Chapter 34

‘Radiance,’ what kind of power is it?

A power granted to the protagonist of a genre. It’s an intangible force that can be applied to any part of the body, allowing various attributes to be imbued into that power.

In the name of supernatural abilities, things that should normally be impossible—like sharp beams of light—become possible. This was also the reason why Kim Ha-neul was the strongest in this genre.

“Since it’s just a doll, I can just break it, right?”

“Who are you to say you can just break it!”

The masked figure swung a massive hammer from behind, bringing it down from above. A slow swing for someone with supernatural abilities. However, Kim Ha-neul, who had the radiance around his eyes, knew he couldn’t retreat. There was a swordsman waiting behind him, ‘visible’ as someone who was simply waiting for him to step back.

The opponents weren’t alone but were multiple. Every movement had to take that into account. The boy stuck to the right wall to evade.

And toward the place he had dodged, the swordsman behind him swung his sword. As the boy’s back touched the wall, it faintly gleamed before bouncing diagonally upward.

The masked figure perched on the fence tried to swing the bat in response, but the boy, who had somehow appeared beside him, only shoved him to make him fall.

‘Not overwhelmingly strong. The problem is… I’m not using my abilities.’

While swinging their weapons furiously, they didn’t use their abilities, meaning it had a special condition.

Without knowing what kind of ability it was, one still had to fight carefully. Even though his opponents were dolls, which meant no need for power control, this fight was destined to last for some time.

“Do you feel anxious?”

“Nope? Sorry, but my role is just to keep your ability-wielding dolls tied down. Honestly, I did want to help, but there’s someone over there I call the ultimate.”

The boy who didn’t lose the light in his hand even as the night grew darker. The dolls beneath the fence looked up at him, and after hearing his words, they began laughing maniacally.

““Hahahahaha!!! Do you really think the Student Council President is that strong?””

Main heroine. A character leading a genre as a protagonist but a woman who lacks combat ability couldn’t possibly be strong.

Since the system doesn’t provide advantages, they likely didn’t understand either the Student Council President’s power or her status as the main heroine. There’s still enough information about the Student Council President; their strength would be known if well researched.

“Hmm. All I can tell you is that the place you attacked has a power that even I can’t defeat.”

With plans thrown off-course by the enemies stalling for time, the boy headed toward where the main heroine should be, sending a trusting glance her way.

No, that trust wasn’t directed at the main heroine from the start…

“And you’re not grabbing my ankle. I’m grabbing yours. Until she resolves the situation, I’ll prevent anyone from taking hostages.”

Possibly directed at someone else.

The boy’s hand emits radiance more strongly, ready to disregard any counter force that simply returns the same strength.

“Indeed, I wonder which side will be proven right?”

The battle resumes as a masked figure with a bow fires an arrow. The results of the upcoming fights will decide who among them is correct.

*

Student Council President.

Erica had a slight misunderstanding about her. She thought the Student Council President was weak. After all, the ability of “Wisdom” as a supernatural power, regardless of how high the potential is set, would only allow for skillful 1-on-1 combat.

Certainly, she didn’t possess the transcendent martial power of other Student Council Presidents, the kind that could represent a country alone or match a thousand enemies.

As Erica had predicted, she didn’t wield any such supernatural martial power. However, in a different sense, the Student Council President wasn’t entirely weak.

“You’re being manipulated by someone, aren’t you?”

Kicking a black-masked figure in the abdomen, she sends them flying. Before they can recover, another opponent approaches her from the opposite side, and she promptly punches their face.

Protecting Erica. Even though it doesn’t allow for normal combat, the President displays physical abilities that far surpass those of an average adult male.

Already over ten minutes into the fight, the President shows no signs of fatigue, an impressive sight even for Erica, who was once male.

But the enemies she’d defeated only amounted to five, and more kept coming without end.

Of course. Even though the Student Council President possessed physical abilities that surpassed those of a typical woman, she had been unable to deliver decisive blows in order to protect Erica, which forced her to repeatedly return.

If this continued, even a Student Council President couldn’t guarantee victory.

“Am I a burden?”

Erica slightly bit her lip. Since bad endings were essentially the consequences of her own choices, she didn’t honestly care.

But it was another matter if someone else suffered because of her. These weren’t extras she had labeled as Black Humans, and it was unpleasant on several levels to see someone resembling her ideal woman face defeat due to her.

“Please stay there; it’ll be alright.”

“Surely you don’t think that stalling will make everything okay? Certainly, the Association will interfere if they see this situation, but they’re expected to be busy with other cases. And your cute prince has already been captured.”

The doll, who didn’t scream when hit by the President, now began speaking with a perfectly fine voice.

Since the situation favored prolonging the fight, the dolls paused to see what the girl might say.

“If just one of you lets us capture you, we’ll let the rest go. President, you could easily escape on your own, but aren’t you tired of being held back by this girl? Don’t you hate getting involved in such situations because of the Student Council President?”

Because of the Student Council President, have you gotten involved in this matter? As she watched the President’s back, Erica remembered an event from the past.

Responding to an incident of someone being bullied only resulted in herself being bullied, while the original victim transferred schools.

That back of the Student Council President resembled the foolish young man she knew and at the same time the young girl who had been bullied before that young man. How the President handled this proposal would determine how that back appeared.

“For your reference, the one who stays on our side will be so adored it will make her regret being born a girl. What do you think? Someone just needs to talk first; if there’s betrayal, it should be said fast—.”

“Erica-san, I apologize. I may have to take back what I said. I won’t be able to protect you.”

“Ahahahaha, already giving up? That’s right. In the end, it’s just that. Even if you say ‘I love you,’ when you think about what you’ll suffer, humans naturally prioritize protecting themselves. Come on, I’ll let you go, so hurry up and disappear…”

The back gradually became the one from the girl she had known. Erica didn’t particularly feel disappointed or otherwise about this change.

She had always made irrational choices. It was only natural that she made decisions that benefited herself.

The doll actually kept their word. A narrow pathway appeared in the alley, wide enough for one person to pass through.

If the President escaped through that path, she would surely get away unscathed. Erica was contemplating the President’s decision when the President suddenly gripped her hand firmly.

“It’s my decision to stay, so let me send Erica-san away. In exchange, I’ll offer no resistance, so you can do whatever you like.”

“What…?”

To sacrifice herself in order to sacrifice someone else. As the President chose that path, leading her former lover to the escape route, the girl’s hand became heavy, immovable even by a supernatural power.

“Don’t.”

The girl, who had been expressionless when hearing that she was going to be abandoned, now revealed an angry look. Why?

Clearly because she disapproved of the choice the Student Council President had made. This decision would reduce her to trash.

Because this choice would render her past sacrifices meaningless and ultimately make her the same as the people she despised.

“If you’re really sorry, stop doing something like this. If you cared about me, you should’ve told me to fall into the same hell with you.”

To enter hell together with the Student Council President. Actually, Erica didn’t have that level of intimacy with the President.

Though she resembled Erica’s ideal type, that was the extent of it.

The Student Council President might have developed feelings for Erica, but in her current position, where she had no memory of past events, those feelings were one-sided.

If they really entered hell together, Erica might end up regretting the humiliating ordeal as foreseen by the doll. But there was a way this time to avoid going to hell together.

[The current favorability with the Student Council President is at 60. The condition to unlock the favorability cap is sacrifice—specifically, your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the Student Council President.]

[Do you wish to activate the overdrive of the protective charm that’s currently guarding you? If overdriven, your supernatural ability will be impaired, rendering it unusable during the recovery period.]

[Among those currently targeting you are the Master of Empathy, the Master of Lies, and the Master of Brainwashing. If you overdrive your power, you might become more vulnerable to their strategies. Be careful. Overdriving is considered a sacrifice for the Student Council President and will unlock the favorability cap.]

Though there were things she could manage on her own later,

‘Yes.’

“If this was a choice for me.”

And as she pressed that option, silver lightning materialized and danced from Erica’s fingertips. Not just one, but dozens of lightning bolts erupted from her fingertips.

Rather than the passive usage of the protective charm, which absolutely defends the user, the active variant uses the charm to protect someone by defeating others.

It was a method of using protection that even the Student Council President, who knew Erica well, had never seen before.

Erica herself couldn’t see the words floating above her head, nor could anyone else since the genre’s protagonist wasn’t present, but above the Erica emitting silver lightning, her name, role, and abilities were displayed.

[Name: Erica]

[Role: Another Main Heroine (Current Status: Sub Heroine)]

[Ability: Radiance of Protection (Current Application: Radiance), ?]

She was selected by Kim Ha-neul to find the true heroine, but she was only a sub heroine because Kim Ha-neul hadn’t chosen her.

Erica was a character who could have been the main heroine in Kim Ha-neul’s genre.

However, after Kim Ha-neul came to be certain that Erica wasn’t the true heroine, a decisive proof glowed brightly above her head because there was no [System] holder present.

Erica was there, but since she couldn’t currently see herself in a mirror, only Kim Ha-neul knew these things for now.

“If there’s a next time, it’s meant to do it like this.”

—A power a girl rejected by the protagonist was supposed to gain to reach a happy ending was forcibly summoned by Erica’s decision.