Chapter 77: The Hero’s Obsession is the World’s Second Best!

“Fufufu… Hehe.”

In the middle of a room lit only by the flickering light of a monitor, Ajin couldn’t suppress her twitching grin.

Her sister won!

Clenching her tiny fists, she celebrated as if Friede’s victory were her own.

‘Hmph, how could some no-name rankers dare challenge her?’ she thought.

Those weeds—be they lotuses or mere dandelions—would meet the same fate as the other rankers Friede had defeated so far.

The very thought filled her with glee, deepening the smile on her face.

Friede’s undefeated streak and legendary rise were bound to make excellent content.

Without pause, Ajin moved her mouse and typed furiously on the keyboard.

Why? Because…

‘I am… her exclusive editor.’

A one-of-a-kind existence dedicated to Friede’s channel, overflowing with raw material to polish.

Ever since Ajin became Friede’s editor, her days had been brimming with purpose.

Not only did Friede solve her financial woes, but she also captured Ajin’s heart.

Working by her sister’s side was all she ever wanted.

There was no room for dissatisfaction.

***

Drip, drip.

“Ugh.”

A sudden sensation trailed down Ajin’s nose, warming the area around her lips.

Seeing the red stream of blood trickling from her nostrils, she hurriedly stuffed tissue into her nose.

‘Why does my head hurt so much lately? Have I been overdoing it?’

Her sleep schedule had been a mess, so it wasn’t surprising.

‘But… I can’t stop.’

Even though it bordered on obsession, Ajin didn’t see it that way.

Obsession was something trivial, something petty that only second-rate, low-tier streamers indulged in.

‘I’m… different.’

She raised her head, staring at the monitor displaying the Friede777 channel.

Her sister’s channel represented a shared sense of belonging and solidarity among heroes.

As an editor, Ajin’s role was to refine and perfect the videos uploaded there.

‘I exist… to highlight my sister’s brilliance above all else.’

Like a raw diamond being polished to its ultimate form, each video added life to the channel.

Her heart swelled with anticipation at the thought of contributing to Friede’s grand mission: saving the heroes.

And so, she couldn’t stop.

Ajin got up and snapped her fingers.

From thin air, her doppelgänger emerged, sitting at the vacant computer to continue editing.

Using her doppelgänger for 24/7 productivity was her secret weapon.

She might not possess a hero’s power, but this skill was enough to keep her going.

As long as she could click a mouse and press keys, even her feeble physical body couldn’t stop her from working.

Still, she sighed wistfully.

‘If only… I had more computers.’

Her doppelgängers, all sharing her intellect and instincts, could edit dozens of videos simultaneously—if only she had the hardware.

***

-Ding dong!

“Ah!”

Startled by the doorbell, Ajin flinched.

Then, she remembered her appointment and reluctantly went to open the door.

Standing there was Park Dayoung, her expression exasperated.

“What the hell? Why are you bleeding from your nose?”

For a moment, Ajin considered slamming the door in her face.

But she held back.

‘How could she turn her away when Dayoung was holding something important?’

“Come… in,” Ajin mumbled.

“What?” Dayoung raised an eyebrow but stepped inside.

Surveying the room—dimly lit except for the monitor, cluttered with junk food wrappers and bottles—Dayoung clicked her tongue.

“Wow, seriously? You’re a total shut-in, huh?”

Flicking on the lights, she winced as Ajin shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness.

This room looked like the lair of some monster, not a human.

Even Pepe, the stuffed animal sticking out of Dayoung’s bag, seemed to snicker at the mess.

“If you keep this up, you’ll be a total pig in a year. What a waste!”

“Shut up,” Ajin grumbled. “Not like you’re wrong, though. Just… give it to me already.”

“Fine. Here.”

Dayoung handed over a small brooch.

Though it looked like cheap trinket shop fare, it emitted a faint light, glowing even in the dark.

Ajin’s hands trembled as she received it.

“Ah-!”

Warmth spread through her fingertips, melting the dark malaise in her heart like snow under the sun.

‘Yes, this is it. This is how I’m supposed to feel.’

The nosebleed had stopped.

Gone was the hesitance, the awkwardness.

Instead, Ajin was filled with the energy to change the world.

The power of a true hero, freed from the demon king’s curse!

“This is a hero! This is the real me!”

“Wow, look at you, so hyped up,” Pepe teased.

Ignoring the remark, Ajin reveled in the return of her hero’s strength. Her exhilaration was palpable.

Dayoung, watching this transformation, simply sighed.

“So, this is the real her, huh?”

‘Well, she is strong.’

Not as much as her sister, though…

Before meeting Ryu Ajin, Park Dayoung hadn’t grasped the difference in power between heroes.

After all, her only points of reference were Friede and Ji Sehee.

Sehee, after all, claimed herself to be a “hero who surpassed her limits.”

Considering the performances she had shown, it was hard to argue otherwise.

But seeing Ryu Ajin now, Dayoung thought she could finally understand the baseline of what an “ordinary hero” was like.

Sure, each hero might have honed unique abilities in this world, but the total sum of their power…

‘It’s about the same level.’

“And what did that mean?”

“It meant the time trial was almost over.”

***

“Ho… hoooeeng…”

The light from the brooch faded, and Ajin, returning to her timid self, collapsed into her chair, trembling.

Anxiety bubbled up, her mind racing with the urge to feel the sweet power she had tasted again.

But the thought of going outside, of facing other people, sent her into a spiral of discomfort.

She instinctively began biting her nails.

“You… you are…”

“I was the same way once.”

Dayoung recalled the experiment Sehee had mentioned.

Though hesitant, she had come to Ajin’s house to test something important.

Thankfully, the results weren’t bad.

“Is… is there more?”

“Kekeke, look at you, Ajin. Addicted already? Maybe we should have Sehee train you properly.”

“Sh-shut up.”

Ajin flipped her middle finger at Pepe, who snickered at her.

Dayoung, rubbing her temples at the ridiculous exchange, perched herself on the edge of the bed.

There was one more important thing she needed to bring up.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“About… what?”

“Are you really moving to that house?”

“Y-yeah. The place is nice… and cheap.”

Dayoung sighed. The whole matter of housing had been giving her a headache lately.

“Why? Because Sehee had suggested she move into her house.”

“Sure, Sehee’s talk about gathering heroes sounded serious, but wasn’t this all happening a bit too quickly?”

As Dayoung hesitated, Pepe slapped his thigh in exasperation.

“Seriously? What’s there to think about? Dayoung, this is your chance! If you don’t hop on Sehee’s bandwagon now, when will you? Even I want to live in a big house, sipping wine and living the high life.”

“Hmm. The conditions aren’t bad…”

The project Sehee had been pushing recently was aimed at helping struggling heroes.

This so-called “hero relief” initiative included efforts to alleviate the burdens of those bound by Earth’s rules.

It seemed risky, but looking at Ajin’s current state, it was clear that some heroes needed their powers just to function normally.

Dayoung herself knew what it was like to suffer.

She had once struggled against the Demon King’s fragments without her powers as a hero.

If she’d retained her strength back then, she wouldn’t have been tormented by such trivial curses.

‘Of course, there’s always the risk of people abusing their power…’

But since the one granting the power was Sehee, she could always take it away if needed.

That was why she had tested two options.

The first was providing power through a medium, like the brooch she had given Ajin.

But as they had just seen, it lasted only a minute.

The second option…

Creating a Hero Residential Area.

It was a proposal to have heroes live near Friede and Sehee, ensuring constant access to power.

“You… you’re not going to stay with her? Wh-why?”

“I just haven’t decided yet.”

Dayoung sighed. In this expensive world, it was tempting to move into such a nice house for free.

“I’m heading out. Pepe, let’s go.”

“Already?!”

Snatching up the complaining Pepe, Dayoung began preparing to leave.

She didn’t want to show her indecision in front of Ajin, so she moved quickly.

“Ha… if only it lasted five minutes… three… or even two minutes longer.”

“True. If Sehee’s power wasn’t limited, it could last ten minutes, or even a day… huh?”

Ajin flinched.

“W-what? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Never mind. I’ll get going.”

“Yeah… just go.”

***

-Creak!

As the door closed, Dayoung shoved Pepe back into her bag and returned home.

The semifinals and finals for Friede’s tournament were fast approaching, but a small question lingered in her mind.

‘Is the brooch’s one-minute limit really because of Sehee’s constraints?’

‘Or was it intentional?’

“Surely not…”

“What’s the problem, Dayoung?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

“You’re no fun.”

Though the idea seemed absurd, the thought refused to leave her mind, a tiny ember glowing in the back of her thoughts.