Chapter 166

Chapter 166

Chapter 166

Poof!

A part of space warped, and soon, a young man appeared in a room. This was an ability that shouldn’t have existed in real life: short-range teleportation.

“Ugh, what a headache.”

Yongno frowned as he put his hand on his forehead. His divine nature awakened when the patterns engraved by Mary were activated, and he realized Qi Heaven, but the extent of the abilities he could use in-game versus real life was like comparing the price of a convenience store’s triangle onigiri and one year’s tuition at a private university. There was an immense gap. The modern human body didn’t possess any functioning qi pathways nor any sensory organs capable of feeling spiritual power. So, an external element was required to utilize these special abilities. In Yongno’s case, he had the mark on his forehead. He had an amazing physique that seemed like it had been gifted from the heavens, but even a sports car needed the correct type of fuel and the appropriate set of tires to run properly.

Following this analogy, Yongno was currently using his spiritual power as if he attached bicycle wheels to a sports car and started pedaling. It was a miracle that he could even use his abilities. Yet, after using a fighter’s body in DIO, Yongno couldn’t help but be extremely frustrated by the restricted set of abilities and skills.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

After booting the computer within the room, Yongno searched for the video file. The file wasn’t hidden or anything, so it was easy to find. Actually, it would have been weird for someone to assume that another person would go through their personal computer.

“Those guys will probably freak out later on. The full videos will be uploaded from their IPs, so they’ll be suspicious of each other.”

Yongno uploaded the unedited, full video on various platforms on the internet. The scandal should subside to some extent since the recording showed the boys being beaten by Yongno and Leaf escaping from their grasp. Of course, Leaf had suffered under their hands, so some clamoring was expected, but it wouldn’t be as bad as it was right now. Celebrities being ‘sexually assaulted’ versus ‘harassed’ were two entirely different issues.

“Fortunately, my internal energy levels were low, so it’s not obvious that I used the Golden Pill Immortal Technique.”

In the video, Yongno’s hand shone with golden light for a moment, but it was a single blip, and the glow was so weak that it didn’t seem all that strange.

Click!

“He’s back?”

Yongno felt someone enter the home, so he turned off the computer and teleported out of the room. Due to his meager internal energy capacity, he could only blink about 15 meters away each time, but this was enough to enter and leave a modern home.

“Phew.”

After finishing all that he set out to do, Yongno nursed his aching head with his hands while walking down the street. It was already late at night, but the surroundings were all brightly illuminated by the various store signs.

Ring~! Ring~!

“Huh?”

As he heard a sudden phone ring, Yongno stopped in his tracks. Though he carried his phone around, he rarely received a call from anyone, even his family. The only reason Yongno kept his phone on him was because of Eunhye’s incessant urging.

“It’s not like she ever calls though… oh, it’s Eunhye.”

With wide eyes, Yongno answered the call.

“Hello?”

“… It’s me.”

Yongno sat on a nearby bench. It was the first time he had heard Eunhye’s voice since she left Korea.

“I haven’t heard from you in a long time. Have you been doing well?”

“So-so.”

Yongno, hearing Eunhye’s calm voice, felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him. It had only been about a month since she left for a foreign country, but after mostly living in DIO, where time passed twelve times faster, he felt that he hadn’t heard her voice in over six months.

“Hey, do you know Leaf?”

“The singer?”

“Oh, you do know her. She lives on the eleventh floor of my building, but I had no idea. Well, I didn’t know who she was until recently.”

“Did something happen?”

When Eunhye questioned him, he recalled the awakening of his supernatural powers and how he defeated the high schoolers to save Leaf. However, Yongno soon shook his head as if to rid himself of these distracting thoughts. Eunhye knew better than anyone that he never got involved when someone was facing an injustice. Besides, how could he explain his use of internal energy and magical power in real life?

“Nothing major… Ah! The CEO of Leaf’s agency told me that I should think of singing professionally.”

“You didn’t take him on his offer, right?”

“Yeah, right.”

For ten minutes, Eunhye and Yongno chatted. They didn’t talk about anything serious. Yongno spoke most of the time while Eunhye listened.

“When will you be back in Korea?”

“Soon, but nothing’s finalized.”

“Come when you can. I’ll be waiting.”

“… Okay.”

The call ended. Yongno had waited patiently to see if Eunhye was going to bring something up, but it didn’t seem as though she had anything in particular to say. Since Eunhye wasn’t one to waste time, it appeared she called just to check up on him.

“She usually doesn’t contact me unless she has something to tell me. Weird.”

As he found the whole situation odd, Yongno made his way back home. His next login time was soon approaching.

***

Beep…

After the call ended, Eunhye buried herself into a comfortable sofa. Since she was wearing shorts, her slender, long legs gleamed in the light.

“Phew.”

With her cell phone on her chest, she took deep breaths. Eunhye felt as though she could pass out at any moment. After ten minutes, she stretched out her legs.

Ting!

With a faint noise, Eunhye’s body shot straight off the sofa as she stood by swinging her legs down. The resilience and flexibility of her body illustrated how much she had trained.

“Okay, completely recharged.”

With a more energetic voice, she strode forward and prepared to go outside. She put on a well-maintained suit and sturdy black shoes. Her suit and shoes were tailored, so they didn’t inconvenience her at all. Overall, the wardrobe emphasized a simple image and maximized functional beauty. It felt closer to an armament for fighting rather than merely being fashionable.

“Hmph!”

Eunhye gave an encouraging shout. She had always been a proud person, but her days in America were as precarious as walking on a knife’s edge. Just a few months ago, Eunhye was a relatively unassuming high school student, but then, she went to the United States alone and contacted a secret organization shrouded in mystery.

Fortunately, she was recognized as an important figure in her institution after acquiring information about the Gigas from DIO. However, she had also provided information about an anti-gravity device in her previous meeting. This futuristic technology was a trading chip so powerful that it became a double-edged sword. It had such extraordinary value that if the technology had been disclosed to a secret Korean organization, the technology might have been stolen and gotten her killed.

“Of course, that isn’t to say this place is credible.”

In truth, Eunhye felt a little scared. She was a woman, just a young girl with no background. Edgar wielded enormous power in the United States, and as the head of a secret agency, he held significant sway in the world as a whole as well. If he had any bad intentions, it wouldn’t take long for Eunhye to fall into the depths of hell, and he could even make her disappear without a trace.

“It’s fine.”

Eunhye straightened her shoulders and remembered Yongno’s voice from earlier.

‘Dummy.’

She smiled and felt re-energized. Just thinking about Yongno gave her strength. He was her everything, the person who saved her from the depths of hell. If it were for him, Eunhye would go against the entire world.

Though she was living life on a knife’s edge and couldn’t be with him, this didn’t matter to Eunhye. Just by hearing his voice from time to time, she felt she could gain strength and overcome any challenge.

“But he’s exactly the same as before.”

To be sure, Eunhye had called Yongno as she suspected that something may have changed. This was because the Yongno she saw within DIO was different from what she had seen before she left for the United States. The Yongno in DIO was like….

“Like….”

“Are you done with your preparations?”

As she walked out of her quarters and into the hallway, the director of research, Bill, approached her. His expression was filled with expectation. Bill was over seventy years old, yet he was able to make such an eager, child-like expression. It just went to show how much he loved his work.

‘Bill mentioned that he’s Level 9. He’ll be a Master-level user soon.’

There were only six Masters currently in the game. These were Arthur and Cruze and the newly appeared ‘irregular’ named Merlin. Outside of those three, there were Arc, Lancelot, and Ilyia.

Among all the users in DIO, only Arc, Lancelot, and Ilyia were Level 10. There were no players at Level 11, Level 12, or Level 13. Cruze and Merlin were Level 14, while Arthur was Level 18.

‘There are about 500 users at Level 9.’

The average user considered Level 5 to be the first barrier, but the skilled and talented saw Level 10 as the real barrier. Someone knowing vast amounts of general information, philosophy, and training consistently wasn’t enough to overcome the Level 10 barrier. No, one needed to awaken their spiritual self. This was why there were a substantial number of people stuck on Level 9, with only a few Level 10 players existing.

However, amongst DIO’s user base, there were many people who were world-renowned scientists, national athletes, and great philosophical and religious thinkers. In comparison to Ilyia and Eunhye, these users were probably more gifted and talented, but they were held back at Level 9 due to their lack of spiritual awakening. Some of those users would probably never overcome this barrier, but many would soon break past their physical limits and reach the Master Level, increasing the number of masters exponentially.

“Hurry up! We’ve finished all the prep for the program. They’re all waiting!”

“You’re quite excited.”

“How can I not be?! We’re writing a chapter in history… anyway, hurry up!”

After shouting, Bill started running ahead. Eventually, Eunhye made her way to a room that had a large display.

“Once we log in, five other researchers and I will follow you. Then we’ll….”

After listening to Bill’s plan, Eunhye put on her headset and lay on a comfortable chair. The ergonomic seat allowed the person using it to fall asleep easily, with the back support comfortably holding Eunhye.

/In the beginning, I felt sorrow…./

/For I had nothing that I desired…./

/Still, I wish and hope…./

/I will create the world that I envision and seek./

As they heard the familiar sound of someone speaking, everyone closed their eyes as they logged in.

/You shall be free here and now./