novelraw Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Jin Crow was, how should I put it.
Even within the military academy, which was full of peculiar people, he was someone who was judged in extremes.
‘Someone you never want to get involved with.’
It wasn't just the cadets; the instructors felt the same way.
There were many reasons, but the most palpable one was probably this.
“Is that Instructor Jin Crow's personality really that bad?”
“Don't even get me started. I heard that if he doesn't like something, he'll draw his sword on anyone, whether they're a cadet or an instructor.”
“He's a madman. Why do they just let him be?”
“His career is one thing, but rumors say the faction he belongs to is no joke either.”
Humans inherently have a tendency to ostracize what they cannot understand.
Of course, the reason Jin Crow was ostracized was more than 50% due to his personality, but anyway.
“...Even his way of speaking is detestable.”
Jin Crow muttered so, looking at his reflection in the mirror.
To others, it might seem like he's gone mad, but surprisingly, it was just amusing that this was the state he was in after accepting reality and calming down a bit.
He continued his thoughts as he brought the whiskey, which was on one side of the table in front of the sofa, to his lips.
‘Jin Crow.’
Before, I called him a simple misunderstanding-type villain, but he wasn't an entirely one-dimensional character.
It was certain that there was something hidden about Jin Crow.
The only problem is that in the story, only the military faction behind him was mentioned, and the rest were unresolved plot points.
Why were they not resolved?
‘Because Jin Crow died before that.’
A sudden chill washed over him, and a cold sweat broke out.
‘Calm down. It's not happening right away, anyway.’
Right after coming to his senses, he had checked the year on the smartwatch on his wrist; there were still roughly a few years left until his death.
The problem was that's when the 4th Galactic War begins…
In any case, what was important now was not the vague fear of the distant future, but the reality unfolding right before his eyes.
“Hoo.”
He let out a sigh unconsciously.
Possession, of all things.
It took more time than he thought to accept that simple yet unbelievable fact.
…It's pathetic, so let's not recall it.
What's important now is that he has been possessed, and in roughly 10 years, this world will end.
To the space monsters, the ‘Creatures’.
For a moment, he wondered if what he was experiencing was just a bad dream, but there was no chance of that.
「Q. Prevent the destruction of the galaxy!」
■Objectives
□Extermination of the Creatures
□Survival of the protagonist ‘Baek Hwi-young’
□Survival of the possessed ‘Jin Crow’
■Description
□You, who were displeased with the ending of Galactic Chronicles! Become a character in the work yourself and change the future!
Because the translucent window floating before his eyes had shattered even that small hope.
Anyway, he put a black cigarette, probably one that Jin Crow would have smoked, in his mouth and muttered softly.
“Recognition Information.”
■User_Jin Crow
□Rank: Major
□Military Serial Number (S.N): SMCO55-1113027
□Gear: Dual (Error)
□Health Status: PTSD, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Headaches, Drug Addiction, Paranoia, Anger Management Issues
A concisely organized window appeared before his eyes.
It would have been nice if it were the so-called status window from novels, but it was just simple personal information displayed by a device that all soldiers are required to carry.
To make an analogy, it was the dog tag of the year 2275.
Perhaps because of that.
After going through the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, his head cleared up, allowing him to view the situation objectively.
‘...What a mess.’
Of course, looking at the situation objectively didn't make it beautiful or positive.
Rather, along with his questions, he was now able to see just how wrecked the body of the man named Jin Crow—who was now him—truly was.
‘The average Gear for cadets at the Central Special Mission Military Academy is Triple.’
Gear is a measure of the power of a Superhuman, that is, a Special Mission Officer.
‘The more Gears one has, the more efficiently and destructively they can use their power.’
Simply put, it's a device for handling the overflowing Psionic Energy of a Superhuman.
The average grade for cadets is Triple.
In contrast, Jin Crow is a Dual Gear.
Would it be a sufficient explanation to say that it's a level that a Single Gear squad equipped with reinforced exoskeletons and Special Mission Armaments could subdue without much damage?
In other words, apart from the charisma he showed in the early parts of the story, Jin Crow was pathetically weak.
“...This doesn't add up.”
He muttered unconsciously, furrowing his brow.
It's not like there weren't scenes of Jin Crow fighting in the early to mid-parts of the story.
The power he displayed back then, albeit for a moment, surpassed that of Baek Hwi-young, who was a Triple Gear at the time.
Then, what is it?
That's not the only question.
“Error, and drug dependency...?”
The information displayed before him was full of phrases he couldn't comprehend.
And among them, what caught his eye the most was the word 'Error' next to Dual, and Jin Crow's shattered health status.
Just then, the recognition information window suddenly flickered, and a change occurred.
■User_Jin Crow
□Rank: Major
□Military Serial Number (S.N): SMCO55-1113027
□Gear: Dual (Error)
□Health Status: PTSD, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Headaches, Drug Addiction (30min), Paranoia, Anger Management Issues
“...30 minutes?”
The text indicating the time next to drug addiction updated, and the throbbing headache that had been bothering him since he came to his senses subsided considerably.
Of course, the difference wasn't huge, but to him, who had been inwardly irritated by the unfamiliar sensation, it was nothing short of surprising.
‘Drug addiction. And in my hand are a cigarette and alcohol.’
Anyone who wasn't a fool could see the connection
.
A clue was emerging.
Just as the corner of his mouth was about to lift for the first time because of that.
*Knock, knock-.*
The door opened with the sound of a knock.
Then, a woman who, at a glance, seemed to be in a foul mood, appeared.
“Instructor Jin Crow.”
Her gaze landed on his glass.
Soon, her stiff face hardened, she bit her lip, and then opened her mouth as if letting out a sigh.
“You never fail to disappoint me.”
Her gaze, with her white hair and white eyes, was fixed on the glass Jin Crow was holding.
She then looked at him with eyes filled with an inexplicable sense of betrayal and spoke.
“Put that glass down, right now.”
Meanwhile, Jin Crow, who had been staring at her with vacant eyes, soon realized who she was and muttered softly.
“...Idealle?”
At that moment, it was only natural that Idealle's brow twitched.
“Your words have become short. Even if I am the Academy Commandant, I am still your superior officer.”
‘...No. That's not what I meant.’
At that moment, Jin Crow thought.
It seemed things had gone terribly wrong right from their first meeting.
***
‘Jin Crow.’
Idealle walked down the hallway, her brow furrowed.
“Salute!”
Even as she returned the salutes of the instructors she occasionally passed, her expression did not brighten.
It was because of the complaints delivered by the head instructors of each department who had visited her a short while ago.
-There have been too many scandals concerning Major Jin Crow recently.
-While he at least performed his minimum duties as an instructor before, for the past few weeks, he has been holed up in his quarters and refuses to come out.
-Action is required. No matter if he is a member of Rosen...
It made her, who had remained silent until now solely for the sake of the cadets, take action.
This, too, was for the sake of the cadets.
‘Those damn factions. I'm sick of them.’
No matter how much they were instructors at the Central Special Mission Military Academy, the United Human Star Nation's greatest resource, they were not free from the factional politics rampant within the military.
It couldn't be helped.
With Hyperspace Jumps, the entire galaxy became humanity's sphere of activity, and that many more soldiers and officers became necessary.
When numbers increase like that, it is the instinct of the human species to inevitably form groups.
And Jin Crow was one of its beneficiaries.
Rosen, one of the largest factions in the military.
This was likely a protest from other factions who saw an opportunity to oust him, who had Rosen at his back.
‘But his recent actions have clearly crossed the line.’
Drawing his sword on a cadet a while ago was overlooked due to extenuating circumstances, but for an instructor to hole up in his quarters, skipping even the few lectures he has, is a clear dereliction of duty and a breach of trust.
That was the reason she had made her way to Jin Crow's quarters so early.
Knock, knock-.
She gave a perfunctory knock, but having no expectation that he would come out on his own,
Idealle immediately swiped her security card to force the door open.
Just as she expected.
The sight of Jin Crow was even more of a spectacle than she had imagined.
“Instructor Jin Crow.”
Her icy gaze fell upon the glass and cigarette in his hand.
The cigarette could be overlooked.
As for the alcohol, she had no private authority to stop an instructor from drinking in his own quarters.
However, if the person in question was someone irresponsibly holed up, skipping a lecture that only happens once every few days, she could by no means look upon it favorably.
“You never fail to disappoint me.”
There was no reply.
He just stared blankly at her with endlessly sunken eyes.
...Was it because he was so different from the man she had briefly encountered in the past?
Idealle rarely showed emotion, but she spoke with a voice tinged with anger.
“Put that glass down, right now.”
Moreover, his Psionic Energy, normally so static it was hard to detect, was swirling around the room, a sign of how much he had drunk.
‘What on earth happened to make him so broken?’
Idealle thought unconsciously, but she soon bit her lip and steeled herself.
The past was past, and before her was just a single soldier who had failed to fulfill his duties.
While preparing to subdue Jin Crow at any moment, Idealle spoke to him with an endlessly cold face.
“Just one month ago, I gave you a clear warning. That I would no longer overlook actions that undermine the discipline of the Military Academy.”
“...Yes.”
Just as she thought.
Jin Crow nodded obediently with dry, unreadable eyes.
It would be more relieving if he at least put up a fight, but he always stops just short of crossing the line.
...How cowardly.
She narrowed her eyes at his attitude, then spoke as if that was enough.
“Surrender all your alcohol to the Military Police before midnight. And if you do not attend your upcoming lecture, I will have you formally referred to a court-martial.”
Even with Rosen behind him, he wouldn't be able to avoid a guilty verdict for such a clear dereliction of duty.
Even if the severity of the punishment would be incredibly light.
Although she had turned her back on her family and been pushed into an unimportant post, half by her own will and half by others, she still possessed that much authority.
Immediately after delivering her notice, she turned to leave his quarters.
No, she was about to leave.
If not for the answer from the man who would usually have let her leave without a word.
“Understood.”
She turned her head at the surprisingly compliant answer.
The face of Jin Crow that met her eyes was unusually pale, and an incredibly awkward smile hung on his trembling lips.
“...I see.”
That was all Idealle, feeling a strange sense of incongruity, could say.
***
-Understood.
Even as she left the quarters, Idealle unconsciously mulled over Jin Crow's reply.
‘Did he receive a separate warning from his faction?’
She couldn't think of any other possibility.
“Huu.”
Suddenly, she found herself ridiculous for having such worries.
What is a soldier?
Their profession and mission is to protect the people.
And yet, the military, which should be dedicating its all to protecting the people of the United Human Star Nation, is concerned with factions?
‘I must uproot them. Someday.’
Others said it couldn't be helped, but she could never tolerate the factions within the military.
...Even if they were, by some chance, her own blood or former comrades-in-arms.
She gritted her teeth once more and walked forward.