Deus Ex Machina System
I often imagine it. If I could go back to the past, could I avoid living like this?
The moment I got accepted into Daehan Academy, Korea's top hunter training institution, I thought my life would change. Losing my parents to a gate collapse had plunged me to rock bottom, but I believed light would finally shine on it. Reality, though, was merciless. Was I doomed to a bottom-tier life after all?
Even after enrolling in Daehan Academy, nothing changed.
"That's Kim Siu, right?"
"He still hasn't awakened, they say."
The scornful voices around me. Yeah, I hadn't awakened yet. The accident that took my parents got me some special privileges to enter the academy. But even with that, they don't let potentialless nobodies in. I had potential above the baseline—not exceptional, but enough. Everyone else had awakened, yet my worthless body couldn't muster even a speck of mana. Why are awakeners called awakeners? Because they can wield mana. Without it, I was just an ordinary human.
Could an ordinary human compete with those who handled the power of mana? Of course not. That's why I'd set the shameful record of dead last in every practical evaluation.
Look over there—Kim Siu's passing by.
If it were me, I'd have quit ages ago, but his persistence is impressive. Hehe.
What, anyway? He's just baggage at best. A porter? Maybe not even that.
Today, as always, the mocking whispers rang out.
What had kept me enduring every hardship was the hope of better days ahead—and my parents' final words: live happily, no matter what. I'd gritted my teeth through it all to honor that. But now? Honestly, I wasn't sure anymore.
"Hey, Kim Siu."
I turned at the familiar voice. There stood my sharp-tongued partner, Kang Minji.
She was my one stroke of luck, if you could call it that. Among the Hunter Department freshmen, she was the so-called goddess—no flaws in her looks or figure. Kang Minji, my assigned partner for the past four months.
F-cup breasts that were firm and bouncy, wide hips, shapely legs, and cat-like eyes on a stunning beauty. With her cold, piercing aura—snapping at any guy who dared speak to her—she was dubbed the Iron Wall Queen. And I was the only one she actually talked to.
"Hey, idiot. I told you not to make that face."
"Sorry."
"You gonna give up that easily?"
"Seems I can't cut it."
Minji was rumored to hate men, yet she spoke to me—the only one. Maybe I was an easy target, but despite her prickly demeanor, she had a warm heart.
"Sigh. Don't you know the next evaluation is the last one?"
She clearly hated seeing me so defeated. I hadn't always been like this.
"Come on."
Suddenly, she grabbed my wrist and started dragging me somewhere.
"Minji? Where are we going?"
"Just follow me, loser."
Unlike the guys desperately chasing after Minji—or maybe because I was such a pushover—we'd entered a gate inside the academy, only for a gate mixing incident to occur. Monsters way beyond what we could handle had appeared, and now we were holed up in a cave.
The barrier's duration was shorter than the time needed for the gate to stabilize. No helping that.
Embarrassing as it is, I'm a total virgin who's never even dated. With no money at home, even buying a girl a meal felt like a burden—dating was a pipe dream. Is it true that the unlucky stay unlucky?
I thought getting into the academy would change my life, but here I was: the lowest-ranked cadet, unawakened.
At least I got partnered with Kang Minji, the girl everyone envies...
And now we were about to die here.
"..."
"What? Why are you staring at me..?"
Kang Minji narrowed her eyes, glaring at me. Other guys would cower under that look, but after spending time together, I'd gotten used to it.
"Minji.."
"What?"
"Sorry. Because of trash like me, you're dragged into this too.."
Watching her reply in her usual prickly tone, my head naturally bowed. She probably never imagined dying here.
"What're you blabbering about, you loser? Why's this your fault? Just bad luck."
"..."
Minji really was cool. What a tragedy that this was the end.
There's a rumor that hunting inside gates boosts your chances of awakening. No solid research backs it up, but in a do-or-die situation, it was worth a shot.
Still, only Minji looks out for me.
She calls me "loser" and bosses me around sometimes, but she was the only one in the academy who took care of me. Just a random assignment, but being Minji's partner was real luck.
How many people would stick by someone who always drags them down in partner evaluations? I was truly grateful—but now I worried this mess was my fault.
"Sorry, Minji."
"I suggested coming here. Why're you apologizing?"
"My bad luck."
Slap! The stinging pain snapped me back to reality. What caught my eye was Minji—whom I'd always seen as unflappable—trembling.
"..."
"I'll protect you. So quit that crap, loser!"
She yelled softly while slipping on her combat gauntlets. Even when pissed, it had to be Minji.
The only despair was having to die alongside her.
If that thing breaks, we're done for, right?
The barrier generator I'd brought just in case—it used mana stones to create a temporary safe zone. Unawakened as I was, I had to rely on gadgets like this.
Every time the mana stone dimmed, my mouth went dry.
Obviously, this was a practice dungeon Minji could clear solo like eating breakfast—before the gate mixing hit.
A natural disaster where two gates merge. Thanks to it, Minji and I were on death's door.
Fuck.. if not for that bastard...
Beyond the weakening barrier, a massive horde of skeletons swarmed into view. At the center stood a Skeleton Knight radiating menace.
My always-unlucky life, true to form till the end. And now, dragging the girl I like to her death.
Unfair...
"Get ready for combat!!!"
With Minji's shout, the device finally failed, its light fading. Once the mana supply cut off, the barrier shattered effortlessly, and the skeletons started crawling in.
"Y-You fuckers! Don't touch the loser—come at me!"
Was she really protecting a guy like me? Every swing of Kang Minji's fist sent skeletons crumbling. The frail ones even had bones snapping.
"Loser, let's get out alive!"
Her voice trembled endlessly as she said it. She knew we couldn't win.
The Skeleton Knight—glowing with an eerie light—entered the cave, boss monster leading the entire horde. No space to flee.
True to its knightly name, it wielded a rusty sword as it advanced. Over 2 meters tall, clad in crumbling armor that looked ready to fall apart—yet it exuded overwhelming pressure.
"Die!!!"
Minji charged with fierce momentum. Blows were exchanged back and forth.
If we could've won, we wouldn't have fled to this cave. Wounds started accumulating on Minji's body, her stance crumbling soon after.
"..."
"L-Loser.."
Minji flew back, bleeding, looking my way. Then she smirked.
That was the last I saw of her.
"Fuck..."
Complex emotions surged. I loathed myself for cowering behind her until the end.
If this was the end anyway, I wanted to at least take that bastard with me.
"Die, you fucker!!!"
The moment I charged, my body tilted. My legs wouldn't move—then I realized my lower half was severed.
Damn, it's strong.
My body hit the ground. If I'd fought alongside Minji, would it have changed anything?
One-shot dead.. doubt it.
If only I could rewind life. Back before entering here—no one would die.
That wouldn't happen, though.
As my vision faded, something appeared before my eyes.
If given a chance, can you change your fate?
"Change... fate..?"
My consciousness blurred.
"If... I could..."
Confirmed.
You have awakened the Deus Ex Machina System.
Loading Save Point.