SBWD Chapter 7

The employee organizing the remaining documents checked his phone, then smacked his coworker sitting next to him.

“Before hitting someone, shouldn’t you first say what you want? How did you even pass the association’s personality test with that attitude-“

“Hey, since we finished work early, wanna go watch the match?”

“…Do we have to go to that?”

The employee wearing glasses frowned.

“Why are you so dry? Don’t you think it’ll be fun?”

“I don’t know.”

If he went without much thought and ran into Yoo Hwa-shin, it was obvious what kind of tricks and mockery he would use to tease him.

—Mr. Employee! You said you weren’t coming, but you ended up showing up? Wow, you were curious about me after all, right?

Just imagining it was exhausting. Rubbing his throbbing temples with his thumb, the rising frustration and stress welled up. Somehow, despite only meeting him a few times, Yoo Hwa-shin had a knack for messing with people’s heads.

“Our colleague inside said the first match is already over. It was Jang’s victory.”

The coworker’s eyes sparkled as he raised his arms high.

“That S-rank Jang?”

“That’s right! An illusion-type among the S-ranks. At first, he wasn’t recognized as S-rank, but was promoted later. Tsk, isn’t his backstory perfect?”

Awakeners and ranks.

What once seemed like a dream had imperceptibly become reality, and within just 5 years, people had adapted.

Of course, reality didn’t have the fantasies people dreamed of in the past, like hunters, skyrocketing salaries, or dungeon conquests.

Unidentified monsters invaded reality through gates, and people died. Eaten by monsters, burned to death, sliced apart, or blown up. The state of the corpses, with their varied causes of death, was unimaginably gruesome, scattered across the streets.

Death was a reality. People had to wail as they watched their parents die before their eyes, and even if they witnessed such a sight, they had to abandon the corpses and flee to preserve their own lives.

The first gate opening in South Korea. Seoul that day was a scene of chaos.

The situation gradually spiraled out of control. Before long, an awakener miraculously appeared. Only after all the monsters were killed by the awakener’s hand did the first gate that appeared in Korea close.

When it was discovered that this gate phenomenon was occurring worldwide, an international agreement was established, spearheaded by the United States.

—Awakeners will be managed by each country’s government, and awakeners who refuse to belong to the government will have their right to use their abilities revoked.

After the agreement, South Korea assigned all awakeners to a special national occupation called “heroes.” When they attached the childish name of “hero” instead of “hunter” to the job, everyone opposed it, but in the end, awakeners became “heroes.”

As time passed, an international standard for awakening abilities was also established to manage each country’s heroes. Thus, some became S-rank, some A-rank, some B-rank, and others below that. At the same time, status windows appeared.

The status window was a program that allowed awakeners to check their physical and mana structure through holograms.

It was cutting-edge technology visible only to one’s own eyes, and if there were changes in abilities, the rank, skills, precautions, etc. would automatically update. If an ability not in the database was registered, it would automatically update on the global server.

However, the status window didn’t display detailed numerical values or levels like in games. The status window showed the abilities the awakener personally felt, specific skills, and rank according to standards.

Ha Cheong-won was no exception.

[ Name: Ha Cheong-won

Overall Rank: B

Basic Physical Strength: B

Mana Capacity: B …..[View Detailed Information]

Reality wasn’t a game, and strength wasn’t determined by levels or numbers alone.

Sometimes, a B-rank could defeat an A-rank, and a C-rank attack-type ability could be more suitable for the field than a B-rank support-type hero.

However, there were still limits. There were clear differences between ranks. That gap became more pronounced at higher levels. So it was absurd for an F-rank to defeat an A-rank or S-rank.

“I wonder who will be in the SH unit. Ahh, I’m already excited!”

Ha Cheong-won calmly replied while cleaning his dirty glasses to the highly agitated voice.

“Obviously, it’ll be filled with all S-ranks. It’s easier to promote our country’s heroes that way.”

“Really? Anyway! Let’s hurry and go watch. Come to think of it, weren’t you acquainted with that F-rank guy from earlier? I heard his match against an A-rank just started!”

Ha Cheong-won put his glasses back on.

The difference in rank and ability between heroes becomes more pronounced at higher levels.

So there’s no way that F-rank man can defeat an A-rank.

“I got it, so stop nagging.”

Eventually, urged by his colleague, Ha Cheong-won grabbed his coat and followed him down to the underground area where the match was being held. As they approached the light-filtering door, he could feel his pulse quickening.

Yes, this wasn’t anticipation, but anxiety. The absurd anxiety that the man might somehow be able to defeat an A-rank.

***

What the.

It was strange.

Ko Young-woo had no intention of flaunting his abilities against an F-rank. If he did, he would become a laughingstock among the higher-ranked heroes watching this match.

So he just planned to test the waters a bit.

Sternly warn the F-rank that this wasn’t his place, throw a few punches, and he would stumble out on his own.

“Huff, huff.”

But what was the reality? His fists weren’t landing on Yoo Hwa-shin at all. Whenever it seemed like they connected, no one was there. The force put into his missed strikes was regrettable.

Moreover.

“Haa. You’re too slow. Can’t you move a little faster? At this rate, everyone will find out how strong I am.”

The damn sarcasm interjected in between. Among this situation, there was absolutely nothing Ko Young-woo liked.

“Shut up!”

Gritting his teeth, Ko Young-woo barked out a word. His immense muscles were fast, which was his strength.

Pulling his right arm far back, he charged. He grabbed the shoulder of the F-rank trying to dodge to the side. Thrusting the fist he had readied forward at the face of the immobilized Hwa-shin. Got it. It connected. This time for sure. He thought he could smash that annoying face, but…

‘…What.’

The Yoo Hwa-shin who should have been there was gone. The shoulder he had definitely grabbed was now free, and Hwa-shin, lowering his head, strongly pushed Ko Young-woo’s left shin with the sole of his foot. Although his basic physical strength was D-rank, he was still an awakener, so Ko Young-woo’s body was slightly pushed back.

Hwa-shin’s body was spotless without a single injury. Even his clothes were the same as in the beginning. A crisp shirt and black slacks. It would be uncomfortable to move in, so how the hell was he dodging all my attacks?

“Hmm.”

Unlike Ko Young-woo, whose anger had reached the top of his head, the leisurely Hwa-shin was still contemplating which ability would be good.

‘But I did make a promise to Moo-eum, and I do want to show something here. Choosing a decently good ability is more tricky than I thought.’

“Hey! F-rank.”

Ah, right. Hwa-shin finally looked at the man in front of him with round eyes.

“Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something and forgot to play along in between. Haha.”

My god. What did he say?

Surprisingly, that sarcastic apology, accompanied by a sly smile, made the person even more pissed off. Ko Young-woo’s nostrils flared. An invisible, hot breath escaped from his nostrils.

Play along? Forgot?

“This bastard-!”

Hwa-shin let out a deep sigh. …..It becomes easier to read when they get that angry.

“Hyaaah!”

With a resounding shout, he threw another punch. But this time, the trajectory was a bit different. The flow of karma was pointing to the stomach, unlike the fist heading for the shoulder. He probably expected a backward movement and changed the direction to the stomach.

This meathead, he’ll be in a lot of pain since he has no stomach muscles.

Predicting his movement, Hwa-shin lightly spoke.

“Stomach?”

“….!”

Ko Young-woo’s expression crumpled like a piece of paper thrown in the trash can.

‘How…?’

…..No way. Is he a precognition ability user?

No. There are no registered heroes in the country with precognition abilities that can be freely utilized in combat.

But even if he knew it was being read, it was now impossible to forcibly beat the trajectory of the fist. The body moves in the determined direction.

“You-!”

The waist brushing right next to the fist. He tried to grab that waist, but he couldn’t catch the escaping Hwa-shin. Hwa-shin naturally slipped to the side and deflected the hand he stretched out.

Light movements that stayed one step ahead no matter what he did, but they were precise without any excess. Thus, there was little physical exertion. Ko Young-woo felt like he was chasing a ghost.

“Mr. Young-i.”

Fuck, my name is Ko Young-woo, you bastard. In an instant, Young-i…no, Ko Young-woo, who gained a cute name, frowned.

Hwa-shin, who even said the name wrong, lightly stood in place and drew a circle with his finger toward his heart, saying,

“Aren’t you curious how I’m dodging all of your attacks?”

How he could anticipate and dodge everything like this. It was simple.

“Fate is truly a cogwheel made of threads.”

A few laws he discovered while seeing, manipulating, and reconstructing karma.

“Countless threads gather to compose you, and through those threads, you can be predicted.”

To understand the flow, one had to internalize the phenomenon of karma itself.

“With that kind of principle-.”

“Are you a cult? Sorry, but I don’t believe in that stuff.”

Ko Young-woo spat and caught his breath. Yoo Hwa-shin shrugged.

“You really don’t believe me even when I explain it.”

Seeing the flow of karma didn’t simply end with manipulating others’ actions and beating fate.

To manipulate actions, one needed to see that flow, and when focusing on that flow, it showed a short but definite future.

So, reading the karma of a simple-minded muscleman was easy. In the first place, he was too slow.

‘But now, I should decide what ability to show.’

While Hwa-shin was racking his brain, Ko Young-woo’s patience had run out, and his insides were not only boiling but the lid had flipped over.

Right! Who cares if he becomes a laughingstock. What does it matter to him? He didn’t want to lose this match! He wanted to join the SH unit! He wanted to stand above others!

He became a hero to feel a sense of superiority!

Someone like him had no time to waste on an F-rank like this. In the end, Ko Young-woo decided to use his ability. Spreading his arms wide, he shouted,

“Shadow!!”

With a single word, the shadow on the ground rose enormously. His shadow, which grew to be about 10 times its original size, boasted a tremendous size like a golem from the world he used to live in.

Moreover, resembling its master, it was very muscular. The black shadow’s muscular contours were very distinct.

Ko Young-woo’s ability was “Shadow Avatar.” He could freely transform and move a single shadow he possessed.

Pointing at Yoo Hwa-shin, he shouted loudly once more.

“Go and devour him!”

With that, the shadow instantly pounced on Hwa-shin.