I move my mouse with haste. It is like one of those days when there is a school project but you are only cramming now since the deadline is tomorrow. I tap on my keyboard with click-clack sounds creating a certain rhythm around me.
It is not a symphony, but it damn sounds like music to me.
“What are you doing?” Rachel curiously asks as she rises up from her bed.
Her healing is long done already.
I halfheartedly answer her. “PowerPoint,” I have a presentation to work with, and I will make sure I will be at my persuasive best. From my system interface, Cube prompts me that it has finally begun analysis of the dead Seungyeon. I may not possess any scientific mind that will give us the necessary breakthrough, but this is better than doing nothing.
Seungyeon is dead, that is for sure, but her cells are quite alive still. It is as if the Devil’s Seed is persisting on not dying. What makes a Devil’s Seed fearsome is if it is killed via normal means, then it will only regenerate somewhere else making it virtually immortal.
But with Suho cutting concepts, the essence itself, and the very soul, then theoretically, it should be possible to kill the Devil’s Seed.
Making Kim Suho stronger should be one of our topmost agenda.
As a clairvoyant, I have to play my role well and inform them what needs to be done. As the Vice President of Devil Hunter’s Club, I should have more pull on them…. I hope so…
I tap on my smartwatch that I pick back from Rachel. It appears that all of the members are already here. “Rachel, you will be coming with me…”
“Why?”
“You want in, right? I’ll recommend you…” There is no use delaying the danger anymore. If there is a way to convince her to join up, her presence is most welcome. Heck, if I know a method to convince Jonghak then I’ll do just that. “The Devil Hunter’s Club, do you want to join in?”
“I…” There is doubt in Rachel’s eyes.
I cannot blame her. She must feel how powerless she really is. More than that, there are her responsibilities to her people. She is unlike Yoenha who is backed into a corner. She can still choose to back out ow, and if she does, then there I will respect that decision.
“What do I get if I join in?” She asks me sincerely about the benefits of joining.
There is an unwavering spirit in her gaze.
We are still a club organization under Cube, but I realize now that we cannot remain that way forever. If I want to bind everyone and unite them, then now is the perfect chance. We must become a proper organization with the same vision, mission, and cause.
We must become a proper organization that can function outside and inside Cube. Hero Association? Djinn Society? Guilds? The Chameleon Troupe even? We will play on their stage and must play an active role in fighting the Devils.
My Gift is evolving. I have become stronger… and also richer, and in possession of more assets now than ever with True Cube on my side. With this comes ambition. I am powerless before, and all I can do is struggle and put in the effort. My method of deception will not work forever.
I need leverage, and I now have them. I am still not done playing second fiddle, but there should be something I can do to steer the group’s direction forward.
“Benefits huh?” I cannot suppress my smile as I now come to realize just how much is truly within my grasp, excluding the Great Sage’s inheritance. “Rachel-ssi… If you think of material gains then the best benefits you’ll receive is getting me, Nayun, Suho, and Hajin as your allies. We are all cadets now, but you should know what we are capable of.”
I sense the slightest tremble from Rachel’s eyes.
“I am in… then… please take care of me.” She must know it too. There is something big in the works with the Devil Hunter’s Club. And even if there are no immediate benefits to it, she should understand the value of befriending us.
“Wow,” I whistle in amusement. “You are only a temporary member now, and I have yet to actually recommend you to them…”
I move forward, my back facing Rachel. I can feel it now, the weight of responsibility on my shoulders cannot get more real. I have a foolish side, yes, I have been fooling around a lot with my shenanigans, but I have been serious and sincere in my actions.
Yet.
Only now I do realize the crushing weight of responsibility.
I am not strong enough to actually stand in front of them, but I will get there. With the hand I am dealing with, I should be able to. It makes me wonder. What exactly is it that makes me feel this weight on my shoulders?
Is it Yoenha’s cry in despair for offering herself as a sacrifice? Maybe. That ticks me off a lot. With this same line of thought, what happens from Jonghak’s ambush is the same then. I still shudder at the thought of being on the receiving end of his spear.
Then there is also Kum Seungyeon who we presume to be the victim and should be now dead. To think that she has actually become a villain is unbelievable. This change might also be a reason for me finally feeling this weight of responsibility that comes with knowing the truth.
I mean it is already so bad at this point, I cannot even begin to imagine how worse it will get.
In a more spacious room is a round table with exactly four seats. I see Suho who is slightly dozing off, Nayun who is cracking on his knuckles, and Hajin who is playing with his smartwatch.
“What is Rachel doing here?” Nayun addresses the most obvious thing she sees.
I offhandedly explain to her. “I want her to join the club, but that is the least important thing we should discuss about now.” I have the Cube AI project the PowerPoint I have been preparing for some time.
Three bold bullets under Main Agenda appear on the tablet just before the others. It reads— (1) Great Sage, (2) Devil’s Seed, and (3) Aftermath. Under No. 2, there are a lot of sub-bullets we need to address such as Yun Hyuk, Kum Seungyeon, and Yoo Yoenha.
“Before we really kick off this meeting, I want you Hajin-ssi to appraise this thing for me.” I roll down a peculiar purple orb on Hajin’s way. He catches it mid-roll and uses his [Observation and Reading] Gift at it.
Despite having a system of my own, I cannot do something like appraising items. Hajin who has a specific Gift for it will be a more reliable source of information than my AI's own analysis.
Hajin taps on his smartwatch and reads out the effects of the orb. “It is called [Orb of Solomon], it can turn information to its side at the user’s will at the expense of memories and seems to be an omnipotent hacking tool.”
That sounds scary. This must be what the enemies are using to get around Cube’s technological prowess. It appears that my suspicions are right that they are using an item outside of this world.
“Let’s get started.”
“Wait,” Suho voices his objection quickly before I can even put my words of confidence to it. “Is it fine for Rachel to be here? I don’t feel comfortable if someone who is really not involved in our problems is here…”
Rachel immediately voices her dissatisfaction. “I know I am not worthy, and I haven’t made the cut, but Hyon Hyun-ssi has already given me his word.”
Hajin, Nayun, and Suho direct me with their own versions of glares.
Uuhh… So this is what it feels like to be thrown under the bus.
“I think it is fine.” Hajin gives me the support I desperately need. “We are looking down on these threats too much, and look where that brought us. We barely managed to win. Now that we have some semblance of calm, we should bolster our numbers.”
“But…” Nayun seems to be in agreement with Suho as she also wants to voice against Rachel being here. “It will be meaningless if she is not strong enough… I’d rather only we should minimize the casualties as much s possible.”
I see that logic with Nayun to be justifiable, but Rachel is not that weak… Hmmm… Considering Nayun’s regression, and her rare brushing with Rachel, then it is only natural for her to look down on Rachel.
“Care to remind you that in the past timeline, you are only second fiddle to her in Cube? Miss Rank 4?”
“Uhk… I don’t mean it like that…” She responds with annoyance. It looks like I hit a sore spot.
Suho sends me an all too familiar gaze of my confusion. I reckon Rachel must feel the same. I will explain it in due time as it is one of my objectives to remove all of the suspicions among our group members with each other... completely and definitely.
I increase the strength of my voice as the flow of conversation might just get more focused on Rachel. “As I said, Rachel is not the least of my concerns. Let me speak, first… I made a damn well PowerPoint for you guys, so indulge me.”
~Ahem ~Ahem!
I have this bad habit of faking a cough before saying something important.
Let’s hit it.
“First, you might be wondering what the Great Sage has to do with our main agenda?”
“You became his successor, right?”
Before I can even boast about my fortuitous encounter with the Cube AI, Hajin just has to ruin my fun.
“Yes,” I dully reply. “I have become the Great Sage’s inheritor, and now, all of this around us is mine. We are currently under Cube, and according to Cube AI, this is the true nature of Cube. This place underground is my whole base with all sorts of facilities that we can use to strengthen ourselves. There are also plenty of things that are yet to be explored, but they will naturally come into our possession as soon as I increase my Nerve Synchronization with my System.”
There is not even a yelp around them. Hajin and Suho show a look of surprise, but that’s all. Come on, guys, you should be more shocked. I cannot even brag about this. I feel like a sore loser.
“Can I have a mocha?” Nayun asks directly to the air in particular, and the Cube AI understands her intentions perfectly as a cup of mocha does pop off slowly from Nayun’s tableside. “Awesome! It is a coffee vending machine!”
The cutting-edge technology of the Great Sage is reduced to a mere coffee vending machine.
That causes me a sustainable amount of emotional damage.
“Are you guys not even surprised?”
“I am surprised though,” Nayun innocently answers as she sips her coffee.
“Yeah, me too.” Hajin offhandedly answers with a can of coke already in his hand.
“Do you have rice?” Suho kindly asks the air.
They must be extremely exhausted. I should not berate them. They deserve that much. I glance at Rachel who remains standing behind me. She has a shocked expression exactly how I imagine it to be.
“Are there any more questions? Maybe about this inheritance? Anything?”
Sizzling…
I hear the sound of heat and meat colliding. I look at its source and see Kim Hajin seriously grilling pork belly at his table. I ignore him with all of my willpower.
“Then moving forward, let’s discuss the Devil’s Seed.”
~Grumble!
I hear my own stomach crying in protest to get the food it deserves. Judging by the gaze the others are sending me, they must have heard it too.
Announcement I apologize, cuz it seems today is not the day you guys will learn Hyon Hyung's Devil Slaying plan. I promise! The next chapter has it!
I move my mouse with haste. It is like one of those days when there is a school project but you are only cramming now since the deadline is tomorrow. I tap on my keyboard with click-clack sounds creating a certain rhythm around me.
It is not a symphony, but it damn sounds like music to me.
“What are you doing?” Rachel curiously asks as she rises up from her bed.
Her healing is long done already.
I halfheartedly answer her. “PowerPoint,” I have a presentation to work with, and I will make sure I will be at my persuasive best. From my system interface, Cube prompts me that it has finally begun analysis of the dead Seungyeon. I may not possess any scientific mind that will give us the necessary breakthrough, but this is better than doing nothing.
Seungyeon is dead, that is for sure, but her cells are quite alive still. It is as if the Devil’s Seed is persisting on not dying. What makes a Devil’s Seed fearsome is if it is killed via normal means, then it will only regenerate somewhere else making it virtually immortal.
But with Suho cutting concepts, the essence itself, and the very soul, then theoretically, it should be possible to kill the Devil’s Seed.
Making Kim Suho stronger should be one of our topmost agenda.
As a clairvoyant, I have to play my role well and inform them what needs to be done. As the Vice President of Devil Hunter’s Club, I should have more pull on them…. I hope so…
I tap on my smartwatch that I pick back from Rachel. It appears that all of the members are already here. “Rachel, you will be coming with me…”
“Why?”
“You want in, right? I’ll recommend you…” There is no use delaying the danger anymore. If there is a way to convince her to join up, her presence is most welcome. Heck, if I know a method to convince Jonghak then I’ll do just that. “The Devil Hunter’s Club, do you want to join in?”
“I…” There is doubt in Rachel’s eyes.
I cannot blame her. She must feel how powerless she really is. More than that, there are her responsibilities to her people. She is unlike Yoenha who is backed into a corner. She can still choose to back out ow, and if she does, then there I will respect that decision.
“What do I get if I join in?” She asks me sincerely about the benefits of joining.
There is an unwavering spirit in her gaze.
We are still a club organization under Cube, but I realize now that we cannot remain that way forever. If I want to bind everyone and unite them, then now is the perfect chance. We must become a proper organization with the same vision, mission, and cause.
We must become a proper organization that can function outside and inside Cube. Hero Association? Djinn Society? Guilds? The Chameleon Troupe even? We will play on their stage and must play an active role in fighting the Devils.
My Gift is evolving. I have become stronger… and also richer, and in possession of more assets now than ever with True Cube on my side. With this comes ambition. I am powerless before, and all I can do is struggle and put in the effort. My method of deception will not work forever.
I need leverage, and I now have them. I am still not done playing second fiddle, but there should be something I can do to steer the group’s direction forward.
“Benefits huh?” I cannot suppress my smile as I now come to realize just how much is truly within my grasp, excluding the Great Sage’s inheritance. “Rachel-ssi… If you think of material gains then the best benefits you’ll receive is getting me, Nayun, Suho, and Hajin as your allies. We are all cadets now, but you should know what we are capable of.”
I sense the slightest tremble from Rachel’s eyes.
“I am in… then… please take care of me.” She must know it too. There is something big in the works with the Devil Hunter’s Club. And even if there are no immediate benefits to it, she should understand the value of befriending us.
“Wow,” I whistle in amusement. “You are only a temporary member now, and I have yet to actually recommend you to them…”
I move forward, my back facing Rachel. I can feel it now, the weight of responsibility on my shoulders cannot get more real. I have a foolish side, yes, I have been fooling around a lot with my shenanigans, but I have been serious and sincere in my actions.
Yet.
Only now I do realize the crushing weight of responsibility.
I am not strong enough to actually stand in front of them, but I will get there. With the hand I am dealing with, I should be able to. It makes me wonder. What exactly is it that makes me feel this weight on my shoulders?
Is it Yoenha’s cry in despair for offering herself as a sacrifice? Maybe. That ticks me off a lot. With this same line of thought, what happens from Jonghak’s ambush is the same then. I still shudder at the thought of being on the receiving end of his spear.
Then there is also Kum Seungyeon who we presume to be the victim and should be now dead. To think that she has actually become a villain is unbelievable. This change might also be a reason for me finally feeling this weight of responsibility that comes with knowing the truth.
I mean it is already so bad at this point, I cannot even begin to imagine how worse it will get.
In a more spacious room is a round table with exactly four seats. I see Suho who is slightly dozing off, Nayun who is cracking on his knuckles, and Hajin who is playing with his smartwatch.
“What is Rachel doing here?” Nayun addresses the most obvious thing she sees.
I offhandedly explain to her. “I want her to join the club, but that is the least important thing we should discuss about now.” I have the Cube AI project the PowerPoint I have been preparing for some time.
Three bold bullets under Main Agenda appear on the tablet just before the others. It reads— (1) Great Sage, (2) Devil’s Seed, and (3) Aftermath. Under No. 2, there are a lot of sub-bullets we need to address such as Yun Hyuk, Kum Seungyeon, and Yoo Yoenha.
“Before we really kick off this meeting, I want you Hajin-ssi to appraise this thing for me.” I roll down a peculiar purple orb on Hajin’s way. He catches it mid-roll and uses his [Observation and Reading] Gift at it.
Despite having a system of my own, I cannot do something like appraising items. Hajin who has a specific Gift for it will be a more reliable source of information than my AI's own analysis.
Hajin taps on his smartwatch and reads out the effects of the orb. “It is called [Orb of Solomon], it can turn information to its side at the user’s will at the expense of memories and seems to be an omnipotent hacking tool.”
That sounds scary. This must be what the enemies are using to get around Cube’s technological prowess. It appears that my suspicions are right that they are using an item outside of this world.
“Let’s get started.”
“Wait,” Suho voices his objection quickly before I can even put my words of confidence to it. “Is it fine for Rachel to be here? I don’t feel comfortable if someone who is really not involved in our problems is here…”
Rachel immediately voices her dissatisfaction. “I know I am not worthy, and I haven’t made the cut, but Hyon Hyun-ssi has already given me his word.”
Hajin, Nayun, and Suho direct me with their own versions of glares.
Uuhh… So this is what it feels like to be thrown under the bus.
“I think it is fine.” Hajin gives me the support I desperately need. “We are looking down on these threats too much, and look where that brought us. We barely managed to win. Now that we have some semblance of calm, we should bolster our numbers.”
“But…” Nayun seems to be in agreement with Suho as she also wants to voice against Rachel being here. “It will be meaningless if she is not strong enough… I’d rather only we should minimize the casualties as much s possible.”
I see that logic with Nayun to be justifiable, but Rachel is not that weak… Hmmm… Considering Nayun’s regression, and her rare brushing with Rachel, then it is only natural for her to look down on Rachel.
“Care to remind you that in the past timeline, you are only second fiddle to her in Cube? Miss Rank 4?”
“Uhk… I don’t mean it like that…” She responds with annoyance. It looks like I hit a sore spot.
Suho sends me an all too familiar gaze of my confusion. I reckon Rachel must feel the same. I will explain it in due time as it is one of my objectives to remove all of the suspicions among our group members with each other... completely and definitely.
I increase the strength of my voice as the flow of conversation might just get more focused on Rachel. “As I said, Rachel is not the least of my concerns. Let me speak, first… I made a damn well PowerPoint for you guys, so indulge me.”
~Ahem ~Ahem!
I have this bad habit of faking a cough before saying something important.
Let’s hit it.
“First, you might be wondering what the Great Sage has to do with our main agenda?”
“You became his successor, right?”
Before I can even boast about my fortuitous encounter with the Cube AI, Hajin just has to ruin my fun.
“Yes,” I dully reply. “I have become the Great Sage’s inheritor, and now, all of this around us is mine. We are currently under Cube, and according to Cube AI, this is the true nature of Cube. This place underground is my whole base with all sorts of facilities that we can use to strengthen ourselves. There are also plenty of things that are yet to be explored, but they will naturally come into our possession as soon as I increase my Nerve Synchronization with my System.”
There is not even a yelp around them. Hajin and Suho show a look of surprise, but that’s all. Come on, guys, you should be more shocked. I cannot even brag about this. I feel like a sore loser.
“Can I have a mocha?” Nayun asks directly to the air in particular, and the Cube AI understands her intentions perfectly as a cup of mocha does pop off slowly from Nayun’s tableside. “Awesome! It is a coffee vending machine!”
The cutting-edge technology of the Great Sage is reduced to a mere coffee vending machine.
That causes me a sustainable amount of emotional damage.
“Are you guys not even surprised?”
“I am surprised though,” Nayun innocently answers as she sips her coffee.
“Yeah, me too.” Hajin offhandedly answers with a can of coke already in his hand.
“Do you have rice?” Suho kindly asks the air.
They must be extremely exhausted. I should not berate them. They deserve that much. I glance at Rachel who remains standing behind me. She has a shocked expression exactly how I imagine it to be.
“Are there any more questions? Maybe about this inheritance? Anything?”
Sizzling…
I hear the sound of heat and meat colliding. I look at its source and see Kim Hajin seriously grilling pork belly at his table. I ignore him with all of my willpower.
“Then moving forward, let’s discuss the Devil’s Seed.”
~Grumble!
I hear my own stomach crying in protest to get the food it deserves. Judging by the gaze the others are sending me, they must have heard it too.
Announcement I apologize, cuz it seems today is not the day you guys will learn Hyon Hyung's Devil Slaying plan. I promise! The next chapter has it!