Adapting I

[ Magnus (MC) POV 9 years later ]

When I woke up from the strange delusion I had, I first realized that I hadn't died...duh...seconds after that thought, I fell down feeling a bit dizzy, as a stream of memories and the feelings associated with them filled my head, I just sat there crying for a bit and then reaffirmed my determination to get stronger....the person who I'd called dad disappeared inside a dungeon and my mom fell into eternal slumber 3 and half years ago.

Jin-woo my brother works his ass off to pay for part of mom's medical bills (the machine that provides life-support to eternal slumber patients isn't cheap at all) at dungeons and frequently gets hospitalized with injuries, I know from the manhwa that he was chosen to be Ashborn's vessel, the new Shadow Monarch, my only worry being if my presence has changed this in any way...

I think back to when one day, he said something about a system....heh.. it was both relieving and funny to seem him stand up on the bed and looking at the air in front of him....

[Flashback - Hospital]

"Hello, I'm here for my brother Jin-woo, can I go see him now?" I asked a nurse at the reception.

Looking up at me she blushes for a bit and slowly collects herself,

"....S-Sure give me one moment to check, if he's having a routine check-up" saying so, she makes a call and confirms that he's alone in his room for now, nodding at her, I make my way to a lift nearby.

I have to say my new look screams Peak-Masculine-Beauty! Like if Gojo Satoru and Tusigkuni Yoriichi were to fuse,it would be me, I've got a strong jawline, long straight silver-white hair, a faint golden sun mark on my forehead with thin black outlines that makes it stand out more and my eyes are reminiscent of the Tenseigan from Naruto only that the irises are golden and the flower pattern are a whitish blue, a bit hypnotic really....overall I'd say that whoever or whatever made a body for me is a bit of a perfectionist.

I'm not gonna lie and say I could've done without it, coz the term face value...does quite literally apply here, I've worked as a model part time here and there to earn money for mom's treatment, I don't enjoy the job, but I don't hate it too, it is what it is...I've refused several offers for a contract, coz I don't want the publicity at the moment, it can really destroy people and families after all, a few more months and then the whole family is going to be together.....finally.

But I digress, I reach the 2nd floor and walk towards the room where Jin-woo is at... ya know for all the future hype about him being the shadow monarch.....My wallet is crying TT ...coz I have to pay for his hospital bills dammit! The Association doesn't pay for E-rankers... Being the older brother does have its pros and cons....I must reconsider if I do actually want to be the older one, when the younger one is the one that gets doted on the most....hmmmm....anyway..

I open the door to see him standing up on the hospital bed and trying to poke something in the air, seems like the systems exists, but who says I can't poke fun at the future Shadow Monarch ?

"Hey, Jin-woo! seem's you've finally lost it huh ? you trying to poke a mosquito to death or what ??"

He gets all flustered and asks me....

"...H-Hey Mag..... don't you see something here ??"

I know what he's talking about but I pretend to be oblivious, this is his journey, he learns a lot on this path from what I've read... so I'll leave it to him, I'll always have a watchful eye on him tho, gotta be a good older brother....umu.

"What are you talking about ?? I see nothing there..... oi oi have you actually lost it, should I go call the nurse ??" I said as I make my way to the door to go call for a nurse.

"Shut up! you bastard!" he throws a hospital slipper at me, I dodge to the right and it goes flying out the opened door, an old couple sitting outside, looks at me a bit surprised...

I whisper to them - "I just told my younger brother that Santa doesn't exist"

They nod sagely.." We wish you good luck young man, you're gonna need it, if he had such a strong reaction " 

I gave them a thumbs up, and kicked his slipper back into the room, ain't no way I'm picking that up, If it was a beautiful woman then I wouldn't mind enacting a Cinderella scene, thinking like that I went back in and said

"Oi Jin-woo, Jin-ah is worried about you, you know ? I'm working multiple jobs part time and you're working in the dungeons, I can only console her so much when her brother comes back half-dead every time...she says she'll find work after classes so that you can stay at home."

He looks up at me, he has a guilty and worried look on his face.

"I know Mag, no matter how hard I try I'm still just an E-rank after all, but I'll keep doing it again and again, as long as I have to.....you know why I'm doing it right ?" he says looking out the window

"Yeah, you hope maybe you'll one day find a cure for mom in a dungeon...." I said while also looking out the window to see the setting sun.

"....yeah and for the money, after dad disappeared and mom still remained adamant about dad coming back , you were the pillar all of us relied on, you've always been grounded you know, you've been taking care of both me and Jin-ah ever since mom....you know.....you've also taken up so many jobs to save up money for the rent and mom's medical fee...I just felt that I had to contribute more..."

I frown for a bit....he does risk his life a lot, what if ....but then I shake my head and walk towards him, place a hand on his shoulder and say - "I understand..... remember this, I've got your back, lil'bro."

He smiles at me and nods, that is all I need to tell him, I'm not going to spit on his determination, besides he has an actual way to gain strength now....I'm happy for him...

"Alright, I'll see you at home when you get discharged!" I said and he waved back at me as I walk out of the room.

On my way back I get a tub of fried chicken from a good place nearby, a little treat for my cute Jin-ah, ever the glutton....I chuckle under my breath. 

// sidenote: Jin-woo and Mag are close to 20 and Jin-ah's 16. //

[ Flashback End ]

It's been 7 months since then and I can actually look at the progress Jin-woo's making... he seems more confident now, his body movements exude a sense of sharpness, like that of a sheathed dagger. He's frequenting a lot of dungeons now to grow in strength.

He doesn't tell me...obviously...he's a bit edgy like that, but for someone who's read the novel it's clear as day that he's running dungeons back to back, I hear a doorbell ring, it must be him...

"One sec!" I get to the door and see Jin-woo and a girl of about Jin-ah's age.....Han-Songyi I assume...

"Do we have some lunch left ?" He asks me and with songyi on his tail, he walks by the still slightly stunned me....is this what I think it is ??....I mean in the novel he spoke to her near her house....but now he's brought her home ? Did he actually fall for her ?

"Yeah, it's in the fridge" I absent-mindedly reply....eh.... no way....Let's just go with the flow...

"So who is this, Jin-woo ?"

"Jin-ah's classmate, she wants to quit studies and work full time as a hunter she says" Jin-woo looks at her a bit worried.

"Okay, so what rank is she ?" I ask, I've gotta keep up the act....my acting skills are now at level 9/10 I'm pretty sure, it's tough to keep your expressions schooled in when you already know what's gonna happen....most of the time..

Songyi looks at me all flustered and replies, "I-I'm E-rank"....

I know, I'm handsome....but this is an issue...

"Sit down please, Han-songyi".....oh boy this is gonna be a long one.....big brother persona is a bit difficult to control.....sigh.