The subway tunnel smelled like rust and old blood.
Kim Dokja stepped forward, his gaze steady as always, while Yoo Joonghyuk stood slightly ahead, sword already drawn as if the future itself had told him something was wrong.
Han Sooyoung yawned behind them.
"Can we hurry this up? If this is another boring scenario—"
Her voice cut off.
Because someone was already there.
A boy.
Blond hair. Bright blue eyes. Sitting casually on a broken concrete slab like this was a park bench instead of a death zone.
And he was smiling.
"Ah! Visitors!"
Kim Dokja narrowed his eyes.
"…You're not in the scenario participant list."
The boy tilted his head.
"Huh? Really? That's weird. I've been here for a while."
Yoo Joonghyuk stepped forward.
"State your identity."
The air shifted.
Cold. Sharp. Dangerous.
But the boy only laughed.
"I'm Ethan!"
A pause.
"…That's it?" Han Sooyoung said flatly.
"Yep! Oh—wait!" He snapped his fingers. "Corvus! That sounds cooler, right?"
Kim Dokja felt it then.
Something… off.
Not strong.
Not oppressive.
But wrong.
Like a sentence written in the wrong grammar.
«[A hidden scenario has been generated!]
[Irregular Variable Detected]
[Probability is being distorted.]»
Han Sooyoung blinked.
"…Dokja. That's not normal."
"I know."
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't wait.
He attacked.
The sword cut through the air—fast enough to kill most incarnations instantly.
Ethan didn't dodge.
He raised his hand.
"Hmm… I don't think swords should move that fast."
The blade stopped.
Mid-air.
No sound.
No resistance.
Just… stopped.
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
Ethan leaned forward, examining the sword like it was a toy.
"Yeah, this feels wrong. Let's fix it."
He flicked it.
The sword bent.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Like the idea of "sharpness" had been rewritten.
Yoo Joonghyuk immediately jumped back.
Kim Dokja's mind raced.
'That's not a skill.'
No system message.
No probability consumption.
No stigma.
Nothing.
«[Constellations are observing the irregularity with interest.]
[A constellation is questioning the definition of magic.]
[Several constellations are confused.]»
Han Sooyoung muttered, "…Great. Another insane one."
Kim Dokja stepped forward.
"Ethan."
"Yeah?"
"…What are you?"
Ethan blinked.
"Eh? I'm Ethan."
"That's not what I meant."
"Oh." He smiled. "I use magic!"
"…Everyone uses something. That doesn't explain anything."
Ethan scratched his head.
"I just think about it, and it works."
Silence.
Han Sooyoung snorted.
"Wow. Genius explanation."
But Kim Dokja didn't laugh.
Because he understood.
This wasn't someone using magic.
This was someone…
…deciding what magic was.
The ground trembled.
From the darkness of the tunnel, mechanical screeches echoed.
A swarm of creatures—half-machine, half-flesh—crawled forward, eyes glowing red.
Yoo Joonghyuk raised his sword again.
"Conversation ends here."
Ethan perked up.
"Oh! Enemies!"
He looked excited.
Genuinely excited.
"Can I try something?"
Han Sooyoung groaned.
"Why do I feel like this is a bad idea—"
Too late.
Ethan raised his hand toward the swarm.
"Hmm… machines… magic… energy…"
He paused.
Thinking.
Then smiled brightly.
"Oh! I got it!"
He snapped his fingers.
"Magic should spread."
The air shimmered.
Then—
The monsters stopped.
One by one.
Their red eyes flickered.
Then… changed.
Blue.
"…What?" Han Sooyoung whispered.
The creatures turned.
Not toward the party.
But away.
Walking. Quiet. Obedient.
Like they had forgotten what violence meant.
Kim Dokja clenched his fist.
'He didn't destroy them.'
'He rewrote their behavior.'
Without probability.
Without cost.
Without rules.
"…You."
Yoo Joonghyuk's voice was low.
Dangerous.
"What are you planning?"
Ethan tilted his head.
"Planning?"
"…Your goal."
Ethan smiled.
Simple.
Bright.
"I just want to have fun."
Silence fell.
And for the first time—
Kim Dokja felt something close to fear.
«[Hidden Scenario Cleared]
[Irregular Variable remains active]»
Han Sooyoung sighed.
"…Dokja. We're keeping him, aren't we?"
Kim Dokja didn't answer immediately.
He looked at Ethan.
At the boy who could bend the system like it was a suggestion.
"…For now."
Ethan clapped his hands.
"Yay! Friends!"
Yoo Joonghyuk turned away.
"…This will become a problem."
Kim Dokja thought the same.
But he also knew something else.
'If the Star Stream can't control him…'
'Then maybe—'
For the first time in a long while—
Kim Dokja smiled.
"…He might be useful."
«[A constellation is smiling faintly.]
[The story has begun to diverge.]»
~~~
OC information on Volume one chapter 13