Chapter 282: Great Change 1
[England, Buckingham Palace]
After subjugating Toji, Heynckes was received hospitably by the English government. Heynckes didn't want the public to find out about his return, and England did its best to stop the information from getting out. As a result, Heynckes stayed in England for two more days before returning to the Himalayas.
"...Hmm."
With Heynckes gone, today was the last day Yoo Yeonha would stay in Buckingham Palace.
She stood in front of a mirror in her room and checked her outfit.
She was wearing a black dress designed by the world-class designer, Yi Yoojoong, a pinnacle-grade artifact called 'Siren's Black Pearl Necklace', and an ancient Silla artifact called 'Bronze Necklace'. Together with the beautiful Buckingham Palace, her beauty stood out even more.
"Huhu."
Every time she saw herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but thank her parents. She couldn't imagine how they managed to pass down only the best genes.
Immersed in confidence, she made various poses, smiling like a cute girl, biting her lips like a seductress, and looking stern like a worried CEO.
She was well aware of the benefits her beauty brought. She had experienced it firsthand in business. Her appearance exuded trust and evoked admiration, boosting the image of her guild even more.
There was a reason that Yoo Yeonha was the face of Essence of the Strait.
...But her appearance had never garnered 'love' from anyone.
"Tsk."
A sense of skepticism suddenly swept through her. Yoo Yeonha clicked her tongue and turned away from the mirror.
But the feeling of helplessness didn't go away easily. She subconsciously thought of Shin Jonghak. She had liked him ever since she was a kid but gave up on him after realizing he would never be hers.
'How did I come to like him?'
It was a tale from a long time ago.
"Haaa...."
Yoo Yeonha sat down on the corner of her bed and recalled her first meeting with Shin Jonghak.
...The official name was probably 'Guild and Business Friendship Conference.' It was a social gathering for corporate leaders and top-class guild executives.
As adults and their children all attended, the 5-year-old Yoo Yeonha looked forward to the conference. She was just as ambitious back then as she was now.
That day, she tried on dozens of dresses with her mother. Although her mother was also passionate, Yoo Yeonha was even more heated up. What dress to wear, what accessories to pick, she spent 7 hours worrying about her outfit.
—How do I look, Father?
The dress she finally picked was similar to the one she was wearing now. A black dress and a necklace to make her look mature.
—Adorable, Yeonha!
—A-Ah, stop! You're going to make my dress wrinkly! Stooop!
Her father hugged her with a hearty laugh, and Yoo Yeonha remembered being angry at her father for making her dress wrinkly.
Not long after picking her dress, her uncle, Yoo Jinhyuk, who was a rising-star Hero at the time, also arrived. Together, they headed to the conference.
The conference was held in the garden of Chae Joochul's grand mansion.
—Wow....
Fancy classical music played in the background, and beautiful flowers glistened under the sun. Yoo Yeonha's eyes widened from the clear weather and scenic view. Although she came from a rich family, the Immortal's grand mansion had a certain noble charm that she didn't see in her home.
—Oh, if it isn't Air Blitz Yoo Jinwoong!
—Haha, Leader Yoon Youngho, it's nice to see you.
—No need for greetings. Follow me, Shin Myungchul brought an amazing child with him. Her name is Aileen. She was born with an extremely rare Gift called 'Spirit Speech'.
—Oh?
Her father and mother disappeared with Leader Yoo Youngho. Uncle Yoo Jinhyuk led her to the place where all the children were gathered. It was a playground built just for young kids. Yoo Yeonha puffed her cheeks unhappily.
—Uncle Jinhyuk, can't I say hi to adults too? Kids are boring.
—Nope, you can't.
—But why?
—The goal of this conference is 'making connections'. Your parents will take care of the adults, and it's your job to connect with other kids. Your parents' connections will eventually become yours anyways. Plus, you're only five-years-old. Don't go around calling kids boring when you're one too.
What Yoo Jinhyuk was saying made sense.
Left with no choice, Yoo Yeonha went to the kids' playground. There, she saw ten or so kids her age.
Huu... huu....
Yoo Yeonha collected her breath before approaching them.
—Hello, my name is Yoo Yeonha.
30 minutes was enough.
With her conversational skills and beauty, she captured the hearts of the other kids. Just when she was sure she became the main character of the meeting...
—Ugh, annoying.
A boyish girl appeared. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The upset girl sighed and sat down on a nearby chair.
At first, Yoo Yeonha was dumbstruck. How could someone come to such a noble meeting in that getup?
But she soon realized she could just ignore the girl. Yoo Yeonha snorted and invited her newly made connections to eat some pudding.
—This pudding is great. Would you like to try... some?
However, most of the kids around her had already disappeared.
'Where did they go?' Yoo Yeonha looked around, confused. Then, she saw them flattering the boyish girl.
—...Eh?
The words, 'Nayun, Nayun—', entered her dazed ears. It was then that she realized who the girl was.
Chae Nayun.
Daehyun's youngest daughter and the granddaughter Chae Joochul adored.
That was when Yoo Yeonha met Chae Nayun for the first time, and it was also when she felt inferior for the first time. But she refused to yield. She believed she was superior in appearance and clothing.
—...Hello, how old are you? I'm five.
She tried her best to recapture the attention of the other kids... but it was futile. The sons and daughters of mid-sized guilds left for other nobles when the chance came.
The 'noble' wasn't necessarily Chae Nayun. Sons and daughters of more honorable guilds and corporations, they seemed to possess 'something' that was even more important than appearance.
It was at that moment that Yoo Yeonha realized she wasn't the main character. That she was only an extra.
The young and proud Yoo Yeonha was sad that she wasn't at the center of the meeting. Her resentment was pointed toward Chae Nayun, who became the center of the meeting in only jeans and a t-shirt.
She held back her tears and glared at Chae Nayun. Although she was surrounded by many people, she seemed annoyed by it.
—...That girl. Bad, stupid, idiot...
Yoo Yeonha ate pudding as she sobbed. Only the sweetness of her pudding consoled her.
It was then that 'Shin Jonghak' appeared in her life.
—Is that pudding good?
His voice was childish, yet full of confidence. He wasn't talking in polite speech, but Yoo Yeonha didn't care.
'Someone came to me!'
Just that one fact made her happy. Yoo Yeonha wiped her tears elegantly and turned around.
There, she saw a handsome boy who seemed to have popped out of a painting.
She asked in a daze.
—...Who are you?
Shin Jonghak smirked, then said softly.
—Shin Jonghak. My grandfather is Shin Myungchul.
—Shing Myungchul...?
—It's Shin Myungchul, not Shing Myungchul.
Yoo Yeonha's eyes widened. There wasn't anyone in the world who didn't know Shin Myungchul.
Shin Jonghak seemed to have liked her huge reaction as he stayed and consoled her.
—Don't worry about those guys. They're only puppets of their parents.
Shin Jonghak must have spoken from jealousy. Since he liked Chae Nayun for the longest time, he must have disliked seeing Chae Nayun surrounded by other guys.
But Yoo Yeonha didn't know that at the time.
—People who chase after special people without trying to become special themselves only end up as trash.
He was just as arrogant then as he was now.
—...Un, okay....
Back then, he seemed like the coolest, most wonderful person in the world.
That was the memory from her childhood. When she recalled it now, her heart didn't thump like it used to.
About 12 years later, Yoo Yeonha met another man.
A man who didn't have anything to his name but continued to get on her nerves.
Although she was annoyed, even ignoring him and reproaching him, he saved her life. Not only that, but he also turned her life around forever.
Kim Hajin.
Thanks to him, she was able to become a 'noble person' like she always wanted to be. Essence of the Strait became the number 1 guild in the world and entered the top 10 of corporate entities.
She had achieved the ambition she always had...
Tok, tok—
A knock interrupted her recollection. Yoo Yeonha shot up from her bed, startled.
"Who is it?"
—Um, it's Rachel. I heard you were leaving, so I came to see you off.
"...Hmm."
Yoo Yeonha straightened the hem of her dress and opened the door.
Rachel was standing right in front of her. She seemed tired from having to deal with Shin Yeohwa, but she greeted Yoo Yeonha with a bright smile.
"You look great. Are you ready to go?"
"...."
"...Yeonha-ssi?"
Yoo Yeonha glared at Rachel silently. Rachel was acting subservient and modest as always.
In a way, it was to be expected. Yoo Yeonha knew she had risen to a position where she could determine the fate of a country. With little exaggeration, she could end England if she set her mind to it.
"You."
Yoo Yeonha was displeased with Rachel's attitude. The emotion she felt towards Chae Nayun that day surfaced once again.
She couldn't hold back.
She shot the pent-up feelings she carried in her heart at Rachel.
"What relationship do you have with Kim Hajin?"
At that moment, Rachel's shoulders flinched.
"Pardon? What do you mean—"
"Don't act like you don't know."
Yoo Yeonha turned serious.
"The child you ran off with two days ago, I saw her in Seoul. At the time, she wasn't with you but with Kim Hajin."
"...."
Rachel didn't say anything. As far as Yoo Yeonha was aware, the silence was the same thing as an answer.
"I'll ask again."
Yoo Yeonha's face turned serious.
She clenched her teeth and asked straightforwardly while sharpening a knife in her heart.
"Did you sleep with Kim Hajin?"
The moment she asked that question.
Guoooo....
A boundless magic power began to pour down from an unknown place.
**
[Final Arc ▷ 'You Can't Jump Off a Running Train']
[Earth's Demon Realm Transformation is progressing... 3% Complete.]
[Calculating Towers that have not been conquered.]
[Tower of Miracles, Tower of Eternity, Tower of Beasts, Tower of Sorrow, Tower of Despair...]
[...A total of 13 Towers were found. The power of these 13 Towers will be released to the outside world.]
"...Hajin, magic power just—"
"Fuck, what now?"
"Eh... w-what?"
A sudden change to the system in the name of an 'arc'.
Unable to hold back my anger, I ran towards the window and looked up.
Then, I lost all words.
Chwaaa—
Thousands of shooting stars were falling from the sky, illuminating the darkness.
A meteor shower.
Rich writing appeared on the shooting stars. I was most likely the only one who could see it.
「Enough time has passed since the destruction of the Tower of Wish's shell. But during this time, humanity paid little attention to conquering the remaining Towers. They had little choice because of the great enemy known as Orden.
Tower of Miracles, Tower of Eternity, Tower of Beasts, Tower of Sorrow, Tower of Despair... a total of 13 unconquered Towers have released their powers. It was because of the 'rejective force' resulting from the materialization of the Tower of Wish. Their powers served as a catalyst for hastening Earth's Demon Realm Transformation.
...Now, meteorites are falling on the world. The meteorites contain hundreds of demonic monsters, demon merchants, and destruction-hungry demons. This is the start of the Demon Realm Transformation.
But this Demon Realm Transformation wasn't a simple phenomenon like the one from the Tower of Wish. 'Not all demons are enemies'. The Demon Realm Transformation will change Earth and bring about a new age....」
"The fuck does that mean, you piece of shit?"
I cursed at the sky, looking at the words I couldn't understand. Then...
KWANG—!
A few meteorites exploded as they landed. The earth rumbled and smoke rose up.
[Rewards have been granted to all of humanity for clearing the Tower of Wish — 'Blessing of the Saints' has been activated.]
[A new system has been initialized.]
[Interesting, your system is level 6, the only Player to have surpassed level 4.]
System level.
While I was climbing the Tower of Wish, I had used [Consolidation Coupons] to level up the system to level 6.
[Your stats have been condensed to 5 attributes.]
[Your attributes are 1. Sharpness 2. Tenacity 3. Creativity 4. Materialization 5. Consolidation]
"Boss?"
I turned to Boss. She seemed to be experiencing the same phenomenon as she was staring into the air.
—Grrrk.
—Grrrk.
Next, strange roars began to ring outside. I widened my eyes and looked outside the window.
—Grrrk.
From the meteorites pinned to the ground, hundreds of demonic beasts were crawling out.
[Arc Progress - Demonic beasts of the Demon Realm invade humanity.]
[Countless 'Dungeons', 'Mirror Worlds', and other battlefields will be created.]
[Every time a Dungeon is cleared, or a demonic beast is killed, you will receive DP (Dark Points).]
[DP can be gained by 'anyone' and can be spent in 'demon towns' or with 'demon merchants'.]
[Note, demon merchants and demon towns are not your enemies. They are 'neutral entities' who wish to seek benefits through this war.]
[You can convert SP to DP.]
Clang—!
At that moment, a black demonic beast jumped through the window and landed on me. I swung my hand subconsciously. The demonic beast was cut in half cleanly.
"...The hell?"
I looked down at my palm, which had suddenly become sharp.
[7 points of sharpness will be imbued in all actions you make.]
[You obtain 5 DP from killing a demonic beast.]
"What just...."
"Hajin?"
As I was murmuring in bewilderment, Boss called my name.
I turned on the TV without answering her.
—Emergency report. The world is experiencing an unprecedented meteor shower. These meteorites are causing huge explosions; civilians are recommended to stay inside....
"No, Hajin."
Boss tapped on my shoulders like she was frustrated.
"Yes?"
"L-Look over there."
"Huh...?"
I turned to the direction Boss was pointing to.
Three minutes ago, it was a vast field in Central Asia with nothing to note.
But that wasn't the case now.
General stores, clothing stores, weapon stores, magic stores, and others.... Benches surrounded a pond in a plaza with 4-story high inns. There were even existences that looked like people.
A meteorite had struck and created a new town.
"...What's that?"
The system returned an answer to my confused murmuring.
[They are 'demon merchants', beings who came to Earth through the meteorites. Demon merchants are fundamentally different from demons, devils, Djinns, and demonic beasts. Demons are not a single race, only referring to those who came from the Demon Realm. Demons have different settings depending on what race they belong to.]
[Devils will employ Djinns and demonic beasts to conquer Earth. Humanity will try to stop them. These 'demon merchants' are here only to reap benefits from the two sides' war.]
[They will sell you anything, whether it be technology to annihilate members of their own race, weapons, magic, or whatever. As long as you have DP, that is.]
[How is it? Not so boring anymore, right?]
"Are you kidding me, you son of a bitch..."
Seeing the last sentence, I couldn't hold back my anger.
"Huu..."
But being angry wouldn't change anything.
I calmed myself. There was something I needed to do.
I took out the [Purifying Crystal] from my Stigma.
But at that moment, Boss discovered something else.
"...Hajin."
She pointed at the sky with her trembling hand.
'What now?' I looked up, somewhat fearful of what I would see next.
Immediately, my thoughts stopped.
"...A dragon."
Boss murmured quietly.
Boss and I looked up at the sky in a daze.
It wasn't something like the Human Dragon Aileen, but an actual dragon.
In the sky, a member of the mystical race known as dragons was circling the moon.
"Jesus Christ is this for fucking real...."
I couldn't help but curse. I had not cursed in a long time, but this damned co-author just wouldn't let me be.
Chap—
"Uk!"
Boss hit my mouth with her hand.
When I looked at her confused, she gave me a coy look.
"Don't curse."
"...Ah, okay."