Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: The Correlation Between Anomalous Phenomena and Items
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Damn.
Today was supposed to be for settling into the new house, watching Ayase's stream, and tinkering with the streaming studio's features. But Yoo Euisul and the Awakener Association ruined it all.
At Yoo Euisul's urging, I rushed out of the house anyway.
Of course, I hadn't even washed my face.
I knew full well how urgent this situation was.
It wasn't just anyone—it was Yoo Euisul, of all people, reaching out to me for help.
When I finally stumbled out to the front of the house looking like a total mess, there was Yoo Euisul waiting by her sports car, looking even worse.
She spotted my face and looked a bit flustered.
"You really came right out like that?"
"You told me to..."
I croaked out my response.
For the record.
I'd been awake for less than ten minutes.
"Get in first. I'll explain on the way."
I climbed into the car.
After buckling up, Yoo Euisul floored the pedal right away.
This must be seriously urgent.
As she kept her eyes on the road ahead, sneaking glances at my face, she tossed out a casual remark.
"You look filthy. At least pick out the eye boogers next time."
"Y-You told me not to wash up and just come out!"
"I didn't think you'd skip washing your face altogether. You sure you're a girl?"
Is this woman a psycho?
Definitely a psycho or a total nutcase.
"And I've been meaning to say this for a while, but what's with that outfit? We're not going on a picnic. You dolled yourself up just to look pretty, huh? Why not go all out and do your makeup too?"
"Ah, I wore this on purpose! To avoid tipping off the reporters, I figured flashy clothes would actually—"
"No reporters today."
"Why not?"
"Too dangerous. Here, wipe your face with these wet wipes. I can't even look at you."
"Fine. But..."
I roughly wiped my face with the wet wipes and snuck a glance at Yoo Euisul.
Then I continued.
"You're not exactly in a position to talk."
"Shut up."
"..."
Yoo Euisul looked a wreck.
She didn't seem injured anywhere, but her whole body was caked in dirt.
So much dirt that the seats of this expensive sports car were long since covered in dust, and even the air inside felt murky.
I waited quietly for her to speak to me next.
"Eek...!"
The car suddenly sped up, and a pretty embarrassing groan slipped out of me.
"Y-You're going way too fast, aren't you?"
"In a hurry."
"I can tell it's urgent from the state you're in. But even so, driving this fast right in the middle of Seoul..."
What if we crash?
We're heading out to resolve an Anomalous Phenomenon to protect people, but we'd end up hitting someone on the way there.
"We're on the hotline. Don't freak out. If you're that scared, pray to your god or something."
Ah.
Hotline.
I'd heard of that road traffic system before.
Obviously, the sooner you resolve an Anomalous Phenomenon, the better.
Letting it drag on just introduces another variable.
But Awakeners are human, not machines.
They're scattered across the country, so the standard procedure is to call the nearest one when a Phenomenon pops up.
Not every Awakener can fly like Superman, so you have to account for travel time to the site.
The hotline system was designed to minimize that precious travel time for Awakeners.
I'd never seen a hotline in action myself, and since I don't have a license, I've never driven either, so I don't know the details.
But.
We hadn't hit a single red light the whole way.
In the heart of Seoul, our speed never dropped below 130 kph.
And we're using the bus lane too.
All that suggests the traffic is adjusting in real-time to match Yoo Euisul's route.
In other words.
The sports car she's driving.
Isn't just a luxury toy—it's essential transport for resolving Anomalous Phenomena.
Yoo Euisul asked me.
"The five steps to resolving an Anomalous Phenomenon. Recite them."
I recalled the lessons she'd drilled into me.
"...Search. Act. Assess options. Search again. Act."
"You remember well."
It's the concept she always hammered home.
'Just charge in first, then think.'
When you face an Anomalous Phenomenon, you don't get much time to think.
So dive in headfirst, and figure it out once things unfold. It's not too late then.
Of course, this method is dangerously unorthodox—other Awakeners would never agree to it.
What if you charge in and your mind gets corrupted right away, or your gut gets pierced?
It only works because she's an Awakener who can theoretically counter any Phenomenon's attack.
...And the same goes for me.
I realized it while resolving "The Portrait of the Mad Woman."
I'm not fully immune to mental attacks like Yoo Euisul.
But my mental fortitude is strong enough that I won't break down.
So I can handle mental assaults to some degree.
And physical attacks? With my iron body, no contest.
In short, I can resolve Phenomena the same way she does.
Step one: Search the Phenomenon wiki for info.
Steps two and three: Act and assess while feeding her real-time wiki details as we engage.
No need to hang back—my body's tough, and my brain's sharp.
Yoo Euisul continued.
"Bottom line: This Phenomenon is one where blindly charging in headfirst screwed us."
"So your method was completely wrong this time. For this Phenomenon, anyway."
"Exactly. This one needed thorough analysis before diving in. Though if analysis alone could've solved it, I wouldn't have called you."
Her explanation went on.
"Truth is, I was training at home when that damn old man's frantic call came in, so I don't know the initial encounter details. The other Awakeners probably followed procedure fine."
"Whatever happened, the other Awakeners failed to resolve it."
"Scheduled Hwan called me."
"What kind of Phenomenon is it?"
"One that pulls in everything within a 300-meter radius using gravity. Light, firepower—literally everything. Think of it as a downgraded black hole."
"Crazy... A-Are the other Awakeners okay?"
"Not worried about me?"
"You're alive. Doesn't look like you're hurt."
"...Ungrateful brat. The others? No way they'd be fine. Oh Hyunjong lost an arm. And that kid... what was her name? The one with purple-dyed hair."
"Sangjun-ssi?"
"Right, Ahn Sangjun. All his nails got ripped out. Anyway, as long as you stay outside 300 meters, it doesn't trigger, so no one died. Lucky. Oh Hyunjong shoved in his left arm first and only lost that. Ahn Sangjun poked with a finger and lost all his nails. If they'd jammed their whole bodies in cluelessly, they'd both be guts-partied right there."
"..."
Hearing her spout that gruesome stuff so casually just confirmed it—Yoo Euisul's definitely a psycho.
So.
"The other Awakeners retreated, you deployed... but you couldn't resolve it either?"
"Yeah. Like I said, charging in headfirst was wrong this time. I tried closing in to slash it, but it wouldn't cut. Time was especially tight—no window for step three, assessing options. 300 meters in, 300 back out. By the time I'd run 600 meters round trip, the Phenomenon triggered, and the area around it was..."
"Total chaos?"
"Beyond chaos—utter devastation. Black hole lite, remember? Even just the transit time had the ground cratering down to the bedrock aquifer, so I pulled back."
"...Um, one thing I'm wondering."
"Shoot."
"How'd you survive?"
Awakener Ahn Sangjun got all his nails yanked just from his fingertips brushing the 300-meter zone.
Oh Hyunjong thrust in his left arm and lost the whole thing.
Even as a downgraded black hole, that gravity sounds way beyond what a human body could endure.
And yet.
Dirt-caked as she was, Yoo Euisul looked unscathed.
To my genuine curiosity, she shrugged it off.
"Slashed it."
"Slashed what?"
"Gravity."
"..."
Properties are the characteristics of things, people, or phenomena.
Pulling in with gravity is just one property of a "black hole" phenomenon.
Yoo Euisul's sword, Iron Sword No. 3, can sever a target's "properties."
So slashing the property of "pulling via gravity" isn't that strange.
...Not strange, but.
Accepting it is another story.
How is this human? She's a monster.
Well, her sword has limits too, apparently.
It can sever properties, sure.
But not the core entity of every Phenomenon, like this one.
She couldn't sever the entity of "The Portrait of the Mad Woman" either.
Why?
Because a Phenomenon's true nature is some indefinable mystery beyond the concept of "properties"?
Maybe, but if I had to guess...
Items and Anomalous Phenomena have.
A specific hierarchy.
For example.
Say there's an item "The Spear That Pierces Anything" and a Phenomenon "The Shield That Blocks Everything."
As long as causality exists in the world, one must pierce or block— a conclusion has to be reached.
The wiki "never" lies, so both can't happen simultaneously.
Contradiction. Doesn't make sense.
A clash in the settings of an item and Phenomenon.
That's why I hypothesize they have a set hierarchy.
Otherwise, I can't resolve the contradiction.
Reflecting Myriad Stars, presumed to be the "Great Being Who Governs Knowledge," would know the truth, but since They haven't directly implanted it in me... it stays a hypothesis.
Who knows.
If I uncover the censored part of Yoo Euisul's Iron Sword No. 3, maybe the hierarchy shifts.
Either way, Yoo Euisul being a monster doesn't change.
Even if she can slash gravity, one slip and her whole body gets sucked into the black hole. Fact.
Taking that risk alone makes her a monster.
Alright.
A Phenomenon even a monster like Yoo Euisul couldn't crack.
"So you're telling me to resolve it. Me, a rookie Awakener who's only been at this for two months."
"Who said resolve it alone? We're doing it together."
"Sorry, but about my ability—you know it only triggers at point-blank range with the Phenomenon, right?"
"I know."
"Then how the hell do you ask that, knowing it? Sure, my body's tough, but getting shredded by a black hole—"
"Too bad, huh."
"You psycho!"
"Calm down. I'll carve the path. You just check the Phenomenon info properly. No getting shredded."
"Easier said than... Ahh, God!"
Looks like resolving this Phenomenon too.
Will desperately need Reflecting Myriad Stars' blessing.
Please bless me.
I mean it.
Damn construction guy downstairs, this is why I have no choice but to go full fanatic.