*KIM HAJIN’S POV*

It was Sunday already, and here I was, in a garden at the Association Tower, waiting for the Association to give me a commendation for helping in the subjugation of the Djinn that attacked the museum.

A Cube’s associate dragged me, Kim Suho, and Chae Nayun this morning here. And while almost everyone was already here, we’ve been waiting for like an hour for some guy who was apparently in charge of giving the commendations…

“*Huam*”-I yawned, being totally bored from all the waiting.

“Happy?”-But it seems like someone was in the mood for picking a fight.

I just yawned once for god’s sake…

“What?”-I ask her.

“You’ve had a smirk for a while.”-Answered Chae Nayun beside me.

“So? What’s your point? It’s that a problem for you or anything? Because last time I checked, it wasn’t my problem whether or not you cared.”-I said, partly because of the lack of sleep and the pain from yesterday’s stigma, and partly because of my boredom.

“*snort* You are the same as that asshole. What did I expect?”-She says with a snort.

“What? Who are you talking to?”

“That friend of yours.”

“…”-I know who she’s talking about. And… I can’t say anything in retort. “You didn’t forget it was me who saved your life, right?”-So I just go the petty way…

“That is that, and this is this. You don’t-”

“Okay, okay, stop now you two.”-Kim Suho interrupted, who was on the other side of Chae Nayun.

“What? Do you also have a problem?”-Retorts her

“Nayun, change seats with me.”

“Wh-what? No! Wait”-They started to get all touchy. {We’re in public, you know…}

After a little struggle, Kim Suho could get beside me, leaving Chae Nayun in his seat.

“Thank you for back then.”-He says once he sat down.

“What…?”

“Back at the museum, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have won.”

“Of course not. You would have won anyway if I wasn’t there…”

As with every protagonist from a novel, he would just invoke some kind of greater power out of nowhere in the middle of the struggle and win, saving Chae Nayun on the way… I don’t even know why I intervened in the first place, maybe it was a sudden fear of losing Chae Nayun early in the novel? Nah.

“…No”-He says, before suddenly turning towards the entrance.

{So, he’s here, finally!}- It seems that the dignitary was finally here…

“H-he’s here! Everyone gets ready!”-Said one of the organizers of the event. Confirming my suspicions.

And right then, one man entered the garden, with a powerful undulation of mana going out of him from the sheer power that even he couldn’t totally control.

He was one of the top heroes in this world, a true Master Rank Hero, named “The Wolf of Valhalla”, Yoo Sihyuk.

“*sigh…* These fuckers, telling me what to do…”-He whispers while walking through the ceremony’s room, so only I could hear him thanks to my gift, probably.

He kept walking from the entrance towards the podium at the front. Took out a paper that probably had some kind of speech prepared, and after reading it swiftly, he just threw it off after clicking his tongue, while an attendant went to hastily pick it up from the floor and runoff.

[Now, the conferment ceremony will begin.]-Announced the host through a microphone. [The commendation will be conferred by the rank 37 Master Rank Hero, Sir. Yoo Sihyuk.]

Just as we three rehearsed, we stood up with the announcement and walked towards the podium where the Wolf of Valhalla was.

“Are you Kim Suho?”-He said after looking at him for a little bit.

“Yes.”- Kim Suho Answered.

“Mmm… I can see why those guys want you.”-He said while looking at him from top to bottom with a smirk and interest. “Don’t join the Association. It might even be better to join the Vast Expanse and become a hunter. Being a Hero is nothing but baggage of responsibility and no fun.”-He advised Kim Suho.

“…Still, a hero fits my personality the best.”-Kim Suho answered. {I wouldn’t expect another thing from him… Really…}

“You’re a boring guy… Fine. And you? It’s been a while.”-Yoo Sihyuk said after looking at Chae Nayun next.

“It’s been a while…”-She said with a bitter expression.

“Your father told me to take care of you, but I don’t plan on doing that.”-He said.

“I… Master-”-She tried to say something.

“I’m not your master. A bow user like you dares to call me master? Do you want to die?”-But he just interrupts her, making her pout with a pathetic face. I almost broke into laughter at seeing her like that. {It serves you well.}

“And who are you?”-He now asks while looking at me.

“Cadet Kim Hajin.”-I answer.

“Huh, okay.”-He merely says that, with total indifference. “Well… Let’s end this fast.”

He says while continuing with the ceremony.

{It’s true that indifference could actually hurt more than hatred…}-I thought while listening to the ceremony.

**

Right now, I was out of the Associate Tower, in a coffee shop. The ceremony ended not too long ago, with every one of us receiving a commemoration and the news that we would get 15.000.000 won as a reward.

Once the ceremony ended, Yoo Sihyuk left, and the reporters all went towards Kim Suho and Chae Nayun, totally ignoring me. But that made it easy to go out of the place unnoticed. After all, I still had to check the new functions of the laptop.

“Let’s see…”-I took out the laptop and put it on the table. “What’s new here?”

I started checking the new stuff.

First was something called the Book of Truth. In addition to my gift ‘Observation and Reading’. It used my stigma as a power source so I could ask any question to it. Depending on the importance of the question, the answer would cost more or less magic power from the stigma.

The other addition was called ‘Internet’, and as its name implied, it was like a web navigator that allowed me to enter some of the websites of this world. Including the most important of them, the Violet Banquet. Though, I would have to pay 200 SP for acquiring an ID for it.

“Well, it’s great. It would let me basically hack my way inside these important places…”-I murmur to myself.

“Ah, there you are.”-Said a sudden familiar voice.

When I turned my face up, I found Yun Seung-ah walking towards me and sitting on the seat in front. “You know me, right?”-She asked while smiling with her eyes.

“Ah, you don’t…?”-She asks again once I don’t show any sign of answering.

“No. I know.”-So I just answered.

“That’s a relief. I was surprised because you suddenly disappeared. There was something I wanted to give you.”-So she said while seemingly relaxing in her seat and taking out her business card to give it to me.

[Guild, Creator’s Sacred Grace, vice-leader Yun Seung-Ah]

I just sat there speechless, looking at her business card trying to think why would she give me this.

“There’s a lot I want to talk about, but unfortunately, I don’t have enough time. I spent too much time looking for you, Hajin cadet-nim.”-She says while looking straight at me. “There’s something I want to ask you.”-She said.

I knew where this was going towards. This was the first step for her to recruit someone into her guild.

“No.”-I answered while looking at her calm eyes. Sadly for her, I didn’t have any intention to fall for her games.

I know her. She must be interested in the power I showed during the museum attack. But that interest is a fleeting one. She would abandon any intention towards me the moment I don’t show what she wants from me, as if I was mere trash on the road. Something insignificant to her.

{It’s a hard depiction of her personality. But one not that far from who she truly is.}-I thought.

“Did you destroy the Djinn’s… Hm?”-She just stopped. Confused. As if she never expected my answer in the first place.

“Don’t ask.”-I say while giving her the business card back.

“Eh? Um, Hajin cadet-nim? I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m interested in you, as the vice-leader of a rank 1 guild.”-She says.

“I’m thankful for your interest, but only if that’s real interest, and not just mere curiosity because of some suspicion of yours.”-I said while standing up. “I’ll be off. There’s a lot I need to do. It’s almost time for midterm exams, you see.”-I finally said, leaving the place.

Her eyes following me all the way with shock and surprise painted on them.

**

Getting back in my room. I finished checking what I couldn’t.

Stigma.

[You can freely use the magic power stored inside Stigma, which will slowly regenerate over 24 hours even if depleted.]

Or so it said on the laptop’s screen.

The Stigma was like a cross-shaped scar that lodged itself in my upper left arm. It was a weird tattoo-like thing.

“I can freely use it?”-Just as I was thinking about using it, the scar shined and magic power went out from it through my arm until it reached my hands and blue magic power went out of it, forming any shapes I imagined. From a triangle to a circle, and then a blade.

I was really free to use it as I pleased. I just had to imagine what I wanted to do. And the stigma would probably do it for me.

“Next is, trying the Book of Truth.”

Right when I say it, the scar on my arm again shone, this time the magic power formed a liquid-like book.

[This book contains truth. Ask it anything. It will answer as long as you have enough magic power.]-Sounded a strange voice in my mind.

“Mmm… As long as I have enough magic power, is it?”-Just as I was thinking about what to ask, an alarm rang out twice in my smartwatch. Taking all my concentration.

[Looking for the last person who has last seen World class’ novice cadet, ‘Jin Hajung’.]

[Looking for the last person who has last seen World class’ novice cadet, ‘Jin Hajung’.]

“…”-I stare at it. “So, he started moving huh… *sigh…* If I could only do something…”-I said while looking at the message in the holographic screen. {I can’t interfere. Yoo Yeonha and Kim Suho need this connection point.}

[Yoo Yeonha: Hello.]

“Speaking of the devil…”-I say as I read the text that came from Yoo Yeonha.

[Kim Hajin: What?]

[Yoo Yeonha: The text from right now, that isn’t your doing, right?]

“Ah? Is she insane? Why would it be my doing? And what does she expect me to answer? *sigh…* Somehow… I hate to accept it… But Cristopher’s right. They’re all lunatics…”

[Kim Hajin: No, why?]

[Yoo Yeonha: Then nevermind.]

“…Just… Whatever…”

[Kim Hajin: Alright.]-I ended the conversation.

[Yoo Yeonha: By the way, I heard you fought a Djinn last week.]

Or so I thought I did.

[Kim Hajin: … What are you trying to say?]-I text her, trying to go to the point without that much round-talking.

[Yoo Yeonha: Do you know about the Giant Swamp Soldier?]

“So she wants the Giant Swamp Solider’s vital point?”

That’s a monster that rarely appeared in Korea, as the country didn’t have that many large swamps. So her guild should have information about one’s location. Still… For her to be asking me that kind of info…

[Kim Hajin: I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew.]-I cut her fast.

[Yoo Yeonha: I’ll buy the information.]

“That’s indeed a nice proposition. But no. For the moments, the Mountain Tyrant’s vital point is enough for her to advance in her guild.”

[Kim Hajin: No.]

[Yoo Yeonha: Why not? I can offer a lot.]

[Kim Hajin: To be completely honest, I don’t know. How would I know the vital point of a monster that doesn’t appear in Korea?]

I just gave a rough description of the monster. A golem type one that could be countered with some attribute antagonist to swamps. But I never wrote a specific vital point, even if I could search for it with the newly acquired Book of Truth, I don’t really need to do it.

[Yoo Yeonha: From now on, don’t talk to me so casually.]-She says before ending the conversation.

“Such a kid… And she’s trying to play being an adult? *pfft* Cristopher’s right with her… Must be all the stress from her father’s guild.”

[Cristopher: Hey. The bastard’s on.]

[Kim Hajin: Yeah… I saw the announcement…]

[Cristopher: Remember. Don’t do anything until we really have to. Don’t play the hero.]

[Kim Hajin: I know.]

“Who would go all over the play playing the hero… *sigh…* Did he just contact me to tell me that?”

[Cristopher: Tomorrow morning I won’t be waking up early, so, you better memorize what you’re going to do for training. And trust me. I’ll know if you did it or not. First of all, 100 push-ups, then 100 squats, and finally run 10 kilometers around Cube. It has to be the first thing you do in the morning, before classes. So, you better do it early if you want to have time for a shower before classes. Good luck!]

“Thi-this… This bastard’s going to kill me!”-I shout at the message.

[Kim Hajin: Why would I do that!?]

[Cristopher: Training. Better stamina, better strength, better speed, better vitality.]

[Kim Hajin: But I already train in the night!!]

[Cristopher: And now you’ll do both morning and night training! You sure can do it. I’ve prepared you for it all last week.]

[Kim Hajin: …]

[Cristopher: Don’t even try to evade it. Do you copy? You. Better. Not. Or do you prefer a sparring session?]

[Kim Hajin: … No thank… I’ll do it…]

[Cristopher: Great! That’s what I wanted to hear. Starting tomorrow I’ll be training with you, not only supervising you.]

[Kim Hajin: What happened to you all of a sudden?]

[Cristopher: Long story. I’ll tell you tomorrow. But… Well, I don’t want to worry you, but it seems I’m kind of affecting this world a little bit too much…]

[Kim Hajin: … Something I should worry about?]

[Cristopher: Maybe? But not for the moment, don’t worry. We’ll be prepared.]

[Kim Hajin: … Fine…]

[Cristopher: See you tomorrow.]-He says while ending the conversation.

“What does he mean with ‘affecting this world’? Is he making changes here? But… That shouldn’t be possible… Unless he’s the… Nah… It couldn’t be, right…?”-I murmur to myself. Thinking about all that has happened until this moment.