In truth, the concept of a final boss in the game Brave Hearts is extremely vague.
Just as the game has forty-four endings, the bosses responsible for each ending could all be called final bosses.
Just as, in Yeon Haneul’s Infinite Fission ending, she is the final boss who leads the world to destruction.
However, since the game deals with the story of Kang Hanbyeol’s experiences from entering Geumgang Academy to graduation, each ending can also be seen as a branching point within that process.
If so, couldn’t the final boss responsible for the true ending be called the being who appears last in the chronological flow of the story?
Just as Yeon Haneul, who appears as an enemy in the second year, is called a mid-boss.
Players who enjoyed the game, including my past-life self, had generally defined it that way.
‘There are endings like the destruction ending caused by Gate corrosion, which occur regardless of the story flow once certain conditions are met, so you can’t blindly call it the final boss, but… since it concludes the story, it can at least be called the orthodox route.’
The final boss at the end of that orthodox story is none other than Fallen Heaven, Seong Ubin.
The leader of the Demon Society, who gathered villains over thirty years ago and sowed chaos and terror throughout the world.
Defeated at the time by the heads of the Ten Great Families and the Hunters, he disappeared without a trace, but even now, his ill fame still resounded throughout Hunter society.
To the point that, despite no one knowing whether their leader was alive or dead, the Demon Society had not disbanded and continued to exist, and even the Six Demons, who never tried to unite their wills with one another, obeyed without complaint.
The incident that announced such a man had revealed his existence to the world once more after his long seclusion and had begun operating in the shadows was the final exam episode.
‘I have to be careful from now on.’
O Junsu, the wastrel of the Black Magic O Family who lost to Kang Hanbyeol in the ranking match, harbors murderous intent toward him.
At that moment, Fallen Heaven approaches him, brainwashes him, and incites him to summon an Eight-Star demon.
Naturally, the descent fails.
‘No matter what, there’s no way O Junsu, who’s only at the fourth-tier level, could summon an Eight-Star demon. If Fallen Heaven hadn’t lent him his power, he probably wouldn’t even have known how to summon one, let alone summon one incompletely.’
An Eight-Star demon is a being known as the great overlord of demons—a Demon King.
There was no way O Junsu, at his level, could handle a Demon King, something no black mage could withstand and whose existence had only ever been observed.
Having barely managed to summon even the remnants of the Demon King’s consciousness by borrowing Fallen Heaven’s power, he instead ends up being devoured by that consciousness and surrendering his body.
And so he ascends to the position of a boss who becomes a branching point for a bad ending.
Therefore, if he cannot be stopped then—
‘It’s destruction, plain and simple.’
A bad ending awaits in which humanity is invaded by angels and demons, reduced to their slaves, and meets its end.
Conversely, if he is stopped, destruction is avoided, and the story moves on to the next stage.
A flow in which Hunter society becomes aware of Fallen Heaven’s resurrection and grows wary of the Demon Society.
That is why the final exam episode must occur.
So that the world can respond as flexibly as possible to the chaos the Demon Society’s resurgence will bring.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can follow the development exactly as it is and create a crisis of destruction. I have to adjust the reins appropriately so I don’t get dragged along by it. Appropriately….’
As someone who wanted to obtain the flow I desired, I needed to be careful.
That was why I was trying to set the board.
* * *
Seeing Kang Hanbyeol come down from the dueling arena,
we rose from the audience seats and all headed together toward the contestant passage to greet him.
As it happened, he was walking out into the corridor.
“Ah. Gyeonu, guys. You all came to see me. You didn’t have to…. Still, thank you so much for coming!”
“You’re not badly hurt anywhere, are you?”
“As you can see!”
Kang Hanbyeol, pleased to see us, shrugged as if to show he was perfectly fine.
However, from his appearance, it was easy to find traces of the duel he had just fought with O Junsu.
There were scratches from black feathers all over his body.
‘He had a hard time until he found the strategy, so it can’t be helped.’
Even if the wounds varied in severity, none of them were life-threatening.
They were at a level where he could recover sufficiently by relying on his natural healing ability.
With Lisa taking the lead, we checked his condition and decided to worry less.
“Still, Hanbyeol, I’ll give you some medicine, so make sure to apply it. That way, the wounds will heal faster.”
“Got it. If you give it to me, I’d be grateful. Thanks for paying such close attention! And guys, look at this. This is the spoils I got from the duel this time! Cool, right?”
Meanwhile, Kang Hanbyeol grinned, seemingly pleased by the attention.
Then, as if showing them off, he held out the shoes he had been dangling from his fingers toward us.
They were the shoes he had obtained from O Junsu, and in the game, they were an artifact that had been used quite usefully.
[Luminous Derby Shoes]
◆ Equipment Classification
—Shoes
◆ Detailed Description
—Handmade shoes painstakingly crafted by a master artisan from the leather of a Gloom Bison.
—The buckle contains the power of a luminous mage.
—The young Fighting Demon Kang Hanbyeol plundered them from Black Feather O Junsu of the Black Magic O Family.
◆ Detailed Effects
—Durability +1, Mana +1
—Reduces the mana consumption of all skills related to black magic by 10%.
—Skill “Enchainment”
A treasure of the Black Magic O Family, the Luminous Derby Shoes.
This artifact had magic embedded within it that bound a designated target so they could not move.
Considering its value in battle, it would be helpful to Kang Hanbyeol going forward.
As someone who wished for his growth, I had no reason not to be pleased.
That said….
“You’re not planning to wear them as they are, are you?”
Unlike in a game, where simply equipping them would cause no particular problem, this world we were in was unmistakably reality.
There were many factors to consider: whether the shoe size fit him, whether the width was too narrow or too wide, whether they were comfortable to wear, and so on.
Depending on the person, they might also feel resistance toward wearing shoes someone else had worn.
That was why, if possible, I wanted Kang Hanbyeol to have them newly made so that he could wear shoes that fit him well, felt comfortable, and were clean.
‘It’s the same principle as when Sagun took the lens out of the monocle and replaced it with the glasses he originally wore. In any case, those are just a vessel for containing Enchainment. The source isn’t the shoes but the buckle.’
So all he had to do was remove the buckle and either make new shoes or attach it to the shoes he had originally worn.
Fortunately, it seemed Kang Hanbyeol had been thinking along similar lines as me.
He answered refreshingly.
“They’re one size smaller than mine, so I think they’d be uncomfortable to wear as is. It’s not to the point I can’t wear them, but if possible, it’s better to wear them comfortably. So I’m going to keep these shoes in my safe and separately remove just the buckles to transfer them to my own shoes.”
“A wise decision.”
“Right?”
Kang Hanbyeol bounced his shoulders.
Agreeing with him, I nodded.
* * *
Even if I knew Fallen Heaven would approach O Junsu, unfortunately, there was nothing I could do.
Because if I tried to make a move in advance, Fallen Heaven would definitely notice me.
Now, when the first semester of the first year was only just coming to an end, if I caught the eye of a great evil whom even the heads of the Ten Great Families could not rashly face by joining forces, I could not guarantee anything good would come of it.
It was obvious the future would be thrown into disorder on a level I could not handle.
‘I might die to Fallen Heaven before that, too.’
Therefore, I could not monitor O Junsu’s surroundings to uncover Fallen Heaven’s existence and, furthermore, track his whereabouts.
It was too reckless and too dangerous.
Thus, if I wanted to move safely, I had to watch the changes after he came into contact with Fallen Heaven.
It was not particularly difficult.
‘Because from this point on, O Junsu holes himself up in the Black Magic O Family’s villa.’
If I were to predict the developments to come, O Junsu, having sworn revenge on Kang Hanbyeol, would not attend classes for a while and would shut himself in the Black Magic O Family’s villa, plotting a sinister scheme.
He would learn to wield the power he received from Fallen Heaven, use that power to take complete control of the villa, and begin preparations to make a contract with an Eight-Star demon.
Then, once he was fully prepared, he would one day have his gang kidnap Lisa.
Because he would arbitrarily misunderstand her as Kang Hanbyeol’s lover.
‘From Lisa’s perspective, it’s unfair, but among the girls, she has the most points of contact with Hanbyeol, so it can’t be helped that she’d be misunderstood that way….’
To make a contract with an Eight-Star demon, one had to offer a woman’s soul as payment.
And not just any woman’s soul, but the soul of a woman especially cherished by the target of one’s revenge.
O Junsu would use Lisa as a hostage in order to lure Kang Hanbyeol to the Black Magic O Family’s villa and plunge him into despair.
‘So, to create the justification for Hanbyeol to defeat O Junsu, Lisa has to be kidnapped, but….’
Naturally, that could not be allowed.
It was good to follow the predetermined flow, but it was extremely dangerous, as Lisa’s safety could not be guaranteed.
I also would not have the face to look at her openly.
Above all, if she fell into their hands as a hostage, there was a risk that O Junsu could seize the initiative.
‘There’s no need to create unnecessary variables. The point is to prepare an excuse for the story to unfold naturally even without Lisa becoming a hostage….’
I did not have to think for long.
The conclusion was simple, with only one answer.
‘Stop the plan to kidnap Lisa, and use that as a pretext to take my friends and raid the place where O Junsu is.’
For that purpose, I needed people to cooperate with me.
Someone to inform me of the movements of O Junsu’s gang, who would soon attempt to kidnap Lisa, and someone to protect her nearby in case of any unforeseen danger.
For the former, I could leave it to No Hyowon, who managed the faction in my place.
And for the latter….
“I know this is out of nowhere, but could you keep an eye on Lisa for a while?”
Yeon Haneul, who would not seem strange being by Lisa’s side and who could read my intentions and act accordingly, was the right person.
That night, after Kang Hanbyeol defeated O Junsu,
I called her out for a night walk and opened my mouth at an appropriate time.
Then she, who had been walking while holding my hand, gently tilted her head.
The look in her eyes as she gazed up at me was sharp.
“So you do know it’s out of nowhere? What exactly do you mean by asking me to keep an eye on Lisa?”
Yeon Haneul stared at me intently.
She had every reason to question me when I was not explaining the details, yet she did not bother pressing me and instead asked about her own role.
Feeling grateful for her consideration, I chose my words so she could understand as much as possible.
“You know the guy Hanbyeol defeated today, the wastrel of the Black Magic O Family. I think… he won’t just back down quietly like this.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I’m from one of the Ten Great Families too, so I’ve heard rumors before. They say his personality is extremely vicious, and that when it comes to someone he bears a grudge against, he’s frighteningly persistent to the point that he’ll stop at nothing.”
“So you’re saying he might try to retaliate against Hanbyeol. But why does Lisa come into it?”
“Because she’s in the same class as Hanbyeol. If she’s unlucky, she might get caught up in it.”
“Hmm… I see.”
We walked along a forest path where moonlight seeped in faintly.
Yeon Haneul, her rabbit ears pricked up, fell silent as if lost in thought.
I paid attention to the darkness underfoot so that she would not trip.
Before long, she opened her mouth.
“Okay, got it. I’ll stay by Lisa’s side and watch carefully so nothing happens.”
“It must be hard preparing for finals, so thank you so much for accepting my request. Just help me until the final exams. It’ll probably be over before Saturday, when the year exam takes place.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just happy I can be of help. Someone like me… there’s nowhere else to find one, right?”
“No need to say it twice. Where else would there be someone like you?”
Yeon Haneul looked up at me with a suggestive expression, as if seeking my agreement.
She gently pressed herself against me and carefully wrapped her arms around my waist.
At that, her rabbit ears, which had twitched on their own, brushed against my nose.
Looking down at her between her rabbit ears, I raised the corners of my mouth.
When our eyes met, she was giggling too.
“A woman like me… there’s nowhere else to find one, right?”
This time, too, she subtly urged me for an answer.
I slowly lowered the hand I had placed on Yeon Haneul’s shoulder.
Perhaps because she was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, I could feel the sensation of bare skin against my palm.
As if startled by my touch, she flinched, then leaned her body even more against me.
Holding her as if supporting her, I answered in a low voice.
“There’s nowhere else to find a woman like you. Who else would there be in the world besides you?”
“Right?”
Yeon Haneul’s smile brightened.
We laughed over nothing in particular, and so we walked the night road together, warm and close.
* * *
No great change came to O Junsu’s daily life after his defeat at the hands of Gang Hanbyeol.
There may have been people laughing at him behind his back, but no one openly mocked him to his face.
No matter how much tyranny he had committed, no one could treat a direct descendant of the Black Horse O Clan carelessly.
However, knowing full well what they were thinking, he could no longer swagger about as he had before.
Though they watched his mood on the surface, he shrank before those who must have been looking down on him inside.
More than anything….
‘This is all because of Gang Hanbyeol, that bastard.’
He could not forget the humiliation of kneeling before Gang Hanbyeol, a junior one year below him, nor the disgrace of having his derby shoes taken from him and being forced to return to the dormitory in indoor slippers.
Just thinking about it made murderous intent surge up within him, making him want to kill the boy.
Even if it meant gladly offering his soul to a demon.
It was then that he met the old man.
“It has truly been a long time since I came to the Academy. It has changed a great deal from the old days. Well, as long as the three lakes remain intact, that is enough. As for the spiritual vein… Oho, it seems to have grown stronger than before.”
“…”
As if he had stepped in from beyond O Junsu’s awareness.
By the time O Junsu noticed him, the old man was already standing close by.
Even though his appearance—dressed in a white suit and wearing sunglasses—should have made him impossible to miss, O Junsu had failed to notice him. It was uncanny.
At the same time, he instinctively sensed something repulsive from the old man, an aura that told him nothing good would come of drawing near.
Then, the old man turned his head toward him.
“I thought I sensed familiar mana, so I came over to offer my greetings in person, but you are not Jinhyeok. Well, there is no reason that fellow would be here. In that case, you must be a child of the O Clan. That fellow’s grandson, I suppose.”
“…”
The head of the Black Horse O Clan, Golden Crow O Jinhyeok.
Before the old man who spoke the family head’s name without hesitation, O Junsu could not say a word.
His mouth would not open as he wished.
Seeing him like that, the old man split his lips in a grin.
“This meeting, too, must be fate. Child, do you need power?”
“…”
“Looking at your face, I can see it no other way. Moreover, the resentment lodged within you greatly interests me. So I shall ask again, child of the O Clan.”
“…”
“Do you need my power?”
Words contain power.
The words of a being of higher rank exert a profound influence upon the world, and are not easily defied.
Thus, it is no difficult thing to compel another through words.
It was word spirit (言霊).
In that moment, O Junsu moved his lips, which had refused to part regardless of his will.
“Yes, I need power.”
And so.
The seed of destruction sprouted.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss