Chapter 9 Revealing Abilities (3)

 

Rewind to when Yu-jin cleared the 10th stage of the entrance exam.

 

Lucky reporters who filmed the event immediately wrote articles.

 

They plastered titles like “Exclusive” and “Breaking News.”

 

About the birth of a new S-rank candidate.

 

[Korean Awakener Minor Gallery]

 

Title: Breaking news, entering the gallery, LOL

 

(Internet news capture)

 

Journalist… I get you’re in a hurry, but what’s with the typos…

 

ㄴ These days, the level of cyber scavengers is pathetic;;

 

ㄴ Oh, but is the article real?

 

ㄴ Is it really? Probably just clickbait.

 

ㄴㄴ Really LOL If you click it, it’ll say “unfortunately failed.”

 

A hurriedly written article by a journalist on a smartphone, unable to contain their urgency.

 

A freshman cleared the 10th stage of the entrance exam!

 

Naturally, people didn’t believe it.

 

Journalists desperate for views—this was nothing new.

 

People just thought it was an overblown story, and the rare post was quietly buried.

 

…That was supposed to be the case.

 

Title: The video of the S-rank fuss is up.

 

(YouTube screen capture uploaded 37 seconds ago)

 

It’s the full, unedited video.

 

Who’s got time to watch all this?

 

ㄴ Isn’t everyone here a basement-dwelling Bill Gates? Why complain?

 

ㄴㄴ (Insert emoticon expressing confusion or frustration)

 

ㄴ LOL Great, I had nothing to watch while eating. Perfect timing.

 

A video urgently uploaded to an official YouTube channel of a broadcasting company.

 

Though it was raw and unedited, a few people eagerly watched it.

 

Awakeners are real-life heroes.

 

The entrance exam where they first showcased their skills was the ultimate spectacle.

 

It didn’t take long for reactions to heat up.

 

Title: Guys, check this out.

 

(Capture right after Seo Yu-jin cleared the 10th stage)

 

That thing from earlier is real???

 

ㄴ This isn’t a crappy meme.

 

ㄴㄴ If you thought it was, why click?

 

ㄴㄴ Eating dinner.

 

ㄴㄴ ?

 

ㄴ Oh, damn it.

 

ㄴ His face is wasted, really.

 

ㄴ I clicked because it was a guy, but why is it real?

 

Several people uploaded captures.

 

The spark quickly turned into a major fire.

 

Every online community’s opinions were boiling.

 

[Smiling and Laughing Today’s Pentagon Academy (+729)]

 

[Guys, potential S-rank Awakener appeared (+3811)]

 

[Members, look at this handsome young man (+12)]

 

[Reasons why Aika should retire now (+9999)]

 

An unusually intense reaction.

 

This was because the current top S-rank was Japanese.

 

It was clear that Korea had the highest average level of Awakeners in the world.

 

Yet, the strongest among them was Japanese.

 

This caused the two countries to become victims of a global divisive World Cup.

 

Korea is number one in the world?

 

Aika alone could wipe them out.

 

Japan’s pride, top S-rank Ninomiya Aika?

 

She was educated in Korea. Without Aika, Japan is nothing.

 

Isn’t Aika practically an honorary Korean?

 

Such comments were circulating not just online, but in reality.

 

In this situation, news that a Korean had achieved what only the top S-rank had done came out.

 

As Koreans, they couldn’t help but be interested.

 

The fire in the strongest Awakener nation quickly spread to other countries.

 

Japan, sensitive to these issues like Korea, of course.

 

Even to America, where it was dawn due to the time difference.

 

The whole world was turned upside down.

 

[R/awakener – 8TH S RANK AWAKENER???????? (8th S-rank Awakener)]

 

(YouTube capture image)

 

[Thread talking about Aika-chan]

 

They say a Korean boy Awakener broke Aika-chan’s record?

 

398

 

Isn’t it photoshopped? An idol?

 

Responses were similarly fiery to Korea’s.

 

Due to this, an overwhelming demand surged towards Pentagon Academy.

 

Even the chairman, one of the only seven S-rank Awakeners in the world, felt threatened.

 

“Chairman!! The media is in an uproar right now….”

 

‘…Tsk. At this rate, the pressure will fall directly on the cadet himself. I must reveal his abilities.’

 

Despite knowing it was rude, this was why he directly asked Seo Yu-jin about his abilities at the end of the entrance ceremony.

 

Even a seasoned veteran like himself couldn’t guess Yu-jin’s abilities, so how would ordinary people perceive it?

 

If they glossed over it, it was clear there would be a national petition.

 

So he decided to ask just enough to hint at which category it fell into.

 

Then they could interpret it themselves.

 

The chairman, with this thought in mind, asked…

 

“My unique ability is hypnosis. Complete hypnosis.”

 

“……!!!”

 

A full disclosure of abilities with no brakes.

 

Everyone was thrown into confusion at this unexpected development.

 

[Real-time Chat]

 

-Hypnosis???

 

-Mind control? Is that real? WTF

 

-Why is he saying that?

 

-What is this even?

 

The real-time chat on the live broadcast was overloaded to the point of freezing.

 

Revealing that he had an Ex-rank was shocking enough. Hypnosis?

 

Even at a glance, it didn’t sound like a combat ability.

 

Then what about the sparkling purple sword?

 

What about the flawlessly executed monster strategies?

 

How could an Awakener’s ability be hypnosis?

 

Was there ever such an ability among past Awakeners?

 

There hadn’t been any.

 

Who is he?

 

“…What kind of ability is that exactly?”

 

The chairman couldn’t hold back and asked.

 

“What do you mean, freshman?”

 

“It is the ability to control the souls of living beings and command them as I wish.”

 

“The soul?”

 

“Yes. It was thanks to this that I made the monsters commit s*****e at the 6th and 9th stages.”

 

Yu-jin remained calm.

 

Ah, don’t you know? This is called 『Hypnosis』. My unique talent.

 

…Of course, he was fully aware that he was doing something crazy.

 

‘In the game, there wasn’t even an option to reveal it.’

 

Hypnosis. Just hearing it, isn’t it the optimal ability for an adult game?

 

Announcing it was like declaring, “I’m a hypnosis breeding guy.”

 

People might not just be horrified, even his beloved wives could start avoiding him!

 

But Yu-jin, who called himself a second-round hypnosis breeding guy, chose not to hide his ability despite all the risks.

 

‘No matter how I think about it, this is the only breakthrough.’

 

In his previous life, so many rumors spread about his harem.

 

People said he just happened to awaken a strong ability and ignored the law.

 

The ability itself was suspicious, and no one knew why he became the disciple of the top S-rank.

 

And a harem? What makes him so special?

 

There were so many posts and comments like that, he eventually got sick of the internet.

 

But what if he didn’t hide it at all?

 

A young man who confessed upfront that his ability was dangerous.

 

A young man who used a highly corruptible ability in an extremely wholesome way.

 

A young man who didn’t just luck out with a strong ability but trained diligently to become strong despite having a non-combat ability.

 

A young man recognized for his efforts and became the disciple of the top S-rank.

 

A respectable young man.

 

At least this image-making was possible.

 

His achievements would back him up.

 

Of course, there would still be rumors, but…

 

It would be a hundred, a thousand times better than the first round.

 

This was Yu-jin’s thought.

 

And, as he expected.

 

The opinions on the internet and among people rapidly changed.

 

…For reasons completely different from what he had thought.

 

[Korean Awakener Minor Gallery]

 

Title: Hypnosis? Isn’t this the perfect adult game ability?

 

Even in an industry where the gender ratio is 1 to 9 in favor of men,

 

A unique ability of hypnosis?

 

If that’s real, wouldn’t every day be a paradise of lust?

 

Why didn’t they give it to me instead of an alpha male like him?

 

ㄴ Hmm, is it that much?

 

ㄴㄴ That much;; Some have been virgins for 30 years, while someone gets a 24-hour party with a hypnosis snap.

 

ㄴㄴ With that face, he doesn’t even need hypnosis.

 

ㄴㄴ Ah.

 

If a guy with an average face had gained the power of hypnosis, it would have been controversial.

 

But, with that face.

 

He doesn’t really need hypnosis.

 

He must have revealed it knowing that too.

 

For someone as handsome as Yu-jin, merely coming out about his abilities wouldn’t give him a negative image.

 

Instead, it had the opposite effect,

 

[R/awakener – Virgin VS Yu-jin]

 

Virgin: Fantasizes about awakening while masturbating

 

Uses hypnosis only to sleep with women

 

Hides his ability for life

 

Yu-jin: Brings a different woman home every day even before awakening

 

Uses hypnosis to unleash amazing sword techniques

 

Doesn’t hide his ability

 

The meme ‘Virgin vs Chad,’ which was used in the English-speaking world, was quickly translated and flooded the internet.

 

Thanks to the humor of the Western brothers, Yu-jin’s image also soared.

 

He himself didn’t know.

 

‘Since I revealed it, I really have to live sincerely from now on. For my wives, I’ll live a life without any deviations!’

 

With completely unnecessary resolve.

 

He was already a decent young man.

 

* * *

 

After revealing my abilities in the live broadcast.

 

My confident demeanor grew heavier as I returned to my seat.

 

It was because of Alice and Shia.

 

‘The atmosphere was so good, now they’ll all be horrified….’

 

If they just avoided me for being a shady guy who uses hypnosis, I’d be lucky.

 

You used hypnosis on us, didn’t you? You pervert!

 

I even prepared myself to get slapped.

 

With time, as I accumulated various achievements, my sincerity would clear up misunderstandings, but…

 

In other words, I needed time.

 

Until then, I would be avoided by them.

 

My heart, already sunlit after two weeks of torment, might ache a lot if they avoided me…

 

I couldn’t bring myself to move.

 

‘I hate this… All I need is you guys, if you hate me, how will I live….’

 

“Yu-jin!!”

 

“……Huh?”

 

Contrary to my thoughts, a very bright voice greeted me.

 

It was Alice.

 

“Hypnosis, that’s amazing! It’s such a refreshing ability!!”

 

“Oh, oh?”

 

‘What’s this? Why is she happy?’

 

Flushed cheeks. Clenched fists. She was even closer than before.

 

It didn’t look like the reaction of someone who had heard about my ability.

 

-Muttering.

 

“Hypnosis that can make monsters self-harm… This has endless potential.”

 

‘Shia doesn’t seem to care either.’

 

Yu Shia wasn’t avoiding me either, but rather contemplating how to use my ability for her clan.

 

…Why? Did I unconsciously use hypnosis?

 

“You don’t mind? About my ability.”

 

“Not at all? It’s rather fascinating! Use it on me too!”

 

“What are you talking about!?”

 

She even asked me to hypnotize her.

 

…Come to think of it, before I returned, everyone often asked me to use it.

 

I felt sorry and rarely used it.

 

Could it be that women also like hypnosis?

 

“Such preferences….”

 

“I know! You use it to treat depressed people, right? I haven’t been sleeping well lately!”

 

“Oh.”

 

That wasn’t it. I was trash.

 

‘So innocent, so innocent… Is this the freshness of early twenties?’

 

“…What makes you trust me? It’s a dangerous ability, so I’ll never use it on you.”

 

“Aw, don’t be like that~ Please?”

 

“No matter how much you ask, Alice, I can’t.”

 

“Hmph. If you hypnotize me….”

 

-Smile.

 

“I might forgive you for a little prank?”

 

“……!!!!?”

 

‘Could she be flirting with me… No, no. She probably means something silly. Yes. Hold on, hold on. I promised not to use hypnosis…!!!’

 

Thanks to my charming wives, today was really tough too.

 

* * *

 

The night of the day I came out about my hypnosis ability. The academy basement.

 

‘I didn’t expect to use hypnosis right away.’

 

“Look at this coin. Three, two, one….”

 

In front of a bound woman, Yu-jin’s first mission began.