Chapter 108

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 108

Chapter Title: The Best Publishing House

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When Jahwa-yeon first arrived in this world, she felt a profound ennui and boredom.

The Central Plains, where she had lived her entire life, was a realm where the strong survived.

A world where power was the law, and the will of the mighty was heaven itself.

But this place was different.

Power here was shackled by invisible chains called laws.

Everything was lukewarm, hazy, and above all, utterly boring.

In the end, she lost interest in almost everything.

But then, by chance.

By pure chance, she caught a TV program.

Men on the screen clutched guns—hidden weapons—and fought.

- Tututututu…

- Boom!

That primal destructive force was more than enough to pique Jahwa-yeon's interest.

A clash of raw power against power.

Then, atop a massive ship on the screen, something awakened.

She didn't know its name, but the thing shot down anything that dared enter its domain.

Dozens of missiles rained down like a storm, yet it stood firm, absorbing them all with its body while spewing bullets that tore the sky apart.

'Hoo…'

It was life or death, pure and simple.

No retreat. It simply killed intruders in its territory.

Jahwa-yeon took a great interest in that machine.

And it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much later that she learned its name was "turret."

Now.

So why bring up turrets all of a sudden?

"No turrets here, huh."

Jahwa-yeon muttered softly to herself, chin propped on her hand as she lounged on her jade throne, reminiscing about the meeting in the reception room.

The "turrets" she referred to were none other than Azure Heaven Alliance Leader Yi Seo-ryeong and her daughter, Seol Yu-wol.

To Jahwa-yeon, the mother-daughter duo's behavior was indistinguishable from turrets.

Perfectly blocking and annihilating anything external.

Perfectly set up. A double-turret mother-daughter combo.

Afterward, she heard Yi Seo-ryeong's explanation.

Seol Yu-wol provided close protection for the doctor's external activities. However, at the guard's personal discretion, close protection could extend to everyday situations.

And when Seol Yu-wol was away, the Azure Heaven Alliance took over the protection duties.

If it had been any other organization, there would have been backlash over why they were helping the association. But the Azure Heaven Alliance was the central hub of the martial world. The leader's will was the organization's will.

In the end, the only one in the Azure Heaven Alliance stronger than Seol Yu-wol was Yi Seo-ryeong herself.

And she fulfilled the role to perfection.

'The Azure Heaven Alliance's future looks bleak. What kind of leader chases after a man's heels?'

Jahwa-yeon mocked her, hiding her beggar-like inner thoughts. But the response she got was a spectacle.

Yi Seo-ryeong lifted her teacup, savoring its aroma once.

Then she met Jahwa-yeon's gaze head-on and replied with a smile.

"Succeeding the lineage is the most important duty a leader has."

"This might just be the most crucial thing for the Azure Heaven Alliance."

Those words left Jahwa-yeon speechless for a moment.

She seemed even more brazen now. Not even bothering to hide behind a mask.

She had nearly torn up the peace accord but settled for a half-hearted signing since it wasn't fully finalized and returned.

It wasn't just Yi Seo-ryeong. Seol Yu-wol was the same.

Back in the day, a little mischievous teasing would make her burst into tears right away.

The feedback was fantastic. She thought it still was.

But right after that day, she puffed up like an angry cat and threw up a barrier.

Just like a foul-tempered feline.

This left no room for fun...

Jahwa-yeon rose from her jade throne and headed to her bed.

"Tch."

It seemed she needed to take some decisive action.

"What're you doing?"

I came back after washing up and entered my room. I roughly toweled my wet hair and perched on the edge of the bed.

The hole had been open ever since that day.

I asked naturally as I entered.

It was familiar now.

No answer.

But soon, a rustling sound came from the darkness.

Then, a single book and the pale white hand clutching it poked out from the hole.

"I see."

But what book?

"What book?"

It could read books too.

If I knew what it was reading, I'd love to share.

A book read by an all-knowing system? Bound to be intriguing.

"Yeah?"

What a coincidence.

I'd read that book recently and been deeply impressed.

But a few days ago, I lost track of where I'd put it and spent ages searching...

"?"

I paused mid-dry and peered closely at the book sticking out from the hole.

There was my bookmark.

That's mine.

The hand withdrew the book and waved it around playfully.

"So that's where it went."

Looked like I'd left it by my bedside after reading and fallen asleep.

And it had snatched it up.

"So..."

I had no intention of making a fuss over it being taken.

It wasn't wearing out or anything.

...Hold on.

"Hey, didn't you say stuff put in can't come back out?"

Did that mean my book was gone for good now?

Oh?

Well, if so...

I asked it.

"So, what'd you think of it?"

I was curious about its perspective—far smarter and more knowledgeable than me.

At my question, the pale hand froze for a moment.

Optimistic nihilism, in simple terms:

In this vast universe, my existence is less than dust.

There is no inherent meaning.

That's nihilism.

But add the optimistic view:

'Then, since I'm nothing anyway, I can slap any meaning on it and act however I want—doesn't matter, right?'

And that becomes optimistic nihilism.

Not quite that extreme, of course. It just means shrinking your self-assigned meaning small enough to live happily.

A philosophy gaining traction among modern people, especially as other worlds are discovered via dimensional transfers, realizing we're not the universe's only intelligent life.

Spot on.

Could call it showing off, but it was my way of seeking answers.

Though now, I'd more or less settled on one.

"Nah, it's fine. I've already decided."

I listened intently to it, then resumed drying my hair.

"Yeah."

Did I know? Or not?

Just that I'd formed my own standard.

I finished drying my hair without another word.

"......"

Silence settled in quietly.

Then—

"Whoa, you scared me."

Suddenly, a status window popped up right in front of my eyes.

"There's nothing much to tell, really."

It really wasn't a big deal.

Counselors typically avoid private meetings with clients for about a year after the official relationship ends.

It's to prevent lingering transference from the therapy process causing issues later.

I thought I should follow that rule.

But I tossed it out.

I had no intention of doing that.

Blindly adhering to it could even spark bigger problems.

My main clients are hunters.

Hunters suffer severe emotional swings from mana overload.

Suppose I completely cut ties with someone and avoided them forever.

Then one day, that person snaps emotionally, decides to harm me?

If disaster strikes suddenly, I wouldn't detect the shift.

Baek Si-eun's case is a prime example.

But what if I kept the connection?

I could read their thoughts, spot warning signs before things festered, and intervene.

That was the greatest strength of my ability.

No reason to abandon it.

Sure, there's plenty of talk about ethics.

But ethics boils down to me not harboring "those" kinds of thoughts.

That was the biggest reason I'd accepted Seol Yu-wol as my bodyguard.

Of course, Yu-wol—no, Ms. Yu-wol—is too kind for that to ever happen.

I kept slipping into "Yu-wol" whenever I thought of Seol Yu-wol.

Maybe because she felt younger than me.

Anyway, I explained all this to the system.

It flashed a sly grin, clearly delighted with my new standard.

Not that I agreed with it on total happiness whatever.

I gave a wry smile and finished drying my hair.

Now it was really time for bed.

"Alright, bedtime. Hand over the book and go."

I patted the spot by my bedside.

But despite the words, the hand gripping the book started slipping back into the darkness.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I snatched the escaping wrist.

The slender, pale wrist was caught in my grasp.

Startled by the unexpected sensation, it flailed in panic.

"Hm?"

Holding its wrist sparked a playful urge.

"Your wrist is so thin."

I gently kneaded it with my thumb.

"And warm."

With my other hand, I scratched the tickliest spot on its palm.

Ei, ei.

In the end, it dropped the book.

- Whoosh!

The hand yanked free from my grip and vanished into the hole in startled retreat.

So contact triggers retaliation, huh.

Satisfied, I switched off the main light, leaving only the small bedside lamp glowing.

"Good night."

With an irrepressible smile, I closed my eyes to sleep.

- Plop.

"Ow."

Something light dropped onto my head from the hole.

I looked up and checked the title of the book that had bonked my forehead and landed on the bed.

A garish pink cover bore an ornate title.

"...?"

Where the hell did this come from...?

I swear I'd never bought a book like this.

I glanced down quickly.

I squinted at the author.

- Whoosh!

Before it could finish the next recommendation, I hurled the book back into the hole.

A shriek echoed out, but I ignored it.

I killed the lights and lay down.

Today, I wanted nothing more to do with the "User Supreme!" Publishing House.