Chapter 11
Right after arriving in Incheon, Han Seol-ah actively utilized her EX-grade mana to scatter wide-range detection spells.
Bang!
A circular shockwave erupted centered on Han Seol-ah.
[Hoo... not bad at all.]
"I had to be especially careful with detection since missing even a single monster would be a disaster."
[Hm. Just a bit more polish and it'd be perfect.]
'But... something's off...?'
Every human carried at least a tiny amount of mana in their body. Han Seol-ah's detection was precise enough to pick up even those faint traces without fail.
Yet she found nothing.
"Did they leave?"
[No, they're here.]
Frozen stated it with certainty.
From the moment they'd set foot in Incheon, Frozen had sensed the presence of the 'Creator.' It was faint, but unmistakable.
[I couldn't possibly be wrong.]
Genesis-grade items, those most deeply touched by the Creator's hand, were treated as direct children. Among countless crafted items, Eternal Winter was the fifth Genesis creation—the Creator's youngest, the last to feel his touch.
Frozen couldn't mistake that aura.
[This way.]
Frozen hummed, guiding Han Seol-ah. Jin Cheon-jin and Min Ji-hee followed cautiously behind.
'...I still can't sense anything?'
Han Seol-ah was puzzled. No matter how many times she probed, there was definitely no lifeform ahead.
She glanced back at Min Ji-hee, who shook her head.
Min Ji-hee sensed nothing either.
[Inside here.]
After walking a bit further, they arrived at the appraisal center.
Gulp.
'That person... is inside?'
Her mouth went dry from extreme tension. Han Seol-ah swallowed hard and stepped inside.
[Right there.]
'...!'
Inside the appraisal center, in the direction Frozen indicated, a single man stood.
Thump! Thump!
Her heart pounded wildly.
"L-Lord Nebula!"
The man turned around.
"...!"
The moment she saw his face, chills erupted across her entire body.
The man's face was... ordinary. Eerily ordinary. Like the prototype of humanity itself. That was her first dazed impression.
'...Is this what the first human God created would look like?'
So ordinary it felt special instead.
"Ah."
But something was wrong. The 'him' she remembered didn't feel like this.
An overwhelming terror. A transcendent being whose mere gaze could freeze the soul. That was the form of 'Nebula' in her memory.
But the man before her? Completely different.
And above all...
'No... mana!'
His internal mana was '0'. Not low—completely absent. His body was hollow, like a ghost that didn't exist in this world.
'Impossible! Even 'ghost' doesn't cover it.'
This was a being utterly detached from the laws of this world.
"Frozen? Is that really...?"
[Yes.]
"But I can't sense any mana at all. It's blatantly weird..."
[That's why you're still a novice.]
Frozen's voice turned icy cold. As Han Seol-ah broke out in cold sweat,
The man spoke.
"I am not Nebula."
"...?"
[Huh?]
The atmosphere froze.
The man's voice was low and even. Neither high nor low—a perfectly pleasant tone. But the meaning wasn't ordinary.
[N-No way...!]
Frozen, who had clearly sensed the 'Creator's breath' from the man, felt the world crumbling. And Han Seol-ah,
"N-No, that's impossible!"
was on the verge of losing her mind at the existence of a 'mana-less human'—and that it wasn't Nebula.
As if understanding their shock, the man quietly raised a hand and added,
"But I will soon be Nebula."
"...?"
What did that even mean?
They say people gain superhuman strength in extreme situations. Now I know that's bullshit.
Superhuman my ass! My mind's gone blank—I can't think straight!
"What do you...?"
Nebula isn't me. Nebula's my game character.
But Nebula will soon be me. Because Nebula's the character I created, I control, and I've raised all this time!
So my nonsense wasn't a lie.
But judging by Han Seol-ah's wide-eyed stare, it wasn't easy to understand either.
Couldn't be helped. In this short time, with my head blank from shock, not blurting out something stupid like 'Huh?' was praise-worthy enough.
"I see..."
Just spout something.
"You don't understand..."
Buy time first. My brain's spinning at full speed.
Han Seol-ah clearly called me 'Nebula.' She already knows I'm connected to Nebula.
Reacting like 'Who?' now would be the worst move. It'd just fuel suspicion from her and the two she brought—Jin Cheon-jin and Min Ji-hee.
Lucky part: They burst in right after I put on the shadow mask and changed my face. They don't know my real appearance.
And from Han Seol-ah's reaction, even they aren't sure if I'm the 'real Nebula.'
'That's it.'
They don't know I'm the real Nebula.
But they know I'm connected.
My situation: I can't let them find out I'm the unawakened Ha Seong-un.
And I need to clearly show my connection to Nebula.
Show it. No gaps!
A scenario forms in my head. Just as I open my mouth,
Min Ji-hee steps forward, shoving aside the frozen Han Seol-ah.
Min Ji-hee. One of Korea's three pillars defending the nation alongside 'Guardian' Han Seol-ah and 'Hero' Jin Cheon-jin. Nicknamed 'Iron Blood.' Korea's 'brain'—a terrifying woman.
And her eyes gleam with a strange light.
Min Ji-hee's awakening ability is shrouded in secrecy.
But one thing's certain: When activated, her pupils shine with an indescribable brilliance, giving her the air of a sage transcending reason.
That unknown power is in full effect now.
Aimed at me.
Shit.
'...Can't I just talk to Han Seol-ah?'
This is bad! My mouth snaps shut.
"We pay respects to the Apostle."
'?'
What the? Apostle?
'...What's that?'
As I freeze at the baffling explanation,
Min Ji-hee kneels and bows deeply.
"And we offer our thanks."
For what? Why thanks!
Couldn't hold back my curiosity. Her bowed posture screamed ask me.
Me, Ha Seong-un. The man who's survived ten years on wits alone.
I'll play along.
"...For what?"
"By my humble reason, I understand."
Min Ji-hee looked up.
"That the Apostle has descended to this land to carry out the will of the great one and save Earth."
...Me?
'I see.'
Lightning flashes in my mind.
Min Ji-hee's mistaken me.
The cryptic exchange with Han Seol-ah just now...
Her intellect pieced together 'truth' fragments from it.
'Problem is, that truth is a misunderstanding.'
What did she figure out? No idea!
She's Iron Blood with intellect on another level. How could I guess her thinking?
But one thing's clear: The situation's turned in my favor.
Just add a spoon to the table she set.
'Right. I'm the Apostle who descended to save Earth.'
Mindset set.
"You don't understand..."
At that low, indifferent mutter, Min Ji-hee's heart froze.
This absolute being was now disappointed in lowly human comprehension.
Min Ji-hee desperately spun her brain.
Mana-less body. Meaning, not a lifeform.
An eerie otherworldliness, like sculpted from thin air.
Not Nebula, but will be Nebula.
Descent of an absolute, world laws, empty shell to accommodate—avatar.
'Vessel to enact the god's will. Apostle!'
She reached the conclusion in an instant and hurriedly stepped forward past the rigid Han Seol-ah.
"We pay respects to the Apostle."
"The Apostle has descended to this land to carry out the will of the great one and save Earth."
Min Ji-hee ignored the cold sweat trickling down her back and stared straight at the being.
'Did I get it right?'
A beat later, a faint smile touched the man's lips.
As if whispering, 'Interesting, keep going.'
'Correct...'
Min Ji-hee shivered at the smile. The gears of her Iron Blood reason meshed wildly, flushing her cheeks with excitement.
"The transcendent 'Nebula'—for such a colossal being to descend directly would shatter the 'laws' established and upheld by the 'System'."
Min Ji-hee spread her trembling hands.
"Yet the world... the 'System' remains calm, with no signs of destruction observed. Meaning the great one did not descend 'directly'."
"..."
"But the great one found a way to descend without breaking world laws—and combining that with your words that you are 'not Nebula yet one with Nebula'."
Min Ji-hee's eyes sharpened.
"Sends a being containing a fragment of his power, without violating world laws. A dispatched agent to enact the god's will—the Apostle."
"..."
"That is you."
The man, still wearing a subtle smile, asked,
"Saving Earth means?"
"That's simple."
Min Ji-hee continued smoothly.
"You've already helped Seol-ah."
"Ah...!"
Han Seol-ah gasped.
The man opened his mouth calmly, as if recalling a trivial matter, without a hint of fluster.
"Indeed."
Min Ji-hee's pupils shook violently.
'As expected! He clearly knows events from that other world, known only to Nebula and Seol-ah. He must be an Apostle fully sharing Nebula's gaze and memories...!'
The moment all her deductions clicked.
"Thus."
Min Ji-hee knelt.
"By the mercy of Lord Nebula, we beseech the Apostle. Save the Republic of Korea from destruction."
Han Seol-ah swiftly pulled out the gloves she'd cherished in her pocket—White Tiger's Fang—and prostrated beside Min Ji-hee, offering them reverently with both hands.
Jin Cheon-jin, watching from behind, quickly prostrated as well.
Instead of answering, the man lifted the gloves from Han Seol-ah's hands.
Sensing it, Jin Cheon-jin hurriedly added,
"Those gloves are Korea's national treasure, an S-rank artifact, and my partner from awakening to now—named 'White Tiger's Fang,' Apostle."
"..."
"They may not satisfy the Apostle. But among what we can offer, it's the finest... most precious. We offer them gladly—please save this nation."
The man held the gloves silently.
"...If insufficient, we'll pay any price. Somehow!"
The man tucked the gloves into his backpack.
Jin Cheon-jin felt a unique mana leak from the slightly open flap.
Mana only from spatial magic.
'Spatial mana from a backpack? No way.'
An artifact flashed in Jin Cheon-jin's mind.
'Space Expansion Backpack?'
A plain-looking bag with near-infinite storage like an RPG inventory.
One of only 12 in the world—ultra-rare.
'Ten have owners, one with the Black Market. One shrouded in mystery...'
He'd just seen that mysterious one.
The man, having stowed White Tiger's Fang safely, fell silent for a moment.
"..."
"..."
The others followed suit in silence.
Amid the wordless tension,
"Tomorrow."
"Hek!"
Han Seol-ah yelped in surprise at the man's curt words.
"...Tomorrow at this time, I'll give my answer."
"...Yes."
The man quietly left.
The three didn't lift their heads until his presence fully vanished.
Whirr—
Finally, as he exited the appraisal center and the door closed,
"Hoo."
Min Ji-hee exhaled heavily and slumped.
She didn't even think to wipe the sweat soaking her back.
"Haa."
"Phew."
The other two were the same.
"Good work. How'd you know he was the 'Apostle'?"
Min Ji-hee shook her head at Jin Cheon-jin's question.
"How could I comprehend a transcendent's intent? First time facing one. I just pieced together the fragments and guessed."
"Fragments?"
Han Seol-ah, who'd been listening, asked.
"First, no mana."
"...Yeah. So weird. Felt like he wasn't there despite standing right in front. Terrifying to think of a mana-less human. I thought my senses broke."
Everyone nodded.
"I thought doppelganger."
"A monster mimicking human form?"
"Not no sightings. And they were here in Incheon, fittingly."
Min Ji-hee continued.
"Second, Frozen's reaction."
"...Now that you mention, Frozen's quiet. Frozen?"
[Listening.]
"Why stay silent before him?"
[Won't answer.]
"...?"
"...If unrelated to 'Nebula,' Frozen would've reacted. But Frozen stayed quiet. And Frozen pinpointed him clearly."
[...]
Frozen remained silent.
"Third... power."
"Power?"
"Solved a Rank-1 gate in Incheon without a speck of mana. Dimensional rifts, powers manifesting. Phenomena modern magic engineering can't explain. If not miracle or divinity, what?"
Haa.
Min Ji-hee sighed heavily.
"Of course, not 100% certain."
"Hm."
"'I see... You don't understand...' He said, like expecting more but disappointed. Couldn't just stand there clueless."
Min Ji-hee rubbed her furrowed brow unconsciously.
"We're begging salvation—can't disappoint. So I spoke to the limit of my understanding. Some wrong, some leaps... but he accepted."
Min Ji-hee closed her weary eyes.
"He smiled at the end, like 'good enough.' We passed the minimal test."
"Took the offering too."
"Yes. Now wait for his decision tomorrow..."
Han Seol-ah nodded silently.
Nebula from that world.
The Apostle from Earth.
Terrifying existence of immense power, Nebula.
Conversely, the Apostle who felt like nothing.
They seemed utterly different.
Yet both... transcended human understanding.
That much was certain.
'...Fooled them good.'
More precisely... survived thanks to Min Ji-hee falling for her own trap.
'Apostle, huh.'
Strictly, Nebula's my Apostle.
I'm Nebula's master.
But I can't wield even 1/100th of Nebula's power.
So.
'Gave me a perfect excuse, Min Ji-hee.'
Thanks!