19. Fate Is a Wheel
19. Fate Is a Wheel
19. Fate Is a Wheel
I could feel it.
Another heart, existing inside me.
The wildly fluctuating core of the Magic Stone Golem had settled into place, becoming the source of my new power.
The red Magic Stone governs Strength.
Red Stone (赤石)
The green Magic Stone governs Agility.
Green Stone (綠石)
The blue Magic Stone governs Mana.
Blue Stone (靑石)
The Golem Core possesses three distinct powers, allowing me to expend its daily charge and use them like buffs.
According to the in-game description, I, who have a Strength stat of 2, can shift the core positioned near my heart to red and convert my Strength stat to 5.
A kind of correction value.
The tricky condition was having Stamina above 10.
The chance to acquire this early-game Hidden Piece was scarce, since the golem's body had to be entered right as its color shifted to blue and its core accumulated sufficient magic power.
Did I get it when I ran a braindead tank build?
The Golem Core wasn't a Hidden Piece you could get on every playthrough.
First, let's just get out of here.
The core that had been radiating light was now inside my body, leaving the golem's interior dark and gloomy.
I slammed my fist down onto the now-immobile body of the golem.
'Red Stone.'
An intense power began surging through my entire body.
An ordinary person's stats range between 3 and 4.
From 5 onward, you step into the realm of heroes, beyond human limits.
The old me wouldn't have been able to break this golem's shell. But now, I had absolute certainty.
The certainty that I could smash this wall.
—Boom!
With the core removed, the golem's body had lost much of its former durability. My fist tore through it easily.
"Wh-what... Han Si-jun. How did you break that...? More importantly, how were you not eliminated...?"
As I emerged from the golem's torso, I found Yu Ha-yeon staring at me, her eyes wide with shock.
She seemed genuinely surprised that I hadn't been eliminated, despite walking straight into that storm of magic power.
So, I'm not the frail Han Si-jun of the past anymore, huh?
There was a time limit, sure, but I had definitely gotten stronger.
It felt like being reborn.
Starting today, I'm a new Han Si-jun.
Yu Ha-yeon spoke, sounding disgusted.
"He somehow looks even more obnoxious than before... is it just me?"
Yu Ha-yeon, clearly displeased by my self-satisfied expression.
Well, do you even understand what it feels like to suddenly gain power?
Every day was a day of growth for her, so she seemed utterly clueless about the feelings of someone whose progress had been slow.
This is exactly why I can't stand talent monsters.
The moment I was looking at Yu Ha-yeon like that,
the other students started approaching me.
Ahn Ji-ho and the rest of Group 4.
The one who'd looked at me with suspicion back when I first asked them to throw me.
I think I may have accidentally implied I'd steal his girlfriend.
The memory of his icy expression sent a brief chill down my spine.
But contrary to my worries, Ahn Ji-ho and the others regarded me with something close to elation.
"You did have a finishing move after all! I believed in you!!"
Believed in me, my ass. And it wasn't even a finishing move.
Diving into the golem's mouth to smash its core.
Should you really call that a special technique?
Even I thought it was an act of sheer, unparalleled recklessness.
It was only fine because it worked out. Just imagine if I'd failed and been ejected from the gate.
I didn't even want to picture what would've happened next.
Among the members of Group 4, Ahn Ji-ho still looked a little sour, but he seemed to acknowledge my contribution.
I never had any intention of stealing anyone, but now I felt kind of sorry for no reason.
Stealing someone else's lover was an unforgivable act.
—Ah, mic test.
No time to bask in the joy or let my guard down. The exam results were announced immediately.
—Good work, students. I know you must be exhausted, but I'll announce the contribution scores for the Magic Stone Golem subjugation right away.
Contribution score.
In game terms, it's basically the damage chart.
The supervisor spoke up and told us our damage percentages.
—Group 1. Dealt the highest damage at 58%. Student Yu Ha-yeon was the top dealer. Next, Group 2. 19%. Student Na Yu-na was the top dealer.
"Tch."
Na Yu-na clicked her tongue, displeased with the number 19%.
Using a spear for rapid thrusts was a bad matchup against a golem with such a durable body.
—Group 3... I won't bother mentioning them.
Group 3, who had exited the stage the moment they entered.
Their damage was a clear zero, even with your eyes closed.
Only Group 4's results remained. The students who had already done the math were in a festive mood.
—Group 4. 23%. Student Han Si-jun was the top dealer.
""Whoaa!!""
A completely unexpected second-place finish.
Destroying the golem's core seemed to account for the high percentage.
Since the golem gathering mana was basically a sign of self-destruction, my action was practically kill-stealing.
Still, the results were good, so what did it matter?
The members of Group 4 hadn't anticipated second place, so their surprise and joy looked even greater.
They were all cheering in unison, utterly ecstatic.
"You're not going over?"
Yu Ha-yeon asked me as I sat still, watching them.
I didn't really feel like it. Any place with a lot of girls warrants constant caution.
I answered her in a low voice.
"I don't want to kill the mood."
"Stop being so dramatic. I'll congratulate you instead! Well done, Han Si-jun!!"
"Shtop thah..."
It hurts.
Yu Ha-yeon ruffled my head like she was proud of me.
Though, saying she was messing up my hair would be more accurate.
Just as that mixture of irritation and joy hung in the air,
a fair amount of time passed, yet the supervisor's voice still hadn't come.
Normally, we should have been exiting the gate by now.
Just as the students began to feel confused and uneasy—
—You've got that wrong, Han Si-jun. Moods are meant to be broken.
A familiar voice drifted in, accompanied by a bewitching laugh.
It was a voice that should never, ever be heard at Hero Academy.
***
'I'm going to get into a car accident today.' On the day it actually happens, no one knows that such a thing will befall them.
Accidents are, by nature, unexpected.
Perhaps that old saying existed solely for moments like this.
That idle thought suddenly crossed my mind.
A presence, felt from behind me.
White hair cascaded down, brushing against my cheek.
Locks as fine as silk.
Her voice, like jade beads clicking together, tickled my ear.
"Did I break your mood? Answer me. Han Si-jun."
A voice laced with an icy breath.
I was frozen in place, unable to exert any movement at all.
There was nowhere to run.
'Why, at the academy... and inside this Mock Gate, of all places. Why is she here?'
An incomprehensible situation.
This was inside a Mock Gate.
Not a real Gate leading to another world, but a space that existed somewhere in this world.
Why on earth would she appear here?
Han Yu-wol.
She who belonged to the villain group considered the worst among heroes.
The very same woman who had stolen my blood.
She was not supposed to be here.
She placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke.
I couldn't suppress the goosebumps crawling all over my body.
"I told you, didn't I? That we would meet again. Right?"
Fufu.
Han Yu-wol let out an elegant, old-fashioned laugh.
Yu Ha-yeon, having grasped the situation, muttered quietly towards Han Yu-wol.
Having failed to detect Han Yu-wol's approach, her voice trembled slightly.
"You... I've seen you on the news. Black Dawn. You're one of them, aren't you?"
"It seems we've become quite famous. People even recognize us now."
The villain group [Black Dawn (黑色黎明)]
The dawn after which the sun never rises.
Consisting of seven members, Black Dawn was one of the most troublesome villain organizations in V. AGE, and a constant hot topic among the public.
And she was their deputy leader, Han Yu-wol.
Behind the frozen students, a massive figure of a man was approaching.
Thud. Thud.
His footsteps rang out harshly with every step he took.
A man over two meters tall, covered in rough, bulging muscles, he bellowed at the terror-stricken students.
"Stay still. I won't kill you."
A man whose voice was slow, yet hard as iron.
In his enormous hand, he held the exam supervisor, drenched in blood.
Seeing him twitch slightly, it looked like he was still alive.
One of the few people who could be considered the pinnacle of brute force in V. AGE: 'Hwang Pil-du.'
His presence here meant we had literally no chance of winning.
'Why would they attack Hero Academy?'
There was an event where a villain group attacked the academy, but that was a different group, not Black Dawn.
There was no event in the game where Black Dawn attacked.
A situation I'd never experienced before. And unlike the game, there was no restart button here.
What was their objective?
Killing students? No, aside from Han Yu-wol, the others didn't enjoy meaningless slaughter.
A commission, then? They were a group that acted more for entertainment than for payment.
'What's their intention... their goal...?'
I racked my brain for a moment, but the only connection I could think of was the one between me and Han Yu-wol.
Swallowing the saliva that had welled up from the tension, I asked her.
"...Yu-wol. No, Han Yu-wol. Did you come here for me?"
Seeing that I had some prior connection with Han Yu-wol, Yu Ha-yeon let out a startled breath.
Her childhood friend knew one of the worst villains imaginable.
This was a side of Han Si-jun that Yu Ha-yeon had never known.
Han Yu-wol responded by expressing her gratitude.
"I like that about you, Si-jun. You're quick on the uptake. Saves me the trouble of explaining. Though, I didn't expect to see you again this soon. That's a shame."
...So she really did come for me.
If draining my blood had been the goal, she wouldn't have brought Hwang Pil-du along.
The reason for the attack was known, but the objective remained impossible to gauge.
When Han Yu-wol's sudden curiosity prompted a question, Yu Ha-yeon answered her.
"So what exactly is the relationship between you two? Judging by the look in your eyes, it seems rather special..."
"...Childhood friends."
"Just childhood friends? Not lovers?"
"...Childhood friends. Who've been together a very long time."
Pfft.
A mocking laugh came from Han Yu-wol behind me.
Finding something apparently hilarious, she began to laugh out loud.
"You look at him with eyes like that, and you call yourselves friends...? You're an amusing one...! I think I might have changed my mind a little...! Haha...!!"
"..."
I couldn't see her, but I could feel the fury radiating from Yu Ha-yeon toward the sneering Han Yu-wol.
Just what kind of look was it to make Han Yu-wol react that way?
My curiosity was resolved far sooner than I expected.
Han Yu-wol issued a command to Hwang Pil-du in a cold voice.
"Blockhead. Kill everyone except these two."
"...I don't do senseless killing. Just handle your part of the job. Quickly."
At the end of Hwang Pil-du's words, the bodies of the terrified students began to collapse like puppets with their strings cut.
Thud.
The sound of a pounding heart reached even me, standing apart from them.
Hwang Pil-du had subdued the other students without even lifting a finger.
For them, simply fainting might have been a mercy.
"Get up. Han Si-jun."
Following her words, I rose unsteadily to my feet.
Even if I used my newly acquired ability, escaping from Hwang Pil-du and Han Yu-wol was an impossibility within the realm of possibility.
I was now standing face to face with Yu Ha-yeon.
Han Yu-wol wrapped her arms around me from behind, forcibly creating distance between us.
"It truly is entertaining. That look in your eyes. And a face I feel like I've seen somewhere before. Today's job has far surpassed the amusement I anticipated. You're curious, aren't you? About why I came here."
"..."
Han Yu-wol's cold hand touched my cheek, and the pressure weighing down on my body began to rise.
This was bad. I couldn't move at all.
No matter how much I strained my strength, it felt impossible to break free.
A soft laugh escaped Han Yu-wol as she whispered to the fiercely glaring Yu Ha-yeon.
"I came here to take this child away with me~"
Though I've no idea where that might be.
Those were Han Yu-wol's final words.
"S...Stop...!"
Crunch!
'Damn this fate.'
The S-rank Childhood Friend's Fate.
I was the material meant for the hero's growth.
Was that it?
A hero is never born without tragedy.
A villain is never born without tragedy.
That was a central, recurring theme throughout V. AGE.
A scorching sensation spread from the nape of my neck.
Fresh blood gushed out like a waterfall.
I gathered every bit of strength I had and shouted at Yu Ha-yeon.
"Yu... Ha-yeon... run..."
As my vision faded, the last thing I saw was Yu Ha-yeon's expression, something indescribable.
That was my final memory.