Chapter 17
Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Way Past the Line
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Way past the line.
Vow of Impotence.
It was a grandiose name that stirred something in his chest, like he'd heard it somewhere before, but its effect was anything but grand.
The artifact's effect was simple: it rendered the target impotent.
That's right. It inflicted erectile dysfunction on the target. Hence, the Vow of Impotence.
With such a straightforward effect, in the past, countless superhumans had bought and used this artifact to bind their lovers to them.
But when the artifact's creator died and supply dried up, demand only grew while supply vanished. By modern times, a single-use artifact like this fetched tens of billions.
He never imagined they'd splurge on such an ultra-expensive disposable artifact just to use on their own son, so he'd let his guard down.
And this was the result: impotence.
"...Damn it."
Seeing the Vow's seal etched into his lower abdomen like some demonic curse, curses spilled out naturally.
Knocking someone out and forcibly applying the Vow of Impotence to render them incapable of sex—it was straight-up a serious crime by any measure. But in superhuman society, this atrocity wasn't treated as one.
Because the perpetrator was the head of a noble house. A noble of the world.
"Hoo."
So even though his reproductive ability had been forcibly sealed, all he could do right now was sigh and...
"...revise my plans. A lot."
...nothing more than revise his life plans going forward.
Originally, the top priority of his life plan had been escape.
To completely shake off the Yang clan's pursuit and live a free life—that was the starting point of his new existence.
But now, having been forcibly hit with the Vow of Impotence, he had to revise that plan.
Even if he escaped, as long as the Vow bound him, he'd forever be shackled to Yang Ga-jeong.
His dream of escaping the clan was for complete freedom. To achieve that, he first had to lift this curse.
"Ways to lift the curse... just two."
One: the artifact's user cancels it of their own will. The other: the user dies.
Whether he chose the former or the latter, he had to crush Yang Ga-jeong to get what he wanted.
To do that, he'd need to grow far stronger than planned.
And even without that reason, he now wanted to grow stronger on his own terms.
"Way past the line. That fucking bitch Yang Ga-jeong."
Because when someone crosses the line, crushing them is the destiny any human must fulfill.
From birth until turning twenty, twenty years confined to the clan, never once stepping outside?
Fine.
Forced to sit for eighteen hours a day, every day for twenty years, learning things he never wanted?
Bearable.
From day one to now, never treated as a son, just merchandise?
Didn't matter at all.
But using the Vow of Impotence? That he couldn't forgive.
Forcing someone to become a eunuch, a sexual cripple, restricting even the most primal, instinctual desire of any living being.
This was way past the line.
Everything before had been tolerable, so he'd endured. But this? No.
Mother, main house, bloodline—whatever. There'd never been any family bond in this godforsaken clan anyway, so he was confident he could smash that robotic face right now.
But he lacked the power, so he postponed that day for later.
"I'll make you feel it in your bones what happens when you piss off a veteran."
From now on, his life's sole goal: topple Yang Ga-jeong and the Yang clan, reclaim his rightful reproductive ability.
He'd live for that alone.
A day later, morning arrived.
The day of the clan's sole heir's enrollment at the academy had finally come.
Twenty years of waiting—more desperately since yesterday—and yet, contrary to expectations, his heart remained calm.
Because from yesterday, instead of enjoying this world, he'd made revenge against the clan his life's goal.
For one harboring vengeance, excitement was a mere luxury.
He picked up his pre-packed suitcases and stepped out of his room.
"Young Master Yang Woo-bin, you're up."
"...Wet Nurse."
"Heh, judging by your eyes, it seems the matriarch handled things well last night."
She knew, after all.
She'd been with him his whole life, but she was just another of Yang Ga-jeong's minions, seeing him as Yang clan merchandise.
He'd never forgotten that, so her words implying she knew about the Vow didn't shock him.
It just reaffirmed he had no qualms crushing the Yangs.
"Ha."
That aside, her speaking as if his impotence was a good thing—like a ranch hand neutering livestock—drew a disbelieving scoff.
"Don't make that face. Your fiancée would be shocked."
"You think I could hold back with this expression... Wait, what did you say?"
"Your fiancée. Upon hearing you'd been bound by the Vow of Impotence, she decided on the engagement right away. Guaranteed purity does raise a man's value, after all."
Fiancée? What bullshit was that?
He'd thought after all the crap, nothing could shock him anymore. But this insane clan always exceeded expectations.
His chest already burned with rage since yesterday, and now this? He was on the verge of losing it.
But he couldn't, so he barely composed himself and asked the Wet Nurse.
"Who the hell is my fiancée?"
"You've been cut off from the outside, so you wouldn't know, Young Master, but she's quite famous. Heir to an amazing house. Marrying her would surely propel the Yang clan to new heights!"
"Who is it?!"
"The Ma Family heir. Ma Yeon."
"...Ma Yeon."
Ma Yeon—a name he knew very well.
A key figure in the main story of Reversal Hero Saga, better known to players as one of the Four Walls of Sorrow boss monsters.
The late-game villain "Disaster Witch"—a "Special Monster – Catastrophe" wielder of the same 'Solar Body' trait he possessed—was none other than Ma Yeon.
"Lady Ma Yeon already graduated from the academy, so you won't meet there, but with the Vow in place, it's fine. Heh heh!"
While his mind blanked at the sudden bombshell name, the Wet Nurse blabbered on without even glancing at him.
No, she had no reason to read his mood.
To her, to Yang Ga-jeong, to everyone in this clan—he was just high-priced merchandise to sell.
He'd thought taking down just Yang Ga-jeong and the Yangs would suffice, but now one of the Walls of Sorrow blocked his path.
He'd half-expected it since confirming his Solar Body in the status window, but with nothing he could do within the clan, he'd denied it.
But his worst fears came true, thrusting him into a fate where he had to take down both the Yangs and the Disaster Witch.
"...This might be tough solo."
Reversal Hero Saga was fundamentally a team game.
Form a party led by the protagonist to overcome trials—that was the core. Male superhumans like him already faced growth limits, so soloing all those trials was impossible.
"Is that so? Well, you've never stepped outside since birth, so maybe. But nothing to be done, Young Master. The matriarch didn't order me to accompany you. So, head out alone."
What the hell was this old hag saying?
Ignoring the Wet Nurse's twisted interpretation, he grabbed his suitcases and headed to the Yang mansion's entrance.
With each step toward the door, his veteran Reversal Hero Saga brain rapidly formulated future plans.
Kiiiek—!
As the door opened and he took his first step outside into the world since birth, he had a perfect plan to achieve everything he desired.
"Hm, good. That'll do."
If it went according to plan, a happy academy life was out of the question. But revenge? That he could nail perfectly.
"First, live as a thug that leaves students, professors, and staff speechless. Let's trash the clan's reputation from the start."
Thus, he chose to live as a clan thug and scoundrel to tarnish the Yangs' prestige as his first step in revenge.
This was the historic first step of Yang Woo-bin... no, the academy's worst thug, Yang Woo-bin.