S-Rank is My Side Character (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2

“In the name of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit, our Lord who lives and reigns forevermore…”

Inside the quiet cathedral where the priest’s opening prayer was underway, the blond young man seated in the front row carefully shifted in his seat.

His aunt, who was praying beside him, whispered without turning her head.

“Lee Hyeon?”

In the hushed cathedral, not wishing to cause a disturbance, the young man murmured awkwardly to his aunt.

“It’s… a Hunter… urgent message popped up, Aunt.”

“I know that too. But your shift ended today, didn’t it? Your partner already went off duty. Are you really going alone?”

“Well, no, but… it’s nearby.”

“It’s past 10 p.m. It’s already Rude’s active hours—do you really need to go?”

“I have to. I’m a Hunter…”

His aunt glanced at him for a long moment, then closed her eyes again and refocused on the priest’s prayer. She whispered once more.

“Don’t expect any overtime pay, understand? And if your grandfather finds out, you won’t hear anything pleasant. If you didn’t want to come to evening Mass, you should’ve just said so.”

“…It’s not like that, Aunt. I’ll be back soon. See you tomorrow.”

The young man gave an embarrassed smile, whispered again, and quietly exited the cathedral. As he opened the chapel door, the night sky greeted him.

Kang I Hyeon—ranked second nationally and beloved by all—picked up his phone and checked the map app. Fortunately, it was nearby. A golden indirect message appeared before him.

[The Constellation, Staff of Purification pats you, saying it has finally emerged.]

‘Father, you were trembling so badly.’

[The Constellation, Staff of Purification shakes its head, saying no clergy can preach freely when it’s watching.]

Indeed, that seemed true. Kang I Hyeon chuckled softly, thinking it was perhaps a form of consideration, and walked while checking his map app.

[The Constellation, Staff of Purification shrugs, saying now might finally be the chance to meet him.]

…Exactly. Kang I Hyeon halted abruptly upon reading the golden indirect message.

’10 p.m., a sudden Level 4 Gate, and right here nearby…’

It was just as his Constellation had said. It was real. If he hurried, he might actually meet that “Rude.” Kang I Hyeon’s pace quickened.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Is this really Level 4? Seriously… at least acknowledge the system’s sloppiness.”

Na Ri… no, now Rude, frowned slightly.

In web novels, the system always seemed incredibly precise and omnipotent. But in reality, it wasn’t like that at all.

Full of bugs, with unaffected zones existing and rank updates lagging behind. Of course, Na Ri could exploit that sloppiness to thrive through power-leveling…

Anyway, the place where he hovered was a stage-type Gate. A wide meadow marked Stage 1—the Gate’s entry point—followed by Stage 2, a dark forest, and Stage 3, where a black castle stood.

And the presence of a castle meant the boss monster was sentient.

The moment a sentient being existed within the field, the difficulty of clearing it rose to at least Grade 3. Thus, though labeled Level 4, this Gate felt dangerously borderline.

[The Ruler of Chaos rolls up his sleeves, saying our Na Ri will need to exert just a bit more effort this time.]

“I feel like the difficulty of sudden Gates keeps increasing…”

[The Ruler of Chaos munches popcorn, asking if our Na Ri is becoming a hero now.]

‘No way. Absolutely not. I’ll only do what I’m capable of.’

Though ranked first by metrics—unmatched by anyone—the power he could exert through his alt character was inevitably limited.

Moreover, due to his “Extreme Social Anxiety” status ailment and other conditions, outside his alt form he suffered a string of debilitating debuffs.

[The Ruler of Chaos shrugs, saying your status ailment stems from trauma, so even healers can’t fix it.]

‘Well, in today’s world, which Hunter doesn’t have at least one status ailment?’

The world was harsh. And most modern Hunters’ status ailments originated not from “others,” but from “themselves.”

Because, contrary to their glittering appearances, Hunters rapidly wore down both body and mind.

Because of this condition, acting as “Na Ri” came with major restrictions, and she had no desire to operate under Shin Bit Na Ri’s name anyway.

As “Rude,” he could solo only up to Grade 3 Gates. Still, Na Ri absolutely refused to team up with other Hunters.

Thus, Na Ri decided to limit herself to what her alt persona could handle.

Rule number one: whenever a Gate above Grade 2 opened, immediately pack up with the section chief and flee overseas into hiding. Whether or not Korea collapsed was none of her concern—that was her stance.

“Anyway, I should probably get started now.”

Rude, who had been hovering in midair, lowered his altitude and descended toward the ground. His expressionless face shifted into a playful smile. He landed lightly at the Gate’s starting field where survivors had gathered.

About ten survivors had been caught in the Stage 1 Gate. There must be even more inside. Rude’s gaze swept over the survivors once.

“Hic… hic… we’re all going to die now…”

Na Ri’s eyes turned toward the man sobbing nearby.

‘He’s quite handsome, in a tragic way. You pass.’

Na Ri gently took the man’s hand.

“Now, don’t cry, young master. I’ve come to rescue you. Don’t worry—this Gate will be over in twenty minutes.”

“Y-yes…? W-wait, could you possibly be…”

The cheeks of the man whose hand Rude held instantly flushed red. The bystanders’ eyes slowly widened.

“Ru… Rude!”

“Rude is here! Rude… we’re all saved now! Hooray!”

Adoring cheers for Rude rose from the crowd. In response, Rude pulled out a Golden Half Scissors from his inventory and dramatically swung it with both hands.

“Everyone, don’t worry! Your hero—Rude—has arrived!”

[The Ruler of Chaos laughs, saying you really go all out with character immersion.]

Of course—it’s noisy, but when operating an alt, you’ve got to do it properly. Suppressing his inner irritation, Rude performed a playful gesture and activated his skill.

[Avatar-Exclusive Trait: Fragment of the Primordial Dream] [Using the power of Constellation ◼◼◼◼.] [Borrowing the King Father’s skill.] [Borrowing the Herald’s skill.] [King Father ◼◼◼◼ Exclusive Skill: I exist everywhere. I exist here.] [Herald ◼◼◼◼ Exclusive Skill: Chaos always arises from the human unconscious.]

As he cast mental domination, the terrified survivors’ minds quickly calmed. Their expressions transformed as if they were strolling through a lovely forest rather than trapped in a life-threatening Gate.

Chhhhhhhk! Confirming everyone was under mental control, Rude summoned a grid-patterned prison from the air, separating the survivors from the field. Instantly, the survivors’ location became a shelter.

This wasn’t illusion—it was reality manipulation. Now, the survivors were temporarily isolated from the field and would not be detected by monsters.

Most Hunters believed all of Rude’s skills were illusions, but in truth, he blended multiple techniques.

“Ru… Rude-sama…! Thank you, thank you so much…!”

“Don’t mention it. While enjoying sweet illusions, forget the horrors you witnessed today. Everything will be alright now.”

[The Ruler of Chaos chuckles, saying they’d love it even more if you threw in a wink.]

Though the survivors squealed with delight, Rude didn’t entirely dislike it. Once assured they were safe, Rude immediately turned expressionless and walked deeper into the field.

A vast black forest spread out before him.

He’d need to pass through this forest to reach the castle, where the boss monster surely awaited…

‘How annoying… should I just wipe everything out?’

[What about the survivors inside? asks the Ruler of Chaos, looking at you.]

‘Ugh… seriously tired of rescue ops… what harm is there in just dropping everyone back at the start point?’

Na Ri’s contracted Constellation was the purest evil in the world. Thus, ordinary people witnessing Na Ri’s skills directly suffered far worse mental and physical damage than from typical evil-aligned abilities.

That explained why Rude always bothered to apply psychological domination—he chose the method causing the least harm.

Naturally, monsters swarmed within the forest, and so did survivors. How should he handle this…

‘Do I really have to grind through manually? Or ignore everyone’s mental state and just obliterate everything? But that’d weigh on my conscience a bit…’

Rude stood with arms crossed, deep in thought, then opened his eyes.

“Decision made.”

[Oh? What’ll you do? asks the Ruler of Chaos, blinking.]

“Since they’ll either collapse mentally if I take too long, or I drag them out fast with effort—it’s about the same. I’ll just wipe everything out.”

It was a remarkably clear choice. If both options inflicted mental damage anyway, preserving their physical bodies intact was the better outcome.

Moreover, sentient monsters undoubtedly swarmed that blackened Cinderella-like castle looming beyond the dark forest. Delaying clearance would be dangerous.

An ordinary guild would require a week just to clear the forest; even elite squads from the Big Four Guilds would need three to five days. Fortunately, the only Hunter currently inside this Gate was Rude.

Rude lifted the Golden Half Scissors. Black mist poured from his body—his formidable mental energy as a top-tier Illusionist. The mist seeped into the black forest, guided by Rude’s will.

Every Illusionist performs a specific action when using skills—called a “Signal.”

The first step in learning Illusion was choosing a Signal, because Illusion involved overlaying one’s thoughts onto reality via mental energy, making the Signal essential.

Especially for powerful Illusionists, conveying thoughts through Illusion felt more natural than speaking aloud.

Without a designated Signal, strong Illusionists might lose awareness of how far their illusions had progressed, unintentionally distorting their surroundings endlessly according to unconscious desires—the stronger the mental energy, the worse this became.

Thus, setting a Signal was mandatory for powerful Illusionists. For Rude, it was swinging the Half Scissors.

Rude swung the Half Scissors downward.

[Trait: ‘Natural Lucid Dreamer’ activated!]

Rude’s epithet, “Black Illusionist”—this skill contributed greatly to earning that title.

Black mental energy flooded the forest. Rude relaxed his body momentarily—relaxation was necessary to enter the dream state.

[Entering the transitional phase. Please relax your body.]

Tada-da-da-dak! Upon reaching the dream’s transitional phase, countless black camera lenses filled the sky. Still with eyes closed, Rude took a deep breath and sank deeper.

[Exiting the transitional phase. Entering the dream.]

Rude soon opened his eyes and looked at his hand. Seeing his clean wrist, he clenched his fist once.

“Reality check—complete.”

From now on, this space belonged to his dream, under his control. He swung the Golden Half Scissors again.

Kwaaaaaang! Like ocean waves, the black forest surged upward once, then settled. Monster screams echoed endlessly.

Simultaneously, survivors rose from the forest, floating gently skyward—everyone unconscious due to Rude’s skill.

[The Ruler of Chaos spams ‘like’ buttons, saying that was a refreshingly clean sweep.]

‘Don’t spam it.’

[The Ruler of Chaos grumbles, saying odd-numbered spam is fine.]

Rude flicked his fingers. Monster loot flowed directly into his inventory—a convenient skill that automatically looted items from low-tier monsters.

“Now only that blackened Cinderella castle remains.”

[There are probably survivors there too, says the Ruler of Chaos, crossing legs.]

“I know. But we can’t help it. Let’s push a bit harder and finish quickly.”

Then hurry home to enjoy beer with my bento! Determined, Rude raised his hand and gathered mental energy. Energy pooled into the Half Scissors. As he invoked his Signal, black mental energy spread across the air.