“I didn’t sign up for Demonspawn. They got the wrong guy. Tell them to buzz off,” I said, keeping my cool, fishing for more.
It was just a guess, but Demonspawn showing up seemed legit. They moved fast—school wasn’t starting for a while. Only Witch School beat that speed.
Witch School didn’t force early arrivals, though. Kidnapped students? Different story.
Why the rush? Maybe I wasn’t there, and Demonspawn leaned on them.
I almost laughed.
“Dad already set it up with Demonspawn. It was a done deal, and then you bailed. You’re making Dad look bad!” Yunhan snapped.
“Oh, sure, making YOUR dad look bad. Since when was this deal cleared with me? You’re yelling at me over nothing!” I shot back, sounding fed up, like I might hang up any second.
I even said “your dad,” not “our dad.” He started it. Maybe he didn’t realize he’d cut me out of the family, but now they wanted to squeeze one last use out of me.
“You! You’re Dad’s son—you should listen to him. What kind of son are you?” he yelled.
“You won’t even show me the slightest respect. What kind of brother are you?” I fired back. So he knew I was Dad’s son? Funny, I thought he forgot.
Yunhan grew up coddled by Mom and Dad, their perfect kid. Too bad he had me as a big brother.
To them, I was just a nutcase. They drilled that into him, and he bought it.
But I’m a reincarnator. Maybe not a genius, but my experience alone outshone him. He couldn’t hold a candle to me.
If he hadn’t called me a psycho when he was little, sneering that I should get fixed, I wouldn’t have bothered with a kid.
But he crossed that line. No more pity from me.
Back then, I was still getting used to Psi-vision, this wild power that blew past normal. It let me pick up on Yunhan’s emotions crystal clear—too clear.
I didn’t have the energy to forgive a kid’s bratty attitude.
Mom and Dad thought their coddling would shape him into their perfect son, but Yunhan knew better. He was stuck in my shadow.
That’s why he’d run to them, whining, trying to rat me out but never able to explain why. Crying was his trump card, though, and it worked. They cared about me less and less.
Now he’s older, those old tricks don’t cut it. I guess I accidentally woke him up to that. In a family where worth trumped feelings, you had to prove yourself to get love.
So he started competing with me—obsessed with one-upping me. Mom and Dad loved it, even pushed him to skip grades. He was younger, but he’d almost caught up to me. Next year, he’d take the college entrance exam and pick a school.
He awakened his Psi-vision, too, smooth and steady, like most people in this world.
Me? Total opposite. If others eased into Psi-vision’s inner world, I was like someone pushed off a cliff from the surface world, plummeting into its depths. Psi-vision hit me like a storm, raw and terrifying.
It haunted my second childhood. I swear it gave me depression. It sparked selfish, cold thoughts I never had before.
That was the one thing I envied about Yunhan. Not Mom and Dad’s favoritism—that never got to me. Just his easy Psi-vision.
Maybe because my soul didn’t belong to this world.
Lost in thought, Yunhan’s voice turned to background noise, not even worth processing. Hanging up now would probably make his face priceless.
I pulled the phone from my ear, staring at the screen. His name glowed in the call log.
I hit end call without a second thought.
A busy tone buzzed. I swiped the call app closed, opened my old account, and transferred every last cent to my new phone.
As I did, I wondered when he’d call back.
But nothing. I finished, and he didn’t try again. Was it not a big deal? Did he just call to yell at me?
Now that I was gone, he probably snagged my computer. Wonder if he tore it apart yet.
They promised him that if he got into a good School of Transcendence, he could get a new rig, build it himself, whatever.
I didn’t care much for that stuff.
The family wasn’t that broke—surely they could afford a computer.
Or did they just not want to spend the cash and thought they’d recycle me instead? Demonspawn’s 50,000 bucks would cover a decent PC and leave plenty left.
I just couldn’t believe I was worth so little to them.
I’d earn more doing part-time jobs.
If they knew how to play me, they’d guilt me into working and sending money home. Way better than selling me to Demonspawn.
Maybe I underestimated them. They knew I wouldn’t fall for their mind games, so they went for the quick fix—ship me off for good.
Right now, I was calmer than ever. That good mood from earlier? Shattered by one call.
But I needed more information to settle the cracks in my head.
Like talking to Bai Yu about Demonspawn School. We’d joked about it being a scam, but I didn’t know the details—just online rumors and her comments.
I needed to cement my hatred for that place, lock in why this whole mess happened. That way, no matter how things twisted later, my heart wouldn’t waver.
Then I could close this chapter.
I sent Bai Yu a message, but before I could finish, another call hit my old phone.
Translator's note:
Guess that's why this novel felt different from others. The author was building a character with layers and layers of personality. He had secrets, and when he reveals those secrets, we know where he "come from."