Ch.666Chapter 25. Let it Unfold (16)

# Opening Ceremony, 1 hour before.

[…Be careful.]

“Ah, yes.”

Beep.

The call ended.

2 minutes and 33 seconds.

Though it was quite a short time, the conversation that took place was sufficient.

“Hmm.”

The small-framed woman with short black hair pushed up her horn-rimmed glasses.

Dressed like a weather forecaster, the woman held up the ID card hanging around her neck.

NBS Reporter, Han Seon-ah.

“……”

Reporter Han Seon-ah firmly gripped her Taegeuk Watch and left the room.

Outside the hotel room, people were already moving about busily, but Han Seon-ah walked out of the hotel more leisurely and unhurriedly than anyone else.

“There, there!! The Japanese team is entering the waiting room! Zoom in!”

“Focus on Nadeshiko! Center on her awakening emblem!”

The filming crews moved busily.

Though not from Han Seon-ah’s broadcasting station, the three major terrestrial networks were frantically trying to capture better scenes with their cameras.

“Unni!!!”

A woman taller than Han Seon-ah came running, waving her hand.

Significantly taller than the other men around, almost 185cm tall, the woman approached Han Seon-ah carrying a camera.

“I’m all ready!”

“…Mi-young, why are you wearing hanbok?”

“Huh? Because I’m Korean!”

“……”

Han Seon-ah looked up at the sky, faced with the bright attitude of Jung Mi-young, her junior colleague from the same broadcasting station, who was wearing a colorful traditional Korean jacket.

“Anyone can tell you’re Korean. Are you still worried about that?”

“……”

Jung Mi-young smiled bitterly, her eyes as round as her tall stature, and shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway… I got it. Let’s think about that later and go film the opening ceremony first.”

“Yes! The preliminary rounds start right after the opening ceremony, right?”

“That’s right.”

After checking their IDs once more, the two headed toward the venue for the opening ceremony.

“Wow, unni. Look at this. It’s all ice.”

“They didn’t even put up any anti-slip warnings. Even though it’s ice, it feels like walking on crystal…?”

The two women arrived at the entrance to the stadium.

Since the opening ceremony parade hadn’t started yet, citizens entering the ice palace were busy admiring the ice bridge stretched across the sea.

“Let’s take a shot before going in.”

“Okay. I’m ready.”

“Then…”

Han Seon-ah cleared her throat, then held the microphone with a bright smile in front of the ice bridge.

“This is ‘Baekseol Bridge,’ the entrance to the Busan World Cup special stadium. Created by hero Snow White’s ability, this bridge is an impressive 1km long and is so sturdy that even tens of thousands of people walking on the sea don’t cause it to collapse. …Cut.”

“Yes, good. They’ll edit the footage when I send it. Hehe, it’s fortunate that unni has the best voice.”

“Hey. Be careful. You never know where they might be listening.”

“…Okay.”

Frowning at the dejected Jung Mi-young, Han Seon-ah lowered her microphone and pointed inside.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Jung Mi-young quickly regained her spirits.

Though she was momentarily depressed, it seemed her vibrant personality was her strength.

“There are really a lot of people. The entrance fee alone was almost 100,000 won.”

“We get in for free though. Hehee.”

“…It’s not exactly free.”

Normally, whether it’s the World Cup or the Olympics, you have to pay to watch the games in person.

And the amount is quite small considering you can see S-class ability users from around the world in one place.

“Is Jangchung Stadium bigger than this? Bigger than Sajik?”

“It’s probably the largest stadium in our country. Even though it’s made of ice.”

That’s probably because it’s a stadium made of elaborate ice that won’t melt even if hundreds of thousands of spectators come in and generate heat.

“If Snow White gets angry in the middle and melts this, hundreds of thousands of people would drown.”

“Unni, don’t say such terrible things. Would Snow White really do that? Everyone’s trying not to provoke Snow White for that very reason.”

“…That’s true.”

Though not participating in the competition, she demonstrated the dignity of an ‘SS-class’ just by creating a special stadium on the sea where S-class fighters could battle.

Snow White is already considered second only to the Lord of Radiant Wings based on what she’s shown so far, but if everyone’s concerns disappear and it’s proven to be ‘the safest stadium in the world,’ they’ll all realize it.

“Unni. Did you hear that story? They say there was a group trying to destroy this ‘Baekseol Palace’ last night.”

“And?”

“They all failed. They couldn’t even break the bridge and had to leave.”

“…I’m sure. Each piece of this is an ‘absolute barrier’.”

The true SS-class dignity of Snow White.

“Unni.”

Jung Mi-young lowered her waist and whispered very quietly.

“If ‘PD-nim’ fought Snow White, would Snow White win?”

“…In a one-on-one fight with Snow White, maybe, but PD wouldn’t use full power against a pregnant woman.”

Han Seon-ah firmly shook her head.

“He’s someone who can’t exert power without justification. It won’t happen.”

“If he could get justification from Snow White…”

“Snow White wouldn’t give him any reason. No. Unless Snow White gets really angry at the people of this country?”

Han Seon-ah pointed to a man walking ahead of them.

“Look at that. He’s trying to break off a piece somehow.”

“……”

The man walking in front of them was touching the decorations on the bridge’s railing every time he passed them.

It looked like he was trying to leave handprints, and mana was even sparkling in his hand, but what he was doing was theft—trying to damage and take away the ice decorations.

However, none of the ice flowers or decorations fell off.

Rather, only the man’s hand was turning red with blood.

“The only thing you can take from here is probably the cushion laid out in the stands. Other than that, the stadium will remain as is. Unless someone attacks with enough force to destroy it.”

“People are expecting that too. Want to take another shot? He’s passing by behind there.”

Between the bridges.

On the sidewalk of the bridge where spectators were walking, a fairly large double-decker bus was passing through the roadway.

Painted red, ability users sitting in chairs on top of the bus were waving to the surroundings, conducting their own parade.

“…Chinese ability users are entering the stadium. As the country that has registered the most S-class player candidates this time, how many of them will be able to advance to the main tournament?”

“I say three.”

“You’re merciless. Let’s go in. Let’s wait until it starts.”

After filming another shot, the two entered the stands.

The stadium, which seemed like an expanded version of Sajik Stadium, was enormous.

According to rumors, it was incomparably larger than the World Cup stadium that China was supposedly preparing, and it looked more spacious and comfortable than the Guryong Arena built after demolishing Guryong Fortress.

“…It’s about to start.”

Han Seon-ah fiddled with her Taegeuk Watch, waiting for the time to come.

20:00.

The opening ceremony began.

As a parade full of Korean visual aesthetics unfolded, and a giant Taegeuk flag—whether a video or an illusion created by magical power—fluttered on the stadium floor.

“Here they come.”

Han Seon-ah watched the highlight of the opening ceremony, ‘the appearance of S-class heroes.’

Some entered alone carrying their national flag, while others came in groups of up to ten.

Their order was determined by Korea, following the order of consonants in Hunminjeongeum.

And now, it was the turn of ”.

-It’s time for the heroes of the Republic of Korea to enter!

Step, step.

A total of five people appeared.

Though each had a different appearance, everyone finally saw ‘him.’

“Lord of Radiant Wings Kim Jin-ho…”

The world’s strongest.

Everyone’s attention focused on the Lord of Radiant Wings, who appeared with blonde hair and a fluttering yellow dopo, and Han Seon-ah swallowed hard as she closely observed him.

“Mi-young, do you feel it too?”

“……”

“What’s your intuition telling you?”

“Uh, hmm, it’s strange…”

With a serious face, Jung Mi-young frowned as she stared at the Lord of Radiant Wings, who was hundreds of meters away.

“Last year, I felt like I couldn’t even look him in the eye, but why do I now feel like ‘I could take him on’?”

“…It seems the rumors are true after all.”

“Not rumors, but your speculation? That the Lord of Radiant Wings…”

Jung Mi-young lowered her voice.

“Suffered a major injury, so he’s no longer the world’s strongest?”

“……”

“If that’s true, then what you said next is also true. That, America’s…”

“We’ll see. Whether I’m killing someone or finding the truth.”

Han Seon-ah manipulated her Taegeuk Watch to display a photo where others couldn’t see.

The photos all seemed to connect different entities into one form.

Goblin, Doji Rider, Seonbital, Do Ji-hwan.

And in the remaining space was the word ‘Doblin.’

“That’s the characteristic of Korean scammers. Having dozens of business cards.”

“The truth will be revealed.”

America is entering!!

A group of ability users began to enter the stadium.

Typical ‘Westerners,’ a mix of white and black people, entered the stadium wearing black suits and sunglasses like company employees or members of some alien response organization.

“Unni, those women…”

“They’re heroes. …Themselves, I suppose. Resurrected after death.”

The most noticeable were the four beautiful women with various hair colors mixed with blonde highlights in the center of the heroes.

“There’s just one person who hasn’t revealed themselves. That’s Doblin…”

“Ah, that one?”

“……”

And.

“That guy in shorts walking alone among those four women?”

“…Wait a minute. What is that person doing…?”

Han Seon-ah saw it.

“Is he crazy?”

In the center of four S+ class heroes walking in four directions.

As if they were ‘escorting’ him, a blonde, blue-eyed man walking leisurely with his hands in his coat pockets.

“Unni, is that possibly ‘Doblin’? Wow…!”

“Jung Mi-young, as I said…!”

“He’s cute!”

“……”

Correction.

“He looks similar to you, unni?”

“Hey, shut up. I’m taller.”

“No way. I’ve hugged you many times, so I know. That Doblin kid seems about 3cm taller than you!”

“This…”

Though male, there was a need to change the address.

“You’re saying I’m shorter than that little kid? Than that dwarf of a boy?”

“Dwarf? What if he’s really like 10 years old? What if he’s like twenty years younger than you?”

“Hey, I told you. That’s not Doblin…”

“Unni.”

With an incomprehensible face, Jung Mi-young pointed with her eyes at the blonde, blue-eyed boy to whom the four riders were actually matching their steps.

“Are you saying that boy is the man you’re thinking of? This is what they call ‘an amateur shaman kills people.’ You know?”

“……”

Han Seon-ah.

“This is truly ‘enough to make a goblin weep’!”

“Ugh…!”

She could only tremble with clenched fists as she stared at the small boy, Doblin, who appeared to be about 140cm tall.

Doblin.

[If you’re going to scam, you should do it properly.]

His true identity.

[This is my alt character that I’ve been saving for this day.]

Goblin Lily.

In technical terms, what they call a ‘shota.’