Chapter 446
Chapter 446
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 447
Chapter Title: The Regressor's Hypothesis
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The Magic Association's Special Investigation Team for Jin Cheonwoo had arrived at the "International Mystery Research Base" in Antarctica to share information related to him.
The International Mystery Research Base was a facility established 120 years ago through an international agreement, dedicated to studying various mysterious phenomena connected to Antarctica.
"......Ugh. I thought I was gonna freeze to death."
Shin Youngjun, bundled up in layers of insulated padding, shivered as he stepped inside the base.
Looking around the interior, he saw cutting-edge magic engineering facilities and all sorts of measuring instruments, just as one would expect from a research base.
Kim Deokhyeon scanned the inside before turning to the group.
"As I mentioned earlier, we'll be staying here for the time being, exploring ruins with agents from other countries and investigating Jin Cheonwoo's objectives based on the clues we gather."
Antarctica was famous as a region hiding countless secrets related to mysteries and spells.
According to the intelligence team's report, Kim Changhyeon had visited Antarctica as well.
"After desert and jungle life, now it's Antarctica......"
Shin Youngjun let out a short sigh.
His mind and body were exhausted from six months of grueling life abroad.
The Sahara Desert in Egypt, the Amazon in South America...... and countless other places as they chased Kim Changhyeon's traces.
He was reaching the limit of his mental endurance.
Lee Seojun patted Shin Youngjun's shoulder as if to comfort him.
"At least it's indoors here. Way more comfortable than before."
"That's true, but we have to spend the next six months here. Don't you guys miss Korea?"
At Shin Youngjun's question, Yoon Hayoung's face darkened for a moment.
"......I miss my family too. But this is something we prepared for. We have to endure it."
Everyone nodded at Yoon Hayoung's resolute answer.
As the mood threatened to turn somber, Yoo Ara spoke up to lighten the atmosphere.
"Right. Did you know? It's July starting today."
"Really? Wow. Time flies."
Shin Youngjun looked surprised.
He had lost track of time amid their hectic daily routine.
"If it's July, Seoyoon's final exams should be over, right?"
"Yeah, probably."
Lee Seojun pulled out his smartphone and checked the internet news. Sure enough, a headline article was right there on the front page.
[July 30: Joint Exams of the World's Top 5 Magic Academies Conclude]
"Looks like the five great magic academies held joint exams. They wrapped up yesterday?"
"Not the Holy Emperor level, but five magic academies teaming up? That's a huge scale."
Shin Youngjun chuckled.
Then Yoon Hayoung asked,
"How'd Seoyoon do?"
Lee Seojun scrolled down the screen.
[Choi Seoyoon Secures Overall 1st Place with Dazzling Performance... 'Overwhelming' Results]
[Choi Seoyoon Surpasses Russia's Top Prospect Daria, Takes 1st in Every Category... Officials Shocked by the Overwhelming Gap]
"First place. Results look amazing. The articles are full of praise."
As Lee Seojun skimmed the article, he spotted a photo of Choi Seoyoon taken at the exam site.
Unlike her previous bright demeanor, her expression seemed somehow rigid.
It felt different from the Choi Seoyoon he knew.
Lonely and isolated, perhaps.
Her hollow eyes even carried a hint of venom.
Staring at the photo, Lee Seojun felt an inexplicable bitterness he couldn't put into words.
"Hello, everyone!"
Just then, an energetic voice echoed from the end of the corridor.
Turning their heads, they saw a woman with brown hair approaching in a pristine white lab coat.
She was Lina, the security agent for the Antarctic International Mystery Research Base.
"Thanks for coming all this way. The meeting's about to start, so unpack your luggage later and follow me for now!"
Lina led the agents somewhere. They took an elevator and arrived at an underground secret area.
"Whoa."
A vast hall stretched out endlessly.
Surrounding it were numerous doors leading to Antarctic ruins.
The walls were covered in intricate spells and drawings, which researchers in white coats were examining intently.
"You can access the Antarctic ruins through these doors. There are still so many undiscovered ones that mercenaries visit frequently."
The agents nodded at Lina's brief explanation.
"Today's meeting will be in the conference room over there."
Following where Lina pointed, everyone's gazes turned that way.
As Lee Seojun started to look as well,
"Lee Seojun? Long time no see."
A familiar voice called out to him.
Turning around, he saw a blonde woman standing behind him with a confident smile.
Lee Seojun replied in a surprised tone upon recognizing her.
"Lily Rose?"
It was Lily Rose, hailed as Britain's top prospect.
He felt a brief surge of fondness at seeing her familiar face after so long, but then he noticed the man standing beside her.
It was another face he knew well.
Luke, America's top prospect and once ranked second among prospects.
Luke gave Lee Seojun a casual nod.
Lily glanced back and forth between the two before saying to Lee Seojun,
"Good to see you. We were enemies at the Holy Emperor Tournament, but allies this time."
"Yeah. I heard you joined the special task force too, but I didn't expect to run into you here."
Lily shrugged instead of answering.
"Everyone! The meeting's starting soon! Head to the conference room!"
At the distant voice, Lily turned her gaze and said,
"We can catch up later. Let's move first."
They followed Lina's guidance to the conference room.
Quite a crowd had already gathered inside.
Nearly 50 people.
There were star wizards renowned across nations and mystery researchers with countless achievements.
Lee Seojun's group, still newcomers, gazed at the scene in wonder.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Vail, the head of the research division at the International Mystery Research Base."
The man who introduced himself as Vail spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
"As you all know, we've gathered here to uncover Jin Cheonwoo's intentions."
Tension rippled across faces at the mention of Jin Cheonwoo.
"First, please review the documents."
No sooner had Vail finished than staff began distributing files.
Lee Seojun flipped through the one he received.
It contained the traces of Kim Changhyeon that they had pursued for six months.
Along with various records uncovered by associations from other countries.
But since Lee Seojun lacked deep knowledge of spells, he had limits in interpreting the contents.
"The spells and murals in these documents were discovered at ruins Kim Changhyeon visited over the past year. We obtained this information thanks to all of your investigations."
Attention focused once more, and Vail continued while looking at them.
"Our research team has struggled to decipher these spells. Their forms are intricate and complex, and the available information is limited. However."
Vail flashed a confident smile.
"Our team discovered one consistent keyword amid these spells: time and dimensions. Based on that, we've arrived at an astonishing hypothesis."
"......An astonishing hypothesis?"
Kim Deokhyeon muttered under his breath.
Vail nodded and said,
"Kim Changhyeon, presumed to be Jin Cheonwoo's apostle, has a very high likelihood of being a regressor from the future."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock at his words.
"......Kim Changhyeon is a regressor?"
"This is the place."
Kim Junghee, who claimed to have met Jin Cheonwoo, guided me to a small ruin hidden somewhere in the boundary.
It resembled an ordinary cave on the outside, but the walls filled with ancient drawings and spells gave it a mystical aura.
[You have entered the 'Black Passage Ruins.']
[Your karma increases by 0.5.]
Seeing the sudden message, I asked him,
"Is this a cleared ruin?"
"That's right. It was cleared long ago by a visitor who came to the boundary."
I looked at the drawings on the wall.
Ancient murals evoking stars in the universe.
Beneath them were intricate spells.
At the same time, the outsider's blessing activated, flooding my mind with the information contained in the spell.
"......Dimensions, time."
I had seen similar spells a few times before.
The ones Yoo A-yeon discovered while chasing Kim Changhyeon in ruins.
Though too tangled to interpret beyond the core keywords, they had left lingering doubts.
On a hunch, I asked him,
"Did Jin Cheonwoo clear this ruin, by any chance?"
"That's right."
I was momentarily stunned.
For Jin Cheonwoo to have cleared this ruin meant he had visited the boundary world during his lifetime.
Not the virtual boundary, but the real one.
What the hell was this guy up to?
"The reason I learned about Lee Seojun, Jin Cheonwoo's son, was right here."
At Kim Junghee's words, I turned to him.
He stared blankly at the wall, lost in old memories, and continued.
"One day, he showed up out of nowhere and said he'd make my dream come true."
"Your dream...... you mean?"
The dream Kim Junghee had mentioned was humanity regaining its freedom.
It stuck with me because it resembled Jin Cheonwoo's own ideals.
"Yes. He seemed to know quite a bit about me, probably from investigating. He even knew I desired human freedom."
Kim Junghee went on.
"He explained his plan as the way to achieve my dream. It was far more concrete than mine. Before I knew it, I was captivated, listening intently, and soon decided to help him."
Jin Cheonwoo's eloquence was already world-renowned.
It was his persuasive power that birthed fanatical villains like the 'Zaun' followers.
"......So, what did you talk about?"
"He said he'd make my dream reality if I granted him two requests."
"Two requests?"
Kim Junghee nodded.
"The first was to protect his son's soul in the near future, when it would be born in the boundary world after his death."
"......Protect his soul?"
"Yes. That's when I learned the name Lee Seojun. And as Jin Cheonwoo said, the child's soul was born here in this ruin. Though in soul form, I cared for it for about six years."
Six years—the time from Jin Cheonwoo's wife Lee Yun-kyung's death to Lee Seojun's rebirth.
I figured Jin Cheonwoo had some method since immortality required a body born in the boundary world, but I never imagined this secret.
"That was his first request. The second was to decipher the spell hidden in this ruin."
At that, I looked again at the numerous spells visible around us.
I knew Jin Cheonwoo had considerable skill in spell interpretation.
He could've deciphered something like this on his own.
Noticing my doubt, Kim Junghee smiled faintly and said,
"Follow me."
He walked slowly deeper into the ruin. Even though it was cleared, monster cries echoed from somewhere, but I had no time to care.
Soon, we arrived at a spot in the ruin.
"This is it."
A massive spell was drawn on the wall. Like before, a star-like drawing.
A message appeared before my eyes.
[You have discovered a mysterious mural.]
[Your karma increases by 0.5.]
My karma rose again, but I ignored it and activated the outsider's blessing to examine the spell.
It contained details on dimensions and time, like before.
But far more detailed than previous ones, and slightly different from expected.
So this was......
A spell for protecting body and mind from extradimensional interference.
"Jin Cheonwoo wanted to unravel this spell."
"......This one?"
Protection of body and mind from extradimensional interference.
I wasn't sure why it would interest Jin Cheonwoo.
"Did you decipher it?"
"It took some time, but yes. I'm a spell researcher myself. Mysterious spells like this instinctively spark the desire to solve them."
I turned to him.
"Why did Jin Cheonwoo want to decipher this spell?"
At my question, Kim Junghee pondered briefly before answering.
"He was afraid."
Afraid? Of Jin Cheonwoo?
"Of extradimensional beings seizing his body and mind."