Ch.193Chapter 8. Ability User Maker (3)

People fear sudden changes.

When someone’s behavior changes abruptly, especially in a significantly positive direction, it’s natural to think, “What’s going on? Are they about to die?”

“Everyone’s gone crazy.”

That’s why Jung Ki-jo, the president of the Hero Association, wanted to understand their true intentions through one-on-one counseling with association agents, including Park Eun-jung.

“They’ve all gone mad with good deeds.”

And he realized.

It wasn’t villain corruption, but “justice corruption”—as if their minds had been forcibly transformed, they were completely reborn as new people.

“…I’m really curious what method was used. Tsk. Ms. Seol-hee. What do you think?”

“That the Hero Association agents changed overnight?”

“Not overnight, but during their abduction.”

“Thinking about that makes my head hurt, Mr. President.”

Baek Seol-hee scanned the CCTV monitors connected to each room on the wall of the president’s office.

“It is a bit scary though. Seeing people who used to just fool around now developing themselves in such wholesome ways.”

“Right. People who never read books are now reading, cleaning their temporary living spaces, exercising according to their own routines in their rooms. They’re even independently honing their abilities within their rooms without causing any damage. And on top of that…”

“They agreed to 24-hour CCTV surveillance?”

“Yes! People who wouldn’t even let us take their photos because of privacy concerns are now saying ‘I understand’ and agreeing to 24-hour surveillance?!”

The association president couldn’t help but be terrified.

“It’s strange. So strange. They weren’t like this. You know as well as I do how problematic they were?”

“They’ve reformed.”

“It hasn’t even been a year! How can people change so drastically after just a few days?”

“People can change with just a little catalyst. They’re not machines.”

“I’d rather they were machines, so I could say completely new commands were inputted. I’m really scared.”

“Of what?”

“That they might suddenly revert to how they were before.”

The president pointed at a man.

“Look at Chang-sik. He’s not the type to act like that. His current behavior is admirable, but in the past, he would have demanded the highest-spec computer and then used it to play CTA while killing people.”

“You mean the game?”

“Yes. The game. …Sigh. What is this really?”

“Don’t overthink it. There’s no sign they were beaten or tortured.”

“That’s what makes it scarier. Haah…”

The president covered his face with both hands and lamented.

“Whether it’s in a righteous direction or whatever, it feels like humans have been forcibly remodeled in one direction.”

“……”

“I’m not particularly fond of philosophy, but can someone who’s lost their free will and lives for society and justice still be considered human?”

“Well… that’s something you should discuss with the Lord of Radiant Wings.”

“The Lord of Radiant Wings… tsk.”

The president shook his head.

“Now is not the time to talk about that. …I almost wish I were like them.”

“Pardon?”

“…Huh. No, that’s not right. Since it’s you, Ms. Seol-hee, I should tell you. Ms. Seol-hee.”

The president turned to Baek Seol-hee with an extremely serious face.

“The Lord of Radiant Wings is…”

“Uncle President!!”

“…Ah, damn. Ms. Seol-hee. Let’s talk about this separately later.”

The president shut his mouth at the shout from outside.

“Uncle! Let me meet the ability-lost people!”

“…Tae Jo. Are you threatening me by coming in with your Taeguk Watch recording video?”

“No! I’m just here to resolve everyone’s curiosity!”

“Bringing a camera into a place full of confidential information is already a violation of security protocols.”

“Ah!”

Tae Jo, who had barged into the president’s office, pressed his Taeguk Watch to stop the video recording.

“…B-but you’ll still let me meet them, right? I turned off the video!”

“I can’t just let you meet them without good reason. Not unless you have a valid reason for wanting to meet them.”

“Because I’m curious!”

“You barged in here just because you’re curious?”

“Yeah!”

Tae Jo was confident.

In response to his overwhelming confidence, the president just tapped the table with his finger, expressionless.

“When I was young, when I came before adults, I would politely…”

“Will you let me meet them if I tell you why I’m curious?”

“Thunder Empress? You too?”

Another S-class, Thunder Empress, entered the room and stood beside Tae Jo.

“Are you using Tae Jo as bait?”

“He’s the youngest. The youngest should take the lead in these things. Right, oppa?”

“…Battle God too?”

Three S-class heroes now stood before the president.

“Ms. Seol-hee. Say something. They’re threatening me right now.”

“I’m curious too.”

“Ms. Seol-hee?”

“What do ability users fear most? Losing their abilities. But now people who regained their abilities have appeared. …Of course we’re curious.”

Baek Seol-hee stood beside the three S-class heroes with a calm expression.

“You’re going to officially release the investigation results anyway. What happened to their abilities? Did they awaken completely new abilities, or did they develop different ones?”

“……”

“President. Isn’t that more important right now than the agents suddenly becoming allies of justice?”

A wicked person might suddenly change.

But Zenros becoming ability users again is a different story.

“The entire nation, no, the whole world is watching. They want to know what abilities the kidnapped Zenros members have now.”

“…Well. Tae Jo, if I explain it in gaming terms, would you understand?”

“Gaming terms?”

“Yeah. This isn’t an official statement from the president. Just talking off the record.”

The president took a deep breath.

“…Have you ever heard of something like a level reset reincarnation system?”

* * *

[Association President: “Strong New Game,” Ability Users Starting Over from E-Class]

“These days newspaper headlines read like light novels.”

After using a bit of magical power,

I returned to the Ulleungdo pension to rest and gather information about the world.

“It’s not wrong though. It’s like creating an alt character, even if it’s your own body. Right?”

Dressed in hanbok, Qiongqi placed green tea in front of me and pointed to a girl he had brought along.

She too was dressed in hanbok like Qiongqi.

Unlike Yoon Hye-ra who wore it like a dress, this girl had bandages tightly wrapped around her chest.

“How does it feel? Right now.”

“…I’m always grateful.”

“You don’t need to be so humble. You understand, Do-eun?”

“Yes…!”

Yoo Do-eun. C-class. Former academy middle school student. Current Zenros.

She was the girl Qiongqi had switched, who had been suppressing her demonic nature until I discovered and subdued her.

“The Goblin isn’t such a bad person. Look. Does this face look like a bad person?”

“I don’t think you’re a bad person, but you do seem like a bad boy.”

“See? All women have the same eye for men.”

“……”

I didn’t know when they were demons.

I just sealed whatever I saw, trapped them in talismans, sent those talismans to Daejeon, and then restored them to their original forms without distinguishing whether they were boys or girls.

“Student Do-eun. Let me ask you something. You can still go back to your original place. What will you do?”

“…I prefer where I am now. My place is here, with the Syndicate.”

Yoo Do-eun placed her hand on her chest and spoke with conviction.

“I’ll work for the Syndicate that saved me. Even if someone completely different takes my place. Even if I can no longer use the name Yoo Do-eun.”

Beep.

Just then, Yoo Do-eun’s image appeared on TV.

A white-haired girl who looked exactly like Yoo Do-eun was using her ability at the Hero Association’s training ground.

-…As you can see, Ms. Yoo Do-eun is also using E-class magical power. Although she cannot use her previous “Magic Bullet Bombardment,” her physical abilities are the same as E-class…

“It must be strange. Someone who isn’t Yoo Do-eun living as Yoo Do-eun.”

“…It can’t be helped.”

Yoo Do-eun smiled bitterly as she watched the girl with her appearance.

“I decided to become an agent of the Syndicate.”

“It must be difficult.”

“It’s okay. I’ll build up from the bottom step by step, and regain my original abilities. As Qiongqi said, if I follow the curriculum well, I can return to C-class within two years. My parents have also agreed to come to America with me.”

“Tell them I’m sorry for making them lose their daughter so suddenly.”

“It’s fine. Hehe.”

It’s not complicated.

The girl Yoo Do-eun whom we switched wants to join the Syndicate.

And in the place where the girl Yoo Do-eun should be, a “test subject” prepared by Pandemonium has taken her place.

The genes are different, but we can just explain it away by saying her genes were altered when she became a demon.

Even if she’s different from others, we can just say Yoo Do-eun is a special case.

“What I’m worried about is that girl, she won’t suddenly start saying ‘I’m not Yoo Do-eun!’ will she?”

“The Syndicate will keep managing her. She was a non-ability user who became an ability user, so if she doesn’t want to lose that blessing, she’ll do her best to live as Yoo Do-eun, no matter what others say.”

“…That’s right.”

Yoo Do-eun slightly lifted the upper part of her hanbok.

Inside the bandages, near where they entered her cleavage, a light the same color as Qiongqi’s magical power was shimmering.

The emblem looked like a fiery bird spreading its wings, but it only glowed softly.

-Meanwhile, regarding these unidentified emblems engraved on the bodies of Zenros members…

The fake Yoo Do-eun has one too.

The difference is that the emblem engraved in this Yoo Do-eun’s cleavage has a stronger Eastern form, while the emblem on the other Yoo Do-eun and other Zenros members has a different shape.

Zenros members reset to Level 1.

The symbol of their newly received abilities is magical power passed down from Qiongqi and Taowu, abilities newly awakened through a “contract” to live for order and justice.

Whether we should call it the Sephirot Alliance or the Sephirot Knights is ambiguous.

Well, calling them protectors of Earth’s peace is roughly accurate.

“The colors are similar but the emblem shapes are completely different, so they have nothing to do with the Syndicate. That’s fine then.”

“Excuse me, Manager Do. One question.”

Qiongqi poked me from behind.

“Hey, this really doesn’t mean anything, right? I hate discord. Me being the ‘Queen of Spades’ really doesn’t mean anything, right?”

“There’s no particular meaning to the order or hierarchy. Except for the leader.”

“…But why is the leader the King of Hearts?”

“Well.”

Obviously, because that’s the motif.

“The emblems of the guardians of order have a trump card concept, and the leader naturally being the King of Hearts is only natural.”

“But why not Ace, and why not Spades, why King of Hearts?”

“Well.”

Obviously.

“Because he’s the King of Hearts.”

*nods*