Chapter – 08
Successfully Entering the World of Uncertainty
“Urgh!”
I fired a blue, bullet-like mana shot straight into the man’s chest. Then I sent another one right into his forehead.
The rank was low, so the power was weak, but if it hit properly, it was enough to knock a person out.
If this were the old me, I would’ve been too scared to step in.
The middle-aged man in hiking clothes—who looked like he’d be back in jail soon enough—got hit in the forehead, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed backwards.
Thud—
Thankfully, he didn’t fall on the gasoline. He didn’t hit the table edges either. If he had, he’d probably demand compensation for injury.
Not that it mattered. I’d just pay it myself if needed.
Still…
Drinking in the morning and getting knocked out by an F-rank attack? Seriously?
I didn’t know all of his circumstances, but seeing him sprawled out like that in someone else’s café was pathetic.
Just imagining the tantrum he’d throw when he woke up made me nauseous.
Lying there like that, he was no different from the worst customers I had dealt with as a part-timer—except this one had a prison record.
Well, the urgent part is dealt with.
Even if I had a high chance of surviving a blaze alone, I wanted to avoid troublesome incidents as much as possible.
“You saw that, boss?”
I turned to the owner.
“I just saved a café that could’ve burned down!”
The owner looked at me with a suspicious, dissatisfied expression.
“You two aren’t pulling a scam together, are you?”
“Why would I?”
“That guy’s a C-rank hunter, you know.”
“Alcohol makes people stupid. You know how it is.”
The owner sighed and pulled out their phone.
“These types always cause trouble from the crack of dawn. Could’ve solved this quietly with words… If you’ve got nothing to do, wipe the gasoline off the flo—”
At that moment—
A gust of wind blew through the open window, and flames erupted.
Fire stretched its claws across the cozy table by the window. The blowing curtains and flames tangled and swept rapidly into the café interior.
The owner and I froze, eyes wide.
Was it the mana shot? That can’t be it.
My mana shots don’t ignite things easily.
Every awakened person’s mana has an attribute. Mine is cold—closer to ice—so it doesn’t spread flames. There was no way my mana shot caused this fire.
And the shots were only F-rank! F!
I spent more time being an office worker than a hunter, so that’s where I ended up. Why did this become a fire? Just because I hit him in the forehead and chest with weak, toy-gun-level mana shots?
Damn that stupid Greek-myth-style prophecy!
The man who claimed he’d been scammed had somehow managed to splash gasoline all over the café in that short time.
Luckily, it was mostly around the window and nearby tables, but unbelievably, that lunatic even poured gasoline on the large monstera plant by the entrance.
The large, lush leaves blackened and shriveled instantly.
Seeing the monstera burning sent my mind blank.
A peaceful morning shattered faster than expected.
While I was too shocked to speak, the owner hurried around, gathering things and thrusting them into my arms.
“Hold this.”
“What?!”
Where did this grandma, who always complained about knee pain, get such strength?
The cat carrier was heavier than I expected.
She carried a shopping bag full of documents and even a small safe under her arms—she looked stronger than me.
I glanced down. Through the small gaps in the carrier, I saw the unmoving black fur of the cat curled tightly inside.
Watching the flames spreading quickly, my emotions, hollow a moment ago, now surged with a fiery thump in my chest.
Anxiety hit my lungs quicker than the smoke. To snap myself out of panic, I shouted:
“See? I told you! The place really caught fire!”
The emptiness was expected. The laughter rising with it was not.
“Hahaha! Wow, I must be insane!”
It was my first time being this close to a real fire.
The destructive red glow—it looked just like the blazing scene I’d seen in the prophecy.
Crash—!
A loud clatter came from the window where the fire began.
A heavy, dark blanket flung across the burning area, blocking my view.
As it smothered the flames, thick smoke filled the air.
Steam hissed as water evaporated, followed by a stranger’s shout:
“Owner! Are you in there?!”
I had positioned myself to shield the elderly owner and the cat, my back toward the flames. My hands weren’t free.
My passive skill, Divine Halo, only protected me.
Meaning… the man who poured gasoline was not protected.
Because of the smoke, I couldn’t even check whether he was still breathing.
“…Meow.”
“Ack!”
A sound from the carrier startled me—it took half a beat for me to register it as the cat crying.
That pitiful sound brought me back to my senses.
I shouted toward the stranger:
“H-Here! cough There’s people here! The owner’s here! The cat’s here too—cough—and the ex-convict guy too—!”
“Hold on—!”
There seemed to be a crowd outside. I heard chaos through the window.
Through the hazy smoke, I spotted a young man hovering outside the east-facing window.
“Yes! The owner’s okay! Dad, you can come up now!”
He was awakened. And of not-low rank. Anyone who could fly and summon water bare-handed wasn’t weak.
Tall, built like an athlete, he stepped onto the window frame. Someone tossed another fire blanket to him—but he mis-caught it and almost toppled forward like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Hey! Mr. Chilsu! You almost broke my back!”
You’re fine, so it’s fine! A playful voice yelled back.
Even through the smoke, I could see the young man’s flushed face as he looked inside toward us.
“Hm. There’s someone I haven’t seen before. Owner, are you okay?”
“I almost got a nice warm escort to the afterlife.”
“Why would you say it like that?”
The young man brushed back his wet light-brown hair, then reached a hand to me.
“Are you okay? How did the fire start?”
Instead of answering, I stared at him blankly. Even in a crisis, my eyes could still recognize a handsome face.
“So handsome…”
“Sorry?”
“No—just spacing out. I have no idea how the fire started.”
“Ah.”
He nodded and shook his hand slightly, urging me to grab it.
I hesitated, being shy with strangers—but he kept offering insistently, so I took it.
His hand was wet. Actually, his whole body was dripping. He lifted me up easily and said:
“You really don’t know? Isn’t it that monstera? Oh—whoa. Is that the ex-convict guy?”
A hand peeked out from under the thick fire blanket.
The young man lifted it, revealing the man I had knocked out.
Still unconscious.
“Check if he’s alive. You didn’t kill him twice, did you?”
“Oh come on, boss. You handle this one.”
People started rushing in through the café entrance—neighboring shop owners and even a private rescue team.
Oddly, they all acted like they knew the owner well.
“Oh no, boss! You okay?! What on earth happened?!”
“Is that a customer? And who’s the guy on the floor?!”
“Whoever has the fire extinguisher—check for remaining flames!”
The handsome young man herded me outside almost without me realizing it.
Outside, I looked up toward the second-floor café window. It was slightly charred and one pane was broken—but overall, it looked surprisingly fine.
The prophecy showed something different.
In the prophetic vision, the old building was engulfed in flames from the second floor.
Did I change the future?
Successfully Entered the ‘World of Uncertainty (F)’!
Title Earned: The First Great Footstep
Contractor Kim Eun-Sol is now ready to ride the flow of fate along with the one and only SSS-rank Prophecy of this worldline.
A brilliant notification popped up, as if to answer my thoughts.
Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ wipes away tears and praises itself.
Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ plays the lyre, delighted that it has grown closer to “my love.”
Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ ???????????.
⚠ Warning!
Affinity too low — some messages hidden.
The constellation grants contractor Kim Eun-Sol the title:
Charm From Unexpected Places
Affinity with ‘Prophet of the Sun’ increased (+12%)
Affinity milestone reached — partial communication restrictions have been lifted!
Why is the affinity rising this fast?
Either this constellation is an easy scam target and someone has always babysat them from being scammed too hard… or they’re just blinded by love.
With a soaked towel over my head, I headed to the dark, closed chicken restaurant on the first floor next to the café.
The light-brown-haired young man told me to sit anywhere and disappeared briefly.
I sat in the back, dazed, reading the notifications.
The explanation was simple:
I had altered the future.
Direct Confrontation (A-Rank) Achieved
Title Earned: One Who Set Foot on the Frozen River of Fate
Status ailments reduced by a certain amount.
When Anxiety, Madness, or Fear debuffs occur, A-rank resistance activates.
Isn’t prophecy supposed to come true no matter what path it takes?
It seemed the censored part of the constellation’s earlier reaction held the key—but I couldn’t see it due to low affinity.
Anyway, various A-rank resistance stats had gone up.
“All this just for changing a B-rank future? Isn’t that excessive?”
Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ says altering the content of a prophecy is extremely difficult—and the higher its rank, the closer to impossible it becomes.
Constellation ‘Prophet of the Sun’ says contractor Kim Eun-Sol has undergone repeated reincarnations, accumulating twisted, unresolved karmic ties far beyond the norm—and that is why it was possible.
…And now it tells me?!
