Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Seo Hyun-woo left the Student Council President's office the moment dismissal time arrived.

He knew the incident would occur after this evening, but the exact time was uncertain.

That was why he planned to linger in the area and monitor the situation until nightfall.

But who could have predicted that something which looked like a variable yet was bound to happen regardless would strike?

'Ugh, my head. The narrative consistency is thorough, I'll give it that. Was this how it planned to keep me from intervening in the incident?'

Currently, Seo Hyun-woo was caught in a sudden headache while sensing a faint heat rising through his body.

In the actual story, when today's incident occurred, Seo Hyun-woo was described as feeling the onset of a mild cold and returning to his dormitory early.

In other words, the same cold symptoms had manifested in him accordingly.

'That confirms it. Tonight, that bastard attacks Baek Seo-yeon. And I've caught a cold following the narrative's flow. There's no reason behind it. It simply happens as it was written.'

Seo Hyun-woo immediately went to Miterich's infirmary and took headache medication first.

No matter how long it took, the medicine should kick in within thirty minutes.

The cold symptoms might worsen as time passed, but he already had a solution in mind.

'If my memory's right, aside from this incident, there are no events where Seo Hyun-woo's safety is threatened. Either the author found it too tedious to describe, or there was no need to pay attention to him until his fight with Kang Jin-ha. Honestly, this damn world......'

Seo Hyun-woo waited calmly, feeling the headache gradually subside.

The incident was set to occur after complete nightfall.

Even so, the reason he'd started waiting from the evening was to prepare for any potential variables.

'The location, timing, and reason for the incident have all lined up. Then Kang Jin-ha has to appear. If he doesn't, it means a variable has been created because of me.'

Seo Hyun-woo had already accounted for the possibility of variables arising.

As a completely different person, he couldn't act identically to the original Seo Hyun-woo, nor could he uncover details that were never described in the story.

Variables were therefore inevitable, and accordingly, his focus was on his own growth and securing allies.

'But the protagonist is still the protagonist. Even if some variables arise, he'll find a way to grow and survive. I just need to close the gap between us as much as possible.'

Seo Hyun-woo noticed the surroundings had grown dark and headed toward the female-only dormitory.

Baek Seo-yeon would be ambushed on her way back to the dormitory after finishing her training in the personal training room.

That was where the protagonist, Kang Jin-ha, was supposed to appear and save Baek Seo-yeon and the female students taken hostage.

'I have no choice but to sit and watch that bastard rampage. If I step in too early, it'll cause problems for the story's progression. Then again, even if I intervene separately, the incident might still occur in some form or another.'

Seo Hyun-woo positioned himself at a spot with good visibility, staying out of the streetlamps' light.

He had even brought binoculars and extra headache medication, just in case.

If Kang Jin-ha appeared, he would stay put. If not, he would step in himself.

'Baek Seo-yeon, I warned her in advance and she's only coming out now. Is her behavioral pattern fixed because it's a major event?'

Seo Hyun-woo observed Baek Seo-yeon through the binoculars.

She was walking slowly, scanning her surroundings from time to time.

It seemed his advice had gotten through to her at least a little.

'There he is too. Hostages—one, two...... four in total? That's the same.'

Seo Hyun-woo was already moving cautiously, closing in toward Baek Seo-yeon.

Kang Jin-ha should be appearing right about now.

Hadn't he revealed himself at the moment Baek Seo-yeon was about to give up the fight because of the hostages?

'......I can't see Kang Jin-ha. Baek Seo-yeon is hesitating. Why isn't he coming? He should be here by now.'

Seo Hyun-woo's pace quickened.

Just as he'd feared, some kind of variable must have arisen.

Of course, Kang Jin-ha might simply arrive later, but he couldn't afford to wait that long.

Because the content describing what happened after Baek Seo-yeon's abduction never existed in the first place.

"That's right. Just a little more. My Vice President......"

"She's not your Vice President—she's my Vice President. You think pulling something like this will make her give a damn about you?"

Seo Hyun-woo tossed aside the binoculars and revealed himself at once.

The heat in his body seemed to have risen a notch, but he had already found the solution.

Now he had no choice but to take that bastard down in Kang Jin-ha's place.

"What? Jealous? Then go be President yourself. But you'll never have a Vice President like mine. You're way too ugly for that."

Seo Hyun-woo spoke the lines he had prepared in his head beforehand and approached Baek Seo-yeon.

Baek Seo-yeon immediately stepped back and wrapped her entire body in silver-white electricity once more.

Kim Tae-jun, his expression brimming with fury, glared at Seo Hyun-woo.

"Perfect timing. I was planning to get rid of you personally. This is my chance to prove I'm stronger than you."

"Cut the bullshit. You think I'd lose to the likes of you? Don't tell me you're planning to use the hostages to pressure me. Let me make this clear—whether there are hostages or not, I'm going to focus on smashing you to pieces."

"President! What are you—"

"Vice President, when I give the signal, respond immediately."

Seo Hyun-woo stepped in front of Baek Seo-yeon and lightly clenched his right hand.

Golden electricity began surging along his right hand.

Before coming here, he had already copied Baek Seo-yeon's ability.

On top of that, the headache and fever had subsided thanks to her ability.

"Ha ha ha! What a joke. The Student Council President is going to ignore students in danger?"

"Before I'm the Student Council President, I'm a single human being. I have no intention of sacrificing my own life to save others. Are you ready? I can kill you whenever I please."

"......Don't bluff! If you try anything, I'll kill every last one of the hostages!"

"And then what? Think you can take on me and the Vice President at the same time? She'd probably tear you apart before I even got the chance."

"No...... The Vice President doesn't know my true feelings......"

Seo Hyun-woo let out a scoff and prepared to run his mouth.

If he could provoke the man enough to make him falter, the hostages' safety would naturally be secured.

Hadn't this method already been proven by Kang Jin-ha in the original story?

But this time, he intended to provoke with something far more provocative.

"If the Vice President knows your true feelings, then why is she in a relationship with me? Just today alone, I think she told me she loved me dozens of times."

"President! What on earth are you—"

"Don't you lie to me! There's no way my Vice President would say that to you!"

"Have you ever held the Vice President's hand? It's quite soft, with just the right warmth. There's a hint of perfume too—now what was that scent again......"

"You...... you bastard......"

Kim Tae-jun was trembling all over, his face twisting grotesquely.

Moreover, the black liquid gripping the female students was gradually losing its tension.

Just as expected, the provocation was working.

"Her hair has a texture unlike anything else, too. It's like running your fingers across a cloud. And when our lips touched, my body shuddered before I even realized it."

"......"

"Stop it, stop......"

Baek Seo-yeon quietly listened to Seo Hyun-woo's words, unable to stop her face from flushing hot.

She had already figured out why he was weaving her into his provocations, but wasn't he going into far too much detail?

"And her skin—so white your eyes are drawn to it naturally. Just yesterday, we spent a passionate night together...... Isn't that right?"

"Hoo...... That's right."

"But even the Vice President isn't perfect—she has a few moles on her body. Do you know how many moles the Vice President has?"

"AAAGH! No!"

Kim Tae-jun lost all reason and let out an enormous scream.

At the same time, the black liquid completely lost its elasticity and released the female students.

Seo Hyun-woo seized that brief opening without hesitation and fully unleashed his ability.

"Vice President!"

"I know!"

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon moved simultaneously, discharging their electricity.

Golden currents and silver-white currents repelled each other yet intertwined in a peculiar harmony.

Before long, two pairs of wings unfurled, and even more electricity erupted violently.

"You piece of trash! I'll kill you first!"

"I told you before. If you're that jealous, go be President yourself."

Seo Hyun-woo spread his golden wings and charged straight at Kim Tae-jun.

This ability also possessed some characteristics of the enhancement type, but it wasn't suited for close combat.

To fight properly, he would need to utilize the lightning attribute, his primary ability.

BZZZT—! CRACKLE—!

Seo Hyun-woo channeled golden electricity into his right hand and thrust it forward.

The golden current tangled and writhed before stretching outward in a long arc.

Kim Tae-jun scattered black liquid in every direction, adjusting its form.

"Urgh...... GAAAH!"

The moment the black liquid Kim Tae-jun had created made contact with the golden electricity, it contracted rapidly.

Not only that, but the golden current traveled along the black liquid and spread through Kim Tae-jun's body.

Kim Tae-jun screamed as the searing pain of his entire body burning consumed him.

'As expected, Baek Seo-yeon's ability is remarkably good. It's a transformation-type ability, yet it has so many characteristics. If not for Seo Hyun-woo, Baek Seo-yeon would've definitely become Student Council President.'

Seo Hyun-woo immediately put distance between himself and Kim Tae-jun, then turned his gaze toward Baek Seo-yeon.

Radiant silver-white wings, hair that gleamed an even more brilliant silver, and a silver crown hovering above her head.

Baek Seo-yeon, with her ability activated, was shielding the female students who had been hostages while watching the battle unfold.

'As I thought, there's a world of difference between imagining something through descriptions and actually seeing it. "Noble and beautiful" was a perfectly apt description.'

Archangel Descent.

It was a nickname born from layer upon layer of rumors spread by those who had witnessed Baek Seo-yeon's ability.

The resplendent crown, the sublime wings, and her beautiful appearance on top of it all—that was how the name Archangel Descent came to be.

Originally a transformation-type ability, it had already been reclassified as a special-type ability because it encompassed both enhancement-type and attribute-type characteristics.

'I wonder what I look like. Since my electricity is gold, my wings would be gold too. Then did my hair turn golden blond as well? Hmm...... I might've become a walking gold nugget.'

Seo Hyun-woo glared at Kim Tae-jun and generated golden electricity once more.

Since this was his first time using Baek Seo-yeon's ability, he needed some time to adjust.

But with just one attack, he had already gotten the feel of it, and now it seemed he could finish Kim Tae-jun off for good.

'This is supposed to be Kang Jin-ha's job. If he shows up even now, I can hand him the opportunity without any issue. But Kang Jin-ha still hasn't appeared. Do I have no choice but to handle this myself?'

Seo Hyun-woo was deliberating even as his feet carried him forward.

He couldn't afford to let things go wrong just to wait for Kang Jin-ha.

If Kim Tae-jun managed to escape, it would affect the story's future progression in some form or another.

If that was the case, wouldn't it be better to kill Kim Tae-jun here and now, just as the original story dictated, and reduce the probability of further variables arising?

"Ngh, it hurts......"

"Just bear with it a little longer. You'll be healed soon."

Baek Seo-yeon held her hands over the female student's wound, silver currents swirling in her palms.

The bleeding gradually stopped and the wound began to close.

A healing effect triggered by the enhancement-type characteristic of Archangel Descent.

'......Something is definitely off. Something must have happened to the President. The last time he copied my ability, he clearly had black wings and a black crown. So why has the color changed to gold?'