The Gaon Academy is located on an artificially created island floating near the West Sea.
—
On a Monday morning, most students were on their way to school.
—
-Whyyyyyyyyy!
—
At that moment, a sharp sound ripped through the air.
The alarm began to sound.
Since Gaon is essentially an artificial island, alarms hardly ever go off.
Because of the absence of magical phenomena.
—
Thus, an alarm ringing in Gaon means that a national alert has been issued.
—
[Large-scale abnormal magical phenomenon detected at Baekdu Mountain’s Heaven Lake]
-Similar magical waves detected earlier in the U.S. and China…
-Numerous monsters hiding around Baekdu Mountain… 72% or more of creatures missing.
—
The Gaon Academy students checked the real-time news updates on their smart devices and holographic news screens.
Conversations filled with curiosity mixed with excitement took place in classrooms.
—
Cheon Yeoul stared quietly at the news screen.
A column of emerald-green magic shot up toward the sky.
—
She clasped her hands and prayed earnestly.
—
“Please….”
—
Once again, for him to rise.
—
—
He opened his eyes.
The ceiling above him was still high up. The vast cavern seemed to stretch endlessly, its end impossible to measure.
—
The place he had visited once before.
When he returned, even forgotten memories came vividly back to life.
—
At the edge of this cavern, a faint beam of light was creeping in.
It was stronger than before but still not enough to fully dispel the darkness.
—
Instinctively, he stepped toward the light.
—
And then the staircase.
At its top, leading to the exit, someone was still sitting there.
—
He quietly stood and watched him.
—
Though silent and motionless, the aura emanating from him was still icy and sharp.
—
The last time they met, he was unable to even move his body properly.
—
But this time is different.
—
At that moment,
—
“So, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
—
He spoke. His voice was calm.
—
“A good omen….”
—
“Who are you?”
—
I interrupted his words.
—
The figure’s face at the top of the stairs was still obscured.
Even though the light was getting closer, it wasn’t becoming clearer; it was as if covered by a dark veil.
—
“That’s something I can’t reveal…”
—
The silhouette in the darkness slowly descended the steps.
—
“It’s rather regrettable.”
—
His presence was clear now.
A named-tier monster perhaps?
—
Various images of named-class experts came to mind sequentially.
—
‘Not inferior.’
—
That was the conclusion I reached.
—
‘Potentially even stronger.’
—
As he slowly drew his spear, the weapon let out a screaming howl that split the air.
—
“Guh.”
—
I winced and instinctively covered my ears.
A sharp, piercing howl that penetrated my whole body.
—
“Can you hear this?”
—
He laughed, pointing at his spear, though his face remained invisible for some reason.
—
“A good sign.”
—
He slowly raised the tip of the spear while muttering.
—
“Still… this place is a bit premature for you. There are a few more steps ahead.”
—
The figure’s face was still indiscernible.
—
“This is my recommendation. You’d do better to abandon thoughts and just let go to them… Ah, that might be too dangerous.”
—
My field of vision began to expand.
As if trying to shield against an impending attack.
—
‘Fractured Scale.’
—
The expanding vision was one of the abilities of the Shattered Scale.
—
And simultaneously,
—
I tightly clenched the spear at my waist.
This time, I could feel it. He was charging toward me.
—
A silhouette approaching from the front.
No.
—
Not just the front.
—
Suddenly, my vision warped.
—
In front of me, behind me, and to the side—residual images scattered in every direction.
Dozens of attack routes filled the space.
—
There was no way to escape.
—
I was completely locked down.
—
‘Catenaccio.’
—
He had effortlessly deployed the highest difficulty skill from the game.
Perfect spatial control, a spear strike wall without a single gap.
—
“Take a good look.”
—
His voice reached me.
—
“At your age, just observing can be beneficial.”
—
-PAPAPAPABANG!
—
The sensation of the spear puncturing my whole body.
It felt like I was being torn apart.
—
“…Hang in there.”
—
My vision…
Faded to black again.
—
—
I woke from sleep.
—
-Jijijijijiji
—
I was lying within the underbrush somewhere in Baekdu Mountain, my gaze fixed on the sky.
My mind was completely empty.
—
All I could see were the clear blue skies and the leaves swaying in the breeze.
And then,
—
===
[Power: Fractured Scale of Harmony]
① Shatter Evil, Reveal Righteousness
Destroy that which is wicked.
② ???
③ ???
===
—
A system notification I wasn’t familiar with.
There, occupying my power slot, stood one existence—clean and tidy.
—
Shattered Scale of Harmony.
—
Though I don’t understand how this happened.
I clearly absorbed the scale.
—
[Your Job Ability “Insight” resonates with the Power “Shattered Scale of Harmony” and evolves into “Oneness Perception (One Body Sensation)”]
[The Talent “Wholeness” resonates with the Power “Shattered Scale of Harmony” and evolves into “Trueness”]
…
And plenty more.
—
System notifications of growth flashed chaotically before my eyes.
However, my bewilderment overshadowed any sense of joy.
—
“Where am I?”
—
I looked around.
—
Not the mountain lodge.
—
Judging by the labored breathing, we’re at quite a high altitude.
This is unmistakably close to Heaven Lake.
—
While pondering how to descend, it’s fine.
—
In the past, the Fractured Scale that I absorbed has disappeared now.
—
Since the energy emitted by the Fractured Scale no longer exists, contemporary monsters will either weaken or hide.
Thus, they no longer pose a threat.
—
And Kang Ah-rin…
—
She was nowhere to be seen.
—
Meaning she didn’t fall together with me.
Perhaps our positions crossed.
—
I recalled the last thing I heard in her voice.
—
-Truth is, this was also yours.
—
My head heated up.
—
It’s true we shared some emotional exchanges during the last 7 days.
And it’s also true she cares about her own people.
—
But to this extent?
—
Though the bond was deep, indeed…
—
I slowly closed my eyes.
And cleared my mind.
—
Death Regression is gone.
—
After that, the flow of events that I knew from the original story began deviating more and more.
Different settings, key characters, and their subtly altered reactions.
—
Above all, the Fractured Scale.
—
The fractured scale can only be absorbed by those chosen by the system.
Meaning, the option for me to absorb it shouldn’t have been there initially.
—
And yet, I absorbed the scale.
—
I gently extended my hand.
A bit of mana flowed lightly from my fingertips.
—
When I slowly opened my eyes to confirm, the color of the mana was still its usual ash-gray.
—
But the soft emerald green light embedded within it made me vividly realize that I had absorbed the scale.
—
I exhaled a light breath and stood up.
—
All the plans I had ever made thus far have lost their meaning.
I admit I was wrong.
—
“Let’s re-strategize.”
—
It was a moment of resolve.
—
*
—
The Lotus Guild’s Team 2 had been adrift in Baekdu Mountain for two days now.
—
Initially, they were reconnaissance team deployed to scout the Baekdu Mountain area.
However, because of their leader, Woo Jang-hoon’s greed, the situation spiraled out of control.
—
“We’ll continue the investigation. Descending is secondary.”
—
To further analyze the released energy, he kept delaying the descent.
—
As a result, the path down was completely cut off.
Their supplies ran out, and their stamina was depleted.
Every rescue signal they sent was blocked by the energy emitted from Heaven Lake.
—
They were gradually becoming part of the mountain itself.
—
Some of their members’ eyes began to glaze over.
The number of people glaring at Woo Jang-hoon increased.
—
Just then,
—
-SWWOOSH!
—
Heaven Lake.
—
From there, a massive emerald column of light shot up.
A tremendous surge of mana shook the entire mountain, covering the area.
—
Right at that moment,
—
-BEEP!
—
The radio crackled to life.
Woo Jang-hoon reflexively grabbed it.
—
“This is Team 2!”
—
A call from the headquarters, and the person on the other end shouted immediately.
“Hey, don’t dare crawl down! Climb up right now! Straight to Heaven Lake!”
—
“Huh?”
—
“Monsters are all gone! Hurry, quickly!”
—
They looked at each other, and then all at once grabbed their gear and began running.
—
They didn’t realize that while they were chased by the monsters, they had unknowingly reached close to Heaven Lake.
—
Therefore, they arrived there much faster than expected.
—
And there—
—
On the clear waters of the lake.
In the middle stood a single person.
—
“Huh?”
—
Unconsciously, Woo Jang-hoon let out a gasp.
—
An inexperienced young man he saw just before they climbed Baekdu Mountain at the terminal.
—
At that time, he looked like a rookie, his youth evident.
—
But right now.
He was a completely different person.
—
His aura, the presence around him—everything was utterly changed.
—
As though standing before an enlightened sage after a long period of meditation.
—
‘What exactly happened in the span of these two days…’
—
Woo Jang-hoon was rather bewildered.
—
“Wow…”
—
A female team member behind him unintentionally let out a sigh of admiration.
—
In contrast, Jung Hae-in immediately assessed the situation upon seeing them.
—
‘They’ve been stranded.’
—
Their ragged appearance told the whole story.
—
Their equipment was torn, their faces heavy with fatigue, and starvation and exhaustion were plainly visible.
—
Jung Hae-in had come up to the lake before descending to recharge his watch’s solar function.
—
Two days had passed since the day he climbed Baekdu Mountain.
—
Which meant they had been trapped here for those two days.
—
Jung Hae-in silently observed them. Woo Jang-hoon avoided his gaze.
—
Then Jung Hae-in soon smiled calmly and opened his mouth.
—
“Are you alright?”
—
There was a sense of calm in his tone.
—
