episode_0004

*****

Ugh, I really thought I was going to die. Of course, when I feel like my life is in danger, I always feel like I’m going to die, but this time, I feel like I’ve really reached the threshold of the other world.

Fortunately, I somehow managed to survive. Jam jam, doridori. I enjoyed the sensations of my body by grasping my hands and feet or turning my neck.

Well, okay. The limbs are fine, and the neck is still attached properly. Surprisingly, if a person just moves his or her body, the rest will usually work out somehow.

So, where on earth is this place?

At first glance, it was not a clean place. That’s right, what’s filling my surroundings is a slightly blue liquid. A laboratory-like place comes into view beyond the surrounding glass wall.

I wanted to see more about what my body was like, but electrodes all over my body? It was difficult to move my head because of the same thing. When I looked down, it was a prosthetic limb. It wouldn’t be the same ending. It’s frustrating because you can’t see it even if you try to check it yourself.

[Ah──, there’s no one~?]

The voice echoing in the water was strangely high and distorted. Even when I said that, I was a little shocked.

… Even though it’s only now, I’m breathing as if it’s natural. It seems like that when you look at the fact that no air bubbles are formed even when you exhale. What kind of solution appears in Evan O’Leone? Do you even exist in this world, Eogeryeon?

Two cook.

Wow. Suddenly I heard a loud noise and was startled. But soon I realized that a voice was saying “ah, ah”. This is the microphone sound coming from the speaker at the top.

[Hey, do you understand what I’m saying?]

[…] ? Yeah, well… .]

What is this ambiguous attitude towards foreigners? Even so, he is truly a huge celebrity. Even if this were some kind of research institute, there would be no way they wouldn’t recognize me.

Are you sure it’s not Korea? No, the voice that just came through the speaker was clearly Korean in accent and tone.

[I’m sorry, but please tell me your affiliation. And where is it? Am I receiving treatment?]

[So, affiliation… ? Now, please wait a moment.]

Murmur. A rather noisy sound could be heard through the speakers. I can’t hear very well. Discuss something? It seems like they are doing the same thing.

I pulled my head out to the limit of the electrode to see if I could see something outside the glass wall. As I did so, I saw several people looking like scientists through the window. Judging by the atmosphere, it seems like the voice coming from the speaker came from over there.

… But what? Why is that person over there?

[Doctor, doctor~. What, you were surprised. If you had, you should have pretended to know.]

I saw a familiar face, so I said hello, and the buzz over the speaker got a little stronger.

… Did I see the wrong person? No, I guess I saw it right.

[Doctor~, the doctor who wears plain glasses and his hair tied up in a ponytail~, I get hurt when he pretends not to know like that~. If you keep doing this, the doctor changes his glasses to contact lenses every holiday, keeps his hair neat, and reveals where he goes without even knowing… .]

[yes yes! It’s out! Is it true that I am the doctor!?]

A familiar, confused woman’s voice came through the speaker.

doctor. My real name is… . Hmm, what was it? Anyway, he is in the same position as my doctor at the medical center.

But why do I feel so awkward when I hear the word ‘doctor’? I always called him Doctor. I’m not good at remembering people’s names.

[Of course, why is there such a disappointment between us? Oh, are you angry because I teased you last time about not having a boyfriend? Sorry sorry. But since the doctor keeps going to those places──]

[Ah! Well, please wait a moment!]

The doctor must have thought it was dangerous and cut off the microphone. No, that’s too much, Doctor. I really didn’t plan on talking about it.

For your information, the place where the Doctor goes out dressed up every holiday is Host Sea. There was a time when I picked up a guy who was begging for help while on night patrol, and I heard about the situation at the time, so I’m sure. First of all, he claims that it was nonsense he said when he was drunk and that he does not go to such places.

Could this also be considered sexual harassment? While we were briefly contemplating sexual harassment in the workplace, the speaker turned on again.

[excuse me… , by any chance, hero Kim Ha-min… , are you… ? Asura Kwonseong… ?]

[No, really~ I would even call you a hero. I don’t think I’ll give it to you like that~.]

As I affirmed the doctor’s question, there was a huge commotion over the speakers. Well, there’s no way you don’t know me. How precious I am.

But if you just listen to this story, it feels like you just found out that I am Kim Ha-min. In particular, over the commotion, you can occasionally hear things like ‘He’s back’ or ‘Is he alive!?’ Especially the same parts.

… what! What is my physical condition?

[Doctor, doctor? Unless the doctor forgot me or intentionally ignored me, he didn’t recognize me. Then, what on earth is my body doing right now?]

[Well, you might be shocked… .]

[That’s okay, so tell me!]

Ugh, is it okay to do this… . Immediately after the doctor muttered through the speaker, an image was projected onto the glass wall.

On the other side of the screen, a blonde woman, or rather a girl, was facing me with one eyebrow raised.

What is it, boy? Judging by the horns on both sides of his head, he appears to be an awakened person from a heterogeneous world. Why are they showing him like this now?

[She’s a pretty girl. So, why on earth is this kid…? , showing… .]

… Why is this girl moving her mouth at the same time as me?

[…] Ah~~~~, … … . Ah~~~~~~~~, … … .]

Even if I screamed and stopped just in case, the result was the same. … hmm? … Hmm~?

Ah, maybe that’s the case.

[doctor? Is this like the new facial recognition magic engineering? The level of completion is high, but I’m not in the mood for such pranks right now. I understand the feeling of wanting to hide your terrible appearance, but this kind of consideration may be taken as an insult rather than a welcome thing──]

[Oh, no. It’s not like that. This is a simple camera video taken through a glass wall. Separate image processing… , I didn’t do it.]

[…] … .]

Um, this in front of you is just a camera image? Did you just film me?

So, the blonde girl with horns on Aiueo Street right now is me?

[…] W-what is this──!!!]

[Administer sedative!]

Sigh. I felt something flowing into my body from what I thought were electrodes attached to my entire body. The limbs that tried to swing reflexively went limp like a robot whose power was turned off.

[…] Ugh, agent, why… .]

[I’m sorry, my magic level suddenly increased… . I mean, those capsules are expensive. I’m sorry, but please be patient.]

The doctor nodded several times as if he was sorry, but I wasn’t particularly angry at the forced treatment. There is enough trust in the Doctor to think that there is a reason for him to do this. What I meant was closer to ‘Why did the nerve agent work?’

In general, such drugs do not work well on S-class or higher heroes. The standard for S-class is to reach the level of unity between soul and body. At this point, the awakened person’s body is about halfway removed from physical phenomena.

In addition, my potential, Ganghwa, was resistant to drugs even before I reached S rank. In other words, the fact that my body stopped moving as soon as I took the drug means that even if something was wrong, it was very wrong.

… In my current state, there is no use in thinking about anything. Let’s think about it step by step after we get out of here.

It seemed like the drug contained a sleeping pill, so I began to feel drowsy little by little. The surprise of the changed body and the anxiety about potential gradually subside beyond the darkness of consciousness.

It’s been so long since I woke up that I wonder if I’ll lose consciousness again… , but… .

Ugh… .

… … .

… zzz… .

***

Fortunately, when I opened my eyes again, I was not in a capsule, but in a room decorated like a hospital room. Everything attached to my body fell off and I was able to move normally.

I wanted to take a look at this body if possible, but unfortunately I didn’t have time to do so. Was he being watched all along, or was he intentionally awakened at this time? As soon as I woke up, I was notified that I would be meeting with the President of the Hero Association.

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while. I saw it once before I went on a mission. Stop thinking like that. Is it me?”

What came into the room was the association president, who looked even more gaunt than usual, and the Holy Knight Galahead, one of the Four Heroes.

Although it could not have been a simple interview, I could feel the blatant wariness in the eyes of the two people looking at me. Even if it were Galahad, the president of the association would not have been the type to reveal his true feelings. I can understand, but it doesn’t feel very good.

“It’s difficult to say that. Are you aware of yourself now? ‘That’ Asura and you now are the same person? haha. I honestly want to tell you to talk in your sleep while you sleep.”

“You already heard everything from the doctor, right? And I know that anyway, I ordered the child I had from Soul City to finish the verification.”

Otherwise, there would be no way for this cautious inspiration to appear directly in front of an unknown being. Even though his appearance has changed to this extent, the fact that a person in the position of president of the association suddenly appears is as if he has already acknowledged that my words have some credibility.

… The guard next to me is the same Four Heroes as me, but whatever. Since he is such a scary guy, let’s just say he is a noble person at this level.

“So stop being cautious. We haven’t seen each other for a day or two, but if you look at me so blatantly, no matter how much I get hurt.”

“Hmm… ? I tried to hide it in my own way. I’m still quick to notice strange things. I apologize.

Still, the content must be quite shocking. That Asura, hehe… . It’s something to see if you live a long time in this world.”

“Chet. Well, as long as you don’t outright deny it, it’s okay. What is it more than that, Chairman? My gray hair suddenly increased a lot. What was discovered in that cave that big? To the point where it causes so much headache?”

I asked quietly as if I didn’t know, but it was a huge deal. Originally, it was a dark item that would only appear in the last half of the original work.

However, since the soul extractor must have been properly destroyed, it won’t be easy to infer its operating principle, and knowing its existence is a plus, so there’s no need to go through this much trouble, right?

As I was wondering, the president of the association gave a strange, bitter smile. As if he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

Eck. Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? It wasn’t this kind of character. Rather, the norm was to smile with that scholar-like face without knowing what was inside.

Even the Galahead next to him has a similar expression. I, who was free-spirited, and Galahad, who was in the military, fundamentally did not get along, so we clashed quite often. When that guy looks at me with that sentimental expression on his face, I feel like I’m getting goosebumps all over my body.

“I see… . Is that how you perceive it? Well, since it was in that state, it’s not unreasonable.”

“No, you can make meaningful remarks like that, so please say it directly.”

“Okay. You must be confused too. So what should I say first? . First of all, it is now 2027 AD. Seven years have passed since the day you went on your last mission.”

“… yes? 7 years?”

7 years, 7 years… . The number 7 spins around in my head.

I would like to dismiss it as a joke, but that wasn’t the case, and more than anything, the appearance of the association president itself was strong evidence.

I thought it was a lot looser than usual. If you think it’s just old… , It’s rather understandable.

“… What is it? What the former chairman just said was that it’s been a while. That wasn’t bait thrown to see if I was right, it just meant it’s been a long time!?”

“Hehe. Why don’t they think it’s a genuine greeting? Well, you can think of it as both a business and a business.”

“Is there an increase in gray hair?”

“It’s been like this since around the year before last. I guess I’m getting older too.”

Oh my god. I thought I had finally woken up, but 7 years have passed. No, compared to how my body has completely changed, isn’t this a big deal?

I feel like my sense of reality is paralyzed because I am being bombarded with so many new facts at once.

“7 years… , the surrounding situation has not changed much. The ongoing stabilization of the North Korean region has reached its final stage and a new defense line has been formed near the Yalu River. This is all thanks to you catching the dragon. If only it had jumped out and gone wild 7 years ago… . Phew. I don’t even want to think about it.”

Fortunately, thanks to our efforts, the Calamity Dragon incident seems to have been prevented. I sighed in relief as the possibility that what I caught wasn’t a behemoth disappeared.

At the same time, I felt guilty that I had once again distorted the original work, but this is something new to me now. After suppressing the rising anxiety, I focused again on the president’s words.

“… So, you can hear the details from Changhyuk later. For now, let’s first hear what happened from your perspective. Honestly, we never thought you’d wake up like this. Everyone just thought he was dead.”

The heavy gloom of the association president is conveyed through the guard. … Well, things are a little weird today. Should I say that I feel strangely emotional about it? The president of the association would not have been the type to show emotions like this.

As if to shake off a strange feeling, I explained the things I had experienced one by one.

Entering the other world during a mission, the enormous presence felt upon entering, requesting reinforcements and charging in to prepare for an emergency, engaging a dragon after meeting a sphere shrine, trying to escape because the enemy caused the device to self-destruct, but blaming it on a vengeful spirit. Even getting caught up in it.

When he finished talking, the president of the association nodded as if he understood something.

“Is that really what happened?”

“Don’t just keep it to yourself, please explain it to me.”

“Of course. First of all, this is the situation at the time. When the Association’s reinforcements arrived, they found you, the dragon’s corpse, a broken device, and a large egg in the middle of the corpse.”

“Al?”

Oh, was there something like that in that other world?

I immediately searched my memories, but couldn’t think of anything that seemed plausible. In the first place, the dragon was a corpse until just a moment ago, so there was no way there were eggs or anything.

“I didn’t see anything like that… . What happened to the egg? Has it hatched? Or are you researching it?”

In response to my question, the president of the association raised his finger and pointed to a place. huh… ? me? Oh, behind me?

I turned my head, but all I saw was the bed I had been lying on just a moment ago.

“Are you doing that on purpose? You say it, you. You are that egg. They say that while they were examining a large egg in a maintenance capsule, one day it suddenly split open and took on a human form. It was probably about a year ago.”

“I know… ?”

I was dumbfounded at first, but after thinking about it with the settings in the novel, I was able to get a rough guess. The light of the body that I could barely hold on to in my soul state. That must have been the dragon’s body, not my body.

But then the question remains: why is it a human body? I don’t know how to use magic, so I’m probably not a polymorph. Umm. … Did the body follow the form of the soul?

First, I relayed the situation at the time of being caught up in the explosion to the president of the association in more detail. Of course, without going into detail about the soul extractor, it’s just that he was wandering around in a spirit state and somehow picked up something shiny.

The fact that the body appears to glow in the spirit state is because the research has been completed at this point, so if I tell you about it at this point, you will notice.

“Hmm… . I understand. I’ll talk to the researchers about that. Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“No, not so much anymore—Oh, what happened to my body?”

If the original body is preserved, you can later create a soul extractor and return. It’s because it’s ridiculously difficult to obtain the devil’s heart, but if you have the heart, the extractor itself is a matter of technology.

However, the president of the association said this as if it were very obvious.

“No matter what, I burned it.”

“Yes? ──You burned it!? Why!?”

“Uh-huh, you. Did you think we wouldn’t even hold a funeral for our comrades who fought together? Of course, the government once asked for your body as a research sample, but of course you dismissed it. Really, what do these guys think about human life… .”

No, give it to me! Even as a research sample! Then you won’t stay!

Still, to be honest, there were some parts that impressed me a little. My body is a cheat body given to me by God, so if I studied it, something amazing would come out.

Let alone Shin Woon, these people probably did not know the capabilities of my body. It’s quite embarrassing to hear that he was willing to give up such enormous profits for me.

“But considering that, when we met, you seemed more calm than I expected.”

“Hmm. I was a little moved, but as you know, I’m still not sure that you are Kim Ha-min. It would be funny to say that after a very touching reunion, it turns out that it was a ploy by the enemy.

Even now, I am skeptical about what you say. If you’re alive, you’ll probably meet many people in the future, so there’s no need to make things embarrassing the next time you see each other.”

“Galahead is──”

“That guy was always like that. You guys weren’t that close to begin with.”

Well, it’s been a long time since Galahad didn’t frown as soon as he saw me. Considering that, the paladin’s expression just now may have been the greatest expression of emotion that would never be seen again.

“And there are other people who would react the way you think. Oh, there’s your grave too. They even built a separate building in the place of a national contributor. Would you like to go there sometime in the future?”

“Guyuk, I have no hobby of visiting my own grave… . Rather, wouldn’t it be better to just tear it down? I’m alive anyway.”

The association president’s eyes narrowed at the words he said lightly. Oh, this will be rejected.

“I’m sorry, but… , I have to say that one of the Four Heroes, Asura Gwonseong, died just like that. To be honest, your appearance now is less trustworthy than your previous energetic appearance. I’ve probably talked about the importance of image many times. You didn’t take it well, though.”

“Ugh, well, yes… .”

“There is a high risk that the image of the Four Heroes will be damaged if we force you to be shown to the citizens now. Seven years is not a short time.

And the most important issue of all… , Can you use your potential properly?”

“… … .”

Awakened people use the energy source called magic power according to their spiritual ‘potential’. In terms of automobiles, horsepower is like gasoline and potential is like an engine.

Just as having a lot of gasoline is meaningless if the engine is missing or breaks down, it is difficult to use it no matter how much horsepower you have if the potential is not clear. So much so that it wouldn’t be surprising if the difference in efficiency was 100 times, let alone 10 times.

“The reason I brought the paladin to this place was to protect me, but it was also for testing. Now, let’s attack him sometime.”

“… Well, it was something I had to check at least once.”

Grumbling, I pull a chair and come out and stand in the space next to me. As I stood up, the paladin also came and faced me.

Okay, the important thing is will, motivation, anyway, momentum.

As you surround your body with magical power, shift your weight forward. Legs, waist, shoulders, arms, fists hitting the ground. The process of transmitting each power is amplified in detail with magical power.

A movement that can be repeated tens of thousands of times in real life, even while talking in your sleep… , it would have been.

In reality, the small body did not move as expected. My stepped foot and my outstretched arm were in a completely different position than I had intended. If you put it in numbers, it is in centimeters, but if there is that much error in martial arts, it is at a level that does not qualify as martial arts.

Moreover, the most important magical power itself barely moved. All I felt was a futile feeling, like I was continuously pumping into an empty shampoo bottle.

As a result, my fists degenerated into sloppy punches, the exact opposite of what I had imagined in my head.

“Fun─, ah, hey, wait a minute!”

Whoosh, Galahad easily dodged to the side and my fist split the air. Since I put so much weight on it, I can’t reverse the movement.

“Kkuek!”

──I ended up falling face first into the ground.

“Hey! What are you doing, blocking me!”

“Arthur. If you had punched my magic barrier like you did now, your fist would have been shattered, not mine. Besides, isn’t the problem of using such a large movement in the first place? If it were you before, you would have been able to shatter my basic barrier with a simple blow.”

“Qu… .”

“Be honest. You are aware that you are not okay right now.”

… Galahad’s words pointing out the facts are painful. Even if you can get used to the change in size, there is no way to excuse the problem of magical power. In the end, for an awakened person, the source of power is magical power.

All that can be used now is the basic magical power that every person possesses within their body. Only then can a proper battle be possible.

Unable to refute anything, I just stared at the table and the president of the association opened his mouth.

“I also remember your abilities. How could I forget? Increase in physical ability due to motivation. It’s a good word, but after you reached a certain level, will was motivation. Of course, you may have adhered to a way of life for that purpose, but the potential was truly absurd.”

“… I was a bit stoked.”

“But that ability is like this now. There are examples of one-armed swordsmen, but it would be good to be prepared that it will be like this for at least the time being.”

Body and soul complement each other. Potential is the very characteristic of the soul that a person possesses, but if the body suffers serious damage, rather than a temporary illness, for example, an arm is cut off or an incurable disease occurs, the soul is also deteriorated. In that case, the potential representing the soul is also distorted.

The one-armed swordsman’s potential became stronger after one of his arms was cut off, but that was literally a special case. What would happen if my entire body was completely changed? . Even as someone who has knowledge of the original work, I cannot predict it.

“It is also one of the many reasons why we cannot reveal your survival. If it is revealed that you have become this weak, many of the criminals you have enslaved will seek revenge. At least stay in your new identity until you find your original body.”

“Chet. … I can’t help it.”

Surely, if I say I am weak, there will be one, two, three, four… Wow, I can’t count them all with both hands. It seems that 20 years of active hero work was not just a show.

If my identity is revealed like this, it will be a dead ending. I don’t want to die without ever having a girlfriend. Looking at my current physical condition, that dream seems even further away.

“Oh, indeed. Speaking of which, I considered staying at the research lab, but I thought it would be okay to quickly get used to my new status. You’ll probably end up living with someone you know.”

As I was thinking nonsense, the president of the association gave me such instructions. Live together. It reminds me of the old days. During times of great chaos, sleeping together was the norm for many people.

Although I have been living alone for the past few years, I am not the type of person who is averse to spending time with colleagues. I nodded without any hesitation. For some reason, the president of the association was smiling deeply and happily.

Uh, what is it? What are you planning, old man Lee?

“Then I’m busy so I’ll stop. It’s good to have peace, but work won’t decrease at all.”

“Wait a minute, Chairman! What is that smile just now!? You have to explain and leave!”

“Hahaha. I used to have that kind of face. If you have any other questions, please ask the staff here. It’ll probably solve some problems. Well, I’m old, but I don’t know if I can be this busy.”

The president of the association ran out of the room with Galahad without even hearing my call. I tried to follow him because I wanted to hear more details, but I was stopped.

The president of the association delivers the mission of eliminating a monster nest single-handedly without blinking an eye, and for no reason, my anxiety is growing.

… Err, I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to throw him in the same room as Genesis.

After I stopped thinking about unanswerable problems, I started training little by little to get used to my current body.

*****