The Abyss's Dark Flame Master
What, why are you peeping? In the Insi-kkeut storyline, there's this evil organization called the Abyss. If you were to ask what kind of group the Abyss is, you could answer like this: devil worshippers. Long ago, far before the erosion phenomena even occurred in the Insi-kkeut world, there was a being called Leviathan who proclaimed himself the Demon King and plunged the entire world into terror. Of course, like in any other fantasy setting, heroes from all corners of the world banded together in the hour of crisis... and after some twists and turns, Leviathan was defeated.
The Abyss is the evil force made up of Leviathan's followers. Their goal is the descent of the Demon King Leviathan. In an era where cars zoom by and everyone casually uses smartphones, the idea of a demon king descending sounds ridiculous enough to make you laugh, but they're no mere riffraff. They exist everywhere in the world, and they'll do anything for the demon king's descent—even if it's something socially unacceptable or downright unethical.
And the Raichel standing before me right now is an agent the Abyss infiltrated into Providence with.
"I'm Park Jeonghyeon."
"Park Jeonghyeon... A name most befitting a comrade who swims in the depths of the abyss."
Common sense would dictate that an agent of a shadowy organization should live quietly at school, keeping a low profile. Someone might wonder why she flaunts her personality so boldly, practically advertising herself as the villain when she should be hiding even more. There's an old saying: To hide a tree, hide it in the forest. Think about it. One day, if a major incident erupts from a shadowy force at Providence, and students and professors start suspecting each other... would anyone suspect Raichel? The girl who constantly declares, "Fufufu, this body is the Dark Flame Master chosen by the organization of darkness"? They'd probably think, "Ugh, if that girl's really the villain, I'll eat my own hand," and easily rule her out as a suspect.
The Abyss exploited that exact point, ordering Raichel to play the role. The always-rambling chuunibyou girl act. And in fact, their strategy worked perfectly. Right up to the mid-to-late game in the Insi-kkeut storyline, no one ever discovered Raichel was an Abyss spy. Even I, playing the game, never imagined she was the villain—case closed.
"You seem like a novice who hasn't peered into the abyss for long. I shall be grateful! This Dark Flame Master will personally offer you some advice."
In short, it's all an act. Every line, expression, tone, gesture—from head to toe.
"Don't peer into the abyss too long, or it might swallow you instead... Fufufu."
Every time she pulls off that cringeworthy behavior, Raichel must be screaming internally from embarrassment. The fact that not a single hint of it shows in her face or voice proves just how skilled she is at acting. Truth be told, Raichel isn't just good at acting. Infiltration, negotiation, assassination, combat, performance—whatever it is, she's a true prodigy who excels at everything. It's just that her assigned role is chuunibyou girl, so she comes off as a joke.
Even synchronizing with that magical girl consciousness briefly was torture, but Raichel has to keep it up constantly... Yeah, she's pretty pitiful.
"That's some useful advice. Oh, mind if I drop the formalities?"
"Ahem... Normally, I wouldn't permit it, but in gratitude for your help today, I shall graciously allow it this once."
Of course, she wasn't a jack-of-all-trades from the start. When Raichel turned seven, the Abyss raided her peaceful family home—solely because she was deemed a suitable vessel candidate for the demon king's descent. They branded her with the demon king's mark and threatened that her family wouldn't be safe if she didn't obey. For a young, fragile girl, refusal wasn't an option.
"I, the pinnacle of versatility, shall permit you to converse with ease!"
As a demon king vessel candidate and Abyss special agent, Raichel underwent brutal training to acquire the necessary talents. In a word, her family was held hostage, forcing her to join the Abyss with tears and gritted teeth. When you look at it, she's a pitiful kid too. Having to cooperate with enemies who are no better than foes, all because her family is in their clutches.
"...What's with that ambiguous reaction? Are you ungrateful for this Dark Flame Master's blessing?"
As I gazed at her with full pity, she pouted slightly and grumbled curtly.
"No way. I'm so thankful I'm about to cry."
"Ehem. As you should be."
This Providence infiltration was her first mission. Per the Insi-kkeut storyline, Raichel would be ordered by the Abyss to personally kill her close friends during major events like midterms or finals. Killing friends she'd grown close to was meant to turn her into an emotionless puppet, or whatever—part of the process to make her a suitable demon king vessel. I don't know the details. I died before the plot threads fully unraveled. If I'd known, I would've lived a bit longer.
"So, what should I call you? Raichel? Or Dark Flame Master?"
"Raichel is but a false name crafted for wandering the mortal realm. It is fitting for you to call me thus as well."
In short, her first kill would come during the upcoming midterms. After that first murder, Raichel's psyche would start crumbling rapidly. A thought crossed my mind. What if I stopped her right before she commits the murder? What if I used my knowledge to free her family from the Abyss's threat? Could I change the fate that's destined her as a villain?
Just as the uncontrollable disaster of erosion phenomena had befallen my past self, the Abyss must have been her calamity. I felt a subtle kinship with her and wanted to give her a chance. A chance to forge her own future in the direction she desired. Just as I'd resolved to eradicate erosion entities, I wanted to give her the spark to resist the Abyss.
Raichel, always cloaked in pretense. I wanted to see her true, unmasked face—just once—with my own eyes.
"...We met by chance like this, so wanna exchange numbers at least?"
"Ha, to dare seek this body's noble number? You've got guts. Very well. My mood is favorable today, so I shall mercifully share it."
Of course, it might alter the Insi-kkeut storyline or cause unforeseen changes... but whatever. The moment I fell into this world, it stopped being the Insi-kkeut I knew. The story's already diverging. My best course is to shape a future where I and those around me can be happy.
"Alright, mine starts with 010..."
"W-Wait! You haven't even turned on your phone yet!"
Besides, the Abyss is the classic evil force that appears throughout Insi-kkeut. Pulling out a talent like Raichel would throw a major wrench in their plans. I watched her jot down my number. Always strutting with shoulders back, yet somehow looking precarious.
"Cool. See you at school later. Watch your step on the way."
"You too. Lest the endless darkness of midnight devour you. Kekeke."
I waved goodbye to Raichel, who tossed out a silly joke to the end.
The crack of dawn, before the sun had properly risen. At an hour when no one else was up, I headed out to the training grounds in the main building. Being the only one in the vast training hall might feel eerie, but I'm used to this atmosphere, so no issue.
Hmm... The machine that worked best was... Ah, here it is.
I scanned the training hall and made a beeline for a particular exercise machine. Called the mana-draining treadmill. It looks like a normal treadmill at first glance, but it has a special function: it continuously siphons the user's mana. Designed to push physical limits when mana is depleted, it's especially effective for building mana reserves and endurance over other machines.
Hmm... This level should be enough.
For me, who could draw on rich combat experience from past-life synchronization, what I needed most now was the physical specs to make use of it. Time to train basic physical abilities.
-Vrrr!
The treadmill hummed to life, and my feet started moving naturally. Along with it, my mana began draining away steadily. As it did, and as my running speed increased, my heart pounded harder.
Someone seeing me might ask if I'd resolved to become a new person with the new semester, but nah. I'm not training at dawn out of some fresh mindset. Just carrying out my routine, as always.
The biggest reason mana-deficient me reached A-rank hunter status wasn't exceptional talent or connections. I just woke a bit earlier and slept a bit later than others. When they wanted rest, I whipped my body harder. When they settled for "good enough," I looked to the skies. That diligence, accumulated bit by bit, eventually peaked to forge my past self.
"Hah... Huff... Huff..."
Lost in those thoughts, 20 minutes had passed on the treadmill. With mana scraping bottom, fatigue hit harder than usual. My heart thundered like it might explode. I wanted to hop off right then, but I shook my head. Just one more minute. Hold out one more minute.
In a trance like my soul was being sucked out, I kept moving to honor my promise to myself. And when that minute passed...
"...Whoa, I'm seriously gonna die."
I slowed the machine gradually and stepped off on wobbly legs. No booze, yet the world spun like crazy. Proof my body had been pushed effectively. I collapsed to the floor, gasping roughly. My throat burned. I wanted to crawl to the water cooler, but I lacked even the strength.
As I lay there nursing my thirst, breathing endlessly in and out, someone handed me a water bottle.
"Ah, thank you."
I took it and chugged, when suddenly a question arose. Wasn't I alone in the training hall? A chill ran down my spine. A ghost? Oh god, no—not ghosts. Anything but ghosts.
I swallowed and slowly turned to look.
"..."
Yonghui—no, Eirin—was gazing at me intently. Without a word.