NoveLight ™
So, when I came to my senses, this is what I found myself in.
Let’s get this straight again.
I had long, white hair, so unkempt it covered my eyes. My pupils were dark, almost black, like pitch. Long eyelashes and a face with delicate features. A slender yet enticing figure that would easily captivate any man.
When I looked in the mirror, the face staring back at me was Yoo Eun-ha’s, the younger sister of Yoo Jin-seok.
She had been stuck at home for years, isolated due to the stress of being constantly compared to her successful older brother, Yoo Jin-seok.
"My hair is really long."
As I looked at ‘my’ desk, I remembered how my brother had once arranged for a recommendation letter to be written for me by one of his friends at Hanseong Academy. Wait… Why am I identifying myself as Yoo Eun-ha?
Am I the guy who worked like a slave at a black company, or am I the disgruntled girl with a grudge against the world, Yoo Eun-ha?
I don’t know. But what I do know is that both the memories of the guy who argued with the author of this novel and the memories of Yoo Eun-ha coexist in my mind.
With both memories tangled together, I had to snap out of it. Whether I was a man, or a girl who falsely believed she was a man, one thing was certain: I wasn’t going to die a pointless death.
I suddenly remembered a time when ‘I’ staged a suicide attempt. Thinking about it now, I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. But there was no escaping the fact that I was going to the academy. I had to do something to avoid triggering my death flag.
I had one week left before I would have to leave for the academy. Feeling a sudden darkness before my eyes, I opened a pack of cigarettes on the desk and lit one.
"Hoo…"
My vision cleared again. What is it with this cigarette? For some reason, I felt oddly giddy.
No matter. I needed to plan my next move. Yeah, let’s just call this a dream. I mean, how could a world like this really exist? I had all of Yoo Eun-ha’s memories, but surely this was just a dream.
There’s no way a terrifying world like the one in Academy’s Godly Sword Legend could actually exist.
Well, even if it’s a dream, it wouldn’t be so bad to live it out until I wake up.
“If I use my abilities, it shouldn’t be that difficult.”
The old me was utterly hopeless. I’d complained about everything and was too lazy to make any effort. But now, I opened the notebook on the desk and began jotting down what I knew about the character ‘Yoo Eun-ha.’
Name – Yoo Eun-ha
Age – 17
Gender – Female
Unique Abilities
Acceleration
Parallel Circuits
Affinity
Skills
[Swordsmanship]
[Body Reinforcement]
[Mana Manipulation]
Title: One Who Approaches the Source
Whether I was just some character in a novel or not, one thing was certain—I wasn’t weak. I had learned swordsmanship from my brother before I was exiled to this house. Body Reinforcement allowed me to unlock the mana inside me, greatly enhancing my physical abilities for a limited time. While the level of power varied, it was something all hunter candidates could use to some extent.
Mana Manipulation referred to the control over mana. It was the force that allowed one to manipulate mana to their advantage. According to a well-known scholar in this world, Kim Mu-ryeok, mana manipulation could even be used for dieting. Keeping mana circulating consistently also improved physical capabilities. At least, that’s what the author said.
Anyway, this body had the basics covered.
Parallel Circuits: Forms parallel circuits for both the brain and mana. Overuse leads to side effects.
Acceleration: Speeds up concepts and actions.
Affinity: Grants resistance and adaptation to various environments inside gates, such as toxic swamps, ice fields, and lava zones.
Three unique abilities. The average awakened individual had only one. But I had three. And even with all that, I was still no match for the main protagonist, Choi Si-woo, with his Divine Sword.
Isn’t it obvious? The author just crammed these abilities together without much thought. That’s why the explanations are such a mess.
The author even said that these abilities were originally meant for a villain. But since the villain was cut from the story, the powers got dumped on me instead.
“I need to get used to this body.”
What was strange was that, despite having these odd memories, I was already quite comfortable as Yoo Eun-ha.
An idea came to mind. What if I fully accelerated my brain using parallel circuits? Could I grasp the secrets of the universe?
They’re called unique abilities, right? I should be able to use them however I want.
I activated both acceleration and parallel circuits in my mind. Instantly, a flood of thoughts surged through my head. The circuits branched out, creating vast spaces in my mind, filling up with countless ideas.
[Accelerate] [Accelerate] [Accelerate]
[This is insane. The pain is unbearable. It feels worse than a migraine. I think I’m going to lose it.]
[I’m going to lose it. I’m going to lose it. I’m going to lose it. I’m going to lose it. I’m going to lose it. I’m going to lose it.]
[I'm going to lose it. I'm going to lose it. I'm going to lose it. I'm going to lose it. I'm going to lose it. I'm going to lose it.]
Crack!
“Aagh, it hurts like hell!”
Am I supposed to be enlightened or something?
My head was filled with jumbled memories and scrambled thoughts that ended up getting sorted out like text in a document.
I’d better stop with this insane experiment.
I took another drag from my cigarette. As the fog in my overheated brain cleared, the empty spaces inside my mind felt less crowded.
“I can’t use this on my brain. I might actually end up brain-dead.”
So, manipulating mana is a much better option. In this world, the better one is at handling mana, the slower they age. Technically, it’s not immortality, but it’s close enough. You don’t stop aging, but you don’t die from it either.
Compared to that mind-bending experiment, using mana would be far more practical. As I applied the circuit to the mana inside me, I felt it rapidly increasing. If I train in this state, the results will be even better.
A few days later.
“…Cancel that.”
I lay sprawled out on the floor.
I had miscalculated. I wasn’t weak, but my physical endurance was just too low.
I definitely needed to train more.
I wasn’t weak in every area, just in terms of stamina.
“Time to get ready.”
In the past few days, I’d grown more accustomed to this world. Whether it was through the eyes of the guy who worked like a slave, or through Yoo Eun-ha’s perspective, I had been a frog in a well.
That guy… or should I say, the other world? The only real difference between this world and that one was the catastrophic history. Otherwise, everything else was the same—people’s culture and daily lives were practically identical.
“I should probably cut my hair.”
I trimmed it roughly. I only tidied up the front, but even that simple fix made the reflection in the mirror show a stunning beauty.
I also redid all the piercings. Surprisingly, they suited me, and I didn’t feel any discomfort.
“I heard the Divine Sword wielder is enrolling this year.”
“And isn’t a pure-blooded elf entering too?”
“They say the Divine Sword’s younger sister is also enrolling.”
The Divine Sword Hero, Choi Si-woo. The Spirit Elf, Reina. And Yoo Eun-ha, the Divine Sword’s sister.
Choi Si-woo, who earned the title of Divine Sword Hero just from awakening the Divine Sword. Reina, one of the heroines, an elf who wields spirit arrows. And me, the Divine Sword’s sister.
Rumors about us were already spreading, ensuring that Yoo Eun-ha’s role as a heroine would be cemented even further.
“Well, now that it’s come to this, I’ll have to shake things up as an irregular.”
Beep
A message alert sounded from Eun-ha’s new magic gear.
[Fire Bat: If you’re late today, you’re dead. Got it?]
Fire Bat?