Who Are You? The Has-Been

"Who are you? Has-been. It's a derogatory term for those who once possessed outstanding skills and abilities but, unfortunately, no longer do. From that perspective, the character Han Sojin I'd possessed came awfully close to fitting the bill."

Forget the boomer ranting for a sec—Han Sojin was undeniably a hero who'd shone in the past war. No denying that. But unfortunately, she'd gotten drunk on past glory and slacked on her training. Ignored her own reality. Thanks to that, her already shaky position as the bottom rung of the S-rank hunters only wobbled more as time went on.

And that was why—as a hunter sworn to protect people—she'd summoned a gate right smack in the middle of Seoul. The plan was to spectacularly take down an S-rank monster in front of everyone and rebuild her rep. A solid scheme on paper. Hunters building prestige by slaying monsters? Not a bad thing. The problem was it was all a self-staged show.

And even after going that far, she couldn't take it down. She'd shat the bed big time, only to self-destruct alone. It was a foregone conclusion, really. Even back in her prime, when her powers peaked, it'd been a struggle to solo an S-rank monster. A washed-up has-been wasted on booze and smokes—how the hell was she supposed to manage?

Still, it earned her a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cult following. She'd kicked off the stunt so cockily, only to get one-shot. Fans spun it like it was all to uproot the rotten Hunter Association, a noble sacrifice for generational change, blah blah. Turned her into a "dark knight" meme who'd reluctantly played the villain for the greater good. Why? 'Cause it was hilarious. I was one of those fans, too. Surprisingly, I'd liked Han Sojin from the start. No deep reason—just the art hit my tastes. Black hair, dead-fish eyes wandering around with that decadent vibe. Kinda like a fallen angel, y'know? Cool as hell. Hell, I'd even written a parody novel starring her as the protag. Dropped it around chapter 100 'cause I got lazy.

"...Shouldn't have done that."

If my life had one big stain, it'd be that damn parody. Thanks to it, I ended up like this...

Sighing late regrets, I lifted my head. Filling the sky and earth were humanity's hated foes. Monsters. Dozens of them, not even elites—just mid-tier A-rank ones that could level a city solo. Why the hell was I, a creator, facing fictional beasts head-on?

Simple. I'd become Han Sojin.

Author my ass. Parodies are for fun—take 'em or leave 'em, drop anytime, no strings. But this psycho wasn't content with daily DMs; they straight-up shoved my soul into Han Sojin. Thought it was a joke at first. Or the guy's nuts. Turns out, latter. Fine, possession? Sure, whatever. But why the past war timeline, not the main story? Bluntly, it wasn't even paid original fic—just a parody I bailed on. Was that worth death? Fuck no!!

Desperate for a peaceful out, I waved cheerfully.

"...Hi?"

"GYAAAAH!! You fucking bastard! When I get back, I'll kill you deader than dead!!"

The Great War. In lore, humanity's first clash with monsters in the past. Survival rate at the war's opening? A whopping 1.2%. Yeah. I'd been dragged into that 1.2% miracle survival hell... by one pure lunatic.

...Honestly, no room for revenge fantasies. Just pour everything into surviving.

Luckily, Han Sojin had talent. Overflowing, even. Rotten or not, she was still an S-rank hunter.

Ten years. Full ten. After grinding through a decade, the war barely ended in humanity's victory.

"We survived somehow."

"But too many died. Chaos is inevitable now."

"Still, we gained a lot. Humanity will advance another step thanks to this war."

"Fuck that noise. Everything's fucked—advance my ass."

The war's horrors I'd lived through were beyond imagination. Made me get why folks clung to booze ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and smokes. Han Sojin's overflowing talent, plus my original knowledge—I'd grown way stronger than canon already. But I couldn't save everyone. Comrades laughing yesterday, dead tomorrow. That war.

"Frankly, Han Sojin, you're the biggest surprise survivor. Thought you'd croak buried in ideals someday."

"Yeah, keep flapping that mouth. Makes it easier for me to kill you without hesitation."

"H-hey, cool it! Please! If you two go at it for real, a whole city's toast!!"

"Some misunderstanding here. I'm not mocking you. If anything, I'm in awe of your drive and power."

The air was ice-cold, like we hadn't just bled together moments ago. Not just clashing values. Me and that prick? Oil and water from square one. If reincarnation's real, we'd be blood enemies. But no real intent to kill. We could fight side-by-side... but never buddies. Just that.

Pathetic for him, but he seemed to like me well enough. Stuck out a pale hand and said:

"Come with me. Together, we can advance this world further."

"Sorry, no cutting in line? Senpai's coming with me."

"Butts out, corporations. This ain't about money."

"Shouldn't the cult tech worshipper dip here?"

Why the fuck are you assholes bickering? Watching future black curtains scrap was kinda fun, but no thanks to tagging along. This war taught me something firsthand. I need to get much stronger. Have to.

"Whatever. I'm out."

"Going solo where? Wasting talent like yours is a global loss. So come with me..."

"Senpai, at least tell us your destination."

"Training."

Least I wasn't gonna end up like canon Han Sojin, chain-smoking into has-been oblivion. I wanted more power. So unlike the original, I chose two years secluded in the Forest for training. To grow stronger. Drilled daily, no skips. Gates opened? Straight in, slicing monsters. Two years of that death grind... and I ended up several times stronger than even her prime.

"Phew. This should do."

Canon protag and crew were freakish "Golden Generation" talents, sure... but ten years war XP plus two years training? I wouldn't lag. Hell, I could mentor the protag's squad as a reliable ally.

Or so I thought.

Back after two years, time for S-rank hunter recert via mock battle. Results weren't bad, honestly.

"Even with VR sim advantages... taking down an A-rank monster that could wreck a city in one second."

"Hmph, this is nothing..."

"...You've definitely gotten weaker!! Teacher!!"

"???"

"But don't worry—now it's my turn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to protect you!!"

A-rank monsters pack city-destroying power solo—even teams of fellow A-ranks struggle. Spotless kill needs an S-rank. And I did it in one second... so why this reaction?

Screw the reaction—bigger issue.

I eyed the girl striking a blissful yandere pose.

So, who the hell are you?