Chapter 38: 38 My Reward Could Eat A$$

“By risking his life to subjugate a Djinn, he has shown himself to be a model citizen… This commendation proves his excellent service for the good of society and his exemplary behavior, which will motivate others. Cadet Kim Suho.”

Yoo Sihyuk handed Kim Suho the commendation certificate without adding any needless commentary. Suho accepted it with honor and dignity with a proud smile spreading across his face.

“Chae Nayun, same as above.”

Next, it was Nayun’s turn. I watched as she stepped forward with confidence.

“Kim Hajin, same as above.”

Hajin took his place, looking composed as he received his commendation.

“Hyon Hyung.”

Then it was my turn. I felt a rush of emotions but tried to keep my expression neutral.

“Yoo Yeonha.”

Lastly, Yeonha stepped up to receive her certificate.

“The conferment ceremony is now over,” the host announced, signaling the end of the program and allowing the audience to approach the young heroes who had contributed significantly to the safety of the people. A few daring journalists made their way to Yoo Sihyuk.

I noticed the unsocial swordmaster frowning at the sudden attention directed toward him.

The long wait had barely taken five minutes, and it didn’t take long for the journalists to feel satisfied with their questions. It was funny, though; I found myself not being my usual talkative self as I deflected questions aimed at me as much as possible. This event was not for me. I glanced over at Kim Hajin. You better rake in a lot of SP, my friend...

“Oh, by the way…” Yoo Sihyuk, who seemed about to leave the garden, suddenly stopped, as though recalling something important.

“The reward for the Djinn subjugation is 45 million won. I almost forgot to tell you.”

The moment I heard that, an overwhelming sense of gratitude washed over me. Hajin must have felt the same way judging by his beaming smile. Suho tried to mask his excitement, but I could tell he liked the sound of that too. Only Yeonha and Nayun showed a lack of emotion. Sigh… These rich girls will never understand the pain of poor fellas like us.

“Good luck. We’ll meet again if chance allows it… And you, walk with me.” Sihyuk’s words caught me off guard. He had singled me out from the five of us, leaving me no choice but to follow him. I felt Hajin’s gaze boring into the back of my head.

Many thoughts ran amok in my mind. Was Yoo Sihyuk going to off me? Nah, that would be too drastic considering I just received a commendation certificate. But what did he want? I felt a stroke of bad luck in the air, knowing the Association was entertaining the thought that I might be a Djinn... but come on! I was human through and through!

Yet, on second thought, if I looked at it more optimistically, I was actually lucky. After all, someone as credible as Yoo Sihyuk was cluing me in on the Hero Association's movements and its suspicions about me.

Not knowing the Association's interest in me could be detrimental to my survival and significantly hamper my future endeavors.

With that thought in mind, I decided to thank Yoo Sihyuk. “Thank you,” I softly intoned.

“Huh? No problem…” He replied nonchalantly. “Just think of it as me screwing with the Hero Association.”

It was safe to assume he didn’t like the Hero Association, given his words. Still, I couldn’t help but ask, “But why do you want me to walk with you?”

“I feel bad, that’s all.” He shrugged, dismissing the importance of his statement.

Eh? Why did he feel bad? Was he feeling bad for me? That was oddly flattering, but no thanks.

In the novel, there wasn’t much background on Yoo Sihyuk. From the little tidbits I had picked up, I understood that he was an orthodox master recognized as belonging to the pinnacle of strength. Moreover, he lived on a mountain like some hermit. His eccentricity seemed to fit the character of a master.

I wondered how a ‘bigshot’ like him could remember my name and specifically point out that the Hero Association was investigating me.

“So, what weapon do you use?” Yoo Sihyuk asked suddenly.

Caught off guard by the random question, I replied honestly, “Daggers.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Hmmm…” He hummed thoughtfully. “You are in luck; I have a dagger with me. It’s something I used as a secondary weapon in my youth. Here, you can have it.”

I was speechless at his casual attitude. He handed me a single dagger with distinct oriental features. It was a curved blade designed for lacerating and digging deep into wounds. It would be much easier to cut arteries, veins, ligaments, and the most hidden vital points with this weapon.

I didn’t know how good the weapon was, but I could tell it was probably ten times better than the standard issue Cube provided to its students.

“This favor… I don’t think I can accept this…” I protested. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and owing a favor to someone as unknown as Yoo Sihyuk felt too dangerous.

I hated dealing with uncertainties. Maybe I was getting too comfortable with the people around me—Hajin, Yeonha, Suho, Nayun, and Jonghak. They weren’t my best friends, but I had some connection with them.

Yet, I had a sense of certainty about how they would react to my smallest actions. I was somewhat manipulative, and I knew that much; that’s why I dreaded being manipulated myself.

As I opened my mouth to return the dagger that had somehow found its way into my hand, Yoo Sihyuk shook his head in disapproval. “From now on, this is yours. Use it to protect yourself.”

Suddenly, he asked, “Do you know the Nine Stars?”

I didn’t understand why he was asking something so seemingly random, but I answered nonetheless. “I know what everyone knows about them.” I recalled the various information I had read from the library.

“Ah~ so… My master belongs to the Nine Stars, and he has a friend… This friend has super clairvoyant abilities. Word for word, she told me to tell you this…”

Tension gripped me as I processed his words. I didn’t know much about the Nine Stars’ Gifts from the novel, but if it was a friend of a Nine Star, she could only be someone of equivalent strength or a Nine Star herself.

“Ahem…” Yoo Sihyuk faked a cough, drawing my attention. “The Hero Association suspects there is a Devil’s Seed among the Cube cadets and is pulling no punches in investigating it. You are the main suspect.”

My eyes widened in shock. I was hearing something I shouldn’t have to hear a second time at this moment: the Devil's Seed. Why me? I trembled at the thought of the world turning against me.

“There are two investigation forces. The Association has hired outside help, and then there is their own secret investigation team…”

“How do you know about the existence of the Devil’s Seed?” I interrupted Yoo Sihyuk, alarm flooding my senses. This was a serious matter.

“As I said, clairvoyant… I don’t really know what this Seed is. It sounds 'evil' to me, but I don’t know jackshit about it.” He spoke as if the explanation was self-evident. “The clairvoyant’s side effect is that she falls into slumber depending on how heavy the future she sees is…” he added.

The side effects of Gifts. That was knowledge the public remained unaware of. It was an ailment that accompanied the evolution and strengthening of the Gift. All of the Nine Stars suffered from this condition. If there truly was a clairvoyant in this world with such a side effect, it made sense why she was only appearing now.

The only reason I could think of was that the future of the novel I had been reading was already certain. But now? It had become so uncertain that a clairvoyant had no choice but to intervene. The Nine Stars were no longer mere background characters like they had been in the novel. I feared that in the future, they might take a more active role.

“I understand, but why me?” I asked him, feeling a pit form in my stomach.

Yoo Sihyuk tilted his head in confusion at my question. “I don’t know.”

Ask the clairvoyant, his eyes seemed to tell me. Just like that, he left me alone with my thoughts. I dryly walked to the nearest café, contemplating my plans for the future. Devils, huh? If a Devil’s Seed was truly fermenting within Cube, this was grave news.

The appearance of Devils was an apocalyptic event that the characters in the novel had barely managed to stop. Yet even with that, the Devil’s arrival in this world remained an inevitable occurrence.

I needed to buy time.

There had to be a way. I had to kill the Devil’s Seed before it could fully bud into this world. From the café, I glanced at the wide garden opposite me. The others must still be busy with the reporters and curious onlookers, ignorantly engaging in merriment under the noses of a possible world-ending threat.

“Ah, there you are.”

At that moment, a charming voice and delightful scent wafted toward me. Just by hearing the voice, I could tell who it was. I immediately slumped in my seat at the prospect of facing an investigation. The owner of the voice walked over and sat down in front of me with smooth grace.

Yun Seung-Ah clasped her hands and gazed at me with interest. “Hello. I was hoping to talk with someone else, but I’m happy to talk with you too…”

My mind went haywire, recalling the interrogation I had undergone before Yeonha and I returned to Cube after healing our injuries.

I dove straight to the point. “I am not a Djinn.”

“Eh?” Yun Seung-Ah must have thought I would never come out and say that.

“I’m willing to cooperate,” I added. “I’m feeling lucky today, and I believe I have a lot to offer…”

“Oho?” Her interest shifted to suspicion. “And what help can you offer?”

After this conferment ceremony, Hajin would receive a major power boost. He would gain the mysterious power of Stigma that would allow him to wield magic and shape it to his will. He would also have access to various dark websites of a secretive nature.

Lastly, and most importantly, his [Observation and Reading] Gift would evolve and gain a new function. If there really was a Devil’s Seed, then Hajin’s cooperation would be essential. It seemed my planned confession had to be hurried, not to mention that the 'Book of Truth' his Stigma could be used as fuel to answer queries, granting him nearly omniscient power.

“I can find the Devil for you… The only thing I want is for the Guilds and the Hero Association to send their best to deal with this Devil…”

“W-what are you talking about? What Devil?” Yun Seung-Ah’s look of confusion suggested that she didn’t know the Association’s real intentions.

“Just tell the Association what I told you. I can assure you that you will never regret it…” I was risking everything by telling her this, but if I wanted to save myself and this world, I had no choice.

It seemed what I suspected as luck was actually misfortune in disguise. I fiddled with my new dagger, feeling a sense of pity for the way things had turned out.

I guessed getting the opportunity to prevent a potential crisis could also be considered luck. My optimism was getting out of hand. I felt miserable about this development… The lucky streak ended here. From now on, I had to make my own luck.