The Chronicle of the Beginning and Climax

Chapter 21 – Breaking the Rules (And Someone's Sanity)

The world remained frozen.

The Executioner's blade hovered inches from Jihwan's chest.

And yet—

> "I think I broke time again."

The Variable let out a sigh, stretching like they had just woken up from a nap.

Jihwan, still lying on the ground, gave them a deadpan stare.

> "You froze time on purpose."

> "Yeah, but I wasn't expecting it to be so… quiet. Creepy, right?"

Jihwan groaned, pressing a hand against his aching ribs. His entire body screamed in pain, but at least he was still alive. For now.

> "You said we're going to cheat. What's the plan?"

The Variable grinned.

> "Easy. We mess with the rules."

Jihwan frowned.

> "…Mess how?"

The Variable snapped their fingers.

Time unfroze.

The Executioner swung its blade down—

And missed.

Jihwan wasn't there anymore.

One second, he was on the ground. The next—he was behind the Executioner.

His brain struggled to process it.

> "Wait, what just—"

The Variable laughed.

> "Oh, I just rewrote reality a little."

Jihwan turned slowly.

> "…You WHAT?"

> "You were gonna die, and that's boring. So I moved you."

Jihwan stared.

His head throbbed.

His entire understanding of reality cracked.

> "…You can just DO THAT?!"

The Variable smirked.

> "Yeah, but don't think too hard about it. Your brain might explode."

Jihwan resisted the urge to scream.

Before he could yell, a new voice interrupted.

> "Jihwan? What are you doing?"

He turned—only to see Sohyun standing there, arms crossed.

She had somehow appeared in the middle of the battlefield, looking completely unimpressed.

Jihwan froze.

> "…Why are you here?"

Sohyun raised an eyebrow.

> "I should be asking YOU that. Are you seriously fighting a SYSTEM BOSS by yourself? Are you INSANE?"

Jihwan opened his mouth—

But the Variable answered first.

> "Oh, he's definitely insane."

Sohyun sighed, rubbing her temples.

> "Jihwan, you're supposed to be smart. And yet—"

She paused.

Then, she really looked at him.

The bruises. The torn clothes. The fact that he had just been thrown through a wall.

Her voice softened.

> "…Are you okay?"

Jihwan blinked.

The Executioner was still coming for them.

The Variable was casually rewriting reality.

And yet, for some reason—her concern caught him off guard.

He coughed, glancing away.

> "…It's nothing."

Sohyun narrowed her eyes.

> "That means it's definitely something."

The Variable snickered.

> "Ohhh, she's calling you out."

Jihwan shot them a glare.

> "Shut up."

Sohyun took a step forward, suddenly grabbing his wrist.

> "…Don't be reckless."

Jihwan stiffened.

She was too close.

His brain short-circuited.

The Variable grinned.

> "Oho? What's this? A moment? Are we having a moment?"

Jihwan yanked his hand away instantly.

> "WE ARE NOT HAVING A MOMENT."

Sohyun raised an eyebrow.

> "…I literally just told you not to die."

> "Yeah, well—DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT."

The Variable cackled.

Sohyun just sighed.

> "Fine. But if you die, I'm bringing you back just to yell at you."

Jihwan groaned.

But before he could respond—

The Executioner moved.

And this time—

It wasn't holding back.

To be continued....