Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

“Everyone, please calm down.”

 

Hwashin smiled brightly. The faces of the murmuring reporters were filled with fear.

 

Some were afraid because it was their first time seeing a monster, while others wanted to escape because it wasn’t their first encounter. In fact, the visible karma energy of about three people had disappeared, so some must have fled. They missed the chance to get an exclusive story. They wouldn’t make good reporters.

 

Hwashin held up three fingers.

 

“I have three things to show you. You’d better take notes. Or perhaps recording would be better here? Anyway, use whatever method is convenient.”

 

At Hwashin’s words, Jian, who was beside him, nudged Mueum’s side and whispered into his ear.

 

“Hey, that’s not part of the script, right?”

 

Mueum nodded. She was right, there was nothing like this in the script. At best, the script only included an explanation of the mock training and a demonstration of Hwashin’s abilities.

 

“First, my ability. You probably know it’s some sort of mana manipulation, but I’ll show you exactly how it’s used.”

 

The room was filled with the urgent sound of typing. Some reporters sat on the floor, opening their laptops.

Breaking news, breaking news.

 

“Second, what use is this ability I’m going to show you today.”

 

Kangsan picked up the camera he had dropped earlier and started filming Hwashin. Hwashin had a slimmer build compared to other heroes.

 

At a glance, he had a more delicate physique than Hero Yoo Jian, whose toned muscles could be glimpsed through her uniform. Of course, if he had a gravity manipulation ability like Jeong Mueum’s, it wouldn’t matter much, but that wasn’t the case here.

 

‘There’s too little information about Hero Yoo Hwashin.’

 

In the first place, the data released by the Association only had a photo of him making a V-sign, along with the description ‘Manipulation-type ability (Mana Manipulation, Overall S-rank)’.

 

As everyone’s curiosity grew, Hwashin held up the last remaining finger and spoke.

 

“The third is.”

 

“…”

 

“…?”

 

“…”

 

“What was it again?”

 

Hwashin awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and laughed.

 

“I can’t remember. Well, I’ll tell you when I remember. It seems like the monster is starting to rampage anyway.”

 

This time, the reporters didn’t ask any questions. It was not that their curiosity disappeared. They just wanted someone to handle the monster rampaging beyond the glass.

 

‘It’s scary, just hurry up.’

 

‘Isn’t that thing going to break free at this rate?’

 

The door to the training ground was next to Cha Jaeha. As Hwashin walked towards it with light steps, Cha Jaeha, leaning crookedly against the wall, murmured softly.

 

“Do it properly.”

 

“Haha, I’m so happy you’re worried about me.”

 

Leaving him frowning behind, Hwashin cheerfully went down the metal stairs, making clanging sounds.

 

***

 

When Hwashin first received the script, a staff was assigned to provide additional explanations.

 

– Um, the Association President said we need evidence to reassure people. …So he says we need to do this performance, but since it’s just a test subject from the lab, it shouldn’t be too strong.

 

The staff hesitated for a long time and then spoke again.

 

– But if you don’t want to—

 

Perhaps the staff was concerned for Hwashin, but Hwashin lightly folded the script he had skimmed and smiled.

 

– It’s fine. They’re asking because it’s necessary, right? Oh, or is it not a request?

 

– Mr. Hwashin, um—

 

– It’s really okay. It’s alright if I deviate from the script a little, right?

 

He didn’t add anything more. It didn’t seem like the Association President was the type to change his opinion anyway. Besides, following this script didn’t pose any real danger.

 

Really, there wasn’t much to say.

 

‘Besides.’

 

If he got to see the unit’s uniforms at the press conference, this kind of fight would be no big deal.

 

He reached the first floor and opened the door again. The bright fluorescent light shone on him once more. In front of him was a monster bound by chains. The monster’s body was about the height of a second-floor apartment.

 

Its tail resembled a lizard’s, and the drool dripping from its mouth was thick and viscous like mucus.

 

“Ugh, gross.”

 

Chzzz—

 

The microphone inside the special training room was connected to the speaker outside. Then, Cha Jaeha’s voice came through as he tested the microphone.

 

It was a signal that they would proceed according to the script. Holding the microphone, Cha Jaeha briefly said.

 

“We’ll release it.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Hwashin replied, characteristically dragging out the end of his words. Watching Hwashin answer while leisurely stretching, Cha Jaeha clicked his tongue once.

 

He signaled to the staff inside. Hearing Jaeha’s voice, the staff member immediately ran to the control room inside the center.

 

Mueum, who was watching the departing staff member, asked.

 

“Will it be okay?”

 

Looking down with his arms crossed, Museum had a sullen expression. The training ground, about one floor lower, was clearly visible to the reporters and the remaining SH Unit 1 members.

 

“Why did the Association President give such a script?”

 

He knew Hwashin was strong from what he saw that day. Still, he hadn’t confirmed it since then, so he was a bit worried. Until recently, Hwashin was an F-rank. Moreover, he was deployed to the field without separate training.

 

“Well, it should be fine, right? I only received about two weeks of actual training too.”

 

Yoo Jian lightly patted Mueum’s head.

 

“Let’s just watch for now.”

 

***

 

“Wow, that’s gross.”

 

Unlike those looking down at him with concern, Hwashin was relaxed. The monster’s rank was roughly A, but since it was used as an experimental subject, its actual attack power was B-rank. That was all the information Hwashin had.

 

The rest he had to figure out himself.

 

He lightly placed his hand on his head and stretched his neck from side to side to loosen his muscles.

 

‘It’s not surprising the Association came up with this idea. But will people be satisfied with it?’

 

Hwashin knew well. People loved magic. The kind of magic they felt they could never unravel. This meant they doubted all magic.

 

People liked to doubt. If something different existed, they wanted to prove it was right.

 

Hwashin was different from Cha Jaeha, Jeong Mueum, and Yoo Jian. Simply proving he was S-rank wasn’t enough. First, he had to prove his ability, and second, his desperation.

 

‘Well, I can’t just say I’m in SH1 Unit because I want to be next to those guys…’

 

He couldn’t say something weird like a cult leader saying ‘The end is coming~!’ either. The thought of leaving SH1 unit didn’t even cross his mind.

 

“Kiiiii-!”

 

The metal wrapped around the monster’s neck split in half with a terrible sound. And in an instant, it disappeared.

 

Kangsan, glued to the reinforced glass, shouted. His voice was full of excitement.

 

“It disappeared!”

 

Cha Jaeha, still leaning against the wall, calmly looked down at the training ground.

 

‘Disappeared, huh.’

 

His gaze was already fixed to the left, at the edge of the training ground wall. The round boundary of the training ground was a limit set for the humans who trained there. The monster wouldn’t recognize that. To that monster, the entire area inside the glass was their stage.

 

Naturally, Hwashin also recognized this. He was still relaxed.

 

‘Slow. The goblins from my old place were faster than this.’

 

The monster’s wide-open mouth lunged at his neck. It leaped off the wall, but it was still slow. Hwashin’s muttering spread through the speakers to the reporters.

 

“Quite agile, isn’t it?”

 

‘That’s agile? It’s… I couldn’t even see it.’

 

‘Just keep shooting. We might get at least one good shot somehow.’

 

Hwashin avoided the monster with minimal movement by twisting his shoulder. The size, speed. Everything about that monster was at a level that even a C-rank hero, no, even a B-rank hero would struggle to catch alone.

 

It wasn’t powerful enough to trouble an S-rank, but it was a monster that would give an ordinary hero a hard time.

 

However, if an ordinary person had been in that place, that monster would have killed them instantly.

 

That was the extent of the monster’s capability that the people gathered there had grasped.

 

Hwashin, seemingly aware of what people needed, spoke leisurely.

 

“It looks like a monster that might give some trouble, right? But my ability can stop this monster in one hit.”

 

Yes. They wanted S-rank hero Hwashin to easily defeat this monster.

 

‘Is he… not scared?’

 

‘That’s the kind of person who becomes a hero, I guess.’

 

As Hwashin’s voice echoed through the speakers, all the reporters swallowed hard at the same time. Kangsan, who saw an S-rank fight, no, a real hero confronting a monster for the first time, felt a thrill run through his entire body.

 

Fighting something like that? Risking their life?

 

Hwashin moved lightly. The monster moved so quickly that its body was almost invisible, yet Hwashin dodged effortlessly as if dancing. Just a hair’s breadth away, yet he didn’t seem in danger at all.

 

“Watch carefully.”

 

Hwashin stopped momentarily. The monster charged at him head-on. Its huge mouth opened wide enough to swallow an adult man. Sharp teeth like a crocodile’s and sticky saliva aimed to devour Hwashin.

 

“「Stop.」”

 

Everything stopped. Not time, but the monster’s every movement. It trembled but seemed bound by some force.

 

“…Wow.”

 

Kangsan, staring blankly at the scene, grabbed his camera and, as if entranced, began clicking the shutter.

 

Click. Click, click. The shutter sound didn’t stop.

 

He thought he had to capture it, even if just one shot.

 

Sunbae once said that a true protagonist would naturally make you want to take pictures. Hwashin was radiating that feeling.

 

Under Kangsan’s gaze, Hwashin murmured.

 

“Now, this is the first. My ability.”

 

As if Hwashin noticed that gaze, he smiled, looking at those watching him from above the glass.

 

“Let’s simply call it ‘word command’.”

 

But this level of ability wasn’t enough.

 

This was just the first step.

 

Doubt could spread from uncertain conviction. Hwashin knew this well. So, he couldn’t be satisfied with just this.

 

As he snapped his fingers lightly, the monster’s frozen form began to distort rapidly. Smaller, smaller, gradually shrinking. The monster compressed to the size of a 500ml water bottle fell to the ground with a thud, thud.

 

Those who witnessed this stared blankly, unable to speak, watching the ball-like monster roll on the ground. Even Kangsan couldn’t press the shutter this time.

 

‘…..Word command.’

 

An incomparably powerful force. An ability qualitatively different from anything so far.

 

Hwashin, possessing this overwhelming ability, asked toward the distant speaker.

 

“Jaeha, how many monsters do we have available in the lab right now?”