The Fragile Illusion of Control
My school days were.
Swish. Swish-swish.
The members of the Gold Taeyang Clan screamed as they poured a barrage of fire at a single entity. Yeodre, having deflected every projectile with nothing more than casual swings of his sword, steadily closed the distance and incapacitated them one by one.
"Damn it..."
Takashi gritted his teeth. Was this damn debuff casting still not ready?
Thanks to the executives interrupting Yeodre’s attacks at the perfect moments, this precarious stalemate was still holding, but it wouldn't last long. The Gold Taeyang Clan had been confident they could take down anyone, whether it was Almiraj or Pois, and had dismissed them as nothing special even if they had supposedly won against others...
'He's not just a monster, he's a fucking lunatic!'
That was the shared thought of everyone currently facing him.
"Hurry up, you idiots!"
Takashi, venting his frustration on his subordinates for no reason, gathered power into his fists and swung. Yeodre, having lazily swiped away the fist-shaped long-range projectiles, let out a breath as if bored.
"You guys. What were you thinking when you came here?"
"What?"
"You're only capable of this much, so what made you think you could pick a fight?"
"...Ha."
A vein throbbed on Takashi's forehead.
"Fine... I didn't want to take any losses, but I guess I'll just have to extract as much as I've sacrificed from you."
The other subordinates, having heard the insult, seemed to feel the same way; they exchanged glances and nodded. And then.
[Skill 'Demonic Contract' has been activated!]
[Permanently sacrificed lifespan!]
[Designated skills have been accelerated!]
"Yeaaahhh!!"
Along with Takashi's laughter-filled voice, the debuff skills poured out. A true debuff, of a quality different from anything before.
[Skill 'Intelligence Reduction' activated.]
[Intelligence reduction for the trained woman and the submissive man begins.]
[Ability reduction applied to hostile targets.]
[Skill 'Pleasure Increase' activated.]
[Skill 'Sensitivity Increase' activated.]
[Skill 'Erection Interference' activated.]
[Skill 'Mental Disability' activated.]
All sorts of debuffs pressed down on Drae. And Drae blinked his eyes.
"...?"
As if nothing had happened.
"Hmm..."
Is this home?
Seong Si-hyeon, who had been studying in what was presumed to be his room, stopped and pressed his shoulder, rolling his neck. Feeling very stiff, he leaned back in his chair for a while before opening his eyes.
'Should I drink something?'
Now the monologue could be heard clearly. Kaits and his party focused on the memory.
"You've got a text!"
At that moment, Seong Si-hyeon's phone rang, and he naturally picked it up and opened it.
"...What is this."
His voice darkened rapidly. His eyes widened as if he had seen something unbelievable. On the screen he looked down at, there was a photo of a woman with blonde-dyed hair rolling around with several men.
Seeing Si-hyeon's shocked and devastated state, one could guess who she was. It was undoubtedly his girlfriend.
"What on earth is this..."
While the scholar muttered, the scenery changed. This time, it was a colorful room, typical of a girl. Han Si-young's expression had also turned very dark. However, unlike Seong Si-hyeon, she had received a text message.
"You're annoying, so don't talk to me starting tomorrow."
"Honestly, Si-young, you were irritating lol"
"You were bragging, and your boyfriend was just some guy like that? Lmao"
Han Si-young's body trembled. And the world went dark, and the scenery flowed... This time, it was back at school. Han Si-young was screaming at the top of her lungs with her friends in the classroom.
"So why on earth?! You have to tell me what I did wrong for me to know!!"
"What do you mean, we told you you were annoying?"
A pretty friend with a distinctive ponytail replied in a slightly muffled voice.
"See? You're even more irritating because you have no self-awareness."
"You only talk about yourself. You don't even try to listen to us. You brag about your 'great' boyfriend all the time. But it turns out he's not even that great, is he?"
The photo the friend showed was of Han Si-young and a small man walking down the street, holding hands affectionately.
"Where did you get that...? Did you stalk me?"
"Does that matter~?"
"...That person is my boyfriend, and it's true I was bluffing."
'Drae told me it was okay to step aside for his sake. So, I have to try.'
Han Si-young shouted desperately along with her monologue.
"I'm sorry about that. But we were friends, weren't we? We're not the kind of relationship that would fall apart over something like this..."
"Pfft."
"Hahahaha."
One person burst out, and the others laughed along. It wasn't just them; the students around them were the same. The laughter of one or two people soon became a chorus, ringing through the classroom.
"...What."
Han Si-young muttered blankly.
"What's so funny, you fucking bitches!"
"...Fucking bitch?"
A large female student who was sitting nearby, rumored to hang out with the bad crowd in the sports club, stood up with a threatening gesture. As Han Si-young flinched, a hand reached out and grabbed her hair.
"Ah, ow...!"
"Did you call me a fucking bitch, you fucking bitch?"
"Let go, let go!"
"Sure."
As the sports club student pulled Si-young's hair and threw her, Han Si-young rolled on the classroom floor. A burst of laughter erupted in the classroom.
"She's so pathetic lol"
"Did you see her boyfriend's photo? He looked like shit."
"She probably gave it up to a guy like that just because he's her boyfriend, right? Don't you think she'd give it up to us too?"
The insults and malice poured down. Han Si-young's breathing became increasingly labored.
"...Haa. Haa... Haa..."
Most of the girls who used to be her friends just watched with triumphant expressions. No one helped her.
"Stop it!"
The one who stepped forward was a male student with glasses. Seong Si-hyeon.
"What are you guys doing!"
"What do you mean, you otaku bastard."
Two large male students stood up and surrounded Seong Si-hyeon.
"You guys, what are you really doing? Have you all gone crazy?"
"Crazy? You're the one who's crazy."
The two guys shoved his chest. Even though it must have been quite painful due to the force, Seong Si-hyeon didn't distort his expression at all and instead spoke fiercely.
"This is school violence. Before I tell the teachers..."
"'This is school violence'~"
"What a sissy bastard lol"
"......"
> Seong Si-hyeon was dumbfounded.
'What on earth happened to these guys in just one day to make them like this...?'
> It felt like everyone had gone collectively insane, and Han Si-young finally burst into tears.
"Oh? Hey! That bitch is crying! Hahaha!"
"Watching her blubber is so funny~"
Hahahahaha.
The shitty laughter ringing through the classroom. Ra-band clenched and unclenched his fists. It was dirty. It was fucked up. He wanted to kill them all.
And then.
"What are you doing?"
When the calm voice was heard, everyone froze like stone. It was only for a brief moment, but anyone could feel that the students were tense. Yeodre had entered. He must have arrived at school late. With his bag on his shoulder, he tilted his head and walked to his seat, hanging his backpack on the hook. Then, he glanced at the fallen Han Si-young and walked toward the tall female student standing like an Asura in front of her.
"......"
"......"
The female student was very tall, about 180cm. 180. Even for a man, that's above average, so for a woman to be that tall and have such a fierce face, she had quite a presence. However, Drae asked calmly, as if he didn't care about any of that.
"Her. Did you do that?"
"......"
"Did you do that?"
At the repeated question, the female student snorted. And then.
"I'm asking you, you bear-like fucking bitch."
"......"
The classroom froze. Drae had never once been angry at his classmates until now. Even if someone accidentally bumped into him, he would just let it slide. That was why, despite having fighting skills equal to or superior to Kang Gu-han, no one was afraid of him.
Until now, Yeodre had been ignored because he was safe. And now that there was a 'suspicion' that he might not be safe, cold sweat streamed down the female student's face. Yet Drae's face remained calm, which only fueled the fear further.
At that moment...
'You should live kindly.'
Once again, those words echoed. While Kaits and his party were bewildered, Drae, who had seemed calm, let out a breath.
"What are you doing~?"
The one who appeared to save the large female student was evil. Kang Gu-han was scratching his belly and grinning. Beside him, the homeroom teacher, a PE teacher, stood with his arms crossed.
"What kind of scene is this?"
"Teacher. Those kids poured verbal abuse and assaulted Han Si-young!"
Seong Si-hyeon said quickly.
"What? What are you talking about? Do you have proof?"
At the teacher's annoyed tone, Seong Si-hyeon smiled a smile of triumph.
'Even if it was painful to watch, it was worth it to just observe at the beginning. I have a video I secretly recorded.'
"I do."
The classmates all looked at him at once. Drae had a slightly flustered expression.
"Hey. Seong Si..."
Just as Drae was about to call him, the teacher gestured for him to come closer. Seong Si-hyeon, who approached while feeling bewildered, had the teacher hold out a hand.
"Give it here."
"...Pardon?"
"You said you took photos or videos. I'll handle it, so give it to me."
"...No. That."
"Uh-huh, tsk. You won't hand it over? I'll check it and give it back during break time."
"O-okay..."
> No matter how much he pretended to be mature or cold, he was a boy who hadn't even turned twenty. Unable to withstand the pressure of an adult, he handed over the evidence.
Seong Si-hyeon handed over the data while looking bitter.
"Sit down! I'm taking attendance!!"
And after that.
> Naturally, the data was deleted, and there were only the cliché words that he had reported it to his superiors and would handle it himself...
> A few days passed since then.
> Han Si-young continued to attend school, but the bullying only intensified, and even when Drae and Seong Si-hyeon tried to approach her, she rejected them, feeling guilty toward the Dojo Family.
> Su-ryeon still didn't come to school, and Seo Ye-rin cut off all conversation with them from a certain point on.
"Damn it!"
The Dojo Family, only two people again today. Seong Si-hyeon slammed his desk in indignation.
"I expected the homeroom teacher to be that kind of guy, but those bastards...! What on earth got into them?"
"......"
"I'm sorry, Drae. I shouldn't have handed over the data... No, I should have just not answered and handed it over to the police later..."
"It's fine. Even if you had handed it over, it wouldn't have been solved."
The last part was too quiet for Seong Si-hyeon to hear.
"It's strange. The kids in the class. How can their attitudes change so much in just one day? It's like they're being held by their weaknesses..."
"If you're curious, you can just find out."
"Huh?"
Seong Si-hyeon blinked.
"Who is that. The one with the ponytail among Han Si-young's friends."
"Ah... Yoon Ha-min?"
"Was that her name? Anyway, she couldn't control her expression."
"What are you talking about?"
"She has enough guilt that she couldn't control her expression. Let's poke that side."
'To have grasped that in the midst of that chaos.'
Seong Si-hyeon replied with admiration.
"...Okay. But Drae. I'll handle that side, so I want you to contact Seo Ye-rin."
Drae blinked.
"Seo Ye-rin?"
"That girl, her contact has been cut off since some time ago. It's too suspicious."
"Suspicious, you say..."
"I think the reason the kids in the class suddenly changed their attitudes is because they were caught by their weaknesses. The data that can show our detailed circumstances and infer what could be called the weaknesses of the students in the class... I think it can only be Seo Ye-rin, who also handles teachers' work."
Drae blinked and replied.
"Okay."
> He didn't think Seo Ye-rin was the culprit.
> He thought Seong Si-hyeon was just too excited and clutching at straws, but he just affirmed it anyway.
> In fact, he just thought he should see her face for the first time in a while.
"I think Seo Ye-rin is the mastermind, though?"
It was Ra-band's words. When the two men looked at her, she shrugged her shoulders.
"She hasn't really appeared much until now, has she? It feels like the Authority of Memory is hiding her on purpose as a twist."
"...Yeodre. It is said that he asked persistently about the main branch."
"Aha."
Ra-band laughed at Kaits' words. She realized what he was trying to say, and because it solidified her own inference, she did so.
"The Shin-jin faction and one more... He said he wanted to meet the 'Chairman', the leader of the main branch."
"See! Chairman! Seo Ye-rin is also a chairman, right?"
"The title is probably a coincidence. I see Su-ryeon as the one working behind the scenes."
Ra-band's eyes went wide at the scholar's words.
"It could be that the Authority of the God of Records is making Seo Ye-rin look like the villain on purpose as a twist. It's been too obvious until now..."
"Or, unexpectedly."
He said to the two people looking at Kaits.
"There might be no mastermind on the same side, and only that Shin-jin faction gang might be the bad ones."
"Either way, a bad ending seems certain."
But the God of Records said that a tragedy would be better. What on earth is going to happen? The answer will come if we keep watching this uncomfortable memory.
"Seo Ye-rin."
"......"
Seo Ye-rin came out alone only after five o'clock, when the twilight was burning the school. Perhaps because exams were coming up, there were only a few sports club members on the playground. Drae, who had been waiting in front of the school gate, approached her.
"A cup of coffee?"
Seo Ye-rin, who stared at Drae for a while as he laughed while pretending to drink coffee, let out a faint smile.
"...Coffee. You've become good at drinking it. Drae."
"Huh?"
"You didn't drink it much at first."
"Did I?"
What intention was behind those words? However, Seo Ye-rin's monologue did not come out.
"...Drae."
"Why. More than that, I told you to drop the 'Mr'."
"Don't come near me anymore."
"......"
"Please."
Seo Ye-rin quickly brushed past Drae's side. Drae scratched his cheek.
The scenery changed. The Hero's party checked the time engraved in the sky. It was the very next day. The surrounding background was still dark, giving a gloomy feeling.
"Did you find out, Drae?"
"Not yet."
"Me neither. Yoon Ha-min, that girl. She's rarely alone."
He was glancing at Seong Si-hyeon, who was scratching his head vigorously as if he were angry, when someone ran into the classroom.
"Hey! Big news!"
It was a male student famous for being flighty. After waiting a little for the guy who was gasping for breath to regain his breath, the big news poured out.
"Kang Gu-han and the Shin-jin faction beat the D-class kids to death! They say the police are coming now and it's chaos?"
"No, why?"
"Why? Because... they refused?"
"Weren't there a lot of sports club kids there?"
"Wow. Kang Gu-han is strong, huh."
"I heard vaguely that the Shin-jin faction was even more brutal."
"But wasn't that yesterday? Your news sources are all dead lol"
"Oh, fuck off lol"
The two people listening caught a certain word.
"Drae."
"Yeah."
"Refused," huh.
The one who spat out those words was the ponytail girl. Han Si-young's friend.
"It seems like digging into that girl is the answer after all."
"Yeah. The one I asked..."
At that moment.
A group in suits walked briskly through the hallway. As the students stood up and watched them, someone muttered.
"That person. Isn't that the famous assemblyman?"
"That's right. Is that Kang Gu-han's father?"
"No. It must be the Shin-jin faction's father. His name is Shin Jin-seung."
> It was what a student with good eyesight said after seeing the name tag the man had pinned to his chest.
> For some reason, Assemblyman Shin Jin-seung always wore his name tag.
> As if to claim that he was here.
Shin Jin-seung was a man with a fairly handsome face and neatly slicked-back hair, as if to prove he was the father of the Shin-jin faction. Along with his handsome face, his confident, smiling mouth was a look that naturally invited affection, and he had enough charisma that Seong Si-hyeon swallowed his saliva without realizing it.
However, Drae... was frowning.
"It's sickening."
"What is?"
'I should have killed him.'
It was again. That chilling voice again.
"God of Records! If this is a joke, stop it!"
Ra-band shouted in anger, but no answer returned. The two men also seemed bothered, but they stayed still, thinking it would be a setup for something.
The scholar muttered.
"Is that the boss of evil?"
"Probably."
It was obvious what they had come to do. They had come to handle their son's incident. Drae didn't bother to follow, but what Seong Si-hyeon, who followed behind, saw was Assemblyman Shin sitting face-to-face with the sports club kids and talking. His appearance of putting his hand on their shoulders, smiling apologetically, and bowing his head repeatedly was likable no matter how you looked at it.
'Maybe that person is different from his son?'
> Seong Si-hyeon thought so, and returned, harboring a hope that maybe, just maybe.
> Without even knowing the content of that conversation.
Suddenly, Assemblyman Shin was zoomed in on, and his voice was heard. Even his voice was passionate, and the words of Assemblyman Shin, who felt a strong power to move people's hearts, were like this.
"People have a station in life."
"You all received the gift I sent yesterday well, right?"
"Live with bated breath. Like the pigs and dogs you are. Understand?"
What on earth had the sports club students suffered? They couldn't answer anything with faces filled with terror, and Assemblyman Shin, who had been full of smiles, slapped one of them on the cheek.
He grabbed the head of the sports club student who was groaning in pain as two teeth flew out. That was all he did, but the student's eyeballs expanded as if they were about to pop out. It was truly incredible grip strength.
"Understand?"
"Yes. Ye-yes...! I understand!"
"Yes? You understand?"
"......"
"Is that how I taught you?"
"...Oink, oink!"
"Good."
The conversation ended quickly. Assemblyman Shin said.
"There's that guy's work coming up soon, right?"
"...Yes."
The secretary standing next to Assemblyman Shin answered in a terrified voice, and Assemblyman Shin nodded satisfactorily.
"That's how it should be."
> He was a member of the National Assembly on the outside, but in reality, he was a person who sat in a position that could be called the position of a mere assemblyman.
> The true ruler who moves this country from behind.
> There wasn't much he couldn't do in this country.
"It's dirty."
Ra-band distorted her face. He was a disgusting bastard, to the point where she wanted to go find him right now and snap his neck. A ruler?
Should I let him know his station?
While Ra-band was grinding her teeth, the scenery flowed again.
"Wait. What do you mean by work?"
Ra-band, who was angry at the ominous word without explanation, shut her mouth at the following scene. A light that felt like the warmth of orange.
Backgrounds that felt warm despite being dark backgrounds.
That memory was the memories of Yeodre looking for Seo Ye-rin.
The next day.
"I told you not to come find me."
"Did I?"
"...I'm going."
The next day.
"Stop coming."
"Hmm..."
"I'm... going."
The next day.
"...Yes. I betrayed you and incited the people. Did you get the answer you wanted?"
"No."
"...I'm going..."
The scenery passed and passed, and staged one scene.
Kang Gu-han's gang and Seo Ye-rin were walking together. Everyone was stunned and stared at that shocking sight. Han Si-young, who was particularly close to Seo Ye-rin, was even more so.
Betrayal flowed over her face.
"That woman. As expected!"
Seong Si-hyeon ground his teeth, and Drae was calm. Seo Ye-rin didn't make eye contact with anyone. Even when the Shin-jin faction occasionally put their hands on her shoulders, she just stayed still. Some wondered if they were dating. Others said they had known each other from the beginning.
And Drae went to find Seo Ye-rin that day too.
"Oh. Did you come out?"
"......"
Seo Ye-rin couldn't make eye contact with Drae.
"Did those guys go home?"
He was referring to Kang Gu-han's gang, but Seo Ye-rin didn't answer. She just seemed to be afraid of something.
And Drae said.
"Today is the last time I'll come find you."
"......!"
Seo Ye-rin opened her eyes wide and opened her mouth. As if she had finally heard words she didn't want to hear, her pupils shook with shock.
"Because it looks like I'm bothering you."
"...Is that so."
"That's right."
"Then, I'll go..."
She couldn't say "bye" and let her voice trail off. Her body, standing still, trembled intermittently, and her arms, which had been crossed, were clenching her fists tightly. Her lips were bitten, and her face was shadowed. Drae watched her quietly. He wondered if Drae would say nothing this time too, but he said.
"Is it hard?"
"......!!"
Seo Ye-rin's lifted face looked like it was about to cry at any moment. She said in a trembling voice.
"Drae."
"Yeah?"
"Can we... talk for a bit?"
"Sure, why not."
Seo Ye-rin couldn't move for a long time. Drae didn't particularly comfort her either. He just kept watching from the side.
> Seo Ye-rin did not ask for help.
> Because of that, Drae could not help her.
The narration seemed to chuckle.
> Now.
> The catastrophe is near.
"Haa... Haa!"
"Damn it...!"
The debuff had definitely been activated. A debuff of the concept of a combined attack activated by 100 elites of the Gold Taeyang Clan. It was certain that pressure beyond imagination was pouring down.
At this level, even those with high-level mental resistance skills would have been heavily affected, but Yeodre, who seemed to stagger a bit at first, was now fighting well as if nothing had happened.
"Argh!"
"Urgh...!"
The Gold Taeyang Clan members were falling one by one. This made no sense. These were true elites, chosen and picked from thousands of Gold Taeyang Clan members...! Even though they were using 'sensitivity' type skills, Yeodre seemed unaffected.
'Usually, they'd be gasping on the floor, unable to even move!'
Surely the levels were similar, or this side was higher. Several executives had already fallen.
At this rate, they would lose.
To make matters worse, there was no contact from the Gold Taeyang Clan members who had been sent to each location.
'You dog-like incompetent bastards! By now, you should have at least caught Meichi Love Yarte!'
This wouldn't do. Although it was a bit different from the schedule, he had to calm things down first. Takashi took out a photo. It was a photo of people related to Yeodre. Among them, he picked out a photo of Meichi Love Yarte.
[Skill 'Manipulation A 99+' has been activated!]
And the skill drew two Gold Taeyang members making a V-sign next to the bed where Meiyal was sleeping in the photo. A photo with a sense of reality that Photoshop couldn't even compare to was completed, and Takashi shouted with a sneer.
"Hey!! Yeodre!! Look at this!"
"...?"
Drae looked back with a face that said, "What?", and his eyes widened significantly.
"Stop right now! Otherwise. What will happen to this woman? Huh? Hehehehehehe."
Takashi didn't doubt his subsequent victory after seeing Yeodre's reaction. He was truly a ridiculous clown.