Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Reckless Act
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"Everyone, quiet down! I get that you're anxious, but there's nothing we can do about it. There have been a lot of incidents lately."
Claire shot a dissatisfied glance at the guards outside the classroom.
The guards had suddenly multiplied over the past few days. Probably deployed by the higher-ups due to all the recent trouble.
I could understand their position, but...
Was it the students' unease that got under her skin?
She was calming them down, but she seemed to have the most to say herself. Probably holding back to reassure the class.
"As you all know, crimes targeting Academy students have spiked recently. Sure, you're all superhumans and strong. But the villains are superhumans too. Better to stay cautious."
Hmm, not quite.
Claire's words held true in general, but Übermensch's grunts were just regular folks with guns.
Probably people with low compatibility for the enhancement serum. I didn't think superhumans would lose to them, but...
Übermensch did outnumber other villain groups by a landslide. No telling what they'd try.
"So ignore those guys and focus on your studies. You become targets because they think they can take you lightly!"
"...Fair point."
"If they're committing crimes, aren't they just losers? Why would they target us?"
The students' complaints instantly shifted to the villains.
Wow, she's got a real knack for steering the mood.
Turning their anxiety into righteous anger at the villains' arrogance in seconds. Teacher skills, I guess.
Subtly implying the villains were weak while firing up the students' pride.
"...And keep in mind, finals season is in a month. You'll need to work harder for good grades, right?"
"Ugh. Forgot about that."
"Teacher, don't remind us..."
And just like that, she crushed their newfound motivation.
The fired-up students from moments ago were now groaning in unison.
"Finals... What'll they cover?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hmm, not sure? What sounds good...] Writer-nim started mulling it over.
...But this time, I had no intention of coaxing or persuading her.
Me secretly painting at crime scenes, the sudden emergence of twelve Übermensch executives. The Laira Perry incident and the monster attack on enrollment day.
Looking back, it had been one twist after another.
Writer-nim had mostly let things slide unless they were outright dangerous, aiming for slow growth. But here, I decided to push the line a bit.
Dangerous? ...No, if not now, there might not be another chance.
Otherwise, the final boss the protagonist had to face could balloon into some world-ending cosmic horror.
To prevent that, I needed to gauge how much influence I had over Writer-nim.
Until now, I'd only offered suggestions. Never hijacked the story myself.
But that wouldn't cut it. What if a massive event blew up beyond control?
What if a tiny mistake got the protagonist killed for real? And Writer-nim abandoned this world?
With some leeway now, it was time to test the waters.
To probe the limits of what she'd allow.
...And for one other goal.
I steeled myself and casually shifted seats to sidle up to Amelia.
"Do you know what it'll be, Amelia?"
"Uh, yeah...? No, I don't. Didn't you say you didn't know either, senpai?"
Right. Since Writer-nim hadn't planned it out, the finals content was undecided.
In a world where blanks filled themselves naturally, it probably changed every year or something.
"I didn't, but I heard they switch it up annually to prevent leaks. Sometimes it's the same as last year, total random."
See? Just as I figured—completely random.
...But that's not the point. What came next was.
"Ahaha. I heard a rumor, so."
"Really?!"
"Yeah. Feels legit enough. Finals are a tournament."
"A tournament?"
"Yep. One for all the freshmen."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [?! R-Reader! What are you doing?!] Writer-nim realized what I'd done and freaked out.
Of course. She set the story's direction.
But she wasn't an omnipotent god. She chronicled this world's tale, tweaking it to her taste—but with limits.
Even a puppeteer can't control billions of puppets at once.
And Writer-nim had to perform for an audience. That created openings.
I was probably a key character in her novel. Why else keep me orbiting the protagonist?
So, from a story perspective, it made no sense for me—a major player—to feed baseless info to presumed main heroine Amelia.
Naturally, she'd tell the protagonist what I said.
But if the actual test differed wildly?
In reality, it'd be dismissed as hearsay.
But in a novel? Different story. This wasn't idle chatter—it was finals foreshadowing. Prime plot bait.
With no other hints, why wouldn't readers latch onto my words as the hook?
They wouldn't. They'd buy it. That single crumb becomes canon bait: "Finals are a tournament."
Writer-nim could ignore it and write something else. But I'd already planted it with Amelia.
The protagonist and heroine would start believing it too.
People don't assume you'd spout total nonsense without cause. They'd figure I heard it somewhere.
Plus, I'd helped them through various incidents. I had credibility.
Now they'd prep based on that intel.
Assuming a tournament for finals.
If Writer-nim springs something else?
Plot derails. Yoo Siu and Amelia expect fights, train one-on-one.
Then a monster subjugation test? Key characters thrown into chaos.
In the end, she'd have to run the tournament—just as I said.
...That's what I was banking on.
She couldn't retcon past events, so this was viable.
"Just a heads-up. ...Anyway, see ya."
"Uh, yeah... Thanks."
I nodded to Amelia and slipped out of the classroom into the alley.
...Wonder how it'll play out.
My hands trembled.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Well, a tournament isn't bad!] "...You think so?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yep. ...But don't do that again? I'll get mad! You told me to speak up and act, but what about you?!] "Ha, haha... Right? Sorry."
I'd survived.
Relief and disappointment drained the strength from my body.
This was nothing like my usual coaxing.
Scolding her, making her mad—that was beyond rude by comparison.
This was shaking the work itself.
Forcing her penned plot to bend to my whim.
...For her to forgive that. Did it mean she trusted me? Or couldn't change me?
Her not getting angry was good, but failing the second goal stung a little.
What was it?
...I wanted to know if I was human or puppet.
Did I believe I was human while being a puppet? Or was I truly human?
I couldn't tell. That's why I hoped she'd snap.
If she could tweak my settings, I'd just be a doll.
If unknown family memories popped into my head. Would that make me a doll?
...This body is a crafted puppet. Shaped by Writer-nim's hand.
She'd said it herself, staring at my chest: one she'd made.
A blank, odorless puppet stepping onstage needs adjustments, naturally.
So when she slotted in my Academy student backstory, I didn't mind. It wasn't changing me.
Just filling empty space. No warping of memories or past.
If a human soul inhabited a human-like doll, is it a doll? Or human?
I decided I was human.
Unlike those puppets whose lives and personalities flipped.
No sudden inferiority complex like Laira, no instant life rewrite like those 2,400 villains.
Just minor background filler.
"Writer-nim. What do you think makes a human?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...? Random question.] "Quickly."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hmm, not sure...] "Free will. That's what separates human from not."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Free will?] "Yes."
If an omnipotent god pulled every string in the world.
If people moved and died as the god willed.
...Could you call them human? No.
That'd make them no different from puppets. Poor dolls bound by fate's threads.
Believing their actions were their own, blind to the manipulation.
Not like me.
I could oppose her views, interact on my terms, act freely.
But others? One line from her rewrote their lives.
Shifted their fates. Altered their thoughts.
"Humans without free will are just puppets."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Is that so?] "That's right."
I don't get it.
I flashed a bright smile at Writer-nim, who groaned in confusion.
In this world, only Writer-nim and I were human.
That's what I'd decided.
If I asked if she could change me and she said yes...
...I probably couldn't handle it.