Only I Am A Reader

Growl…

Even as he was busy digesting his current circumstance, Leo's stomach tightened from hunger. No matter the changes that occurred in his mind, his body was still that of a starved child.

"Ho? You aren't going to eat?"

Leo possessed a mental age that surpassed his small body, so suppressing his hunger was understandable. However, what was even more astonishing was that the little child beside him had yet to start eating as she waited for him while her stomach rumbled.

"Sorry Yeon, I was a little lost from what happened earlier. Let's dig in!"

Only when Leo picked up his own chopsticks and started devouring the food in front of him, did the little girl do the same. The relationship between the two was anything but normal!

Just like she cared about Baekho to the point of fighting her deep hunger, her mere uttering of his name was the sole reason Baekho's original memory persisted despite the vast difference. She was his mental lifeline!

'I wished to stay away from the protagonist, but…'

According to his wishes, Leo's current identity had nothing to do with Murim Supremacy's protagonist. In fact, their starting points were as far as they could be. However…

'Isn't this too far?'

His identity this time wasn't as simple as Baekho's intelligence was, rather, it was the exact opposite. Although Leo was also a 'brother' this time around, his sibling wasn't the protagonist. Instead…

"Ho, you should eat more of this!"

The little girl that was a year younger than the current him was enthusiastically bringing food to his mouth, while Leo subconsciously opened his mouth as Baekho usually did. Yeon was Baekho's inseparable sibling, but she was also the future Heavenly Demon!

Leo was the brother of the final boss this time around!

Baekho and Yeon weren't blood-related just like Arthur and Ray, but their bond was even stronger! As two little orphans that depended on each other to survive in the streets from a young age, they were even closer than blood-related siblings!

Whether it was food, money, or shelter, the two that set their bond as their most precious resource would never put any of that before the other. The reason for Baekho's survival and death both revolved around that point.

"You as well."

Being Baekho just like he is Leo, Leo didn't deny this bond either. As ridiculous as the contrast of his two lives was, he felt the need to cherish her as both Baekho and Leo. After all…

[ Main Quest: Kill The Protagonist. ]

The main quest was even more ridiculous than the side one!

While the side quest seemed cumbersome in comparison to the simple task of survival, Leo had no plans to stay put now that he knew of the situation on Earth. He naturally had to stir some reasonable mess to obtain as many points as possible. Moreover, as a 'side' quest, the task at hand was most likely avoidable.

However, for the main quest that held the only door back that Leo knew of to be this straight to the core was something worth getting surprised over! It was understandable for the difficulty to increase with more experience, but this was a blatant spike!

'This much is pretty obvious isn't it?'

No matter how Leo looked at it, this quest not only suited his original impression, but that was the same for Baekho as well. As much as he wanted to, Leo couldn't deny how problematic the protagonist was.

'Murim Supremacy' was definitely within the top of Leo's list for its fresh world-building, but even that couldn't save it from being at the very bottom at the same time. It was as if the author had compensated all the good he did with the setting by giving the protagonist a shitty personality. Although it wasn't as obvious at the beginning, the main character's fight for 'supremacy' wasn't a good sight to see from any other point of view towards the end.

'Only…'

Killing someone strong wasn't hard considering where he was starting coupled with what he knew, but killing a protagonist was a completely different story. Almost nothing could combat the power of plot armor!

At the same time, Leo understood that a given task couldn't be impossible no matter what. His experience as Arthur had already proven that. The special identities he had weren't given for nothing, this was similarly a part of his ability!

Slurp…

"This is great!"

Looking at the naive child happily drinking the bowl of hot soup, Leo's answer was right in front of him. Just like his early survival as Arthur was only possible thanks to the help of Ray's shadows and Crane's assistance, the lone relationship that Baekho had was his main lifeline!

The only reason this was considered the events of the second chapter was due to Yeon's existence. Just like the first chapter had depicted the humble beginnings of the protagonist, the second one told about the nest that the terrifying demon queen rose from!

"Eat more, this is something that we exchanged our only chance at a peaceful life for."

Leo couldn't help but smile at this sister of his. No one would believe she was the same person at her future identity if they saw her at this moment. However, Leo knew that it wasn't simple either, what she sacrificed was…

"Ho? Has the pain in your head started subsiding?"

Immediately reacting to Leo's words, the childness in Yeon's face was sucked out as she looked at him with deep eyes that seemed to see through his soul.

"A little…"

Leo's answer was as short as that of Baekho, but he was inwardly surprised by Yeon's perception. She was completely aware of Baekho's mental situation, something that even Baekho wasn't aware of!

"That's great! Eat more!"

Perhaps as if she understood that Baekho was still there, Yeon's lips parted to form a brilliant smile, revealing her food-riddled teeth.. She undeniably looked funny, but Leo could only feel his heart warm up. Regardless of the obstacles, it seemed like this new life of his would be quite the interesting experience…