< Chapter 50: The Truth (1) >
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Nyaang.”
In the extreme silence, only the sound of Goldie’s purring was heard.
I looked at the two smiling women and could only stroke Goldie’s fur.
What is this? I’m scared.
“Is it okay for someone who claims to be the leader of a guild to barge into a cadet’s room without permission?”
The cold war finally ended.
“Can’t a guild leader have personal friends?”
“Friends? There’s an 8-year age difference, can you call that friendship?”
“…Does age matter? What matters is that we get along well.”
She seemed to bite her lip slightly. Is she sensitive about her age?
“Seo-yul. I think you have some weird thoughts right now.”
“No. Of course not.”
I quickly turned my gaze away.
“Nyaang?”
Goldie meowed as if he was puzzled when my hand stopped.
“Ah.”
I quickly stroked Goldie’s fur again.
“You’re also in a position as the eldest daughter of Shinwa Group, but is it okay for you to enter and leave the room of an outsider man like this?”
“Of course. Rather, my father strongly recommended it. He told me to bring him well after graduation.”
He meant to bring him as a new recruit of Shinwa Group.
Not as a son-in-law.
By the way, why are these two so hostile to each other?
No, of course, I knew they weren’t on good terms from the beginning. But I don’t think it was this bad.
…Is it because of me?
I don’t know the reason clearly.
But if something different from the original work happened, it was probably because of me.
I wanted to leave them alone because it seemed like none of my business.
But I can’t do that.
If I leave them alone, they will only deepen their emotional rift for sure.
“Yu Hwa.”
I intervened between the two who were pouring out sarcastic remarks with a smile on their faces.
“What’s up today? Why did you come without contacting me?”
If I change the topic, they will stop arguing.
“Ah.”
Yu Hwa smiled awkwardly. Then she glanced at Jia and opened her mouth.
“Well, it’s nothing. I got the item you asked me to save for you. I stopped by to show you, Goldie, on my way.”
“…Item?”
What did I ask for?
“That time. We talked about it at Okhwadang. The ring with [Magic Response Trait Holder] restriction. [Mana’s Grace]”
“Oh! Yeah. We talked about that.”
We talked about it when we were talking about Fierce Tiger’s gauntlet and ancient relics at Okhwadang.
The conversation itself went off track and we talked about that too.
“You said that back then. That you have magic response.”
“Yeah. I did.”
I definitely said that.
I said that hoping she would get it for me.
But I didn’t know she would really get it for me.
“Here. I picked it up on my way.”
Yu Hwa handed me a small box. It was a special transport box for accessories.
“…Well. Thank you. But wasn’t this expensive?”
Trait-restricted items are rare.
The reason why I lied that I had magic response back then was because there was only one item on the internet that had that restriction.
I’m pretty sure it said price negotiation on it.
“It really wasn’t much. Just take it. I’m not thinking of paying off my debt with this.”
“I think you can pay off with this?”
I’m really grateful.
I was in a situation where I needed a trait-restricted item the most.
And the trait was ‘magic response’, which was related to magic and what I needed right now.
“Anyway, try it on.”
“Yeah.”
I pressed the button on the box.
The seal was released with a mechanical sound that would make Transformers go away, and a ring decorated with blue jewels appeared in the box.
Wow. It looks prettier when I see it in person.
I took the ring and put it on my left index finger where I didn’t wear gloves.
“It suits you well.”
As Yu Hwa complimented me, the ring on my left hand emitted a blue magic light..at that moment…
Zzzt-
[Error! ■□■ □□■ detected □□ response!]
The next moment.
Pzzz-!
“Kyaak!”
“Nyaang!”
Sparks started to fly from my left index finger.
“A rejection reaction? Seo-yul!”
It happened in an instant.
“So··· Seo-yul! Quickly take it off!”
Jia, who had been quietly watching, shouted urgently.
“Ack!”
I also moved quickly to take off the ring.
Zzzz-
[Detected a □□ error. Searching for a solution.]
The broken system message started to become clearer bit by bit.
[The system’s self-correction function ■ is judged to be impossible to solve.]
“Seo-yul!”
“Kuh!”
It was the moment when I completely took off the ring.
[Running the vaccine program DST-V4.]
“…What?”
Along with the first perfect system message.
Bang-!
A violent surge of magic exploded and swept past us.
Weeeng- Weeeng- Weeeng-
“…What is this?”
Alarms rang from all directions.
―High-density magic response detected! Declare an emergency disaster situation!
It was sudden.
―Disaster-level calamity situation detected!
―Seoul sky! Magic fissure detected! Ordinary citizens, please evacuate to the underground shelter immediately!
“…Disaster-level?”
“What the hell!”
We hurriedly headed outside the dormitory.
Outside was already a mess.
“Quickly! But don’t panic and move!”
“There’s still some time before the fissure opens! There’s no need to rush too much!”
The cadets who were running to the first floor for evacuation and the instructors who were leading them.
“…Why now of all times, a disaster-level calamity.”
Yu Hwa bit her teeth as she looked at her phone.
Jia was the same.
They must be checking the contacts from their respective guilds and groups.
“Seo-yul. Are you okay?”
Yu Hwa put her phone back in her pocket and came up to me with a worried expression.
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
“Seo-yul. Are you really okay?”
Jia and Goldie also ran up to me. I hugged Goldie and stroked him as I said.
“Well, I’m really fine.”
“Nyaah···.”
My body was really fine.
I’m used to this kind of spark by now.
But my mind wasn’t.
I couldn’t get over the shock.
Vaccine program.
I definitely saw that message right before I took off the ring completely.
Vaccine program DST-V4.
“Ha.”
I closed my eyes.
In my head, everything that had been a question until now was connected and flowed like a panorama.
System error.
Black is dangerous.
Vaccine program.
Everything was connected.
…Shit. Was that it?
Shin’s message was telling me this.
My ability was technically a bug derived from a system error.
If I learn a new race trait beyond black, it will be detected by the system.
If detected, the vaccine program will be activated.
Maybe wearing trait-restricted items at the same time was also one of the triggers that was detected by the system.
Trait-restricted items are probably impossible to wear in duplicate, or something like that.
“…How would I know that.”
I bit my teeth.
I looked up at the sky from the dormitory window.
I could see a huge fissure.
“…I’m sorry. I think I have to go.”
Yu Hwa quickly opened the window in the hallway and put her foot on the sill.
“You two should evacuate to the shelter as soon as possible.”
With that, Yu Hwa’s figure disappeared. It was indeed a speed worthy of being called a superhuman who had reached the threshold of S-rank.
But I didn’t have the luxury to admire that right now.
If my guess is right, that fissure opened because of me.
And there is no way to stop that fissure─
“…It’s over.”
─There is none.
“Ancestor?”
I bit my lips hard.
Hard enough to make blood flow from my mouth.
Vaccine program DST-V4 is a concept that only appears in the last episode.
To stop it, all kinds of heroes, including the Dragon Lord, had to do their best.
It’s not something that can be stopped by the power that exists in Seoul right now.
No, it’s not a concept that can be stopped by the current humanity.
Damn it.
Is this the end?
As I closed my eyes and bowed my head.
Wooong-
The phone in my pocket vibrated.
A disaster alert message?
What did they write?
I checked the message with a hollow heart.
“…Huh?”
At that moment, my pupils dilated as much as they could.
[I knew you would make such a mistake.]
Sender.
Kim Shin.
[This time, I’ll help you out especially. There won’t be a second time, so be careful from now on.]
I had an illusion that I could hear his cheeky voice in my ear.
[You only have one chance. There’s only one anti-vaccine.]
The next moment, a white magic light condensed in front of me.
“…White, light?”
Jia muttered.
[Exactly at the timing when the fissure opens. You know?]
As soon as he said that, the message disappeared completely. Just like the email that day.
“Haha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
He put me in this situation and then what?
Please. My brother?
“Bullshit.”
As I said that, my mouth was smiling.
No, and what?
Did you know I would make such a mistake?
If you had told me not to wear trait-restricted items at the same time, this wouldn’t have happened. How could I have predicted this?
“…I’ll see you when I get back.”
I clenched the white arrow in front of me tightly.
“An, ancestor? Why are you going back to your room···!”
“I’m going to change clothes.”
“…Huh?”
A smile played on my lips.
Where did I put my mask?
* * *
The Korean Disaster Response Headquarters was filled with a tense atmosphere.
“The magic level is still rising!”
“710,000… 770,000… At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before it exceeds 1 million!”
The chairman slumped into his chair.
“…It’s over.”
Magic level 1 million.
The highest magic level among the fissures that had ever appeared was only 500,000.
And that fissure swallowed up a whole country, and it’s still called the land of death.
“1 million. It’s such an absurd number that I can’t even laugh.”
Despair twisted his face.
“…What about the support from other countries?”
“They said they would send support, but there’s not enough time.”
“I see.”
Judging by the growth rate of the fissure, it would open in less than a minute.
“The magic level… has surpassed 1 million.”
“…I want to tell you to run away, but there’s not even enough time to run away.”
The chairman covered his face with his hand and chuckled.
“The magic expansion has begun! The fissure will open soon!”
“…Did heaven really abandon us?”
It was when he gave up on everything.
“Chairman! We detected another unidentified magic response near the fissure! There is no matching data, so we can’t calculate the level!”
“What? Situation team! Turn the drones around to that side!”
“Yes!”
The next moment, the drones that were monitoring the fissure moved.
And they shone on the place where the magic source was detected.
“That, thing?”
“…An angel?”
It was an angel.
The crude theatrical mask did not match the large and beautiful wings.
“…Am I dreaming right now?”
The unidentified angel raised his bow as if aiming at the fissure.
A white arrow that seemed to condense light flickered.
“We still can’t identify the magic response!”
And the next moment.
Paaaah-!
“Ack!”
“My eyes!”
All the monitors that were shining on the angel were dyed with white light.
As all the light faded.
When the sight returned.
“…Gone?”
The angel was completely gone after that.
“Ch, chairman!”
Someone suddenly shouted.
“The fissure is disappearing!”
“…What!?”
The chairman jumped up from his seat.
―This is the scene! Headquarters! Respond! We demand an explanation of the current situation!
―We repeat! The fissure is shrinking! We demand an explanation!
A miracle happened.
* * *
“…An, ancestor?”
As I returned to the room, Jia looked at me with trembling eyes.
I took off the theatrical mask I had prepared just in case and folded my wings.
“…Ah. This. What should I say.”
I needed to fly in the sky to hit the fissure with the arrow at the exact timing.
So I don’t regret using Heavenly Wings.
“Th, these angel wings are…”
The only worry was that I didn’t know how to explain it to Jia.
I scratched the back of my head and sighed.
“Haa…”
There’s no choice.
Now that it’s come to this, I have to tell her the truth.
“Jia. The truth is, I’m―”
“A half-elf…”
Jia said with sparkling eyes.
“You’re a half-elf after all, ancestor!”
“Huh?”
Half… what?
Please support and motivate me…???
