Signs of the Rift
"Mm, Ha Ji-eun's cake is still delicious as ever."
I savored the pink cake piled high with melon while opening a portal. Yoo Yeon, watching me, stared in disbelief.
"Portal magic...? That's at least a 5th-level spell. And, uh, a portal to the Abyss?"
Wooong—
A blue oval gate ripped open, revealing a massive haul of ether containers. The enormous quantity poured into the tower's warehouse like a flood. Everyone gawked at the overwhelming volume, dumbfounded.
"This... all of it... is refined ether?"
"......"
"...It looks like more than the national reserves..."
"Whoa~ It's really a ton~"
Lee Sera's innocent remark was followed by Yoo Yeon double-checking the portal in exasperation.
"Hey! You're opening a portal linked to the Abyss, and you're just a 3rd-level mage?"
"That's right. It's because I haven't met the conditions for 4th level yet."
Yoo Yeon rubbed her forehead and pointed at the container crates and cartridges.
"And what's all this refined ether?"
"Ether refined at my Foundation."
Her mouth fell open wide.
"Th-this amount comes from a single person's Foundation?"
"Or maybe I used ether creation magic?"
She let out a hollow laugh and eyed the mountain of ether cartridges.
"Rich kid, gimme a few cartridges."
"These are unauthorized cartridges without permits yet?"
I tilted my head at her wide-eyed stare.
"Besides, once you're in the 1st Army, you'll have plenty of money to buy your own."
Her eyes welled up with tears.
"Do you know how hard it is to get ether cartridges in Korea...? I begged and scraped together just fifteen."
"...Tch."
At a loss for words, I pulled out a cartridge. It was unmarked—the so-called unauthorized kind.
"This is an unauthorized cartridge without national approval, you know?"
"I-it's fine. For the 1st Army, you can use it first and get permission later."
I furrowed my brow. Use first, permission later? Didn't that mean they could burn through ether whenever they wanted?
'The 1st Army's suddenly looking appealing.'
I nodded, and Yoo Yeon rolled up her sleeves, grabbing a hefty fistful of cartridges.
"Hey! How many is that?!"
"I saved your life! This is the least you can do! I couldn't use these up in a lifetime!"
She glanced around slyly, then her eyes sparkled.
"In return, call me whenever you need me next time. I'll come running! Maou-nim. Wait, can you add me to the Mawang Army too? Unlimited ether, heh heh...."
Her disheveled hair made her look even more bedraggled.
"First time seeing the 1st Army look so broke...."
Lee Ha-ryeong shrugged beside me.
"I've told you a dozen times ether is rare in Korea."
"...I didn't know even the 1st Army scraped by like this."
"Show this warehouse to any 1st Army member, and their eyes would pop out."
"......"
"Heh heh, ether cartridges for just one escort...."
I watched Yoo Yeon, who seemed a bit dim-witted in her glee, and recalled the intruder from earlier.
"Oh, by the way, that body from before..."
"It's fine. I cleaned it up spotless, no traces left. Incinerated it at super high heat—not even ash remains."
"Is that okay? What about evidence or items?"
"Checked everything before burning. Nothing there, but it was obvious~ Chinese, duh."
"Mm... that guy spoke Korean."
"So what? He learned it, or maybe he was Korean."
Yoo Yeon examined her cartridge intently, nonchalant.
"Don't sweat the small stuff. The point is, most Koreans are rooting for you."
She hesitated, then added,
"Sure, the internet's split fifty-fifty and fighting, but popularity with those keyboard warriors ain't worth much, right?"
"They support me? Even the mages?"
Sweat beaded on her forehead as she averted her gaze.
"W-well~ Probably? I'm a mage, and everyone here is too?"
"......"
Her credibility plummeted, but I nodded anyway. At least it didn't seem as dire as I'd feared.
'All my actions so far have bought me some goodwill, huh...'
I glanced at the ether cartridges being transported via rail. Lifetime supply, she'd said, but better safe than sorry.
"Chaotic times are coming. Prepare for the unprepared."
If K showed up right now, I wasn't even sure I could win.
'Might need to drag out a space battleship.'
As I pictured that colossal vessel,
"Hey, kiddo."
"?"
Lee Ha-ryeong held up her phone.
"Looks like the president's summoning you?"
Ding-dong, ding-dong—
The screen showed "VIP" as the bell rang.
"......"
"You got time?"
"The president, all of a sudden."
I surveyed the nearly wrapped-up scene and nodded.
"Yeah, should be fine. I had something to say anyway."
*
A few hours later, deep in an underground bunker, I blinked in the dim light.
"Sturdier bunker than I expected."
"Even this has its limits, considering what America and China can do. Might already be compromised."
President Nam Tae-hong glanced around bitterly.
"This Shadow Room shuts down today. You're the last to see it, Yoo Eunha."
"I see..."
He gave a faint smile at my curt reply.
"That unique way of speaking—it's memorable."
"...I'm not dumb enough to talk that casually to the president."
"Is that so?"
I flushed, realizing how odd it sounded.
'That 'yo' just slips out like a habit. Tch.'
As I grumbled inwardly, a steaming cup of cocoa appeared before me. Sweet, sugar-loaded—just my taste.
"As you know, China and Japan keep demanding to meet you. More like ultimatums than requests."
Nam Tae-hong clasped his hands, face impassive.
"Of course, I have zero intention of letting that happen."
He met my eyes.
"But if you insist on meeting, I can't stop you."
"......"
'All I'd have to say is, "That guy died real good."'
"If it's about Zhao Lin, I just think the bastard deserved it."
"Zhao Lin."
The president's gaze turned icy.
"Killed plenty in Korea too. Famous for duels to the death."
He pondered, then spoke.
"Frankly, hearing you say you gutted him would feel satisfying. But personally, I recommend refusing. Especially after today."
"That guy in front of the tower..."
"Yes. Retired Chinese mage—Yoo Yeon handled him easily, thank goodness."
He tapped the table.
"No matter what China or Japan say, our stance won't change. Korean mages come first."
"......"
"International matches might get brutal, but now's not the time. Every mage is precious."
"Got it. No upside to meeting anyway."
"Then we'll formally refuse on the national level."
He slid a file across the table.
"Next issue."
He paused thoughtfully, then spoke cautiously.
"Monica Newell's whereabouts are unclear. They say the U.S. Magic Control Bureau's West Branch took her, but..."
The photos showed wrecked buildings.
"......!"
"We intercepted their data transfer midstream. Looks like the West Branch has issues."
"Those bastards..."
"Building damage suggests total wipeout or near-annihilation."
"......"
'No way the one who massacred the whole branch is Monica, right?'
Nam Tae-hong rubbed his temple, tilting his head.
"What kind of person is Monica?"
"Not someone who'd wipe out a branch."
Her glowing red prosthetic eye in anger flickered to mind—not impossible, but I was sure she wouldn't.
"I see. Thanks. We'll keep searching for Monica's survival info."
"......"
Thinking of Slader Abbot and Monica emerging from that branch,
'She wouldn't go down easy, but...'
K's face surfaced.
'If there are more like him, no guarantees she's safe.'
My palms grew slick.
'Should've gone looking sooner... Screw the ranking wars, I should've bolted right then.'
As I stared glumly at the documents, someone burst into the room.
"Your Excellency. Incoming from 1st Army Lee Joo-hyuk."
The aide whispered urgently in the president's ear. Nam Tae-hong's face remained blank, but the aide's tone screamed trouble.
'So it's starting. Military mobilizing, or Abyss entities in reality.'
I imagined small-scale bombings or attacks outside the Abyss—
Wooong—
A powerful ether wave hit like a gut punch, heart sinking. The hairs on my neck stood; ether seemed to pour from my scalp, pulse racing.
I shot to my feet. Nam Tae-hong, briefed fully, donned his suit jacket, ready to leave.
"Bad timing."
"Pardon?"
"This Shadow Room avoids detection from other nations' tech and magic."
He paused, then clicked his tongue.
"It's built underground in the Gangnam Abyss."
"......"