Chapter 9
I’m translating the chapter now, preserving the novel’s tone and the required HTML structure. I’ll keep all in-universe text in styled blocks and make sure the output starts with the exact chapter title line.CHAPTER_TITLE: The World Swerves Toward Him
The young superhuman who had stopped the terrorists—Lee Jinwoo.
In an instant, articles flooded the internet and drew the public’s full attention. In the middle of terror attacks erupting all at once, while the rescue efforts of superhuman response teams and knights were dragging their feet and citizens’ anxiety was only growing louder, news spread that a newly awakened superhuman had stepped forward and saved them.
People were thrilled.
So there really was hope left in the world.
Was this the birth of a new hero?
It had only been a single day since the follow-up stories and reactions had started exploding everywhere.
And in that one day—
[Who is Musin?]
...some other incident had completely swept aside every article about Lee Jinwoo.
[First-ever gate contribution: 100% achieved.]
[The new superhuman who ended an Anomaly Gate with a single blow. Musin. Who is he?]
[The superhuman in black. Just what is his rank?]
[A new kind of superhuman that briefly sent the reincarnation community into an uproar.]
[According to footage obtained by C-class informants……]
[Black Night Witch, who was said to have had trouble with Musin, snapped at an interview request……]
The entire internet was talking about Musin.
Watching that, Lee Jinwoo—namely, me—had to feel rather complicated about it.
“...Should I call this a loss, or a win?”
What was I supposed to say? That was me, too, and this was me as well. I couldn’t even tell what I was supposed to feel.
Haa.
Swallowing a sigh, I clicked the video posted on the site. A somewhat blurry, not particularly great image appeared, showing someone on screen.
It was footage of many people rushing out all at once. Beyond the noise, beastly howls rang across a familiar plain.
I knew that place. It was the Anomaly Gate I had entered myself.
And then—
Amid the crowd charging forward, a lone figure wearing a black mask appeared.
It was me.
The moment I set my stance and threw a punch in the video—
Kwaaaaaaaa---!!!!
Light burst forth and swallowed the footage whole.
After that, the video ended with a line saying the gate had closed. It was an absurdly simple clip, really.
“What the hell is this view count?”
The video had already soared comfortably past ten million views. Unreal. Ten million?
...That’s ridiculously high.
It was one thing to ask how a video from inside a gate could be brought into reality, but—
...Informants are pretty amazing, too.
There were people capable of recording the state and details of a gate and bringing that information out with them.
They were usually those with reincarnations in the mage line, and people called them “informants.”
They recorded things with a skill, almost like filming a video, then carried it outside and uploaded it to the internet.
That was how everyone could learn what had happened inside a gate.
Usually, superhumans of high rank would even move with such informants in tow.
It was a chance to promote themselves, after all.
“Hmm……”
And there I was, plastered right there in that footage.
What was I supposed to call this feeling?
I carefully checked the comments, too.
-What the hell? He wiped them all out with one blow?
-Wow, lol, is he insane?
-Look at Black Night Witch’s face. That’s so satisfying.
-But at that level, what rank would he even be?
-At least A-class, right?
-A-class? Are you kidding? Remember last year when Sky-Dragon Spear nearly died after getting in a solo brawl in an Anomaly Gate in China? That has to be S-class at minimum.
-S-class? Lmao, talk some sense. If a new S-class had appeared, the Association would’ve announced it already.
-Then if it’s not S-class, what is it, B-class?
-He probably used some kind of relic.
-Relic my ass. You think a relic alone could do that? You aren’t a superhuman, are you?
-And you are, just sitting here in the comments pretending to be one? God, you’re such a superhuman wannabe.
The hundreds of comments all reacted as though it were a phenomenon they’d never seen before.
People were even predicting his rank, and most were virtually certain it had to be higher than A-class.
And when genuine superhumans showed up and commented, that only made the claim seem more certain.
-When the superhuman called Musin appeared, the community temporarily shut down.
-I’d never seen a black nameplate before…… but I really have no idea what rank that could be.
Those were the people who had been on the network when I logged in.
They were speaking in confusion, mentioning the phenomenon from that day.
“His rank, huh……”
I scratched my cheek. He definitely wasn’t A-class.
Because he’s EX-class.
An unknown rank. A power I’d never even imagined.
The gate’s danger level had gone up, yes. But my own power had increased fiftyfold.
Had such a thing ever happened before? At least as far as I knew, it hadn’t.
“And then there’s that mask.”
The mask that had appeared the moment I entered the gate. That was strange, too.
-He’s wearing a mask, so I guess he doesn’t want to be identified.
-Isn’t he a terrorist? Those bastards all wear masks, don’t they?
-Judging by the black color, that’s probably a relic.
The comments said the same thing.
...The setting you choose when you enter the gate.
The mask was what let you decide whether to hide your identity or not.
Of course, most people didn’t hide it.
There were informants, and one’s value rose if they made themselves visible, so most didn’t bother concealing who they were. But people with something to hide, or something they found troublesome, often wore masks.
That was why the public image of masked superhumans wasn’t very good.
Especially not in a time like this, when terrorists were active.
And then—
-At least one thing’s sure, right? That superhuman is Korean, isn’t he?
“...Dammit.”
There were also plenty of comments trying to identify me.
My nationality as a Korean had even become part of the discussion. The reason was simple.
-Only Koreans were invited to this Anomaly Gate.
Anomaly Gates erupted all over the world, and only certain superhumans were invited to them.
Invitation tickets were randomly sent to superhumans of D-class or higher, and among them, the first to arrive got in.
This Anomaly Gate...
It had invited only Koreans.
That, too, was unprecedented.
“Thanks to that, people are even saying Musin might not be Korean……”
I had a problem to think over.
What should I do about this?
Society’s attention was locked onto the emergence of a new high-rank superhuman called Musin.
Now then—
If I reveal that Musin is me...
Would that help me? I propped my chin on my hand and thought it through, but—
No, I don’t think so.
I shook my head almost immediately. Because……
Being noticed is fine, but...
This power itself seemed to dislike it.
It had made me conceal my identity when entering the gate, too.
And when I saw the Association president, too.
When I faced President Baek Hyeonho—
[■ Korca’s Illusion activates.]
[■ Blocks the other party’s mind’s eye.]
[■ You cannot pass the Four Season God. Your essence is hidden.]
Those kinds of alerts had appeared.
...He was trying to do something to me.
The Association president had tried something on me, but the SS-class relic had stopped it.
It seemed to have hidden my identity, and that, too, was—
Something that old man chose for me.
The reincarnation that had given me this power.
That old man had chosen something else from Pandora’s box.
How is something like that even possible?
It defied common sense. No, everything that had happened to me already lay beyond common sense.
“Something’s off.”
It was strange. Far too strange. And while I wondered how I was supposed to handle it—
“...If it’s this power.”
Having experienced this alien power, my thoughts were moving in a different direction.
“Maybe I can do it.”
Find them and execute them.
For the sake of my goal, this looked like a power that would help more than enough, and if that was the case—
...I can go along with what it wants.
If it wanted me to hide my identity, I could do that as much as necessary.
“Hoo... Then I’d better turn it back on.”
With that thought in place, I carefully moved my finger.
Beep.
[■ Entering the Reincarnation Network.]
A large screen appeared in front of me, showing the same site I’d seen before.
It was full of all sorts of posts, and this place wasn’t any different from the outside world.
Again, it was about Musin.
The network was already packed full of talk about Musin.
“Aurora Princess?”
I paused when I saw the name. Aurora Princess……
Isn’t that an S-class superhuman from Russia?
An S-class reincarnator from Russia. One of the superhumans representing Russia.
An unregistered superhuman. That was how the superhumans were reading Musin.
Yeah...
Given the situation, that was the right conclusion.
At that point, the Russian superhuman raised another question.
Someone cut in on Aurora Princess’s comment.
“Ah.”
It was the Black Night Witch I had met in the gate.
She jabbed at the fact that Russia had been devastated by disaster and that it had no SS-class superhumans.
That made Aurora Princess flare up.
The intimidated Flash Ninja somehow looked pitiful.
...But if he’s Flash Ninja...
Was he talking about Japan’s S-class superhuman?
Judging by the color of the nameplate, it seemed to be right.
While I found myself thinking that Black Night Witch was more patriotic than I’d expected—
“...These other posts are all about Musin, too.”
The meaning of the black nameplate.
The existence called Musin.
His nationality and rank.
The posts were full of people trying to pin all of that down.
Ugh.
It felt like my throat was tightening. Worry came before anything else.
What would happen if they found out that I was Musin?
...Who knows.
Maybe something would happen. Still, worry was something I should keep in reserve. As I kept looking through the network, another chime rang out.
Hm?
An alert had appeared. The bell icon was ringing.
That’s...
Were those messages from people trying to contact me? The inbox was already stuffed with 999.
That meant it had hit the limit.
It also meant there were even more messages than that.
“What the hell, why are there so many?”
I didn’t know why I was getting so many notifications. I casually tapped it once.
Swoooooosh-!!!
Messages poured out in an overwhelming flood. It was staggering.
-Who are you?
-Which country are you from?
-Are you really Korean?
-Your rank……
The questions were endless. It was enough to hurt my eyes. The color changed depending on rank, which made it even worse.
I couldn’t read them all. Just as I was about to close it again—
Huh?
One color stood out, glowing brightly.
Gold. It was the same color I’d seen before.
The gold nameplate had written this to me.
Coming to find me?
What kind of terrifying thing is that supposed to mean?
How was I supposed to know who was where, and yet he was saying he’d come find me?
I was startled enough to go cold.
For now, I closed the message. I was about to browse the network a little longer in case there was more information, but—
Beep.
[The time limit has ended.]
“...Ah.”
The network shut off on its own.
Looks like the time limit I’d seen last time had kicked in.
“...This is insane.”
Why did I have a time limit when everyone else apparently didn’t?
I hadn’t even had time to figure out anything.
“I wasn’t expecting much from it in the first place, but……”
This was still too fast.
“Hng.”
Between the network and everything else, what was I supposed to do from here on out?
As I was thinking that over—
Knock, knock, knock.
I heard movement outside.
“You in there?”
It was my friend, Jin Gyeongbeom.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“What?”
Jin Gyeongbeom, who had come over carrying fried chicken, stared at me in shock after hearing what I’d said.
“...They told you to become a knight?”
“Yeah.”
“The Association president?”
“Yeah.”
“...Whoa.”
At the news that the Association president had personally come to tell me to become a knight, Jin Gyeongbeom froze with a drumstick in hand.
“They offered you a knighthood? Are they out of their minds? You’re taking it, right? Of course you are.”
Since I’d always said I wanted to become a knight, Jin Gyeongbeom seemed to assume I would definitely accept it, but—
“...I’m not sure.”
“What? Why not?”
“The intention behind it feels odd.”
There was also the fact that the president had seemed to be trying to learn something about me.
...Something about the situation is wrong.
The timing of his insistence on making me a knight stood out.
It feels like...
He was trying to use me to distract the public eye, even though he didn’t even know my rank.
What if I were D-rank? Would he still take me?
I didn’t think so.
I’ve never even heard of it.
There were no rank requirements for the knight exam itself, but even so, the minimum rank anyone had ever passed with was B-class.
It was an institution with an absurdly low pass rate. And they wanted me to just break through and become a knight?
As if.
It was nonsense. Even though he’d come to me with a gentle smile, I was still wary of the president.
“So you’re not doing it?”
“...I said I don’t know. I’m still thinking.”
And yet I was still torn. This wasn’t just anything—it was knighthood.
The reason I had struggled so hard to become a superhuman.
I had to become a knight.
“Hmm. Whatever happens, I do want you to try it.”
At Jin Gyeongbeom’s words, I narrowed my eyes.
“What’s gotten into you? You were the one telling me not to do it before.”
“That was before you awakened. Things are different now.”
He stuffed another bite of chicken into his mouth and went on.
“It’s what you wanted, right? Just try it first.”
“...”
“Whatever their intentions are, you shouldn’t end up regretting it.”
At his flat tone, I stared at Jin Gyeongbeom for a moment.
“...Did you secretly take some medicine or something?”
“Seeing you spout this crap means you must be all better now. I’m leaving.”
“What? You’re just leaving after eating chicken?”
“I came to see your face. I still have to go see my father.”
“...Ah.”
“Later.”
With no lingering attachment at all, Jin Gyeongbeom left.
I recalled the words he’d left behind.
Whatever happens, you shouldn’t regret it.
“...”
Obtaining the reincarnation called Musin. The reincarnation that wanted me to hide it.
The Association president’s intentions.
When I weighed all of it—
So.
There was no reason not to become a knight.
A back door? A silver spoon?*
Whatever. So what if it was?
“...If they’re giving it to me, that’s a good thing.”
I nodded.
Then I picked up my phone.
There was a number the Association president had told me to contact once I’d made up my mind.
Looking at it, I sent a text right away.
I’d like to accept the offer you made.
After sending that message, I lay back down on the bed again.
“Aah.”
I still had no idea how all of this was unfolding.
Will it turn out okay?
No.
I had to make it turn out okay.
Between the fingers of the hand I’d used to rub my face dry, I focused my eyes and hardened my resolve. In the end, the answer was always the same. The moment I steadied my heart that way—
Trriiiing-!
“Hm?”
An alert suddenly rang out.
[EX-rank exclusive achievement. Third successful viewing of the Reincarnation Network. Achievement reward has arrived.]
“...Huh?”
It was a reward that came completely out of nowhere.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Click.
After leaving the hospital room, Jin Gyeongbeom glanced back at the room behind him and then started walking away.
“......”
He headed straight for a sparsely populated area, then took out his phone from inside his coat and made a call.
Riiing.
It barely took a few seconds before—
Click.
Someone answered.
-Yes. I’ve received your call.
“It’s me.”
-Please speak.
“What happened with the thing I asked you to look into last time?”
The foolish expression he’d worn just moments ago in front of Lee Jinwoo was gone without a trace.
Jin Gyeongbeom spoke with an expression cold enough to freeze water.
-We were unable to find the terrorist who fled. The Association is also blocking access, so it is difficult to approach the matter.
“...I see.”
Tsk. He clicked his tongue sharply. So the Association really was interfering.
“Then what about that lamp? You said it was broken.”
-That is correct. There are no signs that it was broken by external force, but...... it does seem to have been destroyed.
“It was a B-class relic. Are you saying Jinwoo broke that?”
The mood lamp Jin Gyeongbeom had given Lee Jinwoo was a relic. A fairly valuable defensive relic, at that.
“If a relic was broken like that, then the barrier didn’t even function properly, did it?”
-...That is.
“Was it sold by GAA?”
-Yes.
“Get rid of them. I don’t think we need to keep doing business with a place that sells defective goods.”
-...Young lady... GAA is also rather closely connected to our company...
At the man’s words, Jin Gyeongbeom’s voice turned sharp.
“Watch your wording.”
-...Ah, I’m sorry. Young Master Gyeongbeom.
“Nothing is more disgusting than dealing with a place I can’t trust. Get rid of them.”
-Understood.
At Jin Gyeongbeom’s firm attitude, the man finally backed down.
“And I’ll be visiting the chairman tonight, so let him know in advance.”
-Tonight, sir?
“That’s right. Tell him I have something to say regarding the Association.”
-Understood...... I’m sure the chairman will be pleased.
“Yeah. I’m hanging up.”
Click. Jin Gyeongbeom ended the call after saying everything he needed to.
“...The Association, huh.”
His cold eyes swept through the empty air.
“Annoying.”
He was in a rather foul mood.
“I even went to the trouble of setting everything up.”
He had tried to recruit the teacher, send him to a decent company for an interview, and make him live an ordinary life as if nothing had happened.
“How dare they.”
They were trying to pull a stunt with what belonged to him?
The corners of Jin Gyeongbeom’s mouth lifted.
“Just you wait.”
It was time to show them exactly what happened when they touched something they shouldn’t have touched.