Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: What Is the Genre of This World?
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It seems the world I live in is a novel after all.
At least, that's what the message floating in front of my eyes suggested.
It was just another ordinary day, same as always.
I went to school, attended classes, ate lunch, and sat through more boring lessons.
An utterly mundane day—nothing special, just tediously routine.
Only one last class to go.
As usual, I pulled up a web novel to kill time.
Then, out of nowhere, a translucent window appeared in mid-air.
For a split second, I thought my head had finally cracked.
Holograms don't just pop up in front of your eyes like that. It's not normal.
But my mind was too clear for that to be the case.
Considering I'd sat through classes all day without issue, I wasn't going crazy either.
More than anything, this scene felt all too familiar.
'It's like something straight out of chapter 1 of a web novel.'
The protagonist in those typical academy possession stories.
The character who wakes up and awakens for the first time in episode 1.
The problem was that this world was perfectly peaceful.
No monsters, no ability users in the world I lived in.
SSS-rank hunters and guilds only existed in novels.
Guns beat swords in this perfectly ordinary world.
'And it's not like I've possessed anyone.'
I've never even left a hate comment in my life.
Let alone sent a 5,700-character email rant.
So why was this happening to me?
Was this message even real to begin with?
To check, I silently called out in my mind.
'Status Window.'
'It actually worked.'
The info, starting with my name, floated right there in front of me.
Something I'd only seen in novels was now real.
I had no idea why.
But it was clear I'd awakened some kind of ability.
Honestly, it still didn't feel real.
Yet the reason I stayed calm?
Funny enough, it was thanks to the status window in front of me.
More precisely, my trait 'Metafiction,' which was actively engaged in real time.
Thanks to that, I didn't freak out.
It seemed 'traits' automatically assisted me.
But that wasn't all.
My perspective on the world was starting to shift just a bit.
'The classroom looks kinda off now.'
The place and classmates that felt so familiar just ten minutes ago.
They were starting to feel 'unnatural.'
I couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
But it was like watching actors on a stage.
Was this the power of 'Metafiction'?
Did it really make me see the world as fiction, just like the description said?
'But seriously, what good is a power like this?'
It didn't shoot fire from my hands or anything.
If anything, it just made life more inconvenient.
"Ji-hoon, what're you spacing out about?"
"Huh?"
I turned at the sudden clear voice.
There was Yoo Hye-na, my childhood friend and the school's most popular girl.
Her kind, cute face and figure that didn't quite fit a student.
Top of the school in grades, captain of the girls' cycling club.
And her dad's the president of a pretty well-known mid-sized company.
The ultimate perfect daughter.
A 'setting' I'd have envied as ordinary before.
Now it felt strangely off.
'Looking at her like this, Hye-na could totally be from a novel.'
Her specs were like a heroine ripped straight from a story.
Why had I ever thought this was normal?
Well, maybe it was still realistic enough.
I shook off the creeping sense of déjà vu.
"Just lost in thought."
"About what?"
"What if this world was a novel?"
"Pfft!"
The one who burst out laughing wasn't Hye-na.
I turned around to see a burly guy student staring at me.
Kim Il-sung.
The type who hangs with a rough crowd.
"That's hilarious. Dude, is that from some otaku manga? Can't tell fiction from reality anymore?"
He said it mockingly.
The other students around snickered along.
This wasn't the first time Kim Il-sung pulled something like this.
He'd pick on me just for reading novels alone.
Honestly, in the past, I'd have been scared.
The guy was big, with a nasty temper.
'But why does he feel so... lame now?'
Was this Metafiction's doing too?
Kim Il-sung didn't scare me at all.
He even seemed a little pathetic.
Like a one-off extra from a novel.
"Mind your own business what I read."
Kim Il-sung's eyes went wide.
He clearly hadn't expected me to talk back.
But that surprise didn't last.
He snapped out of it quick enough.
Realizing some nobody like me dared defy him.
"Whoa, insane. Hey, Lee Ji-hoon. You talking to me like that?"
"Who else would it be?"
The classroom air turned icy.
The others had picked up on the tension between us.
'They must be shocked because it's not like the old me.'
In the past, I'd just ignored Kim Il-sung.
Probably why he kept coming at me.
No matter how much he poked, I stayed quiet.
But not anymore.
Today, I didn't feel like letting it slide.
"Hah, I held back 'cause you're such a nerd, but this... "
Kim Il-sung, sitting at the back, stood up.
I had no intention of backing down from a fight.
Unless he punched me first, anyway.
Just as I was about to shove back my chair...
"Hey, Kim Il-sung! You're ridiculous! Why pick on someone minding their own business?"
Hye-na next to me yelled.
Her high soprano made him flinch.
"Hey, Yoo Hye-na. Why you always on my case?"
"'Cause you started it with Ji-hoon!"
"It was a joke, a joke. Can't friends mess around?"
"Is threatening people a joke to you? Try it one more time. I won't stand by next time."
Kim Il-sung glared with fiery eyes.
At me, sitting beside her.
Wait, why me?
Right, he had a thing for Hye-na.
"Tch."
He clicked his tongue and slunk back to his seat.
Couldn't snap at a girl even trash like him liked.
'Even his retreat screams extra.'
As I thought that, Hye-na poked my side.
"Hey, what's with you? You usually just ignore him."
Her face looked a bit pleased.
Setting my trait aside, she really was pretty.
I'd had a bit of a crush once.
But now, not even that.
"Just in a bad mood today."
"Really? Should I leave you alone then?"
"Nah, it's fine. Just sit there."
"Hehe! You seem different today, Ji-hoon."
Hye-na grinned brightly beside me.
Her slight dimples.
Cherry lips curving into a smile.
Was even that starting to feel unnatural? Or was it my imagination?
After a moment's thought, I turned back to the status window.
'Anyway, if this status window is real, does that mean this really is a novel?'
If it's a novel, there'd be a protagonist, a story.
Supporting characters and villains too.
'One thing's for sure: I'm not the protagonist.'
At best, I'm an extra A passing by.
Why? Because I'm too ordinary to be the lead.
Sure, protagonists are often 'perfectly ordinary students.'
But has that ever been truly ordinary?
Leads always have some standout ability.
'Look at my stats, though. Total extra level.'
No standout numbers anywhere.
And just one trait: 'Metafiction.'
Not even useful as a sidekick.
'The key is figuring out this novel's genre.'
If it's plain romance or school life, no problem.
I could just live like before.
But my gut said otherwise.
What's a Strength stat do in a romance?
Probably fantasy or hunter stuff.
But I've never heard of monsters appearing.
'Maybe this is the exact timing when awakenings begin.'
Either way, it's far from ordinary life.
Whatever happens next, I needed to prepare.
And for that, I needed info first.
My gaze finally settled on my skill: 'Comment Check.'
'This is real too, right?'
A skill to check comments on the novel.
Honestly, didn't seem impressive.
But comments often reveal a story's essence.
At least I could figure out the genre.
'Problem is, no coins to use the skill.'
As I pondered what Doom Coins even were...
"This pisses me off!"
Kim Il-sung at the back finally shoved his chair back.
He must've stewed on it and gotten madder.
I thought he might charge me.
But he just stormed out the back door.
And the moment he yanked it open...
"Grrraaaahhh!"
"Wh-what?!"
Something lunged at Kim Il-sung.
It was humanoid, but no human.
Dusty, clouded eyes.
Pale, dead skin.
Limbs twisted grotesquely.
Zombie.
-CHOMP! Splatter!
The zombie tore into Kim Il-sung's throat.
A sound no human body should make echoed.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
A surreal scene.
The students froze solid.
'He's dead.'
Looks like this world's genre is zombie apocalypse.
But why was I thinking...
Was this Metafiction too?
Facing this horrific sight, this hopeless mess, all I could think was—
'I can handle this.'