‘Where did things start to go wrong?’
In the outside world—on Earth—these were Awakened so famous that there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know their names.
To be famous was to have a reputation.
And to have a high reputation was, in turn, to mean being strong.
So, with Daphne at the forefront, the raid party assembled for the conquest of the 51st floor was made up of members so luxurious, it was unimaginable even on Earth.
At first, everyone acted as if they were full of composure.
Of course, Daphne knew that composure was nothing but bravado.
They all knew each other through TV, through countless media… It was only bluster so as not to appear weak among them.
The more frightened they were, the more their instincts made them puff themselves up.
Even with so many elite Possessors gathered, if they felt uneasy, it was naturally because of the issue of logging out.
There was the possibility that logout might not be possible—so a sense of anxiety naturally welled up.
For those who had always sailed through crises without true danger, staying calm in the face of a real crisis was never easy.
But that, too, was only for a brief moment.
The moment they entered the Abyss Gate for the raid, all that anxiety vanished.
It was because a system message popped up, telling them that logout would be impossible for ten days after entry.
Surviving for ten days was nothing difficult, so upon realizing that the last resort—logout—would be restored afterwards, they regained their composure.
…They should have noticed it then.
That something was wrong.
This expedition was filled with variables from the very beginning.
Logout was restricted for ten days… They’d never experienced anything like it before.
‘Yet why did they assume that whatever existed inside would be within the realm of common sense?’
The signs were all there; they should have prepared for things outside their expectations…
“…No. Never mind.”
Blaming herself now was pointless.
The truth was, they had prepared sufficiently.
She’d gathered the maximum fighting force she could muster.
Anything beyond that was not feasible in terms of time or method.
It was simply that what lurked inside was like a natural disaster.
And when the Possessors were gripped by fear of it, they fell apart.
“We have to find a way.”
The raid had failed.
Sooner or later, that thing would be unleashed upon the world. It would be the beginning of disaster.
If there was any silver lining to this misfortune, it was that they had seen the monster’s abilities.
So now, they really had to find a way.
Here, in this reality, there was no convenient function like logout.
‘But how could they possibly fight it?’
‘Who would be the one to step forward against such disaster-level powers…?’
One person came to mind, without a doubt.
“Jijoncheonma.”
Only him.
Only him.
Even in that space where she herself nearly went mad, only Jijoncheonma had remained steadfast, never backing down.
That’s why Daphne immediately rose to her feet.
There was not much time left.
A wide, pure-white room.
The door, guarded by all sorts of security measures, swung open—no one else could enter—and Daphne strode out.
Behind her, a dozen Awakened followed at her heels.
Daphne glanced back at them, speaking with practiced ease.
“Find Jijoncheonma.”
Whether they could find him or not—
It was a race against time.
Daphne Kirin.
The first Awakened from Spain.
One of the most influential people in the world.
In a dangerous, unstable world, it was only natural that those with the power to protect would have fame and authority.
To that, add her outstanding looks and unique cold rationality.
Even among the first Awakened, known for their exceptional strength, she stood out with overwhelming power.
‘How could she not become famous?’
‘How could people not be fervent about her?’
Those who followed her became a massive organization, and at the very top was Daphne Kirin, her power growing beyond measure.
Now, Daphne gave the order.
“Find Jijoncheonma.”
This command quickly spread from the Rankers who followed her to the ordinary Awakened.
Of course, by then, the order had been altered a bit—Jijoncheonma’s name replaced with descriptions of his outfit and peculiarities, telling them to look for someone matching those traits.
And so, Daphne herself immediately boarded a flight to Korea.
She had long known that Jijoncheonma and Sirbert were from Korea.
However, Sirbert was no doubt busy moving about in another world.
That was the role Sirbert had agreed to take on, instead of participating directly in the raid.
He was probably extremely busy over there, so counting on his cooperation here was unlikely.
But could the other Rankers know where Jijoncheonma was?
“No way.”
Jijoncheonma was someone who’d avoided everyone’s eyes for nearly three years.
Shrouded in mystery, moving as if he could see the future.
At least in that other world, he was known as the Empire’s guardian knight, but here, not a single detail about his identity was known.
There was no way ordinary Rankers could possibly know such a person.
That’s why Daphne was heading to Korea herself.
Every second counted—she had to move as quickly as possible…
The world’s attention was overwhelmingly focused on Daphne Kirin.
[Daphne Kirin. Sudden visit to Korea.]
[The world’s strongest woman, Daphne Kirin, visits Korea for the first time!]
[Daphne Kirin ignores a reporter’s question about kimchi at the airport…]
‘Is Daphne’s visit to Korea because her lover is Korean?’
Even though she’d only briefly appeared at the airport, articles poured out in an instant.
Not just in Korea, but worldwide, hundreds and thousands of articles sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
That was the everyday life of a top candidate for strongest Awakened in the world.
She wasn’t a celebrity who lived off popularity and fans, so she ignored every interview and photo request, not even caring.
And that made people even more excited about her.
They called her cold image fitting, her charisma off the charts—people chattered endlessly.
But Daphne herself didn’t care about any of that.
All that mattered to her right now was whether she could meet Jijoncheonma in time.
The very first news Daphne heard upon arriving in Korea was—
“The Abyss Gate has appeared.”
News about the Abyss Gate that had manifested above the Pacific Ocean.
Her hand clenched tight without realizing it.
There wasn’t much time left. In just a few days, the being that had defeated even a massive expedition would emerge into the world.
“Jijoncheonma?”
She had to find Jijoncheonma all the more quickly.
“We’ve already found a clue.”
With those words, someone showed Daphne a video.
A man standing in the center of a crowd, waving his staff like he was performing on stage.
“This is…”
A huge hat on his head and a staff in his hand that flashed with light.
Small sparks or drops of water appeared at the tip, making it look just like a magical stage show.
‘But… wasn’t that outfit and look so familiar?’
That was definitely…
“…Jijoncheonma. What is he doing?”
The same clothes and staff he’d had in the labyrinth.
It was definitely him.
‘But why would he be doing such a show at a time like this?’
Still…
“Even this must have some meaning.”
‘Would he ever do something meaningless?’
Daphne, already deeply devoted to him, had faith in his actions.
“Move us there immediately.”
The moment Daphne arrived in Korea, she headed straight to Seoul’s famous downtown area.
There was no need to mention how this became a huge issue and generated all sorts of rumors.
A black Gate had appeared above the Pacific Ocean.
Though the photo was blurry, as if taken in haste, it was undeniably that same ominous Gate as before.
The difference this time was that it had appeared in the sky, not on the ground.
And its size was incomparably massive.
The size of a Gate didn’t necessarily determine its danger, but at that scale, it was a different story.
That’s why Yoon Seulah, without a moment’s hesitation, headed to the airport.
She believed that, aside from the first Awakened, she alone knew about the black Gate.
She needed to find out what they were hiding.
She needed to uncover the secret of that thing.
At the same time, she activated all her networks.
Observers who had eyes on the first Awakened.
A black Gate like before had appeared.
In this situation, how would the first Awakened move?
She expected them to be busy.
Given its overwhelming size, they’d surely be flustered and active, and she might catch a glimpse of their movements.
‘Wouldn’t some information slip out?’
But her expectations were wrong.
“No movement.”
[No unusual activity.]
“Haven’t shown themselves in days.”
Putting together their movements, the conclusion was: nothing unusual.
…She couldn’t understand it.
Why weren’t the first Awakened, who should have been busier than anyone, doing anything?
It was as if they were paralyzed with fear.
And some of them hadn’t shown themselves for months.
It was almost as if… they’d died somewhere out of sight.
‘What on earth is happening among them…?’
Ding—
As she was lost in her doubts, a message came in.
Daphne’s movements detected.
From the head observer in charge of all the “eyes” planted on Daphne Kirin, whom she’d marked as a person of utmost importance.
[Confirmed that an order was given to find someone.]
[Her movements are different from usual. She’s not thorough, she’s in a rush. Doesn’t seem to care if information leaks.]
[The person she’s looking for is described as someone in flashy clothes, with a wide-brimmed pointed hat and a staff. Most likely a codename or slang.]
Upon reading that far, Yoon Seulah stopped moving.
Flashy clothes, wide-brimmed hat.
Someone with a staff.
She definitely knew who that was.
It was the man in the photo she’d received just a few hours ago.
‘…What am I even thinking right now…’
Her first thought was to deny it.
It didn’t make sense.
‘Why would the world’s strongest Awakened be searching for someone putting on a magic show in the middle of Seoul?’
So, surely, this was just a bizarre misunderstanding caused by a string of coincidences.
That had to be it.
But…
[Daphne Kirin.]
‘If so, what about the next message that followed?’
[Moving to Korea.]
Yoon Seulah couldn’t make sense of any of it.
Banpo Police Precinct, Seocho Police Station.
***
Though it was an unusually busy time, police officers were gathered together, speaking in hushed voices.
“His fingerprints aren’t coming up… What the hell is going on?”
“He looks normal enough.”
“He’s not a foreigner, he’s obviously Korean. Never seen anything like this before.”
“Seems like he was never even registered at birth?”
“Yeah. He didn’t come up in the fingerprint system, so it must be.”
Hio listened silently to their murmuring.
He was some distance away, but this much was nothing for Awakened.
“But did you see how he recited his resident registration number so earnestly? That gave me chills, honestly.”
“Don’t be too harsh.”
“And that outfit… Turns out he’s not even a professional performer. Seems like he has some kind of mental issue, right?”
“I heard earlier he claimed to be a wizard and talked like he knew Nam Tae-min.”
“Nam Tae-min? That’s Nam Tae-min, the Taeryong Guild Master? Wow… Is this some kind of Ripley syndrome?”
“Something like that, I guess. Tsk, tsk… He’s still young, what a shame…”
They’d encountered a young man at the scene who wasn’t even registered at birth, and so they’d all gathered to quietly gossip about their first experience with such a case.
He understood.
But understanding their feelings didn’t mean he had the composure to just nod along in agreement.
“So… you mean all proof that you exist in this world has disappeared?”
Hio mentally answered Purunel’s question in the affirmative.
‘Yeah.’
[But that’s supposed to be impossible.]
‘Right.’
If he’d been declared dead, that would at least make sense.
But there wasn’t a single record left—it was absurd.
The very traces that Hio, that Hyunseung Lee, had ever lived in this world had vanished.
“Hm… I don’t really know either, but if I had to guess… Did the god of this world erase you?”
‘But why?’
“How should I know? Or maybe your soul just crossed over completely…”
‘My soul crossed over, huh.’
Unlike the other Possessors, whose souls were hollow, Hio had crossed into the Vental World with his soul intact.
That’s why he couldn’t log out, but he hadn’t really cared about that.
And you know someone else like you.
Someone who, like Hio, had their soul intact and was unable to log out.
‘Airlights.’
“That’s right. Her soul’s kept in Kreutzvalt’s lantern, so you should ask her someday. Maybe, like you, she was erased from this world.”
Airlights’s past had a lot in common with Hio’s.
No—at least the results of their pasts were similar.
They’d been pulled into Ventair under similar circumstances.
No one left by their side, unable to find a reason to keep living in reality.
At the same time, they’d both achieved high ranks in Ventair.
Was that a common trait for people like them? Or was it something unique to Hio?
“Looks like they’re wrapping up over there.”
Just as his thoughts threatened to deepen, Purunel’s voice interrupted, and, just as he said, one of the officers approached Hio.
“Mr. Hyunseung Lee. Have you remembered anything?”
His tone was much gentler than before.
It was considerate, friendly.
“Um… Well… I’m not really sure…”
“It’s okay. We’ll help you, so let’s try to remember people or places you were close to.”
There were a lot of officers, but here was a young man, not even registered at birth, unable to remember his home, parents, or anyone he knew.
It was a first for them too.
They couldn’t even be sure Hyunseung Lee was really his name.
“Let’s think through it together, calmly. Is there really no one you can contact?”
“I do have someone I could contact.”
“But you don’t know their number?”
“I don’t, but maybe I could reach them through their company.”
“Company? Who is it?”
“Yoon Seulah. She seemed kind of famous, I guess…”
At Hio’s words, the officer’s eyes went wide.
“Yoon Seulah? The third-generation chaebol?”
“I’m not sure… but her house was really nice.”
“You mean that Yoon Seulah who gave up and became a businesswoman, who’s already built up at least three mid-sized guilds, that Awakened?”
“Yeah… That sounds right. If you just give them the name Hyunseung Lee, she’ll probably come to see me… I wonder if there’s a way to do that?”
He said it, but didn’t really expect anything.
After all, he’d already overheard what they were whispering.
Even so, he hoped he might at least get some good idea to get his name to Yoon Seulah…
“…Uh, well, I’ll look into it.”
The officer answered, standing up with a face full of pity.
“Please wait here, Mr. Hyunseung Lee.”
He turned his back, quickly signaling to his colleagues across the room.
It was a prearranged signal: the guy was definitely crazy—contact the mental hospital right away.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.