This World is too Cruel to Men

“No way…!”

This level of water control, here, where there’s water?!

I wanted to shout out loud, truly.

“Huh…”

That’s how unbelievable the scene before my eyes was.

It wasn’t like I was seeing it through someone else’s eyes; I was seeing it with my own, and yet…

I knew.

I knew that in this world, there existed ‘Heroes’ who possessed special talents, almost superpowers, and fought against Villains or mindless monstrous creatures who repeatedly launched attacks.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

My only exposure to Heroes had been through videos.

So, even though I knew everything happening on screen wasn’t some elaborate graphic but real events, it felt like watching a movie… Seeing it unfold right before my eyes like this, the impact was on a completely different level.

The stream of water, instead of falling downwards as usual, bent sideways mid-air towards the wall as if manipulated by some invisible force.

The longer I watched, the more my mind went blank.

It was so absurd.

“No way…”

Could it be that something like Phytoncide was emanating from me?

And was that triggering an Awakening?

Honestly, I had just accepted Bora’s case, but seeing the same thing happen again in such a short time made me wonder.

Apart from those perhaps pointless thoughts, I naturally realized something.

The shock Yun-Seo received when Bora suddenly left seemed much greater than I had imagined.

If it were an ordinary child?

The moment they awakened their talent, especially an ability close to a superpower suitable for a Hero, they would be overjoyed at the prospect of becoming a Hero.

But Yun-Seo wasn’t.

Far from being happy, she had a tearful face, asking if she was going to be taken away too.

Did Bora’s farewell to her friends, with a dejected face, look to Yun-Seo like she was being taken away somewhere against her will?

“Well… In a way, being taken away is correct…”

Anyway, if this happened, would Yun-Seo have to transfer kindergartens too?

The bitterness I felt from Bora’s departure hadn’t faded yet, and the thought of the same happening to Yun-Seo brought a bitter taste to my mouth.

Yet, I couldn’t show it… because from Yun-Seo’s perspective, this was like winning the lottery.

She might be restless now, but considering the rest of her life, it undoubtedly was.

That thought didn’t last long.

Because I saw it.

Yun-Seo’s face, white as a sheet, trembling with anxiety.

“Ah…”

That moment, I remembered.

Unlike Bora, who had been at our kindergarten from the start, Yun-Seo had just transferred recently.

She was finally starting to open up to the other kids and adapt, but now she’d have to transfer again?

Of course, Yun-Seo would be anxious.

“Dokgun, what if they take me away…?”

Reaching that thought, Yun-Seo’s talent, which I had considered a blessing, started to look different.

What do Heroes do?

While there are plenty who use their talents to rescue people or recover disaster sites, a Hero’s fundamental role is to fight.

Not just fight, but fight for their lives against Villains or monstrous creatures with whom communication is impossible.

The thought of that role being given to the seven-year-old kid in front of me brought a bitterness far surpassing what I felt earlier.

Of course, I knew the institutions managing children who awakened special talents like Yun-Seo wouldn’t send a seven-year-old into danger.

On the contrary, they’d cherish and protect her.

Cherish and protect her… while teaching her how to fight.

They’d teach her how to subdue and kill someone.

Of course, they would sugarcoat it as teaching her how to protect, but no matter how pretty the wrapping paper, the essence of what’s inside doesn’t change.

Would that be a positive thing for the seven-year-old kid in front of me?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure.

The process might be difficult, but once she became a Hero, wealth and fame would naturally follow.

Considering Yun-Seo’s future, it might be the right path, but… the little one in front of me, who puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish whenever she was displeased, didn’t seem to want it.

Since Heroes are idols to children in this world, her thoughts might change later, but for now, that’s how it seemed.

“Is this… right?”

Dragging a child who doesn’t want it into a completely unfamiliar environment, just because they awakened a special talent?

“Sigh…”

The frustrating part was that no matter how much I thought about it, there wasn’t anything I could do.

As I’ve said many times, in this world, men who have no chance of awakening a talent are merely third-class citizens.

She’s a child now, so she doesn’t fully grasp the difference, but when she gets older?

That difference will start to become apparent.

But would anything change if a future third-class citizen stepped in?

“What happened?”

So, all I could do was try to calm Yun-Seo, who was trembling with anxiety, by leading the conversation like this.

Her ability didn’t seem that strong yet, but if she lost control, it could cause a flood.

“I don’t know…”

“Did you tell your mom or dad?”

As soon as I asked, Yun-Seo tightly pursed her lips and slowly shook her head.

That meant I was the only one who knew about Yun-Seo’s Awakening besides her… and that fact was strangely pleasing.

Yun-Seo probably hid it because she thought she’d be taken away like Bora if the adults found out, but still, she told me, her special friend, her secret first.

“Are you going to tell them?”

“I don’t know…”

Did she truly believe she’d be taken away like Bora if the adults found out?

“Are you… not happy? You can become a Hero.”

I asked, just in case, and Yun-Seo shook her head again.

Then, she reached out and tightly grasped my clothes.

As if saying she didn’t want to be separated from me.

As a person, I was happy that she considered me such a special friend, but… unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do.

Just as there are no eternal secrets in the world, no matter how much Yun-Seo tried to hide it, the adults would eventually find out about her Awakening, and then she’d follow the same path as Bora.

“Wait a minute…”

Was there really nothing?

Was there truly nothing I could do?

I thought about it carefully.

The conclusion I reached was the same.

But that was only if I directly intervened… what if I intervened indirectly?

“If I play my cards right, maybe something could work…”

Before that, there was something I had to confirm.

“Yun-Seo.”

“Yes…?”

I asked Yun-Seo, who looked utterly dejected as if she’d given up, in the most serious tone and expression I could muster.

I knew a seven-year-old trying to act serious would only look funny, but things like this were all about formality.

“Do you hate moving?”

To my question, Yun-Seo nodded as if asking why I’d even ask such an obvious thing.

“Don’t answer so quickly. Think about it carefully.”

“I hate it…”

So that’s how it was…

If that was Yun-Seo’s wish, then there was no other way.

Whether it worked or not, I had to try.

“I have a good idea… Do you want to hear it?”

“…Yes?”

Why did the agency take children who had just awakened their talents?

It was undoubtedly for ‘education.’

Talents that posed no threat to others were one thing, but abilities like Yun-Seo’s, which could cause significant harm depending on how they were used, needed proper training to prevent major accidents.

There was also the purpose of protecting them from Villains.

In any case, the primary reason for gathering and taking newly awakened children was to teach them how to control their talents.

Regardless of their true intentions, that was the justification the agency presented.

So, what if… just what if a newly awakened child showed exceptional talent control, making education seem unnecessary?

What if they displayed such outstanding ability that the title of genius wouldn’t be an exaggeration?

Would they still drag them away like they did with Bora?

Especially since Yun-Seo was highly likely to follow the Hero route in the future?

“Children’s opinions aren’t considered in the transfer process because…”

They’re children.

Because they’re children.

What do kids know?

They probably handled things with that mindset.

But what if a child showed abilities far beyond their age?

Then wouldn’t they at least listen to what they had to say?

No one would want to get on the bad side of a promising future Hero.

What if it came back to bite them later?

So, what I had to do now was—

“Yun-Seo.”

—make the seven-year-old kid in front of me look like a genius in the eyes of adults, no, in everyone’s eyes.