novelraw Chapter 9 : Chapter 9
Chapter 9 : Chapter 9
Chapter 9. The First Plausibility (5)
"What is this..."
I could not help but be flustered by the sudden notification that Shin Yu-hwan's ability had been registered.
I had not been able to find an answer no matter how much I searched for a way to add a hero to the object of admiration, to think it would be added so suddenly like this.
I swept away my flustered feelings and decided to check the talent first.
"Status Window."
A single word spat out shortly.
Following that single word, the Status Window started to appear before my eyes.[Embodiment of Admiration (EX)]
Descending Hero's Power
By consuming Influence Points, you can borrow the power of a hero you admire and have it descend upon your body. (However, if the admired hero is deceased, you cannot use their power.)
If you lack points, you can endure a penalty to use the 'Descending Hero's Power'.
Please check the registered admired heroes through Detailed View.
(It is currently in a locked state.)
The same explanation as usual.
However, there was a part that had definitely changed.
Currently admired heroes: Kim Su-hyeok, Shin Yu-hwan.
Shin Yu-hwan's name was written clearly besides Kim Su-hyeok.
What this meant was clear.
'He is really recorded.'
Is the standard that the 'Embodiment of Admiration' wants seeing the battle of the admired hero?
No, there is no way it is just that.
If it were possible with just that, I was confident I could record all the heroes inside Glory within a week.
Therefore, there is a high possibility that what the EX-Class talent wants is another aspect.
If so...
'Is it a sense of admiration welling up from deep within the heart?'
That would explain it.
The talent I possess is setting the standard based on before I came to this world right now.
That meant that except for Kim Su-hyeok, who did not meet his death in the original work, all admiration had been reset.
And isn't admiration something that does not form just by seeing someone's face?
To put it simply, it meant I was harboring the feeling of 'admired', not the feeling of 'admiring'.
In short, it meant I had to build up the reset admiration once again.
Shin Yu-hwan being added to the admired heroes meant that I harbored a sense of admiration once again.
"It is not an easy standard..."
"Hm? Boy, what did you say?"
Shin Yu-hwan replied to me as I was muttering to myself while thinking about the talent.
I wondered, 'Is it okay to act so relaxed during a battle?' but it did not take long to realize that it was a useless worry.
Because the villain, who was already collapsed in a half-dead state, entered my field of vision.
"You are incredibly fast."
However, I did not particularly want to answer that question, so I changed the subject.
Fortunately, Shin Yu-hwan did not pry any further either.
Instead, he just smirked and made my face burn hot.
"Haha, I am an A-Rank Player, so this much is light work. Rather, you are the amazing one, boy! Even though you must have been scared, the way you fought without backing down was just like a hero!"
"Not at all."
"No! I am telling you it was truly amazing? It is not easy even for official Players to be confident in front of an opponent stronger than them."
'That is because I knew you were coming.'
If it had not been for that, I would not have done such a dangerous thing either.
But I did not bother to voice that thought out loud.
With Shin Yu-hwan's personality, it was obvious that a useless conversation would only prolong if I denied it any further here.
So I should move on to a constructive conversation at this point.
"What is going to happen to that villain?"
"Hm? Ah. I kept him alive, so they will probably dig into the people behind him and then he will be executed. Because he killed a person in the end."
Saying that, Shin Yu-hwan furrowed his brows deeply.
As expected, it was a reaction fitting for a Player who operates primarily on hunting villains rather than Gates.
Anyway, his last words bothered me a little.
'Killed a person...'
The moment the guards died came to mind.
They, who died miserably while scattering blood.
Even though I had grown dull to it thanks to my SSS-Class talent, it did not mean I did not consider them human.
But what could I do?
To me, what was more valuable was myself and Ha Eun-ha. The guards' deaths were an unavoidable part.
Thinking that, the words Shin Yu-hwan said to me were truly funny.
'Just like a hero, that is not something I should be hearing.'
I merely protect heroes, I am not a hero.
A fact that I myself know to my bones.
Because a hero would never weigh human lives on a scale.
That is also why I admire heroes.
'Anyway, I should get going soon.'
Shin Yu-hwan's remark about being like a hero was a bit uncomfortable, but I had a lot of other things to do besides that.
Because this 'theft incident' was not over yet.
I checked the visitors trembling in the corner.
'Three people.'
One person is missing.
At the same time, the 'Suppressing Blade' was nowhere to be seen either.
Therefore, I decided to leave after conveying only the words I needed to tell Shin Yu-hwan.
"Mr. Shin Yu-hwan."
"Oh, what is this. Boy, did you know my name?"
"Yes. Because you are very famous."
It is not empty talk.
Because in reality, there were many who harbored doubts about why he operated under the nation rather than a guild.
"Haha! Hearing such talk to my face makes me embarrassed!"
"...Anyway, I have something to tell you."
"Hm? Ah, if it is about a reward, you do not have to worry. Our country might be a bit stingy, but they will still make sure to compensate you."
It would be nice to receive a reward, but that was not why I brought it up.
...But is it okay to say the country is stingy when he belongs to the state?
"Not about a reward."
"What is it. You have something else to tell me?"
"Yes. In two days, in the afternoon, the exhibition hall in Myeongdong. Please go there."
"What?"
As described in the novel. In two days, another theft incident occurs at the exhibition hall.
They will send even stronger bastards than now at that time, so I cannot go.
...But if I suddenly say something like this, he might ask what kind of bullshit that is.
Therefore, I added a plausibility that Shin Yu-hwan could accept.
"I heard the villain muttering earlier, and it seems an incident will occur then."
"Is that true?"
His expression darkened in an instant.
If it is to this extent, it means he believes me.
Then my role here is finished now.
Therefore, I returned the Artifact I used when fighting the villain and bid farewell.
"It is the truth. I had to unavoidably use this when fighting the villain earlier, so please understand. And you can get the incident report from the people in that corner over there."
"Uh, huh? Wait, boy. What is your name...!"
I heard Shin Yu-hwan's urgently speaking voice from behind.
However, I did not look back.
I wanted to converse a bit more with the hero I admired, but I was a bit busy right now.
Therefore, I left the exhibition hall just like that and headed for my target location.
***
"Oh dear, I could not ask for his name."
Watching Choi Yu-seong who had left, Shin Yu-hwan scratched his cheek as if he felt it was a shame.
However, he soon made an expression saying it was fine.
"Still, I definitely saw the insignia he was wearing on his chest."
That was definitely the insignia of Glory Academy.
That meant the boy was his junior.
"But looking at the color, he seemed to be a first-year, so how did he come out?"
Shin Yu-hwan recalled the time when he attended the academy.
Unless it was something extraordinary, first-years should not be given permission to go out around this time...
Is that why he changed the subject when I mentioned a reward?
He pondered over why the boy had come here, but nothing particular came to mind.
"...Well, whatever! Good is good!"
But what did that matter.
To Shin Yu-hwan, the important thing was that he found a useful junior.
"I should try approaching him once the academy's first midterm exams are over."
If he had it his way, he wanted to go to the academy right today, but that was impossible.
Because first-year cadets were blocked from making contact with any outside scouts until the first midterm exams were over.
However, he did not feel impatient.
"Seeing as he was not a cadet with immediately outstanding skills, it should be fine."
The Choi Yu-seong he saw was a type whose combat style was high-level but who lacked the skills to back it up.
Because in reality, Choi Yu-seong, who he had briefly seen before joining the battle, mostly parried rather than properly blocking.
A boy whose potential for future development was outstanding, but who was nothing much right now.
Thus, there would be no one showing greed to scout a boy who seemed to have no talent unless they looked closely.
Therefore, Shin Yu-hwan decided to take it easy.
"Then I should handle the work the boy left to me."
Shin Yu-hwan slung the villain, who was lying limply, over his shoulder and smiled brightly.
He did not like today's incident and the incident that would happen in two days, but he had a good encounter.
Shin Yu-hwan moved his steps like that, looking forward to the day he would meet Choi Yu-seong again.
***
A secluded alley where it seemed people would not walk.
There, I was looking for the villain who had run away with the 'Suppressing Blade'.
"As many as 5,000 Influence Points and adding Shin Yu-hwan's ability were quite good."
In fact, my original plan was to come here with Shin Yu-hwan.
Because it was an opponent that might be difficult to handle with my current skills.
However, thanks to the completely unexpected awakening of talent, I had no choice but to completely revise the plan I initially made.
'Because coming alone was better than coming together in the first place.'
If I had come with Shin Yu-hwan, dealing with the villain would have been no problem.
But if that had happened, it was obvious that the 'Suppressing Blade' would have ended up in the hands of the government.
If that happened, I would have had to return while leaving behind the anxiety-inducing factor that the 'Suppressing Blade' could be snatched by the villains again.
'It would rather be safer for me to have it.'
Even if the blade disappeared without a trace right here today, no one would suspect me.
Suspect an unknown 899th-ranked cadet even though Shin Yu-hwan visited this place?
It is something one could not think of with a normal mind.
I continued to roam the alleyways while harboring such thoughts, and then.
"Found him."
I could spot the villain looking around and surveying his surroundings from afar.
"First, the talent."
Waiting for the opponent to transform is something that only happens in a shōnen manga.
Because unlike manga, the reality is that people will try to kill you immediately if they see an opening.
Therefore, I immediately activated my talent.
Then, refreshing notifications echoed in my ears.
[You use the Descending Hero's Power.][You reproduce the recorded hero's ability.]
[Please set which ability you will use.]
"Shin Yu-hwan."
No matter how I think about it, using Shin Yu-hwan's ability is a hundred times more beneficial.
The total sum of points I possess is 6,400.
Actually, it is obvious that both Shin Yu-hwan's ability and Kim Su-hyeok's ability will be significantly reduced, but if so, it is right to use Shin Yu-hwan's ability.
Because assuming they are reduced, Kim Su-hyeok's talents mainly consist of things that are almost useless.
Rather than that, it was the right choice to use Shin Yu-hwan's talent, which possesses intuitive power.[The points you currently possess are 6,400 points.][With the points you currently possess, you can descend 10% of the ability.][By using a penalty, you can descend 15% of the ability.]
"To be safe, it would be better to use the penalty, right?"
I do not know how severe that penalty is, but it felt like it would be good to use it for now.
One might think that a 5% figure does not make much of a difference, but it was an incredibly large figure for a Player on Shin Yu-hwan's level.
Therefore, I boldly descended Shin Yu-hwan's ability, even using the penalty.
[The reproduction of Shin Yu-hwan's ability begins.]
The System alarm did not sound again after that.
However, even without a notification, I could feel it through my senses.
The fact that my body had changed right now.
'To think the reduced power is to this extent.'
Even though it was reduced, a power that the original me could not even imitate began to circulate within my body.
What should I call it... Yeah. Should I say it is a sensation like driving a sports car after riding in a 5,000-dollar used car?
It felt like a completely different world had unfolded before my eyes compared to until now.
"If it is this much."
It is not just enough.
It is an overflowing power for a mere villain running away after stealing an Artifact.
My mood improved considerably as I thought that.
Because it meant I could soon kill the piece of trash who provided the excuse for Ha Eun-ha's death.
THUD, THUD.
I do not know how long I can maintain the ability reproduction.
In that case, it would be better to take care of it as quickly as possible.
I slowly moved my steps toward the villain.
But was the villain's hearing better than I thought?
The villain, who had not even noticed my location just a moment ago, discovered me.
"Huh? Who are you, kid?"
"......"
"Why is this rotten brat not answering?"
The villain started to lose his temper when I did not answer.
It is actually a question not worth answering.
Because that bastard was merely a piece of trash being used, with no direct connection to the hero's death.
However, I decided to specifically answer that question.
He was a guy who was going to die anyway, and though he was trash, he was the first human I would kill, so I showed some mercy.
"Extra 1."
"What?"
"You asked who I was. You asked, so I answered."
I said that and added one more word after it.
"Plus, I am also the brat who is going to kill you."