Chapter 480

〈 Chapter 480: Part 1, Episode 20, Section 12 〉

“Did I hear you right? Do you really think that’s good?”

“Absolutely.”

As I walked back in after finishing a call outside, the greeting I received was a frosty glare. Along with Hia and Hikari, everyone gathered in the bridge looked at me as if to say, “How dare you chat idly while we’ve been burdened with work.”

“You guys shouldn’t look at me like that. Mental care is an important task, you know? I’m disappointed in all of you. Are none of you married? Hey, Ji Hwa, what do you think?”

“My wife is currently deployed on the battlefield,” said Kim Ji Hwa, head of the observation team stationed in one corner of the bridge, pointing at the forward screen as he removed the VR device from his eyes. On the large screen covering the entire bridge lay numerous individuals with special abilities waiting inside capsules. Among them was Yu I-shin, who had recently returned from her honeymoon in Guam with Ji Hwa.

“And even if it’s not exactly mental care, Lord Divine Officer, you still go out just to make calls, don’t you?”

“Come on, after all this time together, can’t you take my side just once? Tsk, such a lack of humanity.”

“I side with my wife.”

A low rumble echoed through the bridge. Despite the somewhat free-spirited atmosphere where we exchanged jokes, we completed our preparations for battle. The moment I stepped onto the command deck, everyone’s tension eased somewhat, and each person prepared to fulfill their assigned roles.

“Lord Divine Officer.”

“Ah, this is Mugungwha Unit 01. We’re about to begin. You may die, but don’t. If you guys mess around again like last time and break the bio-androids, I’ll be the one getting scolded by Yuha.”

The people waiting for deployment chuckled softly. Since connection via brainwaves allows for resurrection within ‘Tera,’ actual death won’t occur, but the pain will feel equivalent to dying. Yet despite this, they repeatedly volunteered to step onto the battlefield without fear of death.

‘This is also a form of PTSD.’

Monsters no longer appear on Earth. The dimensional gate connecting Tera to Earth has been completely sealed off, and now the only place on Earth where cores can be obtained is this Sky Island. In other words, this is the only place where one can directly or indirectly fight real monsters.

Five years have passed since the war against the monsters ended, yet there are still those who crave battle.

Among them, the elites whose sparring has become meaningless contribute to world peace and work to eliminate potential threats to Earth in the future. They connect their consciousness to androids modeled after themselves and venture into Tera, a realm still infested with monsters, to carry out monster purification activities.

All these people have gathered here on Sky Island, and I am their commander known as the .

“Current time, 10:22 AM. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t start at exactly 22:22 PM. Now, let’s begin the connection. Everyone, three, two, one-”

I took a deep breath and shouted.

“Conne-”

“””Blazing Phoenix Revival!!!”””

…What is this?

* * *

[So, did you succeed in conquering heaven and earth?]

“Of course. Though there were some unpleasant incidents, overcoming adversity is what heroes do, isn’t it?”

[It’s funny hearing that from someone who isn’t really a hero.]

In the hologram, the silver-haired woman Seok Harang smirked and mocked me for talking about being a hero. Her mocking gaze made me unable to stay silent.

“Since you’ve retired and are busy watching over your younger siblings, Lady of the Former Round Table, you wouldn’t understand how today’s kids fight. Hmph.”

[I don’t give a damn! All I know is that stopping my one-year-old and two-year-old from swinging light sabers at each other feels like a losing battle.]

Seok Harang waved her hand as if she were thoroughly annoyed. However, when she sent over a video, it showed blonde toddlers sprinkling golden magic power from their hands and engaging in sword fights.

“Hero families really do stand out from early education. Their grandfather would probably send them to boot camp from a young age. Isn’t it something like catching bears at ten years old?”

[…I can still catch bears now. Sigh, my life. Who would’ve thought I’d end up as a nanny instead of having proper romantic relationships during my prime?]

Seok Harang glared at me and growled. The aura emanating from her body was undoubtedly not ice but pure rage. I cleared my throat and changed the subject.

“Hmm… Is raising kids hard?”

[Why are you asking me about my kids? They’re not mine.]

“But they’re your younger siblings. Aren’t you the one feeding them, raising them, putting them to bed, and doing everything?”

[Where did that come from? I didn’t breastfeed them.]

“…”

[You bastard, weren’t you just thinking ‘She has breasts that produce milk’?]

Caught.

“…Harang seems to have gotten much rougher while raising her kids. Is it because she’s been living in Russia?”

[Hmph hahahaha, do you think this situation is okay? You try having kids. Will you surpass me? Here, take a look.]

Pointing behind her, Harang revealed blonde toddlers resembling her playing on an ice castle she created, sliding down as if rescuing a princess. Watching them play so vividly reminded me of their noble upbringing. I felt a chill run down my spine imagining them lined up forming steps.

“The kids seem full of energy, though I don’t know who they take after. They’re making me think of ‘The Sound of Music.'”

[Don’t even mention it. If they weren’t someone else’s kids, … sigh.]

“Big sister is fully embracing her role as a nanny.”

[Exactly. What are we doing in the 21st century anyway? It’s not like they’re born once a year or alternately by the main body and homunculus twice, right? Isn’t it summer and winter alternating births?]

“……Isn’t that because they keep going at it?”

Though I didn’t intend to make a sexual joke, I couldn’t help but bring it up. The retired couple, who brought peace to humanity, always seemed to be doing the same thing whether it was five years ago or now. In fact, it might have gotten worse.

“The more times, the more kids are born. …I think your mom might suggest not using condoms.”

[That’s what I mean. Hey, can’t you ask your mom somehow? Watching the nieces and nephews is one thing, but shouldn’t I also clear out my nanny life and try dating?]

“Oh ho, is there someone you’re seeing or thinking about?”

[Are you implying something?]

Holding a baby, Harang coughed and said,

[When others do it, it’s adultery, but when I do it, it’s romance.]

Click.

I cut off the call. When I asked how difficult raising children was, she tried pulling some ridiculous stunt that would cost me a hefty amount in damages. As soon as the call ended, Harang sent a text.

[Don’t you feel that burning urge? You must need some relief, huh huh huh huh huh.]

“This woman has really gone mad.”

Apparently, her bloodline hasn’t disappeared anywhere. While I found it exasperating, truthfully speaking, I considered knocking her out.

‘Just because she’s pregnant doesn’t mean she’s untouchable.’

It’s unusual how they make a fuss every time a child is born and resort to using a secondary body. While I was texting, I received a contact from an unexpected presence.

[Look at me for a moment.]

“…Hwanryong?”

The counterpart in the hologram was Hwanryong with a stern face.

***

“It’s surprising that you contacted me first. What’s the matter?”

After the war ended, Hwanryong entered an indefinite sleep state. After constructing a coffin and sealing it with barriers, entering eternal slumber, the fact that Hwanryong woke up on their own was enough to make my heart sink.

“Is something wrong?”

“Of course, I woke up because there’s a problem.”

Hwanryong’s expression looking at me was complicated. While wondering why Hwanryong was looking at me like that, I also guessed the reason Hwanryong woke up.

“Is there an issue with the barrier surrounding the coffin? Should I recreate it for you?”

“If it was that, I wouldn’t have even come out. Fixing it would’ve been more bothersome. Rather than dealing with lava coming in or not, I’d just use the old one. What I want to talk about isn’t that….”

Hwanryong looked up at me seriously and asked.

“■■■.”

“…….”

“Regarding ■■■, do you know about it? No, you should know. There’s no way you wouldn’t. To say that you fell victim to ■■’s power—”

“Hwanryong.”

I interrupted Hwanryong’s words.

“When buying a house, I prefer the post-construction sale method. Doing the transaction first and moving in later means if there’s any defect in the house, right? So, you carefully inspect it.”

“What are you saying… Just wait a moment.”

Hwanryong’s face turned pale.

“You…could it be…you…”

“No, what?”

I grabbed Hwanryong’s shoulder and smiled gently.

“……If I ever have a child, I’ll name my daughter Yuna.”

“YOU!!”

“Yeah. Got it. Let me ask you this instead, Hwanryong.”

I pressed my hand firmly on Hwanryong’s trembling body.

“Are you thinking this is an illusion right now?”

****

Perhaps due to hearing such a shocking statement, Hwanryong kept gaping at me.

“I know everything. Relax.”

“No…I can’t relax. What are you doing? Five years later? The future? Sky Island? Explain it clearly.”

“To put it simply, Seongju rewrote the world. A world without Yuna. A world where only Yuna is missing. Yuna was erased from existence on Earth, and everyone reached a situation where they were happy in their own ways.”

At my assertion, Hwanryong’s expression distorted. Hwanryong, who owed Yuna a debt, showed resistance to the idea of Yuna disappearing.

“Lies… Could you really accept such a deal? Especially regarding Yuna?”

“…..”

In Hwanryong’s memories, Yuna handed over her body to Hwanryong. After enduring hundreds of years together, Yuna eventually could not bear the wear and tear on her spirit. More accurately, Yuna, satisfied with her relationship with the protagonist, relinquished control of the body entirely and fell asleep.

To Hwanryong, Yuna was both a benefactor from a past life and someone to whom they owed a debt. Although this wasn’t actually the case, there was indeed a possibility.

“How could you do such a thing? Are you insane?”

“I wouldn’t accept such a deal unless I was insane.”

“But why!”

“I’m not insane. Even I wouldn’t accept such an offer.”

At my firm denial, Hwanryong’s hand reaching for my collar stopped.

“This isn’t the reality we lived in. It’s virtually identical.”

“…This isn’t reality? But what did you say earlier? This feels too vivid to be a dream.”

Hwanryong scattered their magical power around to reaffirm their existence. It was too realistic to be called a dream or non-reality. In fact, it was reality itself.

“You’re alive, yes. But it’s not reality, yet it is.”

“Stop beating around the bush and just give me the conclusion.”

“Hmm…Raa would understand quickly, but it might be a bit difficult for you to grasp.”

I organized in my mind how to explain this complex situation so Hwanryong could understand. To clarify this convoluted situation succinctly and lucidly, mentioning the involvement of Deus Ex Machina was most appropriate. First, I smoothly continued the conversation by reciting a few words.

“Aah. Seongju. Yoonah. Filtering isn’t working, is it? Is this kind of dialogue acceptable? The service quality is excellent. Ah, this gets filtered internally. Uh…so what I mean is…”

“Just give me the conclusion!”

“This shows the situation when I accepted Seongju’s deal. Actually.”

“……Explain further.”

Hwanryong didn’t understand. So I formed my hand into a pincer shape. It was a space wide enough to fit a 1cm cube.

“We copied the world into a Cube. Currently, all human consciousnesses are trapped in the world created by Seongju.”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course. You, who can separate spirit from body, noticed the dissonance and regained awareness…but in reality, only two people know the truth about this world.”

I pointed at myself and the ring on my finger.

“Me and Changyeom are the only ones who know the truth about this world.”

From 2020, after accepting Seongju’s deal, until 2025.

Changyeom and I spent happy daily lives in the “situation” realized by Seongju through the Cube. Not just us as a “couple,” but everyone related to me and the entire world genuinely led happy lives.

The Earth’s population has reached seven billion. Thanks to the advanced magical engineering technology developed over the past five years, humanity successfully ventured into outer space and is now at a stage where terraforming the Moon or Mars is achievable if desired. Although this is a virtual world replicated by Seongju, since it flows with the same passage of real time, it can be regarded as reality.

“This world is, in a sense, a trial version. A rather long, extended trial ending.”

But Yuna is absent.