Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: Arrival at Wigen
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“Alright, everyone. I’ll explain today’s schedule.”
Incheon Immigration Gate.
Lee Hee-young, dressed up more neatly than usual, explained in a soft voice to the 15 participants heading to the Holy Martial Tournament.
“First, those of you participating in the Holy Martial Tournament will head to Wigen ahead of the other students for local acclimation.”
The students listened quietly to Lee Hee-young’s words.
“Once you arrive in Wigen, there will be a lab tour. After that, we’ll have a simple opening ceremony. It’s nothing grand, so no need to be nervous. And… at 9 p.m., there will be a fellowship gathering with key figures from each country’s schools and Wigen.”
“A fellowship gathering?”
At the mention of a fellowship gathering, a few sociable students’ eyes sparkled.
Shin Young-jun, who had particularly outstanding social skills, was especially excited.
Lee Seo-jun seemed slightly uncomfortable, as if anticipating the attention he’d get.
Yoo Ara openly showed her annoyance, already finding it a hassle.
Eun Seol-ah wore a subtle expression of half worry, half anticipation.
“Yes, the purpose of the Holy Martial Tournament is, after all, a friendly event for exchange between schools from each country.”
At those words, I chuckled softly to myself.
…Friendly event, my ass.
It might look flashy on the surface.
But everyone knew it had devolved into a tool for intensifying competition and conflicts between nations.
“The main exams of the Holy Martial Tournament start the next day. Alright! That’s the end of the explanation, so let’s head to the portal gate!”
With that, we stepped into the gate.
Flash!
Upon arriving, a faint sea breeze wafted in.
Around us were European-style buildings rare in Korea.
As we walked straight out, the Mediterranean Sea, embraced by three continents, came into view.
“Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve been to Italy.”
“This is my first time.”
Cheerful voices came from around us.
Even in this world where gate travel had become convenient, visiting overseas was always an exciting experience.
“Everyone, Wigen has no gates installed for terrorism prevention, so from now on, we’ll travel by boat.”
“Ah, I hate boats.”
“Me too.”
At the mention of taking a boat, complaints arose from somewhere.
For us, accustomed to convenient gate travel, moving by boat felt a bit cumbersome, unavoidably.
Lee Hee-young led us to where a massive ship was docked and shouted energetically.
“Alright, everyone! Board the ship!”
Vrooom.
The massive vessel cut through the blue sea, advancing forward.
I leaned against the deck railing, patting the back of Choi Seo-yoon, who was suffering from seasickness, while gazing at the horizon far out at sea.
Infusing mana into my eyes, a small island came into view.
Towering buildings stood atop the island.
True to its setting as a research city, it exuded an urban vibe.
But the buildings looked a bit different from typical city structures.
Like a ‘secret lab’ from a movie, hiding all sorts of plot hooks?
“Hey, you okay?”
I turned my gaze to Choi Seo-yoon, who was hunched over in misery.
She’d suffered seasickness all day on the way to the Fog Island, and today was no different.
“…Y-Yeah. I’m f-fine… No, d-don’t… look… Urp…”
Choi Seo-yoon clutched my lapel tightly.
I silently patted her back again and turned my gaze back to the sea view.
Even without her saying not to look, I wouldn’t.
I wanted to see only the good stuff, after all.
“Rough trip, huh~”
Then Lee Seo-jun suddenly appeared beside me. I glanced at Choi Seo-yoon and smirked as I replied.
“She’s acclimating now. It’s not her first time.”
Lee Seo-jun smiled along with me and leaned against the railing next to me.
“How’s it feel?”
“What?”
“You finally made it to the Holy Martial Tournament, something you wanted so bad. Climbing from 150th to 5th in just a year, working your ass off.”
Hearing that gave me a weird feeling.
From 150th to 5th in a year.
What the hell had last year’s me been up to?
“Hmm. As for how it feels…”
Honestly, I was nothing but worried.
I already knew what events would unfold at the Holy Martial Tournament from the original story.
Of course, with my interventions changing the world, the events might not play out exactly as I foresaw.
Still, as always, I could only hope nothing worse than the original happened.
“No real thoughts.”
“…Really?”
Lee Seo-jun paused, deep in thought at my odd response, then nodded.
Vrooom….
Time passed like that, and the ship reached its destination.
“We’re here. Let’s disembark.”
I handed Choi Seo-yoon some tissue and water, then got off the ship.
As soon as we did, people playing on the beach and countless high-rises came into view.
And a massive barrier encircling the city’s outskirts.
The first impression was a lot like Hawaii.
Wigen served as a resort for invited guests, on top of being a research facility.
“Wow…”
Choi Seo-yoon, recovered as if nothing had happened, was back to her usual energy, enjoying the scenery.
“Oh, right. I survived thanks to you, sunbae. But… you didn’t see me get seasick, did you?”
“Too gross, so I didn’t look. No worries.”
Choi Seo-yun clamped her mouth shut, at a loss for words.
“Seriously, bring some seasick meds next time.”
“I was fine on the Atlantis one last time, so I thought it’d be okay this time too…”
Choi Seo-yoon mumbled in a depressed tone.
“That’s ’cause Atlantis has the Mystery of Recovery.”
“Oh, so that’s why I was fine then.”
Choi Seo-yoon nodded as if realizing.
“Welcome. Students of the Korean Wizardry Academy.”
At that moment, a black-haired white man appeared before us, speaking fluent Korean.
Dressed in black with sunglasses, he looked just like a special agent from a movie.
“I’m James, the Wigen security team leader and research team member, tasked with escorting you treasures of Korea.”
“Huh? James?”
A few students reacted with surprise at James’s introduction.
It was a fairly common name, but combined with his position as Wigen’s security chief, it revealed who he was.
A-Rank Wizard, James of the Magic Bullets.
In this world, he was a rare support wizard who used guns as his main weapon.
Though A-Rank, he was famous for combat prowess rivaling S-Rank wizards.
The ‘wizard rank’ assigned by the association wasn’t determined solely by magical power.
It comprehensively evaluated achievements, reputation, and magical skill, so one shouldn’t judge combat ability purely by rank.
“Alright, let’s move out.”
With that, we headed to the massive barrier surrounding the research facility.
“Welcome. For security, I’ll check your entry passes.”
We presented the entry passes we’d received that morning.
The staff scanned the invitations with a magic tool. Complex runes hidden in the passes glowed.
“Entry passes confirmed. Now, final identity verification.”
The staff infused mana into a crudely shaped rectangular magic tool on the wall.
Light burst from its end, scanning my face.
That tool’s name was the ‘Infiltration Mask Detector’.
One of only five in the world, it detected infiltration masks as its name implied.
“Yes, identity confirmed. You may enter.”
Only after everyone’s verification did we enter.
“Whoa…”
Wigen’s interior was different from what it looked like outside.
Wizards, researchers, and regular tourists alike lived ordinary lives.
James spoke as we marveled.
“Alright, let’s head to the hotel first.”
After unpacking at the hotel, we dove into a packed schedule as soon as we stepped out.
From touring the tournament arena to rehearsing the opening ceremony, there was a lot to do.
“So tiring…”
Grumbles started emerging among the students.
Sensing the mood, James gave us a break.
We were enjoying some rest while touring the outdoor research facilities when—
“Huh? Isn’t that the Russian team over there?”
Shin Young-jun pointed somewhere.
Everyone’s gazes turned that way.
We spotted a small group moving with poised steps.
Among them, a brown-haired girl stood out especially.
Daria Taran.
Seeing her in person, her presence was no joke.
Unlike the vibrant Lily Rose, she gave a calm impression.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Daria’s green eyes turned toward me.
And soon, strong determination and a faint killing intent emanated from her eyes toward me.
“…What the.”
She seemed to know me.
Well, among Holy Martial Tournament participants, who wouldn’t?
But her feelings toward me weren’t ordinary.
Kinda scary.
She might see me as an obstacle to her goals.
Daria stared into my eyes for about three seconds before sharply turning away and disappearing somewhere.
I’d probably meet her again tonight at the fellowship gathering.
I’d have to keep an eye out for any sudden moves.
She was the most dangerous figure in this Holy Martial Tournament arc, after all.
As the Russian team vanished, whispers arose around us again.
“Wow… Daria in person is insane. Right? I was totally overwhelmed.”
“But her expression was super cold. Did something bad happen?”
“I think that’s just her personality. Lily Rose is kinda prickly too.”
Such talk flowed, and after a moment, Lee Seo-jun quietly muttered upon spotting something.
“…What’s that?”
I followed Lee Seo-jun’s gaze.
At the end was a massive spherical orb, about the size of a five-story building, floating in the air.
Its appearance was unique, with powerful mana energy swirling around its center.
A strong mana barrier enveloped the orb.
I instantly knew what facility it was. The original story had covered that machine.
“Ah, that is the [Demon of Observation], the greatest achievement in Wigen’s 50-year history.”
James said proudly.
“…Demon of Observation?”
“To put it simply, it’s a machine that observes the future.”
“Ooh. Like the Prophecy Mystery?”
“Similar. However… the Prophecy Mystery borrows the power of a Mystery’s ‘causality’ to reveal variable futures—in other words, ‘undetermined futures.’ But the [Demon of Observation] reads the spells constituting the world itself, not causality, so it can observe massive flows—even determined futures.”
Lee Seo-jun looked puzzled by the vague explanation.
But hearing James, I recalled what the Mystery’s apostle had said back at the East Sea steam ruins.
The apostle had said something similar then.
“What do you mean by ‘undetermined future’ and ‘determined future’?”
I stepped in to ask.
I felt like I could unravel the doubts from the apostle’s words now.
“Just as it sounds. An undetermined future is one humans can change with their will. A determined future is one that cannot be altered by will.”
“They’re separated like that?”
“Exactly. There are those who’ve changed future outcomes through the Prophecy Mystery.”
Only then did I somewhat grasp the meaning of the apostle’s words.
The Hansung family or the demons had surely chosen and altered the futures they wanted via the Prophecy Mystery.
But ‘determined future’ was still hard to understand.
If you could see the future, couldn’t humans always change it with will?
Lee Seo-jun chimed in then.
“So, can we see our futures with that thing now?”
His question was probably curiosity related to Jauun’s goals.
“Hmm. Sorry, no. In theory it’s perfect, but due to some error, the machine isn’t working properly yet. Plus, each activation consumes massive mana and electricity.”
“So basically, it’s just an antique.”
Shin Young-jun joined in, intrigued.
It could come off as provocative, but James replied calmly.
“Haha. Even failures yield gains. Researching why it failed leads to new hypotheses, which advance research further.”
Shin Young-jun blinked, then nodded quietly, out of words.
James gazed blankly at the machine and said.
“We think the failure’s cause is that the [Demon of Observation] properly reads the future but is bound by the world’s laws, unable to speak it. Perhaps it’s the world’s intent not to allow humans the free will to choose their futures.”
“…I don’t get a word of that.”
Shin Young-jun scratched his head and stepped back.
James chuckled lightly and said.
“Alright, break’s over. Let’s prepare for the opening ceremony.”