Chapter 2 Acquiring an Overpowered Trait and Restarting (2)

 

Two weeks had passed since then.

 

=====

 

Name: Seo Yu-jin (20 years old, Male)

 

Title: Unyielding Spirit

 

Stats: Strength [3.53] Agility [3.11] Intelligence [3.12] Luck [8.42] Magic Power [3.80]

 

Innate Talents: Complete Hypnosis (Lv. Max), ㅁㅁㅁ ㅁㅁ (Lv.???)

 

Skills: None

 

Traits: Indomitable

 

Current Status: Hypnosis, ???

 

=====

 

In front of me appeared a status window.

 

Information that only the awakened could see was neatly organized and displayed.

 

There were a lot of things I couldn’t understand, like the question marks, but that didn’t matter right now.

 

What mattered was the trait.

 

It was a reward earned by breaking my bones and tearing my body apart, like the saying “분골쇄신” (breaking bones and crushing the body).

 

『Indomitable不 (S Rank) – Immunity to negative physical status effects. 90% reduction in physical attack damage.』

 

“Even if I get shot, I won’t die.”

 

It was one of the ‘hidden pieces’ found in the game. Indomitable.

 

A trait that could only be described as overpowered.

 

Most troublesome monsters were physical.

 

The monsters that would appear fifteen years from now would also primarily use physical attacks.

 

But with this trait?

 

100 damage would only be 10.

 

It was the best trait among the hidden pieces that could be obtained before entering the academy.

 

It was limited to physical, so it wasn’t invincible, but…

 

『Complete Hypnosis (EX Rank) – Controls the soul.』

 

“For mages, I can just mesmerize them and beat them up.”

 

This was complemented by my skill as a player, and my unique awakened talent. Complete Hypnosis.

 

For mages, I just needed to hypnotize them. They wouldn’t fall into hypnosis easily, but they’d hesitate while resisting.

 

That hesitation would be my chance to approach and end the game.

 

With the best starting point, I couldn’t help but smile.

 

-Heh.

 

“It was worth doing something crazy…”

 

“What are you smiling about, Yu-jin? It must hurt since you’re undergoing treatment.”

 

“Ah.”

 

…Maybe it was a bit weird to be smiling during treatment.

 

I shut my mouth, feeling slightly embarrassed. I glanced around, feeling self-conscious.

 

“Thank you again, sis. Thanks to you…”

 

“I told you not to call me sis, didn’t I?”

 

The person I was glancing at was Ryu Soo-yeon, an A-rank awakened who had retired from the front lines and opened a private clinic.

 

Known as the ‘Angel in White,’ she was now glaring at me.

 

-Stare.

 

“I’ve never wanted to have a reckless younger brother.”

 

“…Tsk.”

 

‘If I hadn’t saved her daughter, I would’ve been slapped by now.’

 

Well. I’d be annoyed too. Seeing a perfectly healthy guy come in all battered every time.

 

She had promised to treat me for free for life as thanks for saving her daughter. She must’ve regretted that decision.

 

‘Still, I got treatments worth several million won for free with one hypnosis. It’s a win.’

 

But that was her problem.

 

As a patient, I was just happy.

 

Her daughter had become a wreck due to PTSD caused by her father?

 

One click of my hypnosis and she was cured.

 

The result was free recovery worth millions.

 

The perfect world where everyone was happy…

 

Why was she frowning like that? It’s not like her ability wore out from use.

 

I felt a bit resentful and grumbled.

 

“Aren’t we quite close now? Hayeong even asked me to get along well with her mom.”

 

“There’s more than a 15-year age gap. Don’t say such disgusting things.”

 

“……”

 

‘Before the regression, we were the same age, you know?’

 

But her cold attitude remained unchanged.

 

Then, she slapped my back.

 

-Smack!!

 

“Ouch!”

 

“Stop pretending it hurts. If you get hurt and come back, I really won’t treat you.”

 

“Tsk.”

 

‘She really squeezed me dry.’

 

It was a bit disappointing, but I guessed her affection had its limits.

 

I got up, putting the disappointment behind me, and smiled at her.

 

“Don’t worry too much. I won’t hurt myself on purpose anymore.”

 

“…What?”

 

“I told you. It was to train my body before entering the academy.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Since I’m entering tomorrow, we won’t see each other for a while, sis.”

 

For some reason, Soo-yeon’s expression became somewhat strange.

 

“…Still, drop by occasionally. You seem like the type to get injured often.”

 

“Really? Is that true?”

 

“Yes. As long as the injuries aren’t self-inflicted from foolishness, I’ll treat you anytime.”

 

‘Oh, sweet.’

 

She still had a sense of debt for curing her daughter, which showed on her face like someone needing to pee.

 

I felt a sense of satisfaction from the promise of free treatment.

 

“Thank you, sister.”

 

“I told you not to call me sister because of our age gap…”

 

“I can’t call such a pretty lady ‘auntie,’ can I?”

 

“…!!!? N-No, you can’t!!!?”

 

‘Flattery works wonders.’

 

A lesson from a 35-year-old matchmaking uncle.

 

There’s no harm in complimenting women first.

 

“See you again, Soo-yeon.”

 

“Th-That… Yes, see you…”

 

I turned my back on her, hoping the severely low favorability would recover a bit.

 

-Bustling.

 

“I kept watching… Hmm. Mom, are you thinking of remarrying?”

 

“W-What are you talking about? The age gap between us is huge, and as for marriage…”

 

“I saw honey dripping from your eyes…”

 

‘Didn’t expect her to be giggling with her daughter right after I left. Guess I really was disliked.’

 

Well, it would be tough.

 

* * *

 

A bit of time passed, and the next day arrived.

 

It was the day of the academy entrance.

 

-Bustling.

 

‘Everyone’s excited. Ah, youth.’

 

I wasn’t particularly moved, but the new students around me were all bursting with excitement.

 

…Well, considering what the academy was.

 

Forty years ago, strange phenomena began appearing nationwide.

 

Monsters started emerging from dimensional gates, which humanity called ‘Gates.’

 

Simultaneously, people began awakening special abilities, like something out of a fantasy.

 

The academy I was heading to was an institution that gathered and trained these ‘awakened’ individuals.

 

‘They must be dreaming of golden futures.’

 

Awakened individuals were highly valued in society.

 

They were the only ones capable of dealing with monsters that firearms were almost useless against.

 

The awakened were essential for maintaining society.

 

Moreover, the energy sources dropped by the monsters, known as ‘cores,’ were incredibly valuable.

 

Even a C-rank awakened could expect an average annual salary of 300 million won.

 

With such high income and fame, it was natural for new awakened individuals to be excited.

 

‘…But most of them being women is a bit of a bummer.’

 

Unfortunately, becoming an awakened was rare, and male awakened individuals were even rarer.

 

The gender ratio was about 1:9.

 

Once awakened, there were no differences in abilities between genders, and for ordinary people, it didn’t matter much.

 

It wasn’t to the point of being called ‘gender reversal,’ but…

 

Being surrounded by women made me a bit uncomfortable.

 

‘They must be in their early 20s? I feel like I’d get arrested just by looking at them.’

 

My body was 20, but my mind was 35.

 

Being an uncle among young folks wasn’t easy.

 

Unlike in the first life when I got excited by women’s fragrance, now it was honestly a hardship.

 

I naturally sought a place without people, as if to escape.

 

-Step, step.

 

‘I’ll pass the time walking until the entrance exam…’

 

My steps led me to a less crowded area.

 

Finally, I felt a bit at ease.

 

Soo-yeon was fine since we were mentally the same age, but hanging out with much younger girls was awkward.

 

‘…They must be young now too. Except for the teacher.’

 

Thinking about women naturally led me to thoughts of my wives.

 

They must have lost all memories of being with me.

 

Most of them would be in their early 20s now…

 

I had to court them again.

 

A 35-year-old uncle hitting on them felt unpleasant.

 

‘Well, I’ll do it anyway. I can’t bear to see them with other men.’

 

It was something I had to endure to reunite with them.

 

I slapped my cheeks to steel my resolve.

 

When I met them again, I wanted to show a decent side as much as possible.

 

-Bustling.

 

‘…It’s noisy. Who’s in this secluded place on entrance ceremony day?’

 

While wasting time, I heard a commotion.

 

It was strange.

 

This place was far from the ceremony hall and the vacant lot where the entrance exam was held.

 

It wasn’t a suitable place to make a fuss on the entrance ceremony day.

 

But who would come all the way here and make a ruckus?

 

I quickly moved my feet.

 

“…Are you an otaku?”

 

“N-No, it’s just that, um…”

 

“Looks like your dream isn’t to be an awakened but a plumber. My friend.”

 

“It’s not that…”

 

As I got closer, the voices became clearer.

 

Two low, deep voices and one distinctly higher-pitched one.

 

My pace quickened.

 

‘It’s hard to hear because it’s small, but this voice…?’

 

-Step, step.

 

A voice trembling like the legs of a newborn fawn.

 

Timidness evident in the drawn-out speech.

 

Above all… a slightly awkward way of speaking even at a glance.

 

———Alice. Alice Littonwood.

 

It was unmistakably the voice of one of my wives.

 

My quick steps turned into a sprint.

 

-Dash.

 

‘Which bastard is bullying my Alice…!!!’

 

She still hadn’t fully overcome her timidity.

 

My beloved wife.

 

Who dared to threaten her?

 

My head heated up, and I ran frantically.

 

Near the equipment storage, a particularly secluded spot in the academy.

 

Until I reached the place with a solitary vending machine.

 

“Sisters, can you check her clothes? She looks like a foreigner, and if she wears that kind of outfit, the reporters… hmm?”

 

“——Hey, you guys. What are you doing to a scared kid?”

 

I made what I thought was a pretty cool entrance.

 

The two girls who were surrounding another girl slowly turned around.

 

Their gaze filled with a “Who the heck is this guy?” look.

 

“Uh? Who are you… Oh?”

 

“Wow, damn. This is the real deal.”

 

They seemed to react somehow, but I didn’t bother to listen.

 

Alice was my priority.

 

Between the girls who turned their backs, my eyes met Alice’s.

 

It was our first meeting in this second life.

 

“You, are…?”

 

Her clothes, I couldn’t believe my eyes…

 

‘…What on earth is she wearing.’

 

It was a dreadful sight.