Be Strong (1)

To read all 300 fully translated chapters and the first 25 chapters for free, visit patreon (p(A)treon.com/Astrid02)

"Hmm…"

Lee Hyun-Woo exhaled deeply and stared blankly at the screen.

A serene illustration filled the screen, depicting beautiful heroines embracing each other with gentle music playing in the background.

"I was worried it might be just another Yuri game. But it's not bad, actually quite fun."

Heroic Academy

A Yuri Harem Academy game that tells the story of Ariel Volkanov, the second child of the Volkanov family that protects the Empire, and a hero, who works with the heroines to stop the Demon God.

Although it was played as a time-killer due to the lack of other games to play nowadays, it wasn't too bad.

'So, I wasn't expecting much. It wasn't bad.'

It might even deserve a passing grade.

This surprised even myself, who had reservations about Yuri.

Well-made main story with rich subplots to add interest.

To prevent rapid content consumption, the developers included content such as farming, fishing, exploration, and territory management.

With no serious bugs or balance issues, anyone could be satisfied as long as they didn't have an aversion to the Yuri genre.

In fact, didn't the ending still linger calmly in Lee Hyun-Woo's heart?

'Everything was good.'

The charming heroines were good too. Even the narratives given to NPCs that could be easily overlooked were good. I also liked the events that could be obtained through interactions with them.

'Except for one thing.'

Lee Hyun-Woo shook his head as if he couldn't understand, staring blankly at the screen.

"Wasn't Ariel Volkanov's goal to surpass her brother Ian, who is also the antagonist, and become the head of the family? Why did she suddenly abandon the position of the head of the family and join the Imperial Knights? And what's the reason for not killing Ian, who is practically her enemy?"

The protagonist, Ariel, harbored hatred towards her brother. Ian Volkanov.

To put it mildly, while playing the game, I felt like Ariel hated Ian more than the Empire's archenemy, the Demon God.

Her older brother, Ian Volkanov, who was one year older. He, the owner of a cold-looking appearance, was also a person with a cold personality.

Ignoring the parents who showered Ariel with love, as soon as her father fell ill, he took control of the family.

From that moment, the Volkanov family lost its warmth.

Ian erased all traces of his parents from the family and molded the family to his liking.

'And used his power to push Ariel aside.'

Ian's threat went beyond simple interference. Countless lives were almost lost, and the heroines also suffered, didn't they?

The memory of the destruction of the heroines' families due to Ian's scheming remained in my mind.

It was infuriating even in the position of a player.

So? At least in the ending, shouldn't Ian Volkanov receive punishment, and Ariel, who had longed for the Volkanov family, take over?

"But why? Why would she suddenly give the position of the head to her brother and join the Imperial Knights? Does this make any sense?"

Rather than killing him, she even gave up the position of the head of the family? After handling everything so well until now, what's the reason for this strange ending?

As he was pondering this, a new screen appeared before Lee Hyun-Woo.

[The hidden story 'Ian's Secret' has been unlocked by clearing Ariel Volkanov's route. Would you like to play?]

"Ian's Secret?"

At that moment, as if possessed, Lee Hyun-Woo moved the mouse.

Yeah, there's no way something like this would come out of nowhere.

Surely there was something he didn't know, which led to this absurd ending.

'I have to do this.'

He couldn't just stop here.

It felt like he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't know the secret.

Without hesitation, he moved the cursor and clicked. The monitor began to emit a white light.

"What the f*ck!"

***

Once upon a time, he used to think such thoughts.

Imagining living as a character in the games he played or the novels he read.

Isn't it interesting? Of course, it's an absurd story, but it would be quite exciting if it happened in real life.

What would you do if you were incarnated into a game? Would you find Hidden Pieces that no one else knows about and become the most powerful in the world? Or would you be born as a member of a prestigious household and try to grow the family?

Such trivial fantasies.

And when the monitor started to glow, Lee Hyun-Woo was convinced.

'Damn, am I getting incarnated?'

This is possession. It must be, according to the cliché!

At that moment, Lee Hyun-Woo recalled all the information about Heroic Academy.

If he were to be incarnated into the game, that would be invaluable information, worth even ten million. He had to memorize it thoroughly.

Thinking so, Lee Hyun-Woo closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he would fantasize that this world would unfold before him.

But reality wasn't as easy as he thought.

"Possession my a*s… Backlight phenomenon? Oh, I'm going to make money again."

Looking at the monitor that had turned white, a sigh escaped him involuntarily.

Possession, my a*s. The white light emitted was simply because the monitor was broken.

He was just deluding himself in front of a broken monitor! That's all there was to it.

With a grumble, Lee Hyun-Woo took out a screwdriver from the toolbox and laid the unit on the floor.

"Well, then, does it make sense to possess?"

Reality was harsh. It wasn't as easy as he thought.

With a newfound realization, Lee Hyun-Woo decided to put aside the idea of possession and focus on repairing the computer.

After a quick search, he found there were two options he could take in the current situation.

He could either replace the monitor or shut down the power, boot with integrated graphics, and find out the exact cause.

Of course, calling a professional would be the best option.

But what could possibly go wrong? If it completely broke, he could just buy a new one.

As he was rummaging through the unit, there was a sudden moment.

Crack!

Sizz!

"Huh?"

The cup on the desk fell, and the water it contained spilled directly onto the unit. At the same time, the sparking electricity made Lee Hyun-Woo widen his eyes.

Something was wrong. Even though he didn't know much about computers, he knew this wasn't right.

'This isn't insulated… I need to unplug it right away…'

Although he quickly tried to pull the screwdriver out. Unfortunately, he was a bit too slow.

Sizz!

"Aaargh!"

A strong current struck Lee Hyun-Woo, and he lost consciousness.

***

Ian Volkanov.

The eldest son of the Volkanov family, who had guarded the northern region of the Kallos Empire from ancient times.

Lee Hyun-Woo's perception of him wasn't good.

No, it couldn't be good.

'When you play as Ariel, this guy is the only one who's a real pain. He interferes when you try to conquer dungeons and limits your actions using the family's status.'

He persistently harassed the player.

There was no reason to like Ian Volkanov.

Unless there were hidden facts or a reasonable rationale, such things weren't revealed until the ending.

Thanks to that, Lee Hyun-Woo's feelings towards Ian had reached their worst.

That's why he supported Ariel and the heroines.

It was pleasing to see the protagonist party fighting against injustice.

But in the current situation, he could no longer support them.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Lee Hyun-Woo opened his mouth wide.

'Why. Have I become Ian Volkanov?'

He couldn't close his mouth for a while. What on earth was happening?

"Did I really possess someone? Ian Volkanov?"

He rubbed his face several times, thinking it might be a dream, but nothing changed.

With a height close to 180, black hair, and opaque eyes, he perfectly resembled Ian Volkanov.

He possessed Ian Volkanov.

The meaning of that statement was simple.

'From now on, I am a target for Ariel, the heroines, and countless enemies.'

He was placed in the midst of the enemy's territory.

This wasn't a metaphor. It was perfectly reasonable to say that he was in the midst of the enemy's territory. Since the heroines and Ariel in the game considered Ian Volkanov as their enemy and genuinely tried to kill him.

'I could die…'

At that moment, there was only one thing he had to do.

'I need information. If I hesitate even a little, I'll die helplessly.'

Although it was a sudden possession, the fear of death was enough to bring out cold-headedness.

Turning away from the mirror, Lee Hyun-Woo quickly began to rummage through the room.

And from the empty corner of the desk, he took out an old diary.

"The steward, Viscount Shulkin, who serves the Volkanov family, reported Ian's actions to Ariel."

Through him, Ariel could know what Ian had been up to.

'Ian doesn't do much while at home except for simple meditation or writing in his diary. I only know that he writes every day.

It wasn't a particularly important dialogue. It was something like Shulkin laughing and saying, "Don't worry about it.", when Ariel asked him how the family was doing.

It was just simple interaction.

But at least for now, it wasn't something to gloss over.

In other words, the information that could be obtained by reading this diary was considerable.

There was no reason to hesitate. Lee Hyun-Woo unfolded the diary and began to read each letter.

***

– I might have been better off not being born at all. –

Ian Volkanov, the eldest son of the ancient Volkanov Count family, which had guarded the northern region of the Kallos Empire from ancient times.

People called him the 'Invisible Man'.

And that was literal.

No one treated him kindly, and he had never received love from his parents.

Was he untalented? That wasn't the case either.

From the moment of birth, one was born with the Dark Attribute, one of the five attributes that are said to be difficult to possess.

At the age of six, he realized the existence of mana alone, and around the age of twelve, he began to handle mana proficiently.

At the age of fifteen, he honed his skills by hunting monsters alone, and since entering the academy, he had never missed being the top student.

So was he irredeemable?

That wasn't the case either. If he had been reckless, his nickname wouldn't have been the 'Invisible Man', but the 'Exile'.

He was just a child who was not loved.

Killain Volkanov's wife, Leticia Volkanov, fiercely hated her son, Ian, whom she had when she was in her early 20s.

Although she still had many things she wanted to do with her husband, the sudden appearance of Ian stopped everything.

She wasn't mentally prepared for the sudden arrival of a child.

Her husband's frequent absences from the house to hunt down the last of the demons, and her depression and PTSD from the battle with the demons, had already left her mind tattered.

Her pain gradually turned into anger towards Ian, and she eventually vented her frustrations on her own child.

Then, a year later, during a lull in the demon attacks, she had a daughter, and she took better care of and cherished her daughter.

'My Lady! Young Master Ian is a genius! Awakening mana on his own at the age of 6 is something no one in the empire's history has ever done. I sincerely congratulate you.'

'In that case, there's no need to teach him further. Stop the tutoring planned for Ian and instruct Ariel instead.'

Instead of providing support to her son, a prodigy who was suffering, she cut off assistance and blocked his path forward.

'Mother, I received a perfect score on today's exam. And since it's soon our family day, I wanted to give you a gift, so I made jewelry with magic stones.'

'If you're my child with Killain, aren't good grades expected? Do you want praise? Instead of making such things, you should focus on training!'

'Mom! I got 70 points on the exam today! I did well, right?'

'Really? Our Ariel is truly remarkable, isn't she? As expected of our daughter!'

The son who achieved excellent grades received a lukewarm response and did something he shouldn't have dared.

Ian's suffering didn't end there.

Even during meals, Leticia insisted on seafood that suited her daughter's taste. Unfortunately, the seafood her daughter liked were the ones Ian couldn't eat.

In his childhood, Ian suffered from rashes, stomach aches, and chills, and the family members insulted him, calling him a cursed child.

Once, Ian got burned when Ariel accidentally spilled soup while eating.

'You should have stopped her before she spilled! Ariel! Are you hurt anywhere? We need to call the priests quickly.'

Of course, Ian was scolded at that time as well.

When a large burn scar appeared on his leg, Ian started to speak less.

Unless it was truly necessary, he didn't ask for anything, and from the age of 13, he didn't speak to anyone in the family.

Naturally, family relations deteriorated.

Every time Killain returned from his conquests, he scolded Ian, asking why he behaved that way to his mother, and Ariel taunted him behind his back, asking why he treated his parents that way.

In the end, unable to bear it anymore, his parents left him alone, citing it as punishment. He became invisible in the family.

Externally, he was treated as the eldest son, but within the family, he was thoroughly ignored.

This fact shocked Lee Hyun-Woo.

"W-What is this…"

Confirming Ian's secret, Lee Hyun-Woo widened his eyes.

'I suspected there was a problem between Ian and Ariel.'

But isn't this one-sided? Ian is the one who's been enduring.

Lee Hyun-Woo knew well how Ariel viewed Ian.

'Trash who coldly treats loving parents and ruins the atmosphere of the house, blocking the path of a hero.'

But what was the reality? It was the opposite.

When Ariel received tutoring from a renowned professor, Ian had to train alone.

When Ariel trained with good equipment, he had to train with a crude sword he made from wood.

While she enjoyed warm meals, Ian had to go to the mountains to hunt for bugs or animals to fill his stomach.

Ariel considered her older brother the worst person without even knowing it.

Although his hands trembled with considerable shock, Lee Hyun-Woo endured and reached for the diary again.

[Imperial Year 234, September 4th]

Ariel's Holy Sword Elysion issued a prophecy regarding the Hero Party.

Astelgia, the land ruled by demons, where neither humans nor non-magic beings could draw out even half of their original strength due to the influence of Demon God.

If blessed by the Holy Sword, they could overcome this constraint… but only those individuals who fit the prophecy of the Holy Sword were eligible for such a blessing.

The party consisted of a total of five members, including Ariel.

This had caused quite a stir in the royal court.

Even in the Academy, there was an ominous atmosphere.

Information about three of them was as follows:

A Heretic of the Great Forest, a Saint of the Holy Church, and a Ruler of the Wilderness.

Up to this point, there was no problem. They were already within the categories predicted by the royal informants, and they were potential candidates.

The problem lay with the last member.

The one who had been watching over Ariel since her childhood.

The imperial family has judged me to be the one. Ariel argued that it was not me, that the Holy Sword's chosen one deserved to die.

The will of the imperial family could not be broken.

[Imperial Year 234, October 5th]

The new party members were exceptional.

With them, capturing the Demon God would be much easier.

Ariel, who I had been worried about, was also fitting into the party well.

It seemed she had expected me to cause chaos in the party by joining, but as she didn't see any unusual behavior from me, she seemed to be gradually relaxing her mind.

Seeing her smile, my heart ached.

Soon, I would have to do what needed to be done… I couldn't bear to face her.

He continued to check the information, but the latter parts were too damaged to read properly.

What he could make out was only the last page. Even that had several damaged sections, but Lee Hyun-Woo took a deep breath and returned his gaze to the diary.

[Imperial Year 235, February 15th]

Fortunately, just before the decisive battle with the Demon King of Sloth, I succeeded in banishing Ariel and disbanding the party.

There was a strong backlash from our colleagues because it couldn't be done, but it was unavoidable.

They told me to tell them the truth I had been hiding even now and that they would help me if I needed it, but… I refused.

If Ariel were to learn the truth, the emotional wounds she would suffer would be immeasurable…

[Imperial Year 235, February 16th]

The party members returned to their respective homelands. After gaining strength in their hometowns, they could be a great help to Ariel's future party.

I heard Ariel returned to the family in anger. But it's okay.

We could avoid a full-scale confrontation with the Demon King of Sloth.

The risk was too great to fight the Demon King of Sloth, who was on the same brute force level as the Demon God.

There was only one way to cross his territory without all-out war.

Offering someone else's ## as compensation.

The reason for expelling Ariel was also because of that.

The Holy Sword Elysion, which only she could wield, was the only way to defeat the Demon God. So, I had to protect her at all costs.

That's why I decided to ^&.

I thought I could take responsibility for everything.

Ariel, who didn't know the truth, wouldn't be saddened.

But then a problem arose.

The Demon King of Sloth proposed a new contract, different from what I knew.

He proposed something different instead of ##.

As a result, things went differently than expected. But it didn't matter. My plan to protect Ariel remained unchanged.

^& is what I must do.

It's not for our family. It's for the Kallos Empire.

That was the end of the diary. Lee Hyun-Woo carefully placed the diary down and shifted his gaze to the calendar.

"Looking at the calendar… today's date is February 20th."

Summing up, four days ago, Ian and the party were on the verge of a decisive battle with the Demon King of Sloth, he expelled Ariel from the party, and then disbanded the party.

The reason was unknown. Why Ian made such a sudden move? Nothing could be understood.

There were only two things Lee Hyun-Woo knew.

'Now I'm Ian Volkanov.'

He possessed him in this damned situation.

And.

[Hidden Story "Ian's Secret"]

[Quest has been triggered.]

[Defeat the Demon God and find out the secret Ian was hiding!]

[Success: Happy Ending / Failure: Eternal Death]

He had to survive somehow.

[Ian Volkanov's emotions and experiences will be assimilated.]

At the same time, Lee Hyun-Woo felt a surge of memories crashing like waves. It must be the fusion with Ian Volkanov's memories.

When he finally lifted his lowered head, he could perceive reality.

And he knew what to do.

"Let's give it a try."

First and foremost, he had to survive.

Ian Volkanov

To read all 300 fully translated chapters and the first 25 chapters for free, visit patreon (p(A)treon.com/Astrid02)