Creating a Branch Point

The words echoed in my head the moment they were spoken: “Why don’t you do it yourself?”

“Crazy bastard. He really is insane.”

The world I opened my eyes to was called When I Become a Hero.

It was a simple story about a single protagonist who overcame villains and injustice, eventually becoming a hero revered not just across Korea but the entire world. He defeats villains, gets praised. Defeats more villains, gets more praise. Rinse and repeat. This nonsense dragged on for over two hundred chapters, with the protagonist constantly receiving convenient plot armor. No matter what crisis appeared, he would “coincidentally” or “suddenly” awaken and overcome it through forced development.

The villains would suddenly retire due to aftereffects from their internal brawls. And when I read the part where they seemed to draw out their full power in sync with the protagonist’s awakening only to cough up blood and collapse… my neck actually stiffened from sheer frustration.

At first it was out of interest. Then loyalty. In the end, pure spite.

When the story finally put a period on all the time I’d wasted with the garbage sentence “And so, I finally became a hero,” I left a comment. It was filled with every ounce of pent-up rage that had built up from the increasingly ridiculous plot.

“Why the hell does it turn out like this?”

It was a trope I’d seen countless times in novels. If you poured your heart into a comment, you’d get sucked into the story itself. But seriously, why did this power always activate for the authors of the weirdest damn works?

…Forget it. Complaining won’t change anything.

When I pulled back the curtain, a dark alley came into view. Whoever harbored such deep resentment toward me had shoved me into this cheap, sunless room. If that’s the case, why even bother with curtains?

On top of that, this body didn’t seem to possess any abilities. I tried sensing for telekinesis, telepathy, invisibility, or even raw strength, but nothing registered. When I tried talking to a crow, it just flapped its wings mockingly and flew away.

Sigh.

In a hellish place where hundreds of superhumans appeared across several hundred chapters, was I really supposed to just die like a dog?

The only silver linings were, first, that my body was surprisingly well-built. The lean, agile frame resembled that of a track athlete. Still, in a world full of superhumans who could shatter concrete walls with their bare hands, this was only slightly above average. I suppose I should be grateful for even that much.

Second were the drawers stuffed with wires and black powder of unknown purpose. No matter which drawer I opened, I found ointments, bandages, bottles of what looked like medicinal powder, and pill containers that rattled when shaken. Whoever had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠created this character for me had at least made sure the rundown house was fully stocked with necessities.

There was also a plain gray mask and thick fabric that covered the entire body. I’d never seen a character like this before, so maybe they’d deliberately inserted “me” into the story. And quite ominously at that.

Well, no matter how much I grumbled in my head, my course of action was already set.

Once again, I slung a small bag filled with a stun baton and various unknown tools over my shoulder and stepped out into the dark alley. I had no idea what most of them did, but in a dangerous world crawling with superpowered robbers and terrorists, having them was better than nothing.

At least I was certain I’d entered the story before the very beginning, not even the early stages. The prologue featured the name “Justice” splashed across the news in huge letters, so that was clear. And since the appearance of Justice would trigger a full-scale offensive by heroes and police against the villains, I needed to hurry.

If I didn’t, Justice would simply devour the weakened villains who’d torn each other apart in civil war and grow stronger. I refused to watch that happen.

“The incident definitely happened somewhere around here.”

It all started with preventing the criminal organization’s split. Therefore, finding Bianca, whose name was all that remained in the original story, was the top priority.

Her death became the spark that caused the wolf-themed organization Bulph to shatter into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a cellular structure after their leader’s demise. The mention of her being found as a cold corpse in the back alleys made tracking her far from easy, but if I wanted to change the plot, it had to be done.

That said, charging into Bulph alone would obviously end with more than just a beating. So every day, from dawn until night, I scoured the alleyways like this.

…It was a brute-force approach, but I had no other choice. After all, with a body that had zero abilities, I couldn’t exactly assassinate Justice in advance.

The voice suddenly rang inside my head. I froze for a moment, then noticed the metal plate on the wall right in front of me twitching. I knew instantly that I needed to move. But where?

“You ready? Got all the tools?”

“Yeah, it’s solid.”

The rusted red plate popped forward, then slid aside, spitting out two men. This was bad. There was nowhere obvious to hide, so I’d simply crouched beside the trash bin right in front of me.

“Let me see. You really brought everything this time?”

“I told you I did.”

They can’t… see me? So is Stealth my ability?

Tutorial? I don’t remember reading about an ability like this. Maybe it’s a special perk to help me adapt to this world?

“But is this really okay? Deltas baring their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fangs at a Beta…”

A needlessly loud voice interrupted my thoughts. On the arm of the man walking right past me was a wolf tattoo. Wolf?

Wait. If it’s a wolf, that’s the mark of Bulph.

“She may be called Beta, but she’s basically a Delta without any underlings. What’s there to be scared of?”

Delta. Beta. The titles used by the scattered remnants of Bulph’s executives and members. Deltas referred to high-ranking officers, Beta to the second-in-command, and Alpha to the leader.

So this was right after Alpha’s death, when the power struggle had just begun. Good. I wasn’t too late.

“Well, no matter how strong she is, there’s no defense against a group beatdown…”

“It’s not just our Deltas coming. We said we’d take out Beta first and talk about the rest later.”

Talk about the rest later, my ass. The moment those Deltas finish the job, they’ll start shooting each other, and Justice will swoop in and eat the entire plot for free.

“Still, I don’t know. It feels off. Breaking the hierarchy Alpha established so suddenly…”

The conversation continued without any sign of stopping, as if urging me to stay hidden in the shadows. A tutorial, was it? For Stealth.

…Then I might as well make use of it. Whether it’s a real ability or not.

I don’t know how long I followed them, waited, crouched, and trailed after. Eventually, a group of what looked to be around a hundred people began heading toward an abandoned factory in the distance.

“If they’re going this far just to take down one person, how strong was Bianca exactly?”

Justice, who earned the title of strongest by fighting weakened villains. And what about the other heroes? Until the story ended, I barely learned the names of a few extras. The plot was that empty.

How much, and how well, could I possibly change such a hollow story? Half anticipation, half anxiety. But a fight was about to break out, so I needed to move immediately. Any more hesitation and I’d be forced to witness that bastard’s entrance, branch point or not.

“Keep stepping on the shadows…”

Although I’d fallen quite far behind the group, I continued following as carefully as possible, hiding between buildings. Soon I faced a rather high wall. I considered using the door, but several men were guarding the entrance. No chance there.

Then… I’d have to climb over.

The moment I thought that, the voice rang in my head again. Or perhaps it simply surfaced in my mind. While pondering the difference, I rummaged through my bag and sure enough, there was a hook and rope.

I tied a rough knot, gripped the end, and spun it around. In movies they throw it like this—

Right. I grabbed the rope and climbed, and another small congratulatory message echoed in my head. Maybe it really was just a tutorial, not an actual ability.

When I dropped down from the wall, I saw the group split into several lines entering what looked like a warehouse. Following them inside would get me caught. Even with Stealth, remembering how anxious they all looked while holding weapons, I’d probably get swept up in the coming fight.

In that case, the ceiling would be best. I spotted a ladder nearby, climbed it, and immediately saw a window set into the ceiling. Faint voices drifted through it. I lowered my body and crept closer.

“Waaaaaaaaah!!!”

The moment I closed the distance, a roar erupted. I quickly lifted my head to look inside.

“…This is brutal.”

Weapons suited for gangsters and thugs—wooden clubs, pipes, and even sharp daggers that glinted faintly in the darkness. A group wielding them charged forward recklessly.

And the place they were charging toward was…

“Come at me all at once, you traitors!!!”

Someone drenched in blood was gripping the collars of two burly men whose faces were already battered. Her body was covered in cuts and scratches.

—Thud.

Even from this high up on the ceiling, I could feel the shockwave through the mask every time a fist flew. She grabbed them, slammed them to the floor, dragged the twitching subordinates across the ground, and hurled them into the crowd. With something like a gauntlet on her hand, she even caught blades and snapped them.

Considering how all those “wolves” down there would eventually scatter and become individual villains, their side shouldn’t be weak. Yet the sight of her driving back men larger than herself was truly spectacular.

At least until a single gunshot rang out.

“…Cough!”

While everyone below froze, only one person staggered. The smoking gun barrel was on the right. The bleeding Bianca faced the left wall.

“I’m sick of this now. Huh? Just rampage moderately and wrap it up—”

“Hey!!!!”

The brief silence that had followed her blood-mixed cough was shattered by a tremendous roar. The noise came from the Deltas and their group.

“You never said anything about special rounds!”

Special rounds. Bullets with lethal power against those with abilities. The setting was that physical enhancement types didn’t just gain strength but also superior durability, sometimes even resisting bladed weapons. The things that threatened them were precisely these special rounds. They were difficult and expensive to make.

“Then am I supposed to just sit and watch my family get torn apart? Who was it that used my kids as shields first, huh?!”

“You’re making this much noise just to take down one bitch without any lackeys?!”

“You already brought a whole crowd, so your image is ruined anyway, you brainless idiot. I’ve always hated how you only ever used me as a meat shield. Might as well straighten out the hierarchy while we’re at it, yeah?”

As the executives began fighting among themselves, the attention on Bianca grew thinner. The grunts glanced at each other and slowly began gathering with their own factions.

…This was my chance.

Where the hell were these voice-like instructions coming from? Still, ignoring them didn’t seem like it would lead to anything good, so I quietly scanned the surroundings. The passage that served as both entrance and exit was the wide-open garage door the thugs had come through. And right next to Bianca was an emergency exit.

I could get out that way, but going in through there…

I’m not an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠idiot who doesn’t know that. Her condition already looked terrible, and I didn’t have time to leisurely climb down a ladder. So let’s do this.

I’d embed the hook here, lower the rope down. After sliding down… I remembered seeing something that looked like a grenade in the bag.

Every time I took an item out, its exact name was imprinted in my mind. It was exactly like hovering the mouse cursor over an object in a game. As I listed them out, a rough picture formed. A thrill of anticipation stirred inside me at the thought of recreating one of those flashy scenes from anime or movies.

…Then all that was left was to put it into action. For Bianca down there, and to destroy the original plot.

“You wanna go? Huh? Then go ahead and try it, you sons of bitches!”

“We’re wolves, not dogs. How many times do I have to say it?”

“The guy who couldn’t tell a wolf from a Siberian Husky and got one tattooed on his forearm has the nerve to talk?”

The Bulph members growled at each other. Their glares suggested a fight could break out at any moment. Some had already transformed into animal forms, ready to tear into one another.

“…Ha, haa, haa.”

While the atmosphere grew heated, only one person leaned against the wall, anxiously watching her body grow colder. Bianca, who had spilled so much blood on the floor, struggled to keep her darkening vision clear. But even she knew. Her breathing would stop soon.

“All of you… are the same filthy dogs…”

Would it have been better if she’d just washed her hands of it all? What if she had never harbored the ambition to stand at the top of the organization?

As those thoughts crossed her mind and her eyes began to dim, shattered pieces of glass poured down like rain before her. Along with them came a man dressed entirely in black wearing a plain gray mask.

“Wh-what the hell? What is that?”

“Hey, who the fuck are you?!”

Her fading consciousness sharpened with the dramatic entrance. Her dulled senses snapped back to clarity amid the chaos.

“…You must be Bianca.”

“And…?”

Gathering the last of her strength, she straightened her posture toward the man with the calm, low voice.

“Close your eyes.”

An order directed at her. This unidentified stranger who dared command her—a Beta—without even a proper introduction. She bared her teeth, ready to growl, when the man’s hand emerged from beneath the thick fabric wrapped around him.

—Click.

The short strings connected to the safety pins of the bundled flashbangs and smoke grenades. The man in the black cloak pulled them without hesitation, and Bianca immediately turned her head away.

“If you ask a question, you should ans—”

Two bundles of flashbangs and smoke grenades spun through the air, scattering brilliantly before the cylinders hit the floor.

“Wha, whoa?! Whoaaaa!!!”

The explosion was followed by smoke that quickly filled with screams. The tension that had filled the space moments ago scattered and vanished completely.

“Can you stand?”

A man dressed entirely in black, even wearing black gloves on his hands.

“What do you think?”

Bianca showed him the hand she’d been pressing against her wound, feeling the warm, wet rush of blood.

“…”

Without a word, he reached out as if it were the most natural thing to help her up.

“W-wait, wait. Fine. I’ll hold on.”

From her rough childhood until now, Bianca had never known trust. Everyone was either an enemy, a temporary ally who wouldn’t stab her in the back just yet, or an outsider with no connection to her affairs. But for some reason, the man before her pulled her close. Very lightly.

“Cough, what are you…! Grab on!”

“I can’t see ahead—”

The cloud of smoke that filled the entire building from how many he’d thrown, plus a couple more flashbangs dropping. Screams echoed from behind.

“Aaaargh!”

Along with the screams coming from behind, Bianca felt a faint smile creep across her lips. It was satisfying to hear the bastards who had cowardly beaten her just moments ago rolling on the floor in agony, but more than that—

It was the first time. Being helped in a moment of crisis.