novelVol. 5 - Ep. 10
| ← Ch.119 | Ch.121 → |
"There are two large obstacles. One is the three hundred million and one thousand robots that are guarding the surrounding cities. They are all programmed to attack those who don't have a chip."
"They're blocking off the entire city."
"Yes. We have been able to fool them with fake chips a little ways in from the countryside, yet..."
"Then was this attempt also a failure?"
"You're smart. Yes, I went in to spy and was caught. The central is really hard to approach without a chip."
"And with a real chip installed, you'd really be controlled. That's a problem."
"But over time we've prepared something that can fight against this problem."
"How?"
"I will explain to you what it is later on. But the real problem is the second obstacle."
"What is it?"
"The World Stone is protected by five guardian robots."
"Guardian robots?"
"Yes. And once you've entered the sealing place, a special battlefield is created for one to either win or lose. You must win against these five robots in order to reach the World Stone, but..."
"The robots are strong."
"Yes. There is only one person in the resistance who can go against a robot one-on-one, which is me. Our second-in-command has some strength but not enough, and the others don't have levels at all."
"I see." Sungjin understood the situation a little. Yes, Varka must have created this seal based on the properties of Valhalla. That was why there were traces of Valhalla in this world.
And the solution to break through those armies is in the hands of this resistance.
He couldn't trust the solution of the weak, but he could decide that after he had listened to their plans.
Then, is my responsibility to overcome those five guardian robots?
A created battlefield must be like those created in Valhalla.
"Fine, I've heard the important parts. I'll take care of the second challenge."
"What?"
"If you can help me reach the World Stone, I'll do the rest from there on. Including you, I only need four exceptional people from your group."
"Is it really possible?"
"Trust me."
Sooryun looked at Sungjin. His confidence was outstanding."There is no one in the resistance who can help you other than myself."
"That's fine. I can overcome some level of difference in battling." Sungjin thumbed his head lightly.
"Certainly... You did break through the encirclement of forces." Sooryun's heart began to beat once more. Perhaps Sungjin may be able to do it. There had to be some strategy, like using the remaining three as baits, perhaps.
"But I'm more interested in your ability." Although he had already seen her fight against those machines.
"Understandable. I'm a level 7 warrior class."
"As I thought: a warrior." My instincts were right.
He had once thought that he would meet a girl in the warrior class some time ago. If he was fated to meet girls in each of the respective classes, he had thought he would meet a girl of a warrior class later on, although he hadn't expected her weapon to be sound.
A young but elegant female warrior with a "Sound Sword." Someone who was a beautiful artist even when not singing—that was Sooryun.
Now that I think about it, if Sooryun plays and Zakiya dances, it might make a beautiful scene. He had already regained his confidence to leisurely contemplate other thoughts.
"As you can see, my weapon is a lute, and I have several skills that can defeat the enemy by the soundwaves that I make."
"Yes, that's enough." A level 7 was enough.
"Is it truly?"
"Trust me." Sungjin lessened her anxiety immediately.
"Amazing. But since you've said so..." Sooryun felt as if the day of conflict was drawing near, not because this man had saved her, but because this man was her fated person. Her instincts were what she relied on the most, but this far into the conversation, she was curious."Can you tell me more about yourself, Sungjin? You can refuse if you wish to." Who was this man? He had ripped the chip out of himself by his own hands and protected her, now saying he could beat those guardian robots.
"I'll tell you. We're allies. You have the right to know."
"I will listen carefully."
"I come from the world called Valhalla."
"Valhalla."
"Is it your world?"
"No, it's not." Sooryun shook her head slowly.
"Is it because it's a different name? I was in the Western continents, so you could have been in the south."
"No. That's far from the truth. The place we come from is called Earth, and there are seven continents on it."
"Seven... I see." Sungjin also confirmed that her Earth and his Earth were different."Our world we must return to is also different."
"Is that so?"
They fell silent for a while, but this wasn't a conversation that could lapse.
"Who were you in your world?"
"Ahh, um... A king."
"King?"
"Yes. After uniting the entirety of Valhalla, I challenged the Kaiser of the middle gate and was trapped in this world by his skill."
"I see. We..." Sooryun's face turned ashen before continuing."To be honest, we don't know when we arrived here because it's been such a long time since we were trapped."
"You don't remember?"
"No. With the chip, you aren't able to remember your past, but without the chip, the past fades away like water slipping through your hands. I believe it's the nature of this world."
"I see." Sungjin understood. Before he had found a purpose, he had also forgotten about Valhalla.
"But I still remember a little. We had not lived in wealth, but the place we came from was peaceful and beautiful. There were mountains and clear water. Looking up at the sky in the plains granted a clear view of the stars."
"It seems rural."
"And I only recall that we were in another world one day, all of a sudden."
"That's this world."
"Yes. I can't remember how long we've been here for. No one in this world ages, and even if we die we receive a new body, so..."
"This place is a prison which you can live eternally once captured."
"Yes. It may not be hell, though. Those with the chips are not tortured, after all, but we still wish to return to our original place." Even if it may be ruined, they wished to return to their lands.
"I feel the same way. I must return to Valhalla."
The two looked at each other and smiled."Let's work together."
Sungjin stretched out his hand first for a handshake."Yes."
Sooryun's cheeks blushed when she grabbed his hand. It was the foundation of an alliance."Then let us dine together. I will show you what we have prepared afterwards."
"Yes, let's."
After completing their baths separately, Sungjin followed her to the banquet hall. It was very humble compared to the banquet halls he had become accustomed to in Valhalla, resembling more of a villager's meeting place.
The hall was simply some lopsided tables and chairs placed inside a building that was larger than the others. Even the dishes that were prepared were made of the least amount of natural resources possible. Although it was coarse food compared to the clean foods provided in the city, Sungjin welcomed it. This was the place where real life thrived, after all.
"It's nice."
Sooryun glanced at Sungjin, who ate without a single protest. He was a king. A king who had conquered an entire continent. I can now understand his previous actions: how he freed himself, how he escaped the encirclement with such intelligent strategies, how he came to have such charisma.
There was no evidence that Sungjin had been king, but he had the aura of a king.
But that means... Sooryun, who had been astounded at his disposition, frowned. He had said that there were several women he had to meet once he returned. Although, it would have been more strange for a king of the continent to have only one concubine.
So that means that even if I were to become his woman, I would be one of many.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with a king having many concubines.
But it doesn't mean that I have to accept it.
Even if her opponent was a ruler, she had the right to make her own decisions. It was her decision whether or not to follow Sungjin.
He was handsome and charming... But just because he had saved her from a crises didn't mean she had to follow him. And...
Our worlds to return to are different.
The continent Sungjin talked of was from a different world. It was not the world she was trying to return to. After destroying the World Stone, the places they would return to would be different.
If it would be a pointless relationship... then there was no reason to begin it at all.
It was a good decision to reject him after all. She would not fall for Sungjin again; they would only last up until the moment the stone was broken.
Sungjin observed Sooryun as he ripped out a chicken leg. What on earth is she thinking about for her expressions to change so rapidly? Like a cat. Approaching, but not. Like a cat who ignored him and then attacked like lightning once his attention was elsewhere. Even I find this hard to understand. He could see through the enemy's plans on a battlefield, but a girl's mind was a labyrinth to him. But there was no reason to know.
In his perspective, meeting her in and of itself was luck. If she had not appeared, escaping from the chip would have been hard. He wouldn't have been able to escape the situation with his memories sealed. Moreover, he wouldn't have had enough time to figure out how to break out of the world by himself. On top of that, she was someone who had a resistance army, and she was a level 7 warrior. She would be a valuable comrade in his future battles. There was no reason to pick on the details. He simply wished they would be cordial until the end.
After dinner, Sooryun stood."Was the meal ok?"
"Yes, it was good." Even though she had asked politely, Sungjin felt she was being cold. He couldn't pinpoint the feeling, but it seemed as if she were trying to distance herself.
Hmm... Must be my misunderstanding. There was no reason for her to do so.
"Then I will show you something we've been preparing."
"Okay." It's my misunderstanding, right? She was going to show him the secret weapon, after all.
Sooryun led Sungjin to a deep cave. The cave was small, but it grew larger the deeper they travelled inside. There were stalactites hanging off the ceiling and stalagmites rising from the ground, and in the center of the clearing was a mysterious space where grains of light continuously rose from the earth.
A large hole, almost ten meters in diameter, was dug deep into the ground where the grains of light continued to rise.
"This......."
"We call it 'the dragon vein. '"
"The dragon vein... That's Feng Shui geographical terminology." Sungjin considered the name plausible.
* * *
And at the very center of the vein was a bead of seven-colored light that alternated continuously.
"What is this marble?"
"We named it the dragon ball, but we don't really know what it is."
"Dragon ball."
"The important thing is that this marble we found can continuously contain the energy that's rising from the veins."
"Indeed..." Sungjin was reminded of the Leviathan made by the Golden Wise King Kapitle.
"Then, if you unleash the energy of this marble in a row, will a very powerful explosion occur?"
"Yes. You're sharp."
"This breaks the defense from the outside as the resistance fighters break through."
"Yes. After that, you have to enter the center tower and fight against the five robots that are keeping vigil."
"Is this marble fully charged?"
"Yes. There was no way to overcome the second challenge, so I just kept it."
"Then let's see. Find a member to join within a day, and I need three days to train after that." He wanted to be more prepared, but he couldn't afford it. There wouldn't be much time left to return to my body.
Ever since his memory had been reclaimed, the hearts of those leftover from Valhalla had been conveyed to him. Although it wasn't very accurate, their approximate feelings were clearly connected.
He had time from their dedication, but they were still asking him to hurry. Even if he didn't see them, he understood their situation to some extent.
"After that, we'll go straight to the center. An additional week here. I'll make it right after that day."
"Understood. I will follow that command."
| ← Ch. 119 | Ch. 121 → |