Chapter 207 - Winter's Daily Life

Though the time has turned back and what happened no longer exists, it's already winter since that day when we avoided destruction.

"Wow... look at all that snow coming down."

I muttered as I stood on the balcony.

Living in a mountain valley definitely makes a difference—the snow was really coming down.

Those mountains that were once so green were now white, completely covered in pristine snow. I exhaled, watching my breath turn white in the cold air.

...Another year passing safely.

That's what I thought as I watched the snow falling outside the window.

And with that thought came considerations about the future.

I've really come a long way.

A journey that once seemed endless is finally showing signs of hope.

When I first started with the terrorism incidents, I wondered if I'd even survive until the Moonlight Cult Gate incident, but now I can almost see that day approaching.

I've managed to endure until the apocalypse episode.

'...I need to finish training the PMC this year and recruit second and third generations.'

My thoughts continued along that line.

It's time to seriously consider what happens after the Moonlight Cult opens the dimensional gate to another world and monsters run rampant.

In the original story, the world truly went to hell from that point. It was already bad, but afterward, you couldn't tell if it was an apocalyptic story or a hero story anymore. The population supposedly decreased by more than half.

Of course, I can't prevent the dimensional gate from opening. According to the setting, it would eventually open even if the Moonlight Cult didn't tear through dimensions. But at least I can try to minimize the damage.

And then will come the final battle.

"....Sigh."

I exhaled another white breath.

...For now, I should prepare for the approaching Moonlight Cult. And I need to help Stardust grow to prepare for the final battle.

She's the only one who can prevent the world's destruction.

Thinking about the destruction made my feelings complicated. It was natural to feel dizzy when considering how the chaotic situation from the original story's late stages would become reality after the Moonlight Cult incident.

"Oppa. Are you finally done being melancholy while staring at the snow alone? Come have some hot cocoa."

...After my somewhat serious contemplation, I returned to the living room where Seo-eun put a cup of cocoa in my hand.

It was warm, sweet, and delicious.

"This is good."

"Isn't it? I made it myself."

"Really?"

"Of course! As someone who's going to be a high school senior in a few days, I make it better than Su-bin unni now!"

Seo-eun boasted a little as she said that. Somehow she seemed prouder than when she explained new technology to me.

...I learned today that making cocoa was apparently difficult, but I guess it's fine because she's cute. I'm grateful too.

I continued to express my admiration for a few more minutes, and Seo-eun's mood improved, the corners of her mouth turning upward.

After chatting with me for a while, she started looking at her smartphone, apparently finding something interesting.

Meanwhile, I turned on the TV to watch the news. I wondered if anything unusual was happening...

As I watched, there wasn't anything particularly special, and I was starting to yawn when Seo-eun, who had been giggling at something on her phone, handed it to me saying I should look at this.

*

[What happens when a stick gets tired?]

Egostic

Ego... stick, get it? Hahaha!

=[Comments]=

[HAHAHA HAHAHA]

[Teacher, why on earth are you writing this?]

[I hate that I snickered at this]

[I hit like because I couldn't not see it... thanks...]

ㄴ[Stop hitting like just because you can't unsee it]

*

"....Seo-eun, you find this funny?"

"Isn't it funny? Oh my... I'm tired, ego... stick. Ahaha."

Seo-eun chuckled again, still finding it amusing.

Seeing her, I couldn't help but smile too.

...Our Seo-eun, she still likes this kind of thing, so she's definitely still a kid. Or wait, is this more like dad humor...?

Anyway, I drank my cocoa while Seo-eun showed me a few more funny posts she found on my fan cafe.

...Yes. This is good. People are peacefully laughing and chatting. In the original story around this time, there would be multiple terrorist attacks every week with hundreds dying, and the social atmosphere would already be a mess. There would be daily protests condemning heroes like Stardust and Shadow Walker for being incompetent. Of course, Lee Seol-ah would use her power to disperse them all.

As I was enjoying this peace in the living room and taking a short break...

[...And now for news from Japan. Reporter Seo, I hear there's breaking news?]

At that moment, news about Japan was coming from the TV.

Right, Japan. Come to think of it, I'd completely forgotten about Japan lately while focusing on apocalyptic concerns.

I finally leaned back on the sofa and turned my attention to the TV.

Japan. That place with the corrupt government, where the Association and the Tripartite Faction led by Katana fight daily. I remembered that in the original story, the Tripartite Faction was defeated and Japan simply collapsed. I had given Katana a hint about the traitor who would cause her defeat.

The last I heard, they had been losing every day but were starting to win a little. I wondered if things had improved. Surely they couldn't still be losing?

That's what I was thinking.

As I watched without much thought, I heard shocking news.

[Yes! Currently, the Tripartite Faction is overwhelmingly winning against the Japanese Association. Experts predict the Japanese Association will collapse by early next year.]

...Wait, what? Why are you collapsing?

Surprised, I sat up straight and focused more intently on the news.

[The Japanese Association has requested help from the International Association but was rejected. There are opinions that this is because the public actually supports the Tripartite Faction, and the International Association is being cautious due to the corruption of the Japanese government and Association. Meanwhile, Katana, the leader of the Tripartite Faction, has stated that even if she wins, the Association will continue to exist and she will not go against the world order...]

"....This is surprising."

I stared at the TV, feeling a bit dumbfounded.

Just dealing with one traitor changed the situation this much? The same Tripartite Faction that got beaten every day and eventually collapsed in the original story?

Well... I guess that's good...? I'm not sure. I thought the situation would remain evenly matched; I never imagined that just revealing that one piece of information would lead to the Tripartite Faction winning to this extent.

Right. Now I should hope that Katana remembers me and doesn't forget the favor. We'll probably meet at the villain conference, Kathedal, which will be held soon.

With those thoughts, I made another plan.

...But before that, to prepare for the chaotic situation after the Moonlight Cult incident, I should meet with our PMC first.

***

"Nice. You've improved a lot more than before?"

At the Yuseong Group's PMC, Yuseong Squad Headquarters.

In the underground training room, I was observing our PMC members' training results.

"Hmph. This is nothing. Still not enough."

No. 2 Yellow responded to my praise with a slightly haughty attitude, though the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

With her ability to shoot arrows of light, she showed significantly improved skills. Both her bow accuracy and the power of her light arrows had improved.

She was now almost at the level of early Stardust.

Of course, early Stardust was much weaker than the current, stronger Stardust, but considering she was still A-rank, Yellow's skill development was remarkable.

That's how much power inflation had continued, and Yellow was a gem I had worked hard to find.

Speaking of Stardust, I wonder what she's doing these days. Probably catching villains again. I should check her fan cafe when I get home. ...Wait, why am I thinking about this? I should focus on the PMC members for now.

Shaking off those thoughts, I observed each member one by one. Our No. 3 Red. She had also become considerably stronger, using burning punches as her main ability and wielding a greatsword. When fighting against the special training robots made by Seo-eun, her judgment and attack power were incomparably better than before.

"Haha, I did well, right?"

"Yes. You did well."

And No. 4 Blue. Blue had also grown quite strong. Although the bubbles she created were still weak... Blue's true value showed when she was with others anyway, so it didn't matter. The members who worked with her became stronger.

Anyway, after observing all three, I finally tested the skills of No. 1, whom we were watching most carefully in our PMC.

"Hyaaah-!"

Whiiiiing. Boom.

Rising like a storm and swinging his sword like lightning.

His gray hair tied back fluttered as he swung his sword, cutting through the air with incredible force. It was truly a manly attack.

After defeating the enemy in the shortest time among all members, he looked up at me while catching his breath, and I nodded once.

...Indeed, among the PMC members, he's the most promising.

After the training ended, I gathered the members and praised them.

"Good work, everyone. I can really see how hard you've been training. I hope you continue like this."

I meant it.

You all need to get stronger quickly, so you can train the second generation. This is my hero automation factory. The first generation trains the second, and the second trains the third, replicating PMC ability users. That was my plan.

Seeing them pleased with my praise, I decided to spend the day with them. Yes. I could talk to them about the mindset and spirit of heroes again. Using Stardust as an example.

Good. Time for education.

***

That night.

After Da-in left, at the PMC dormitory.

"Yawn..."

The four gathered in the room were sitting and yawning.

Naturally, their conversation topic was about Da-in.

No. 2 and No. 3 were happy about the praise they received, while No. 1 was saying they shouldn't be complacent and should work harder. No. 4 was dozing off.

As they chatted about various things, the conversation naturally turned to heroes.

"Hey, let's watch that video of Stardust fighting the dragon."

"Should we?"

The talk about combat and practical experience flowed to the topic of Stardust, the strongest hero in Korea and someone Da-in always praised. Especially today, he had praised Stardust even more while wearing a somewhat wistful expression.

Anyway, thanks to Da-in's indoctrination, they viewed Stardust as an ideal and goal to emulate.

So it was natural for them to watch Stardust's combat videos.

"Wow, that's amazing..."

"How does she move like that while fighting a dragon? Egostic who brought her is amazing too."

As they were admiring the footage...

No. 1, who was watching Egostic on the screen while leaning against the wall, realized something strange.

"Wait, that man..."

The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed...