…I can’t remember when, but I started seeing memories of the past when I closed my eyes.
My mom, who would smile brightly with me in her embrace, the garden we used to stroll around in, and the sight of her covered in blood, dead. The rain that fell during the funeral, my older brother who held my hand as he tried to hold back his tears, and my young self who made a pledge in front of her grave…
That was when I decided to become a Hero.
I entered the Agent Military Academy for that goal. But one day, Heroes I didn’t know came to visit me. I could still remember the black uniform they were wearing. It was the uniform worn to mourn the loss of a comrade. They told me that Oppa was in a ‘hopeless comatose state’.
Shock and sorrow overwhelmed me, but I still didn’t give up.
The enemies were still alive, out there, roaming about. I believed Oppa would recover, that if I worked hard to become a Hero, he would wake up and hold me in his arms.
With determination and hope, I entered ‘Cube’.
That was when I first met him. He was rather strange. He brought up Oppa during our first meeting and picked a fight with me. He called me a hopeless archer and told me to change to a sword.
I hated him to death. I wanted to beat him to a pulp if possible.
But time passed and before I realized, I came to not dislike him. In fact, I found myself constantly staring at him. I wanted him to be by my side.
…I still didn’t know why.
Kim Hajin, a man of mysteries, the bastard who killed Oppa without an explanation. Though I now knew his actions were justified, though I knew he chose to remain silent and to bear the pain in my place, if someone asked me if I ‘hated’ him, well…
Yes, I probably hate him to death.
But at the same time, I might love him to death.
“….”
I glanced back as I continued to run. Kim Hajin was running a bit slower than me. He didn’t run away, and by the looks of it, he didn’t plan on running away either.
So I breathed a sigh of relief. I had many questions to ask him, but just as he said, the situation wasn’t quite right.
We continued to run. Eventually, we arrived at Orden’s throne room. A terrifying mixture of energy undulated from Orden and the Heroes inside. We halted our steps nearby.
“…Can you continue?”
Kim Hajin asked me. His voice was softer than usual. Then, a question suddenly emerged in my mind. How did Kim Hajin sound like normally?
“Of course, don’t you run away.”
Kim Hajin made a grim smile at my reply. His sorrowful smile stung my heart a bit.
“I can’t run away. You put a card on me.”
“…Oh, yeah.”
8-star card, [Infinite Communication]. I suspected that Extra7 had some sort of a relationship with Kim Hajin, but it turned out they were one and the same. In other words, it was Kim Hajin who saved me in the Tower of Wish.
…That stung my heart again.
“Hey, you—”
Just as I was about to say something…
—Uwoaaaah…!
A large lump of flesh suddenly shot out of the throne room door. The lump of flesh, which was likely to be a human, rolled like a bowling ball and crashed into a support pillar.
“…Who’s that?”
As I furrowed my brows, I noticed Kim Hajin flinch.
“Isn’t that him? The crazy bastard who calls himself Cheok Jungyeong?”
“…Uh, yeah, it is.”
“You know him too?”
“Um, I’ve seen him a few times in the Tower….”
It was then. Kim Hajin’s calm demeanor suddenly changed. Just like a man who saw a scene of horror, his face distorted.
“Hey, Jin Sahyuk!” He yelled Jin Sahyuk’s name.
Jin Sahyuk frowned and retorted, “What now?”
“Can you make a bunker with Reality Manipulation?”
“…Bunker?”
“Yeah, something that can withstand a nuclear bomb….”
I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I happened to have something like that.
“Bunker? I think I have one.”
I took out a card. It was the 8-star card I obtained along with [Infinite Communication].
===
[Miracle Bunker] [8-star] Effective Good
—Constructs ‘Miracle Bunker’ in the designated area for 48 hours.
—This bunker can ignore one, huge impact.
○Forceful Summon – You can forcefully summon up to 30 allies who are in danger.
○Advantageous Time Flow – 10 seconds inside the bunker is equivalent to 1 second outside.
===
“But what do you need a bunker for so suddenly?”
“…!”
Kim Hajin’s eyes widened, and he quickly snatched the card out of my hand.
He activated it immediately, then said with a smile, “I saw the future with my unique skill.”
**
[Throne Room]
Steel Spirit Heynckes, Immortal Chae Joochul, Spirit Speech Master Aileen, Wolf of Valhalla Yoo Sihyuk, Blitzkrieg Yoo Jinwoong, Divine Archer Jin Seyeon, Sword Saint Kim Suho, Weapon Master Kim Youngjin….
Many Heroes were gathered in the throne room of the Monster King. They all shared a common goal – to kill Orden.
“…Monster King Orden.”
Before the final battle began, Heynckes called the king’s name. Orden granted him permission to speak by remaining silent.
“Why do you seek to conquer humans?”
That was Heynckes’s first question.
Orden replied lightly, “Because they cannot coexist with me.”
“…And why would that be?” That was Heynckes’s second question.
Orden replied after a brief silence, “Can you humans live in a world ruled under monkeys? Can you give up your living space to them and watch them blabber in conceit?”
Orden couldn’t clearly define the feelings he had towards humanity. But he knew that ‘coexistence’ was nothing but an illusion. Orden couldn’t stand the world ruled by humans, and the humans undoubtedly saw him as a threat.
“…So there’s no room for negotiation.”
This time, a somewhat childish voice rang out. It belonged to the commander of the Special Task Force, Aileen.
She walked up and stood at the center of the throne room.
“Indeed.” Orden nodded. “Humanoid monsters and humans cannot coexist. That was how we were created.”
Orden gave a resolute conclusion. In response, the Heroes raised their weapons and pointed them at Orden.
Orden looked down at them from his throne and fell in thought.
Such was the nature of humans. They were extremely individualistic, yet when they came together under a common goal, they could have such a powerful will.
This was undoubtedly the biggest and most critical difference between humanoid monsters and humans.
“…I understand now.”
“Understand what?”
The Monster King looked down at the humans with a sharper look. He felt something boiling inside his heart. It could be rage, sorrow, resignation, or excitement. No matter the case, Orden gathered up the emotion squirming around in his heart and spat it out.
“My name is Orden—!”
His roar shook the earth and rang out across the sky.
“I am— the king of monsters—!”
The wave of magic power burst out from the king’s body.
Guooooo…!
The resonance of magic power destroyed the earth and caused the sky to change color.
Kim Suho swung his sword at the ‘chaos’ that was forming. But at that moment, a gust of wind struck his strike down.
“…!”
“Kururu….”
Orden’s most loyal servant, a humanoid monster resembling a praying mantis, Kurukuru, appeared. Kurukuru shot towards Kim Suho and swung his front leg.
“Kururu!”
With an inestimable speed, hundreds of scythes slashed down in less than a second. Kurukuru gave his all to hinder Kim Suho.
“Who are you—! Screw off—!”
Aileen’s Spirit Speech pushed Kurukuru away, but it was too late.
“…Tsk.”
Orden’s magic power of chaos flickered, and Kim Suho had no choice but to watch the explosion of the Monster King’s ominous magic power.
Chwaaaaa—
The overwhelming light from the exploding magic power swallowed the world.
**
“….”
Kim Suho slowly opened his eyes. A white ceiling filled his eyes. He couldn’t tell where he was, but two familiar faces soon popped up.
It was Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin.
“You’re awake?”
“There you go again with your cool-act.”
Kim Hajin and Chae Nayun spoke.
“Huh…?”
Kim Suho shot up like a spring.
“W-What are you guys doing here!?”
“We can discuss that later. How’s your body?”
“B-Body? I think it’s okay….”
Kim Suho snapped out of his state of shock and looked around his surroundings. In a bunker-like space, several Heroes were lying unconscious.
“What happened?”
Chae Nayun answered Kim Suho’s question, “We saved everyone before Orden’s magic power went off, but it looks like just being exposed to it caused mental damage. Everyone else is still unconscious.”
Kim Hajin then went on to explain that they were in a bunker created by an 8-star card. Most of the important personnel were summoned here, where the flow of time would help them recover quicker, and the rest were sent to Genkelope's Vessel.
“…What’s happening outside?”
Kim Suho asked with a dumbfounded face.
“It hasn’t even been 5 minutes yet, so don’t worry. The operation is still underway.”
Heynckes, Chae Joochul, Aileen, Yoo Sihyuk, Yoo Jinwoong, and Jin Seyeon.
The above six had survived the explosion and were in the middle of fighting Orden.
“Then I should also—”
“Before that.”
Kim Hajin handed Kim Suho a recovery and strength potion.
“Ah, thanks.”
Kim Suho drank the potion without hesitation. Hot liquid coursed through his body. Kim Suho closed his eyes and felt strength returning to his body.
“Haa….”
“How do you feel?”
“…Good.” Kim Suho furrowed his brows as he spoke, “But where did you come from?”
“Me?”
“Yes you, Kim Hajin.”
“Uh… well, let’s say I was in the middle of training.”
Kim Hajin grinned and placed his hand on Kim Suho’s shoulder.
“We can talk about that later. I awakened another Gift while I was training.”
“…Gift? Again?”
“Yep, and this one will be useful when you fight Orden.”
“Me? How would your Gift help me?”
“Here.”
Kim Hajin displayed a holographic window using his smartwatch.
===
[Constraints and Amplifications] [high-rank]
—Constraints
*Apply temporary ‘constraints’ to the user’s body.
—Amplifications
*Temporarily increase the target’s strength in proportion to the applied ‘constraints’.
—Profitable Exchange
*Increase ‘Amplification’ performance by 77%.
—Side-Effect Alleviation
*The side-effects of this Gift, including the cooldown period, are slightly improved.
===
“I jotted down the effect of my Gift.”
Kim Suho stared at the window in a daze. Strengthened with ‘luck’, Constraints and Amplifications was a buff-type Gift that was high-risk, high-return.
After giving Kim Suho time to read through the Gift, Kim Hajin began his explanation.
“You know how people say ‘yea’ and ‘ya’ have different meanings in Korean? Think about the word ‘target’ here.”
Kim Suho’s eyes fell on the sentence Kim Hajin pointed to.
「—Amplifications
*Temporarily increase the target’s strength in proportion to the applied ‘constraints’.」
“The constraints are placed on the ‘target’, which doesn’t have to be me necessarily.”
Kim Suho quickly understood what Kim Hajin was implying.
“Amplifications… can be used on you.”
Kim Hajin smiled.
“I’ll leave Orden to you.”
**
…Sword Saint’s unique ability was something I couldn’t replicate, and I had already used [Time Reversal] as well. So, Kim Suho was the only option left.
I put myself under a week’s worth of constraints. With this, I wouldn’t be able to use myself for a week.
By constraining everything about me, I gave an explosive amplification to Kim Suho. The boost he gained was nothing short of shocking.
Golden magic power, the Authority of the Sword Saint, and Misteltein which now carried the power of wish.
With all these amplified, I was confident that Kim Suho wouldn’t lose to Orden.
—See you later. I’ll be sure to win.
Kim Suho left with those words. Chae Nayun also left with him.
—Wait for me to come back. You and I have a lot to talk about.
After sending Kim Suho and Chae Nayun off, I slowly felt my heart rate slow down. My eyes closed and my breathing became faint.
For a week, I would fall into a deep sleep.
“Pft.”
I smirked.
If all goes to plan, everything should be over by the time I woke up. Kim Suho would have defeated Orden, and Chae Nayun could potentially learn more from her master, Heynckes.
Sleeping and having the main cast clean up the trouble? Finally, an extra-like story progression.
I did all I could, so I didn’t feel bad.
“…Hajin.”
At that moment, a voice rang inside my ear.
My mind woke up from the familiar voice.
“…Boss?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
I could hear her voice, but I had long lost my vision.
I raised my hand toward the direction of her voice.
A soft, cold sensation of skin touched me. It was probably Boss’s cheek.
“…It’s been a while.”
“Yes. Where were you all this time? What happened with Bell?”
“Well, you know, I countered Bell. I fought him, won, and escaped.”
“Really? Haha.”
Boss laughed happily at my answer.
I also made a small smile.
“…But Boss.”
“Hm?”
A soft sensation touched the back of my head.
I was probably in Boss’s arms. I wanted to enjoy this feeling a little longer, but it probably wouldn’t be long until I fell unconscious.
“Um… I’m too sleepy.”
“I know, you look sleepy.”
“Are Cheok Jungyeong and Jain okay?”
The bunker was too quiet. Since everyone should be asleep, asking about them shouldn’t arouse any suspicion.
“They’re both safe inside the bunker. Ah, well, Cheok Jungyeong left a little while ago, saying he wanted to fight Orden.”
“Then… I’m going to sleep.”
Soon, the rest of my senses began to disappear. I couldn’t move anymore, and my hearing slowly faded away.
“This time, I’ll be asleep for a little longer than usual. About a week. Think of it as a winter hibernation.”
“…Yeah.”
Boss’s warm hands stroked my hair.
“Then see you later Boss.”
“…Yeah, see you later.”
I relaxed and let myself go. My consciousness scattered away in Boss’s cold yet warm embrace.
But before my consciousness fully disappeared…
“…I wanted to see you.”
Her final words flowed into my ears.
**
[Sky above Africa]
On the other hand, Bell came to Africa with his comrade. In truth, he wanted to stay inside his sanctuary until Orden’s death, but his comrade, ‘Yi Yeonjun’, persuaded him otherwise.
“Do you really need to watch in person?”
Yi Yeonjun didn’t bat an eye at Bell’s grumbling.
“Trust me. The Monster King’s corpse will have immense value to us.”
Yi Yeonjun was only interested in one thing, Orden’s corpse. Bell didn’t know what he was planning on doing with it… but it was to be expected from the incarnation of avarice that even Baal would be surprised with.
“What are you going to do if you meet Byul?”
Yi Yeongjun lightly brushed off Bell’s worry.
“Then we’ll just meet. Why should I worry about that?”
“…Ehew, fine.”
Bell gave up. He knew what kind of man Yi Yeonjun was. Whether an object or a person, he was the type who wasn’t satisfied until he obtained it. Greedy was a nice way to put it. In truth, it was more like a mental illness.
“Let’s go down, Bell.”
“…Yeah.”
The two men landed on African soil. Orden’s ‘magic power explosion’ had just swept through the land, leaving it clean without any impurities.
“So, Boss, what’s our plan?”
Bell used the title, ‘Boss’, for the first time in a while.
Yi Yeonjun seemed to like it too as he replied with a grin.
“Simple. We’ll wait until Orden dies and snatch his corpse.”
