***

I attended school. I attended classes normally and took notes of the subjects' contents. My classmates were making a fuss due to the delicate atmosphere at school, but I did not care and focused on the teacher's explanation. To others, classes might be boring and it was a process that they wanted to escape from...

'It's fun,' I thought to myself. That's right. It was fun. Most of all, I was pleased with the fact that my mind was peaceful and calm. For some, the school lessons were boring. However, to me, the classes had a greater healing effect than the extraordinary Mental Care System.

'Ahhh, I wish I could just continue living like this.' I wanted to meet my friends normally. I also wanted to have a normal relationship with an ordinary woman I met by chance. I wanted to go home and play games, as well as watch TV without thinking about anything. I wanted to take the midterm exam… If I continued to study with this mindset, I would probably get the best grades I've ever gotten. Then, if I went home with that report card... If I went home...

"..." I stopped writing with the pen I was taking notes with. I remembered the straight back of the man who stood in the kitchen with an apron hung around his neck. "Ehem." I shook the thought away and started taking notes again.

"Ah, wouldn't the school be closed if there are so many kids out of school?"

"Ugh, I also want to be infected with the eye disease, the eye diseaseeeeee..."

"Hey there, be quiet! You should be grateful that you didn't get any sickness and are able to stay healthy."

I raised my head and looked around as I took notes. More than a third of the seats were empty. It was different from my peaceful everyday life, and the situation of the world was proof of a whirlwind of chaos.

China is rallying its military forces.

'Is it going to turn out that way in the end?' I asked.

In the first round of the Captain's War, Sword Saint Zhou Hongyi, also referred to as the Rule Breaker, died. In the second round of the Captain's War, Sword Emperor Xu Jiayin, who was called the unparalleled being under the heavens, died.

China, to be exact, the Great Country of China which was governed by the Zhu Family, was in a tight spot. They once again invoked the Forced Right of Command to impose a temporary suspension, but that was only a three-day extension. Even that three-day extension was just around the corner.

Of course, just because the Zhu Family lost in the Captain's War, it did not necessarily mean that the ability users that belonged to the Zhu Family would become slaves of the Lee Family. That was because the system did not possess that strong an authority regarding coercion. However, the moment they lost in the Captain's War, their ownership of the Great Wizard's distribution which they have used all this while would be transferred to the Lee Family. For example, it would be as if the Lee Family were to lose Gyeongbokgung Palace, which they had been using well thus far, to another country.

That's the way it is. If they lose in the Captain's War just like this... Aside from the power gap, it would be as if the Lee Family has a leash around the Zhu Family.

In the parallel world, the power of the Infrastructure arranged by the Great Wizard was enormous. Even considering the fact that he was a transcendent, the Earth's Great Wizard was an existence that was extremely special and unique.

Even Genie and Ares, who used to be active with the Great Universe as the backdrop, were shocked and tongue-tied by the Infrastructure carefully laid down by the Great Wizard throughout the whole world.

This was also the case in the eyes of the Lee Family. The ultimate barrier that covered the entire Lee Family was the Entry Barrier that was also widely used in the Great Universe. It was an absolute barrier that would seal off all directions, except for the door where the entrance was set. A disadvantage was that the space set as the entrance was wide open, but that wasn't too big of a problem. After all, the entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace, also known as the Gwanghwamun Gate, had…

The Giant Soul Soldiers, Sejong and Sun-shin. They didn't have an Iron Heart or a pilot, but they were Magic Golems which had a power output equivalent to that of a Human-rank Gigas. In fact, the two golems alone were equivalent to the total power that the Lee Family possessed, so there was no need for any further explanation.

That was not all. There's still the Imoogi which was asleep deep down in Gyeonghoeru Pond, the space barrier of enormous scale which extended beyond a decent-sized city, and the artillery barriers hidden all over the place, as well as the emergency supplies.

Although the Three Great Magic Towers, Five Great Military Factions, and Seven Great Households were referred to in a fanciful way, no one among them dare reproduce the infrastructure of the Great Wizard. The infrastructures were the result of tremendous amounts of effort and time, as well as the great wealth of a transcendent, so…

'Can you predict exactly what it can do?'

According to the information collected, the Zhu Family seems to be most afraid of the Eviction Order.

'Are you saying that they can be expelled from the Forbidden City[1]?'

Yes, Captain-nim.

If such a thing was possible, it would be an unacceptable disaster from the standpoint of the Zhu Family.

Basically, the parallel world was a place that could cover the world of the demons and monsters, and limited places within that were completely safe were extremely limited. If the Lee Family were to use the Forced Eviction Order of the Zhu Family, the Zhu Family's reputation as the world's strongest would end on that very day.

'But don't they still have a chance left?'

This Captain's War was unfairly organized in the first place, and unlike the Lee Family who would lose if they were defeated just once, the Zhu Family had three chances. Everything would probably be resolved as long as they found and made a strong being who could defeat hyung into China's representative with the time they earned by using the forced command.

That's if they win.

That's right. That was the biggest problem for China. Sure enough, after coming this far, who could guarantee victory when going against hyung? Sword Saint Zhou Hongyi was a strong being that was considered the top five in China, and Sword Emperor Xu Jiayin was the unparalleled being under the heavens that China took pride in. It might be possible if hyung won by using a cowardly method or some sort of ingenious method, but all the duels were done in a fair manner. Both the Heavenly Dragon God Sword and the Earth Dragon God Sword were already defeated, so why would they bring over an inferior warrior just to lose? In the end, China had no choice but to resort to other measures.

"Now then. Everyone, get home safe. Wash your hands thoroughly, so that you don't catch the eye disease."

"Yes~"

I went home after class. As I left the classroom, my desk partner Seon-ae naturally stuck behind me.

"I'll be absent tomorrow."

"You?"

"You, too."

I walked down the school corridors. I left all my school supplies including the textbooks at school, so my body was light. No, my body probably did not feel light from that one reason. I felt light enough to fly, to jump tens of meters just by kicking the ground and jumping forth as it was…

'No, I could probably actually jump that far.' I nodded. It had been less than a week, but I had a considerable growth rate. This was all the more so because I could skip most parts of the training that was necessary to develop my spiritual power since I already possessed a considerable level of spiritual power.

"Must I do so?"

"…You really don't have a sense of urgency. Don't you understand the situation? Don't you feel how unsettled the Lee Family are these days?"

I could sense that Seon-ae was bewildered. But then again, it was understandable for her to react that way. Recently, the atmosphere inside Gyeongbokgung Palace was fuming up like a furnace. 'Well, everyone must be feeling it even if no one is saying anything.' It was the energy of war.

"The current atmosphere is at a level where external security is no longer possible. Since the safe house has been designated, you can't take a step out of there for a while."

"A safe house?"

We left the school gate while we were talking, and Mountain Sword was seen waiting outside the school gate as always. However, Mountain Sword was not alone.

"You're here. Get in."

"There are more and more people huh?"

"Your safety has become an important matter for the entire Lee Family."

Near the bulky black sedan, I looked at the four sturdy men in suits standing guard.

"Wow, what the hell is that? Does the son of a gangster attend our school?"

"Are you stupid? Hyung-soo, the son of the Chief Commissioner of the National Police Agency, and Young-mi, the granddaughter of the Prosecutor General, attends our school, so what do you mean 'gangster'?"

"If it was an enterprise-type gangster, then it might be possible."

"Well, the atmosphere feels like they're about to take a gun out."

At the sight of the whispering students, I quickly got in the car. It was embarrassing in more ways than one. "Ugh, why are you standing around the car like that? Everyone is watching," I protested, but the men didn't even look in my direction. They were just guarding me according to orders, and they did not seem to have much interest or goodwill towards my existence.

"The school is being protected by the barrier, but the school gate isn't, so we naturally have to take precautions. I don't think there would be any crazy guy causing trouble on the surface world, but... We don't know what's going to happen since the Great Wizard-nim has passed away."

"What a fuss," I grumbled and got in the car.

Following that, the other bodyguards, or more precisely the security guards also got into the car. The sedan left the city as if it was gliding. It continued to drive on the road and, at some point, the cars that crowded the road began to disappear one by one. As I came to my senses, the car I was in was already driving smoothly on an empty road.

Dimensional Movement confirmed. However, it is possible to observe Captain-nim, unlike when you were kidnapped by the trio. The Captain-nim in the Unique World is acting as a repeater.

'Come to think of it, when we built the buildings in the Unique World, we had the communications equipment set up first... Then, there shouldn't be any more interruptions in communication owing to an unexpected situation, right?'

I'm not sure, but I believe we will be free from almost any kind of electronic jamming interference. As long as the coordinate overlay is not removed... Captain-nim can speak to me anytime and anywhere via your voice.

I was listening to Genie, and then Seon-ae quietly spoke, "It's a temporary channel. It's a midpoint between the surface world and the parallel world."

I've been thinking that the individual dimensions were made too quickly, but it's a bubble world, huh... But it's a rare case to be able to make a bubble world so easily as it's originally supposed to require a considerable level of spell or spiritual ability.

'Is that a great ability?'

It's the highest-ranking barrier. Originally, that level of spiritual ability is nothing but a dream. However, perhaps the huge 'environment' of the parallel world that exists on this planet has helped to create the bubble with ease.

"It's a temporary channel, huh..." I mumbled. The city seen outside the car window was lifeless. It was a matter of course. The only thing moving in the city was the car we were in. "It's similar to the parallel world."

"But don't forget that this is all temporary. This is a place where every element in the surface world, except for the lifeforms, are materialized. However, that is all just temporary. It's up to you to take the clothes out of the clothing store and wear it, but when the temporary channel closes, you will appear naked in the surface world."

"The things of this world disappear when they go into reality?"

"Yes. The same problem applies whether you go back to the parallel world or the surface world. In particular..." Seon-ae's listless voice calmed down. "In particular, just in case and in the off chance that you face this situation, you should never eat food in the temporary channel."

"Food?"

The car we were in entered a village. Seon-ae pointed to a food truck that was pulled over the shoulder of the road. The food truck, which was parked without its owner, seemed to be a food truck focused on skewers. After all, its menu was filled with all kinds of skewers, and the skewers on the table in front of the food truck were steaming hot.

"That's right, food. Never touch food in the temporary channel. Even though they have the same aroma and appearance as the real thing in reality, as well as the same taste as the real thing, that is all only temporary. When you go back to the surface world…"

"...Likewise, it's going to disappear as well huh."

"That's correct."

1. The Forbidden City was the former Chinese imperial palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.