The Arrogant Heir

Yusoha. Decades ago, an unprecedented crisis struck Earth. Countless Gates connected to other dimensions tore open, unleashing hordes of demonic beasts that began threatening human lives. Humanity did not yield easily. Weapons invented across thousands of years of warfare proved remarkably effective against these otherworldly monsters. Yet enemies soon appeared that those weapons could not harm. The problem was that such foes were overwhelmingly powerful. Cities across many nations crumbled, and the death toll rose relentlessly. Still, all hope was not lost. While humanity resisted the beasts, a new power was granted to them. Mana. Or what some called supernatural ability. Only a small number of humans awakened to mana, but those few could strike effectively at enemies that guns could not wound. They would wrap their weapons in mana, or those familiar with firearms would infuse their bullets with power to slaughter the dimensional invaders. And that was not the end of it. Awakened individuals could summon beings from other dimensions whose natures resonated with their own mana. These summoned entities performed astonishing feats, helping humans exterminate the demonic beasts that had invaded their world. As time passed and the world grew accustomed to the Awakened and their companions, people began calling mana-wielding humans Awakened, and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠otherworldly beings they summoned with their mana Guardian Stars. As a result, various organizations began to emerge. The most prominent were the guilds formed by Awakened. In the early days of humanity’s crisis, civilians and governments had joined forces, so most initial Awakened belonged to the government. However, the government frequently deployed them on reckless missions, prompting the Awakened to break free from its control. Of course, there were many clashes along the way, but ordinary military forces could not restrain them. Firearms remained dangerous to Awakened, yet their battles against demonic beasts had transformed them into beings far beyond ordinary humans. Thus, the Awakened began creating organizations of their own. Viewing themselves as artisans who wielded mana, they borrowed the name of the guilds once used by craftsmen of old and called their groups guilds as well. Countless guilds sprang up. Although the number of Awakened was small compared to ordinary people, they were supported ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by countless staff and technicians who banded together with them. With the power of both guilds and governments, Earth managed to return to a semblance of peace. But the moment that peace arrived, people gradually began to eye one another with suspicion. They tore at each other, clashed violently, and conflicts arose between guilds, and between guilds and the government. In the end, as countless guilds rose and fell, one stood unshakable at the pinnacle, enjoying its lofty position. Hwanryeong. It was the guild founded by Yu Hyeok, who had earned the title of hero among the very first Awakened to fight the dimensional invaders that had assaulted Earth. Because of this, Hwanryeong now held a crucial position not only in South Korea but across the world, and the influence wielded by Yu Hyeok and his bloodline was something no one could ignore. Many guilds bowed their heads before Hwanryeong, and even the government dared not touch it recklessly. After all, Yu Hyeok was one of the heroes who had saved the planet. Naturally, the descendants of such a powerful guild inevitably drew enormous public attention. For example—

Like this arrogant young woman who would expel an Awakened from the guild over a single trivial mistake. Yusoha. She was Yu Hyeok’s granddaughter and the daughter of Yu Hajun, who had inherited the position of Hwanryeong’s president. True to her lineage, she had awakened to mana. And it was not a modest awakening—her mana reserves from the moment of awakening were on a scale that defied comparison. Her mana overflowed so violently that it even changed the color of her hair and eyes to the golden hue of her power. Moreover, having received elite education from a young age, her abilities were exceptional in every regard. One could call her nearly perfect in every way. Yet even she possessed a fatal flaw. She had still not managed to summon her own Guardian Star. Most Awakened could call forth their Guardian Star within roughly a year of awakening. But Yusoha, despite ten full years having passed since her awakening, had never succeeded. She was now twenty years old. An Awakened without a Guardian Star, no matter how strong, inevitably reached a limit. Thanks to her innate colossal mana, she had not yet fallen behind other Awakened… but as time went on, she would inevitably be overtaken. The idea of being inferior to someone else was something Yusoha could never accept. Her pride soared as high as the heavens. It was not merely a matter of position. In truth, she held little attachment to status. When her older sister, Yu Danha, had been chosen as the next successor of Hwanryeong, Yusoha—contrary to everyone’s expectations—had caused no trouble at all. However, she could not tolerate the thought that her own abilities might be inferior to anyone else’s. The moment someone compared her skills to her sister’s, she would be consumed by inferiority and would inevitably track down and retaliate against whoever had uttered those words. People usually assumed it was because she had lost the successor position to Yu Danha, but that was not the case at all. It was simply her nature. The pride that her abilities must always be the best—that was the very driving force that moved her. And so, without a Guardian Star, Yusoha lived every day feeding her sense of inferiority with the fear that she might become weak. Those who possessed Guardian Stars could never reveal them in front of her. Unless ordered to do so by someone of higher rank within the Hwanryeong family, the instant anyone dared show off their Guardian Star before her, she would crush that Awakened in one way or another. Years had passed since then. Yusoha’s inferiority had gradually transformed into hostility toward others ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and arrogance displayed toward those beneath her. She would not tolerate even the smallest mistake made in her presence. Of course, she performed her own duties flawlessly so that no one could refute her, leaving no one brave enough to speak against her. Awakened who had joined Hwanryeong with grand dreams could raise no objections to the behavior of someone backed by such immense influence. Criticism and condemnation of her actions swirled throughout society. Power-tripping controversy? The barrage of attacks from countless media outlets condemning Yusoha made such talk seem laughable. Nevertheless, she did not change her ways. To her, it was simply right. She believed there was no need to listen to the words of Awakened who fell short of her when she herself lacked a Guardian Star. They simply had to obey her every command. Since expelling Awakened who failed to meet her standards had become almost routine, Yu Danha, who had been quietly watching her sister, let out a soft sigh.

“Sister.” The look Yusoha gave her older sister was already brimming with displeasure. Yu Danha—the person who triggered Yusoha’s inferiority complex more than anyone else. Yet despite that, Danha cherished her little sister. It was not simply because they were siblings. She understood exactly where that inferiority came from. She knew that the absence of a Guardian Star, the lack of a companion to walk beside her, had twisted her sister. Yusoha, aware of this, never revealed her inferiority in front of her family—including her sister. But the fact that the inferiority remained hidden did not mean the festering wound inside her had healed. On the contrary, being surrounded by such outstanding family members only made her own shortcomings stand out more sharply, forcing Yusoha to twist her expression in discomfort.

“Yeah.”

“…It’s pointless. There’s no Guardian Star that would answer my call anyway.” A skeptical gaze turned toward Yu Danha.

Inside the massive guild Hwanryeong stood an enormous chamber filled with all kinds of ritual arrays. This was the place where members of the Yu family performed their Guardian Star summoning rituals. Yusoha stood at the center of the room, focusing her mind on the ceremony. Several people were positioned around her in case of an emergency. They watched her with tense expressions, prepared for anything that might happen.

She prayed desperately, as if wishing for something with all her heart, and poured her mana into the array. Golden mana flowed into the ritual circles, and soon the entire chamber began to tremble.

Contrary to her tension, her voice rang out calmly through the chamber as the ritual array began to glow. “……” Yusoha relaxed her usual arrogant expression and stared at the array with a slightly nervous face. Up to this point, the process was identical to every previous attempt. The array had glowed countless times before. But no being had ever manifested upon it. It would only shine and then fade. Today seemed no different. The ritual shone brilliantly, yet no summoned entity appeared. Yusoha poured even more mana into the array, calling once again for the Guardian Star connected to her.

Her voice remained calm, but her emotions surged violently. ‘As expected… another failure.’ A sense of emptiness began to settle over her. She no longer even had the strength to feel despair. Anger slowly began to consume her. The guards watching her stiffened their expressions even more than before. ‘Damn it. I’m going to get chewed out again today.’ ‘Why did it have to be my shift today?’ They thought such things as more time passed. Still, the array only continued to shine without summoning any being from another dimension. “Damn it.” The curse slipped from Yusoha’s lips, and the guards hardened their faces with the expression of those who knew what was coming. “As expected, it didn’t work.” The moment she spoke those words and began to withdraw the mana she had poured into the array—an anomaly occurred. The ritual, which should have dimmed, continued to glow brightly. “Huh…?” The guards who had been watching also wore bewildered expressions. The fact that the array still shone even after the mana had been withdrawn meant only one thing. A Guardian Star was being summoned. “No way…!” Joy bloomed across Yusoha’s heavily furrowed face, and at last, before her eyes, her Guardian Star revealed itself. Worn and broken armor and helmet. A tattered cloak. A shattered greatsword. The Guardian Star that appeared before Yusoha looked utterly wretched, as if it might collapse and die at any moment.