Chapter 184

Chapter 184. Fishing (3)

It was the result of my negotiation with the Damned System.

‘Why, in the world, did it create three gates?’

It seemed like the System went out of its way to provide paths for the criminals to move around freely.

I thought redirecting the divinity used to create those three gates would be wiser.

So, I suggested it to the System that was watching me, and the result was successful.

‘With this, the organizations in Bihar were all cleaned up.’

What remained were the remnants that had fled to Earth before we could block the gates.

I briefly reviewed the ongoing matters and pressed the button that appeared before me.

My field of vision turned white, and when I opened my eyes again, it was an entirely different world.

I glanced around the dimly lit research room of Jonghun for a moment.

Then, as if familiar, I crossed the unfamiliar room and approached the desk.

I retrieved a cellphone from the drawer and used Invisibility.

Jonghun hadn’t turned on the CCTV in the research room, and the external CCTV only captured up to the hallway corner, not the door.

Thanks to that, I could quietly close the door and leave without any issues.

I reappeared several kilometers away, near the Han River.

There, I turned on the phone and looked for a saved contact name.

“Choi Seongwu (Smuggling Business)”

As I firmly pressed on the name, the other party picked up the call before it rang twice.

『Ah, hello, customer!』

A friendly voice came through the phone.

『How come you’re calling at this hour…….』

“Is the preparation finished?”

I cut off the friendly voice without listening to it all the way.

『You mean the shipping to Beijing, right?』

Despite the cut-off, Choi Seongwu continued with his friendly tone.

“Yes.”

About fifteen days ago, I had briefly crossed over to Earth and asked Choi Seongwu for assistance.

I requested him to arrange a quiet way to slip into China.

‘He might have connections with the Chinese community, so it probably wasn’t too hard.’

Choi Seongwu had recommended shipping instead of flying.

He added that it was a relatively low-traffic transportation means with decreased possibilities for CCTV records.

‘Though it takes longer than flying.’

Once in China, I could use domestic flights for quicker travel.

『We are ready anytime. Just let us know when suits you best.』

After checking the date and time on my phone following his word, I replied.

“Tomorrow, February 11th, would be good.”

『Then let’s meet at Incheon Port at 3 A. M. tomorrow.』

It was February 10th, 4 A. M. now, leaving roughly 23 hours.

“Alright.”

With the schedule settled, I ended the call and opened a chat window.

Among the many chat groups, I chose the one where the association’s key figures gathered.

– Baekhap: By tomorrow, the operations in Bihar should be wrapped up. The speed is unbelievable.

– K: Let’s take care of the Earth side right after. You said the new shelter’s location has been tracked?

– Baekhap: Yes, it’s similar to the scale of the ones we secured before.

– K: Let’s finalize it within this week.

– Coconut: This week? That’s a bit tight. You’re saying we need to head to Earth by today or tomorrow. I’m already swamped because of that idiot Fabian.

– K: If you have time to complain, resolve the issues first. They’re likely predicting our movements to some degree. Dragging this out only gives them more time to prepare. I believe we’ve already delayed enough.

– Ethan Rambron: K is right. Although the investigation team is monitoring, we can’t completely stop the Chinese survivors from using the network.

– Ethan Rambron: They cooperate with us since their lives are at stake, but let’s not forget that their families are still in the hands of the Chinese government.

– Baekhap: If K is okay with it, we can move immediately. Let us know the exact date.

– K: I need to confirm. After the sweep tomorrow, I’ll contact you again.

Reviewing the conversation we had up to yesterday, I typed a new message to Lily Evans.

– K: Let’s move at midnight, Beijing local time, on the 12th.

Though a reply didn’t come immediately, I wasn’t concerned and closed the chat window.

There was still some room to breathe, and the conversation had already concluded.

Once Lily Evans saw my message, she would take the necessary actions.

‘There’s no doubt about that.’

Lily Evans had worked for governmental organizations from the start.

Unlike those who became players from unqualified civilians, she wouldn’t make any trouble to impede me.

“Ugh.”

Just thinking about Fabian, who disrupted my plans through some foolish actions, made me frown involuntarily.

‘Why did he desire what he couldn’t have?’

I exhaled a sigh as a headache ensued.

On top of that, the constant attacks and battles over the past few days had left me feeling utterly drained.

Noticing this, I moved on. There was no time for respite, even in this fatigue.

I stepped into the nearest convenience store and picked up some hair dye displayed on a rack.

‘I must ensure nothing deviates this time and see it through to the end.’

As I considered the upcoming events, I hardened my resolve.

* * *

「Title: Tell me I’m not the only one – Author: Herb」

Content: Am I the only idiot? How come I can’t grasp the mana attributes hierarchy and compatibility? I’m already confused about overlap and enhancement; what’s all enhancement, and what’s all overlap? Is mist higher than ice? Or is it enhancement? The words just seem to circle around the same thing. Can anyone really understand it precisely?”

– Johansen: They are both water attribute enhancements initially, but they diverge later. I’ll detail it in the reply. The numbers denote ranks; 5 is rare, so I’ll use examples of 2-4 only.

⌎ Johansen: 2 Water – 3 Ice (Enhance: Low Temp) – 4 Blizzard (Enhance + Overlap)

2 Water – 3 Vapor (Enhance: High Temp) – 4 Mist (Enhance + Overlap: Wind)

– Johansen: Got it?

⌎ Herb: Not at all…… Why is the rank difference between ice and blizzard? Aren’t snow and ice generally the same?

⌎ Johansen: Ice (Rank 3, enhance: Low Temp) + Wind (Rank 2) = Blizzard (Rank 4) Get it now?

⌎ Herb: ????????????

⌎ Johansen: Just memorize the damn chart if your brain can’t process it. K’s document on the Damned System No.11 and 19 is the most comprehensive we have.

⌎ Herb: Yes…….

“Ugh…….”

Holding a notebook from Earth while browsing the community forum, Kim Yul let out a groan.

“Damn it…….”

Following that, he grabbed his now black hair—previously dyed—staring at the table in frustration.

‘Am I also dense?’

Despite repeatedly reading the explanation about attributes like the author of the post had, he just couldn’t comprehend it.

‘Well, I only noted that I was at Rank 4 and moved on.’

He hadn’t been systematically analyzing the mana hierarchy or attributes in battles.

‘That’s K hyung’s responsibility.’

He merely followed the orders his hyung gave him.

But lately, he had a change of heart.

‘I need to do more than just follow around.’

K’s mana control mastery was already at 99.99%.

He was at the stage to acquire Mana Domination, which sold for 500 million mana in the Gold Tab.

‘He’s even learning it independently without buying it with mana.’

In this process, K started encroaching into areas like dismantling magic.

He mentioned discussing dismantling training with Ahel recently.

Watching K progress steadily, Kim Yul also began to take an interest in the arrangement of magic.

He started by wanting to understand the mana concepts better, as he seemed inadequate in that area.

Yet, the more he delved into the community, the more confused he became.

Everything seemed to be overlapping, like saying that say the same thing in different ways.

He wondered if anyone really understood these perplexing concepts.

While staring incredulously at the community posts, Kim Yul murmured with a pout.

“At this point, it’s the ones who understand it who are weird.”

“What’s weird?”

Startled, Kim Yul turned around at the sudden question.

K, who would have slept like the dead immediately after returning home last night, was entering the kitchen.

His hair was damp, as if he had showered upon waking.

“Hmm…….”

Kim Yul knew it was more effective to be honest and ask for help than to pretend knowledge in front of him.

Thus, he cautiously shared his predicament.

“Hmmm.”

Sure enough, K, after placing a pot on the gas burner they had purchased when setting up the base, kindly began the explanation of mana attributes.

But still, it was like the same words over and over; nothing became clearer.

“It’s like saying tiny bricks stack up to become a tower… Once you ‘get it’, biharin’s established standards and categories will make sense.”

“…… I don’t get it at all.”

“It’s normal not to understand it now. To us, the concept of humans manipulating nature is unfamiliar.”

“Hmm…….”

“The mages of Bihar didn’t set systematic standards and start categorizing like that. They analyzed and categorized in a seemingly logical way as Demi-humans with attributes were discovered.”

Without going through a process of creating theories, experimenting, and verifying, they constructed theories based on real phenomena.

That’s why the theory doesn’t resonate immediately, according to K’s explanation.

But once you understand mana and magic, there will come a moment when you realize, “Ah, that was what it was.”

“Until then, memorize it. You should know whether you can defeat a general-rank when you encounter them in terms of compatibility or hierarchy.”

Only then could mana be used with maximal efficiency.

“Yes.”

Kim Yul nodded obediently to K’s advice.

“Good morning, everyone. What’s for breakfast?”

Their conversation drew to a close as Yang Taeho joined them in the kitchen.

“Let’s finish off the seaweed soup.”

“Sounds good.”

They all prepared breakfast in familiar routines.

As the soup was being heated and mixed with cold rice, K began to speak.

“I’ll be away for a while starting this evening.”

“For how long?”

“It’s planned for two to three days, but if it seems like it will take longer, I’ll notify you beforehand.”

Kim Yul swallowed the rice in his mouth and asked.

“Going to China?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…… If the army finds out that you’re gone, they’ll shift immediately towards China. Should we prevent them from leaving? If we stand guard at the gate, stopping them won’t be too hard.”

Once K leaves, his destination would eventually be known.

‘They’ll figure he went over to Earth since the Bihar issue is resolved.’

And going to China, the very origin of the human trafficking problem, is already a foregone conclusion.

The army, eager to capture K, would undoubtedly move.

Kim Yul was worried that K might be captured by the government.

“Just let it be. There will be no entanglements with the Korean government or military.”

Yet, K seemed unfazed.

“But the atmosphere among players in the new military unit isn’t good lately. If they forcibly try to capture you at the airport…….”

“Do you think I’d be that careless? There’s no chance of meeting them at the airport since I’m sneaking in.”

“Sneaking in?!”

“You think I’d take a flight arranged by the National Intelligence Service?”

Travel would be easier with support from the National Intelligence Service via Squad Leader Yang Jochul.

But it would give the military a chance to capture K.

‘There are probably people in the National Intelligence Service who agree with the military’s ideology, so they’ll likely leak his itinerary or schedule.’

Recently in Korea, a power struggle had started between the National Intelligence Service, advocating friendly cooperation with players, and the military, demanding firm control through state power.

If the military identifies K, it wouldn’t be surprising if they contacted the Chinese government.

‘Squad Leader Yang Jochul mentioned the government seems to be considering war.’

It seemed perceptions had shifted somewhat as the situation in Bihar was reported.

They started actively seeking players, as seen in the military’s direct actions now.

Knowing this, K opted to avoid government involvement entirely.

“I plan to move with American players on the ground, making it difficult for the Korean government to approach easily.”

“Using one to control the other?”

“If you balance well, it’s a good way to check both sides.”

During the recent bounty mission, the Korean government was used to check the US government, now the roles are reversed.

“There’s also an intent to supress certain sentiments over there.”

K thought something strange had been forming on the US side.

He muttered as he scanned the air with his eyes.

Yang Taeho nodded as he replied.

“It’s not something for me to say much about. Just let me know if you need help.”

“Yes.”

Listening to the conversation, Kim Yul tilted his head and asked.

“What’s using one to control the other?”

Suddenly, K and Yang Taeho’s gazes concentrated on him.

Caught off guard by their sudden attention, Kim Yul was flustered.

Then, with curious looks, Yang Taeho and K exchanged a glance and spoke.

“I think we might have underestimated things a bit…… He at least needs minimum schooling, doesn’t he?”

“I agree.”

Feeling a sense of impending dread from their mysterious dialogue, Kim Yul spoke up.

“…… What are you talking about? Schooling? I’m already studying?”

With that, he lifted the notebook he was using to take notes on mana attributes earlier triumphantly.

But K and Yang Taeho ignored him, continuing their private conversation as if they hadn’t heard him.

Damned System