Play Dead II

I swing my daggers and rhythmically strike the vital points of the dummy scarecrow in front of me. I am growing, and the thought elates me. My current goal is to at least reach the average physical abilities of a Cube Cadet.

Sadly, I am still far from it.

"Hmm… That is so nice of Hajin… He actually is inviting me to join the clubs he is planning to go with…"

I return to my dorm while fiddling with my smartwatch. I give Hajin a positive response that the Academic, Reading, and Travelling Clubs interest me. I easily finish the Application Forms online. Apparently, Hajin doesn't know that it can be done online.

"Man, you should read the Brochure… That is why they exist." I send him a text where I simply receive an LMAO… It feels weird for Hajin to sound so human.

My honest impression of Kim Hajin from the novel is he is too eager to go home and finish the story to the point that he does not care if it will hurt him in the process. Kim Hajin might not show it, but he is kind, and that is why he cannot make cruel choices at the expense of good people for his benefit. Many times, I feel like Hajin can achieve more if only he is more evil.

For example, Kim Hajin can manipulate Chae Nayun into falling in love with him and then make use of her after. While at it, he can also seduce Yeonha or even Rachel. With the tools he can access, he can as much break the story than fix it... and it has always been easier to destroy than to fix.

Additionally, I feel that Hajin is implicitly trying to please the co-author, the existence responsible for bringing him into this world. As a result, Hajin is moving unknowingly at the co-author's plot. And in my eyes, Hajin's kindness is being taken advantage of by the co-author.

In my opinion, the real big bad boss of 'The Novel's Extra' is the co-author, the very entity who swaps Kim Chundong's soul with Kim Hajin. The co-author may as well be the existence responsible for my coming here.

While around Hajin, I am actually walking on landmines. That much I am aware of, but this is a risk I must necessarily take. For all I know, 'I' might be an accident that the co-author does not foresee. I cannot really tell, but the 'error' notification gives me some level of confidence.

Despite knowing 'The Novel's Extra', I am severely lacking in information. Moreover, I can barely remember the novel despite reading it back and forth from the manhwa and the novel itself.

My memory retention of the plot is the only silver lining to this, which I fear I might lose someday too. Thus, I dedicate an hour of a day to writing the novel according to my memory. I record it on a little dinghy notebook I hide under my bed pillow. It is dangerous since this can compromise my knowledge of the future.

As a countermeasure, I make it so that I change the names of the characters in the notebook, and if another person manages to read it, I can simply tell them that it is a novel I am planning on making. It is not foolproof but it is better than nothing.

After writing in the notebook the plot I remember, I then proceed to make food. I pitifully glance at my hands and fingers full of bandages as a result of dagger cuts from the training.

I don't know if I should be thankful that I am a terrible cook, and the state of my hands doesn't matter when it comes to cooking. In the end, I just heat up some canned goods.

After eating, I wash the dishes, return to bed, and meditate according to Kim Suho's instructions.

The practice of my Gift has been fruitless, however. It is a more difficult Gift than I bargain for. Except for the application of [Always Here], the function of [Not Here] requires a fuckton of magic power. My [Nobody Knows] Gift might be more special than I imagined.

Following the laws of equivalent exchange, there must be something more to my Gift as the more energy consumption I have, the more effects there should be. I just don't know the mechanics behind it.

For now, my Gift's second option is trash to me as invisibility within three seconds until magic power exhaustion is not really a great help in combat.

I fall into slumber as my meditation exhausts me of my mental stamina.

***

Dirty blonde hair, an amiable smile, and an innocent gaze. His charm is both imploring and natural. The president of the Academic Club, Yun Hyuk, drinks from a cup of red wine as he admires his looks in front of the mirror.

The narcissism embedded in his soul feels just like his own, when in fact, it comes from becoming a shared characteristic with his Devil Contractor— Lilith, the Devil of Enchantment.

In exchange for selling his soul to the Devil, he receives a 'beautiful' appearance, and an ability 'Enchantment' to manipulate and bewitch others. It is truly a devilish power. To whisper in another's ears and make them abide by your wishes is just pure malevolent.

"Hmmm… Such luck… Looks like Yoo Yeonha will be attending the Academic Club." The innocent façade erases itself and replaces it with a sickly perverted grin.

Yun Hyuk remains gazing at his reflection, while he mouths off his plans on conquering a new chess piece for the sake of his ambition. "Oh, my lady… Lilith… I shall fulfill your obsessions, and with her as my offering, I hope you can glance at me once more…"

As a third-year upperclassman, he ought to graduate very soon. To have the backing of Cube and possess a Hero Certificate while being a Djinn is an amazing feat on its own. But that is not really worth much for him.

What makes Yun Hyuk truly special is the connection he has been building within Cube for a long time. Using his handsome looks, and glib tongue, he manages to amass a force of his own.

To Yun Hyuk, what matters for him the most is for Lilith to continue looking at him, and blessing him with her love. With an intoxicated expression, he continues gazing at his reflection like a madman.

Djinns. They are humans who have become servants to the Devils by selling their souls. In other words, they are the Devil's lackeys. They are the betrayers of humanity who would rather follow their own desires than control their instincts like any proper humans do.

In this world, the Djinns are a worldwide problem that represents much of the atrocities that villains commit around the world. Because Djinns have a weaker mentality due to their demonic nature, they tend to show psychotic tendencies.

For Heroes, killing Djinns is an important job for the sake of protecting humanity. One less Djinn means a safer world.

Yun Hyuk understands this, and that's why he is quite a careful Djinn. Moreover, he is the kind that prefers scheming. His management skills are definitely not to be looked down upon.

"Hmmm… How are our new members?" He softly asks his secretary who lacks an iota of emotion on her face.

The secretary, a brunette woman about his age, gives an apathetic smile as she gives her report in a dull voice and unmoving gaze. "They are all well-accounted for. They will move as you command…"

***

[Travel Club Announcement]—

There will be a short trip on Sunday to serve as a freshman orientation.

[Academic Club Announcement]—

There will be an orientation on Friday for freshmen.

I glance at my smartwatch and quickly disregard it as I continue my training. This time, Kim Suho is sparring with me and kindly pointing out my mistakes. The theory of 'personal combat' is quite simple but difficult to apply especially if it involves magic power.

"Stop blinking! You have to anticipate the attack!" He shouts at me while I awkwardly falter backward because of the fear of being hit. I instinctively close my eyes on the process.

"Fight back! Don't run away!" I look behind me as Suho tries to run after me. For some reason, he is having difficulty keeping track of me. I find another use of my Gift while I maneuver around the obstacles on my way.

"Where the hell are you!? COME BACK HERE, YOU HOPELESS STUDENT!" I receive a text from Suho, which I shamelessly ignore.

I am already at the canteen as I lost my pursuer before I became aware of it. I feel bad for Suho. I might be taking advantage of him as I know he will still take me in despite running away like that.

"Yo," The greeting intimately resounds in my ears. "Hmmm… You are good at running, huh?"

I gulp at the sight of Kim Suho suddenly appearing by my side. He kindly drags me back to the Training Grounds. I can only kindly let him drag me in silence since he is being so nice... that he is not resorting to violence. I imagine that if I pull the same shit with the instructors, I will be in a world of hurt.

My training continues with a dedicated teacher at hand.

"As I am saying, I am only testing if my Gift works on you!" I try to reason with Suho for my recent escape attempt, while he threatens me with a half-sheathed sword. This time, he might actually draw it. "I am sorry... I won't do it again..." I sincerely give my apologies to Kim Suho who kindly accepts my excuse, or reasoning and even compliments me on how excellent I am at running to the point he decides to double my jogging distance every morning from now on.

He is giving me a compliment, right?

I comply with my Savior-nim hoping to get lighter beatings during the sparring session.

For the following days though, Kim Suho continues to give me a walloping.