At the sound of Lee Seo-jun calling my name, my body flinched momentarily.
Turning my head, I saw Lee Seo-jun staring intently at me.
“…You really look alike. No, you’re practically identical.”
Lee Seo-jun’s murmuring drew a reaction from Shin Young-joon.
“Who?”
“That guy. He looks oddly similar to Kim Sun-woo.”
“Kim Sun-woo? …Huh?”
“Hmm? Now that you mention it, there’s definitely a resemblance.”
Even Lee Hyun-joo chimed in.
Feeling uncomfortable, I turned my head away slightly.
“Could that guy be Kim Sun-woo? Even that beard looks awkward, like it’s fake.”
“…No way.”
Just then—
“Excuse me, do you have a younger brother?”
Lee Hyun-joo had approached me at some point and asked.
Judging by the question, it seemed they still only thought I looked like someone else.
“…No, I don’t.”
I deepened my voice more than usual and replied.
“Then maybe a cousin?”
“I don’t.”
“A half-sibling?”
“…I don’t.”
“Hmm, strange.”
Lee Hyun-joo narrowed her eyes.
“Do you know Kim Sun-woo? He’s 18 and goes to the Mage Academy.”
“I don’t know anyone by that name.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie about this?”
“…Fair enough.”
Lee Hyun-joo muttered, sounding disappointed. Though I wasn’t sure why she seemed let down.
“But your voice keeps getting deeper. Do you smoke often?”
“…”
“What are you guys doing?”
Jung Hyun-soo, who had been watching us, stepped in.
“He just looks a lot like one of our school’s students.”
“Does he? Probably just a common face. Don’t bother the man and leave him alone.”
As he spoke, Jung Hyun-soo glanced at me and then seemed to realize his mistake.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean ‘common’ in a bad way. More like approachable, you know? Ha ha ha.”
“…It’s fine. I hear that often.”
I said, watching Lee Seo-jun for his reaction.
Seo-jun still hadn’t shaken off his suspicions and kept his gaze fixed on me.
He might even be thinking I’m Kim Sun-woo in disguise.
I pulled out my mage license from my pocket and handed it to Jung Hyun-soo.
“This is my mage license. Please use this to credit my performance points and deposit the reward money for the subjugation.”
In the process, I subtly made sure the license’s front side was clearly visible to Lee Seo-jun. As expected, his eyes were glued to it.
Having a mage license was undeniable proof that I was not Kim Sun-woo but a third person, Kim Jin-woo.
The license contained a unique magical formula that made forgery impossible.
Lee Seo-jun finally withdrew his suspicion after closely inspecting the license.
But then, Jung Hyun-soo, who was checking the license, tilted his head.
“Huh? C-rank?”
“Is there an issue?”
“No, I just assumed you’d be at least B-rank…”
Jung Hyun-soo muttered, looking puzzled.
After finishing everything, I was on my way back to the dorm.
Walking alone through the quiet night streets, I recalled my last conversation with Jung Hyun-soo.
“May I ask you something?”
“Oh, yes. Go ahead.”
“What took you so long to arrive?”
“…Pardon? What do you mean?”
“I mean, why did the Special Ops team respond late?”
“Oh, that… Well, we received a report from some students and were searching for demons along the Han River. The students had taken a photo, and by coincidence, a demon was captured in the background.”
…A coincidence? A demon happened to appear in a photo, causing the delay?
How was that even possible?
Yet this one coincidence had significantly altered the story’s progression.
“Is this even possible?”
Thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely out of the question.
The original story’s flow had even more improbable events.
For instance, in the original plot, Seo-jun’s group left the Han River to visit the city’s busy streets, merely because they felt hungry.
Then, they ‘coincidentally’ encountered a rampaging demon and started fighting to stop it.
However, due to this new coincidence, that entire event didn’t happen.
“…The butterfly effect?”
Perhaps my actions over the past week had triggered these changes.
A lot had happened in just seven days.
I had become the lowest-ranked student in the school, ended up on the same team as Seo-jun, and caught everyone’s attention as a special talent scholar.
All these small incidents must have accumulated, influencing Seo-jun’s decisions, eventually leading to this outcome.
This was the very scenario I had feared most before my regression—unintended future changes caused by my trivial actions.
But I never expected the changes to grow so large that Seo-jun didn’t even appear.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Could Seo-jun’s death in the previous timeline have been caused by something like this?
Before regression, I had lived as quietly as possible, trying to avoid influencing anything.
But as long as I wasn’t completely isolated, my actions must have affected someone.
And those individuals, in turn, might have influenced others.
Could that ripple effect over seven years not have touched the main storyline?
I found it unlikely.
“Sigh.”
My thoughts were getting tangled. I didn’t have any solid evidence, just suspicions.
But I cautiously speculated that this might have had something to do with Seo-jun’s death.
That thought brought another concern.
The “Rampaging Demon of Jang han” incident that Seo-jun was originally supposed to handle—now I had dealt with it instead.
This wasn’t a minor change.
It could significantly impact the future story.
How far would this butterfly effect extend?
I couldn’t even imagine.
“Sigh.”
And what should I do with this spear?
I glanced at the “Soul of the Crimson Dragon” in my hand.
The spear was taller than me, and carrying it to the dorm would draw too much attention.
If the students saw it, word would spread quickly, and Seo-jun’s group might figure out that I was actually Kim Jinwoo.
If that happened, all my efforts so far would go to waste.
Just then, my smart student notebook vibrated with an alert.
[Reward for demon subjugation: 15,000,000 KRW has been deposited.]
“Huh?”
The reward money had been deposited. I had expected it to arrive the next day, considering how late it was, but it came sooner than anticipated.
And it was a hefty sum of 15 million won.
I grinned as I looked at the notification.
‘Now that I have money, maybe I should just stay out for the night?’
That seemed like a good idea.
It was better than returning to the dorm with such an eye-catching spear and risking unnecessary misunderstandings.
Plus, I had business to attend to in Seoul tomorrow, so it would save time.
“Alright, let’s stay out tonight.”
In Seoul, there are various accommodations such as hotels, motels, and inns. This is no different from the Seoul I once lived in.
However, in this world, there is one additional, unique type of accommodation that doesn’t exist in reality.
It’s the mage-exclusive hotel.
Mage-exclusive hotels were established due to the issue of weapon possession among mages. Other accommodations typically used by civilians do not allow the possession of weapons.
“Welcome.”
When I arrived at the hotel, a staff member at the front desk greeted me with a beautiful smile.
The hotel I had chosen was the five-star mage hotel, Hotel Hanseong.
This high-end hotel was part of the Hanseong Group, known as the largest corporation in this world.
Incidentally, the Hanseong Group plays a significant role in the original storyline.
Power, authority, and wealth.
This organization possesses all three, profoundly influencing Lee Seo-jun’s future developments.
“May I see your mage license?”
At the staff member’s request, I handed over my license. After verifying it, the staff began explaining the hotel’s features—what kinds of rooms were available, the checkout process, room service, and so on.
As the staff continued, they suddenly stood up and bowed deeply toward someone behind me.
Turning around, I saw a man in his thirties, tall and dressed in a sharp suit, entering the hotel.
Behind him were several people who appeared to be his assistants and bodyguards.
‘…Han Se-jin.’
The man was Han Se-jin, the eldest son of the Hanseong family and the first in line to inherit the Hanseong Group.
In the future, his insatiable greed would lead him to ally with demons, ultimately becoming a villain of great concern.
“Everyone, please carry on with your duties. Don’t mind me.”
Han Se-jin gestured kindly with a smile.
Yet beneath that gentle smile lay a cruel nature.
“Vice President, the matter you mentioned has been resolved.”
“Well done. By the way, what about Se-yeon? Did she confirm her attendance for tomorrow evening’s dinner?”
“Yes, she said she would attend.”
“Hmm, I see. It’ll be nice to see my cute younger sibling after a while.”
As he conversed with his assistant, Han Se-jin seemed to notice my gaze and turned to look at me.
For about a second, our eyes met.
But then, as if losing interest, he looked away.
When I opened the door to my room, a luxurious space unfolded before me.
After taking a moment to explore, I headed to the shower.
I turned on the water, washing away the sweat clinging to my body. It felt as if the fatigue of the day was being rinsed away as well.
Once done, I wrapped myself in a robe and lay down on the bed.
Sleep began to creep in, but there was still something I needed to do.
I hadn’t yet checked the messages that came to mind during the subjugation of Jang Han.
[Unique Trait, ‘Outsider’s Privilege,’ has been activated.]
[Reviewing previous message logs.]
[B-Rank Villain, ‘Jang Han,’ successfully subdued.]
[A minor change in the story has been detected.]
[Your Causality Rate has increased by 0.2.]
[‘First Demon Subjugation’ achievement unlocked.]
[Your subjugation contribution is 92%.]
[You have received 5,300 points as a reward.]
[Character ‘Jung Hyun-soo’ has taken notice of you.]
[You have received 500 points as a reward.]
A cascade of messages appeared before me.
As expected, intervening in the main storyline had brought substantial rewards.
Reading through the messages from the top, one line caught my attention.
“…Causality Rate?”
It was a type of reward I had never seen before.
Causality Rate—was it what I thought it was?
━━
[Causality Rate]
― Gained by resolving key events in the main storyline. The amount of Causality Rate obtained increases based on your level of involvement and the magnitude of story changes.
― Causality Rate can be spent to activate Powers.
[Powers]
Deus Ex Machina [Causality Rate 100]
― Allows you to achieve whatever you desire.
??? [Causality Rate 30]
― Unlocked when your Causality Rate exceeds 30.
??? [Causality Rate 20]
― Unlocked when your Causality Rate exceeds 20.
??? [Causality Rate 10]
― Unlocked when your Causality Rate exceeds 10.
━━
Judging from the description, it seemed to function like a currency for purchasing certain abilities.
However, based on the content of the Powers, it felt different from typical rewards.
“To achieve whatever I desire?”
How broad was the scope of that power?
Could it even allow something as absurd as becoming a god?
“…Powers.”
Whatever it was, the ability tied to Causality Rate felt extraordinary.
And the only unlocked Power, Deus Ex Machina, seemed to be guiding me to make it my ultimate goal.
It was almost as if someone was sending me a message…
Suddenly, a thought struck me.
What if this Deus Ex Machina was the only way for me to return to my original world?
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly.
‘…If.’
If, by any chance, Deus Ex Machina was indeed the sole way for me to go back to my world…
Then my path forward would drastically change.
From now on, I would have to unravel every main storyline event to gain Causality Rate.
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