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An ability that can make enemies look human.
That in itself isn’t out of the ordinary.
People have the authority skill of taming enemies after all.
But something was strange.
‘Two things are bothering me.’
First was earth power.
It bothered me how the Knight of the Water Shadow used it to deal with enemies.
I recalled something that Hwang Jiho said.
— The only people that can draw from earth power are royal lineage. It’s because of that earth power did royal lineage swarm Korea. Humans are also affected by it, but they can’t use it like people of royal lineage can.
Only people of royal lineage can use it, not humans.
Then does that mean the Knight of the Water Shadow isn’t human?
It’s rare for people of royal lineage to join a professional player team, but it happens.
Some teams have close ties with royal lineages, just like the Dragon Clan and the Red Lion team.
‘No, we can’t conclude that humans can’t use earth power. It’s possible through an Earth Power Terminal.’
Earth Power Terminal, a facility that would operate erath power, is set to be built in Gwangil-dong, Eungwang.
Once this facility is built, mankind will be able to utilize earth power.
Although it would be much less efficient than people of royal lineage, Korea is a land full of earth power anyway.
‘That bothers me even more.’
The second thing that caught my mind was England.
I didn’t feel a difference in the earth power between England and Korea because I’m not a royal lineage.
However, considering the number of royal lineages flocking to Korea, it’s not difficult to conclude that Korea’s earth power is superior.
‘Wouldn’t it take a lot of earth power to produce that number of enemies? Does England have enough?’
It’s best to check that part with an expert.
It so happens that the two royal lineages with us had recently visited England.
Hwang Jiho brought a private plane to celebrate my birthday, and Seodol stopped by to plant mice and attend the Halloween party.
“Is the Knight of the Water Shadow human?”
“He is. I sensed it when he attacked me.”
Hwang Jiho asked the question to Jared Lee, but it was Seodol who answered.
Hwang Jiho looked contemptuous upon confirming that the knight was human.
Seodol had a similar expression.
“How foolish.”
“I didn’t know they were that stupid…”
Their reaction to a human using England’s earth power seemed excessive, so I decided to ask.
“Is there a problem with England’s earth power?”
“The earth power there isn’t as abundant as in Korea. I can assure you, I have been to England a few times.”
“It’s too generous to say that they’re not as abundant. You can say that England has too scarce of it.”
Seodol, who stayed in England much longer, described the earth power situation in stark terms.
“The only ones that can handle earth power properly are royal lineages. Other beings cannot use it without special powers or tools.”
Questions began to form in my mind.
Don’t people of royal lineage use skills and light skills to utilize earth power too?
I have very little sense of what earth power truly is.
“How does royal lineage use earth power? It doesn’t sound like they use it through abilities.”
“I see my explanation lacked consideration. To paraphrase, hmm… It’s similar to breathing. Humans get the energy to go through life through breathing, correct? Earth power for royal lineage is similar to that.”
I understood it a little better from Hwang Jiho’s metaphor.
So earth power is like oxygen concentration?
No, then the metaphor would be a bit problematic…
Hwang Jiho’s explanation continued.
“Of course, this metaphor isn’t perfect. There’s a difference too. A human’s body can get damaged from excessive concentrations of oxygen, but it’s different for earth power. The more it overflows, the better.”
So the more earth power, the better.
But there was still a problem.
‘Why are they calling the knight stupid for using earth power?’
England has scarce earth power.
In that condition, the Knight of the Water Shadow drew earth power and produced enemies that looked like Jared Lee.
Isn’t that something worth praising?
However, both Hwang Jiho and Seodol despised and looked down on the Oath of the Three Knights.
There’s still something I don’t know.
‘Perhaps it has something to do with how humans and royal lineage use earth power differently.’
Judging so, I decided to ask a question.
“Is there a problem with the Knight of the Water Shadow using earth power?”
“I think you’re almost there.”
Hwang Jiho, who continued to be cynical after the topic of the water shadow knight came up, smiled with satisfaction.
“Enough,” I thought.
I wanted to hear the answer quickly.
As if he read my thoughts, Hwang Jiho’s smile continued.
“For royal lineage, there’s a limit to the use of earth power. The higher the reputation on that land, the longer the royal lineage stays, the more efficient earth power can be used.”
The Tiger Clan appeared in the Myth of Gaecheon, the founding myth of this land.
They stayed here for more than 5,000 years.
If so, then the Tiger Clan can optimally use earth power.
For them, even debuffs are on par with others’ buffs.
In those conditions, even the low-profile royal lineages flock to Korea, which means earth power must really be abundant here.
“But that’s a story for when there’s enough earth power. We can’t use it if earth power falls below a certain level.”
Hwang Jiho drew something in the air with energy waves to help in explaining.
“Think of a cup of water that is about a third full.”
He spoke of a cup, but the shape he drew was a golden wine glass.
The wine glass was filled with about a third of golden energy waves.
“Think that the earth power in Korea is overflowing, but most of the lands on this world have earth power only up to this level. They can’t use this content like how the royal lineage uses it. And on top of that, England is… let’s say they have very little wine.”
At that time, Seodol mockingly put his hands up in the air.
Gray energy waves took the form of straw and a hammer.
“But the story is different when you use abilities or tools. Imagine sticking a straw or breaking a cup with a hammer. Then they can sip earth power, and dunk their hands.”
Using earth power differently from royal lineage.
Seodol and Hwang Jiho’s metaphors made me understand it better.
Earth power is low in England, and they use it in a way different from royal lineage.
The Knight of the Water Shadow is human, but he used England’s earth power to create enemies that look like Jared Lee, an act that Hwang Jiho and Seodol regarded as foolish.
‘They’ve done something that royal lineage can’t do, and they got despised and called stupid…’
Is it because they used earth power, something supposedly exclusive for royal lineage?
I don’t think so.
If that’s the case, Hwang Jiho would’ve blocked the construction of an Earth Power Terminal in Gwangil.
Then is it because they use earth power to harm people?
I don’t think that’s it either.
I don’t know about Hwang Jiho, but Seodol’s moral compass doesn’t seem to be that straight.
‘Then there’s only one option left.’
I concluded.
“Something bad happens when earth power runs out. Something big enough for clan heads to call their act foolish.”
Hwang Jiho gave a huge nod at my words.
“If earth power runs out, the causality and homeostasis of that land collapse. There will be a record-breaking evil occurring in the world. The land will be devastated, and an unimaginable disaster will strike.”
Hwang Jiho was speaking casually, but the words gave me chills.
Saying that homeostasis would collapse means natural disasters could come without any warning.
Earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and thunderstorms could occur in large cities without notice.
“If they lost that much earth power, it’s going to be a big problem.”
“You talk as if it’s not your problem.”
“It’s not.”
I know Seodol has connections with England, but he didn’t seem very interested.
Still, what he first said left a mark on my mind.
It was quite a while ago that Jared Lee withdrew from the Oath of the Three Knights.
It was before the Lake of Eternity gained fame, and even before some of the kids in our class were born.
It’s no wonder what happened in more than a decade.
‘Was there a disaster that happened in England in this world that didn’t happen in the previous world?’
The answer came up quickly.
There was a catastrophe that changed the fate of countless people in this world
My playable character lost their family in that incident, so I couldn’t forget it.
I turned to Jared Lee and Mok Wooram.
The two seemed focused on learning what earth power is.
“Is Manchester the area where the Oath of the Three Knights draws earth power?”
Jared Lee, who was lost in thought, raised his head.
He answered immediately when he heard the question.
“That’s right. They moved their home base after I left though…”
Jared Lee, who responded in fluent Korean, had a stiff face.
It seems like he realized why Manchester was mentioned in the conversation.
“There’s been a major otherworld occurrence in Manchester.”
A famous case of otherworld occurrence in Manchester United, the Great Otherworld.
At that time, otherworlds occurred simultaneously in various parts of the country, and the association there was attacked by the antagonistic royal lineage.
While support was cut off, the Lake of Eternity fought alone.
They dealt with five dungeons, one tower, and two labyrinths in a week.
Team master Kwon Jein was the first player to receive a model of honor from the Queen.
‘Something that disastrous happening in England, specifically in Manchester…’
It’s hard to think of it as a coincidence.
Anything became possible after the occurrence of otherworlds, but this is an event that was regarded as legendary in the player world.
As if having the same thoughts as me, Hwang Jiho and Seodol nodded.
Jared Lee’s face was pale.
My conclusion wouldn’t be too pleasing to hear for a player who was involved in the case.
“Great Manchester Otherworld occurrence might be due to earth power depletion.”
The disaster that killed many people, including Kwon Lena’s family, might be the result of the Oath of the Three Knights’ looting of earth power.
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