There are people who claim to enjoy certain things. Among them, there are three types I absolutely cannot understand.
People who say studying is too fun.
People who say mint chocolate is the best.
And people who say exercise is good.
My combat skills grew automatically each time I clashed with someone. But in contrast, my stamina only reached my inherent limits. If I tried to go beyond that, my body probably wouldn't hold up.
In other words, I needed to keep doing evaluations while also building up my stamina. Thanks to that, exercising after work had become an essential routine.
How long had I been running? About, about an hour? My heart felt like it would burst. I thought I could taste blood in my throat.
I'd never run this long before. Though I had started exercising recently, maybe I overdid it.
Taking off my cap and running a hand through my hair, I caught my breath.
'Damn... if I'd known it would be , I would have exercised earlier.'
I regretted it, but how could I have known things would turn out this way? I thought I'd just keep being a civil servant, live like that, and then die. I never dreamed I'd be caught up in such an absurd situation.
After taking a breath, I slowly straightened my back, which had been bent down. At least as an ability user, my physical condition was better than normal people. My breathing was already returning to normal, wasn't it?
I don't think I'll ever enjoy exercise. But it seems I have to do it, even just to survive.
Nothing I can do about it. Even ability users are ultimately physical workers. In that state, not taking care of your body is the same as asking to die.
'Just 30 more minutes, let's run for 30 more minutes and then go in.'
I did some light stretching and was about to pick up speed after turning a corner when—
Something crashed into my chest, and then bounced backward. The impact wasn't nothing, so my cap fell off.
For a moment I thought, 'Is it a villain?!' but I didn't feel that sharp sense on my skin. And if it were really a villain, I would've already had a knife in my stomach.
It seemed that as we both turned the corner, neither of us noticed each other. But since my build was much larger, the other person landed on their rear.
"I-I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"Ah... yes. I'm fine. Are you alright too?"
"Yes. I, I think I turned without checking. I'm really sorry."
"No. I did the same thing."
Though they were wearing a hood, I could immediately tell the other person was a woman. The build, the slender arms and legs.
...But why was she changing her voice like that? As if she was disguising her real voice, afraid someone might recognize it.
I had apologized, and confirmed there were no injuries. I was about to go on my way when the other person shouted "Wait!" and then:
"Wait! Could it be? It's you, right? It is!"
"That man who took a photo with Irina during the Gate incident!"
"Uh. Um... that's..."
"And also the one who did a one-versus-many against villains recently!"
I did fight against several opponents, but it wasn't anything like a "one-vs-many." I just managed to take down one or two of them. And it was Kim Suhyeon who sliced the villain at the end, not me.
Of course, our journalists didn't care about any of that. They were busy writing sensational and flashy articles.
"It's you, right? Right?"
"Well... that's... I mean, yes, it is me."
"Really? Wow! I, if it's not too rude, could I take a picture with you?"
This was suddenly happening in the middle of my workout.
A picture? Isn't that something celebrities do? I'm not even a streamer, so why would she...
No, wait. Thinking about it, this makes sense. In this world, ability users are seen as heroes. And heroes enjoy popularity even greater than celebrities.
Why call them heroes all of a sudden? If you think about it, it's obvious. People who fight monsters to save others, defeat villains to protect peace. Saying they're real-life heroes isn't wrong at all.
And come to think of it, my recent actions aligned with both. I might think of myself as just a civil servant or a rank examiner, but To ordinary people, I could be seen as a rising star.
"One, two, three! Yap!"
The other person took a selfie with somewhat exaggerated movements. Then after checking the photo, she immediately bowed her head.
"It was probably a very rude request, but I'm so sorry. And really thank you!"
It didn't feel like a difficult request or something rude at all. After all, my face was already exposed everywhere thanks to various incidents. Meanwhile, the woman examining the photo from various angles broke into a "hehe!" smile.
"It came out well! You look better in person than in photos!"
That line seems to be the same no matter who it's directed at.
Of course, my bare face isn't so pitiful as to need such flattery. The one thing I liked about possessing Baek Seojin was his appearance.
"You're Baek Seojin, right?"
"Yes, I am, but that 'nim' honorific sounds a bit strange."
"Why? You fought monsters during the Gate incident, and fought villains too! Of course you deserve 'nim'! And I heard you already have quite a few fans, did you know?"
"Fans? Uh, this is completely news to me."
"Yes! And they're saying that thanks to you, civil servants are being seen differently!"
TN: Damn, Baek Seojin raised the prosperity of civil servants.
Yuyu: More like raised their reputation.
Now that's... welcome news. Yes, definitely welcome news. Always getting cursed at, being told they do nothing and their salaries should be cut.
But civil servants all have their jobs to do. The low-ranking ones especially, have even more. Just handling work? If only that were the case. There are so many odd jobs besides the official work.
Carrying things when they arrive, stacking them, working again when it rains or snows. If there's a shortage of people, you have to give up your weekend to work. It's so bitter. Sometimes when people say nasty things, you're tempted to just punch them.
"That's good to hear. I was sad about how terrible civil servant treatment has become recently."
"Right? That's why you deserve to be called 'nim'!"
After looking at her for a moment, I unconsciously asked a question.
"Are you perhaps a streamer?"
"Huh? What? Uh, n-no?! I'm not! Why would you suddenly ask that..."
"The way you speak seems peculiarly bouncy. Streamers tend to talk like that."
"Do I? I do hear that sometimes!"
But she insisted she really wasn't a streamer. She wore a very awkward smile.
"Well, I should go now. I look forward to seeing more of you, Baek Seojin-nim!"
"I mean, I hope you stay strong. Don't get hurt, teach those bad villains a lesson! Beat up monsters and earn lots of money! Fighting!! Keep exercising hard too!"
I've never met someone so bouncy. Isn't she a streamer? That's exactly how streamers talk. Though I rarely watch streams, so I wouldn't recognize who she is.
"Thank you. You exercise hard too."
After exchanging brief greetings, I turned away.
It was a bit sudden, but it didn't feel bad at all. Rather, it felt a little, how should I say it? Fulfilling. Maybe this is why ability users fight so fiercely.
Those who fight not just for money or fame, but for something else. At first, I couldn't understand it, but now I think I get it a little.
'I should live a bit harder.'
I put strength back into my legs, which had begun to relax. And I made a promise. Let's work even harder than now. Since things have come to this, let's really give it a proper go.
The evaluations I'm in charge of, the exercise I'm doing now, and...
'I'll go home and just play one game before bed.'
Seo Eunsol hurriedly flipped her hood up and ran hard. Not only was meeting Baek Seojin suddenly surprising, but being asked if she was a streamer?
'What? Does he know me? Is he perhaps a viewer of my stream?'
After running and running until her breath reached her chin, Seo Eunsol, aka "Madcat," finally stopped.
Exhausting. Her chest felt like it would burst. She hadn't planned to run so frantically. She didn't even know why she had done so.
After catching her breath for a while, she cautiously took out her phone. Then she quietly examined the selfie she had taken earlier.
"...He looks much better in person."
The photo was plenty handsome. It was, but something was missing. When I saw him directly with my own eyes just now, he was much more handsome.
In the past, ability users had saved her when she was about to die from monsters. That's when she realized. These were the great heroes who would save the world. Superheroes from movies had actually appeared in the real world.
And the hero she met today was someone who could only be seen in movies. Not arrogant, kind, feeling ordinary, yet truly amazing.
"The photo came out well. I can use this as stream material today."
Of course, she had no intention of showing the photo. There were portrait rights issues, but she also wanted to keep it for herself. It would be the greatest disrespect to post it somewhere and have those vulture journalists pounce on it.
Seo Eunsol returned home with extremely happy steps. After warming up lightly, she started the game again.
'Today, I'm definitely, definitely going to reach Silver!'
She wondered if streaming might break her concentration. So today, she decided to try without broadcasting.
Her current promotion series was at 1 win, 2 losses. One more loss and she'd drop down again. She had to win. She needed to make it 2 wins, 2 losses. And then she would show the final match on tomorrow's broadcast.
'Please, let me have actual humans on my team today, not beasts!'
Seo Eunsol prayed desperately to the heavens. But there was one fact she overlooked.
Even if there were no beasts on her team, only humans, There could be a being on the enemy team that even humans couldn't handle.
That was the ID of the player who destroyed the game again.
TN: It would be funny if Madcat somehow passed to silver and become a superhuman because she got examined by Baek Seojin hahaha.
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