Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Mutant
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"Thank you! Thanks to your cooperation, Lee Seung-hoon, we've been able to detect and anticipate the approach of extinction-level entities threatening the world."
Seong Yura bowed her head in gratitude toward me.
"No, no—it's all for humanity. It's nothing special."
"There are plenty of people out there who couldn't do it. That's why we operate in the shadows without revealing ourselves on the surface. But you handed over an entity that could have satisfied your own selfish desires."
Setting aside the thanks, I asked about how much the Foundation's strength had increased.
"Now that Sephiroth is restored, can it detect every extinction event headed for Earth?"
"In the past, it could detect everything except for exceptional cases."
"What do you mean by exceptions?"
Seong Yura explained the exceptions that had evaded detection.
"First, there are the constellations. They don't register until they create an avatar and start operating in earnest."
"So that's what got the Foundation."
"Second are the demons. Entities classified as demons are presumed to possess extinction-level power, but they can deceive causality itself, so Sephiroth can't detect them. However, we've confirmed they have no intent to destroy humanity regardless of their power, so we've rated them as a hazard level rather than extinction."
"And a third?"
"The third are entities adept at hiding themselves. But extinction-level entities usually possess powerful auras or exert massive influence on causality, so such cases are extremely rare."
Just hearing the explanation made it seem like we no longer had to worry about sudden extinctions, but there was one flaw in her words.
"'In the past' means it can't now."
...
"Yes. With most of our forces lost, Sephiroth now has to handle interdimensional interference and defense, surveillance, and management of the entities the Foundation has isolated or excluded. This has reduced the precision of humanity extinction predictions by about 20% compared to before, so we expect occasional misses."
"Hmm."
Her face hardened as she spoke.
"You don't need to worry. We're not a group that relies on Sephiroth alone. It's ultimately just a support entity. You don't need to worry about extinction threats."
With that, I'd achieved all my objectives at the Foundation.
"And please accept this modest gift from our Foundation to you, Lee Seung-hoon."
Seong Yura handed me a booklet and a small plastic ID card.
"What's this?"
"The ID first proves you're a special collaborator with the Foundation."
My face photo and text were printed on the plastic surface.
[Name: Lee Seung-hoon]
[Rank: External Special Advisor]
[The above individual is a special collaborator and external special advisor with the Foundation, dedicated to humanity. The Foundation guarantees this in its name.]
[Humanity Guardian Foundation (Human)]
It was so simple and ordinary that I wondered, 'Isn't this something anyone could replicate if they knew it existed?' But since it was Foundation tech, it probably incorporated some special technology or entity power I didn't know about.
"What can I do with this?"
"You can use Foundation-operated facilities for free or request deployment of Foundation agents when needed. I'll tell you the Foundation facilities and contact methods shortly."
Next was the booklet.
"It's the catalog of safe entities in the Foundation's possession, as promised. Take a look, and let me know if there's one you want."
"Got it."
"By the way, unlike what's stated in the contract, you can choose two. This isn't my personal opinion—it's agreed upon by all the Foundation's administrators."
"Oh, thank you."
I opened the booklet right away. It contained various entities, some I recognized and others I didn't.
'The Foundation is supposed to possess, contain, and isolate countless entities, so even ones that didn't appear in the game could exist.'
Among them, the first one that caught my eye was perfect.
"I'll take this one first."
"Void Pocket, right."
It was listed in the book, but she added more details.
"It's a derivative entity from “Void Fish.”
The Void Fish is a solar-system-sized fish that devours everything and was rated extinction-level.
The Foundation detected it but failed to contain it, so we destroyed it."
"A part of it?"
"Precisely, an entity processed from the remaining fragments. Its interior can hold an infinite amount of items, and the owner can retrieve any desired item at will. It's a pocket."
"What about the weight of the items inside?"
"No matter what you put in, the weight never exceeds the base measured weight of the pocket itself, 1kg. Is this the one?"
"Yes. Please."
Huangjin Omnipotent Corporation only deals in gold as currency.
But desirable trade items often demand tons of it, making transactions inconvenient until now.
This solved that problem.
'Now, what for the next one.'
Flipping through the booklet, I found the second item I wanted.
"Forgotten Alchemist's Potion Belt."
No way it would be here.
"I'll take this one too."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Contact us anytime you're free for the driving lesson! We'll schedule it then."
"Got it. Take care on your way back."
The ride home was just Kim Dong-wook and me.
With Sephiroth restored, Seong Yura had to stay behind to handle the backlog of Foundation work.
"Ah! Next week won't work? We've got new agent training all next week."
"Let's schedule it after that."
"Haha! Thanks! See ya!"
Kim Dong-wook drove off with the car.
I kept watching his vehicle merge into the rotary, but at some point, it melted into the world and vanished.
'Hmm.'
Truth be told, my left eye hadn't registered the car at all since it entered the rotary—only my right eye saw it that way.
'Perception alteration? Something like that?'
Anyway, back home, I showered immediately.
The schedule wasn't long, but the density of experiences was brutally high, leaving me physically exhausted.
-Caw!
"Early bedtime it is."
Before sleeping, I pulled the items from my coat's inner pocket.
'“Human,” and the tumbler.'
I set the bead on the desk and examined the tumbler, pondering where to put it.
Its stainless steel surface gleamed like a mirror.
"!?"
Inside were two humans and a puppy.
『Hey! Original! Fuck! Why'd it take you so damn long to let us out!』
『You took way too long, no ne!』
『Woof!』
Ah, I know who they are.
"Clones?"
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『To recognize us right away—truly the original.』
A Westerner with yellow sideburns reaching his jawline lit a thick cigar.
With the crisp click of a Dupont lighter, he puffed hard, exhaling clouds of smoke.
『Yeah, we're you. Clones, though.』
"But you're all pretty different."
The classic cowboy fashion from media.
The [Make America Great Again] slogan embroidered on his shirt.
His macho muscles everywhere, shotgun slung on his back, and a face like mine but more Western and rugged.
『Ha! Of course! Any clones identical to you were wiped out when the mirror dimension collapsed! We survived because we're a bit different from you!』
I think I get the situation.
"Mutants created through the square root law."
『Aight! That's the original for ya! We talk the same language! I'm the you that was born in America! Call me American Lee!』
『Cough! Stinks, no ne!』
『That guy's Satoshi. The you from when you were born Japanese.』
『Put out the cig, no ne!』
The clone called Satoshi looked like me if I were skinnier, shorter, scrawnier, with shoulders hunched forward.
『Hey! The problem ain't the cig—it's your speech and that shitty T-shirt!』
『What's wrong with my shirt, no ne!』
His T-shirt was covered in various anime characters.
『Big-Eyes-Monsters! Gives me the creeps every time!』
『Ignore him, no ne. They're all my waifus, no ne.』
『Whew, another me is really not to my taste.』
『Woof!』
『Forgot about this one. This guy's Seung-gyeon. Named after you. He likes it.』
The undocked Welsh Corgi wagged its tail happily upon hearing its name.
"Haha."
I'd felt a bit lonely parting from the clones.
"Nice to meet you all."
『Yes, welcome.』
『Nice to meet you, no ne.』
『Woof woof!』
This feels great.
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『If the Foundation spots us, they'll try to contain us somehow. That's why we were hiding on your tumbler's surface.』
"You can move around freely?"
『Anywhere there's a reflective surface! The others couldn't, but we can. Guess that's 'cause we're mutants too.』
My body was exhausted.
『Eek! Don't put your arm around me, no ne! Heavy, no ne!』
『Hey! What the hell's your deal! You're me in the end!』
"That speech, attitude, outfit—it's just the stereotype communities mock otakus with. Real otakus are normal.
Even if you're an otaku, that look is weird."
『Not everyone's like that, but I am, no ne! Stereotypes exist 'cause they've been seen IRL, no ne! Proof of existence means I could be like that too, no ne!!!』
"Sorry, calm down. My bad."
『Fine then, no ne!』
But my mind was thrilled.
『Hey! You! Stream the United States presidential election right now!』
"Curious about the US election?
Wanna watch together?"
『Heh, ain't politics for right-wingers online, no ne...?』
『Woof woof!』
Talking with new versions of myself from the realm of possibilities—even if not perfectly identical.
"Trump won."
『YES! YES! Make America Great Again! Make America Great Again! Fuck you PC! Fuck you Feminism! Fuck you liberals! HEE-HAW!!!』
『Aaaah! Don't shoot, no ne! Scary, no ne!!!』
『Woof woof! Woof!』
Where else could I have an experience like this?
"There's a hole in the ceiling. From your gun, probably? You guys can interfere with the outside world? Can't come out?"
『If we could, we'd have bailed ages ago! You're a bit stupid, you.』
『We can interfere but not exit, no ne.』
『Woof woof!』
"You gained abilities as mutant entities."
Probably an experience I'd never have again in my lifetime.
"If I'd been born in America, would I be like you? Born in Japan, like that? Born a dog, like him? Nah, I don't think so."
『Then what do you think, no ne?』
"Some part of the genetic info dormant in me awakened. Your appearances are the other ways I could have turned out after birth."
『Makes sense. DNA holds ancestral info. Your Asian DNA had Western hidden in it, huh.』
『W-Wait! Then what's with Seung-gyeon-kun, no ne! What the hell did your ancestors do, no ne!』
『What!? Holy Shit!』
"It's just a hypothesis. Could be parallel world mes. Or pure random mutation."
Sadly, all good times must end.
『Time for good-bye.』
『Gotta go too, no ne.』
『Woof woof!』
They weren't me—they had their own clear egos and goals.
『I'll bring peace to the world for a great America. Save civilians hurt by damn entities with my double-barrel shotgun. That's what a great American does—the world police's duty.』
American Lee's goal was rescuing civilians harmed by entities.
『I'm gonna find the Isekai Transfer series, no ne. Tell you when I do, Seung-hoon-kun. And guide folks who wanna isekai but missed the ads, no ne! That's my dream, no ne!』
Satoshi aimed to find other transfer series and lead unaware isekai hopefuls to me.
『Woof woof!』
"Got it?"
『Never.』
『No clue, no ne.』
Seung-gyeon looked full of enthusiasm, clearly with big goals.
"Take care, everyone."
『See you again!』
『Bye, no ne!』
『Woof woof!』
And so, my other "selves" departed.
"It's quiet now."
Not like I'd never see them again, so no sadness.
"Hope you all achieve your dreams."