“You came even though I didn’t summon you today.”
Seraph, seated at the central altar, spoke as if surprised. Somehow, his tone rubbed me the wrong way.
“So? Don’t you like it?”
“No, not at all. On the contrary, I find it quite desirable. I always welcome User Kim Suhyun.”
Hearing Seraph emphasize “quite,” I calmly sat down on the stone floor. A chill crept up my backside as usual, but oddly enough, it felt familiar. Yeah, last time we sat together at the altar, it was painfully awkward.
After a moment, Seraph peeked his head out and glanced around, then tilted it in curiosity.
“Did you not bring Maru with you?”
“Huh? No, I didn’t.”
“I see.”
“Why would I bring him here? Last time was unavoidable.”
A flicker of disappointment crossed Seraph’s face, but he quickly regained his usual serene expression and filled the summoning chamber with his calm voice.
“Then, what brings you here today?”
“Well… what do you think, Seraph? Why do you think I came?”
Just before getting to the point, I threw the question back at him. It wasn’t a joke or a guessing game.
Seraph probably already knew why I was here. After all, during my previous conversation with Maeng Ara, an angel’s summons interrupted us. Though it wasn’t Seraph who called, he must have some idea of what happened.
In other words, stop playing coy and just spill it.
“Is it about User Maeng Ara?”
He knew.
I nodded lightly, no need for a long explanation.
“Yes. She’s been on my mind.”
“It’s not really something you should be concerned about. In fact, it has little to do with User Kim Suhyun.”
“That’s nonsense. Then why does Maeng Ara keep coming to me?”
“That… was not intentional. All angels, myself included, sincerely apologize for that.”
Not intentional. And “all angels, myself included.” Slowly, my suspicions were being confirmed.
“Anyway, whether it’s a small matter or a big one, it’s no longer something I can ignore. Now that I’m here, I want to know what’s going on around me.”
If it were just some random user I didn’t know, maybe I’d back off. But having come all the way to the summoning chamber, I had no intention of leaving empty-handed—especially if it involved Jin Suhyun.
Maybe sensing my resolve, or perhaps knowing my stubbornness, Seraph let out a faint sigh. He raised his hand and slowly waved it through the air, then stared into the empty space and began to speak quietly. He was communicating with another angel. This was becoming familiar.
“…Is that so? Understood.”
After a brief pause, Seraph lowered his hand and fixed me with his pale green eyes.
“Very well. Considering the oversight in managing the Northern Continent’s Guardian, I will disclose some information related to that matter to User Kim Suhyun. However, please understand that it will only be partial. We cannot reveal everything.”
“As long as it’s something I can accept. Fine. Go ahead.”
“However, since this decision was made rather suddenly, I need a moment to organize my thoughts. Would you grant me about one minute and twelve seconds? Is that acceptable?”
“…Ah, yes. Please do.”
I gave a wry smile and nodded. Seraph closed his eyes quietly, and I began counting seconds in my head.
Exactly 72 seconds later, still with his eyes closed, Seraph opened his mouth. Sharp as a knife.
“User Kim Suhyun has accomplished a great many feats over the past three years. From the elimination of the demon Belphegor to other achievements concerning demons, all of us have been deeply impressed. Truly remarkable.”
“That’s the twelfth time I’ve heard that. Just take it as a given.”
Seraph opened his eyes quietly and fluttered his wings broadly. I shut my mouth immediately. I wanted to push him to get to the point, but his demeanor carried a heavy weight.
“However, there have been voices of concern. As I have mentioned repeatedly before, the problem lies in your attitude. User Kim Suhyun’s hostility toward angels has exceeded our expectations.”
“Huh. So?”
“…Ultimately, after internal discussions, it was decided that we cannot simply overlook your antagonism.”
“Hmm…”
I had nothing to say. I had been openly hostile toward angels, after all. Still, I hadn’t expected them to hold meetings about it.
“Your attitude is certainly problematic. But that doesn’t erase your accomplishments. Between your attitude and your achievements, the angels have struggled with what to do. How should we handle this user…?”
So, they don’t like my attitude, but they respect my achievements.
Seraph continued.
“The debate lasted longer than expected. Some argued to revoke your privileges. If that’s impossible, at least your ‘Hwa-jeong’ should be withdrawn. Others said no, that you should be left as is, or observed a while longer.”
“Revoke my privileges? What does that even mean? Is that even possible?”
“After several summons were ignored, you were labeled an uncontrollable user. By the way, revoking privileges is impossible—because I strongly oppose it.”
“Unbelievable.”
Feeling a bit dumbfounded, I tapped the floor lightly. It seemed a lot had happened while I wasn’t visiting the summoning chamber.
But part of me was puzzled. I couldn’t understand why the angels made such a fuss over me. At least, why did they say they should take away my ‘Hwa-jeong’?
“While these discussions were ongoing, about two years ago, a new user entered the Whole Plain.”
The moment he said that, I stopped thinking and focused on Seraph’s words. Finally, the story about Jin Suhyun was beginning.
“This user was extraordinary. Unlike others, they possessed very high potential. If nurtured well, they could rival the former Suhyun.”
The former country wasn’t exactly a pushover. And Jin Suhyun had that much potential?
Then—
“User Kim Suhyun, may I ask you a question?”
For the first time, Seraph directed a question at me instead of just explaining.
“A question? What is it?”
I agreed without much thought.
“Do you like novels or comics?”
“…I do. Why the sudden question?”
But the next question caught me off guard, and I answered reluctantly.
Seraph gazed at me steadily. After a moment of nodding, he continued calmly.
“Good. Then this will be easier for you to understand.”
“…?”
A moment later, Seraph parted his lips gently.
“Now, I will explain the Hero Development Plan—the Project to Create a Second Kim Suhyun.”
Not all novels or comics follow this, but most share a certain rule. Call it the protagonist’s rule.
The protagonist always succeeds.
They stumble upon lucky breaks in unexpected places, good companions gather around them, and even when faced with impossible crises, they overcome them through sheer coincidence.
Through this process, the protagonist grows and eventually reaches the pinnacle of strength.
Seraph’s question, “Do you like novels or comics?” was meant to convey this. It was also the essence of the Hero Development Project.
In other words, they meticulously planned and manipulated every situation a protagonist might face, and began nurturing Jin Suhyun accordingly.
There were two main reasons for implementing the Hero Development Plan on Jin Suhyun.
First, to create a user capable of checking and balancing my dominance.
Second, to raise a user who could take the lead in future battles against demons.
They gave it all sorts of justifications, but in short, the angels wanted a user they could easily control. They wanted a Kim Suhyun who would obey them.
What scared me most as I listened to Seraph was that all of this was done in strict secrecy. Not only from me and other users, but even Jin Suhyun himself was unaware.
In any case, the plan was carried out quietly over at least three years, using carefully selected users. In fact, during the first year—when Maeng Ara arrived—it was actively pursued.
But then—
Another year passed, various incidents occurred, and the Hero Development Plan, which had started with such momentum, quickly lost steam.
And recently, the plan was officially canceled. After saying this, Seraph let out a long breath.
“Phew. There were many reasons for the cancellation. Some angels, myself included, had opposed it from the start… But the decisive factor was three incidents that occurred over the past year and a half.”
“Three incidents?”
“Hmm. Let me clarify. Two incidents, and one user. Anyway, these three causes strengthened our side and allowed the proposal to abolish the plan to pass.”
“So, what are these three causes?”
As if expecting my question, Seraph cleared his throat calmly.
“They’re almost similar, but the value we assign to each cause differs. I’ll explain them in order of least to greatest importance.”
She extended her flawless index finger, forming a ‘one,’ and spoke calmly.
“The first cause lies in the wish made by user Kim Hanbyul to Ganesha, the god of language and wisdom, in the mountain range where the dragon sleeps. Because the Eve bloodline conditions changed, user Kim Suhyun has become an opponent no current user can possibly match.”
An opponent no one can match, huh? I don’t think it’s quite that extreme.
But before I could dwell on it, Seraph immediately raised her middle finger. Then, her straightened hand extended two fingers.
“The second cause is the extermination of Mammon, one of the 14 demon lords, and his subordinate demons. In other words, it’s about the process of dealing with them.”
“The process of dealing with Mammon… Ah. You mean things like heart extraction or rape?”
“Although some criticized the extermination process as barbaric, the enemy was a hateful demon and his minions. The hostility Suhyun showed at that time was incomparable to how he treats us. That incident led many angels to abandon their plans and instead support the new plan I proposed.”
“Ugh.”
I let out a bitter laugh. The orders back then were given with the intention of preparing for future demon appearances. But I never imagined it would come back to bite me like this.
Finally, her ring finger extended. It was time for the third cause.
“And the third cause… is the luck of user Kim Suhyun himself.”
That caught me off guard. I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“Luck? Luck is one of the three causes?”
“Yes.”
“Why? My luck stat is only 90 points.”
“I’m not talking about user Kim Suhyun’s luck stat.”
At my question, Seraph shook her head calmly. Then, folding three fingers at once, she continued quietly.
“More precisely, it’s because of the existence of user Ansol.”
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Hmm. It seems many of you found the chapter titles a bit uncomfortable. Understood. From now on, I’ll put more thought into them and try to make them more relevant to the content.
As for Jin Suhyun and Gong Chanho, to put it simply, you can think of them as being ‘taken care of.’ Ah, maybe ‘taken care of’ sounds a bit odd?
The events mentioned in the comments are planned to happen simultaneously in one incident. Of course, the resolutions will differ afterward. If you consider the current relationship between Gong Chanho and Jin Suhyun within the User Academy, you might get a better sense of it. :)
By the way, someone accurately guessed Gong Chanho’s psychology. That person never ceases to amaze me. Hahaha.