Where, and how, had it all gone wrong?
In the outside world—in other words, on Earth—they were Awakeners so famous that there was not a single person who did not know their names.
To be famous meant to have great renown.
And to have great renown meant, in turn, to be strong.
Thus, the expedition party to clear the 51st floor, led by Daphne, was composed of members so extravagant that Earth could scarcely have imagined it.
At first, everyone had been full of composure.
Of course, Daphne knew that it was bravado disguised as composure.
They all knew one another from beyond the television screen, through all manner of media… so it was bravado meant to keep them from looking weak among each other.
It was the instinct to puff oneself up the more frightened one became.
If there was a reason such Possessors had gathered and still felt uneasy, it was, as expected, the issue of logging out.
The thought that they might not be able to log out naturally caused anxiety to surge within them.
Having risen triumphantly without facing any great crisis, it was difficult for them to remain calm before a true one.
But that lasted only a short while.
Once they entered the Abyss Gate for the sake of the raid, that anxiety vanished.
It was because a notification message appeared, stating that logging out would be impossible for ten days after entry.
Ten days was not particularly difficult to endure, so they regained their composure upon realizing that the final resort called logout had returned to them.
…They should have noticed it then.
That something was deeply unusual.
From the very beginning, the expedition had been filled with variables.
Logging out would be restricted for ten days… It was something they had never experienced before.
And yet why had they thought that what existed inside would be something within the bounds of common sense?
There had been enough omens. They should have prepared for something beyond common sense to occur…
“…No. That’s not it.”
There was no meaning in such self-reproach.
In truth, their preparations had been sufficient.
Had she not gathered the greatest combat force she could possibly summon?
Preparing beyond that had not been feasible, neither in terms of time nor method.
It was simply that what lurked inside had been something akin to a calamity.
It was simply that the Possessors, struck with terror by it, had fallen apart.
“I have to find a way.”
The raid had failed.
It would be unleashed upon the world. It would become the beginning of disaster.
If there was one silver lining amid this misfortune, it was that she had seen the monster’s ability.
So now, she truly had to find a way.
This place was reality, after all, with no convenient function like logging out.
But how was one supposed to face it?
Who could step forward and confront that calamity-like ability…? To that question, only one person came to mind.
“The Supreme Heavenly Demon.”
Only him.
There was only him.
Even in that place where she herself had gone mad, only the Supreme Heavenly Demon had remained unshaken. Only he would not retreat before it.
And so Daphne immediately rose to her feet.
There was not much time left.
A wide, pure-white room.
The door to the room, one no one could enter due to all manner of security devices, opened, and Daphne walked out.
At the same time, a dozen or so Awakeners followed behind her.
Daphne turned to them with practiced ease and opened her mouth.
“Find the Supreme Heavenly Demon.”
Whether or not they could find him.
It was a race against time.
* * *
Daphne Kirin.
The first Awakener from Spain.
One of the most influential people in the world.
In a dangerous and unstable world, it was only natural that those with the power to protect it would possess fame and authority.
On top of that, she had outstanding looks and a distinct coldness.
And even among the First Awakeners, said to be exceptionally powerful, she possessed overwhelming strength.
How could she not become famous?
How could people not go wild over her?
The forces that followed her became one enormous group, and the power of Daphne Kirin, standing at its apex, had grown beyond control.
That very Daphne gave an order.
“Find the Supreme Heavenly Demon.”
This was quickly relayed through the rankers who followed her, then down to ordinary Awakeners.
Of course, by that point, instead of the name Supreme Heavenly Demon, his clothing and distinguishing features were passed along, and the order had been modified into finding that person.
Meanwhile, Daphne herself boarded a plane bound for Korea.
She had already known that the Supreme Heavenly Demon and Silvert were from Korea.
However, Silvert would likely be moving busily in another world.
That was the role Silvert had agreed to take on instead of participating in the raid.
He would be in the midst of chaos on that side as well, so obtaining his cooperation would be a distant hope.
And as for whether the other rankers knew the Supreme Heavenly Demon’s location—
“There’s no way.”
The Supreme Heavenly Demon was someone who had avoided everyone’s eyes for nearly three full years.
A person shrouded in all manner of mystery, who moved while looking ahead into the future.
At least in that other world, his name had become known as the Empire’s guardian knight, but in this place, not the slightest thing was known about his identity.
There was no way an ordinary ranker could know someone like that.
That was why Daphne headed to Korea herself.
Since every second counted, she had no choice but to move as quickly as possible…
And the world was far too interested in a person named Daphne Kirin.
- Daphne Kirin makes sudden visit to Korea.
- The world’s strongest woman, Daphne Kirin, visits Korea for the first time!
- Daphne Kirin ignores reporter’s question asking whether she knows kimchi…
- Is Daphne’s visit to Korea actually because her lover is Korean?
……
All she had done was briefly appear at the airport, yet articles poured out in an instant.
Not only in Korea, but all across the world, hundreds and thousands of articles sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
That was the daily life of a candidate for the world’s strongest Awakener.
She was not a celebrity who lived off popularity and fan devotion, so she ignored the countless interview and photo requests, not even sparing them a thought.
And people grew even more enthusiastic at that sight.
They went on about how her cold demeanor suited her, or how her charisma was no joke, and so on.
Even though Daphne herself paid no attention to such words.
The only thing she cared about right now was whether she could meet the Supreme Heavenly Demon within the time limit.
The first piece of news Daphne encountered upon arriving in Korea was—
“An Abyss Gate has appeared.”
News of an Abyss Gate that had appeared in the skies above the Pacific Ocean.
Her hand clenched of its own accord.
There was not much time left. Within a few days, the entity that even a large-scale expedition had failed against would burst out into the world.
“The Supreme Heavenly Demon?”
That was why she had to find the Supreme Heavenly Demon all the faster.
“As it happens, we found a clue.”
Along with those words, what was shown to Daphne was a video.
It was a video of a man standing in the middle of a crowd, waving a staff around as if performing.
“This is…”
He wore a large hat on his head, and the staff in his hand flashed with light.
At its tip, small flames and droplets of water appeared, making it look just like some wondrous magic show…
But were his clothes and appearance not far too familiar?
That was definitely—
“…The Supreme Heavenly Demon. What is he doing?”
The same clothes and the same staff as when they had met in the labyrinth.
It was certainly him.
But why he was putting on such a show in a situation this urgent, she could not understand.
Still…
“Even this must have some thought behind it.”
Could anything he did be meaningless?
Daphne already worshipped him deep in her heart.
“We move there at once.”
The place Daphne headed as soon as she arrived in Korea was one of Seoul’s famous downtown districts.
Needless to say, this ended up creating quite a major issue and all sorts of rumors.
* * *
The black gate that had appeared in the skies above the Pacific Ocean.
From the blurry photograph that seemed to have been taken in haste, it was unquestionably the same ominous gate as that time.
If there was one difference from back then, it was that it had appeared in the sky rather than on the ground.
And its size was so enormous that comparing it to the one back then would be embarrassing.
It was not as though a gate’s danger level was determined by its size, but if it was that huge, was that not a different story?
That was why Yun Seul-a headed to the airport without the slightest hesitation.
Aside from the First Awakeners, she believed she was the only one who knew about that black gate.
She had to find out what exactly they were hiding.
She had to uncover the secret of that thing.
At the same time, she activated every line of communication.
The observers who had eyes on the First Awakeners.
A black gate like the one from back then had appeared.
In this situation, how would the First Awakeners move?
She expected they would be busy.
Faced with that overwhelming size, they too would be flustered in their own way and make their moves, and in the process, perhaps an opening would appear.
Surely some piece of information might leak.
Of course, her prediction was wrong.
- No movement.
- Nothing unusual.
- Has not been seen for several days.
When their movements were compiled, the conclusion was that there was nothing out of the ordinary.
…She could not understand it.
Why were the First Awakeners, who should have been moving more busily than anyone else, showing no movement at all?
As though they were frightened.
Moreover, several among them had not shown themselves for months.
As if… they had died somewhere out of sight.
‘What on earth is happening among them…?’
Ding—
In the midst of being engulfed by such questions, she received a message.
- Movement from Daphne detected.
Daphne Kirin, whom she had designated as a person of highest importance.
The message had come from the chief overseer of the many “eyes” she had attached to Daphne.
- Confirmed that she issued an order to find one person.
- Movement differs from usual. Not thorough, but urgent. Does not seem to care that information is leaking.
- Identity of target unknown, but description is as follows: a person in flashy clothing, with a wide-brimmed pointed hat and a staff. Likely assessed to be code language.
By the time she confirmed that much, Yun Seul-a had already come to a stop.
Flashy clothing and a wide-brimmed hat.
A person with a staff.
She definitely knew someone who matched that description.
Was he not the man in the photograph she had been briefed on only a few hours ago?
‘…What am I thinking right now…?’
At the same time, the thought that arose in her was denial.
Did that make any sense?
Why on earth would the world’s strongest Awakener be looking for someone putting on a magic show in the middle of Seoul?
So this had to be a misunderstanding born of an extreme coincidence piled atop another coincidence.
It had to be.
And yet…
- Daphne Kirin.
If so, then what in the world was the message that followed?
- Moving to Korea.
Yun Seul-a simply could not understand it.
* * *
The Banpo Precinct of Seocho Police Station.
Though it should have been an extremely hectic time, unusually, the officers had gathered together and were speaking in low voices.
“His fingerprints don’t register either… Seriously, what is this?”
“He looks perfectly normal.”
“He’s not a foreigner, and anyone can see he’s Korean. This is a first for me too.”
“Doesn’t it seem like his birth was never registered at all?”
“Yeah. Since he doesn’t come up in the fingerprint check either, that’s probably right.”
Hio quietly listened to their murmuring.
There was a fair distance between them, but a distance of this much was nothing. To Awakeners, it was hardly any distance at all.
“Did you see him recite a resident registration number like he was genuinely wronged? Wow, I got chills there.”
“Don’t be like that.”
“His outfit too… and it turns out he wasn’t someone who specialized in performances either… He does seem to have some mental issues, doesn’t he?”
“I heard earlier he was going around saying he was a mage and acting like he knew Nam Taemin or something.”
“Nam Taemin? Nam Taemin, the Taeryong Guild master? Wow… Is it Ripley syndrome? Something like that?”
“Probably something similar. Tsk, tsk… He still looks young. What a shame, how did he end up like that…”
They had gone out lightly to the scene and encountered a young man whose birth had apparently never even been registered, so they had gathered together, whispering among themselves over this unprecedented situation.
He understood.
It was just that understanding how they felt did not mean he was in any state of mind to sympathize and nod along.
- So… the means by which you can prove you are a person of this world have disappeared?
At Purnel’s words, Hio silently affirmed.
‘Yes.’
- Even though they are things that could never disappear?
‘That’s right.’
If he had simply been processed as dead, he could at least understand.
But not a single record remained, so it was enough to leave him dumbfounded.
The very traces that Hio—Lee Hyeonseung—had once lived in this world had vanished.
- Mmm… I’m not rightly sure myself, but if I had to guess… perhaps the god of this place erased you?
‘Why, though?’
- How would I know? Or it may be because your soul crossed over as it was…
‘My soul crossed over, huh.’
Indeed, unlike the other possession victims whose souls were empty, Hio had moved into the world of Bentair together with his soul.
That was why he had no means of logging out, and he had not particularly cared about it either.
- And do you not know one person like yourself?
Someone who, like Hio, had not had an empty soul and had been unable to log out.
‘Airaitz.’
- Just so. Since that soul has been placed inside Kreutzwald’s Lantern, ask her someday. Is it not possible that, like you, her traces were erased from this world as well?
Airaitz’s past was similar to Hio’s in many ways.
No, the outcome brought about by her past was similar.
The circumstances and reasons that had drawn her into Bentair were alike.
Someone who had no one left by their side and could no longer find a reason to live in reality.
And at the same time, someone who had achieved a high ranking in Bentair.
Was that a common trait among such people? Or was it something special that had happened only to Hio?
- Seems the talk over there has more or less ended.
Purnell’s voice cut through the thoughts that were about to deepen, and just as he had said, one of the police officers was approaching Hio.
“Mr. Lee Hyeonseung. Have you remembered anything?”
His voice was far gentler than before.
It was a soft, considerate tone filled with concern.
“Um… I’m not sure… My memory is still…”
“Oh dear… It’s all right. We’ll help you, so let’s start by calmly recalling where you lived and any acquaintances you were close to.”
They were experienced police officers, but a perfectly normal-looking young man had no birth registration, and could not remember the house he had lived in, his parents, or any acquaintances.
It was a first for them as well.
To begin with, they could not even be certain whether the name he claimed was Lee Hyeonseung was really correct.
“Let’s think it through calmly together. Is there really no one you can contact?”
“Contact… There is someone I could try to reach.”
“But you don’t know that person’s contact information?”
“I don’t know their number, but I think it might be possible if we contact their company.”
“Their company? Who is this person?”
“Her name is Yun Seula. She seemed to be fairly famous…”
At Hio’s words, the police officer speaking with him opened his eyes wide.
“Yun Seula, as in that third-generation chaebol?”
“I’m not sure… Her house was incredibly nice, though.”
“You mean the Yun Seula who gave up being an Awakened, returned to business, and has already raised at least three mid-sized guilds?”
“Well… I think that’s right. If you just pass along the name Lee Hyeonseung, she’ll come to meet me… Is there a way?”
Even as he said it, he did not expect much.
After all, he had already overheard what they had been whispering among themselves.
Still, he had brought it up in the hope that he might at least get a decent idea for how to convey his name to Yun Seula…
“…Yes. Then I’ll look into it.”
The police officer who rose to his feet with that answer had a look of pity on his face.
“Mr. Lee Hyeonseung, please wait here for a moment.”
As he turned his back, he quickly signaled to his colleagues watching from across the room.
It was the agreed-upon signal that the man was definitely insane, so they should contact a mental hospital at once.
It was at that moment that the outside suddenly grew noisy.