TSDSE 2

Chapter 2: There Were Two, But Now There Were None (2)

I quickly walked back home.

I needed time to think alone.

As soon as I reached the house, I squatted down in the corner and spent a full three hours thinking over every single detail.

As a result, I managed to reach my own conclusions about this bizarre situation.

The conclusions boiled down to three main points:

1. I had possessed the protagonist of a novel titled [S-Class Status Window], written by the author Kim Shin.

2. There was no way to know why such a situation had happened.

3. Since I didn’t know the cause, naturally, I didn’t know the solution either.

4. In other words, there was currently no way back to my original world.

The conclusion was simple: Total hopelessness.

“……Ah. How annoying.”

With no clues whatsoever, there was obviously no way to trace the origin of this mess. And without knowing the cause, finding a way to escape this world was completely out of the question.

“……The most plausible hypothesis is that Shin-hyung was actually a real god!”

Kim Shin, the creator (the god) who made this world. He was also the last person I was drinking with before coming here.

“Damn it. If only I hadn’t blacked out.”

If Shin-hyung was the one who threw me into this world, given his personality, he wouldn’t have tossed me into a novel without leaving a single clue or trigger. Something definitely must have happened last night.

But I couldn’t remember a single thing. Alcohol really is the ultimate enemy.

“Ugh. My head hurts.”

A dull, throbbing pain echoed in my skull. My hangover hadn’t fully worn off yet, and I must have overworked my brain.

I collapsed backward onto the bed.

Even though it was a completely different world, the apartment was identical to my home in the original world. The familiar scenery brought a slight sense of comfort, which triggered a sudden realization.

“……What on earth am I doing, acting like this?”

Spending three agonizing hours fretting over useless worries felt foolish. The important thing wasn’t “Why did this happen?” but rather, “What should I do from now on?”

I smiled awkwardly.

Like it or not, as long as there was no way to escape, I had to live in this world. A perilous world packed with all sorts of dangers, entirely unlike my original one.

“Sigh.”

I picked up the smartphone resting by my pillow and unlocked the screen. It wasn’t my phone, but the one used by the original protagonist.

Opening the text messages, I checked the notice I’d spotted earlier:

[Notice of Admission to the Superhuman Academy.][Admission Date: April 13, 2021]

Today’s date was April 9th.

Chapter 1 of this novel begins exactly one day before the entrance ceremony. Which meant that in three days, on April 12th— That was the day the protagonist… In other words, the day I would awaken.

I went back outside.

It was necessary to understand more about this world before the story officially kicked off. Seeing things for yourself was vastly different from merely reading about them.

After wandering around for about three hours:

“The World Tree really is visible from everywhere. Just how massive is it?”

I muttered, gazing up at the World Tree in deep thought.

The novel [S-Class Status Window] was a typical modern fantasy setting filled with monsters, magic, and villains. The only unusual traits were that every living creature possessed a [Status Window], and the modern fantasy backdrop was slightly blended with traditional orthodox fantasy elements.

“Other than that, the title itself screams trash-tier web novel.”

The protagonist’s ability, as hinted by the title [S-Class Status Window], was an S-class status window.

What is a status window? It’s a novel device that objectively displays indicators of strength while serving as a tool for rapid growth.

So, what kind of ability is an S-class status window?

It was simple: you grow three times faster than others and gain three times the stat increases. That meant even if you grew at the exact same rate, you’d progress nine times faster than an ordinary person.

“That hyung made the S-class status window way too overpowered…”

That was the exact element that ruined the novel. It was too strong and entirely predictable, leaving zero room for suspense. I only stuck with it because I knew Shin-hyung and genuinely enjoyed his previous works. Otherwise, I would have dropped it ages ago.

However, things were completely different now that the novel had become reality.

“Right now, I’m actually thrilled.”

An overpowered protagonist? Power creep? I’m the one getting strong, so what’s the problem?

“Tension and a sense of crisis can go jump off a cliff.”

On top of an overpowered cheat ability, I even had advanced knowledge of the future. A crisis couldn’t happen even if it tried.

“My goal is to make this a boring, drama-free novel.”

As I walked down the street with a wicked grin:

Swish— Swish—

Three young men and women swinging swords in an empty vacant lot caught my eye. One woman and two men. They looked to be around twenty years old, bright-eyed and attractive.

All three were holding real swords. It looked like they were having a light sparring session. Judging by their worn gear and the natural way they handled their blades, they were likely students—or prospective applicants—of the Superhuman Academy.

“Tsk. Tired already?” “Shut… up. Kim Chul-jin.”

Among the three, only one male looked exhausted. The other two seemed to have completely steady breathing.

“Up until now… it was just a warm-up.”

The young man ground his teeth and pulled out a sword radiating a dark aura from an SF-style carrier case.

“……Where did you even get that sword? Such a waste of money. Besides, can you even handle it?” “Heh. Obviously. Just watch closely! Hah!”

Watching a scene like this made it hit home even harder. This truly wasn’t the world I used to live in.

I smiled wryly and turned to walk away.

“Hraaaagh!! Uwaht!”

Right at that moment—

“Hey! You idio—! Aaaah!”

A woman’s piercing scream tore through the air from behind.

Whoooosh!

Followed by a sound resembling a flying boomerang. An unidentifiable wave of anxiety washed over me.

“Right! Dodge!”

A voice packed with frantic urgency. It was a warning meant for me.

Instantly, my body threw itself to the right. Just because. Somehow, my instincts screamed that I had to.

The very microsecond I shifted my body—

Swiiiish—! Slash—

A massive object brushed past my cheek, stirring up a violent gust of wind behind it.

Boom—!

Following that, something slammed into a tree with a fierce impact.

For some reason, my cheek felt hot. I reached up and lightly brushed my skin. My hand came away smeared with red.

“Blood?”

I slowly raised my head to identify the object that had blasted the tree to pieces.

It was a giant sword, deeply embedded amidst a shower of splintered wood. It was the exact heavy sword the lagging guy had brandished and pulled out a moment ago.

……Did that thing seriously just graze my face?

I walked toward the spot with heavy steps and grabbed the massive sword with my right hand. Surprisingly light for a good weapon.

Clack—

As I lifted the sword, I checked the blade with my opposite hand.

Schwing—

Razor-sharp.

What if I had been standing even an inch more to the left? At best, a severe injury; in all probability, instant death.

Clutching the sword, I turned my body in the direction it had come from.

“A-Are you okay?!”

A trio was running over. Two in a panic, and one walking leisurely. I fixed them with a cold stare.

Eventually, the woman who had arrived first bent down at the waist.

“I’m so sorry! Are you hurt anywhere?”

The woman who had screamed for me to duck looked up at me with an anxious expression.

“Ah. There’s blood on your cheek……”

She had done nothing wrong, yet her consideration eased my tension a fraction. I made a gesture to let the woman know I was fine, then shifted my freezing gaze past her to the sluggishly approaching man—the idiot who had hurled a sword at me.

He met my eyes directly, his gaze narrowing sharply. Zero remorse. There wasn’t a speck of apology to be found in his eyes.

“Ha.”

The more I looked, the colder my brain grew.

“I am truly sorry! This guy swung a weapon far beyond his skill level and ended up doing this!”

The man who arrived next bowed at a 90-degree angle. Kim Chul-jin, was it?

“To think someone would be standing right in that spot. Bad luck, really.”

The culprit, lagging behind until the very end, spouted absolute garbage.

“Stop talking nonsense and apologize properly! Something terrible almost happened!”

The woman seemed to be having the exact same thoughts as me. The culprit exchanged glances with her, let out a snicker, and turned his head toward me.

“I said I’m sorry, alright?”

There wasn’t a single ounce of sincerity in his expression or tone. Was that how someone who almost killed a person apologized?

My blood started to boil.

“……Phew.”

However, I couldn’t afford to blow my top right now. If my hunch was correct, these people were superhumans or superhuman trainees. They weren’t opponents the current me could handle.

You have an overpowered cheat ability, so why are you talking like a weakling? you ask?

That applied to the start of the novel, but not right now. Right now, I didn’t even have a regular [Status Window], let alone an [S-Class Status Window].

In the early chapters of the novel, the protagonist ‘Kang Seoryul’ is described as the only person without a status window. He then awakens the day before the entrance ceremony, unlocking the cheat ability known as the S-class status window. It was a textbook cliché starting the protagonist off in a miserable state.

For that exact reason, I currently had no status window. Taking on that arrogant, mannerless punk right now was out of the question. Calling the police to sort out right from wrong was an option, but I wanted to avoid causing any unscripted incidents before the original story started.

Who knew what butterfly effect it might trigger?

“……”

I forcefully suppressed my rising anger, slapped on a soft, easygoing smile, and responded.

“It’s fine. Nothing happened anyway.”

I jammed the sword I was holding into the ground, putting on as much casual composure as I could muster. I would just remember this incident and pay him back later.

If my guess was right, that rude jerk was either a current student or a fresh applicant of the Korea Superhuman Academy. We’d cross paths again soon enough.

“A-Are you really alright?” “Yes. A scratch on the cheek is nothing. I’ll just consider it a cheap lesson learned.”

I genuinely had learned a lesson today. This world was a dangerous place overflowing with magic, monsters, and swords. I had learned that through my body rather than my brain.

“Ah! That’s very mature of you.”

The woman looked up at me with starry, admiring eyes.

“Anyway! I’ll apologize once more. I am so sorry. Jihoon, you apologize properly too!” “I already did.”

My shoulder twitched involuntarily.

Did she just call him Jihoon?

A guy my age, that personality, the name Jihoon, and a greasy hairstyle. It was certain. That guy was Choi Jihoon.

I smiled inwardly.

“Is that what you call an apology? You really—” “It’s fine.”

If that bastard was Choi Jihoon, then this woman was most likely Ha Siyอน.

“Apologies shouldn’t be forced, after all.” “Ah……”

Finally, I looked at Choi Jihoon and smiled meaningfully.

“Hope to see you again.”

Choi Jihoon, the eldest son of the chaebol Choi family. Let’s meet again soon.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

I’ll make good use of your family’s wealth before long.

Tap, tap.

As I slowly turned around and walked away, the corners of my mouth twisted upward.

“……I’ll suck you dry down to the marrow.”

After Kang Seoryul completely disappeared from sight:

“Whoa. Did you see that? He lifted that pitch-black heavy sword with just one hand like it was nothing?”

The woman, Ha Siyอน, made a fuss.

“Wasn’t he super chill when he dodged the sword earlier, too? Didn’t even look, just shifted half a step and cleared it by a paper-thin margin. Man~”

Kim Chul-jin chimed in similarly.

“Hraagh!”

He watched Choi Jihoon struggling, grunting as he tried to pull the pitch-black heavy sword stuck in the ground using both hands. Kim clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk. A guy who can’t even pull it out of the dirt shouldn’t be swinging it around, you brainless idiot.” “I just made a minor miscalculation.” “Oh, really? Wow. Sigh.”

The pitch-black heavy sword. A high-end piece of equipment crafted from ‘Dark Steel’, known as the heaviest metal in the world, making it extremely hard to acquire. Although he managed to get his hands on it using his family’s wealth, it was ultimately casting pearls before swine—his physical strength was far too low to satisfy the sword’s [Equip Restriction].

The price for that was the throwing incident earlier.

“To be able to lift that thing casually with one hand… does that mean he completely met the item’s [Equip Restriction]?”

Ha Siyอน asked, recalling what had just happened.

“Must be. He’s probably an absolute powerhouse.” “Right, right. He totally gave off that ‘hidden expert’ vibe.” “Totally. And that thing he said about learning a lesson? It probably meant something like, ‘I let my guard down while taking a break, I need to reflect,’ right?”

Kim Chul-jin marveled. Ha Siyอน casually asked:

“He looked around our age, didn’t he?” “Probably?” “He couldn’t be an active-duty superhuman or academy cadet.” “True. We’ve never seen his face before.” “And a powerhouse like that wouldn’t be attending a regular university either……”

Ha Siyอน continued with a bright smile.

“In that case, he might just be a freshman entering with us this year.” “Oh. That could actually be true.” “Hmm~ But if a guy like that enrolls, taking the top spot might be a little tough.”

Ha Siyอน smiled wryly.

“Who knows? Maybe he’s all muscle and no substance.” “Nah. I doubt it.”

The two of them smiled as they looked toward the spot where Kang Seoryul had vanished.

“Kim Chul-jin. I’ll grant you the supreme honor of helping me out.” “Ugh. This crazy girl.”

Choi Jihoon was still clinging to the pitch-black heavy sword stuck in the dirt.