Ch.13Chapter 13. Hero Lee Seo-yeon

Hero Seoyeon Lee.

For her, being summoned to this world was considered a stroke of luck.

Despite dedicating her entire life to studying, she never achieved the grades she wanted. Even after getting into university after retaking entrance exams, she constantly felt that she was merely dull-witted rather than a genius.

At home, she only heard that if she lacked ability, she should at least find a good man to marry. Feeling as if her entire life was being denied, she spent her days in misery.

But how different things were in this world.

‘It’s a success! This is the highest-ranked power among all the heroes we’ve summoned so far!’

‘Bless the birth of the new hero!’

Yes, from the beginning, everyone revered her.

Unlike other losers who were driven out of the imperial palace, everyone around her provided opportunities without her having to ask.

This reality soon turned into pride, and eventually transformed into arrogance as she began to consider herself the center of the world…

‘I am the protagonist. I can do whatever I want.’

Now, having secured the position of the youngest professor at the magic tower, Seoyeon believed that anything that displeased her should be removed immediately.

The nobles, as well as fellow members of the magic tower.

And also the anomaly she accidentally discovered while checking the financial records of the magic tower.

‘What is this? This person is being allocated this much funding?’

A name she couldn’t even remember despite having met many famous people in this world.

Yet this person was receiving several times more investment than herself, and many scholars were participating in experimenting with the results.

It was surprising that it had remained hidden until now, being operated so secretly.

One might notice something suspicious about this, but Seoyeon wasn’t interested in who Vivian was or what research she was conducting.

Only one thing mattered: the fact that she received more funding than herself, the protagonist of this world.

“Hero Seoyeon Lee. The Tower Master has summoned you.”

Now, believing she had successfully eliminated the research of that irritating existence through a criminal organization.

Seoyeon, who had been grooming herself alone in her room, rose with a sinister smile at the words of the fellow professor who came looking for her.

“Yes, finally my time has come, hasn’t it?”

Now that the research of that unknown figure had been thwarted.

She believed without a doubt that she would be the most prominent figure in this tower.

****

Blood River was a group that even the imperial family dared not touch within the empire.

That meant they could commit any deed without consequences or risk of getting caught.

Although she hadn’t received confirmation from them yet, enough time had passed that they must have successfully ruined the job.

“Tower Master. I heard you summoned me, so I came… Huh?”

Responding to the summons with confidence, what Seoyeon encountered was the most alien sight she had seen since coming to this world.

Inside the conference room where the elders, the highest authorities of the magic tower, and professors like herself were gathered.

But what permeated the place today was far from the solemn atmosphere typical of a conference room.

As if terrified of something, they all hung their heads and trembled.

“…Hero, Seoyeon Lee.”

Amidst her confusion, a strained voice reached her ears.

The voice came from an old man sitting at the central seat of the conference room, who quietly asked a question while turning anxious eyes toward Seoyeon.

“Is it true that you secretly commissioned a criminal organization to steal Vivian Platonis’s research results?”

“…Vivian?”

What was that name again?

After pondering briefly, Seoyeon burst into laughter and answered.

“Yes, that’s right, but is there a problem?”

It turned out to be that magician whose research she had ordered to be plundered by the organization.

Of course, she had instructed them to keep the results safe for future use.

She had planned to retrieve them after things settled down, but it seemed her involvement had been discovered for some reason.

“Why on earth did you do such a thing?”

“Because it was ridiculous. To ignore a hero like me and provide so much support to an unknown, unremarkable magician…”

Judging by the fact that she couldn’t even remember her, this person was probably just some commoner who happened to be a bit intelligent and creative.

Rather than investing large sums in such a person, wouldn’t it be better for humanity to pass the research results to more qualified individuals to continue the work?

“…Do you not know who she is?”

She was going to suggest that now that she’d been caught.

But Tower Master Marcellus, far from removing the concern from his face, only admonished her with a trembling voice.

“You… are you saying you did this without knowing that her name has been kept hidden from the public until now!?”

Even the leader of this great and arrogant group.

Was feeling fear toward something in the vicinity.

“What on earth…”

“He, hehe.”

Before she could guess what it was, a faint laugh was heard.

Then the owner of that laugh began to reveal her presence with the sound of clicking footsteps.

The corridor that she herself had passed through earlier to reach this conference room.

What emerged from there, revealing its presence, was a woman with haggard appearance and hollow eyes.

Yes, a figure that certainly didn’t match the glorious moment she had been expecting.

“Mmm~ Yes. For that, that reason you interfered with m-me, right?”

“Who are you? How dare you come here…!”

Just as she was about to express her irritation, a “PUCHAK!” sound rang out.

Simultaneously, pain struck her arm and hit her brain, causing Seoyeon to turn her expression into a grimace as her gaze shifted to where her hand should have been.

As if torn off by some strong force, the spot where her hand should have been was roughly ripped away, spraying blood.

“KYAAAAAAAH! My hand! Why is my hand…!!”

“Uh, umm? That’s strange.”

Despite the screams erupting from the pain and bewilderment of the phenomenon, the suspicious woman only tilted her head in confusion.

“I-I was definitely aiming for the head, so why, why did the arm fly off?”

“Y-you crazy bitch! What are you doing…!!”

For some unknown reason, this woman had torn off her hand through some phenomenon.

It was clearly an act of aggression.

Realizing this, Seoyeon’s eyes rolled back, and vast amounts of mana began to gather in her body.

“How dare you do this to me! Do you know who I am?!”

Though her hand was gone, it wouldn’t be a problem for casting magic.

What’s important for using magic is the will to gather mana, knowledge, and the technique to utilize it…

And her innate ability was a ‘power that interferes with space,’ creating phenomena that are impossible to defend against in response to such magical power.

“Die torn to pieces, you filthy bitch!”

Spatial distortion.

When mana is gathered at a point she designates, that point warps according to her will, and the warped space forms an area disconnected from the world, ignoring physical laws.

Simply put, if the targeted space twists, any solid material in reality, no matter how sturdy, will be crushed miserably following that distortion.

But…

“…Aha, so that’s what it was?”

Her attack wasn’t affecting the opponent at all.

Instead, the woman merely caressed the distorted part in front of her with her palm, then stirred it and erased it from sight.

“He, hehe. An annoying, ability. The attempt to isolate space is, being blocked by that ability, and getting refracted.”

Not only had she blocked the ability, but she had also perfectly grasped its fundamental nature.

Surprised by this unreasonable analytical power, Seoyeon tried to calm her troubled mind and began to raise her voice at the woman.

“A-aha! I see, you’re also specialized in spatial magic. But what will you do? I’m immune to spatial magic…”

No matter what, she was certain the opponent couldn’t defeat her.

-Woong.

Just as she was convinced of this, a humming sound was heard, and soon a translucent veil appeared around her.

Above and below, to the sides, front and back…

As six walls slowly closed in on her from all directions.

“W-what is this? What on earth… Kheuk!”

The walls eventually touched her body, but no matter how much she tried to push them away with magic, they showed no signs of yielding.

Rather, her spatial interference ability’s resistance was reacting to the approaching veils, attempting to push back their force…

“B-but that defense… is limited to, your own body, right?”

A barrier that isolates any point it touches from this world, permanently erasing it.

Not just one, but six of them, precisely controlled to surround a single person, and even overwhelming the resistance she was emitting.

Though her resistance prevented her body from being erased.

If she couldn’t overcome that force, her body would inevitably be crushed by her own resistance.

“A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

As her body was compressed by the pressure created by her own power.

Screams erupted from the pain of flesh and bone compressing together, but the force pressing down on her body didn’t stop.

Creaking, creaking. Squishing, squishing.

Bizarre noises echoed between the terrible screams.

Realizing that these sounds were reacting to her pain, Seoyeon, with bloodshot eyes, shouted at those watching the situation.

“Y-you all! What the hell are you staring at?! S-stop that crazy bitch right nowwwww!”

Neither the elders nor the professors did anything but watch the situation.

None of them even attempted to erase the walls oppressing her.

As if to teach her that the one causing this unreasonable phenomenon was the very being they feared most.

“W-why on earth…”

Hatred toward those maintaining silence soon erupted from Seoyeon’s mouth.

“You all were the ones who revered me as a hero! So why are you abandoning me now! You praised me saying only I could save the world!”

A sense of betrayal…

As cries erupted from the mouth of the one who believed herself to be the protagonist.

“…Hero Seoyeon Lee.”

One of those listening to her wailing reluctantly opened his mouth, looking at her with pitying eyes.

“Do you know what the hero summoning ritual originated from?”

Tower Master Marcellus.

Only she seemed to have the courage to answer the question Seoyeon was feeling.

Yet she rolled her eyes painfully, as if checking the reaction of the one pressing down on Seoyeon.

-Crunch, crack!

But the woman just smiled carelessly.

As the limbs crushed by the increasing force pushed against the body, the Tower Master closed her eyes, unable to watch the hideous sight any longer, and continued her explanation.

“A dimensional leap technique that detects those in mortal danger, calls their souls to this world in advance, and creates variables… The only being who can interpret and inherit that arcane knowledge created by witches in the past is the person you interfered with.”

Yes, that’s why they couldn’t stop her.

The summoning of heroes is humanity’s last bastion.

And even that only maintains the current situation rather than bringing salvation, and the only way to appease someone with the potential to aim higher is to sacrifice one hero…

“S-sa…”

But such truths don’t matter anymore.

With her entire body crushed to the limit, all she felt was pain, and her consciousness, dominated by it, had no room for emotions like pride or resentment.

Only one thing remained.

“Save me…”

Only the instinct for survival that even creatures without intelligence possess.

-Crunch!

But even that disappeared as her consciousness was cut off, and at that moment, her body was rapidly condensed until it became a point.

Without distinction between muscle and bone, it was pulverized and compressed to the limit until there was no space left.

Finally, the interior transformed into a cube, a black square that was barely visible to the naked eye.

“…With this, there’s no one to interfere anymore.”

Picking up the heavy object, Vivian soon lost interest and threw it out the window.

Afterward, as the compressed power was released with a BOOM!, and screams erupted from the mouths of passersby exposed to it.

She too seemed indifferent, quietly turning her back on the scene of the tragedy.

“Is this enough?”

“Yes, this is enough.”

With a cold voice unlike her previous maniacal laughter.

Along with that, Vivian briefly directed an expressionless gaze at Marcellus, then lost interest in him and moved her footsteps toward the exit.

“I’ve eliminated the interferer, and I need your support to continue my research… So please, make sure I don’t have to go through such trouble again.”

“Ah, yes. We’ll ensure nothing like this happens again…”

“If it happens again, you’ll all bear the responsibility too.”

A single warning.

But the weight it carried made the hearts of all those standing at the pinnacle of humanity’s magical world sink.

That this was no mere threat was evident from the fact that she had disposed of a summoned hero as easily as crushing an insect.

“…You understand what I mean, right?”

“Y-yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Yes, no matter how many heroes they summon, their might would be no match for the one standing before them.

Whether what emerges after her research is completed is a god or a demon, they don’t know.

But what will descend upon this land at the end will surely possess power incomparable to any hero.