Plebeian Abyssals Resist Gentrification and Just Want Happiness

Alexandr glared at me, his hair sticking up in wild spikes. I doubled over, clutching my stomach as I laughed at the sight.

"Hahaha! Such pointy hair. It suits thee well."

"Suits me? Like hell it does!" Alexandr whined, thrusting his core forward. Blue sparks crackled inside it. The new mental core seemed to have settled in nicely.

"Look at this around the core! It's got lightning-shaped scars now!"

Monica leaned in to inspect, then nodded. "Why, that's pretty cool~"

Alexandr froze. "R-Really? It's cool?"

I just laughed harder at his reaction. "Hahaha, as if a brat like you could pull it off! Hahaha!"

As I kept laughing, Alexandr's face turned beet red. "Hey! Ugh, you're so annoying, you little twerp!"

"By the way, Alexandr? How old are you?"

"Fifteen now."

I tilted my head. "We're about the same height, though."

Alexandr sighed. "Abyssal entities revert to their childhood forms as they weaken."

"That's intriguing."

"I'd say this looks like six or seven."

I narrowed my eyes. "Call me 'big ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sis' and see."

"As if! And technically, you're the sis here—why 'bro'?"

"Sis sounds too girly for me..."

Alexandr furrowed his brow, looking utterly exasperated. "Anyway, you really got your mental image back... What were you even thinking?"

He stared at me. "What if I'd run or attacked you?"

I snorted. "As if you could do any real damage."

"..."

"If you ran, I'd just be a bit disappointed."

"Huh..."

"Figured you'd crawl back after I killed you a couple times."

Alexandr hung his head. "I got tangled with a psycho girl. This is beyond noise-level crazy."

"So since you failed, they're sending a stronger tuner now?"

"..."

Alexandr tilted his head. "Who knows. The Prism Board thinks weird. They might try to win you over or just leave you be."

"Hm..."

"No more info?"

"Nope..."

I clicked my tongue. "Sheesh, for a 'tuner' or whatever, you're just a lowly grunt."

"I'm not! I was kinda mid-level in Orbis!"

Monica glanced between us. "For real? You might've crossed paths then."

Alexandr scowled. "What? Sounds like she was in Orbis."

"The Mage Hunter is my father."

"Father? Like the food?"

"It means dad! This is why you kids these days!"

"What?!"

"Orbis's forged dagger, the mages' bane—the Mage Hunter is my father."

"...Had no idea it was someone from the same line of work."

Alexandr eyed me oddly. "A Mage Hunter...?"

"Met his end, to Lee Han."

"Whew... I see. Was wondering why contact suddenly dropped."

I shook my head. "Eh, Orbis is done for too. A kid like you as an exec?"

Alexandr's forehead vein bulged. He just huffed and glared.

"So, what's your plan now?"

He blinked blankly at me. "Huh?"

"What're you gonna do now?"

He pointed at himself like why ask me? "You're asking me? What to do?"

"...Monica, any side effects from core ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reconstruction? Like lowered IQ?"

"Nah... nothing like that."

Alexandr's cheeks flushed as he pointed at me. "You saved me! So, uh..."

He mumbled. "I'll... do whatever you say... properly!"

"Huh, begging to join up?"

He nodded vigorously. "Spectrum would just kill me for failing anyway."

"Harsh bunch."

"Info security is their lifeblood..."

Alexandr gazed sadly at the floor. "I just feel bad for my kin."

"?"

I frowned but held my tongue. His eyes looked a bit forlorn when he mentioned his people. Best to give it time.

Thanks to reverting to my original mental image from all that mess, the magic flew cleaner and sharper than before.

The eight ether clumps hurtled out, shattering the floor and shaking the earth. The arena's blue court was utterly wrecked by the eight ether shots.

"Hm, back to perfection."

I clenched my right fist proudly.

I can't wield mental images not born from me.

Learning that was satisfaction enough.

"Water and stars are all I need, after all."

Alexandr, sitting beside me, clapped. "As expected, insanely overpowered magic, miss."

"Wanna get hit, Alexandr? And I said drop the 'miss.'"

He shook his head. After a few days with Taehyun, he'd picked up how to tease me.

Shouldn't have let him stay at the house.

I glared, and he shrugged. "Just pure admiration, miss? Mi, ss?"

His tone grated, but I'd let it slide for now.

Dizzy from the ether drain, I grumbled. "If you've got time to watch my magic, train your own."

"Out of ether, miss."

"..."

Sensing my faint ether, I slumped down. I'd just filled up 300 million won's worth.

Gone like melting snow in seconds.

"Big is good, but can't sustain it."

Filling with my own cash hurt. Magic a few times and poof—300 million gone?

"Wanna raid Master's stash like usual?"

I giggled at Alexandr's suggestion. A few days back, mid-training and low on ether, I'd raided Monica's training ground.

"We got reamed."

"Even 7-level mages are sensitive about ether."

"Yeah, touching the field's ether or cartridges is rude."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

She'd lectured about disrespecting others, so I couldn't touch hers casually.

"My foundation's packed with it, though."

"Then train there?"

I shook my head. "Mental corruption."

Stay too long in the Abyss, and your mind gets tainted. Abyss waves affect humans.

"You lot are weak to them, huh?"

"Hmph. You're the weird ones."

I grumbled and stood. Alexandr shrugged.

"Well, trillions of lives swallowed by the Abyss—with humans fine in it, that's weird too."

"Fair point."

I clicked my tongue. "Getting stronger's great, but I want to be superhuman, not insane."

So, Abyss visits minimal outside clears.

"Plus, my foundation's ether density is insane."

Vast and huge meant ether too thick—even floor 1 was burdensome. Like lifespan ticking down live.

"Tch, foundation big enough for a city, but I can't stay long."

Alexandr sounded wistful. "If you were abyssal, no issue... We handle it fine."

I narrowed my eyes. "Tch, can't argue so it pisses me off more."

"Eek, don't hit! Miss? Gotta stay prim and proper—owk!"

Smack—the boy stumbled back a step ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from the flick. Blue sparks flared around his tense form.

Suddenly, he jumped up. "Ah! The foundation!"

"Huh?"

"If it's huge and ether-dense, there's a fix."

"?!"

Alexandr pointed at himself. "Plenty of roaming abyssals out there."

"Roaming? Not the groaning zombies shuffling around?"

"Those are pitiful lost souls."

Per his explanation, groups of abyssals wandered isolated dimensions seeking peace.

"So?"

"Bring 'em and process ether. Free supply forever."

"Process ether? Abyssals do that?"

He gave me a look. "Better than you? We lived there."

Made sense, so I nodded. "True. But where and how to get them?"

"Well... my kin."

He hesitated. "Your kin?"

"...Spectrum might see you as enemy."

"Using them as leverage?"

He finally nodded. "They're processing ether for Spectrum too. Put us under your protection and..."

"War with Spectrum?"

I shrugged. "Already enemies. No issue."

"C-Can I really bring them?"

I pondered, then nodded. "More like, how to extract them."

"Easy—Abyss is our turf. Nowhere to run before."

"Then fetch them now."

Alexandr's face lit up. Now that I knew, it wasn't just ether or foundation use.

I smiled faintly. "I really hate bullies picking on the weak."

"Miss..."

"..."

I clenched and unclenched my fist briefly. "Th-That was genuine, for real."

I shot him a mild glare. "But how do you contact them?"

Alexandr sheepishly pulled out his phone. "Open chatroom."

"..."

My brow furrowed. "You are real abyssals, right?"