I Killed the Game’s Heroine

Chapter 9

Arc 02: Today, I continue living in the game world. Today, and tomorrow as well.

What do you think is the moment when humans, as creatures, become the most creative, full of ideas, and their intelligence spikes?

When their life is in danger? No.

When they are relaxed and bored? No.

It’s when they want to screw someone over.

[Special Quest]

[In order to survive, deal with the ‘A-grade Malevolent Spirit Sethani.’ Don’t you think you should fight for your life? The most efficient way is to work with professional exorcists.]

[Reward – 15 million won]

[Do you accept? Y / N]

“You son of a…”

I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to refer to the window in front of me as ‘someone,’ but seeing this damned thing pop up again after I was cursed by Sethani made my blood boil.

It was as if the window was mocking me, saying, “You have to listen to me if you want to live, right? LOL.”

My fists clenched on their own, but instead of giving in, I took a deep breath and started thinking about how to mess with this bastard.

Let’s think. What does this thing want from me?

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From the quests that have come up so far, and from what I can see now, it’s clear this thing wants me to get involved with the academy.

Just like those novels I used to read whenever I had time at work!

I don’t know much about games or that kind of stuff, but I’ve read quite a few novels.

… About eight or so? Anyway, I’ve read enough to recognize that I’m in a special situation.

And I also know what kind of role this quest window usually plays in those stories.

So, what should I do to mess with this quest window? Just wait for Sethani to come and die?

That’s a stupid move.

Screwing it over by dying would only be a choice if I were cornered and my death would cause significant loss to the other side.

So, what’s the alternative? I have to deal with Sethani, but I also want to screw over this damned window.

What can satisfy both conditions?

My brain began to race, and I could feel the blood pumping rapidly through my body.

More dopamine and adrenaline than in any extreme situation, like a fight, started surging through me like crazy.

I don’t know exactly what dopamine and adrenaline are, but thanks to my racing heart and quick-thinking mind, I soon came up with a plan.

“Excuse me.”

“Hmm?”

“That hand spirit we saw earlier. I know its true form. It’s an A-grade spirit, a possession type. Its parents were exorcists, but they abused it because its skill was to hide its spirit power, so they thought it didn’t have any. That’s how it ended up like this. The skill it gained as a possession type is that the darker the shadows, the stronger it gets. If you shine light on it, like with a torch, it weakens. Oh, and there’s more…”

“Ah, right. It doesn’t just kill anyone. It only kills people with a history of domestic violence, who haven’t been caught for it. As for the kids it takes, it thinks it’s protecting them in its own way, but since it’s an A-grade possession spirit, those without immunity to its curse die.”

“It kills abusive adults on sight, but with kids, it follows them around for about a week. If it thinks the kid has had a miserable past, it takes them after a week. You can usually tell if a kid has had a tough life just by looking at them.”

The reason I was spilling everything I knew about Sethani was simple.

After reviewing the contents of the quest window, it became clear that this thing wanted me to fight.

It’s trying to rope me into something, just like in those novels where the protagonist gets involved in a mess.

So, how do I screw over this quest window in such a situation?

The answer is simple: let the original protagonist and their companions deal with it while I stay out of it.

Is my life in danger? Well, aren’t exorcists supposed to save people? If there’s a fire, you call firefighters. If there’s a criminal, you call the police. That’s common sense.

Is it dangerous because there’s no information, or because the original story might get messed up? Well, experts are experts for a reason. I’ll just tell them what I know, and they’ll handle it.

With that thought, I smirked.

If someone saw me now, they might suggest that if my goal is to make money, I should just compromise and think about the cash first.

Sure, if that’s what I wanted, I could do that.

There’s no evidence anyway. I could kill that damned spirit, keep my mouth shut, and ignore whatever the protagonist says, then enroll in that academy.

If they paid me well, I’d probably be happily flying through this world.

As long as I don’t mess with A-grade spirits, I’d be safe with my current body.

Following the quest window’s orders might even be the way to make the most money.

But should I just go along with it when this bastard is treating me like an idiot?

Let me make this clear. If I were broke, poor, and desperate, I might sell my pride. That’s true.

But precisely because I’m in that situation, pride and will become even more important. I’m not some dog on a leash—I’m a person!

No, no. Everything I’ve done and said so far is just an excuse.

Here’s the real reason. My friend. The one who reached out to me when I fell into this world, knowing nothing, starving and helpless.

That kind-hearted fool, who only ever gave me quests to kill a few spirits and didn’t care whether people lived or died.

Now, just because I killed a popular character in this game called Yeong Hyeong, this quest window is acting like this?

It’s so obvious what’s going on that it’s laughable.

Seeing this quest window act like killing an extra is no big deal, but losing a heroine is a catastrophe, makes me sick.

Even if I end up dying, I won’t do what this bastard wants.

After thinking that far, I looked back at Nokra.

Nokra had been frozen in place, her spoon still in her mouth, as if someone had pressed a pause button.

She stayed like that for a while, but after about ten seconds, she moved again, like a machine starting back up.

“Egukehek?!”

In response to the information I had just dumped about Sethani, Nokra choked and spat out the pork belly she had been eating.

“Ugh, gross.”

I dodged the flying pork belly pieces with all my might and looked at Nokra, who was coughing and reaching for water, with a disgusted expression.

“Come on. You’re not a kid. Chew your food properly.”

“N-No! It’s not my fault…! How do you even know all that?! And an A-grade?! A possession spirit?! That’s a national disaster!”

Despite coughing, Nokra instinctively reached for her phone, clearly flustered.

She couldn’t believe what I had just said, but the fact that I had spoken in such detail must have made her think that there was something to it.

It was only natural, since it was information that no ordinary person would know.

If a dangerous spirit had been causing trouble recently, and I suddenly started talking about a possession spirit while trying to protect a child wandering the streets without parents, it would be suspicious.

But I had already anticipated Nokra’s reaction and prepared my response.

“I ran into it a few days ago and barely escaped. Two days ago, to be exact. I saw its physical form, and I was even dragged into its domain, but I managed to escape after gathering as much information as I could.”

“…Did you really see it?”

“Yes. I fought it, but I couldn’t win. It wasn’t trying to kill me, so I took the chance to gather information and ran.”

After explaining how I had survived my encounter with the A-grade possession spirit, I casually put some rice and pork belly into my mouth.

I tried to act as nonchalant as possible, as if it was just something that had happened.

Nokra looked unsure whether to believe me, but she couldn’t just dismiss it as a lie.

After all, I was also an exorcist with spirit power, and two days ago, I had disappeared for a while because I was annoyed by the constant surveillance.

I knew it was Nokra who had assigned someone to watch me, but the idea of being monitored irritated me, so I ran off.

It was just a minor incident caused by me hunting spirits and wandering around, but now I was going to use that incident to my advantage.

Nokra didn’t know where I had been or what I had done during that time, so she couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility that I was telling the truth.

Besides, she had sensed something when she saw that purple-haired girl, Seo Yoon-seo, who had come as a delivery person.

So, she couldn’t ignore what I was saying.

“There was something off, something beyond just spirit power. I thought she was just a skill holder, but if that’s not the case… No, wait. Why are you telling me this now?”

Nokra took off her sunglasses and stared at me with her yellow eyes.

It was a reasonable question, given that I had suddenly brought this up in the middle of a meal.

My brain, now running at full speed thanks to the adrenaline and other hormones, quickly found the right answer.

“That delivery girl from earlier. She was cursed by that spirit and was supposed to be taken, but unfortunately, it changed its target to me, and now she’s dead.”

I spoke the truth without any lies. Sethani had returned, and that’s what I meant.

“…It didn’t have to be that way, no. I can’t say that, since I didn’t notice anything. Damn it. Damn it! …Thanks for telling me. Don’t worry. I, no, we exorcists, will save you… Trust us.”

Nokra’s face twisted as she spoke.

I was a bit surprised by her response. I had expected her to ask more questions to confirm the truth, and I had prepared answers for them, but she accepted it so easily.

I looked at Nokra.

Her expression was one of suppressed sorrow and anger, her brows furrowed and her lips twitching.

It wasn’t the reaction I had expected, but… well, it didn’t matter.

As long as she believed me, that was enough. That’s what I thought.

Nokra, seemingly convinced, rushed out of the house.

Left alone, I briefly wondered what to do next.

But then I remembered that Nokra had told me I could stay here for a while.

I had spent all night cleaning, so I decided to make myself comfortable.

I took a nice, long shower in the warm, cozy house, and then finished the meal I hadn’t yet completed.

But then I sensed someone’s presence.

I looked out onto the balcony and saw a muscular man in jeans and a bloodstained apron hanging outside the window.

“Is it you? The insolent fool our spirit lord has ordered me to kill—”

“Oh, hell no. A pervert.”

“Kyaaa?!”

I panicked and threw a bucket of leftover bleach water in the pervert’s face. The man screamed in pain as the bleach got into his eyes and fell.

It was supposed to be the season when mosquitoes and cicadas cling to the walls and make noise, as spring turned into summer.

But in this game world, it seems weird perverts cling to the walls instead.

I thought about this as I continued eating the meal Nokra had left behind.

End of Chapter