Chapter 117.2

He had no intention of drinking it.

Instead, he turned his head to gaze at the field of golden marigolds.

The flowers swayed gently in the wind, reflecting a golden hue.

There were so many of them, they were almost blinding.

The flower field stretched endlessly, with no visible boundaries.

If circumstances were different, he would have loved to admire this beautiful scene endlessly.

“Explain. You figured something out, didn’t you?”

“I told you, time in that other world is moving slowly. You could afford to take it easy. But you’re always in such a rush.”

Geumyang set her teacup down on the table and looked at Woo-jin.

“Well, I wasn’t sure myself, which is why I didn’t mention it earlier. But now, I’m certain. I hadn’t paid much attention to that side until now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What you just saw.”

“That city from earlier?”

“Yeah. That’s the ‘Reverse World.’ It’s a place that shouldn’t exist. It’s a realm of gods, not meant to be understood by humans.”

Geumyang took another sip of tea.

“Neo Seoul has been warped. It’s all the work of the Head Principal—no, that girl, Lee Doo-hee. She’s committed an unforgivable act by summoning something that should never have been brought here.”

Geumyang continued.

“Her Unique Ability is called ‘Communication.’”

“Communication?”

“It sounds unimpressive, doesn’t it? But it’s the power to converse with beings like me—higher beings. A power that can’t be dismissed. If you can talk, you can negotiate.”

Geumyang took another sip of tea, gazing down at her cup as she spoke.

“The Head Principal negotiated with gods who possessed desirable powers and had them bestow their abilities on those she chose. Your friend Kim Dalbi’s Unique Ability was also acquired after negotiating with the Goblin King. Through a one-sided, unfair… contract.”

Woo-jin finally understood.

Geumyang’s intervention with the Goblin King had resolved Dalbi’s cruel penalties.

“In essence, a Unique Ability is a fragment of divine power granted by beings like me.”

That was something Woo-jin had already learned in his previous conversations with Geumyang.

Unique Abilities weren’t determined by birth but assigned later, through a process like the one that granted Woo-jin his power.

“Why do beings like you give us these fragments of power?”

“Didn’t I mention it before? It’s just for amusement. Pure entertainment. Some have other motives, but there’s usually no grand reason. Isn’t it the same with humans? How many wars have been waged just because someone was offended or desired something better?”

“……”

Woo-jin didn’t argue; human history indeed echoed that sentiment.

“And the girl who always sticks close to the Head Principal, the one in the nun’s habit…”

“Son Ye-seo.”

“She can manipulate Unique Ability contracts. She can extract abilities, transfer the contract to another. It’s meaningless if a god refuses, but with the Head Principal’s communication skills, that issue gets resolved. That’s how they extracted Oh Baek-seo’s Unique Ability last time.”

“Son Ye-seo.”

“Tsk! What a picky kid. Son Ye-seo, Song Ye-seo—it doesn’t matter as long as you understand.”

In other words.

The combination of the Head Principal and Son Ye-seo enabled them to both bestow and exploit Unique Abilities.

“In any case, the Head Principal has crossed a line she shouldn’t have.”

Geumyang said.

“She made a pact with someone, offering the discarded children as a price. And now, she’s built her world within Neo Seoul, manipulating the souls of the dead as she pleases.”

“Who did she make the deal with? What kind of power does this being possess?”

“It’s a manipulative force, one called ‘Aktonom.’ The name doesn’t really matter.”

Geumyang went on.

“Do you remember when Se-Ah rewound time and resurrected those children? That’s the power of her Unique Ability—‘Fate Recalibration.’ But it’s not just a typical Unique Ability; it’s closer to a true divine authority.”

“So using regular Unique Abilities to fight back is out of the question….”

“It’s nearly impossible. That power’s source is the massive human tree you saw. Se-Ah can battle without expending her own magic. The primary fuel for that power comes from the children sacrificed by the Head Principal and those labeled as dissidents.”

Woo-jin recalled the massive human tree standing at the outskirts of the Mayeon High School Autonomous District.

Made of people.

“So there’s no cost to using that power. It’s not even her magic she’s using.”

Now Woo-jin finally understood why Se-Ah remained unharmed even after using her incredible ability to revive the dead children.

“Is there no way to deal with that tree?”

“With your power, no miracle would be enough, and even my strength can’t guarantee anything. It’s been refined over a long time, so it’s incredibly sturdy. There might be a path to its core, but finding it would take time. And those long-limbed creatures would interfere in the meantime.”

“It’s just… broken.”

An ultimate Unique Ability that doesn’t even rely on personal magic and draws on an almost limitless reservoir of power.

But calling it a Unique Ability might be an understatement.

Se-Ah’s power was more appropriately termed “Authority.”

“That’s why I told you to run. You’re up against something you can’t handle alone.”

“It seems this situation was far bigger than I’d realized….”

“I’d say you should’ve seen this coming, given that you’re not originally from this world.”

“…What?”

Woo-jin looked at Geumyang in shock.

“You… you knew?”