really not the world I used to live in. I turned my body around with a bitter smile.

"Huaaaah!! Euh!"

It was then.

"Hey! You ba······! Aaah!"

First, I heard a woman's tearing scream from behind.

Hoo-woong!

Then I heard a sound like a boomerang flying by. An inexplicable sense of unease crept up on me.

"Right! Dodge!"

A hasty voice full of anxiety. It was a shout warning of danger. I immediately threw my body to the right. Just because it felt like I had to.

At that very moment when I moved my body just a little bit.

Whiiing-! Seok-

Something huge brushed past my cheek and then there was a strong wind behind it.

Koo-woong-!

Then something hit the tree and there was a fierce explosion.

My cheek feels hot for some reason. I wiped my cheek with my hand. Something red came out of my hand.

"Blood?"

I raised my head slightly and checked the identity of the object that had shattered the tree.

It was a huge sword. It was buried in the shattered tree fragments. That sword was the one that the man lagging behind had pulled out earlier.

...Did that just brush past my face?

I walked over to it and grabbed the giant sword (巨劍) with my right hand. It's quite light, maybe because it's a good sword.

Koo-goo-

As I lifted the sword, I checked the blade with my other hand at the same time.

Sleek-

Sharp.

If I had been even slightly to the left? At least serious injury, probably death at high probability.

I turned my body towards where the sword had flown from, holding the sword.

"Are, are you okay!"

The trio were running towards me. Two were panting, one was leisurely breathing. I looked at them with cold eyes. Eventually, the woman who arrived first in front of me bowed her upper body.

"I'm sorry! Are you hurt anywhere!"

The woman who shouted at me to dodge looked up at me with an anxious face.

"Ah. There's blood on your cheek..."

Even though she didn't do anything wrong herself,

My heart softened a little at the woman's consideration.

I gestured to her that I was okay while looking back at the man who was slowly approaching from behind, who had thrown his sword at me, with cold eyes again.

He looks me straight in the eye and narrows his eyelids sharply.

He has no shame at all.

His eyes showed no trace of remorse.

"Hah."

The more he acted like that, the colder my head became.

"I'm really sorry! This guy was swinging his sword recklessly with his poor skills and he just!"

He looked me straight in the eye and narrowed his eyes sharply. There was no apology in his eyes or remorse. The more he acted like that, the colder my head became.

"I'm really sorry! This guy got carried away with his sword because he couldn't handle his anger!"

The man who arrived next bowed his waist at a 90-degree angle. He must have been Kim Chul-jin.

"Who would have thought there would be someone there? It's bad luck."

The perpetrator who joined last casually said something ridiculous.

"Don't talk nonsense and apologize already! You almost caused a big problem!"

The woman seemed to be thinking the same thing as me. The perpetrator, who had been facing the woman, snorted and turned his head to me.

"I'll say I'm sorry for now."

It was an expression and tone that didn't feel sincere at all. Is that an apology from someone who almost killed someone? It makes me angry.

"······Hoo."

But I can't get angry right now. If my guess is right, they are superhumans or aspiring superhumans. They are not opponents I can handle right now.

The protagonist of the novel, who possesses an overpowered ability, might seem weak at the beginning of the novel. At the moment, I don't even have a normal [Status Window], let alone an [S-Class Status Window].

In the novel, the protagonist 'Kang Seo-yul' is described as the only person without a status window at the very beginning of the novel.

And on the day before the entrance ceremony, he awakens due to some event and opens his eyes to the overpowered ability of an S-Class Status Window.

It can be seen as a typical cliché that starts the protagonist from an unfortunate point.

Anyway, for that reason, I didn't have a status window right now. It would be difficult to confront that reckless and thoughtless person.

It would be possible to call the police and argue about what is right and wrong. But if possible, I want to avoid causing any new incidents before the start of the original work. I don't know what butterfly effect might occur.

"······."

I forced myself to calm down. And then smiled.

"It's okay. Nothing happened."

I stuck the sword in my hand into the ground and responded as leisurely as possible.

I'll remember this and pay it back later. If my guess is right, that rude guy is a student or freshman at Korea Superhuman Officer School. I'll see him again soon.

"Are you really okay?"

"Yes. It's just a scratch on my cheek. If you think about it as learning a lesson, it's cheap."

I really learned one thing thanks to it. This world is a dangerous world where magic, swords, and monsters are scattered. I experienced it with my body, not my head.

"Ah! You're amazing."

The woman exclaimed, looking up at me with bright eyes.

"Anyway. I apologize again. I'm really sorry. Ji-hoon, you apologize properly again!"

"I already did."

My shoulders shuddered.

'Did he just say Ji-hoon?'

Someone my age with that personality and a flashy hairstyle with the name Ji-hoon. It's certain. That man is Choi Ji-hoon. I laughed inside.

"Is that an apology? You're really······."

"It's okay."

If that guy is Choi Ji-hoon, then this woman is most probably Ha Si-yeon.

"An apology isn't something you do by force."

"Ah...."

I smiled meaningfully at Choi Ji-hoon for the last time.

* * *

After Kang Seo-yul completely disappeared.

"Wow. Did you see that? He was holding the black iron greatsword with one hand like it was nothing!"

The woman, Ha Si-yeon was making a fuss.

"Didn't he dodge the sword so casually earlier? He just moved half a step without even looking and barely missed it by a paper's width. Wow~"

The man. Kim Cheol-jin was the same.

"Huff!"

He clicked his tongue at another man who was groaning on the floor with the black iron greatsword stuck in the ground. Choi Ji-hoon.

"Tsk tsk. You can't even pull out the sword that's stuck in the ground. Why are you swinging it around? You thoughtless fool."

"It was just a mistake."

"Oh, yeah? Is that so? Sigh."

Black iron greatsword.

It was rare and high-quality equipment made of 'black iron', the heaviest metal in the world.

They had bought it with their family's wealth, but it was like a pearl necklace on a pig's neck.

He lacked too much strength to meet the [Wear Limit] of the black iron greatsword.

The price he paid was that throwing accident earlier.

"If he can lift it with one hand so easily, he must have perfectly met the [Wear Limit] of the item, right?"

Ha Si-yeon asked, recalling what had happened before.

"I guess so. He must be an amazing skill user."

"Yeah, yeah. He had that hidden master vibe, you know."

"Right. Maybe that's what he meant when he said he learned something earlier. 'I was a bit careless because I was resting. I'll reflect on it.' Something like that."

Kim Cheol-jin exclaimed.

Ha Si-yeon asked casually.

"He looked about our age, right?"

"Probably?"

"He's not a current superhuman or an officer candidate."

"Right. I've never seen his face before."

"He wouldn't be attending a normal university with that level of skill..."

Ha Si-yeon smiled brightly and continued.

"Then. He might be a freshman who's entering this year with us."

"Oh. That could be possible."

"Hmm~ But if he enrolls, the top spot will be a bit hard to get."

Ha Si-yeon laughed bitterly.

"Do you know? Maybe he's just a brute with no brains."

"Nah. I don't think so."

They smiled as they looked at where Kang Seo-yul had disappeared.

"Kim Cheol-jin. I'll give you the honor of helping me out."

"Ugh. That jerk."

Choi Ji-hoon was still holding onto the black iron greatsword stuck in the ground.