"So, what do we do?" Chae Nayun asked, her gaze shifting to Rachel. I could tell what she was thinking. This was the Devil we were talking about—an enemy far too strong. I wasn't even sure if I was qualified for this fight. If not for my Gift's adaptability, I wouldn't be able to participate at all.
I stepped toward the door, opening it for Rachel to leave. "Please, Miss Rachel… Can you wait outside for a bit while we discuss our plans?"
Rachel hesitated, her voice almost pleading. "Please, let me join you… If you're planning to take on all the Djinns in Cube, the more hands you have, the better…"
I glanced over at Hajin. "What's the call, President?"
Kim Hajin had changed a lot as his strength grew, but deep down, he was still the same good guy. And because of that, he couldn't allow Rachel to join us. "You can't. You'll die. You're too weak."
The harshness in his voice was startling. Hajin wasn't usually this blunt. At his worst, he'd just go quiet, but this… this was different.
He flicked his wrist, and his Desert Eagle appeared in his hand. "How about this? If you're not convinced, let's fight now." Realizing that Rachel wasn't carrying any weapon, he holstered the gun and changed tactics.
"Since you don't have your weapon with you, I'll fight you bare-handed. One-on-one," he challenged brusquely.
Wasn't this kind of preposterous? Hajin, a ranged fighter, challenging Rachel to a bare-handed duel? But on second thought, he wasn't at a disadvantage. He had been swimming in a considerable amount of SP lately. And just as I suspected, the next scenario began to unfold before my eyes.
Hajin's movements had become so sharp and calculated that Rachel wouldn't stand a chance.
***
"Fine," Rachel said, widening her stance, preparing for a fight. "I'll make you take back those words!"
Before Rachel could blink, Hajin darted forward with surprising speed. Though Hajin lacked any special martial ability, he had his SP and Setting Intervention, which allowed him to manipulate the settings of objects. He focused on his shoes, activating his ability.
-20 SP. [Effect: Temporarily increase the movement speed of the boots' wearer.]
From Rachel's perspective, Hajin seemed to vanish from sight. A moment later—
"Bang, you're already dead..." Hajin mimicked the shape of a gun with his finger, pressing it lightly against the back of her head. "You just died to my gun, Miss Rachel..."
Kim Hajin, formerly ranked 1543 in the Agent Military Academy and now ranked 934 in Hero Military Academy, had effortlessly outclassed Rachel, who was supposed to be rank 4. He won in a landslide.
Hajin felt a pang of guilt for using his abilities to cheat, but he couldn't afford to risk Rachel's life. Every character in this world held significance to him, and there was a reason they were key figures in the story.
Rachel stared in disbelief, the vast gap between their levels sinking in. She clenched her fists, refusing to admit defeat. But before she could make another move, a surge of deadly magic power filled the air.
It was one of Hajin's trump cards—Stigma. The tattoo-like mark on the back of his hand glowed with an iridescent light, forming a small orb of concentrated magic at the tip of his finger.
"I told you, you're weak..." Hajin repeated, his voice calm but firm. "Stop being stubborn and retreat."
Suddenly, Chae Nayun stepped in, exhaling a massive wave of magic power. The surge wasn't enough to draw the attention of their instructors, but it was potent enough to create an oppressive force that made Rachel's skin crawl.
"Stop," Nayun commanded, her magic power radiating outwards, making Rachel's body tremble. "Enough, Hajin. You're being too harsh. You're just bullying her."
The [Sea of Magic Power] Nayun wielded was overwhelming, and its mere presence caused Rachel to shiver with goosebumps.
"Hajin, calm down..." Suho stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Rachel's shoulder. His own magic power flowed out, dispelling Nayun's oppressive energy and calming the tension between them. He glanced at Hajin, silently urging him to stand down. "This isn't the way to treat her."
Rachel stood still, feeling the weight of their combined strength pressing down on her. 'They're all monsters,' she thought to herself, a harsh realization settling in.
***
What the f—
They were all monsters. I couldn't stop being surprised, no matter how many times I saw them in action. Hajin's strength might've been expected, but seeing it firsthand was still a feast for the eyes. The raw magic power that radiated from his Stigma was bonkers! Nayun's way of unleashing her magic power was also a shock; it resembled her master's, the Wolf of Valhalla's aura during that Djinn subjugation ceremony. And then there was Suho—low-key monstrous, easily dispelling the oppressive forces colliding around Rachel like it was nothing.
I tried not to feel insignificant in comparison.
To be fair, they were practically cheaters. They had years of experience—almost twice Rachel's age in terms of combat know-how. Hajin was an exception, but he had the biggest cheat of all: the ability to alter reality itself. And me? I might be mentally five years older than I should've been, but given my eccentricity, I felt like I was stuck in a forever awkward puberty phase.
"So," Nayun clapped her hands, pulling my thoughts back to reality. "As I was saying, let's set the bar lower to be fair. Hyon, you fight her instead of Hajin."
Huh?
Like, huh?
As the weakest member, I got the idea, but it was still against a rank 4…
"Do your best, Hyon Hyung-ssi!" Suho cheered me on with that good-natured smile of his.
I shot Hajin a look, hoping for a lifeline, but all I got was a stink-eye. He wasn't just telling me not to lose—he was practically threatening me. Come on, Hajin-chan… You're not really the threatening type, are you?
"Good luck," Nayun added half-heartedly.
Before I knew it, Hajin and Suho had already stepped away, leaving me in the center of the rooftop with Rachel. Nayun, of course, made sure to give me a helpful little kick from behind, pushing me forward. I couldn't even complain because Rachel had already taken up a fighting stance, determination blazing in her eyes.
"Fight me," she said, voice tinged with a mix of respect and challenge. "Please don't go easy on me."
I looked around helplessly. "I... I can't fight her! I'm her fan!" I half-joked, hoping someone would bail me out. "Hey, Hajin… Bro~ aren't you Rachel's fan too?" Hajin just tilted his head away, pretending not to hear me. Suho gave me an encouraging thumbs-up, and Nayun's poker face was as unhelpful as ever.
"Here I go!" Rachel shouted, full of spirit.
I stumbled into a defensive stance, my footwork shaky at best. Sure, I had a knack for dodging precisely, but I wasn't exactly known for my martial prowess. And, honestly, I really didn't want to fight Rachel.
Rachel's fist, glowing with magic power, came at me fast. Her strikes left afterimages, her fist appearing to aim for my temple but suddenly shifting to my ribs. I was already moving my head back, bracing for the attack on my head, but it was a faint. It was wasted effort. The best option at that moment was to counter.
I had two choices: I could strike her throat with [Always Here], reinforcing my palm with its stealth effects, or I could kick her legs, using [Always Here] to destabilize her. But I didn't want to hurt her.
Instead, I used [Always Here] on myself, flickering in and out of visibility just long enough to throw her off balance. With her rhythm disrupted, I grabbed her wrist, lifted her arm, and threw her to the ground with a simple judo toss.
It was the safest way to subdue her without causing much injury. Sure, it was still a bit of a disgrace for her to be pinned under me, but it was better than ruthlessly overpowering her.
And no… I wasn't doing this because I wanted to pin her down like this… I am not a monster!
But Rachel wasn't done. She kicked at my leg, throwing me off balance, then wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close before delivering a swift headbutt to my forehead.
Stars danced in my vision. Rachel kicked me away, putting distance between us.
"Stop holding back!" Nayun's voice cut through the fog of pain in my head.
Chae Nayun was definitely referring to me.
Rachel blushed, clearly offended by Nayun's comment. "You!" she snapped, her voice trembling with anger. It was the first time I'd seen Rachel lose her cool—hell, even in the novel, she rarely showed this much emotion.
"Well… maybe I was rude," I muttered, shaking off the dizziness. "But come on, don't you know? I'm the strongest of them all, yet they make me fight you!"
"""Eh?""" Suho, Hajin, and Rachel all had the same confused reaction.
Except for Nayun. "You bastard!"
Apparently, she cared.
"Hmmm… In terms of survivability, I guess he is the strongest," Suho mused thoughtfully.
"And in doing bullshit stuff… so yeah," Nayun added, sarcasm dripping from her words.
Rachel's eyes grew misty, her voice trembling. "It's unfair… So none of you are taking me seriously after all…" Her words were soft but cut deep. "Take me seriously, please… damn it."
It was the first time I'd heard her curse. Guilt gnawed at me. "Sigh… well, you asked for it."
I may not have been on the same level as Suho, Nayun, or Hajin, but I had gotten strong—strong enough to make Rachel feel inferior. I hadn't even realized it until now, too busy scraping for every bit of power I could find. But now, I had to face it.
I focused my gaze on Rachel. "I'm sorry, Rachel, but I'm going all out now."
***
Rachel gritted her teeth, pushing herself forward. She knew now, she was weak, but she couldn't stand being treated like this. Djinns were hiding in Cube, and she wanted to help, but all she felt was rejection. It was a blow to her pride, and deep down, it hurt.
With each strike, she got closer—but it still wasn't enough. Her attacks were dodged by a hair's breadth. Then, suddenly, she lost all sensation in her legs. She looked down, seeing her legs, but not feeling them.
The next thing she knew, everything went black.
When she woke up, she found herself lying in the infirmary.
"W-what happened?" Rachel asked the nurse.
"You fainted. Don't you remember? Your classmate helped you here," the nurse explained. "He said you suddenly lost consciousness. Have you been on any medication?"
"No," Rachel muttered, shaking her head weakly. "It must be exhaustion… I've been sleeping less lately…" She lied, even though she knew the truth. She had lost.
And her offer to help had been rejected.