How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

I have never been seriously threatened by anyone in my life.

This includes both my past and current lives.

Perhaps due to deeply ingrained beliefs from my past life, I also seem to have a lack of awareness about safety—a characteristic often attributed to Koreans.

Above all, the fact that my daily life didn’t change much even after revealing my identity made me optimistic.

I thought, “Tomorrow will pass like any other day. What will I be doing two days from now? Maybe I’ll start answering people’s questions since I’m getting used to the attention.”

Of course, I am fully aware of my popularity.

The emotions tied to that popularity are mostly positive, such as admiration, respect, and esteem.

Occasionally, very rarely, there were feelings of jealousy or other negative emotions, but none of them ever caused me any harm.

I understand that people have different thoughts and feelings.

However, ‘murderous intent’ is different.

It isn’t a positive or negative emotion.

It is a force that can be unleashed through calculation rather than feelings.

Currently, there is a high probability that a demon worshipper harbors such intent against me.

Given the relentless extermination they faced after the Xenon Chronicles, it’s likely they are hiding while bearing a grudge.

Even the cardinal, Bark, one of their leaders, was defeated by Kate, so it’s obvious I would be their top assassination target.

Yet, I complacently went about my usual daily routine.

While I trusted my escorts, I admit my complacency was largely due to a mindset of “It couldn’t possibly happen to me.”

Not only Adelia and Kate but also the academy guards and even Reaper, including Gartz, were watching over me from afar.

Despite this level of security, my lack of concern about safety was undeniable, and my complacency didn’t change.

What I didn’t expect was that this would come back to haunt me as a boomerang so quickly.

Whizz!

The sharp sound of something cutting through the air struck my ears.

I was so distracted by the person collapsing from a heart attack that I noticed it too late.

Could it be an arrow?

But there was no time to react before the result unfolded.

Thud!

“Argh!”

The sound of a projectile striking forcefully and someone screaming in pain pierced my ears.

It wasn’t me, nor Adelia, who was next to me.

Nor was it Kate, who was tending to the fallen patient.

The sound came from directly behind us, not far away.

‘No way…’

I quickly turned my head, my mind spinning with complex thoughts. I feared that the projectile intended for me might have hit someone else.

It didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t the case.

At the same time, I also understood that the projectile wasn’t aimed at me.

And the reason became clear soon enough…

“Grrrk…!”

A pained groan echoed from what seemed to be empty space.

There, in midair, was an arrow lodged in nothingness, with red blood dripping onto the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the air itself seemed to warp faintly, distinct from the seamless blending of a dark elf.

It was high-level magic, an invisibility spell specialized for infiltration and assassination.

While learning it was relatively easy, maintaining it for an extended period was the real challenge.

Someone had used that magic to follow us unnoticed.

“Isaac!”

Unlike me, who was still grasping the situation, Adelia acted immediately.

Though unarmed, she had served as an instructor for the martial arts department alongside Nicole.

Combined with her rigorous training under her father, subduing an assassin who failed in their ambush was no challenge for her.

Even if the invisibility prevented precise detection, it no longer mattered.

The assassin’s invisibility began to fade gradually due to the arrow they had been struck with.

Like ink diffusing in clear water, the figure of the assailant slowly emerged.

Thwack!

In the meantime, Adelia delivered a swift kick to their legs.

The assassin, already reeling from the arrow, couldn’t even respond.

They lost their balance and tumbled to the ground, and Adelia quickly pinned them down, pressing on their neck with her knee as she had been trained.

With such a move, the assassin couldn’t even struggle.

“Isaac! Are you alright?!”

By the time Adelia had subdued the assassin, Kate rushed over, breathless, from tending to the patient.

Her expression, filled with urgency, looked as if she might collapse at any moment, fearing the worst.

Fortunately, the worst hadn’t occurred, but the situation was still dire.

I watched Kate running over and responded in a dazed voice.

“I-I’m fine. But…”

“Everyone, step back! Now!”

Before I could finish, Adelia shouted loudly.

It seemed aimed at the surrounding crowd.

The commotion from the heart attack had already drawn a crowd, and there was no guarantee there wasn’t another attacker.

The priority was to get the people to disperse to prevent creating an easy target.

“Grrr… You bastard…”

Meanwhile, the assassin, fully visible now, was glaring ferociously despite being subdued.

I scrutinized the man assumed to be a demon worshipper.

He looked utterly ordinary, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a hint of stubble.

His lean, agile physique was fitting for an assassin.

What caught my attention the most, however, was his race.

‘He’s human?’

The man was human—neither elf nor demon, just a regular human.

But I couldn’t understand.

A human capable of using high-level magic like invisibility would be highly regarded by any nation.

Even with modern advancements, human magic was far inferior to that of demons or elves.

Yet this man used magic, and within the academy where magic was forbidden.

How did he cast magic without being detected?

How did he even gain access to the academy in the first place?

Amid the chaos of unanswered questions, my head spun.

If the arrow hadn’t struck him, the consequences could have been catastrophic.

This was my fault.

My complacency almost caused a horrific tragedy.

Unlike the safety of a cage, the world outside was far more dangerous.

“…I sense filthy energy.”

Kate’s voice cut through the confusion, chilling in its tone.

I quickly gathered my thoughts and saw Kate glaring down at the assassin with a terrifying expression.

Her eyes burned with anger, contempt, and disgust.

Even I felt a shiver at her gaze; the assassin must have been terrified.

Yet the man showed no sign of retreat.

On the contrary, he met Kate’s eyes directly, glaring back fiercely.

“Oh, God, bestow your light upon us.”

Kate uttered a brief prayer while maintaining eye contact with the man.

Golden light radiated from her, enveloping the area around us.

A protective barrier formed of divine power.

Without her permission, no one could enter this space, and demon worshippers wouldn’t even be able to approach it.

Sizzle.

“Aaaargh!”

Then, an astonishing phenomenon occurred.

Smoke began to rise from the man’s body inside the barrier.

It was as if meat was being grilled on a hot, oiled pan.

The man flailed and writhed in agony.

As I watched, wondering what was happening, Kate sneered coldly.

“As expected of a filthy demon worshipper. To think your soul rejects the blessing of Lord Luminous. You’re irredeemable trash.”

Demon worshippers are those who sell their souls to demons or are corrupted in exchange for power.

Naturally, they experience extreme rejection of divine power.

As a cardinal and a nemesis to such beings, Kate was particularly adept at destroying them.

Through sacred flames, she could obliterate even their souls.

Even a simple protective barrier, as now, inflicted immense pain on the demon worshipper.

I carefully observed the demon worshiper writhing in pain and cautiously asked Kate.

“Kate, are you certain that person is…?”

“Yes, that’s the demon worshiper who sought to take your life, Sir Isaac.”

“Then, what about the person who collapsed earlier?”

“There were traces of induced cardiac arrest. I suspect this insect was responsible.”

“That can’t be…”

The shock rendered me speechless.

To think someone would go to such lengths, endangering a life just to target me.

What crime could that person have possibly committed?

As I stood there in stunned silence, my mouth gaping, the demon worshiper continued to let out groans of pain.

Although the smoke had lessened compared to earlier, the stench of burning flesh still assaulted my nose.

“Ughhh…!”

Perhaps accustomed to the pain now, the man slowly lifted his head.

His blue eyes, blazing like fierce flames, glared with intense fury.

Was that rage directed at me, or at something else entirely?

One thing, however, was clear: this man had infiltrated the academy in secret and aimed for my life.

Even if he hadn’t succeeded in harming me, he could have endangered those around me, including myself.

And… all of this was due to my complacency.

Thanks to this ordeal, I understood that.

“… What do we do now?”

“This trash knowingly infiltrated the academy. Keeping him alive won’t yield any useful information. So…”

“Immediate execution.”

“Yes, that’s right. But considering he dared to target Sir Isaac, he won’t die easily. He will be kept alive and taken back to the cult. There, he will experience every pain imaginable for a human.”

At Kate’s chilling response, I couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Although she usually schemed to seize the seeds, at this moment, she looked every bit the Grand Inquisitor.

Apparently, even the demon worshiper shared that sentiment, as he broke out in a cold sweat while staring at Kate.

Meeting his gaze once more, Kate offered a dismissive look as though to say,

“What are you going to do about it?” Her expression was nothing more or less than that of someone staring at a bug she could crush at any moment.

In response, the demon worshiper gritted his teeth and cried out resolutely.

“For the Father of All!”

As he shouted, he opened his mouth wide, seemingly intending to bite his tongue.

Smack!

“Argh!”

Kate’s foot struck his jaw, thwarting his attempt.

Bloodied, broken teeth spilled from his mouth, scattering like white corn kernels.

With a single kick, all his teeth were shattered.

Witnessing this brutal scene unfold in real-time, I couldn’t help but grimace.

Although I’d seen violent scenes in movies and other media in my previous life, this was my first time witnessing such brutality in person. Naturally, I felt a deep sense of aversion.

“What a pity. He couldn’t take his own life. Not that it would’ve mattered; I would’ve revived him anyway.”

“…”

“What’s next?”

Adelia, who had been holding the demon worshiper in check, asked Kate.

She was using all her strength to keep him from making any further moves.

“We’ll just have to wait until they arrive. The patient who collapsed from cardiac arrest has stabilized, so there’s no issue.”

“Understood.”

“And… Sir Isaac.”

“Yes?”

Startled by her call, I looked at Kate.

Unlike when she was dealing with the demon worshiper, she wore a bright expression as she spoke.

“We should thank the one who fired the arrow. If not for them, things could’ve gotten truly dangerous.”

“…Yes.”

“You’re unharmed, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“That’s a relief. No injuries.”

Yes, I wasn’t injured.

Even though I’d been distracted, Adelia would have noticed right away.

But if that were the case, she might’ve been hurt instead. In the worst-case scenario, she could’ve lost her life.

‘How… pathetic.’

I had let my guard down after only a week.

Demon worshipers are not a distant threat.

Being in the eye of the storm doesn’t guarantee safety. Even in the eye, the surroundings are devastated.

I sighed as I looked at the demon worshiper, blood streaming from his mouth.

From this day forward, I realized that I was never truly safe.

On the contrary, I was a walking danger.

‘But what did he just say? The Father of All?’

Could there be something deeper behind this demon worshiper?

★★★

Meanwhile, at a similar time, atop the cherry blossom tree that stretched high along the walking trail.

“This makes two of them.”

The man watching Isaac from a distance, Gartz, murmured softly as he loaded his crossbow.

He had been momentarily distracted by a man who had suddenly collapsed from a heart attack, which was dangerous.

However, fortunately, he had acted first, allowing him to avert the crisis.

At first, he thought the fallen man might be attempting a suicide bombing, but that wasn’t the case at all.

The man was merely bait, while a filthy demon worshipper had been sneaking up behind him.

‘You should be more careful.’

Isaac likely had no idea, but the number of demon worshippers targeting him was not one, but two.

One of them was the demon worshipper currently bound and being dragged away, while the other was an academy staff member.

The latter wasn’t aiming to harm Isaac directly but had planned to poison him by lacing his drink. That plan was set to unfold during his earlier meeting with the principal.

‘That was really close.’

Thankfully, they managed to notice and stop it in time.

According to the report, the poison had been added when the principal left to greet Isaac.

The staff member—or rather, the demon worshipper—was dealt with by being forced to resign due to “personal reasons.” There was no need to explain what had truly happened.

‘If I report today’s events, will I finally get my signed copy?’

Gartz still hadn’t received the signed copy he was waiting for.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!