Butterfly Effect

Butterfly effect. After heroes became normalized in everyday life, society kept changing and changing. At first, they complied with public authority, but one day they began treating it like a joke. Once ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the monster threats died down, the hunters who'd been hailed as heroes all started grabbing for the nation's vested interests. It was only natural that politics and business fell into their hands, and they built factions centered around top heroes.

The Korean Peninsula could be roughly divided into four major powers: the Hero Association, the five hero families, the black society, and the awakener groups. And the blue-haired girl right in front of me was actually a woman in her early thirties, known by the epithet Transformation Master.

Transformation Master Oh Chun-hwa. A black society operative putting on this charade here for one reason alone: to assassinate Ha Yeon-si.

"…It's about OT attendance, but since there's no penalty for skipping, almost all the new cadets have been opting out lately."

Golden Horizon lived up to its reputation as the world's top information guild—it had enemies everywhere, especially in rival industries where the hatred levels were off the charts.

"…But without any new cadets at OT, it wouldn't really be OT, right? So I was thinking of giving a little prize to those who do show up. And then I got to wondering what to offer…."

As a result, Ha Yeon-si's mother had already been assassinated by a hostile guild. Now it was the daughter's turn.

"I found this weird orb among the donations from our graduated circle alumni."

Oh Chun-hwa, disguised as Reading Circle President Han Ga-rin, pulled a pre-prepared orb from her pocket. It was black, mottled and dirty-looking on the outside, seemingly ordinary at a glance. But its contents were anything but.

"…It's an orb with a trait that boosts mana manifestation efficiency… They're super hard to come by these days, right? I dug through the clubroom storage and barely found it—lucky me. If you attend OT, we can do a simple game, and the prize will be this."

Ha Yeon-si's eyes lit up in an instant. That was her weakest area: mana manifestation. Her father's support was limited when it came to sword-related stuff, so she'd never gotten her hands on something like this. Especially a trait, which left a permanent mark on the body—it had been blocked in advance.

"…Shall we take a headcount? Who'll attend OT?"

Cadets started raising their hands at Oh Chun-hwa's words. No new cadet could resist the lure of that orb. It was originally left by the inaugural Reading Circle president as a symbolic item; the real president would probably have shed bloody tears if she were alive.

Though she was probably long dead by now.

"Great turnout. I'll assume full attendance and announce the OT date separately later. Probably sometime this month."

After Oh Chun-hwa's declaration, a light Q&A session followed. I glanced around. Come to think of it, Choi Ji-seong was nowhere in sight. Where the hell did that guy go? This was supposed to be the event where Choi Ji-seong protected Ha Yeon-si. The incident created to build their connection. Maybe he skipped because it was just a simple assembly.

I'd definitely seen both Choi Ji-seong and Ha Yeon-si on the signup list when I joined the Reading Circle. If he skipped OT on the actual day too, this was gonna be a pain….

"…Sigh."

A sigh slipped out before I knew it. All because of the butterfly effect—the typhoon called variables. The chain had already started unraveling with Mo Ye-ji joining this circle. Those changes scared me.

"……."

Just then, my eyes met Ha Yeon-si's by coincidence. I was a little pissed. Stubborn brat. If she just brought proper security to OT, there'd be no danger.

Whether she read my mind or not, Ha Yeon-si noticed my gaze and spoke up.

"What're you looking at."

"……."

Tch, what am I looking at, you birdbrain. I wanted to smack her, but I held back.

"……."

Ha Yeon-si was lost in thought. Specifically, about the guy sitting next to her: Imir.

Unlike his unusual name, Imir hadn't stood out at the officer academy. He was invisible. Lighter than air. Maybe even bullied.

But after entering the academy, he'd changed. His skills skyrocketed, and he handled crises on his own. After the dungeon incident in the Hunting Circle, he'd yielded a spellbook to her, and even used magic in the cafeteria.

Every link in that chain felt too contrived for suspicion not to arise. Ha Yeon-si knew her own personality well. She acted two-faced on purpose, so she couldn't be unaware of herself. She was curious by nature. So wasn't it natural for a cadet whose skills exploded unrealistically right after enrollment to catch her eye? Natural for her to take an interest in such a cadet.

As if someone had deliberately engineered it to pique her curiosity.

And the Hunting Circle incident was suspicious too. During the hunt, Imir had said in a subtle tone:

—Once I switched weapons to match my talent, my skills improved.

Why say something like that? As a cadet, you were supposed to hide your talents desperately.

That's not the only weird thing.

Imir even knew about the magic tool she was wearing. She'd never told anyone to avoid rumors of being a "greenhouse flower." How did he know? And when handing over the spellbook, he'd said, "It suits you. You're a mage…."

"Ugh."

The peak was the cafeteria incident. When Go Su-young tripped, Imir reached out. Ha Yeon-si had distinctly felt something mana-like in that hand. Invisible to the eye, but with her mana sensitivity, she knew for sure. It was wind-element magic manipulating the air to grab the target—or maybe telekinesis.

So Imir was a mage. A precious resource, rare worldwide.

I didn't believe the rumors about him lobbying to get into the academy or having connections….

A mage cadet hiding his identity, drawing her interest after enrollment, urging her to switch from sword to staff. It all pointed to one thing: a mage dispatched by her father, Ha Pung-hwan. Probably scheming to persuade her. That's why their circle activities overlapped too.

"…Tsk."

Ha Yeon-si was annoyed. She turned and caught Imir staring. Uncharacteristically, she said:

"What're you looking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at."

Imir didn't reply. He didn't even ask why she was being curt. That atypical reaction turned suspicion into certainty. This guy's definitely a mage Dad sent to convince me.

The next day. Before ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠morning classes, I headed to the 1st-year training ground.

I scanned my smartwatch for ID confirmation and entered the training ground.

Reaching the comprehensive physical striking training area, which was nearly empty, I heard the whoosh of wind cutting from somewhere. Training again today, huh.

I turned toward the sound and spotted a familiar figure. Black straight hair, deep eyes. And that absurd chest size. As usual, Woo Yu-na was diligently training alone.

"Nice to see such dedication."

Watching her eased my mind a bit. It didn't feel like I was the only one fighting to prevent this world's apocalypse.

She was still at it when I finished my workout and left the training ground. I wiped my sweat with a towel, observing her. Those massive milk cannons swaying with Woo Yu-na's movements. It was mesmerizing enough to keep staring. How do human tits get that big….

Unlike usual, Woo Yu-na was training ranged combat with a practice bow and arrows instead of close quarters. But for some reason, her movements felt a bit off.

"…What are you looking at?"

She spotted me then and frowned. When I didn't respond, she strode over.

"I've noticed you staring for days now. Every training session, your eyes are on my chest. Why are you leering at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠someone else's breasts like that?"

Anger laced her voice—it felt like our relationship could shatter irreparably. Honestly, how could I not look? But stating the plain truth would enrage her more.

I calmly voiced the hypothesis that popped into my head.

"I wasn't looking at your chest. I was watching your movements."

"…What?"

Best to play it bold in situations like this.

"Here's some advice: Stop being so conscious of others' gazes."

"…What?"

"Overthinking others' stares makes your movements unnatural. That's what I wanted to tell you."

And sure enough, she kept losing focus, overly aware of eyes on her, which made her actions stiff.

"……."

I slipped away before the dazed Woo Yu-na could respond. Checking my points on the way, it seemed I'd had a positive impact—1,000 points acquired.