The Hero's Persona
In any group, if a newcomer suddenly starts acting like they own the place, the insiders are bound to get annoyed. Even if you’re recruited through official channels, you’re liable to be called a "nail that sticks out." So, what happens when you appear out of thin air, like I did?
If I, appearing suddenly and without warning, were to slam head-first into the authority of Han Jeongho, the leader of this 88-person group, the reactions would be predictable.
"What the hell is up with Yu Siwoo...?"
"Was that senior always like that...?"
"Wow... he’s a completely different person from when I saw him a few days ago."
The gossip was inevitable.
"Didn't that guy used to smile a lot?"
"Smile? He looks like he’d rip the throat out of anyone who dared to grin in front of him."
"Man... he was the senior who played the 'black knight' for me during drinking games. I had no idea he was that kind of person."
Most of the prospective heroes still saw me as "that guy who returned to school and came to the orientation," or "a pushover who’d help out if something happened," or simply "the guy who died in the tutorial."
"Is he allowed to do that? Is it right for him to just show up and act like that toward Jeongho?"
"Shh. He’s not just acting out on his own. Look at the expressions on the faces of the Arena survivors."
"...They look scared too? Damn, is there really something to him?"
The only reason they couldn't say it to my face and had to whisper behind my back was, thankfully, due to the Corpse Band, led by Choi Yujin.
Having witnessed the survivors of the Arena, the prospective heroes' perspectives had shifted. If even those people—who were now feared—were wary of this man named Yu Siwoo, just how strong had he become?
And since people like Choi Yujin weren't ignoring me, but rather respecting me, paying attention to me, and even walking on eggshells around me, the others had no choice but to change their tune.
"That guy... there’s definitely something about him."
"Didn't he get some kind of cheat? That’s the axe the Orcs use. He couldn't have just picked that up."
"He looks incredibly strong. Maybe he’s the strongest among them."
While half-suspicious, they were also sending looks of respect. The foundation of that respect was ability. Not college entrance exam scores or GPA, but their capability as prospective heroes. Thanks to that, even though I was a "rolling stone" who had just appeared, I held a significant amount of sway among the 107 prospective heroes.
Therefore.
"If there are no other objections, we depart immediately."
Even if Han Jeongho thought I was some kind of justice-crazed lunatic with no brain, he couldn't stop me.
"Yu Siwoo, for God's sake, they’re NPCs...! They aren't real people!"
No matter how much he tried to block me, I wasn't a man who could be stopped.
"Whether they’re real people or not, I’m not going to ignore someone dying right in front of me. Not unless it’s an enemy trap."
Even the people behind Han Jeongho were nodding along to my words without realizing it. My weapon was justification. Once I touched the conscience within the prospective heroes, the moment it entered the realm of emotion, it became clear who was right and who was wrong.
"No, I mean, that’s...!"
"Even if it is a trap, it doesn't matter. If they’re real people, we save them and smash the trap. If they’re some kind of illusion or fake, we just smash the bastards who laid the trap."
"Are you a barbarian or something?"
I wasn't walking around shirtless, but the way Han Jeongho and a few others looked at me was far from friendly. It was the look of someone wondering what kind of psycho I was. That was better. At least it was better than them looking at me as someone they could use.
-Siwoo. You might not think you’re being manipulated, but to others, you’re a pushover who’s easy to push around.
Back in my first playthrough, the people I partied with taught me a lot.
-You have to raise the bar. It might seem like radical, rude, lunatic behavior to you, but those actions are exactly what keep others from treating you like garbage. Don't get played like a pushover. Don't pretend to be a nice guy and get used.
-So, should I act like those guys licking the Demon King’s toes? No, that’s not it. What I’m saying is... walk the straight path, but if anyone tries to put a leash on you, cut it immediately. Make it so they don't even think about putting a leash on you in the first place.
In the first playthrough, too much time had passed for me to follow that advice, but now, I could make sure the first button was fastened correctly.
"I—"
"Siwoo Oppa. Wait, could we talk for a second?"
"Talk? Choi Yujin. If you’re trying to persuade me..."
"A strategy meeting. A strategy meeting. Before we go kill the Orcs, I want to check our combat readiness."
"Ah."
A firm first impression to show the majority of the prospective heroes.
"By all means. If it’s about taking off Orc heads, I’m all for it."
The old Yu Siwoo was dead. The man standing here now was a lunatic with an axe.
After moving to a building inside the village at Choi Yujin’s request.
"Oppa. Is that really you?"
"What?"
"...Seeing you act like this when we’re alone, I guess it is you. You appeared out of nowhere and started saying things that didn't sound like you, so I thought you’d gone crazy for a second."
As I rubbed Choi Yujin’s backside with my hand while we were alone, she let out a long sigh, as if she were finally relieved.
"What happened all of a sudden?"
"I wanted to make a strong first impression, was it too much?"
"Rather than too much, you were saying things that didn't really fit our situation..."
"Didn't fit?"
"Yes. You were talking like a righteous hero."
"......."
I’d just taken the words I used in my first playthrough and dialed up the intensity, but I guess it was definitely different from the side of me I’d shown in the Arena.
"What was the vibe like?"
"I thought you were a psychopath."
"Which one do you think is better?"
"If you’re going for a dynamic where I control you to some extent, the current one isn't bad, but knowing your true nature, I think the image will fall apart pretty quickly."
"My true nature?"
"Yes. Oppa... you aren't the type to risk your life and insist on killing Orcs just because of women, right?"
I wondered if the way I’d acted in the Arena—thoroughly selfish and profit-oriented—had been properly burned into Choi Yujin’s mind.
"The other Arena survivors must think so too, right?"
"Since it’s me, it ends at this level, but the others probably wondered if you’d eaten something wrong."
"Well, damn."
True. Even I would be suspicious if a guy who said he wouldn't even give out information without getting paid suddenly turned into a hero of justice, ignoring side quests and running around screaming that we had to kill those wicked Orcs immediately.
"Well... thanks to that, public opinion has definitely shifted to our side."
"As expected, there was trouble."
"Yes. There was a faction that wanted to rush the main quest, and a faction that wanted to hold out as long as possible to milk the hidden pieces."
"You guys... before I ask for your opinions."
I gripped Choi Yujin’s backside firmly.
"What is the 'Corpse Band'?"
"Ah, that?"
"Yeah. Is it a group of dead people? What the hell is it?"
"It’s a group of people who survived Chekhov's Arena thanks to Yu Siwoo."
"......."
"Calling it something like 'Survivors of the Arena' felt too long, so we came up with a name that was easy to throw around: the 'Corpse Band.' Since we’re technically dead people, we’re a group of corpses struggling to be resurrected back on Earth. It was Mr. Gihwan’s idea."
"......Right. The name doesn't really matter."
Frankly, it was better than some bizarre name like the 'Siwoo Band.' While the original members knew the origin of the name, we couldn't just keep sticking together as Chekhov survivors forever.
"Were there any prospective heroes who wanted to join the Corpse Band?"
"Yes. Han Jeongho is holding onto them tightly right now, but there are always people who get left behind or pushed out over there, right? They seem to want to join us."
"That’s not a very good flow."
"That’s why we suggested raiding the Orc Lord to weed them out. If they’re willing to join us to go kill the Orc Lord... that’s at least decent, isn't it?"
"True. If there’s a guy like that, he would’ve survived the Arena with five wins."
It was good that I’d left it to Choi Yujin.
"Then... I’d like you to tell me now."
"What?"
"The reason you want to kill the Orc Lord so quickly."
"That’s..."
There were several reasons. But even Choi Yujin, who looked at me like a psychopath, would see me as a mental patient beyond a lunatic if I told her my true intentions. If that happened, wouldn't she be shocked even when we had sex?
"Honestly, 50% of what I said earlier is the truth."
"...That you feel sorry for the people being murdered and raped by Orcs?"
"Yeah. That’s part of it, but wouldn't it be uncomfortable?"
"That’s—"
"How could I have comfortable sex in a place like this? It’s better to clear this place quickly, get out, and have sex comfortably in a place with a soft bed."
"......."
So I declared it. In the image of the '2nd Playthrough Yu Siwoo' that Choi Yujin had seen in the Arena and that I intended to build.
"Really, Oppa."
Choi Yujin shook her head as if she couldn't help it.
"I understand. But don't say it’s because of sex when you’re out there. Got it?"
"Of course."
Everyone has a persona, and right now, I was wearing the mask of a sex-obsessed lunatic. Someday. Hoping that the mask would eventually become who I truly am.