Modern Fantasy (1)
Yeah, sometimes life just hands you a lucky break.
You might dodge a motorcycle screaming toward you at 180 kilometers per hour, score fifteen goals every soccer game, develop rock-hard abs without ever stepping foot in a gym, or miss your bus and still sprint to the next stop faster than it could get there.
But…
A guy who can punch straight through a concrete wall?
That’s not luck. That’s something else entirely.
This was way beyond the realm of good fortune. This was power that had left the human realm far behind.
I had a feeling…
Junil had known something was off. His physical abilities had been improving steadily. He’d simply assumed it was the result of decades spent as a hero—his brain’s neural pathways had somehow optimized muscle activation through sheer experience. A very liberal-arts way of thinking about it, sure.
But this? This couldn’t be explained away so easily.
He walked over and ran his fingers along the edge of the hole in the outer wall. You could see a sliver of daylight through it.
Goddamn it.
A hot summer breeze slipped through the gap.
…Where the hell am I supposed to sleep now?
Junil suddenly found himself facing a far more immediate, practical problem: his apartment’s insulation was completely ruined.
Junil left the apartment in a hurry, phone already pressed to his ear.
“Yes, the wall suddenly has a hole in it. Ah… yeah, exactly. I was shocked too. I was moving some exercise equipment and… yeah, haha.”
It was the landlord. He didn’t call the man often, but thankfully the conversation went smoothly. Since Junil had already offered to cover the repairs himself, the landlord didn’t seem too concerned.
Of course…
“Wow, this… this isn’t something we can fix in a day. It’s pretty serious, kid. What on earth did you do?”
The technician who came to inspect the damage clicked his tongue in disbelief. This clearly wasn’t going to be a quick fix.
“Yeah… I have no idea how it got like this… haha.”
“You weren’t building explosives with a 3D printer or something, were you? I hear kids these days are into that kind of thing.”
Explosives? To the technician, the damage looked like it had been caused by something with that kind of destructive power.
Junil unconsciously glanced down at his own fist. Not a single scratch. Any normal person would have been stunned, but Junil already had a theory.
Did I… use mana?
He must have wrapped his fist in mana before swinging. It wasn’t really the punch itself—the fist was just the medium. Even over a very short distance, the force came out like an explosion.
In more technical terms, it was a form of fa-jing—explosive energy release.
Of course, to Junil—or rather, to Julian—it had always been simply called Mana Punch.
“Hey, Julian. You really don’t have much talent, do you?”
In his first life, it had taken him forever to learn. His martial arts instructor, Tou, had given him endless grief over it.
Tou… I’ve come this far.
Junil gave a bitter smile as he stared at the ruined wall. The technician sighed, measuring the damage with a tape and snapping photos. He’d clearly need to report this to his boss.
“For now, I’ll patch it with some styrofoam and duct tape. Can’t promise much on the insulation, but it should keep the bugs and wind out.”
Riiip.
The hole disappeared behind a layer of silver tape.
“We’ll start the real repairs tomorrow.”
Thud.
After the technician left, Junil stood there blankly, staring at the taped-up wall.
Maybe I should just move.
Since things had come to this, why not?
Anyway, I was going to buy a place, right?
That was true. Junil could afford to buy a home now.
He’d felt a pang of dismay when the hole appeared in the wall, but actually… this was perfect. He could just buy a house!
Lucky me, huh?
After checking out some listings, Junil grabbed only the documents he needed and left the apartment in a rush.
“That one is currently listed at 2.4 billion won.”
At the real estate office, Junil received news that hit him like a bolt from the blue.
“…Excuse me?”
What the hell? It had definitely been 2.2 billion.
This didn’t make any sense.
“And even that one just got a provisional contract and the clients left.”
“Just now?”
“The couple who just walked out.”
Junil stared blankly through the glass door at the couple outside. They were smiling happily as they climbed into their car.
Is this a scam?
After nearly thirty years of life as a hero, Junil had been burned by every kind of fraud imaginable. Being thorough had become second nature.
He pulled out his phone and opened the real estate app.
[Under Contract]
Damn it. It was real. And the price had genuinely gone up. 2.4 billion.
Fuck… Seoul real estate is scarier than the Demon King.
The office manager tried to console him.
“Still, there are other listings. Want me to recommend some similar ones?”
“…Ah, yes.”
“Aren’t your parents coming with you?”
“It’s for me.”
“Oh… you look so young. Most people your age don’t buy places this expensive.”
Clack.
The manager set a paper cup of mixed coffee in front of him and asked,
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m…”
A hero.
He almost said it out loud.
“I work in a professional field. I also do some investing.”
“Crypto, that sort of thing?”
“Yes.”
“I hear a lot of young people are making serious money with that these days. Wow, impressive. Coming in to look at a place like this… Just a moment…”
Tap, tap-tap-tap.
The manager typed something into the computer and asked,
“It’s not south-facing. Is that okay?”
“South-facing… I really wanted south-facing…”
The home Junil had always dreamed of was always bathed in warm sunlight.
“Then it would be 2.4 billion. You came in looking at the 2.2 billion one, right?”
“I’ll take the south-facing one anyway.”
Junil squeezed his eyes shut and asked for it anyway.
Screw it. I’ll just do one more hero thing. The difference isn’t that big.
He had a gut feeling that if he didn’t buy now, he’d regret it.
“There’s one with a Han River view and south-facing orientation for 2.45 billion. Want to go see it?”
Beep-beep-beep.
The manager entered the passcode and opened the door.
The apartment was empty. A brand-new unit with tasteful natural-toned interior work already completed. 34 pyeong. South-facing. Han River view.
It was the kind of apartment newlyweds dreamed about.
Whoa…
When the curtains were drawn back, the breathtaking view made Junil’s eyes go wide.
He had spent thirty years as a hero, but none of those lives had included a Han River view apartment. This was the first time he had ever seen one.
“…I’ll take it.”
“This is the living room, and over here is the kitchen. The options—”
“I’ll take it.”
“R-right now?”
There was no need to look further. It was brand new, so any minor issues could be handled through warranty claims. He had already researched the location thoroughly.
“Well, the market’s on fire these days, so a lot of people sign contracts online without even seeing the place. Still, it’s your first home. Take your time and look around. I’ll hold it on the phone for you.”
“Okay.”
Junil walked through the apartment in a dreamy haze, as if floating on clouds. The cool touch of the marble flooring, the sleek island counter, the stylish indirect lighting—there wasn’t a single thing he didn’t like.
Now… all that’s left is getting married, huh?
Living happily in a brand-new Han River view apartment with one son and one daughter. It felt like he had finally laid the first cornerstone of that dream.
“If you really want to proceed right away, we can fill out the paperwork here.”
“Ah, yes. Let’s do that. But… could we do 2.43 billion?”
“Ah, goodness. Let me check.”
The manager made a few more calls and came back with 2.44 billion.
“Sigh. This is the best I can do. There are already several people interested…”
Junil signed anyway, happy to have knocked off ten million won.
Scritch-scratch.
“The down payment will be wired here. 244 million won.”
“Yes…”
His hands trembled as he worked the banking app.
Transferring hundreds of millions…
Was he insane? Even when fighting the Demon King, he had never shaken this badly.
“Hoo…”
“Take your time. It’s normal to be nervous.”
“Y-yes.”
The manager patted him on the shoulder like he understood everything.
And finally, the down payment went through.
Ding.
“Oh, it’s confirmed. Then…”
“One moment.”
Junil checked something on his phone, then raised his hand.
“What is it?”
“I’ll pay the balance too. I’d like to move in tomorrow.”
“…?”
Thud.
After the seller arrived and they stamped the final seals,
“Thank you.”
“No, no, thank you.”
They even shook hands.
The original amount had been short, but Junil paid every last tax and fee.
How?
The coins went up like a miracle.
Almost as if it were divine intervention, the coins that had been languishing had suddenly skyrocketed. His original three hundred million had become five hundred million.
Good thing I didn’t sell and just held on.
If that wasn’t the revelation Priestess Sei had always talked about, what was?
“God is always watching over us. He answers our faith with ‘revelations.’ Listen carefully, Julian. Listen with your heart.”
He really had wished for it with all his heart. That was why he received the revelation.
“Wow, congratulations. You’re now the owner of a Han River view apartment.”
The revelation to become the owner of a Han River view apartment.
A little while later, at a subway platform.
Wearing his headset, Junil stared down at the contract he had received. He kept touching the part with the apartment name on it, unable to believe it even after staring at it for a long time.
[Macro Central River Villa Dium Grancia]
“This is really my house… a completely debt-free house that’s entirely mine…”
To others, he probably looked like someone born with a silver spoon or a young rich kid who struck it big with crypto. But in reality, this home was the result of thirty years of effort.
It was inevitable that his eyes grew misty.
If only I had a wife, it would be perfect.
If he could just find the right person to bring into this wonderful newlywed home, there would be nothing more to wish for.
“Julian? Julian. Are you watching? What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Every time, the image of brown hair flickered through his mind. A mysterious shade that turned reddish when struck by bright sunlight.
“Haa.”
Junil let out a long sigh.
“Why am I suddenly thinking about a wife?”
It had definitely been his dream for a long time. Yet for some reason, it now felt completely meaningless.
Just then, the subway train approached.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The train is arriving. Please wait behind the safety line until the screen doors open.
Junil put the contract back in his bag, checked the zipper several times, then boarded the train. He hugged the bag tightly and sat down in a corner seat.
It wasn’t rush hour yet, so there weren’t that many people, but…
Ugh, there are way too many people.
With every stop, more and more passengers crammed in. For Junil, who had only lived in the medieval era, the human density was overwhelming.
Just hold on a little longer.
He simply turned up the volume on his headset and listened to music.
The train stopped, people got on, it departed again. The monotonous scene continued until—
Hm?
He spotted someone.
Is that Suyeon?
It was her. She was with some guy. The two of them were chatting happily.
That person…
Junil knew him too. University senior, Lee Changhoon. He’d heard the guy was already working. So he was dating Suyeon.
Thinking that, Junil decided not to greet them and looked away.
Since she never mentioned it at school, she probably doesn’t want it known.
Suyeon had never once hinted that she had a boyfriend, so Junil had planned to pretend he hadn’t seen anything.
But then Suyeon looked his way.
“……? ……!?”
Thanks to the noise-canceling, he couldn’t hear what she was saying, but she waved.
There were too many people for her to easily reach him, but she squeezed through anyway.
“Junil oppa! Wow, what a coincidence running into you here!”
Suyeon stood in front of him, beaming.
“Uh… yeah, crazy coincidence.”
“I was just telling Changhoon oppa about how you saved me.”
“I didn’t really save you or anything.”
Junil’s expression stiffened.
Did she really have to tell Lee Changhoon?
No matter how long he had lived in the medieval era, he still remembered Lee Changhoon. They had never gotten along.
“You two must be close,” Lee Changhoon said from the side.
“We saw each other a lot while studying at the library.”
“I see. Moon Junil, it’s been a while, huh?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Junil completely ignored him, put his headset back on, and cranked up the volume.
Chzzzzzt—!
Static crackled in his ears.
Ah shit, is this headset broken… wait?
He thought it was malfunctioning for a second, but then letters appeared.
Ding.
Latest Open-World Streaming System Applied
📍 Genre: Modern Fantasy
📥 Downloading dimensional settings… 4%
This time it wasn’t the Constellations’ comments.
What the hell is this?
The text continued.
Ding. Ding-ding.