The Elder Brother of the Academy Light Novel Protagonist
The money I earned had bought me plenty of nutritious medicines, but they were nothing compared to the level of my current abilities. Transcendent Demon Swordmaster. The job title was simple, yet among all the virtual reality game characters I had played, it was the only one that combined both swordsman and mage. I had poured every cheat and editor tool into it, cramming in every worthwhile skill I could find. My magic wasn't limited to basic attack spells; I could wield every field of magic imaginable. The gameplay itself wasn't particularly refined, but then again, the game had been designed around overpowered characters from the start, so expecting high artistic quality was pointless. For me, who possessed synchronization abilities, this game had merely been a stepping stone in the synchronization process.
That wasn't all. "Now that synchronization has made this reality, I can even create entirely new spells."
Though labeled as an intelligence stat, it didn't turn me into a genius in every sense. What the intelligence stat enhanced were memory, comprehension, and the ability to combine existing knowledge. It had little effect on creativity itself.
"Alchemy."
I picked up a nearby stone and activated the alchemy skill from my sub-job, Alchemist. A small amount of magic power was consumed, and the stone in my hand transformed into gold.
"How simple."
It was almost absurdly straightforward. To think the power to turn stone into gold could be implemented so easily. But that wasn't the only change. I now possessed senses that allowed me to perceive and understand everything happening around me. These senses were overwhelmingly precise compared to before, rendering any comparison meaningless. If I wished, I could grasp every movement of people and every flow of magic power throughout all of Seoul. Even with that immense volume of information, I could process it effortlessly without feeling overwhelmed. After synchronization completed, these senses alone made me feel as though I had become a god.
"Wasting such a broken ability on something so trivial... the original Seo Moon-jin must have been so bitter he couldn't sleep at night."
At best, he had only been able to fight Seo Moon-hyun on equal footing, and even then, he was eventually overtaken. But I was different. With this overwhelming power, revenge against the Seo family that had cast me out and forced me through hell would be trivial. I could suppress the entire Seo family with the sheer difference in strength, or seize control of their wealth and slowly strangle them financially.
"Killing them outright would be boring. No, not just boring—it would feel hollow and irritating, so it's worse than doing nothing."
Crushing them like insects would only leave me with lingering regret. Especially since I had perfect memory, that regret would haunt me for life.
"Grandfather and grandmother are traveling in Jeju right now, so I shouldn't disturb them..."
Thanks to me, they had become wealthy. With that newfound freedom, they had turned their flower shop into a hobby and were enjoying a pleasant retirement, even traveling to Jeju. I could visit and grant them health, but that would be too tactless. "The polite thing is to watch over them just enough to prevent accidents while letting them focus on their trip without interfering."
I couldn't disrupt the joy of their Jeju journey or their worry-free later years. I would gift them health after they returned.
"Alright, time to get started."
Rather than moving alone, it was better to direct my subordinates. I erected a barrier using magic power to prevent any energy from leaking out of this space, then prepared the summoning.
"Summon — Gluttony Baalzebul."
What I summoned was the demon of gluttony. Soon after, a man with white hair and strikingly handsome, sculpted features appeared and bowed respectfully to me.
"The demon of gluttony, Baalzebul, greets my lord."
The original Seo Moon-jin had demonstrated that game summons could be brought into reality. Yet seeing Baalzebul standing before me now—not as a mere AI from a virtual reality game, but as a being with clear substance summoned as my subordinate—was fascinating.
"To think even demonic energy was perfectly replicated."
The demonic energy (Demonic energy) Baalzebul possessed was similar in meaning to magic power (magic) in its characters, but fundamentally different in nature. While magic power resembled pure energy, demonic energy was a dark, dangerous aura unique to demons. Once again, I felt how much the original Seo Moon-jin had wasted his abilities by only summoning weak monsters.
"Good, Baalzebul."
I nodded lightly and continued.
"This is a summary of this world's information. Take it."
I selected the necessary information about this world with magic and transmitted it to him. Baalzebul received the memories and nodded in understanding.
"I see... Understood. I believe I now grasp how this world's structure operates."
Baalzebul quickly absorbed the information I had sent.
"Good. Create an appropriate identity and establish a company immediately. Since I'm still a minor, my social movements are restricted, so publicly, you will be the chairman."
"Understood. What should our primary focus be?"
"This world still lacks efficiency in utilizing energy obtained from monster-hunting magic stones, as well as applications for them. Target that."
This world's setting was that Earth had not originally been a world rich in magic power. However, seventy years ago, gates that functioned as dungeons suddenly appeared, triggering change. Just like in typical hunter stories, as magic power grew abundant, the number of humans capable of handling it surged. Yet magic power had existed even before that. The revelation that some humans had been able to wield it all along, combined with their solid foundations, allowed them to build influence faster than others. The Seo family was one such clan. However, the efficiency of obtaining alternative energy to replace oil through magic stones harvested from monsters was still low. Honestly, this was something I hadn't known before gaining my abilities through synchronization, but afterward, it came to me as naturally as breathing.
Furthermore, I could now create special items—magic items or artifacts—at a level far beyond anything currently common in this world.
"I understand. I'll look for other opportunities as well."
"Good. Take this as startup capital."
I retrieved several gold bars from my inventory window and handed them over. Thanks to synchronization, not only my in-game inventory but even my dimensional storage had been synced, allowing me to use everything stored inside, including gold. Of course, even without this, gold was something I could create at will if I so desired. Still, in this world, gold remained a valuable material.
"This is sufficient. I will use it well to meet my lord's expectations."
Having taken roughly twenty kilograms of gold bars, Baalzebul bowed his head to me.
"Then I shall take my leave."
"Good. Take care."
"Yes, my lord."
With that, Baalzebul's figure vanished from before me. He would create a suitable identity and establish a company that would influence not just Korea but the entire world.
"With the initial funds and considering his powers of seduction, it should be easy."
Baalzebul would handle things well on his own. If anything happened to him, I would know instantly as his master. Moreover, as my summon, betrayal was impossible.
"Now then..."
There was only one thing I needed to do.
"First, confirm."
I needed to check the current state of the Seo family that had expelled me at the age of five. Thinking back to that time made my teeth grind.
At five years old, I had been suddenly thrown out and forced to struggle. Seeking warm places to sleep was the least of it. I avoided orphanages because they would restrict my movements, so instead I worked desperately to obtain a game capable of creating an overpowered character for synchronization.
"I really almost died."
I had to avoid the gazes of anyone suspected of being a villain, since I could have been captured by those who targeted orphans for human experimentation. Hunger was constant, and before finding a safe place, I was occasionally beaten by local beggars for their amusement. I experienced just how harsh this world was compared to modern Korea. Even while enduring exploitative labor, until I found the elderly couple from the original story, there were more than one or two times I thought I would truly die.
For reference, the beggars who had assaulted me had already been taken alive by villains, so there was over a 99% chance they had been used as experimental subjects and died. In this harsh world, beggars were no different from flies, and if I had failed to find the elderly couple using my knowledge of the original story, I would have died too. Even after finding them, I had to repeat exploitative labor until I proved my abilities and received money.
"Even so, they were the most trustworthy ones with consciences."
The people who exploited me were relatively conscientious. At least they didn't sell me into human trafficking. Therefore, I would show some mercy to those who had exploited me.
"I repay kindness with kindness, but grudges I return a hundredfold with interest. That's who I am. Tch!"
Thinking about it made anger rise again. Even though my inner self was an adult, I couldn't forget that suffering. I would make everyone pay the price. I would watch the Seo family slowly crumble.
"And the original heroines too."
I wouldn't let any of the original heroines end up with Seo Moon-hyun. They would only receive a bad ending of being abandoned anyway, so being toyed with like that would be too pitiful for them. It would be better if I made them all mine. That would bring them happiness. Becoming harem members was far better than being defeated heroines, wasn't it?
"Hide, Hide Mana."
Concealing my appearance and magic power with magic, I stepped outside. Walking through the air, my steps moved swiftly toward the Seo family estate. Even without using magic, my physical abilities and body-based magic power alone allowed me to reach the Seo family in an instant.
"How insignificant it looks."
In my past eyes, this place had seemed incredibly powerful. But to my current gaze, it was nothing more than a location I could easily topple. Seo Moon-hyun, who until yesterday had been a threat I needed to kill at any moment, was now merely a laughable opponent.
"I can feel them."
I could sense the presence of people gathered inside the large mansion the Seo family had built atop the mountain. I could even detect what they were doing, particularly that the protagonist Seo Moon-hyun was currently training with a sword.
"You're not important right now."
The protagonist Seo Moon-hyun, more detestable than anyone, must not fall yet. I would make him crumble gradually after the original story's timeline began. The Seo family also had to be kept alive until then.
"The person I need to check on now isn't Seo Moon-kang-hyuk either."
It wasn't Seo Moon-kang-hyuk, my father in this life and my enemy.
"It's been a while since I've seen you, Min-hye."
It was my younger sister, and Seo Moon-hyun's younger sister—Seo Moon-min-hye.