[note: changed it so that the manwha Yuuto was reading was 500 chapter long. And the point he's inserted is roughly at chapter 150-ish. And that Uncle Wren's alive. That fucker won't escape reckoning.]
"Remember, Haruno..." Uncle Wren's voice was soft, almost comforting. "Family is the most important thing. So listen to me, alright? I only want you to be the best version of yourself."
"Alright, Uncle!"
Morning came.
The sound of water splashing against porcelain echoed through the bathroom. Yuuto stood at the toilet, whistling.
"WOOOOOOOOOO, life could be a dreeeaam~"
He glanced down. At the bottom of the toilet bowl, Uncle Wren's photo stared back at him. Yuuto pissed on it without a second thought.
"Away from shitty uncle's influenceee~~"
'Family's important. No argument there—as long as they're not actively sabotaging you like your old fart of an uncle.'
'That uncle had practically told Haruno he'd burn in hell if he didn't unconditionally love him and listened to him at all times; that he can't be wrong. That wasn't family. That was a selfish bastard who couldn't see beyond his own moral cage.'
'A typical boomer, convinced his way was the only way. And that belief was what pushed Haruno to kill himself despite being the strongest, most broken hunter there is.'
'And God forbid Haruno ever thought for himself. If his views didn't align with Uncle Wren's? He was bad in every way. At least, according to Uncle Wren.'
With a smirk, he flushed. The image swirled but remained stubbornly stuck to the bottom.
'Eh, I'll toss it out later.'
Right now…
He sat at his desk, scrolling through the web.
'I know everything about this world from the manhwa, but nothing beats good ol' research.'
This world was Earth.
But 20 years ago—blah blah blah, dimensional gates appeared.
Blah blah, monsters invaded.
Blah blah, mass panic, destruction.
Humans awakened superpowers—inhale—
Blah blah, ranking system for hunters. (The ones who enter gates, kill the boss, and close them.)
Blah blah, ranking system for gates. (Difficulty is random, but the average keeps creeping higher every few months.)
And, of course—I'm the only one who can get stronger.
Shun Haruno.
Seventeen years old. Second-year high schooler. Bullied. A known weakling with no family—except for good old Uncle Wren.
"What?" Yuuto thought, staring into an imagined invisible camera. "Uncle Wren's still alive in this story. This isn't Spider-Petersonne: The Awesome."
The premise was simple.
Stronger gates kept appearing over the decades. Hunters eventually couldn't keep up. Haruno—the only one who could actually grow stronger—was humanity's last hope.
The LHS (Loser Hides his Strength) element was the selling point. Readers ate that up—the strong acting weak. But this story pushed it too far. It ripped apart at the seams. There was no payoff.
Which is why it SUCKED.
At some point, even the strongest hunters hit their limits. Haruno was the only one who could break through. So naturally, he soloed the final boss, won the ultimate reward, and what did he do?
He gave the system to everyone else.
From the shadows, of course.
Because wise Uncle Wren once said, "You shouldn't do things for glory or fame. You should do them because it's 'rIgHt.'"
And because Haruno was so just, so humble, so selfless…
Everyone else got infinitely stronger than him, more famous, more successful - while he ended up in poverty.
And then…
He killed himself.
'A professional punching bag, through and through.'
'There was a time when other hunters respected him, at least professionally. That ended the moment he handed them power on a silver platter.'
'Motivated by his "teammates" and Uncle Wren to do the right thing.'
'The truth? They were all power-hungry fucks. Uncle Wren included. He also wanted power over Haruno, which he had so much until he got him killed.'
'And the second they got what they wanted…'
'They ghosted him.'
"Well, shiver me timbers—here's what I'LL never do!" Yuuto thought, leaning back in his chair, phone in hand.
7:40 AM.
"Still got time before class… Ah, wait—I have no idea when class even starts."
His screen lit up with incoming messages.
[HAKKUN, Please respond!] – Misaki.
[Did I do something wrong?!]
[Please call me when you wake up.]
[We'll walk to school together today, okay? It's been a while, after all, haha!]
[I miss you, okay? I don't want us to be at odds…]
[You're not upset about me dating him or anything, right? He's just someone I like, but that doesn't mean I hate you!]
[We'll ALWAYS be friends!]
Yuuto stared at the messages, his expression flat.
'Right… She's used to Haruno scrambling to text back the second she messaged. But when she sent that last night, I left her on read.'
'Guess her pride and ego took a hit. Oh well, she better get used to it.'
"That 'always be friends' bullshit doesn't work on me. You ghosted him a month after you started dating NTRBully #421, dodging his texts with the 'I'm just busy' excuse—until eventually, he stopped trying."
Yuuto sighed, tossing his phone onto the bed.
… Or so he meant to.
Instead, the phone shot through the house's wall, shattering against the pavement outside.
"…Fuck. Right. I'm an S-Rank hunter now." He flexed his fingers, staring at his hands.
"Better get used to controlling that."
After searching his computer for his school's start time, he rummaged through his closet, pulling out a uniform that closely resembled the one he always wore in the manhwa.
"Alright. Let's bounce."
Yuuto stepped outside, the golden morning sun shining above.
"What a great day."
Meanwhile.
"Misa-chan… Where are you going so early?"
Hojin's voice was groggy as he propped himself up on the bed, shirtless, watching Misaki get dressed.
"Uhm… I…" She hesitated, fidgeting. "I just want to catch up on classes. And… It's still a secret, you know. Us. We can't be seen together yet." She grabbed her bag and neared the door.
"I get it. We'll meet at school, then?" Hojin smirked, stretching lazily. "And after… I might need some more complimentary lessons. Especially after last night." He winked.
"S-sure!" She nodded quickly—too quickly—before slipping out.
Hojin's gaze narrowed.
"Huh…"
"Guess she's off to hold that wimp's hand or something. Pshh. I'll humiliate him for it later."
He yawned, rolling over.
Back to Yuuto.
"Alright. Power check."
Status Menu.
Shun Haruno
Level: 50
Rank: Lower S-Rank
Strength: 150
Agility: 100
Vitality: 200
Intelligence: 50
Awareness: 100
HP: 20,000 / 20,000
MANA: 5,000 / 5,000
"And now for the frosting…"
Class: Ice Assassin.
'Having a system in a manwha while being a main character must also mean having a secret class. Even after giving everyone a system, no one had this class… Until, well, someone did.'
"He wasn't remarkable. The system was the only good thing about him. And if he just acknowledged that, among other things, he would've had a much better life."
Yuuto let out a slow exhale.
"Anyway. Skills."
SKILLSET:
KNIFE DAGGER [LV.MAX] – Summon an ice-cold dagger, as sturdy as the strongest steel. [USAGE: 100 MP]
BERSERK [LV.MAX] – Enter a state of rage at will. All stats are tripled, but at the cost of your health. [USAGE: 15,000 HP | COOLDOWN: 24 HOURS]
KILLER INSTINCT [LV.MAX] – Emit a predator's aura, striking fear into enemies nearby, paralyzing them for 10 seconds. [USAGE: 2,000 MP]
COLD BREEZE [LV.9] – Become a ghost. Invisible to the naked eye, but a freezing wind gives away your presence. [55MP/s | COOLDOWN: 1 MINUTE UPON DEACTIVATION]
COLD IMMUNITY EQUILIBRIUM [LV.4] – Extreme resistance to cold damage—but cripplingly weak to heat.
"Lucky it's chilly today," Yuuto thought, skimming through the list.
IMMUNITY [LV.2] – Lethal poisons only have mild effects. Resistance improves with level.
"Decent. But I want the BIG GUNS."
Yuuto scrolled further.
DEFENSE [LV.1] - The higher this skill gets, the more difficult it is to hurt you!
REGENERATION [LV.1] – Heals 10 HP per second. [PASSIVE]
FINAL STANCE [LV.1] – A fatal hit won't kill you. Instead, all stats except HP double for 10 seconds. However, you must kill your opponent within that time—or die instantly. [COOLDOWN: 1 HOUR]
IGLOO [LV.1] – Create a safe zone in the shape of an igloo. Higher levels increase its size—but also its mana cost. [USAGE: 8,000 MP]
Yuuto exhaled, stepping back as he took in the full picture.
"Heh. Poetic, almost."
'The skills tied to survival and preservation were at their weakest, while the ones designed for killing were maxed out.'
"Guess the author was paying attention to Haruno's mental state and his self-destructive tendencies."
His mind drifted to the final chapter. Haruno's suicide.
His gaze drifted upward, the sky stretching wide above him.
"Still a shit story, author. Probably just a fluke."
"H-HAKKUN!!"
A familiar voice rang out in the distance.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING SO EARLY?! I WAS ON MY WAY TO MEET YOU SO WE COULD WALK TOGETHER!"
'Speaking of 'destructive'…'
Yuuto's eyes narrowed as he spotted her—Misaki, sprinting straight toward him as he made his way to school.
'Ho, ho, ho… Merry—'
Before he could finish the thought, she crashed into him, hugging him tightly, her hand instantly locking around his.
'…Fucking Christmas.'
Yuuto exhaled.
'Time to give you a taste of your own medicine.'