Reader of the Novel’s Extra

"So this is a replica of the Seven-Branched Sword, huh?" Suho examined the branched sword in the glass display case and said, "...It seems like it'd be pretty hard to use."

"Yeah." Hajin gave a half-hearted answer while sweeping his gaze across the surroundings.

'Dammit, of all times for the system to be down...!'

Hajin was sure his Arts and Gift was still working. But <Observation> wasn't active since the messages weren't available.

He wasn't really enlightened, so he didn't get to use the Status Screen properly.

And that meant that Hajin had to look around with his own eyes and use his own judgment.

Suho noticed and said, "...Are you alright, Hajin?"

"...I might just be paranoid..."

Hajin thought about how to explain the situation without sounding weird.

But then he remembered: he had already dealt with a djinn already.

The situation with Yeonha... he had passed it off saying he had a hunch. And since he was already one for one...

"...But I have a feeling that djinn might attack."

Suho's eyes widened and he reflexively reached for a sword at his side. But then he realized he didn't have one. He glanced at the Seven-Branched Sword replica in the display case before looking back at Hajin. "Are you sure?"

"Very." Hajin eyed the replica of Napoleon's Rifle- No, that one was the real deal, apparently. He looked at it, along with the Bullanggi mounted on a stand in a glass display next to the rifle.

In person, it looked a lot like a turret... which would help a lot if Hajin's fears came to pass.

'Chae Nayun isn't here. If things go down...'

Hajin observed the surroundings again and tried to remember what was supposed to happen.

Originally, this was the first main event. The Djinn Association was dispatched to assassinated a child that had a special Gift the Hero Association valued.

But he couldn't count on it unfolding like that.

First of all, because Hajin had killed their planted agent at Cube. Since he had done that, the Djinn Association would definitely be on high alert and move things to be sure they couldn't fail.

Second of all...

'I never specified any details about the child. Dammit.'

Hajin was regretting his lack of writing skills and attention to detail. Well, he had already been regretting since arriving in this world, but he regretted it more now.

There were too many children around since it was Sunday and a museum. Not to mention it was the start of March. Parents were out with kids to celebrate an early spring, apparently.

But that aside, and the most important thing he had to consider...

'I don't know what sort of Djinn will show up.'

Hajin had originally written this scene to show off Suho's cool nature and powers, as well as improve his rapport with Nayun.

But now Nayun wasn't here, and Hajin was in her place. Not only that, a Djinn had already appeared in the story and was taken out...

'Which means we could get something really dangerous here.'

If that message about the Djinn Association being more cautious that Hajin got a while back was true-

*BOOM*

An explosion erupted in the distance.

At the same time-

"Screw it!" Hajin held his hand out towards the Bullanggi.

<Master Sharpshooter> activated, and one of the additions he made last time to the skill activated too. Specifically, <Quick Draw>.

The mounted cannon suddenly appeared in front of Hajin.

A giant creature burst into the building. An intermediate rank monster along with its subordinates.

"Suho!" Hajin quickly started up the cannon, using the Sleight of Hand perk of his Gift to load it. "I'll handle the monsters! Take care of the Djinn!"

Suho smashed the glass case and grabbed the Seven-Branched Sword. "Got it!"

*BOOM*

A second explosion erupted. But this one was from Hajin.

The knockback from the cannon sent Hajin staggering back a few steps.

But a roar in the distance showed that his attack struck.

Suho held up his sword, blue sword ki wreathing it. Then he looked at the other visitors of the museum and said, "Stay behind my friend Hajin here! He'll protect you!"

Hajin let out a bitter laugh and said, "You're putting too much faith in me, Suho!"

Suho let out laugh and said, "Stay there! I'll get you more weapons!"

After that, he dashed off.

Hajin let out a nervous gulp and looked at the people quickly huddling behind him.

It was pressure. Immense pressure.

For a moment, Hajin felt it. The crippling anxiety that had caused him to go on hiatus in the first place. The feeling of eyes and expectations on his abilities, and the knowledge that he definitely wasn't enough.

But...

A young child with a pretty face and short hair looked up at Hajin. "...Are you going to protect us, Oppa?"

Hajin froze. Then he took a deep breath and nodded. "...Yeah." He reloaded the cannon with the last round just as monsters rushed into the hall.

This was his world.

He was the author.

Kim Suho, the protagonist that he wrote to be the strongest and kindest person had left his back to Hajin, entrusting the civilians to his hands.

So...

Hajin laughed and said, "I'll protect all of you."

*ding*

A soft chime echoed in Hajin's head.

At the same time, a message floated in his field of vision. One different from the ones he had been seeing until now.

===

> You have crossed a major mental hurdle and crippling fear.

> You have become enlightened.

> You, Kim Hajin, have awakened to your personal Gift.

> [A Creator's Resolve] has manifested.

===

[Gift]

A Creator's Resolve <Evolving Gift> - You have decided to embrace this world as your own and to risk your life to protect it. Luck will always be on your side. So long as you are fighting to protect a life, you cannot fail.

===

Hajin's eyes widened. But then he laughed and said, "Fine. FINE! If that's how you want to play it...!" He fired the last round at the monsters, making it ricochet to take them down. Then he grabbed Napoleon's Rifle and entered Bullet Time, using it to take down the rest.

But it wasn't enough.

More monsters burst into the scene. One. Then two. Ten...

Too many to count.

But Hajin didn't fear. He couldn't fear.

Because he could feel it. The gazes behind him. The expectations of people who were counting on him to keep them safe. The lives that he had wrought into existence with his own hands by writing this story in the first place.

"...You won't die here." Hajin spun Napoleon's rifle around and attached a bayonet laying nearby. "I've already written this ending! Unless I say otherwise, everyone here lives!"

After shouting those words (and ignoring how cheesy they were), he charged, trusting <Gun-Fu> to see him through.

===

Suho stood in front of the Djinn, the Seven-Branched Sword replica held loose at his side. "So, you're the one Hajin felt."

A man wearing a black coat smiled at Suho, his eyes burning a crimson red.

"Not one to talk, huh? Hm... maybe Lee's a bad influence. I feel like bantering a bit." Suho chuckled, remaining calm and relaxed as he casually walked forward.

...It was dangerous.

Suho could intuitively sense that the Djinn here wasn't a push over. In raw magic power output, Suho had a feeling that he would lose.

But...

'I know how to deal with being outclassed now.'

...He had spent all that time fighting someone who should have fallen due to the difference in stats.

A flicker of intention.

The Djinn ignited his magic power and sent a surge of jet-black evil qi at Suho's heart.

But he didn't block or dodge. Instead, he just took a single step to the side and lightly swung his sword, relying on the Seven-Branched Sword's sturdiness and deflecting it up. "Wow, is that it?"

Pieces of the ceiling crashed down. But other than that, nothing happened.

The Djinn narrowed his eyes. "...Lucky brat."

"Lucky..." Suho laughed. "If you think this is luck, you're dying here today."

It was a simple assessment.

Was it because he had spent so long trying to break through Lee's impossible defense back in the Anti-Personnel class?

For some reason...

"...You're wide open, you know?"

...The Djinn who felt much more powerful than Suho also felt like he was killable.

Suho kept approaching, taking simple steps.

The Djinn growled and held out his left arm, condensing his jet-black mana into a towering form.

But before it could finish-

"Yeah."

-Seven strands of blue sword ki dismantled the Djinn into pieces.

Suho instinctively jumped back, avoiding a last minute desperation attack of explosive magic power from the Djinn. But after that, he nodded and said, "...You're easier to kill than Lee."

The Djinn... No.

It had just been a man.

That man had grabbed at power that wasn't his to grow stronger. Absorbing the power of a demon into his body, that man had gained raw power at the cost of mastery.

In contrast to Lee, who Suho never managed to reach once...

"...As expected, the answer is in finding your own way after all, isn't it?" Suho murmured and looked at the sword in his right hand.

Until now, he had been relying on his Master's swordsmanship. Since that had been polished to a sheen in his past life, it was more than sufficient.

...But this wasn't that life. And this body was different too.

It had been fine until now. And for most cases, it probably would be fine. But...

Suho remembered Lee's calm demeanor and completely meticulous combat style. He recalled how Lee deliberately selected weapons to compensate for his lack of power while sealing certain avenues of attack.

And then Suho realized how he had intuitively used the Seven-Branched Sword replica just now, taking advantage of its split streams of sword ki to deal a certain fatal blow.

"Hm." Suho nodded. "I should take a page from that friend's book and pick up some spare swords. Since even Hajin is using multiple weapons these days-"

Suho froze, suddenly realizing it.

The surroundings were quiet.

Too quiet.

His eyes widened and he immediately sprinted back towards the main entrance, running down the hall he left from.

But as he reached it, he bounced off an invisible barrier. "This... dammit!"

Of course.

Since Hajin had taken a Djinn down before, they would be on guard. They wouldn't have just sent one.

Suho hesitated.

If he used his Gift, he could cut through. But if people knew exactly what it could do-

'No. It doesn't matter.'

Compared to his friends who were being even more audacious with their abilities, like Hajin and his Bullet Time, Lee and his combat prowess...

"Sever."

Suho swung his sword.

A crisp and clean sound like shearing steel echoed.

And then the barrier shattered.

At the same time it did, a gunshot echoed and a Djinn crumpled into a pile of ash.

Hajin stood in front of a crowd of civilians. His body was tattered, covered in blood, and ragged. The rifle in his hands was shattered from the last shot. The cannon he had used earlier was broken from being used as a makeshift shield.

But no one was injured.

The crowd looked terrified, but they were fine.

Instead, monster corpses, broken monster bones that had been used as makeshift weapons, and broken mana crystal shards glittered all over the floor.

Hajin looked up at Suho and laughed. "You bastard... What happened to getting me more weapons?"

Suho laughed as well and then walked over to place a hand on Hajin's shoulder. "You did well, Hajin."

"...Yeah." Hajin smiled, his eyes tearing up with emotion. "...I did, didn't I?"

After that, a young girl with a pretty face and short hair grabbed Hajin's hand. "Here, Brave Oppa!"

A faint pink light spread across Hajin's body, and then his wounds healed up.

Hajin blinked and smiled, ruffling the girl's hair.

At that time, the door suddenly burst open as a woman arrived in a flash of white light.

Yun Seung-Ah arrived in a flurry, sword drawn and her light brown ponytail flowing behind her.

Hajin looked up and chuckled. Glancing at Suho, he said, "Alright, Suho. I'll leave the rest... to you." After that, he tipped over, falling into a dead faint.

Suho caught him before he could hit the ground and chuckled. "...You crazy bastard." He looked around at the surroundings, at the completely unharmed citizens, and at the monster corpses that looked hastily crafted into makeshift weapons...

And a few of those makeshift weapons were still embedded in the walls and ceilings.

After seeing all of that, Suho shook his head and said, "Guess I need to do more too."