◈ Episode 490. The Foundation (6)

AAU.

“……What?”

The news from the Another Space Ship was sent to each branch.

It was an unbelievable story.

It was undeniable bullshit.

Some refused to believe the source.

“That can’t be true. Even if it was the Another Space Ship, it doesn’t make sense that they would have filmed the inside of the rift. They couldn’t have looked inside from outside the rift!”

But there was a counterargument.

“But it’s not a normal rift, is it……? It’s an incomplete prototype rift. Maybe it’s not that strange, considering it was able to communicate with players on the Arcana Continent…….”

Still, someone refused to give up.

“What are you taking so seriously? It could be a simple mistake? After all, it was a human who saw the situation and made a judgment. Humans are fallible. Isn’t that right, haha…….”

A forced laugh.

But soon, unlike humans, they can’t make mistakes.

The recording was sent.

“…… Check it now.”

A picture fills the control room monitor.

It’s a brilliant light captured from a rift.

Zooming in on the image, we see.

The figure of a man is revealed, even more glorious.

“!!!”

His flowing silver hair is different than usual. Likewise, his unique clothing, which was once glittering, is indescribably radiant.

Yes, as if by some mysterious magic.

Someone said.

“……Ma, magic?”

There was no more appropriate expression than those words.

In the film, he had become magic itself and was oxidizing himself. It began to make sense. Why the pilot of Another Space was so certain of Hoyeol’s death.

As soon as Hoyeol’s body scattered into the void.

Nature had begun to rage.

It wasn’t a metaphor.

A sense of responsibility that some people struggle to grasp in the midst of horror.

“……that’s a spirit.”

Could it be that the spirits, which are not easily witnessed by players or even Arcanians, are being seen by us, mere humans? They put the question aside and focus on the marvelous sight before them.

“Something is seeping into the spirits.”

“Should I say seeping……? It’s not like that.”

“Yeah, like they’re becoming one.”

Magic.

Hoyeol became one with the spirits by becoming one with them.

What happened next was indescribable.

The Arcana Continent and Reality.

Two completely different worlds, but with a common enemy in the form of the Fused Intelligence Yugweed, it was easy to compare them. In the real world, the mages of the Magic Tower were desperately fighting against the Fused Intelligence, even using their accumulated magic items.

“My upper body has stopped moving, the phase is over!”

On the Arcana Continent, it was safe to say that the fate of the battle had been decided.

The power of the spirits had skyrocketed with the magic power released by Hoyeol, and the Fused Intelligence Yugweed, which couldn’t withstand the attacks of the spirits, had begun to collapse from its upper body.

The Arcana Continent and Reality are now connected.

The crisis in Arcana was a crisis in Reality.

And vice versa.

In that sense, one had to rejoice.

Wasn’t it predictable?

If the rest of the Fused Intelligence that appeared on the Arcana Continent were to cross over into reality. If the Fused Intelligence were to stand up, then it was possible that the Magic Tower, Seoul, and the nation of Korea would disappear from reality forever.

But.

“…….”

No one could rejoice.

They had witnessed it on the recordings brought back by Another Space Ship.

What sacrifices were made for this victory.

AAU Korea Branch.

Ta-da-dak.

Sung gritted his teeth and searched the database.

He wanted to see it with his own eyes.

He wanted to make sure what he was witnessing wasn’t an illusion.

“……!”

But it was there.

──────

[Status Abnormality, Magicalization]: The player is transformed into pure magic. The concentration of magic in the area increases in proportion to the player’s magic level, but the player dies as soon as the magicalization is lifted.

──────

The database says [Magicalization] is a status abnormality.

A while ago.

There’s even a concept illustration that resembles what Hoyeol is supposed to look like.

“……As soon as it is released, the player dies.”

Yoon Soogyeom holds a cup of coffee in both hands.

He stood frozen in place, watching Sung Hyunjoon’s monitor, unable to believe his eyes. But one way or another, the information in the database that must have materialized on the Arcana Continent was telling him.

Hoyeol was really dead.

He had imagined it over and over again.

In this regular update.

In the rift.

He imagined that Hoyeol, always at the forefront, would be in danger.

But at some point, he got used to it.

Until he didn’t even think about it anymore.

The difficulty level of the Arcana Continent increases day by day.

Raymon Sean’s ridiculous insistence.

He thought about it again and again.

No one will ever be able to replace Yusra General Manager Lee Hoyeol. The two worlds, the real world and the Arcana Continent, were safe because of him. Only because of Lee Hoyeol, because of him.

That’s why I dare not imagine it.

Player, Lee Hoyeol, was killed in action.

The aftermath that would befall the two worlds when the news was delivered.

Park Minjae opened his mouth.

“Today…….”

His barely audible voice was shaky in a way that even his teammates of decades had never heard before. It was a voice desperately trying to suppress the grief that was rising.

“We didn’t just lose one player…….”

Seoul.

The head of the AAU Korea branch is in desperate straits. Like a beacon in his own head that would have collapsed earlier if not for his position. Lee Hoyeol, his every move flashes by.

He went where no one had gone before.

A path that was dark enough without him.

I remember his backside, shining like a ray of light.

He carried such a heavy burden alone.

He looked so lonely.

Park Minjae continues in a somber voice.

“We, Reality and the Arcana continent, have lost a ray of light that will never shine again at this moment, perhaps we have lost a ray of light that was warmer than the burning sun…….”

-Ttogag

“……?”

There was no distinction between you and me. The control room. The moment when some of them stood mesmerized, others burst into tears, and some just put their heads down on their desks.

-Ttogag

The sounds were coming in one after another as if they weren’t hallucinations.

The inaudible sound of footsteps as people were evacuated.

Lips moved reflexively, like Pavlov’s dog.

“Seconds, General Manager……?!”

As if in response, a figure appeared on the monitor.

The usual posture.

The same posture as ever.

Lee Hoyeol is an upright player.

*

What are those expressions?

‘Why, they’re making faces I’m supposed to make.’

Were they startled by the sound of loud shoes?

This is why I prefer teleportation instead of the [Heavenly Demon Reign]…….

Anyway, I guess that’s not the point.

I looked over at the mages of the Magic Tower, all gathered in one place, except for Bensch. I see Cleodia, the author of the Elixir Cultivation Method, is there…….

‘Let’s see, even an adept mage is here.’

It made sense.

I, Marcelo, Matisse, and three or four other senior mages had traveled to the Arcana Continent to stop the Great Monster. It wouldn’t have been strange if the entire Magic Tower had joined us.

But then.

‘Everyone seems to be more dazzling than usual?’

I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the unusual attire of the mages.

‘……Wait, these are all magic tools for decisive battle, right?’

How could I recognize them right away?

It’s strange that I don’t recognize them.

Who am I?

Back in the days of parachuting, when I had nothing, not even a single piece of magic equipment.

To get my money’s worth.

Wasn’t I the same one who explored the garnet halls for magic tools?

‘I didn’t even meet the requirements to wear it…….’

I, Lee Hoyeol, recognized it immediately thanks to my unbridled greed. I understood the situation. Magic Tower was using all of its magic tools against the Fused Intelligence Yugweed.

My lips slowly open.

“Excellent.”

……Grandfell, you were complimenting them because of their attire, weren’t you?

You can fool everyone else, but not me?

As if to apologize for my questioning, he continues.

“Acting Chief, Bensch William.”

Well, Bensch, I’ll give him credit.

‘Surely Grandfell has a reason for his high opinion.’

He seems to have more firepower than he did in Antonium to match the Fused Intelligence Yugweed, judging by the way he’s making the place crackle with his heat.

But you can’t fool me this time, Grandfell.

‘Who appointed such a Bensch as acting chief?’

This very body.

‘You’re thinking of casually reminding me of that fact, Grandfell, so that you can pat yourself on the back again, but Lee Hoyeol’s conscience is pricked, and he can’t stand to watch such illusions any longer.

‘I’ve already felt it to the point of exhaustion……!’

The moment I died on the Arcana Continent.

I couldn’t forget the gazes of the spirits that poured down on me.

I thought.

It was almost as if I shouldn’t come back to life.

It was a sublime atmosphere.

No, Sublime is not enough.

System messages were flashing.

My title, [Sublime], has changed to [Noble].

What the effects of the new title would be, I didn’t know yet.

At this moment, it doesn’t matter.

I stood in a sea of gazes.

I spotted an unusually surprised figure.

The Sinhwa Guild Master, Baek Yiseol.

I honestly didn’t expect a Prototype Rift to appear in Seoul, let alone right next to the Magic Tower. Damage was bound to happen.

Perhaps the Sinhwa Guild has gathered here to fulfill its responsibilities as the Ranked Guild of Korea in the absence of the Gaon, or now the Great Alliance.

I added to Baek Yiseol.

“You, too, have proven your pride.”

Of course, further conversation was impossible.

As I said, this was a battlefield.

As I finished speaking, I heard a voice.

“Chief Lee, the magic power in the area fluctuating!”

Even the pattern was different from the Arcana Continent.

Just as Yugweed was manifesting magic with his left hand.

Fused Intelligence Yugweed was also condensing magic in her left hand.

I murmured.

“Yugweed, surely you were left-handed.”

Grandfell’s eyes are sharp, and he is neither mistaken nor easily forgotten.

Left-handed, of course, she was left-handed.

But at that moment, I was certain.

“But it’s different.”

Yugweed, the Fused Intelligence.

A system message that never lies, even if it did profess to. Even if the pulsing magic marks revealed the interference process unique to Yugweed.

That wasn’t Yugweed.

Goooooo.

My glare subsides.

“Because you were never this light.”

I don’t mean in terms of magic power.

I mean weight.

Gentle Giant.

The responsibility that comes with stepping into her shoes.

Yugweed never underestimated her influence.

But what about the Fused Intelligence in front of us?

Kugugugung.

The mere flow of condensed magic was enough to crack the building.

Windows were shattering, trees were being uprooted.

So I was convinced.

“You’re being too deceptive, Oried.”

Oried.

My words were met with an immediate response.

It was Feiyan Lot, a senior mage of the Spirit School.

“Earth Spirit King, Oried……. Then how can it be?!”

She had finally realized the identity of the Fused Intelligence.

Even if they didn’t, their expressions became even more determined.

‘Me neither.’

Okay, I said it plausibly enough.

‘What do we do now?’

This is Reality.

There’s no Last Adventurer to rely on.

It meant I couldn’t give my life away and eat it raw.

‘Why do you have to be left-handed, Yugweed?’

And now that I know that the Fused Intelligence here is even more difficult than on the Arcana Continent. I couldn’t help but think that I would give it my all from the start.

[Heavenly Infant Solitude].

Even at the risk of running away, I have to protect it. It’s quite far from the Magic Tower, but my home is in Seoul, as are my mom, dad, and Wensu.

But my decision was delayed.

Behind me, as I racked my brain and summoned my magic, I heard a voice.

I heard a voice.

“Ch, Chief Lee……?”

It was Bellier’s voice.

No, it wasn’t just Bellier.

Now, you won’t be surprised by my magic again.

What’s the point of making a fuss in such an urgent situation……

“……What?

Suddenly, I was caught off guard.

A light flashed.

It wasn’t just a light, to be precise.

An aura.

A luminous substance different from the magic power emanating from my entire body.

I could sense it.

I’d seen it all before.

Grandfell’s glare was impossible to miss.

Seuseuseuseu.

When I slowly raise my head, I see tree branches fluttering.

Just as the World Tree emerged behind Hiel.

Behind me, too, a World Tree had sprung up.

What it meant was simple.

I have another power.

{Nature} abilities have been awakened.

That I had heard it, just as Hiel had.

[The Mother of All, the World Tree, whispers to you.]

But…….

“I’m afraid not.”

Anyway, these are the words of the World Tree.

“I decline.”

Shouldn’t we at least pretend to be worried?!