Chapter 1029

EP.1029 Part 3 Chapter 3-16

What is this?

Why is Kim Nori here of all places?

I was genuinely bewildered, but so was she.

“Eh, eh…?”

I had rushed over due to a strange, alien magic power, yet there stood Kim Nori before me.

Full brainpower engaged.

I quickly conferred with Yuna, who’s linked to me, about the situation.

Possibility One: That this Kim Nori is from Tera, like “Hari.”

Excluded.

The magical gear on her wrist reveals she hails from Earth.

Possibility Two: That Kim Nori from the original game world somehow ended up here.

Also excluded.

Her magical gear bears no resemblance to any I’ve encountered—it feels akin to the next-gen models after the magical revolution era following completion of the Hikari route.

Possibility Three:

Though it’s hard to believe…

[Bro, isn’t this Nuri from 20 years in the future on Earth?]

Kim Nori, officer of the Blue Wind Sect.

Given this, it seems undeniable that someone named Kim Nori crossed over into Tera.

Asking “how” won’t get us anywhere.

When dealing with heroines, questioning how or why instantly leads to failure.

What matters is the situation at hand and how we respond to it.

BOOM!

I stamped my foot hard and erected a temporary barrier.

“Hiiik?!”

“Relax.”

I reached out toward the startled Kim Nori, gently grabbing her magical gear.

Zzzt.

Thanks to Yuna’s barrier, the flow of magic has been cut off, preventing her gear from connecting externally. Any conversation within this barrier will remain confidential.

“Who are you?”

“…And just who are you, mister?”

Big brother.

Mister.

It was already odd that she didn’t call me uncle.

This level of maturity suggests either late-stage Kim Nori from overcoming spiritual trials, or someone subjected to intense mental conditioning.

If forced to choose between the two…

‘It’s the latter.’

I could sense it upon seeing her.

This Nuri is definitely the Nuri I know.

“Got lots of questions, huh? Mind if I ask one first?”

“…Like what?”

Kim Nori tensed up excessively.

She seemed ready to unleash magic and attack me at any moment, so I brought up something only she would understand—a topic familiar to the Kim Nori from 20 years ahead but not others.

“Chang-yeom?”

“…Gaejin?”

“God Blaze.”

“Cannon.”

“Deokbae.”

“Baldy.”

Perfect.

Given her accurate knowledge even down to the last detail, this girl must be the Kim Nori I recognize.

“…Came from Earth to this world, huh.”

“…Is it really you, Chief?”

“Chief. It’s been far too long since I’ve heard that title.”

I knelt on one knee and extended my hand toward Kim Nori.

Though maintaining the earth barrier prevents revealing my avatar’s true form, using Yuna’s power now is enough proof.

“The eternal blue flame. The sole sun that illuminates all. Apostle of the Sun Spirit…


.” I am the one who was once known as ‘Blazing Phoenix.'”

“…Was?”

“Yeah. Don’t wanna get into specifics—it’ll give me a headache, so let’s leave it at that.”

This is a game, player stuff… If Nuri finds out about all this complicated nonsense, she’d definitely suffer a mental breakdown.

She’s still just a kid.

Too young to see the filth of this world.

“Y-you’re really the Phoenix who *saved* Earth, right?!”

“If you’re talking about the one who scorched Pluto and the Moon, then yes, that’s me.”

No point hiding it.

Even if I did, it’d only make things more suffocating.

“…How’ve you been? Not sure how much time has passed since back then…”

“E-um, uh… C-can I ask one question?”

“Not just one—ask as many as you want.”

Nuri looked me up and down with a serious expression.

“You were the one walking around saying ‘Puh-heh-heh, strawberries are the best in the WHOLE WORLD’ all the time, weren’t you?”

“……”

…

…

…

“Alright, let’s recap the situation.”

Though I was momentarily thrown into chaos by Nuri’s comment, I quickly regained my composure and assessed her situation.

“So… You got attacked by some dark entity, fell here, Black Flame Dragon tried to protect you but got enveloped in darkness, and now you’ve somehow managed to establish contact with Earth?”

“Yes! It hasn’t been long since we connected. Just moments ago.”

She pointed at the wall.

“That’s a barrier, right? The one blocking magic power? Then Yuha-sshi is gonna flip out again….”

“……”

Yun Yuhwa.

Not the Yun Yuhwa from the game, but the president who helped me with everything she had.

“According to what Yuha-sshi and Hikari-sshi said, they’ve developed technology to detect beings from other dimensions and even figured out how to cross realms. They found traces where the worlds were already connected or something like that?”

“It’s possible. Those must be the same bastards who came through from Earth to here before.”

The ones who turned Gaia-na into Gaia-na-chi.

And maybe, just maybe, the masterminds behind all this darkness.

“There was always potential for terraforming—not impossible using Cube power or advanced tech like Hikari’s. Whether it’s Earth 20 years ago or Earth 25 years ago, opening a Dimensional Gate to Tera isn’t completely absurd.”

Just… the fact that it connects HERE feels a bit off.

Their despicable plan: corrupt past Tera, turn Spirits into commanders again, invade Earth, and pollute the whole World.

“Earth is in danger again, huh….”

“G-Grandmaster?”

“Just call me normally.”

“…What about Harang-sshi…?”

“She’s with me.”

“!!”

Nuri’s eyes widened instantly.

Given how Harang acted as Nuri’s guardian in the past, calling them quasi-siblings wouldn’t be far off.

“I’m relieved… I was shocked when she suddenly disappeared. She vanished out of nowhere!”

“And we were equally shocked when she appeared out of nowhere.”

“Does that mean Harang-sshi is here too…?”

“…Sorry, but it’s a completely different place.”

With Seok Harang involved now, there’s no way to hide it anymore.

Leaving out any talk of games or players, I had to explain separately.

“We’re not in Tera or your Earth. We’re living somewhere else entirely. And I didn’t fall directly here after fighting Seongju either—I came here from another world.”

“So Harang-sshi must be over there, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can we… communicate?”

“I can relay greetings. There IS a way to exchange messages, but it’ll take visiting several places first.”

Harang isn’t high on our priority list right now.

Though she has personal requests, there’s no way we can head straight to Water Country immediately.

And…

“You should probably return to your original Earth for now.”

“Huh?”

“This place is dangerous.”

Nuri’s expression twisted further.

I met her gaze, placing a hand on her head.

“I know your abilities well. Honestly, I’d love to keep you close and use you as a Neo Blue Wind Sect commander here.”

“…But?”

“There’s one big problem…”


“Hmph.”

No matter how high Kim Nori’s rank may be, there are certain elements that simply cannot be dealt with right now.

“Tera is far too harsh a place for any minor to be present.”

“But, what do you mean…?”

“It’s emotionally unsafe. Your presence here would create numerous major issues… regarding gender.”

“……Like what happened in Mexico…?”

“Exactly.”

Though I wasn’t there at the time, Nuri had quite the rough experience during the Blue Wind Sect’s expedition to Mexico.

Thanks to the care of the Blue Wind Sect leaders and elders, she has grown mentally stronger, but it must have left a deep scar on Kim Nori.

“Harang wouldn’t wish for you to get hurt here either. This place is even tougher than Earth.”

“…I understand what you mean, Commander.”

Kim Nori sighed deeply.

“I get it. It’s like how adult content gets censored if uploaded as all-ages on Nertube, right?”

“It’s subtly different, but similar enough.”

“I definitely understand what you’re saying. But there’s one problem.”

Kim Nori pointed at herself and shrugged.

“I don’t have a way back. I suddenly ended up here.”

“I’ll find a way.”

Since the connection between Earth and this place over the past 20 years was revealed through Yuna, there must be a good method.

Specifically speaking…

[Big Brother.]

“Nuri, wait? What is it?”

[There’s a way.]

“A way?”

[Yes.]

Yuna conveyed a method to me.

This method was somewhat shocking to me.

“…Isn’t it just about closing your eyes and saying ‘Awoong’?”

[Nope. There’s absolutely no issue. Definitely.]

“If that’s the case, we should ask you directly, Nuri.”

I extended my hand toward Kim Nori.

“Do you want to become an adult?”

“An adult?”

“Yeah. An adult.”

“If becoming an adult allows me to follow Commander’s orders, right?”

“…If you can handle it.”

It might be beyond the capacity of an average person’s mental strength.

“So the method is…?”

“…Wow, that sounds really tough.”

But if Kim Nori truly desires it, if she feels desperate enough…

“I’ll do it.”

“It could be dangerous. If you return to Earth and suddenly grow older, it might come as a shock.”

“I’m fine with it. I’ve been really worried about which high school to attend anyway, so skipping high school and entering society directly sounds great. Hmph.”

“……”

While Tera’s dangers are concerning, providing Nuri with a shortcut might be more problematic. However, since I’ve come to know Kim Nori, I can’t just send her away recklessly.

At this point, it’s not because she’s a heroine that I’m trying to help or paying attention; it’s because she’s someone I know.

There’s no reason not to try when I have the ability to protect her.

“First, can you give me the magical gear? I’ll explain everything properly to those people.”

“If you reveal yourself, everyone will rush here, won’t they?”

“…That’s exactly what I’m trying to prevent.”

Uncontrolled terraforming is the expressway to Tera’s downfall.

At least until a dimensional gate capable of exchanging between dimensions opens.

“Here you go.”

Nuri handed over the magical gear without hesitation.

As soon as the wearer changed, the magical gear started making loud noises, but I suppressed its signals by infusing it with magic power.

“Nuri, see you in four years.”

“To you, Commander?”

“…Four days?”

“Hehe, whatever.”

Nuri shrugged within the barrier I created.

“In four years, I’ll see you again as an adult, Commander.”

Nuri was confined within the barrier.

Using the power of the Great Earth Spirit, I manipulated the flow of time inside the barrier.

Four days outside will equal four years inside the barrier.

Then Kim Nori will be an adult.

At least.

“…Can she endure it?”

Four years of time.

“Yuna will act as a high school teacher.”

A barrier of spirit and time.

Inside it, Yuna is responsible for Nuri’s four years of high school life.