Saving My Beloved from a World on the Brink of Destruction

As mentioned previously, this is the last chapter we’ll update on NU before going private. Please sign up as a member on our site, then join our discord and request a role in #private-novel-request channel to read all future private chapters for this novel. That’s all! Enjoy this chapter 

Note: The novel is written in third person omniscient, which means that there is a random switch between the characters’ POVs in the form of narrative text, as well as occasional monologues from multiple characters. My co-TL and I are doing our best to translate the text so that it is understandable to the readers. However, there may be some details that we missed, so please bear with us. Thanks.

The measurement room was located at the very end of the hallway on the left side of the third floor. It was tucked away in the corner, due to the fact that S and A offense-type heroes were known to cause massive explosions and noise. Inside, the room was lit with lights that emitted a faint glow, barely enough to illuminate faces, with the grading machine looming in the center boasting its magnificence.

The employee pointed to a scaffold directly in front of the machine and said, “You can stand on this.” The corner of his mouth which was forced to turn upwards soon tingled. He then squeezed the stack of papers he held in his hand.

‘What the hell was that just now?’

Immediately, the corners of his mouth twitched and fell back into place as quickly as they had before, right after he opened the door to the measurement room. It was obvious that the hero beside him did it, but he had no proof.

‘Telling me to smile…?’

However, the ability to manipulate people with words has yet to be discovered. …. And it’s unlikely that someone with that ability would be an E-rank, the employee internally concluded.

“Even though you have measured it before, the laser emitted by the machine measures overall physical and magical strength. Generally, the heroes’ power is similar to the energy flowing from the gate. The energy is called magic power for convenience, and the ranking is based on that magic power,” the employee explained.

“Hmm, that’s fascinating,” Hwa-shin said to himself after the employee’s convincing explanation.

‘Then the ranking would not change anytime soon.’

In the first place, the power of karma was not something that could be given or borrowed. Moreover, I didn’t have to manipulate any magic within my body, which is why I was able to use it more easily than other mages. In fact, there was some disagreement among mages as to whether what I did could even be defined as magic.

“I mean, there’s no foundation. Foundation. What kind of magic is made just by going ‘poof!’? If it’s magic, it should be a collection of formulas, magic circles, and beautiful calculations!”

“Look, if this is not magic, what is it? If that guy, Elric, tells you to dance, you will dance right away.”

“Isn’t that hypnosis! Hypnosis!”

“So are you saying hypnosis isn’t magic? There are families that have been hypnotists for generations! Are you picking a fight with us?”

‘…Ugh, just imagining it is noisy.’

What exactly is karma? In a nutshell, karma refers to the actions that a person has accumulated, or will accumulate, during his lifetime, resulting in karma. Every action has an effect, a karmic result. Simply put, if you do good, good things will happen; if you do bad, bad things will happen. And it is this energy, which is associated with both good and bad deeds, that causes the flow of karma.

Elric’s “words” was magic that could manipulate such karma. At a young age, Elric realized that he could see the flow of karma and manipulate it. In a literal sense, he could easily manipulate others’ actions and twist their fate.

So what would be the most effective way to manipulate others’ fate, and their karma?

In truth, it’s all about determining the outcome for the other party in advance.

You don’t smile because you’re happy, but rather because you’re smiling. You don’t explode because something is wrong with you, you explode because you want to. It’s the ability to dispense with all the processes involved in thoughts, words, and actions and just specify the outcome. It was this ability to speak through karma that made Elric the most powerful mage of all.

Of course, there were limitations. If it were all-powerful, Elric wouldn’t have let the dragon die.

—The measurement is complete—

” You are welcome to come down, please wait over there.”

As Hwa-shin contemplated the scope of karma’s usage, the ranking measurement had finished. He hopped down from the mechanical platform and sat on a sofa in the corner, waiting for the results. It seemed the results were revealed after the data was stored in the device.

The employee who checked Hwashin’s rank, sprawled like seaweed on the chair, muttered softly, ‘….This is unbelievable.’

“….It makes no sense.”

Hwa-shin, who had been observing the employee’s expression, became curious about the outcome. ‘Could it be that karma was also measured as energy like magical power? Well, there’s a possibility.’ Nonetheless, he wasn’t sure how karma worked in this world. It might be possible if they measured the magical power floating around.

‘Was the previous measurement wrong then?’

As for the employee, he frantically rifled through the documents he had been holding. It seemed as if he was trying to examine the past records that Yoo Hwa-shin had measured.

“No. He’s been tested at least twice.”

Eventually, the employee resigned to the new results and approached Yoo Hwa-shin in deep thought.

“Mr. Yoo Hwa-shin, um…”

Yoo Hwa-shin’s eyebrows rose.

Before the employee could finish speaking, he first handed over the measurement results to Yoo Hwa-shin

The overall ability score for basic physical strength is D.

‘It’s the same as the previous record, so was this body’s magical ability lacking from the start? It’s true that having high basic physical strength wouldn’t be very useful in real combat without combat abilities, so my magical power is—’

“…Magic power is F?”

“You’ve dropped one rank since the last time we measured you when you were an E-rank. On top of that, you don’t seem to have any of the skills you used to have.”

Contrary to the man who looked pitifully at himself with drooping eyebrows, Hwa-shin took the two sheets of paper he was handed over with a carefree expression. “Do you mind if I take these records?”

“…Yes. I have the originals, and that’s a copy.”

‘What on earth did this man believe in when he tried to apply for the SH squad? Was it really an illusion that I felt my mouth lift earlier?’ the employee who had been watching all of this became concerned about Yoo Hwa-shin, whom he had initially thought was just a nuisance. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

[Rising Young Hero Suicides Due to Pessimism Over Rankings, Up 20% From Last Year… ]

‘What if he’s so depressed about his demotion that he commits suicide at the SH Unit testing site?’

In a testing site mainly composed of high-ranked heroes, the suicide of a low-ranked hero would undoubtedly become a hot topic. The employee clenched his lips tightly.

‘So, he lied about being an E-rank on purpose earlier because he couldn’t bear admitting he’s an F-rank, this guy.’

The employee gripped the remaining documents in his hand with a resolute determination. Afterward, he slightly lifted his glasses, which were resting on his nose, and opened his mouth with a grave expression, “Excuse me, Mr. Yoo Hwa-shin, I don’t usually say this to someone I’ve just met, but…”

“…?”

“If you’re considering killing yourself during the SH Unit selection test, I wouldn’t recommend it. Of course, it would become a hot topic, but that’s as far as it would go.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t be too pessimistic about your dropped ranking. Aside from one’s rank, there are many valuable things in life.”

‘What’s the deal with this guy?’ Yoo Hwa-shin couldn’t help but find the man who had misunderstood him and calmly tried to persuade him amusing. The employee that seemed to be in his early to mid-30s, was currently worrying about him—who had lived for over 200 years.

‘Suicide due to rank pessimism.’

Indeed.

Rank was the most important measure in hero activities. Even though they were public servants, the amount of money earned significantly changed as their rank increased. The polarization would only worsen after the SH Unit was formed. But who could criticize the high salaries given to those who fought monsters? After all, it was a situation where it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that a country could be destroyed without them.

Yoo Hwa-shin folded the paper in his hand into the shape of a fan and lightly tapped the trembling employee’s hand with the fan before continuing to speak, “Are you worried about me right now?”

“Not really, I’m just trying to get you to realize that—”

“I’m fine, so please just make sure to properly register the application I left on the counter earlier,” Yoo Hwa-shin added before gathering the documents and opening the door to the measurement room. The bright light from the hallway seeped into the dark room. Due to the backlit glare, the employee couldn’t read his expression. “If you don’t like the idea of me dying, you can come and watch me later.”

“Mr. Yoo Hwa-shin, please, about your application—”

“Yes, yes, please make sure to do it. See you then, dear employee,” Yoo Hwa-shin said, leaving the employee with a somewhat cheeky tone.

The employee that was left alone could only stare blankly at Yoo Hwa-shin’s retreating figure.

An F-rank SH Unit applicant.

It was beyond worrying and now downright absurd.

“This is insane, really.”

‘…Huh. I don’t know. I can’t understand what that guy is trying to do at all.’

◈◈◈

The civil affairs division was bustling. People gathered around Hwa-shin, who was leisurely humming a tune.

“Huh? What’s this? I’m quite the popular star today, aren’t I?”

Employees looked down at Yoo Hwa-shin, who was wearing a bright smile. They surrounded him and whispered a few words to each other in secrecy. Of course, Hwa-shin could hear everything. It would be strange if he didn’t hear anything at this distance.

Eventually, one of the bosses who seemed to be their representative asked in a worried tone, “Mr. Hwa-shin, did you really apply for the SH unit? I mean, I thought it was just a joke.”

“Do you know that you’re the only one with an F rank on the SH Unit support list on the website?”

“If you check the website, it’s right there! You’re the only one with an F rank!”

“Really? Wow, I don’t know what to do when everyone looks at me like that. I’m going to be quite a celebrity. How embarrassing.” Yoo Hwa-shin, with a flower in his hand, twisted his body as if embarrassed.

“No, Mr. Hwa-shin, this really isn’t the time for that. Please cancel it quickly.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’ve been waiting for this day for so long.”

“I mean, I knew they’d pick a few people. But even if they only pick a few, you’re still an F rank…”

Hwa-shin, of course, already knew how many people would be chosen.

Seven.

The government had chosen a total of 7 members for SH Unit. Although all seven members of the SH Unit belonged to the same unit, the SH Unit is divided into three separate units, each with a different role. The 1st unit is responsible for killing monsters that emerge from domestic Gates and rescuing civilians, the 2nd unit enters the Gates and investigates them, and the 3rd unit is primarily focused on international cooperation and is dispatched overseas. Naturally, in the original work, all three units are made up of S- or A-class heroes. The protagonist, Cha Jaeha, and his colleagues were assigned to the 1st unit.

As for Hwa-shin, he was spinning his newly received, shiny ID card around while rocking his chair back and forth among the anxious faces around him.

[Yoo Hwa-shin, F-rank, Gate Security Management Department, Gate Civil Affairs Division]

“Hehehe.”

The time had come to meet Cha Jaeha and his soon-to-be SH-1 Unit colleagues.