Chapter 854

EP.854 [Light Novel Side Story] The Death Dinass of Creation 1-001

I once had a dream.

A dream where I was on the rooftop with a blue-haired maiden, watching the sunset together. In that dream, the maiden said to me:

“One day, you will have to make a choice: kill me to save the world, or spare me and let the world perish.”

I couldn’t comprehend what she meant. But even now, I still remember how pitiful her expressionless face looked as she spoke those words.

When I reached out to her, she quietly shook her head.

The world was then engulfed in blue flames, and I woke up from the dream.

* * *

“Who’s this year’s strongest hero? Ranking first is none other than…Sir Gawein of the Round Table! The world’s first SS-Rank hero who awakened during the ‘Manchester Gate’ incident back in 2022… Crackling…Crackling…”

“What’s wrong? Why’s it doing this?”

Static mixed with the voice coming from the young man’s earphones. He ruffled his golden hair covering his ears and pulled the earphones out. Checking for any damage revealed none.

“Ah, the cord’s stretched.”

The young man frowned while fiddling with the stretched wire. Unlike the Bluetooth-connected magical gear he wore on his left wrist, this was an old-school wired earphone design.

“Nowadays, these are pretty much obsolete…”

The young man tapped the screen of the magical gear worn like a watch. Recognizing his fingerprint, the device activated its internal core and conjured a holographic display mid-air using magic power.

A flat display about 13 inches appeared solidly suspended by the magical gear’s power in front of the young man. He operated it like a tablet with familiar gestures, searching nearby for retro electronics stores—but only found products made through magitech.

“Huh, there’s one.”

He spotted an antique shop near the airport. However, it was too far away to be practical, even if he called an autonomous vehicle.

“It won’t be enough time until my flight…”

“What’re you mumbling about all alone? Is someone sitting next to you?”

A boy wearing a baseball cap approached the young man and asked. The boy, whose cap concealed most of his face, blew bubble gum while casually glancing at the young man’s screen. His hair sticking out beneath the cap was a striking silver-gray color, as if bleached.

“Yoo Sung? A Korean company? That’s quite unique.”

“Got used to it after a while.”

The young man lowered the screen. The solidified magic power dissipated into the air along with the popped bubble gum.

“I see why you’re always hanging around Koreatown. Thought you were just obsessed with Korean food, but you use Korean products too. Is that the secret behind your success? This so-called kimchi power?”

“Come on, you know it has nothing to do with it.”

With an exasperated look, the young man stuffed the earphones into his coat pocket. The boy’s expression twisted in annoyance.

“Why don’t you just throw that thing away? Look, there’s a duty-free shop right here. Let me buy you a new one.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Still usable. Besides, I probably won’t need headphones for the flight to Korea anyway.”

The young man checked the departure time for his flight to Korea. Approximately 12 hours direct from LA’s international airport to Gimhae Airport in Busan. He’d spend nearly half a day flying above the clouds.

“Maybe I’ll just sleep through it and wake up when we arrive?”

“You who only sleeps two hours a day while analyzing monsters and heroes sure talk big. Hey, I’ll send my private jet. Let me give you a ride?”

Embarrassed but firm, the young man shook his head no. The silver-haired boy clicked his tongue in frustration at his refusal.

“Hey, you ungrateful brat. You’re going to Neo Seoul, right? If I send my private jet, they’ll roll out the red carpet for Master Oracle saying ‘Oh my, Master Oracle has arrived!'”

“That’s fine. I appreciate your concern, but I just want to go leisurely.”

Despite his polite tone, the refusal was firm. The silver-haired boy, <Oracle>, raised both hands in surrender. The young man’s stubbornness wasn’t easily swayed.

“Yeah, yeah, have it your way. But take this at least.”

Oracle manipulated his magical gear to conjure a hologram resembling banknotes. When the young man covered his wrist with his right hand, Oracle narrowed his eyes and stared him down.

“If you refuse this too, I’ll cancel your flight.”

“…Isn’t that excessive? The penalty alone would easily exceed hundreds of millions.”

“I’ll cover it. I’m rich.”

At Oracle’s threat, the young man reluctantly extended his left hand. Oracle flicked the holographic banknotes toward the young man’s magical gear, and soon the magic power composing the notes seeped into his device.

[Received $50,000 from <Oracle>]

The young man’s eyes widened at the alarm from his magical gear. Converted to South Korean won, it amounted to nearly 50 million won.

“Hey, hey! That’s way too much!”

“It’s just the price of a B-Rank core. Sweeping one decent dungeon can earn not just $50,000 but $5 million easily, buddy. What did you do with the fee from last time’s dungeon support mission? Wasn’t it around $20,000?”

The young man glanced out the window. Oracle immediately realized where the money had gone and exploded in anger.

“Hey! I told you not to recklessly spend money on materials!”

“…But, I was passing by the association when a D-Rank hero desperately pleaded to sell them. Said he needed to meet his quota for the day. Honestly, with dragon teeth, how many bullets can you make? It’s profitable, very profitable.”

The young man awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Oracle pounded his chest in rage.

“Hey, idiot! Did I say you could just use guild materials? Do you even know who that person really was?! They were trying to rip you off because they knew who you are!”

“…I’ll check.”

The young man sheepishly summoned his screen. The hero who sold the dragon teeth was proudly showing off his newly purchased equipment on social media. The young man grinned smugly at Oracle.

“The world isn’t that dangerous yet.”

“Yeah, keep giving it all away. Damn it. How did I end up being friends with such a guy…”

Frustrated, Oracle slouched into his seat. Soon, the boarding announcement for the young man’s flight echoed throughout the terminal. Pulling his carry-on luggage, the young man extended his right hand to Oracle.

“I guess I should go now.”

“Tch. Got it. Contact me once you arrive. Don’t forget.”

The young man and Oracle shook hands. What started as an ill-fated encounter had grown into an unbreakable bond, making parting somewhat difficult. Oracle tightly gripped the young man’s hand.

“…Why don’t you just stay here? There’s no one you know left there, right?”

“That’s right. They’ve all passed away.”

“Hey, just settle down here. There are plenty of people who can support you besides me. Why endure hardship in such a place?”

“…Homesickness is something you can’t easily ignore.”

The young man gently patted Oracle’s hand with his other hand. Realizing it was another gentle rejection, Oracle sighed deeply.

“Fine, go ahead. If anyone asks about you, tell them this: ‘I love kimchi, I love bulgogi, Love & Entertainment Section.’ Got it?”

“Why do you know this so well? Did you fall for it?”

“My former coworker, not me.”

“…Sorry about that.”

They ended their conversation with some lighthearted banter. Time flowed on until the boarding deadline approached.

“Safe travels.”

“Take care of yourself. Don’t overexert yourself trying to ‘observe.'”

Oracle raised his middle finger. Smiling, the young man adjusted his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose with his index finger in response. Watching Oracle muttering as he walked away, the young man quietly moved toward the boarding gate.

“I wonder how many years it’s been since I last returned.”

The young man double-checked his ticket. Republic of Korea. Busan. Gimhae Airport. Currently, the only international airport allowing entry from abroad to Korea.

“While traveling, I might as well look up buses heading to Neo Seoul.”

Plugging in his old earphones, the young man followed the crowd onto the plane. The sound was still crackling.

* * *

The plane landed safely in Korea. The worry about flying monster attacks turned out to be unnecessary, and passengers quickly gathered their luggage and headed toward their destinations—all except one blonde, pale-eyed young man.

“Um…Mr. Hibi…scus…?”

The information desk attendant hesitated mid-sentence upon seeing the surname on the passport. “Hibiscus” as a family name seemed suspicious, leading the attendant to suspect some sort of prank.

The young man nodded and removed his mask. With typical Hispanic features, the young man’s striking appearance made the attendant momentarily flustered. Just as the attendant prepared to speak English, fluent Korean unexpectedly came out of the young man’s mouth.

“I speak Korean.”

“Oh!”

Verifying the name on the passport, the attendant smiled brightly. Cyan W. Hibiscus—though distinctive and peculiar to the point of being strange, the attendant composed herself and smoothed her voice.

“Apologies, Mr. Si-an. Upon investigation, it seems another passenger with identical luggage mistakenly took yours.”

“Huh.”

Si-an covered his face with his hand at the sight before him. Security officers opened his suitcase, and clothes burst out like an explosion, among which were clearly women’s undergarments that didn’t belong to Si-an.

This led to Si-an being detained and interrogated by security personnel.

“I’m not a pervert, please believe me.”

“No, of course not.”

To prove he wasn’t a pervert, Si-an went to great lengths to assert his innocence. Fortunately, the airport quickly recognized the situation, contacted the airline, and resolved the issue.

“Fortunately, the other passenger also realized the mistake and is returning to the airport. Please bear with us for a little longer.”

“So until the owner of this luggage returns…”

At Si-an’s words, the staff showed signs of difficulty. Even the self-proclaimed expert at packing luggage struggled to close the suitcase that had vomited its contents.

“How did you manage to fit two suitcases worth into one?”

“That’s something I’m curious about too. Ah, here they come.”

Pointed by the staff, a brown-haired woman rushed toward them, her face flushed. Carrying a backpack and dragging a gray suitcase, the young woman appeared significantly younger, likely having just entered adulthood.

“Haa, haa, haa.”

Breathing heavily, the short-haired woman stopped in front of Si-an, who felt apologetic despite her state. Looking between Si-an and the open suitcase, she—

“I’M SO SORRY!!!”

Shouted loudly enough to echo throughout the airport.

Everyone passing by turned their heads wondering what happened. Si-an blushed from embarrassment, and the airport staff barely suppressed their laughter. The young woman’s expression remained incredibly serious after straightening up.

“Um…I’m Lee Yuna…. Nice to meet…. Oh, wait, that’s not right?!”

Seemingly flustered by the unexpected situation, the young woman struggled to introduce herself but quickly regained composure and manipulated her magical gear. Suppressing his laughter, Si-an reciprocated the introduction given by “Yuinah.”

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Yuinah. I’m the owner of that suitcase, Si-an.”

“You…speak Korean?”

“I’m Korean.”

Lie. Everyone around muttered.

Si-an’s facial features were distinctly Western, and especially his vivid blonde hair and pale eyes were colors rarely seen in Koreans. Si-an shrugged awkwardly.

“Just kidding.”

“But it didn’t feel like a joke… Ah!”

As Yuna attempted to return the mistaken suitcase to Si-an, she froze upon noticing the password match. Si-an was surprised to find the same code set.

“How…?”

“…I use 1225 too.”

Yuna pointed at the gaping suitcase with her fingers.

Only then did Si-an realize how Yuna managed to contact the airport before realizing she’d taken the wrong luggage. Leaning forward, Si-an locked eyes with Yuna with a detective’s stern gaze.

“You…checked the contents inside, didn’t you?”

“Uh…yes. Um…”

Yuna’s nervous behavior caught the attention of the security officer standing nearby. Though it wasn’t uncommon for identical suitcases to be mistaken, the officer noticed Yuna’s unusually agitated demeanor.

Naturally, the officer’s gaze shifted to the man’s suitcase. The security officer politely asked Si-an.

“Would you mind if we checked again? Right here?”

“Excuse me.”

Si-an’s firm refusal only strengthened the officer’s suspicion. Turning to Yuna, the officer inquired.

“Did you notice anything unusual in this passenger’s belongings?”

“Excuse me, I already stated that clearly.”

Si-an’s voice deepened, yet the officer remained resolute. Trapped between the two, Yuna hesitated before speaking.

“Actually-”

Wailing alarms pierced everyone’s eardrums. All magical gears began ringing shrilly. Airport security hurriedly armed themselves, and chaos spread among the waiting area passengers.

“What, what is it?!”

“Monster alert?!”

As Yuna tried reaching for her suitcase amidst the confusion, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by Si-an. Before she could protest, Si-an pulled her into his coat and ducked low.

Screeech!!!

A massive monster bird broke through the glass and attacked the waiting area.