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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Winter's Progress
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Even though time had been rewound and the events undone, winter had already arrived since that day we averted destruction.
"Wow… look at the snow falling."
I murmured that from the balcony. The house was definitely tucked away in the mountains, which might explain the heavy snowfall. As I watched the once green mountains turn white, utterly blanketed in pristine snow, I exhaled a white breath.
...Another year passing safely, it seems.
I thought, watching the snow outside the window. And then my thoughts turned to the future.
I had come so far. The journey that once seemed endless was finally beginning to show a glimmer of hope. When I carried out the first terror attack, I wondered if I'd even survive until the Moonlight Cult Gate Incident, but now, that day was almost in sight.
I had even managed to endure until the Apocalypse Episode.
'...I need to finish training the PMC this year, and then recruit for Batch 2 and Batch 3.'
I continued my thoughts. It was time to seriously consider the world after the Moonlight Cult opened the interdimensional portal and monsters ran rampant. In the original story, the world truly went to hell from that point on. It was already a mess, but from then, it reached a point where you couldn't tell if it was an apocalypse story or a hero story. They said the population was more than halved or something.
Of course, the opening of the portal itself couldn't be stopped. In fact, the original setting stated that even if the Moonlight Cult didn't open a dimension, it would eventually open anyway. But at least I had to try to minimize the damage.
And after that, it would be the final battle.
"...Whew."
I exhaled another white breath.
...For now, I should prepare for the Moonlight Cult, which was clearly approaching. And also train Stardus for the final battle. Because only she could prevent the world's destruction.
Recalling the destruction for a moment, my mind became a bit complicated. It was only natural for my head to spin at the thought of the chaotic situation from the original story's final arc after the Moonlight Cult becoming a reality.
"Big brother. Are you finally done moping around watching the snow alone? Come quickly and drink some cocoa."
Having been deep in thought, I returned to the living room, where Seoeun grabbed my hand and pressed a cup of cocoa into it. It was warm, sweet, and delicious.
"It's good."
"Right? I made it."
"Really?"
"Of course! I'll be a high school senior in a few days, so I can make this better than Subin unnie now!"
Seoeun said, looking a bit smug. For some reason, she seemed prouder of this than when she explained divine artifacts to me.
...I just learned today that making cocoa was so difficult, but she was cute, so it was fine, right? I was grateful too.
I continued to express my admiration for a few more minutes, and Seoeun's lips curved upward, her mood clearly improved. After chatting with me for a while, she looked at her smartphone, having found something entertaining.
Meanwhile, I turned on the TV again and watched the news. Hopefully, nothing major was happening...
As I watched, nothing particularly special came up, and I yawned. Then, Seoeun, who had been giggling beside me, handed me her phone, telling me to look at this.
*
[What happens when a stick gets tired?]
Ego-stick.
Ego... stick, so *guffaw*
=[Comments]=
[LOLOLOLOLOL]
[Teacher, why on earth are you writing such things?]
[I hate myself for snickering at this]
[Couldn't just let myself see this, so I upvoted it. You're welcome...]
ㄴ[Stop upvoting for "I can't be the only one to see this"]
*
"...Seoeun, is that funny?"
"Isn't it funny? Oh my... 'Ego'... stick. Ahahaha."
Seoeun giggled again, finding it funny even after re-reading it. Watching her, I found myself smiling too.
...My Seoeun, seeing her like this, she's still a kid. No, wait, is this actually more like an old man's joke...?
Anyway, as Seoeun showed me a few more funny things she found on my fan cafe, I sipped my cocoa.
...Yeah. This was good, though. Everyone was laughing and chatting peacefully. In the original story, around this time, there would be several terror attacks a week, hundreds dying every week, and society would already be in chaos. Protests condemning heroes like Stardus and Shadow Walker as incompetent would happen daily. Though Lee Seol-ah would disband them all using her authority.
As I enjoyed the peace, resting for a moment in the living room, the TV news started reporting from Japan.
[...And now, let's turn to the news from Japan. Reporter Seo, do you have breaking news?]
Right, Japan. Now that I thought about it, I had completely forgotten about Japan while worrying about the apocalypse and such.
I finally leaned back on the sofa, turning only my gaze toward the TV.
Japan. That place where the corrupt government and association fought daily with the Sanhyup-pa led by Katana. Remembering that the Sanhyup-pa would lose and Japan would simply fall in the original story, I had given Katana a slight hint: information about the traitor who caused her defeat. So, last time I heard, they were losing daily but slowly starting to win. Had things improved? Surely they weren't still losing, were they?
I had that thought. And then, watching idly, I heard shocking news.
[Yes! Currently, the Sanhyup-pa is overwhelmingly winning against the Japanese Association. Experts are predicting that the Japanese Association will collapse by early next year.]
...What? What do you mean, *they* collapsed?
Startled, I sat up straight and focused more on the news.
[The Japanese Association reportedly asked the International Association for help, but was refused. There are opinions that the public is actually supporting the Sanhyup-pa, and the International Association is being cautious due to the corruption of the Japanese government and association. Meanwhile, Katana, the leader of the Sanhyup-pa, stated that even if she wins, the Association will remain, and she will not go against the world order...]
"...This is surprising."
I stared at the TV, a little bewildered. Just one traitor being dealt with, and the situation flips like this? The Sanhyup-pa, who were constantly getting beaten in the original story and whose organization ultimately fell apart?
Hmm... well, I guess it's a good thing...? I'm not sure. I thought the situation would remain evenly matched; I never imagined that just giving them that one piece of information would lead to the Sanhyup-pa winning so decisively.
Right. Now, the best thing to do is hope Katana doesn't forget my favor and remembers me. The villain meeting, Cathedral, is also coming up soon, so I'll probably meet her there.
Thinking that, I briefly planned again.
...Before that, to prepare for the chaotic situation after the Moonlight Cult, at least. Should I go meet with my PMC first?
***
"Good. You've improved so much more than before."
At the headquarters of Meteor Group's PMC, Meteor Squad.
In the underground training room there, I was observing the training progress of our PMC members.
"Hmph. It's nothing. I'm still not good enough."
Number 2, Yellow, replied coyly to my praise, though her lips curved slightly. She, who had the ability to shoot arrows of light, seemed to have improved significantly. Both her bow accuracy and the power of her light arrows had grown.
She was almost comparable to early Stardus now. Of course, early Stardus was much weaker than the current, strengthened Stardus, but considering she was A-rank, Yellow's skill showed remarkable growth. This was true even considering the continued power inflation and the fact that Yellow was a raw talent I had painstakingly found.
But speaking of Stardus, I wonder what Stardus is doing these days. Is she catching villains again? I should go home and check my fan cafe. ...Wait, why am I thinking about this? Let's focus on the PMC kids first.
Shaking off those thoughts, I focused on each member again. Our Number 3, Red. She, who primarily used flaming punches and wielded a greatsword, had also grown considerably stronger. When fighting against the special training robot Seoeun made, her judgment and attack power were incomparable to before.
"Haha, I did well, didn't I?"
"Yes. You did well."
And Number 4, Blue. Blue had also become quite strong. Although the soap bubbles she created were still weak, it didn't matter because Blue's true worth was revealed when she was with others. The members who were with her grew stronger.
Anyway, after observing all three, I finally tested the skills of Number 1, whom I was watching most carefully in the PMC.
"Hyaaaah!"
*Whoosh! Bang!*
He soared like a storm and swung his sword like lightning. His gray hair, tied back, fluttered as he wildly swung his blade, cutting through the wind. It was a truly masculine attack.
After he dispatched the enemy faster than any other member, he looked up at me, panting, and I gave him a nod.
...Indeed, among the PMC members, he was the most promising one.
After the training ended, I gathered the members and praised them.
"You all worked hard. Your dedication to training is truly evident. I hope you continue like this."
I meant it. You guys need to get stronger quickly so that you can train Batch 2. This was the hero automation factory. Batch 1 trains Batch 2, and Batch 2 trains Batch 3, replicating PMC ability users. That was my plan.
Anyway, seeing them beam with pride at my praise, I decided to spend the rest of the day with them. Yes. I can talk to them about the mindset and spirit of a hero. Using Stardus as an example.
Good. It's time for education.
***
That night.
After Dain left, at the PMC dorms.
"Yawn..."
The four members gathered in the room, sitting and yawning. Their conversation, naturally, revolved around Dain. There were Numbers 2 and 3, happy about the praise; Number 1, saying they shouldn't rest on their laurels and should train harder; and Number 4, dozing off.
As they chatted about various things, their conversation naturally drifted to heroes.
"Hey, let's watch that video. The one where Stardus fought the dragon last time."
"Shall we?"
Conversations about combat and practical training naturally flowed towards Stardus, the strongest hero in Korea, whom Dain always praised with a unified voice. Especially today, he had praised Stardus even more, with a somewhat wistful expression.
Anyway, thanks to Dain's ideological indoctrination, they viewed Stardus as an ideal and a goal to emulate. So, it was no surprise that they naturally watched Stardus's combat videos.
"Wow, that's amazing..."
"How did she move like that and face a dragon? Ego-stick, who brought that thing, is amazing too."
Just as they were marveling.
Number 1, who had been watching Ego-stick on the screen while leaning against the wall, realized something strange.
"Wait, that man..."
Indeed, the more he looked, the more familiar the feeling...