Chapter 3
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: 2. I Will Become the Original Work Destroyer.
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Blazing Bat. A blazing bat.
Just as the name suggests, her weapon was a bat. No one knew what restrictions she had, but she only ever used that bat as her weapon.
And she was strong. Really strong. When it came to close combat, there were few in the world who could beat that bat of hers.
She was the woman who tormented Yoo Eun-ha almost every day under the guise of teaching her.
Hmm, it wouldn't be a bad idea to show off my skills to her once.
Hansung Academy.
Hansung Academy was the first hunter training institution established in Korea after gates began appearing.
Students received the same education as before the gates up through middle school, but in high school, they chose between regular schools or hunter academies.
Among them, Hansung Academy was the most prestigious hunter academy, having produced the most talent. Admission required either a recommendation or passing an exam.
On the way to the academy, all sorts of chatter grated on my ears.
"Whoa, fuck, the girls at Hansung Academy are top-tier."
"Shit, look at that silver hair. She's fucking gorgeous."
The sticky gazes were pretty unpleasant.
Definitely Class 1-A, right?
When I found the door and stepped inside, many cadets were already seated.
Some had already formed cliques—kids of famous guild executives huddled together, and the newly promoted elites stuck to their own group.
As I opened the door and entered, gazes focused on me for a moment.
Some with curiosity, others with envy, and some with that sticky look.
The usual stares, huh.
As the sister of a Divine Sword user, it made sense. Among these aspiring hunters, some probably had high hopes for me.
"That silver hair must be an Awakener, right?"
"If a Korean has flashy hair like that, usually yeah."
Surprisingly, Yoo Eun-ha seemed to have quite a bit of anticipation surrounding her.
Not liking the unwanted attention, I tapped my magic gear.
The new generation entering Hansung Academy this time were all receiving massive expectations. Especially Choi Si-woo, who had awakened the Divine Sword—there was even a short post with his photo.
"Huh? Wait, hold on."
A boy with grayish hair, the kind where you could immediately tell, "Ah, this guy's the harem protagonist." A handsome boy overflowing with a sense of justice.
Hmm, what more is there to say.
To sum it up briefly.
Choi Si-woo, that boy, was the protagonist of this story.
One of his heroines was me, supposedly.
But glancing at that face, only one thought crossed my mind.
'Ah, I want to punch him.'
Whatever. He can do his thing, and I'll do mine.
He's the protagonist, sure, but there's no law saying I can't get strong too. Whether he goes around fucking a bunch of women or not, it's none of my business.
Come to think of it, true to his harem protagonist role, the guy had no tact either.
Regardless, it was like some barrier had formed around me—cadets kept their distance.
I liked the envious stares, but this kind of treatment stung.
"Hm?"
For a split second, my eyes met the protagonist Choi Si-woo's.
He stared straight into my eyes for a moment before walking over.
Instantly, the noisy classroom fell silent.
"The Divine Sword went to the Divine Sword's sister!"
"Do they already have some kind of connection?"
The pretty boy with nothing but good looks smiled brightly as he approached me.
What the hell is this guy? Creating gossip out of nowhere?
"Hi. I'm Choi Si-woo. You're the Divine Sword's little sister, right?"
True to his social butterfly nature, his friendliness was off the charts.
"I'm Yoo Eun-ha. Nice to meet you."
"You know, I'm a huge fan of Yoo Jin-seok, the North Star of the hunter world!"
"Is that so? My brother's pretty amazing. But you've awakened the Divine Sword yourself. You'll probably surpass him someday."
Who would've thought I'd ever call a guy 'oppa' with my own mouth. Worst.
But strangely, it stuck to my tongue.
I mean, it felt awful, but the term slipped out naturally.
It's not bad. Humans adapt to their environment. Calling him 'hyung' would get me called a crazy bitch for deluding myself he's a guy.
"No, the Divine Sword isn't all that special."
That was when I sensed another presence.
"No. The Divine Sword was personally chosen for Si-woo by the constellation, but that's not the case for you, Eun-ha."
Trouble had arrived.
"What are you talking about?"
"Sorry if this is rude. I'm Reina, second-generation Otherworlder. Yoo Jin-seok, who you call your brother, is definitely the Divine Sword, but that doesn't make you one, does it?"
Reina. A second-generation Otherworlder who came to Earth during the Great Cataclysm.
Her swaying golden blonde hair was adorable.
One of Choi Si-woo's heroines—unlike me, she survives.
She's been interested in Choi Si-woo from the start. More precisely, in his Divine Sword awakening.
And she believes people like that should be exalted. Even while living on Earth, she looks down on regular humans.
Annoying, but reforming a girl like this could be entertaining.
Why the hell is she trying to get involved with me, though?
Choi Si-woo is problematic enough; if Reina gets tangled up too, the original story goes to hell.
"Yeah. So?"
"So there's a huge gap between you and Si-woo, who awakened the Divine Sword. How can you try to cozy up already?"
Cozy up with this attitude?
I've become Eun-ha, but my mind isn't some female animal.
I like women's holes, not men's dicks.
Right now, once I get used to this woman's body, maybe I can love women too.
No, holes probably need a dick shoved in them, right?
Actually, even so, putting that inside feels a bit much.
...A dildo should be fine, though?
Anyway, let's deal with this uptight girl first.
"I was just suggesting we be friends."
"Exactly. Reina, was it? It's my choice who I make friends with. You could be my friend too."
The hot-blooded social butterfly Choi Si-woo was blatantly charming her already.
I absolutely cannot get close to these two. I have to live as Yoo Eun-ha my way. Or does this lunatic Choi Si-woo see me as a heroine?
Well, someone like me is beauty incarnate, enough to outshine even a second-generation Otherworlder like Reina.
Even so, Choi Si-woo probably isn't that type. Not a blatant womanizer like Geum Tae-yang or someone who steals taken women for fun.
Just your standard harem protagonist.
For now, this contradictory situation with me inserted didn't go too far off-script. Choi Si-woo's lines weren't that outrageous.
Originally, Reina approaches first, Choi Si-woo suggests friendship, forming an odd dynamic. Reina develops a fondness for him, treats him as a rival, and it evolves into love later.
—Reina? I'm Choi Si-woo. Let's be friends.
Choi Si-woo, having only received the constellation's Divine Sword awakening, needed connections. The constellation even helped nudge things along.
So, what are your next lines?
"Heh, fine. I'll specially be friends with both of you."
"I'm happy to be friends with you two. Nice to meet you!"
?
Why are they so friendly? You two should just hang out together—why drag me into your group so naturally?
In the original, with no presence early on, aside from academy rumors, I didn't befriend Choi Si-woo here.
While the story's two leads chattered on either side of me for a while.
The front door of the classroom opened, and a woman in a tracksuit with a red ponytail strode in confidently.
She looked in her twenties, and the baseball bat in her hand... Yeah, I knew who she was.
"Oh, looks like everyone's gathered!"
Blazing Bat Kim Ji-hye. Affiliated with the Holy Covenant Guild and an A-rank hunter, now working as an instructor at Hansung Academy. She laughed heartily.
"Cadets! I sincerely congratulate you on joining Hansung Academy! Hm, some familiar faces here. I'm Kim Ji-hye! A-rank hunter and homeroom teacher for Class 1-A. Nice to meet you!"
Her bright smile and self-introduction right off the bat were the same as in the previous work or now. Truly the main heroine of the last story.
From what I could see, in this version where I existed, Yoo Jin-seok hadn't taken Kim Ji-hye's route.
As I watched quietly, Kim Ji-hye noticed and met my eyes.
"Alright, first day, so let's do self-introductions! You there, silver hair! Introduce yourself and tell us about your unique ability."
Self-introduction? Starting with me?
Ah, fine. I'll do it. I'm the original work destroyer, after all.
"My name is Yoo Eun-ha. Hobby is reading. Unique ability is Acceleration. No strong likes or dislikes."
"Huh?"
Kim Ji-hye's face turned blank, like a pigeon that got smacked.
In the original, Yoo Eun-ha never spoke about it.
So she got rumors of having no ability, even questioned if she was really the Divine Sword's sister by the cadets, enduring all sorts of slander.
Plus, Acceleration was Yoo Jin-seok's ability too.
Honestly, they're all potential rivals. Unless you're famous like Choi Si-woo, no need to reveal your ability.
But I have three. Revealing one changes nothing.
"You're joking. Just because your brother has Acceleration doesn't mean you do. I know what a mess you were in middle school."
Not everyone was friendly.
Apparently, Yoo Eun-ha had friends from regular school days.
Back then, she was really quiet and timid. Her hair was a total mess too.
And she gave her brother Yoo Jin-seok endless headaches with her shut-in ways. But what can you do? The contents are different now.
"There's an ability test anyway. Why would I lie?"
When I casually fired back, the short-haired girl who'd been mocking me flushed red, at a loss for words.
Who was she, anyway? No memory of her in Yoo Eun-ha's past.
Glancing at Kim Ji-hye, I heard her sigh.
See? Who told you to start with me?
"Since it's the first day, we'll just do the ability test and call it. To the testing grounds!"
Testing grounds. Perfect.
"Hey, I told you to come to the academy, but lying like that?"
On the way, those words came from Kim Ji-hye's mouth.
"Not a lie. You'll see."
Amid lingering skeptical stares, I headed to the testing grounds.
"In front of you, there'll be wooden dummies. Use all your abilities and mana to take them down."
The academy's system hadn't changed from the original.
A wooden dummy the size of an adult male. No matter how much you smash it, it regenerates.
Every smash counts, until your mana runs out. Instructors judge cadets' mana capacity, abilities, and combat power, adjusting training accordingly.
Perfect timing. How many could Yoo Eun-ha's body handle?
Glancing at other cadets, they were hacking away wildly.
Yoo Eun-ha's body was female, and even as siblings, her stamina wouldn't match Yoo Jin-seok's. But Blazing Bat said to use all abilities and mana, so it wasn't impossible.
I released the mana inside me.
"Oh. That kid... Mana Manipulation to that degree?"
Hearing Blazing Bat's voice, I charged at the wooden dummy.
My unique ability.
Yeah. Since it'll be my main one going forward, let's clarify it once more.
Simply put, it accelerates any concept. Pair it with Parallel Circuits, and the effect doubles.
What if I push it to the limit?
I gripped a small dagger.
With low stamina right now, to destroy as many as possible, I needed a light weapon and one-shot kills.
For days, I'd trained brain play using Parallel Circuits.
Of course, avoiding last time's near-brain-explosion by limiting to optimal levels.
In that state, I applied Parallel Circuits to my whole body.
My head buzzed again as text floated up.
The world slowed down tediously. Only I moved, and only the wooden dummy before me asserted its presence.
I raised the dagger and shattered the wooden dummy's core in an instant.
Kwachik!
How much time had passed?
By my reckoning, an eon had passed.
This damn wooden dummy kept rising no matter how many times I smashed it, and over countless ages, my body was running out of mana.
The mana circuits created via Parallel Circuits were hitting bottom.
When the hell does this end?
"Cadet Yoo Eun-ha! Stop!"
!!
Releasing the ability brought a crash of fatigue, my vision blurring.
"Ah, yes."
By now, the other cadets had finished and were watching from afar.
"You... how did you have this kind of talent? You're beyond your brother. Look at the scoreboard."
I was startled by the rankings on the electronic display.
I wrecked them pretty good. But...
"Just 9999?"
Subjectively, I'd stabbed way more.
"That's the max, 9999."
"Oh? That's a shame."
As I smacked my lips disappointedly, Blazing Bat Kim Ji-hye wore a complicated expression.
The sky was darkening bit by bit.
Ah, Parallel Circuits side effect? Acceleration alone burdens the body immensely, and with Parallel Circuits, it's madness.
Need to get home fast.
"Instructor. That's it for today, right?"
"Uh, y-yeah."
Ignoring Choi Si-woo and Reina calling from behind, I sprinted home full throttle.