73 The Aftermath IV

"The fight began with the Detention Center. The place is destroyed enough that I cannot glean more, but it shows from the investigation that you have been frequenting the place a lot for the past few weeks."

Yun Seung-Ah's narration is on point, so I let her continue.

"The fight has been terrible. I don't know what happened inside that room, but it is safe to assume that the fight has been brought outside after some time because of the appearance of more Djinns in sight. Why is there a need for reinforcement, I ask? Because there is an 'objective' that has to be completed. The first Djinn that appears finds out that there is too much for itself alone to chew, thus it asks for backup. If you are alone, then that narrow space would have been greatly advantageous for you. But if you are swamped, then you are dead. Be honest with me. You are their 'objective,' aren't you?"

"…" She has it all wrong… almost… I am so speechless that I even forget to intervene in her narrative.

"Listen to me; the Association is most likely to use you as a scapegoat, and I want to help you. I don't know why you are hiding your strength, but now is not the time for that. With the right words, and my support, we can paint you as a victim… and then a hero! That depends on why the Djinns are targeting you, though, so please trust me."

"…" I know it. She has it all wrong. I fear the misunderstandings ballooning up, but it is entertaining to watch her fumble around. I bet this Yun Seung-Ah will be great friends with the past iteration's Yoo Yeonha.

"This is just a wild guess, but are you the Great Sage's successor?"

"…" I regret being silent all this time. How did she reach that conclusion?

I fake disinterest and curiosity. "How do you come up with that? I wish... I really am his successor." I phrase it in a way that even with the presence of a lie detector, I will not be found out.

Yun Seung-Ah shares her deductions. "If there are really Djinns hiding within Cube, it doesn't make sense why they make such a drastic move now. Doesn't lying low within Cube make more sense, and stealthily do their purpose of converting cadets into Djinns? There must be something worth the risk of revealing their identities that they made this drastic decision of flipping Cube! The Great Sage's inheritance is enough to move even Djinns!"

She is making sense, but she has it all wrong!

"Thank you for your concern, ma'am…" I kindly explain to her how useless her efforts are. "There is no need for you to put so much effort, ma'am, as I will be free as a bird by next week. I only ask that you don't cause trouble for yourself anymore."

***

Yun Seung-Ah is baffled by how calm Hyon Hyung is. "Free as a bird by next week? Is there a force behind him?" There is a small selfishness somewhere in her heart that she wants to put Hyon Hyung into debt and make him join her Guild.

It is calculative, but she only means well.

More than that, she is most certain that he must have inherited the Great Sage's inheritance. The reason for this is the Detention Center. Back when she was still a Cube Cadet, there is an urban legend that the Great Sage has left his inheritance within Cube, and whoever finds it will gain a path to wisdom.

Yun Seung-Ah has been proud of her level of perception since her youth. And with her perception comes her hunch that relies not on the sixth sense but on the study of the information available to her.

After so much investigation, she finally narrowed down the inheritance to the Artificial Intelligence working on Cube. Of course, she tries to earn the right to inherit it, but she is not able to pass. She wants to share information about this inheritance with her friends as an act of generosity.

However, everyone who learns about the AI's secrets and the inheritance it safeguards from Yun Seung-Ah is immediately deemed disqualified. At that time, many are calling her a red herring, thus ending the urban legend about the Great Sage's inheritance.

The reason she thinks that Hyon Hyung has become the Great Sage's successor is his eloquence. Of course, that is not enough proof, but the fact that the CCTV footage is all sabotaged is proof enough. It makes perfect sense for her.

Only the Cube AI can do something like tampering with the CCTV footage at that time. While they may seem circumstantial evidence now, it is highly likely that this is the truth.

"Junior, how did it go?" Aileen asks Yun Seung-Ah on her way out.

Yun Seung-Ah sighs with complex emotions. "I don't know."

"Is that so? I will help you more if you join the Association. It is getting boring here, and I'd like a few more friendly faces around. I am getting tired of seeing those old coots' faces…" Aileen complains.

"He he he… Sorry, Aileen-ssi… I'd rather not join…" It is Yun Seung-Ah's dream for her Guild to maintain the No.1 spot and someday call herself one of the best heroes to exist in all of humankind.

"If Hyon Hyung-ssi says that he already has taken care of it, then I will believe him…" She decides firmly on this, trusting that the inheritor of the Great Sage is not some random weakling.

***

It is the third day now. I am still chilling and relaxing.

[Infiltrating and Hacking the Hero Association's Tower's System at 31%]

Thankfully, I have the [Orb of Solomon] with me, increasing the speed of the hacking of the Hero Association's Tower's system exponentially.

Of course, the Association personnel have checked up on me, but if I really want to hide something, then they will not find it on me unless a Master Rank Hero or a High-Rank Appraiser personally sees to it. [Not Here] is not so powerful, however, that I can keep up this invisibility for long. I empty my magic power for the day to imbue the effects of [Not Here] on the [Orb of Solomon].

This is also a form of training for me. Speaking of training, the effects of the Great Sage's breathing method have stagnated to a halt. My intelligence stat is only increasing in decimals now, and the magic power is no longer increasing. I guess such a cheat-like power will also have its limitations.

I can only nick at it time and time again until one day, the accumulation of these efforts will finally bear fruit in an increase in strength.

The day eventually ends without any disturbance. I slept nicely that night.

On the fourth day, Shin Jonghak received an award for leading the Cube Cadets in fighting and defending Cube against the Djinns. He does not say much and simply receives the rewards with humility which is weird. That is very unlike Jonghak. I watched the ceremony through Cube AI connecting to the internet.

Jonghak is not an idiot. It should be finally registering in his mind that if I have any malicious objectives, I wouldn't so easily give myself up to the Association. I have one more thing to tease Jonghak about as the reason he is actually receiving an award is because of my manipulation.

***

"What can you say about the incident? Has the mastermind truly been finally captured? It is said you played a vital role in capturing the criminal and leading the cadets thus avoiding any casualty in the process?" A journalist asks Jonghak, somewhat aware of an answer, maybe the result of being tipped off.

Shin Jonghak flatly refuses to answer. "No comment."

However, there is a shit-stirrer among his retinue who belongs to the Hero Association. "We currently have caught the culprit of the incident, and he is a cadet of Cube. His name is…"

Frankly, Shin Jonghak is all brawns and pride. There is no particular reason as to why he takes the microphone to his mouth and suddenly speaks up to the journalist except for the petty reason of being outshone. "It is still currently under investigation, and the suspect being questioned is still not confirmed to be the primary culprit."

It is also possible that the suspect is being framed. The journalist asking the question senses the scoop immediately. Something like "Friction between Hero Shin Jonghak and the Association!" or "The Association Framing a Cube Cadet!" can become the headlines tomorrow.

The thought of fame does make Jonghak feel good, but at this very moment, he is more concerned about what is up with the Hero Association. 'Avoiding any casualties? Lies...' He bitterly swallows the truth. There have been cadets in his watch who have died and suddenly become a missing person case. There are also a lot of Djinn deaths. Are they going to ignore all of them?

Being exposed to the dirt of the Hero Association, Shin Jonghak walks off the press conference.

***

The young Hero Shin Jonghak has become a viral sensation quickly. It is also because his grandfather is Shin Myungchul, the Hero of Outcall.

Moreover, the interviews that the reporters get from the Cube Cadets all place Shin Jonghak on a pedestal. I watch all of the interviews somehow proud that I have a role in all of this. I slept a little bit angry that night. Jonghak must be all smug and happy now.

On the fourth day, the Hero Association finally drops my name, painting me as the ultimate villain who wishes to commit mass murder of the innocent cadets of Cube. Shin Jonghak chooses to remain silent.

On the fifth day, news of me has spread on the internet. All sorts of conspiracy theories start circulating in mass media. There is even CCTV footage from Cube that leaks to the internet. There are also Video Features about me, trying to make up stories that should not exist.

Such fun! I sleep peacefully that night.

On the sixth day, Kim Hajin won a Nobel Prize via his invention, the Djinn Detection Technology with 99% accuracy. That is when our counterattack begins.

Cube AI proliferates articles about how a Good Loyal Friend is able to save me, an innocent who is almost framed for crimes I did not do. The Hero Association is put in a bad light as another narrative takes center stage.

The story goes on like this— Kim Hajin is developing a Djinn Detection Technology which arouses the anger of the Djinn Society. Thus, the Djinn Attack. Hyon Hyung, who is Hajin's friend and business partner, is made into a scapegoat.

With the public opinion on our side, the Hero Association has no choice but to apologize and take the brunt of the damage. The Hero Association is also put under scrutiny as they are suspected of harboring Djinns within their ranks.

Finally. [Infiltrating and Hacking the Hero Association's Tower's System at 100%] [Complete!]

On the seventh day, I am freaking free as a bird. After using the Djinn Detection Technology on me and freeing me, various and several officials of the Hero Society and Cube go missing. It is almost certain that they are all Djinns who don't want to be caught.

Alas, those Djinns from Cube are not able to escape as Hajin, Suho, and Nayun make quick work of all of them. Since being put under arrest, my three best friends have long been working hard to assassinate the Djinns of Cube's upper brass. We have to thank the long week of class suspension prior to the Djinn Attack.

I dial Kim Hajin's contact information on my smartwatch. "Yo~ I bet you are swimming in a lot of SP now. I have an idea. Let's go buy a Dungeon, what say you?"

End of Volume 1: Tumultuous Changes