#97: Chapter 97 — Favored by The Outer God

Seol Si-heon.

To be honest, I didn’t have good feelings about him.

Back when Yoo Se-byeol and I were climbing the Tower of Proof, he had constantly interfered from the sidelines.

As if disrupting the missions wasn’t enough, after we left the tower, he even let Kang Ha-neul and Lruyeh into my hospital room while I was hospitalized—without permission.

If I weren’t currently locked up in prison as punishment, he’d have been someone I wouldn’t have bothered to see at all. Still, his attitude toward me had changed in a strangely noticeable way.

There was a seriousness in his voice that hadn’t been there before.

“You handled the Hand of Oblivion on your own, didn’t you?”

“You seem well-informed.”

“I watched the broadcast. We always keep a close eye on the unit where the young lady is stationed.”

Come to think of it, the Sword Immortal had mentioned before that Seol Si-heon was the one who passed along Yoo Se-byeol’s smartwatch search history.

Sneaking all the way down to the underground prison while Ha Ye-ri was away, too—there was no doubt he had planted a spy inside the Bureau.

He lowered his posture and brought himself down to my eye level.

The gesture seemed to carry a strange sense of respect, which only made me uncomfortable.

“Looks like you’ve been through quite a lot. Do you need anything? If there’s something you want, I can bring it to you.”

“No need to trouble yourself. More importantly, why are you here? Did the old man send you?”

“Yes. And it’s because of what’s coming soon.”

When I asked about his business, he pointed to the map spread out in front of me.

At first, I thought he was referring to the floating platform, but when I looked more closely, I saw that his finger was aimed at a region near the Korean Peninsula where a dark shadow hung.

Even though a spotlight shone down from directly above, the darkness didn’t fade. It moved extremely slowly.

It was drifting straight toward the Korean Peninsula—toward where the two of us were.

“What is that?”

“A Seed of Calamity.”

“You mean the Thirteen Palace of Emptiness?”

The Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness were Seeds of Calamity that wandered not only around South Korea, but across the entire world.

Unlike Ground Zero or the Sea of Decay, simply approaching it didn’t inflict dangerous effects, nor did it summon the dead.

Under normal circumstances, it was nothing more than an ordinary constellation passing quietly overhead.

And yet it was called a Seed of Calamity for a reason.

It was not something that would remain harmless forever.

If certain conditions were met, it possessed the power to bring about the destruction of the entire world.

And this time, it seemed those conditions had finally been fulfilled.

“Three weeks ago, a dam collapsed in Shaanxi Province, China, submerging vast stretches of farmland. In Russia’s Volga River basin, there was also an incident where an unknown radiation leak completely wiped out a military base.”

“I see.”

“The strange thing is that although there were many casualties in both cases, not a single drop of blood was found.”

“Which means…?”

“This isn’t a simple natural disaster. It seems someone has ascended the throne.”

The Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness were, quite literally, palaces prepared for a king.

The land ruled by the king was an absolute sanctuary.

Fertile soil, milk and honey flowing freely, and countless soldiers standing guard against outside invasion.

However, all of those resources were taken from nations that existed on the surface.

From the moment someone sat upon the throne of the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness, the countries beneath it began to suffer catastrophic damage.

The disasters in China and Russia were merely a precursor.

“So who became the king?”

“That much hasn’t been revealed yet. Judging by when the calamities began, it’s likely an Awakened from either the Asian or European continent.”

From the instant the king sat on the throne, they were forced into a war against the entire world.

Before their roaming palace could complete its orbit and destroy nation after nation, everyone would inevitably come together to kill them.

Whether it was good luck or bad, the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness were slowly approaching the Korean Peninsula.

Which meant we were next.

“Soon, the Ability Management Bureau will summon all guilds and ask for cooperation. They’ll want someone to enter that place and kill the king.”

“And you want me to do that?”

“No. The king’s assassination is something we’ll accomplish no matter what. The request the Sword Immortal asked me to pass on to you concerns what comes after.”

Despite the fact that the Seed of Calamity known as the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness had existed for a long time, humanity hadn’t gone extinct for one simple reason.

Every king who ascended the throne had been killed.

The problem was what came next.

If someone were to sit on the empty throne, that person would become the new king, and the calamity would not end.

More important than killing the king was keeping a close watch on the other Awakened who entered the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness together.

“Until the Seed of Calamity completely passes through this region, we cannot allow anyone to become its master.”

“……”

“Fortunately, this year’s situation is better than usual. We’ve already identified most of the participants who might aim for the throne.”

The Korean Peninsula lay around 127 degrees east longitude.

When the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness passed through, nations located along similar longitudes—China, Japan, Australia, North Korea, and even Russia—were able to enter.

Thankfully, there was no need to be wary of every nation’s Awakened.

Unlike in the past, the modern world had far more lands where humans no longer lived.

“The Southern Hemisphere turned into a sea of fire long ago, and North Korea, which had barely managed to maintain its system, was effectively wiped off the map with the disappearance of ‘Gargantua’.”

“And Busan was integrated with Seoul, which reduced one more risk factor.”

“Right. As recently as last year, if a king had been born in Busan, we would’ve had to prepare for total annihilation.”

Japan, whose territory stretched long from east to west, and Russia, which had already suffered damage, wouldn’t bother trying to move ahead of us.

At most, they’d simply watch and wait.

The only ones suspicious enough to possibly dispatch even a small number of Awakened were China.

And, just in case, internal forces as well.

The request was to stop anyone who, disguised as a member of the Old Gods’ Wound faction, might try to sit on the throne after the king was killed.

I asked for time to think first.

“It could be difficult. The Special Unit will definitely be forming an assault team as well.”

“The Special Unit will only send those specialized in infiltration and assassination. They’ll select the strongest elites.”

“Yes, which means I could be included in that team.”

“…The Special Unit will only send those specialized in infiltration and assassination. They’ll select the strongest elites.”

He’d definitely said it twice just now, hadn’t he?

It felt like he was firmly drawing a line, as if to say, “You won’t be part of the assault team.”

That was a bit too much disregard for Sae Hayan, the Light Mage.

What made it more frustrating was that even if I were Ha Yeri, someone who never stayed still for a moment in any operation, I still wouldn’t assign myself to infiltration or VIP assassination missions.

“Anyway, give me some time. My conversation with the Sword Immortal wasn’t a promise to lend my strength in a situation like this.”

“…All right. I’ll respect your decision.”

After my repeated refusals made my stance clear, Seol Si-heon finally accepted it and stood up.

The original agreement had been to cooperate only when it came time to fight a constellation in order to separate the avatar body inhabiting Yoo Se-byeol’s form, so it wasn’t an incorrect statement.

“There will be a reward, so I’m hoping for a positive answer.”

“And what kind of reward would that be?”

“The Old Gods’ Wound faction is considering offering one of the lineage techniques of martial arts.”

“I don’t have any talent for martial arts.”

“Even a complete dullard can usually learn one or two secret techniques a family keeps. The Sword Immortal himself said he’d guide you directly, so there’s no need to worry.”

That sounded like he’d just called me a dullard again.

Still, it meant that if I accepted the request, they’d teach me martial arts.

Would I end up being able to use something like the Sword Immortal’s Myriad Toxin Purge, too?

I had zero talent for martial arts and had never even thought about learning them, but who knew.

It might actually be a pretty good offer.

“Commander Ha Yeri should be arriving soon, so I’ll take my leave. Please look after the young lady’s safety while she’s with the Special Unit.”

“Watch out for tentacles on your way out.”

After Seol Si-heon left, several days passed.

I continued my detention life with exemplary diligence.

“See that? That’s what happens to a Special Unit member who doesn’t follow regulations.”

With the underground prison included in the ‘One-Day Special Unit Experience’ course, Kang Ha-neul brought students who dreamed of becoming Awakened and treated me like a zoo monkey on display.

Or—

“Hayan, are you okay!?”

“Yes, it’s more livable than I expected. What brings you here, Commander?”

“I heard you were locked up and got worried, so I came. You’re surprisingly fine even in a cramped space… Mm, yes, this should be sufficient.”

“You did come because you were worried, right?”

There was also the incident where Yoo Se-byeol came by, eyes gleaming as she measured the dimensions of the cell I was locked in, but even that still fell within the bounds of daily life.

“Here. These are your belongings.”

On the day my disciplinary confinement ended.

I received the Elder Lich’s Robe and the review-event gifts back from Kang Nabi.

I immediately boarded the repaired elevator, went straight up, and knocked on the dormitory door.

“Alexei! I’m back!”

I wanted to see Mala-nim as soon as possible.

The repaired door opened, and a giant with a massive build greeted me.

“You’ve returned, brother!”

“Was my younger sister well?”

“Hmm. Your younger sister, who happened to twist her foot and ended up in the same cell as you, was resting well in the room.”

“That’s a relief.”

“And Hayan’s fiancée, who came along with her, was also doing well.”

“…What?”

There was no such person.

What I’d entrusted to Alexei was only Mala-nim and Digestion.

They were both too big to hide in the sleeves of everyday clothes instead of the robe, and too inconvenient to carry around, so I’d sent them up to the dormitory starting from the second day.

A fiancée, of all things.

Seeing my confusion, Alexei spoke again.

“I’d call her your sister’s sister-in-law, right? She was a very polite and gentle young lady.”

“Where is she now?”

“Until just now, she was drinking tea at the table… but I don’t see her. She probably left because she was embarrassed to face you.”

I climbed up to the top bunk, which had been my spot.

When I pulled back the blanket, all that was there were two wriggling tentacles.

“It seems you need to study Korean honorifics a bit more, Alexei.”

“Is that so?”

“My younger sister does not call a sudden outsider her sister-in-law.”

It seemed someone had impersonated a betrothed and secretly freeloaded in the room while I was gone.

It was irritating, but I decided to put catching the culprit on hold for now.

That was because, while I’d been locked up, the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness had drawn dangerously close to South Korea.

Until the king was killed, no one knew what kind of disaster might strike, and Seoul was currently under a state of emergency.

“Patrol frequency has increased, so I need to head out. Kang Ha-neul gathered us earlier and gave a briefing. Unlike usual, he said even minor abnormalities could be precursors to disaster, so we shouldn’t overlook anything.”

“Minor abnormalities… I was expecting something more visibly destructive.”

“Like what happened in China and Russia.”

When I expressed my curiosity, Alexei relayed what he’d heard during the briefing.

“That can happen, but sometimes it doesn’t. In fact, Hayan’s homeland has already experienced several disasters originating from the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Recently, there’s been an excessive rise in the dopamine demand levels of Seoul’s citizens. Compared to other countries I’ve passed through, there are far more people here who want to take pictures with monsters.”

The king’s people always had to be happy.

To make them smile over trivial things, someone on the ground had to become incapable of feeling pleasure without fairly strong stimulation.

Just as China and Russia had lost supplies and manpower, the fluctuations of emotion were also something the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness had taken from us.

I finally realized the source of the sense of déjà vu I’d been feeling.

I’d occasionally thought that my common sense didn’t quite align with reality, and now I knew why—it was the aftereffect of the Thirteen Palaces of Emptiness.

Believing without question that dating was an act reserved strictly for lovers, or the abnormally low birth rate, were all effects of the Seed of Calamity.

“Hm? That one’s just natural decline.”

“…What?”

“No matter how much of a Seed of Calamity it is, there’s no way it could reduce a nation’s population that drastically in such a short time.”

“……”

At a loss for words, I watched as Alexei picked up his axe and asked,

“In that case, if you’ve got nothing else to do, why don’t you come patrol with me?”

“Well, I just got out of prison, so I’m a bit tired.”

“Don’t be like that. Let’s go. You don’t exercise nearly enough, Hayan.”

“…?”

Without even climbing the ladder, he reached up to the top bunk, grabbed me by the waist, and hoisted me up onto his shoulder with a solid thump.

Given that I lived by the principle of avoiding training and education whenever possible, Alexei trying to get me to do something wasn’t unusual.

But the fact that he pressed the issue even after I refused was new, and it left me a little flustered.