Ch.530Chapter 20. American Doblin (20)

However.

Cheon Ju-yeon of Taotie and Seong Ji-eun of Hundun have been resurrected.

Though many problems remain, we’ve achieved considerable results for what was supposed to be just a quick stop at Phoenix City for mana replenishment.

“I’ll personally report this to Qiongqi and Taowu. Taotie and Hundun will wait here. Only Goblin and Platinum Sun will return to Japan.”

The Chairman quickly organized the situation and gave instructions.

“What? Chairman, I don’t know about Ji-eun unnie, but I was in Japan…”

“If you want to go, you can leave your avatar body and go in spirit form.”

“Is there a particular reason?”

“We need to verify something. From the safest place.”

The Chairman pointed alternately at Ymir and the west.

“When the creator of an avatar body goes to the opposite side of the earth, will the avatar be maintained without a separate mana path connection?”

“Ah.”

“If something goes wrong, I’ll need to handle it immediately, so both of you stay here.”

The Chairman is reluctant to have the two executives follow me.

“Teacher, I’m fine with it, but if both of them…”

“Ymir.”

I pressed my hand on Ymir’s shoulder to restrain her kindness—or meddling.

“There’s a reason for this.”

“Hmm…”

Ymir is giving me a look that says “what is it?”, but that’s not something to discuss in front of those two.

“It would be nice to serve the country together, but that’s too bad.”

“…Let’s look forward to next time. Ms. Ymir, thank you.”

Whether acknowledging her as a powered individual or purely thanking her for letting her live as a human (97%), Seong Ji-eun showed respect toward Ymir, unlike during their first meeting.

“Next time we meet, I won’t lose like this.”

“Ah, hahaha…”

“Definitely.”

It’s not that Seong Ji-eun has a warrior’s temperament.

But having lost a 1:2 battle, her wounded pride hasn’t exactly disappeared.

“Same here. Next time, a more spectacular water hell will be waiting for you.”

The same goes for Cheon Ju-yeon.

“I’ll make what you saw in Osaka feel like absolutely nothing. Look forward to it.”

“…I’ll also make thorough preparations to ensure both of you are satisfied.”

“What? Are you saying you’ll fight until we’re satisfied?”

“…Tch.”

“Ah, n-no, that’s not what I meant!”

Ymir waved her hands with a tearful expression, and I put my arm around her neck and pulled her close.

“We’ll be heading to Japan now. If there’s a chance to meet anywhere, Japan or Korea or wherever, let us know. We’ll come right away. Well then, Chairman, until next time.”

“See you next time. Hehehe.”

I took Ymir and headed outside.

It was a passage leading up to take the elevator, and I pointed ahead.

“Ymir, could you open a dimensional gate to where we came in earlier?”

“That’s easy.”

Whirr.

A dimensional gate opened.

The gate Ymir and I crossed led to the wilderness inside the Rocky Mountains, the underground entrance to Phoenix City.

Whoosh.

As soon as we both exited, the dimensional gate closed.

“Huh?!”

Ymir turned around in surprise.

“Th-this…?!”

“Could you try opening a dimensional gate back to where we just were?”

“……Huh??”

Ymir was confused.

She looked like a genius facing an obstacle she couldn’t understand.

Moreover, an obstacle in her own field of expertise.

“W-why isn’t this working…?”

When faced with a situation where their ability doesn’t work, powered individuals become more flustered than in any other situation.

“Th-this is strange? The coordinates are definitely correct?”

“Try to figure it out. Why a dimensional gate won’t open to Phoenix City, specifically to where the Chairman is.”

“……??”

Ymir continued waving her hand in the air as if she still couldn’t understand, but the dimensional gate didn’t budge.

“Could this be power sealing…? No, that’s not it? Dimensional gates to other places open fine…? Teacher, I…”

“No hints.”

“Ah…. Well, okay. I’ll think of this as homework you’ve given me and research it.”

Determination blazed in Ymir’s eyes.

She probably thought she was confident in her ability, but now she realized there were aspects of undeveloped abilities where she fell short compared to the Chairman.

The correct answer is:

There is no Phoenix City under the Rocky Mountains.

Even if you dropped a nuclear bomb here, only the Rocky Mountains would collapse, not the underground Phoenix City.

“I definitely went down in an elevator…. Hmm…. The coordinates must be wrong…?”

One misconception.

Just because we took an elevator doesn’t mean we went underground.

If you consider that we underwent “spatial displacement” from the moment we entered, you might think differently.

I just need to wait until she finds the answer.

“Then, Teacher. Answer me this. Why can’t we bring the unnies with us? Or should I figure this out myself too?”

“I can answer that. Let’s talk after we board that.”

Rumble.

Something gleamed in the sky.

Creating wind as it slowly descended, it clearly had the shape of a passenger aircraft.

A rather large one.

“Is that…!”

“It’s the Syndicate’s private jet.”

The Peygrin mark was stamped on the tail of the aircraft.

“Ymir. When you become a full-time employee of the Syndicate, you can take a private jet like this for overseas business trips.”

“…I know regular employees can’t do that.”

“You can because you’re a team member under me. If you become a full-time employee, that is.”

As the private jet slowly descended and its door opened, I took Ymir’s hand and jumped aboard.

“Huh?”

“It’s unmanned.”

There was no one inside.

“Unmanned…?”

“The Chairman prepared this gift for you. Normally there should be a pilot and flight attendants, but…”

I picked Ymir up and moved to a sofa forming a ” shape around a square tea table inside the private jet.

“They made it unmanned because we’re taking you with us.”

“…Is, is that okay? I mean…”

Ymir gradually narrowed her eyes, beginning to show her true colors.

“The plane might shake too much.”

“How intensely are you planning to do it?”

“Enough to make the national anthem echo throughout the entire Pacific during our flight to Japan?”

“That’s quite something.”

I lightly flicked the forehead of Ymir, who was grinning at me, and took out a glass.

“I’ll be giving you a special patriotism lecture during the trip, so learn well. This is Manager Do’s special tutoring.”

“Wow…! Like what I did with the Chairman—”

“Current affairs. Esports.”

“…Eh.”

Ymir’s expression immediately stiffened.

“I haven’t finished my explanation yet.”

“……Is there something else to talk about? If it’s about Ji-eun unnie and Ju-yeon unnie, just give me the conclusion. I’ll just think, ‘Oh, I see,’ and think about it later.”

“That too, but we need to consider something else.”

“I don’t think we need to.”

“When else would we talk about this if not now.”

Beep.

I operated my Syndicate watch, pointing to the wall-mounted TV across the table.

“First, the reason those two can’t come together. It’s because I feel they might immediately terrorize Korea if they go to East Asia.”

“…Terrorism?”

“Yes. Whether they participate as America’s powered individuals in the World Cup, or by some other means, America’s World Cup participants have already been decided.”

The TV was broadcasting a live match between two people.

“They’ll immediately teabag.”

“…How?”

“As American powered individuals who have newly awakened by inheriting abilities.”

“Inherit?”

“Yes.”

For America to win the Powered World Cup, the Syndicate is willing to employ somewhat extreme methods.

“What they’re selecting in the finals there is the hero team. America has almost no one who could be called a ‘hero.’ Even combining North and South America, there are only three S-class heroes.”

And those three heroes are either “collaborators” with the Syndicate or “neutral,” but not Syndicate members.

“There are no S-class villains either. Instead, there are quite a few ‘hunters,’ like bounty hunters.”

“As far as I know, there are only three of those too?”

“Even three is something. They’re essentially heroes, but including them makes six. However…”

Even among S-class, not all S-class are equal.

“They all pale in comparison to Taejo.”

“Ah.”

In Korea, Armored Taejo is called an S-class detector, but by global standards, he possesses tremendous combat power.

“Is this also Hwan’s will? That all of America’s S-class powered individuals are inferior to Armored Taejo?”

“…I can’t say that entirely, since there are other S-class individuals, so it’s not too bad. Including the potential S-class awakeners they’re trying to discover there.”

On TV.

A-class individuals are battling in the arena, receiving cheers from many spectators.

“They’re hoping for a jackpot like Yoon Yi-seon awakening to S-class.”

“Hmm…. It would be difficult without you as a coach, Teacher.”

“True. But since those folks are participating and filling the numbers, the Syndicate can field a team. Doblin and the executives.”

“…They’ll participate as Syndicate members?”

“It’s a bit of a charade, but.”

I created a mask.

“If I participate as Doblin, I’ll wear this instead of the Goblin mask.”

“Are you planning to hide your identity?”

“Of course.”

I examined my reflection in the window.

“A perfect disguise, right?”

Just an eye mask covering the facial area.

The lower face is still exposed, but that’s not really a problem.

Because very few people have seen beneath Goblin’s mask.

“People don’t know. That I’m Goblin. And they don’t know that the Syndicate executives were once S-class in Korea. Because… we’re ‘Number 2.'”

“……What are you planning?”

“Let’s recall something we’ve forgotten.”

I took out instant coffee from the shelf, holding the sugar part and letting the rest fall.

“What function does mana powder have?”

“…Come on, Teacher. That’s… not it, right?”

“That’s exactly it.”

I dropped the remaining sugar part.

“I, Doblin, am an S-class who inherited the ability of the dead Goblin through his mana powder.”

Goblin is dead, and.

“I merely ‘succeeded’ the original’s ability through mana powder, I’m not the original.”

Though I use the ability suspiciously as well as the original.

“Anyway, I’m not him.”

Doblin is not Goblin.

“A powered individual thought to be Korean now has a successor appearing in America. It might feel a bit like being NTR’d?”

“…In that case.”

Ymir pointed to my hair.

“How about changing your style a bit?”

“……Good suggestion, Intern Yoo.”

I, Goblin.

“Accepted.”

Being able to actively accept even an intern’s opinion is the mark of a capable employee.

“Goblin’s ability was stolen by an American. There could be no greater humiliation for Korea.”

Though it’s actually me.

“While we’re at it…ah.”

“I should start by putting a mole under my left eye.”