China (2)
PAHAAAT!
My vision flooded with blinding white light, and a moment later, the system message rang out.
You have entered Floor 4.
Congratulations on your ascension.
"We—we finally made it!"
"Sniff... hhhic..."
"Floor 4! It's really Floor 4!"
"Waaaahhh!"
The ninety-nine Ascenders who had climbed up alongside me leapt about, bursting into tears of joy.
"Thank you. Thank you so much!"
"I'll never forget what you've done for us, not for the rest of my life!"
"Thank you so, so much, Unknown-nim!"
They showered me with gratitude all over again, and the earnestness of their hearts stirred a quiet warmth in me that I couldn't quite suppress.
Well, this doesn't feel bad at all.
It had been an act of kindness I'd never intended, but in that moment I caught a glimpse—just a small one—of what it felt like to be someone's strength, someone's light.
"Huh? The Hahoe Mask?"
"It's—it's Unknown!"
"Where? Where?"
The Ascenders already on Floor 4 had spotted me too. In an instant, a crowd came swarming like ants.
Jeez, what is this.
I had grown into a rookie with a name that carried some weight, sure, but never anything on this scale. Just as I was blinking in mild bewilderment at a crowd far bigger than I'd expected, questions came pouring at me from every direction.
"Unknown, are you really Chinese?"
"Unknown-ssi! So it was true—you weren't Korean, you were Chinese all along?"
"That photo of you getting an award from Zha Jinfeng—was that actually you??"
"Say something! Answer us!"
Most of them were challenging me, demanding answers—and the questions they hurled were baffling beyond belief.
"Hey! What do you think you're saying to Unknown-nim?!"
"Block them! Don't let anyone get near Unknown-nim!"
The ones I'd brought up with me formed a human wall, keeping the other Ascenders from closing in.
"Unknown-nim, let's go."
I made straight for the path they'd cleared for me.
"Unknown-nim!! Are you seriously Chinese?!"
At the voice calling after my back, I clicked my tongue low and threw one answer over my shoulder.
"I'm not Chinese!"
"Huh? Wait, you're not Chinese?"
"Then what about that photo?!"
No, seriously—what photo are you all talking about?
"What the—?"
The moment I stepped out of the Tower, I pulled up the article and my face twisted in sheer disbelief.
This is supposed to be me?
An Ascender wearing a Hahoe Mask was receiving a commendation from China's President, Zha Jinfeng. But the figure in that mask looked exactly like me. Height, build, the Hahoe Mask itself—every detail matched mine like a copy pulled from the same mold.
It was as if someone had hit Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V on my appearance inside the Sky Tower and pasted it straight onto this man.
So that's why everyone kept asking if I was Chinese.
—Truly identical. I half believed a doppelganger had appeared before me.
If it had fooled even Aleon completely, then no wonder nobody else could see through it.
"But why would China go this far?"
By now, I could sense there was some deliberate intent behind China's relentless insistence that Unknown was one of their own Ascenders. The problem was—I had no idea what that intent could possibly be.
—Hmm. It occurs to me that perhaps they are stirring all this up in order to flush out your true identity.
Aleon's theory had real weight to it. Privately, I'd been entertaining the same suspicion.
If that's it, why?
Were they actually trying to recruit me? Or was there some other purpose at work? Just as I was turning the Chinese players' motives over in my mind—
The headlines came hammering down one after another without pause.
James came to Korea?
The instant that thought crossed my mind—
BZZZ-BZZZ-BZZZ!!
My phone erupted into violent vibration. The caller: James. It was none other than the man every camera in the world was pointed at right now.
"Welcome, Mr. James. I am Kang Dae-ro, President of the Republic of Korea."
"A pleasure to meet you, President Kang."
CHACHACHACHACH—!
The moment Kang Dae-ro and James clasped hands in front of the Blue House, an endless storm of camera shutters rained down from the horde of reporters.
"This way, please."
"Thank you."
Once the photo-op for the press had concluded, Kang Dae-ro led James straight to the VIP room.
"You must have had a long and tiring journey."
"Not at all. Thanks to the private plane you sent, the trip was a comfortable one."
Korea, having received James's notice, had dispatched a private jet just to bring him over. World's strongest Ascender. America's ultimate weapon. America's Sword. The man wore a litany of titles, and in practical terms he was less a single Ascender than a walking embodiment of a great Ascender-nation himself.
James visiting Korea? That alone raised the nation's standing on the world stage. It was only natural to roll out the red carpet this thoroughly.
"The reason for my visit is that Unknown fellow who's causing such an uproar at the moment."
"……!"
At James's words, the corners of President Kang Dae-ro's eyes trembled almost imperceptibly. Right up until this very moment, James had never properly stated his purpose. At first he had only hedged, saying it was a matter of friendly relations. Never had he imagined the true object of this visit was Unknown.
"...I heard you encountered Unknown directly in the Sky Tower. Is this matter related to that?"
Kang Dae-ro's voice dropped lower without his quite meaning it to. Instinct told him that James was about to say something of real importance concerning Unknown.
His instincts are sharp indeed.
Watching him, James inwardly gave a nod of respect. It seemed the presidency of a nation was not a seat just anyone could fill.
Then there's no need to circle around—straight to the point.
James knew exactly where Unknown was. Having promised his sponsorship—and having staked his own future on Unknown's trajectory—he had opened up a great deal to the man. And through that, he had learned that Unknown was Korean, and obtained his contact information. It was thanks to that that Unknown had given his blessing to today's confidential talks with President Kang Dae-ro.
Now, retracing his purpose once more: what was his goal? Why had he come all the way to Korea to meet President Kang Dae-ro? It all funneled down to a single point.
Unknown's growth.
He would aid Unknown's rise. His own future was mortgaged to Unknown, yes—but so was the future of all humanity. Why?
Because the only one who can stop that thing is Unknown.
And so—
"Yes. That's correct."
he would steer everything, with all his strength, down the path that benefited Unknown. President Kang Dae-ro. Even if it meant setting the entire Blue House of the Republic of Korea in motion.
"Things must be quite the headache for you right now, thanks to China."
"Yes. They are."
"Do you believe Unknown is Chinese, Mr. President?"
"...You ask that for a reason. Don't tell me—he's not?"
As expected. Quick on the uptake. James had a feeling the two of them would get along well.
"Yes. That's right. Unknown is not Chinese."
"Then why on earth is China—"
Kang Dae-ro's words trailed off. James already knew the answer to the question he couldn't finish.
Zha Jinfeng? Nothing more than a puppet propped up for the outside world. The true powers secretly ruling China from the shadows—those people—were stoking this fire at the cost of international condemnation, straining themselves desperately to pin down Unknown's whereabouts. That was how crucial Unknown's existence had become as a key point even for them.
But that was something he could not share just yet. All he could do was this:
"Unknown is Korean. And I have recently become his sponsor."
"……!"
At James's words, both of President Kang Dae-ro's eyes flew wide as saucers.
"Announce it. That Unknown is Korean—and that I am his sponsor."
The corners of James's mouth lifted. Honestly, this was never how he'd planned to go public with his sponsorship—but the situation had worked out beautifully. With China, and the people behind China, conveniently stirring the pot, he could make it known naturally in the process.
Ten minutes later—
An article of monumental reversal hit the wires, flipping the entire narrative of Unknown's supposed Chinese identity on its head.
CHACHACHACHACHACHACH—!!
James was walking out of the presidential office once more, and the camera shutters spat light in a single blinding wave. Reporters hurled questions at him from every side.
"Ascender James! How long have you and Unknown known each other?"
"Until when will you be sponsoring him?"
"What did you see in Unknown that made you decide to sponsor him?"
James cut through the mob of reporters pressing in like it was a fire sale, and then—a single question struck his ear like a thunderbolt.
"Ascender James! One word about Unknown—just one word, please!!"
One word, is it.
James stopped mid-stride and turned back to the reporter who'd asked. Silence fell in an instant. The reporters, relying on pure animal instinct, sensed with uncanny accuracy that James was about to speak.
"Unknown, he will..."
Gulp!
Someone's throat bobbed audibly, and James continued.
"...surpass me before long."
"……!"
A shocking statement! Every reporter's eyes bulged past the limit of how wide they could go.
CHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACHACH——!!
The flood of cameras came down again in a deluge, and the road ahead of James burned blinding white with their light.
In the span of a single day, the entire atmosphere had flipped on its head. The gloom that had settled over everyone burst back into a festival of pure madness, and then a new article came along to throw more wood on the fire.
Body: PFFF James just officially recognized GodKnown lolololololol and he even declared he's stepping up as official sponsor
The festival raged on, where every comment that appeared only drew more laughter. Meanwhile, China and Japan reacted in precisely the opposite register. Japan, which had spent days sneering at Korea, went silent as if it had swallowed a bee, and the once-cheering Chinese netizens sank into a dazed stupor.
And it didn't stop with them. Other nations began divining that Korea, with Unknown riding on its back, was about to emerge as a new Ascender powerhouse, and scrambled to churn out friendly, Korea-leaning articles of their own. Overnight, even Korea's national standing itself had climbed.
And the culprit who had started all this—China—now found itself writhing under international condemnation.
And yet.
China refused to bend to the very end.
Barely anyone believed China's word anymore. They had already been bleeding trust, and this incident had bled out what little remained. And then it went further:
A formal position statement from the United States! It sent fresh shockwaves rippling through the Korean press.
A ferocious international headwind was howling against China—and still China insisted, to the bitter end, that the photo of Unknown receiving a commendation from Zha Jinfeng was genuine and unaltered, and that Unknown was therefore their own national. It was almost as if China were deliberately provoking friction with Korea. Some circles viewed this behavior with alarm—because in the past, China had pushed Taiwan into just this kind of near-forced friction, ignited a war, and ultimately reduced Taiwan to a vassal state.
At that very moment, in a grand mansion in Shanghai—
CAW-CAW!
A raven wheeled in slow circles above the mansion before alighting on the windowsill of the third floor.
"Li Shang. That person has issued direct orders."
Astonishingly, the raven spoke in human speech. In a scene that would have chilled anyone to the bone—
"...Is it concerning Unknown?"
the man facing the raven inside the room asked tonelessly.
"Yes. You are commanded to locate Unknown outside the Tower—without fail, before Unknown sets foot on Floor 7."
"...Relay that I understand."
The bald man's expression remained utterly flat. Li Shang—China's strongest Ascender, and one of the pillars of the Seven Ascenders—had begun to move, hunting for Unknown.
"Thank god James stepped in."
Thanks to James, the whole mess over my supposed Chinese nationality had wrapped up cleanly. If it hadn't been for him, before long I might have had to step forward and prove my own identity myself.
—So that, it seems, is the gambit China has been playing all along.
That's what I figured.
James had said much the same thing. I couldn't explain the details, bound as I was by our pact, but the reason China was doing all this was to uncover who I really was.
But the more I think about it, the angrier I get?
Spreading slander about me. Trying to jerk me around like a puppet on their strings. Fury welled up in me, hot and enormous.
—Even rage is a privilege reserved for those with power, lad.
Right. True enough. Compared to a nation like China, I was still less than the grime under a toenail. No wonder they could throw their weight around like that.
—Carve this anger into one corner of your heart, and keep it there. Grow strong, and the day will come when you repay every last thing they've done to you. Worst case, who's to say the day won't arrive when the Lumina you've gained lets loose one magnificent breath right over China's capital, hmm?
I couldn't help but snort a laugh at Aleon's words. This was Aleon consoling me in Aleon's own particular way.
Fine. We'll see about that later. Let's find out whether they can still act this smug with a dragon's breath falling on their heads.
Power here, power there. I reminded myself, once again, that building strength came before everything else, and turned my steps straight toward the Sky Tower.
My top priority: Floor 7. The threshold that marked the boundary into the ranks of high-tier Ascenders—and the floor where I could see Lumina again. I intended to run there without so much as stopping for breath.
Of course, before that—
I had to go see Han Ga-in. The plan was to lend a hand with the Alchemy work, collect the materials needed to upgrade the Sage's Tome, and then take on the climb of Floor 4.
BZZZZ!
Right on cue, a Seolhwa Clan limousine pulled up. As I settled into its seat, my thoughts continued on.
James said the dedicated Floor 4 equipment set he's preparing will take some time, so—
once everything was ready, I'd head off to face the Proof of Courage. Like the Proof of Qualification, it was a trial that granted an initial skill.
And this time, my target is a Mythic-grade skill again.
I'd kept pulling Mythic-grade skills all this way—if I came up empty here and here alone, it would sting badly. It would throw off my growth pace, too.
"We've arrived."
Since when? It was so comfortable I hadn't even noticed the time passing. Every ride in a limousine reminded me how genuinely pleasant they were. Like lying on a bed, almost.
"Hajun-ssi!"
Han Ga-in, already waiting out front, greeted me warmly.
"You must have had a long trip."
At the sight of her sunlit smile, all the tangled thoughts scattered clean out of my head.
Alright. Let's take care of this first, then.
Who knew—maybe by tonight, the name Kim Hajun would become famous.
Under a title like this: The Birth of a Genius Alchemist.