Hans Zimmer— the man that was in the same bookshelf section with Raven just now.

He's a guy that hates the world.

Why? Well, because of its unfairness.

Ever since he was born, Hans felt like the world was against him. His mother died the very moment he came into the world, and that tragedy, instead of gaining him sympathy, only brought hatred.

His father despised him for it, blamed him for a death that wasn't his fault, and in the end, disowned him completely.

He was taken in by his grandmother, the only one who cared. She raised him with what little she had. Hans tried to live normally, to at least experience the small joys of being a child. But life didn't give him even that. When he went to school, he was bullied mercilessly by some bastard kids.

Then when he fought back—

The parents of the bullies got involved. They weren't ordinary people; they had connections, money, and influence. They put pressure on Hans' grandmother, harassing her in ways that broke her livelihood.

Her small pension was suddenly removed. Her humble plant shop, which was her only other source of income, lost customers overnight because rumors spread that weren't true.

And so, Hans' grandmother had no choice but to work again despite her age.

It was at this point in his young life that Hans started thinking— really thinking— about how unfair the world was.

'We're just kids fighting. They started it by bullying me! They hit me first! Why are we the ones suffering?!'

That was the thought of a six-year-old.

Since then, Hans learned to step down. He kept his head low. He didn't fight back when he was beaten and ridiculed. And those same kids didn't stop; they followed him through every year of his school life. All the way until graduation, his school memories were nothing but endless torment.

Hell. That was what his childhood was.

Then, moving on as he grew up— Hans applied for work. And at first, for a brief moment, he thought maybe things were finally turning.

He got accepted. He even felt hope.

Though— reality had a cruel way of reminding him of his place.

The owner of the company he entered was one of those same bullies from his school days. That bastard had inherited the business from his parents, and now, Hans was working under him.

And so... hell followed Hans again.

But he endured.

Why? Because the pay was good.

It was enough for him and his grandmother. And for Hans, that was all that mattered.

He told himself he didn't mind the endless jobs pushed onto him unnecessarily. He didn't mind the overtime hours that drained him dry every week. He didn't mind being treated like a slave by co-workers and his boss, sneered at as if he wasn't even human.

'As long as I can provide for my grandmother.'

Hans declared this to himself countless times, forcing himself to stay steady.

...

But then, just yesterday—

Hans suddenly received a call from a random number. His hands trembled when he picked it up. And in that call— he learned that his grandmother had collapsed on the street while on one of her daily walks. She was rushed to the nearest hospital.

Hans didn't think twice. He immediately stood up to run out, heart pounding in his chest.

But at that exact moment— his boss, his bully, walked into the building.

The man asked Hans where he was going during working hours, his tone sharp.

Hans— desperate, panicked— immediately explained the situation, his words rushed, hoping that for once, someone would show a little humanity.

Though...

"I don't care about your dying grandmother. She's old anyway, let her go. Go back to your fucking job, you bastard."

That was the reply he got. His boss' voice dripped with mockery, with cruelty, as if Hans' pain was just entertainment.

This is when Hans snapped and—

BAM!

He punched his bitch-ass boss straight in the nose!

The sound echoed, shocking everyone nearby.

But Hans... Hans was just a normal, unawakened person. While his boss was a [C-] rank awakened, someone leagues above him.

"Hey? Are you crazy?"

The bastard asked Hans with a mischievous smile, his nose bleeding but his aura radiating danger.

"..."

Hans didn't answer. He just glared, his fists shaking. His rage was boiling over, but his power wasn't enough.

Then in that moment—

BAM!

"GUH?!!"

The bitch punched Hans in the stomach, the blow sinking deep.

Hans fell on his knees, gasping desperately for air. His vision blurred, his chest burning in pain.

And while looking down at him—

"Know your place, you fuck... You're fired."

His boss spat those words with a sneering tone, then walked away laughing, his voice echoing like poison in Hans' ears.

'...I'll fucking kill all of you.'

Hans declared to himself as he bit his lower lip until it bled. His fists clenched so tight his nails dug into his skin. He hated himself for being pathetic and powerless.

And he hated the world for being so goddamn unfair.

...

...

...

*****

(Raven's POV)

"The world really is fucked up."

I muttered to myself as I remembered what happened in the novel.

[Dominating Darkness Sword Technique]

I silently looked at the book in my hand, the weight of it heavier than it should have been.

'Hans is supposed to find this book today. It just caught his eyes for some reason, as if the book was calling for him.'

But he wasn't hallucinating or imagining it— this book was literally calling for him.

'In the novel, I made the creator of this sword technique leave his soul inside this book. So when someone comes to learn it, they'd end up being influenced, their body slowly taken over.'

Though it wasn't like a complete possession. It was worse. The one who created this sword technique was a complete lunatic.

And they made it so that whoever studied their swordsmanship would fall into their madness.

'When Hans studied this book and learned the techniques, he awakened. But at the same time, he started to lose himself. He slowly got devoured by his hatred.'

He eventually lost his sanity after a year, and when he finally mastered all the moves written in the book, the very first thing he did—

"Was kill his bitch-ass boss and all of his co-workers. And after that, he became a serial killer."

I muttered that with a straight face, no emotion in my tone.

'I don't know what happened to his grandmother... But Alec and the others got back here a year later because of the field trip again, and that's when they encountered Hans and defeated him.'

Hans was already out of his mind, lost beyond saving, so Alec had no choice but to kill him.

And with that, they became featured in the news again as [Young Heroes].

"What a sad story."

I whispered under my breath.

[Well, you wrote it...]

Sariel responded dryly.

"Well, I didn't know my novel would come to reality, duh."

I retorted, frowning.

"Whatever."

Anyway, I shook my head and brushed off all the useless thoughts piling up in my mind.

"I'm going to pay for this now."

I said as I started heading to the counter.

Tap- Tap- Tap-

My feet were light, my steps steady.

But then—

"Huh?"

Something caught my eyes.

Tap-

I halted mid-step, my head turning slightly to the side. And there—

I saw a beautiful brooch with a black gem as the centerpiece. And it was as if...

'It's calling me.'

I muttered in my head, a strange pull forming in my chest.

I thought it was absurd. But nevertheless—

Tap-

I started walking toward it.

Tap- Tap- Tap-

I stopped in front of it, staring for a moment. And without even appraising what it was—

FWIP-

I picked it up.

[What's that?]

Sariel asked me the moment my hand wrapped around the brooch.

"I don't know, maybe it's impulsive, but I just want to buy this for some reason."

I answered, smirking faintly.

"I have a lot of money anyway, so why not?"

Then I followed with that, brushing off the odd sensation.

[Meh, whatever.]

*****

After Raven took the brooch, he continued straight to the counter and paid for it and the book.

It cost him [750,000 Zeals].

Raven would've lost his mind spending this much for two items before— but now, with money flowing in, he didn't even flinch. Just as he said, he really didn't mind.

Anyway, after all that—

Raven left the store to explore the marketplace more.

Though as soon as he got out—

"Huh?"

He saw Hans a few meters away from him.

Hans was looking at the stalls, his face still twisted with anger, as though every breath he took was fueled by resentment.

'I guess he's that desperate and thirsty for revenge.'

Raven thought to himself.

And with a smile tugging at his lips—

"I think I can use him."

He muttered.

SWOOSH-

Raven suddenly disappeared from where he stood.

Fwish~

Then he reappeared right beside Hans!

"WHA-?!!"

Hans got startled and jumped back.

"I-It's you from earlier! What do you want?!"

Hans exclaimed after seeing Raven.

And Raven, with a sly smile on his face—

"Hello, my name is Raven. I have a business offer for you."

He stated that clearly.

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