Ch.2727. The End Is Another Beginning

Amon’s wounds healed in a week.

The injury that had started at his side and covered half of his abdomen was able to heal so quickly not only because of healing magic but more importantly due to Amon’s own regenerative abilities.

Amon had always been exceptionally quick to recover, and this time was no different.

‘Well, this too…’

Must be because of Divine Power.

It was an incredibly convenient power that could explain any phenomenon that magic or science couldn’t.

Of course, the divine scholars tasked with uncovering its principles would probably be tearing their hair out, but that wasn’t Amon’s concern.

After completing his discharge procedures, Amon handed the bill to the holy knights.

At a glance, it was a four-digit dollar amount, but none of the knights showed any reaction.

They casually swiped their cards to pay for Amon’s hospital stay.

Sonia’s face turned pale at the ridiculous amount of money changing hands, but Amon wasn’t bothered at all.

‘Considering what I’ve done for the Vatican.’

To Sonia, who had grown up in an orphanage barely surviving on a tiny budget, it was a large sum, but to Amon, who knew the value of what he had indirectly accomplished through the game, ten thousand dollars was nothing.

Megacorps are super-corporations that replace nations.

The scale of money they handle is equivalent to national budgets.

Amon had conducted nation-level transactions with the Vatican.

In that context, ten thousand dollars?

‘They’d pay even if I spent a year in the hospital.’

That’s how different the scale of what Amon had done for the Vatican was.

That’s why Amon could hand over the bill to the Vatican without feeling any debt.

“Let’s go, Sonia.”

Since it wasn’t an important matter anyway, Amon took her and left the hospital.

The holy knights’ escort ended there.

The Higgjen Group that had threatened them was now gone, and the Vatican had no reason to continue protecting them.

It would be unfair to call them cold-hearted, as the escort itself was provided only because their interests aligned with the Vatican’s. Expecting more goodwill would make the two of them seem presumptuous.

Still, out of courtesy for having escorted them this far, they offered to continue the escort to the church.

The two declined the offer.

“We need to stop somewhere before going to the church.”

“Thank you for everything until now.”

When a holy knight asked where they were going, Amon answered with an awkward smile.

“To Korean Town.”

*

The two took a taxi to Korean Town.

It wasn’t their first time visiting the city where Koreans from Unified Korea had gathered.

They had often naturally ended up in Korean Town while running errands around the city.

However, it was their first time heading there specifically to buy something, and their first time taking a taxi instead of a bus.

In the taxi, Sonia looked at Amon.

The corners of his mouth were turned up, as if he was looking forward to what they would buy in town.

Watching his profile, Sonia’s lips moved as if to speak, but she kept stopping herself.

Amon noticed her behavior.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Ah, no… just…”

Sonia hesitated before speaking.

“Just… I was wondering if we could buy some meat for the children too…”

After considering her request, Amon nodded.

“Well, we do have plenty of advance payment.”

Even after setting aside the amount promised annually, the money deposited immediately upon signing the contract was substantial.

Enough to buy a whole ‘real’ pig in this world and throw a barbecue party.

However, Amon had one concern.

“Will the kids like it?”

Objectively speaking, compared to insect-based synthetic meat, real meat tends to have more of a gamey smell.

Of course, it also has much more fat and a richer flavor, but it could still be a matter of preference.

Moreover, real meat is more vulnerable to antibiotics and bacteria, giving it a much less hygienic image.

There are even people who refuse to eat real pork, considering it unclean, despite it being edible.

But such concerns were unfounded.

“I thought the same before trying it, but it’s not like that.”

According to Sonia, once you try it, you can never go back to cultured meat.

The difference between fake and real was that stark.

“Really? If you say so.”

Amon manipulated his phone to add one more item to today’s shopping list.

———

– Garlic

– Ssamjang

– Ssam vegetables (if available)

– Kimchi (if available)

– One whole pig (NEW!)

– Bell peppers (NEW!)

– Potatoes (NEW!)

– Tomatoes (NEW!)

——–

“Old man Johnson at the mercenary agency used to be good at barbecue back in the day, let’s call him. And let’s invite everyone we owe too.”

A whole pig would feed about 260 people.

The orphanage children couldn’t eat it all, so

Amon planned to invite everyone who had helped them, as he would soon be graduating from the orphanage.

As Amon happily contacted the orphanage director, Sonia quietly watched his profile before turning her gaze to the window.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly.

***

That evening, a joyful feast was held at the orphanage, which was under repair.

The goat beastman from the mercenary agency, Old Man Johnson, enthusiastically grilled barbecue, getting soot in his goat beard.

“Hehe! I never thought I’d do this again in my lifetime!”

Once the leader of a respectable mercenary group, he would tell tales of his glory days when drunk.

Those stories always ended with barbecue cooking, so anyone could tell the old man was nostalgic for the past.

Perhaps that’s why.

It seemed like the emotion of nostalgia was visible through the mechanical eyes of the goat beastman.

“Mehehehe… My eyes are malfunctioning because of the smoke. The waterproof fluid is leaking.”

The old man turned his head, worried that the liquid flowing from his eyes might drip onto the food.

His wife wiped away the fluid with a handkerchief for her hardworking husband.

Thanks to the old man’s efforts, many people got to taste real pork.

Due to the devastated environment and scarcity of meat, many had never tried it before.

Of course, one could taste real meat if determined, but it would cost almost a month’s salary for a single meal, making it unthinkable for most.

That’s why Amon’s invitation was so appreciated.

The merchants who gave work to the orphans,

The housewives who occasionally donated items to the orphanage,

The priests and holy knights from the church that had helped the orphanage,

The workers repairing the orphanage,

Everyone was enjoying the greasy feast.

People could become quite ugly in front of such food, but the adults maintained their dignity until the end.

“Would you like to try this?”

“You’re eating well.”

“Eat plenty.”

They knew well that the children were the main guests today, so they gave the meat to the children.

There was an implicit agreement among the guests to limit themselves to just enough to please their palates.

– “Eat this and stay strong.”

– “Thank you. We’ll turn this place into a palace.”

Watching a worker gratefully accept a plate from an orphan, the orphanage director wiped away tears.

‘Life has its moments. I never thought I’d see such a beautiful scene.’

As she wiped her tears, people called out to her.

“Thank you, Director!”

“Thank you, Director!”

Since people would question the source of the money if they knew Amon had bought the pig, they had borrowed the director’s name.

Embarrassed at receiving gratitude for something she hadn’t done, the director awkwardly turned her gaze toward where Amon was.

Amon and Sonia were enjoying their meal alone in a corner of the orphanage.

Amon was happily eating pork belly wrapped in vegetables.

In contrast, Sonia was just poking at her meat with a fork.

Only after satisfying his obsession with pork belly did Amon look up and notice Sonia’s plate.

“Aren’t you eating?!”

His voice rose to be heard over the crowd.

Then, upon meeting her eyes, Amon flinched.

Sonia’s eyes were filled with sadness.

Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, she snapped her fingers.

Snap!

Simultaneously, the party fell silent.

Amon looked around in confusion before quickly understanding the situation.

‘No. This is…’

Looking closely, the party hadn’t actually gone quiet.

The space where the two of them were had been isolated from the space where everyone else was.

Amon recognized this feeling.

“Is that what you learned from the priest?”

Nod.

Sonia nodded.

It was the silence barrier that had been placed in the office when Amon had private conversations with the priest.

Sonia had implemented it here with just a snap of her fingers.

Seeing this, Amon applauded.

“Congratulations. I always said you had talent.”

Normally, Sonia would have proudly puffed out her chest, but today was different from usual.

The more Amon praised her, the darker her expression became.

Seeing her expression, Amon finally understood the mood.

“…Is something wrong?”

In response to Amon’s question, Sonia delivered a shocking statement.

“I think we… need to be apart for a while.”

***

Amon froze at Sonia’s shocking announcement.

It took about a minute for Amon to process the situation.

“What do you mean by being apart…”

“Amon. You’re planning to become a mercenary, right?”

Amon nodded.

He had received the Vatican’s help on the condition of becoming a holy knight, but after turning the Higgjen Group upside down, he had realized something.

He wasn’t suited for organizational life.

Being a free spirit, he simply couldn’t work under anyone.

Besides, he didn’t think he could suppress his temperament in the Vatican.

He was the type who had charged at a boss with dual blades the moment he heard insults toward God.

If he were to witness the corruption of priests and nuns in the Vatican, a genocide wouldn’t be surprising.

Considering all this, it was better for everyone if he didn’t go to the Vatican.

This was something he had discussed with Sonia while in the hospital.

At that time, Sonia had vowed that she too would live as a mercenary.

But now she was saying they needed to be apart.

Amon combined this fact with the performance Sonia had just shown to interpret her meaning.

Even without her explaining, he could understand what she was trying to say.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes… I want to go to seminary school.”

The option of going to the Vatican had already been erased.

Having decided to date, they couldn’t keep the vow of chastity from the start.

Sonia couldn’t become a nun.

But separate from that, Sonia wanted to go to seminary school.

It wasn’t because she was particularly devout.

“The priest told me that I have an aptitude for divine magic.”

Divine magic.

Magic that is activated by properly kneading Divine Power and magical power.

It’s also a technique born to broaden tactical options by formalizing Divine Power like magic.

The problem was that magic, regardless of the era, belonged to higher learning.

Scientifically understanding what substances cause what reactions,

Mixing in mathematics to calculate speed and trajectory,

And expressing all this in the form of a formula to cast it—that’s what magic was.

It meant you needed to know science, mathematics, engineering, and coding.

There’s a reason why mages in games have intelligence as their main stat.

Of course, higher learning cannot be self-taught.

Great talent needs great teachers.

The priest, not wanting her talent to go to waste, had made an offer to Sonia.

“He said he could recommend me to a seminary school for divine magic.”

Up to this point, it was something to be happy about.

The problem was that the seminary school was in California.

Far away from the state where the two of them currently were.

According to Amon’s knowledge, the distance from Colorado to California was about the same as the length of South Korea.

It was definitely not a commutable distance.

After hearing this explanation, Amon’s expression darkened.

“You… can’t come with me, right?”

Amon nodded.

Objectively speaking, Amon had zero talent for magic.

His brain wasn’t particularly high-performing.

Sonia didn’t want to break up either, and Amon didn’t want to let her go.

But both knew well.

If they missed this rare opportunity, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

Sonia would forever regret not learning magic, and Amon would forever regret holding her back.

It wasn’t because dreams were more important than love.

Because they loved each other, because they knew how beautiful the dreaming version of their partner was, they had to let go.

Silence filled the space between them.

Sonia’s lips moved as if to say something, but her throat was choked with emotion.

Amon broke the silence.

“Sonia.”

“…”

“Sonia. Give me your arm.”

At Amon’s request, Sonia hesitated before extending her arm.

Click

A bracelet was fastened around her wrist.

Her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the beautiful silver ornament.

Meanwhile, Amon took out a golden bead and placed it on her bracelet.

Pop.

The bead broke, and a golden aura seeped into the bracelet.

Soon, some knowledge and a bond connected to her soul.

“This is…”

“This bracelet is yours now.”

She seemed to understand without Amon explaining.

The bracelet had been bound to her.

She felt that whenever and wherever she wanted, it would appear on her wrist.

Even if it were destroyed, it would be recreated through her soul.

In other words, this bracelet would be with her forever.

But the bracelet’s effect wasn’t just that.

The binding effect was merely the basic option of the legendary essences Amon had used.

The true effect of the essence he used was…

“My Divine Power… is recovering.”

The Divine Power that had been draining to maintain the barrier was being replenished.

It was the bracelet’s effect.

The means to recover Divine Power are very limited.

Meditation or sleep.

Unlike magical power, there are no potions, so one must be careful when using Divine Power.

In such a world, Divine Power holders would try all sorts of methods to find ways to quickly recover their Divine Power.

It’s no wonder that essences related to Divine Power recovery would fetch building-level prices at auctions.

Sonia, also knowing this value well, couldn’t properly continue her words.

“But something like this… you too…”

“You know it suits you better than me.”

Sonia couldn’t answer.

Amon was right.

As befitting a legendary essence, the essence had an additional effect.

Recover a fixed amount when Divine Power is consumed.

The important thing here is that it’s a fixed ‘amount’, not a percentage.

When Divine Power is quantified, whether you use 1 or 100, it recovers 5.

In other words, it was an effect suited for someone who frequently uses Divine Power.

This effect suited Sonia much better than Amon.

After all…

“Now your Divine Power will recover every time you fire a gun.”

Her Divine Power was consumed very slightly while absorbing recoil.

Combined with this bracelet, it meant that even if her Divine Power was completely depleted, emptying one magazine would fully restore it—a bug-like synergy.

“What do you think?”

At Amon’s gift, her tears welled up.

“If you do this… how can I be apart from you…”

“That’s why I gave it to you.”

“So I won’t leave?”

Shake shake.

“No. So you’ll remember me even when we’re apart.”

At Amon’s answer, Sonia finally burst into tears.

She buried herself in Amon’s arms and cried against his chest.

“I won’t forget! I’ll video call you every night!”

“Okay.”

“Don’t take any jobs during my breaks!”

“Alright.”

“And visit the school sometimes.”

“Sure.”

“And… and…”

Her promises continued.

Amon patted her back, holding back his own tears.

In the barrier completely cut off from the outside,

The young couple made countless promises to each other.

And the next day.

“Are you two idiots?”

Despite the priest’s rude remark, the two couldn’t lift their heads.

The two had visited the priest to thank him for his recommendation.

Amon’s eyes were moist as he asked the priest to take care of Sonia.

Sonia also seemed unable to fully accept the fact that they would be separated, repeatedly lifting her head to hold back tears.

Looking strangely at the two, the priest heard their situation,

Which led to the above remark.

The reason for the priest’s reaction was simple.

“Can’t Amon just follow you and live together?”

“…”

“Sonia. Is the seminary a boarding school?”

“…No.”

The seminary is a regular university.

Whether students live in dormitories or rent apartments.

Once classes are over, the school doesn’t care what students do or where they go.

“Then is there any reason why Amon can’t go to California?”

“…No.”

Mercenaries are free.

It’s a profession chosen for its freedom.

There was no reason why Amon couldn’t work in California.

“Then why did you think you had to be apart?”

At the priest’s words, the two couldn’t lift their heads.

Right.

Why did they think that?

Looking into each other’s eyes, they couldn’t figure out the reason no matter how much they thought about it.

The priest sighed at the two idiotic lovers.

“They say love is stronger than medicine… how can it lower people’s intelligence like this?”

Though there was no cursing, the effect of piercing their hearts was tremendous.

That evening, sounds of something being kicked were heard from Amon and Sonia’s room, and the next day the blankets were in tatters—a secret known only to the director and the priest.