Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World

A staff organizing the remaining documents checked his phone and started hitting his colleague sitting next to him.

 

“How about saying what you want before hitting someone? How did you pass the association’s personality test with that attitude—”

 

“Hey, we finished work early. Want to go watch the matches?”

 

“…Do we really have to?”

 

The staff member wearing glasses frowned.

 

“Why are you so dry? Doesn’t it sound fun?”

 

“Well.”

 

If he just went there and ran into Yoo Hwashin, he could only imagine what pranks and ridicule he’d throw his way.

 

– Staff! You said you weren’t coming, but you ended up coming! Wow, you were curious about me after all! Right?

 

Just imagining it was tiring. He pressed his temples with his thumbs, feeling the stress rising in his mind. Somehow, Yoo Hwashin had a knack for thoroughly messing with people’s minds even though they only met a few times.

 

“The colleague inside says the first match is already over. Jin won.”

 

The colleague’s eyes sparkled as he raised his arms high.

 

“The S-rank guy?”

 

“Yeah! An illusionist among the S-rank. He wasn’t recognized as S-rank at first but was later promoted. His backstory is perfect, isn’t it?”

 

Awakened ones and ranks.

 

What once seemed like a dream had become a reality, and in just 5 years, people had adapted.

 

Of course, reality didn’t have the fantasy of hunters, soaring salaries, and dungeon conquests that people of the past had dreamed of.

 

Unidentified monsters invaded reality through gates, and people died. They were eaten by monsters, burned to death, cut, or blown apart. The state of the corpses with various causes of death was more horrific than imagined and littered the streets.

 

Death was a reality. People had to wail as they watched their parents die, and even if they witnessed it, they had to abandon the bodies and flee to survive.

 

The opening of the first gate in South Korea. That day, Seoul was in chaos.

 

The situation gradually spiraled out of control. Soon after, as if by miracle, awakened ones appeared. Only after all monsters were killed by the hands of the awakened ones did the first gate that occurred in Korea come to a close.

 

When it was discovered that this gate was a worldwide phenomenon, an international agreement was created, led by the United States.

 

– Awakeners are managed by the governments of their respective countries, and those who refuse to affiliate with the government are stripped of their right to use their abilities.

 

After the agreement, Korea assigned all awakened ones to a special national position called ‘hero’. When they attached such a childish name as ‘hero’ instead of hunter to the position, everyone opposed, but in the end, the awakened ones became ‘heroes’.

 

As time passed, international standards for awakened abilities were also established to manage heroes in each country. Thus, some became S-class, some B-class, and some below that. At the same time, status windows were created.

 

The status window was a program that helped check the physical and magical structure of awakened ones through holograms.

 

It was a new technology that only displayed images to the person themselves, showing their abilities, specific skills, and ranks according to certain standards. When an unregistered ability was detected, it was automatically updated to the global server.

 

However, the status windows did not show detailed numbers or levels like in games. They only displayed the abilities felt by the awakener, specific skills, and ranks according to the standard.

 

Ha Cheongwon was no exception.

 

[ Name: Ha Cheongwon

 

Overall Rank: B

 

Basic Physical Strength: B

 

Mana Capacity: B …..View Detailed Information]

 

Reality wasn’t a game, and strength wasn’t determined by just one level or numerical value.

 

Sometimes a B-rank could beat an A-rank, and in some cases, a C-rank attack ability might be more suitable for the field than a B-rank support hero.

 

But still, there were limits. There were clear differences between ranks. The gap became more apparent as you went higher. So it was nonsense to say that an F-rank could beat an A-rank or S-rank.

 

“Who will be in the SH unit? Ah, I’m already excited!”

 

To the highly excited voice, Ha Cheongwon calmly replied while cleaning his dirtied glasses.

 

“Of course, it will be filled with all S-ranks. It’s easier to promote our country’s heroes that way.”

 

“Is that so? Anyway! Let’s hurry and go watch. Come to think of it, weren’t you acquainted with that F-rank person earlier? They say that the F-rank person’s match is starting now! And it’s against an A-rank!”

 

Ha Cheongwon put his glasses back on.

 

The difference in hero ranks and abilities became more apparent as you went higher.

 

So there was no way the F-rank guy could beat an A-rank.

 

“Alright, stop pestering me.”

 

Finally, Ha Cheongwon grabbed his coat under his colleague’s urging and followed him to the underground arena where the match was held. As they approached the door, light spilling from it, he felt his pulse quicken.

 

Yeah, this wasn’t excitement; it was anxiety. Anxiety that, by some impossible chance, that guy might actually beat an A-rank.

 

***

 

Somehow.

 

It felt strange.

 

Go Youngwoo had no intention of showing off his abilities against an F-class. If he did, it was obvious he’d become a laughingstock among the higher-ranked heroes watching this match.

 

So he just planned to rough him up a bit.

 

He thought he’d just throw a few punches while warning that this wasn’t a place for an F-rank to show up, and the guy would go down on his own.

 

“Huff, huff.”

 

But what was actually happening? His fists weren’t touching Yoo Hwashin at all. Just when he thought he’d made contact, there was no one there. It felt like all his strength was being wasted.

 

Moreover.

 

“Haa. You’re too slow. Can’t you move a bit faster? At this rate, everyone will find out that I’m strong.”

 

Those infuriating taunts came in between his attacks. Nothing about this situation pleased Go Youngwoo.

 

“Shut up!”

 

Go Youngwoo shouted, gritting his teeth. His speed was supposed to be his advantage despite his large muscles.

 

He pulled his right arm back and charged. He grabbed the F-rank’s shoulder as he tried to dodge sideways. He swung the fist he had held back towards Hwashin’s face, now seemingly caught. Got him. It worked. This time for sure. He thought he could finally land a hit on that annoying face, but…

 

‘….What.’

 

Yoo Hwashin, who should have been right in front of him, wasn’t there. He was sure he had grabbed him.

 

Somehow, Hwashin had freed his caught shoulder, ducked his head, and strongly pushed Go Youngwoo’s left shin with his foot. Even though his basic physical ability was D, he was still an awakened one, so Go Youngwoo’s body was pushed back slightly.

 

Yoo Hwashin’s body was clean without a single scratch. Even his clothes were still pristine. A neat shirt and black slacks. It must be uncomfortable to move in those clothes, so how was he avoiding all his attacks?

 

“Hmmm.”

 

Unlike Go Youngwoo, whose anger had risen to the top of his head, Hwashin was leisurely still pondering which ability would be good to use.

 

‘I’ve got to show something, as I promised Mueum. But I didn’t know it would be this hard to pick the right ability.’

 

“Hey! F-rank.”

 

Ah, right. Hwashin finally looked at the man in front of him with round eyes.

 

“Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something and forgot to play with along in between. Haha.”

 

What the hell?

 

Amazingly, that insincere apology only made Go Youngwoo angrier. His nostrils flared, and invisible steam seemed to rise from them.

 

Play along? Forgot?

 

“You bastard—!”

 

Hwashin let out a deep sigh. …When he got this angry, he became even easier to read.

 

With a loud yell, Go Youngwoo threw another punch. This time, the trajectory was different. Unlike his earlier punch aimed at the shoulder, the flow of karma was directed at Hwashin’s abdomen. Go Youngwoo  probably anticipated a backward dodge and changed direction to the stomach.

 

With no muscles to protect his belly, it would be incredibly painful.

 

Predicting his movements, Hwashin casually muttered.

 

“Stomach?”

 

“…!”

 

Go Youngwoo’s face crumpled like a discarded piece of paper.

 

‘How…?’

 

…Could it be? Was he a precognition user?

 

No. There were no registered heroes in the country with precognition abilities that could be freely used in combat.

 

But even knowing he had been read, it was now impossible to forcibly change the trajectory of his fist. His body moves in the predetermined direction.

 

“You—!”

 

Hwashin slipped to the side, avoiding the punch aimed at his stomach, and smoothly dodged the grasping hand, brushing it aside with a quick motion.

 

Light movements always one step ahead of whatever he did, but precise without wasting any stamina. Therefore, it consumed little energy. Go Youngwoo felt like he was chasing a ghost.

 

“Mr. Goyoung”

 

Fuck, I’m Go Youngwoo, you bastard.

Goyoung, who suddenly had a cute name… no, Go Youngwoo frowned.

 

Hwashin, who even got his name wrong, stood lightly in place and spoke while drawing a circle towards his heart with his finger.

 

“Aren’t you curious how I dodge all your attacks?”

 

How he could predict and avoid everything like this. It was simple.

 

“Destiny is a cog made of threads.”

 

Through seeing, manipulating, and restructuring karma, Hwashin had learned a few rules.

 

“Countless threads come together to form you, and through those threads, you can be predicted.”

 

To understand the flow, one had to visualize the phenomenon of karma in their mind.

 

“In simple terms—”

 

“Are you in a cult? Sorry, but I don’t believe in that stuff.”

 

Go Youngwoo spat on the ground, catching his breath. Hwashin shrugged.

 

“People just don’t believe, even when I explain.”

 

Seeing the flow of karma wasn’t just about manipulating others’ actions and twisting fate.

 

To manipulate actions, one had to see the flow, and focusing on that flow briefly showed a certain future.

 

So, reading the karma of a simple-minded muscle head like Go Youngwoo was an easy task. Besides, that guy was just too slow.

 

‘But now I need to decide what ability to show soon.’

 

While Hwashin was racking his brain, Go Youngwoo, his patience exhausted, boiled over.

 

Fine! Who cares if he became a laughingstock? He didn’t want to lose this match! He wanted to join the SH unit! He wanted to stand above others!

 

He became a hero to feel superior!

 

Someone like him has no time to waste here on this F-rank. Finally, Go Youngwoo decided to use his ability. He spread both arms wide and shouted.

 

“Shadow!!”

 

With just one word, the shadow on the ground rose up enormously. His shadow, which had grown to about 10 times its original size, boasted a tremendous size like a golem from the world Hwashin used to live in.

 

Moreover, resembling its owner, it was very muscular. The black shadow had very clear muscle outlines.

 

Go Youngwoo’s ability was ‘Shadow Clone’. He could freely transform and move one of his shadows.

 

He pointed at Yoo Hwashin and shouted once again loudly.

 

“Go and devour him!”

 

And so the shadow instantly pounced on Hwashin.