episode_0576
by fnovelpia
Knock knock!
“Phew, it’s finally over.”
After I finished my work, I lit a fire on my bloody and dusty hands and burned away the contamination.
And when I clapped my hands together and knocked, the remaining ashes were blown away by the wind as usual, leaving no trace.
‘The ashes scattered across the plains of India…’
In a way, I guess I just gave this villain a makeover.
I don’t want to dispose of the body myself, so I’ll leave it there, but at least a few drops of blood will remain as part of this plain.
Even without burning it, blood is still dripping down the slightly tilted train tracks.
Yeah, that’s right. A corpse.
In the end, the guy who couldn’t endure the process of making his mind soft died as soon as the artifact was completed.
Looking at the perfect timing, I thought he died from some kind of supernatural shock the moment the artifact was completed.
‘Come to think of it, I didn’t even ask your name.’
I returned home, scratching my head and using my keys wherever I could.
‘You can just remember him as a train villain.’
It doesn’t seem like a name that will come to mind again later, so is there any need to remember such a strong name?
Twinkle-
As I thought that, the silver bracelet on my wrist reflected light.
A bracelet with a design that at first glance looks similar to the silver bracelet given to Olivia.
But its true identity was an artifact created using the train villain’s superpowers.
The processed starlight has a silver or rainbow color, but as someone who doesn’t have much knowledge about metals, I couldn’t understand why. I only know that there are similar types of metals that exist in real life.
‘Anyway, I quite like this artifact.’
She looked at the bracelet on her wrist with a pleased expression.
When I held the finished artifact in my hands, I instinctively knew what effect it would have.
-So what’s the effect?!
Maria, who did not hear an answer from me, became angry.
I told him that I would let him know when I got home because he kept nagging me from the moment the artifact was completed… but as expected, the nagging started again as soon as I got home.
I had no intention of keeping it a secret, so I answered obediently.
‘Do you remember what the train villain’s superpower was?’
-Of course. If you just think about strength, it seems like it was stronger than the owner. It was a superpower that increased strength according to the output of the vehicle. If you were to give it a name, you could call it Synergy Ride or Fusion Ride.
‘Oh, that’s fine.’
I was impressed by Maria’s sense of naming. I hated having to worry about this kind of thing, so I was grateful that she gave me a name instead.
‘Then I guess I should name this bracelet Synergy Ride Bangle. It’s so long, I should just call it Synergy Bangle.’
– Are you sure that the superpowers are intact? The master said that the artifacts are likely to differ from the original superpowers.
‘That’s right. It has changed. In a slightly different direction.’
Ting-
As I flicked the bracelet with my fingers, a clear sound rang out.
I continued speaking, appreciating the tone.
‘Now, this is an artifact that doesn’t add the vehicle’s output to me, but rather adds my power to the vehicle’s output.’
-… The effect was reversed? The one receiving the power was not the owner, but the vehicle?
She was the one who understood at once, as if she were an outstanding artificial intelligence.
‘That’s right, it’s the exact opposite of the villain’s superpower.’
That’s why when I create an artifact, I always feel like I’m pulling out a random box.
Most of the artifacts I have now, including the keys, were made this way.
The original superpowers aren’t bad, but they’re more useful when made into objects.
– An artifact that increases the output of a vehicle according to the user’s ability… If it were a superpower, it would be an ability of no use to other people.
‘yes?’
It was just as Maria said.
The power of this bracelet, called the Synergy Bangle, would be garbage if it were the power of another superpowered person.
Of course, it would be so, because in the world of Namhira, it was common sense that each person could only have one superpower.
Assuming that you awaken this superpower, your body will be no different from that of a normal person, so how effective will it be to strengthen your vehicle with that physical ability?
Since it is now made into an artifact, those with supernatural powers related to physical enhancement will probably be able to utilize it in some way.
‘I wonder how much my mount will be strengthened if I use this.’
I thought that if my current physical ability were applied as is, I would be able to ride an electric kickboard at a speed faster than a sports car.
-Can a kickboard handle that?
‘I wonder if I’d ride a kickboard. It’s just a metaphor. And even if I were to really ride a kickboard, the motor wouldn’t break. That’s what superpowers are for. Maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about the wheels getting worn out by the friction of the road?’
Maria questioned it, but I was sure.
Just as the villain who had been pulling the train’s output didn’t die by himself exploding, there’s no need to worry about the vehicles that received my power breaking down due to the increased output.
Of course, it needs to be tested before being used on important items like manta rays.
It’s true that the superpowers changed when it was made into an artifact, so it’s not a bad thing to prepare for an emergency.
I figured I’d have to test it out sooner or later.
-A pretty good artifact has been created.
Maria also agreed with what I said.
-Is your next destination China?
‘Okay. So you figured out where the meteorite was?’
Most of the meteorite left in India is just fragments. We decided to move on to the next target that we had decided on in advance.
Although India and China are said to be the places where the most meteorites have fallen, it is not the case that there are no meteorites in other countries.
Maria, who gathered information by accessing the network, said that the United States in particular is using its influence, including money and military power, to gather Starlight from all over the world.
This is information that Lee Yuri could not have known, having only referenced the observatory’s announcement.
If you want to see all those places, you’ll have to move quickly.
Maria, who never disappoints me, gave reliable answers to my questions.
-Of course.
‘Then let me know, I plan to move right away.’
Maria used the key again to go somewhere, as the image of her destination appeared in her vision.
Crash-
Before the door opened fully, Maria’s warning was heard.
-However, unlike India, China has already collected all the meteorites by the government, so it might be a bit of a hassle. The facility where the meteorites are stored also appears to be guarded by the military and people with supernatural powers.
‘Are you saying that I might end up fighting a hero instead of a villain?’
-There is no concept of heroes in China. They are divided into government-affiliated superpowered people and unregistered superpowered people. It is not that all unregistered superpowered people are criminals, and it is difficult to see them as villains, and it does not seem that government-affiliated people only do good things.
I walked through the streets of China, listening to Maria’s explanation.
I bought a language learning jelly and put it in my mouth because I heard Chinese around me. Although the story of Toseonhyeophaengnok is set in a martial arts setting, it is a Korean work, so there is no particular mention of Chinese, so I have not learned Chinese yet.
Anyway, according to Maria, people with superpowers in China are being used like the military because of the system that requires them to report and belong to the government.
Recently, it is said that people have been losing their lives in the process of supernatural beings suppressing subversive elements under the pretext of arresting criminals.
‘That’s really complicated.’
Even though it was a country right next door, it was a way of thinking that was difficult to understand.
If you had that kind of superpower, you might want to change things you don’t like about the government or society.
– It seems like there aren’t any superpowered people who oppose the government, but most of them just follow whatever the government tells them to do. The government is really concerned about superpowered people who have really dangerous powers. Men, money, drugs. It seems like they’re trying to seduce them by giving them everything they want?
‘The government isn’t stupid either.’
Superpowers are not all dangerous and only those who are useful awaken. If we only paid attention to such people, the threat felt by the government would certainly be greatly reduced.
After roughly understanding the situation, I nodded and looked around.
‘So where is this place?’
Tall buildings that seemed to pierce the clouds. Glass facades that sparkled and reflected the blue sky. From a distance, the place I was standing in felt like a forest made of giant metal and glass.
But as if to remind me not to forget that this was China, the smell of oil from the dumplings being fried at the street stall next door and the unique smell of spices from the hot soup tickled my nose and woke me up.
As I looked out over the city where such heterogeneous sentiments coexisted, Maria’s clear voice came to my ears.
-This is Shanghai.
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