03 Resolve.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, let's think things through, all of this is probably just a coincidence. Yeah, that's gonna be it!".

Jin wiped the sweat that streamed down his forehead and took the cup before him, with a clattering sound echoing as he sipped the cold tea. He carefully put the cup back and exhaled to wash away the weight that suddenly got pushed to him.

The thought of him becoming a Villain inside a story without knowing how he became one or how he will end is nothing but a series of executions. His second life, which should be filled with happy and joyous memories ahead of him, must crumble at the age of five.

"Well, let's forget about this dangerous thought. It is not good to still linger myself into the long gone past. It's practically bad for my heart, so…!?".

[The Apostle of 'All-Father' has Awoken]

[Opening the Quest system!]

[World Quest Opened!]

[Would you like to see the content?]

[Yes or No?]

"Huh!?".

A translucent blue panel appeared in front of his retina. Jin sat there, petrified at the appearance of something familiar yet not at all in his two lives. Unconsciously, Jin reached out, but when his finger almost touched the panel, he passed through without any resistance.

After a few seconds of staring at the panel, Jin's thoughts raced before he gulped his saliva. "...Yes!"

#####

[World Quest: Prevent the Tragedy]

Quest progress: 0%

Reward: ???

Penalty: Death

Description: Prevent the demise of Jin's Midnight loved one that will turn him into an Avenger.

#####

"Oh, my god!".

Jin slapped his face, seeing the description of the Quest hovering before him. He is nothing but filled with utter despair. At first, after discovering his identity, Jin hoped that all of his theories were nothing but a coincidence and that he could brush them off as wild theories he had come up with at the spur of the moment. 

However, all of his attempts to run away from his own mind got all his exit blocked by the existence in front of him. Jin leaned back; all the strength left his body, and only the lingering fear kept his mind intact, which was the one that kept him sober about the situation he was in.

The translucent blue panel in front of him, he couldn't see it but nothing but a death message. Jin is gazing down, and his vision starts to turn blurry. He closed his eyes, trying to prevent it from streaming down his cheeks. 

Jin could feel his fingertips shivering from the cold; his thumping heart kept him aware of the reality that slowly chipped his consciousness away. He inhaled a deep breath until his chest bloated before releasing it at once.

His eyes opened and hovered into the panel in front of him to the word, 'Reward'. 

"Reward, huh!?".

As soon as he uttered those words, an additional small panel showed him.

#####

[Displaying the Reward]

Description: ?????

#####

"So, nothing for now or with my current understanding, I couldn't access it".

Jin closed his eyes and began to organize his scattering thoughts: the finding of his own identity, the quest panel, and, most importantly, who is the one giving him this or reincarnating him into this world?

There is no one to answer, and the fact that he does not know about the whole picture of the story puts him at a great disadvantage. But, despite the disadvantage he had, one thing is certain. Jin hurriedly tore a piece of paper and took the pen filled with ink. 

Jin began to write the name of a known character based on what his friend had spoiled. The protagonists, the Heroines, the Villains from the Evil God faction, some events that he could remember, and last but not least. 

There is also a fact that Jin was inside a world where the story had been predetermined and flowed the way it should have been, but that never entered his consideration. 'To hell with the story, I don't care if my actions change the course of the whole story. I am probably hindering the growth of the main characters, so what? The moment they put irregularities within the board, all of it already crumbles anyway'. Jin wrote everything he knew while grumbling about the consequences he brought. 

'That is why, for me to survive, what I need right now is 'To Become the Strong'. Strong enough that I wouldn't budge in any situation. Strong enough to withstand everything that comes my way and Strong enough to protect my loved ones!'.

This may be the first time a person named Jin, in his two lives, had become so serious in facing his own life. The situation he was in was so dire without anyone coming to help, only a piece of panel that told him a glimpse of how he would become if he failed to prevent it.

As he finished writing, he spread it before his eyes and read it repeatedly as if trying to carve it into his brain so that he would not forget it. 

Jin stood facing the paper for a long time until someone knocked on the door, alerting him to crumple the paper and hide it in his pocket quickly.

"Young master, have you finished with your study?".

A melodic and soothing voice comes from behind the door. The voice belongs to Jin's personal maid, well, technically, his mother's personal maid. But because of their friendship, his mother has allowed the maid to become his caretaker since he was a baby. 

"Yes, I am just chilling and reading right now. You can come in". 

"Excuse me!".

With a click, the door opened, and the figure of his mother's personal maid appeared; her name was Irena. Despite being in her mid-thirties, she is a beautiful yet cute woman for her baby-face appearance. Her height is 156 cm tall, with enormous assets from her breast and hips that stand out. 

She is wearing a Victorian-style maid dress, a proper and prim outfit that leaves no gaps in some places. As she got closer, her long, wavy, light brown hair bounced, and her droopy, large brown eyes gave her an image of a caring nature. She bowed her torso as she greets 

"I came because I am worried about your well-being who didn't come out until this late".

"Ah, I see. So, it's time for dinner, I guess".

"Not quite; you still have some time. Why don't you wash yourself first before going to the dining room?".

"Okay, I will do that. Can you please clean the place for me?".

"Yes, gladly".

"Thank you, Irena. I will be going".

Jin hopped off from the chair and walked away from the place. The matter about his resolve, he crumples the paper he shoved inside the pocket. There is no need to be hasty, thinking about the future he can't grasp. What he needs right now is to make steady progress from zero starting tomorrow. 

Once he was outside the room, inside the corridor that stretches on both sides, his attention was drawn to the blazing orange colour that filtered through the windows, casting a soft shadow that painted the world calmly. 

Under the shades of ethereal dawn, Jin proclaimed his vow to himself, 'I will become the Strongest!'.

*****

Later that night, as dinner with family closes its curtain, Jin and his parents sit at a dining table, sharing about the personal event of the day the three have spent. From the right in the head seat, a black-haired handsome man wearing casual clothes shares his day's story. 

His name is Ryan Midnight Jin's father, the head of the Viscount Midnight. As usual, the things he discussed with the other two were none other than Jobs, and sometimes, he would reminisce about his adventuring day. 

"...And also".

"That's enough, Dear. You only talk about work whenever you have time to catch a break. You should relax for a bit, jeez!".

The woman with straight, blazing red hair was Jin's mother. Her name is Marina Midnight. She wore a dress the same as her hair, and she was the most beautiful Woman Jin had ever seen in his two lives. Marina had a slender figure but was a little taller, at 160 cm. 

"Right, sorry, my bad".

"Ufufu, you are really a troublesome man, but I like that part of you".

"Honey".

Jin sometimes had a headache dealing with his two lovey-dovey parents. Even though the twoo have already three kids, their closeness is still in the newlywed phase. Even right now, the two can casually exchange some embarrassing remarks in front of their own son, which cringe at the pink atmosphere. 

To break this sweet atmosphere, Jin begins to rack his brain, trying to find another topic to distract his parents, who are getting closer with passionate love in each other's eyes. 

"Oh, right, Mother. You are a Wizard, right?".

"Hmm, yeah. What is the matter, sweetheart?".

Marina cutely tilted her head to look at Jin. Every gesture she made, and her beauty were enough to topple every male instinct to jump on her. But that had no effect on Jin because she was her mother. So, he calmly arranged his words, trying to ask her to teach him magic.

"Can you teach me how to become one?".

The atmosphere in the room turned quiet. Ryan stared intently at his son, and Marina's eyes shot wide open. 

Jin heard from the two of them stories that both of his parents were ex-adventurers who gained success along with it before ascending to nobility. Becoming a nobility from an Adventuring was not an easy feat to achieve. There must have been a turning point for both of them to be promoted and achieve success. 

However, no matter what it is, both of them are never willing to share the story. So, Jin reluctantly gave up on asking. 'Wait, becoming an Adventure is one way for me to become strong'. Initially, Jin never considered it to become one because of how dangerous the whole thing is. But, after knowing his future. Jin had no other choice but to reconsider his career path.

Marina sighed, then stared at his son dead in the eyes. Jin gulped, waiting for the answer from his mother. 

"...I'm sorry, I can't".