Chapter 4 Let's Go Together, Noona 2
Chapter 4: {Let's Go Together, Noona} 2
{Let's Go Together, Noona}
"It's still amazing every time I see it," Yu Ji-hu remarked.
Seo Yu-rin smiled faintly. "The AI, you mean?"
"Yeah. Back when I left, I never imagined things would be like this."
For Ji-hu, artificial intelligence was something that brought back childhood memories.
As Awakened Ability Users, the siblings hadn't been able to attend regular schools after that day.
Most of their afternoons had been spent in government-managed facilities, where AI instructors taught them combat techniques through hyper-realistic holographic simulations.
And for Ability Users, AI was an inseparable part of life.
Whether in the form of necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, or watches—every Ability User carried at least one such device.
These items served to identify who entered a Rift and which Ability User contributed most to clearing it.
Since AI handled these evaluations, the lives of Ability Users were inevitably intertwined with artificial intelligence.
"These days, most major guilds have at least one AI system. It helps locate unoccupied Rifts too," Yu-rin explained.
"Yeah. Seeing personal AI become mainstream makes me realize how long six years really is."
He never imagined a time would come when his own home would have an AI system capable of instantly pinpointing nearby Rifts.
- Scan complete. Displaying recommended Rifts on the map.
A map of the surrounding area materialized, overlayed with a list of Rifts requiring immediate attention.
"Three locations," Ji-hu noted.
Military units had already been deployed, cordoning off the areas and engaging monsters with specialized anti-monster weaponry.
But if stronger monsters began emerging, even the soldiers wouldn't be able to hold them off indefinitely.
No matter how well-equipped they were, regular soldiers couldn't enter Rifts—only Awakened Ability Users could.
Their role was merely to buy time, fending off the weaker early-stage monsters until the Ability Users arrived.
That was the limit of what they could do.
"Which one's the most urgent?" Ji-hu asked, prioritizing the area in greatest need.
"From now on, treat Ji-hu's questions as if they were mine," Yu-rin instructed the AI.
- Understood. To answer your question, the most urgent location is here.
The map highlighted a spot—not a bustling district, but still densely populated.
Even after the changes Seoul had undergone since that day, it remained a city where people lived in every corner.
"We should hurry. Noona, let's go here."
"Alright."
Yu-rin extended her hand toward Ji-hu.
"Give me your hand."
"Huh? Okay."
Though puzzled, Ji-hu obeyed without question.
When his noona told him to do something, there was always a reason.
Especially during their childhood, questioning her orders in the middle of a monster fight would've been suicidal.
In urgent situations, immediate action was everything—so Ji-hu had grown accustomed to following her lead without hesitation.
Is this spatial teleportation?
His vision shifted.
In an instant, they stood before their destination—the Rift.
The sight of soldiers gathered in formation, the oppressive energy radiating from the Rift—there was no mistaking it.
Even if he flew at full speed, it would've taken seconds to cover the distance.
Yet they had arrived in an instant.
"Noona, you've mastered spatial teleportation too."
"Yeah. Learned it in the Other World."
She said it casually, but Ji-hu knew she must've endured tremendous hardship.
Noona's strong, so she must've gone somewhere even more dangerous.
The thought of what she must've suffered weighed on him.
Even if she brushed it off, as family, he couldn't do the same.
Whether she truly considered it insignificant or not, he owed it to her to acknowledge her struggles.
"Th-They just appeared out of nowhere!"
"Shh! Don't you know who that is?"
"That's Empress Yu Ha-rin!"
"Holy—it's really her!"
"Hey, shut your mouth and stay sharp!"
The murmurs of soldiers on high alert reached Ji-hu's ears.
They recognized Noona immediately.
She had always been strong, so her fame wasn't surprising—but it seemed her reputation had grown even more in his absence.
Ji-hu simply noted the observation without dwelling on it.
"I'll report this to command immediately!"
The soldier in charge swallowed hard.
It wasn't just because of Yu Ha-rin's breathtaking beauty—the kind that made the term peerless feel inadequate.
No, it was sheer terror and the tension it brought.
Empress Yu Ha-rin...
Her name was legendary.
The strongest and most beautiful Ability User not just in Korea, but the entire world!
But equally infamous was her temperament—arrogant to the point of being outright dangerous.
How many guilds had been annihilated for daring to cross her?
Rumors said even Japanese, Chinese, European, and American guilds had suffered catastrophic losses before deciding never to provoke her again.
They say she stormed the Blue House, subdued all the presidential guards, and held a blade to the president's throat.
Her global renown wasn't just due to her beauty, but the legendary feats she'd accomplished.
The world called her the strongest because she had demonstrated overwhelming power on an international scale.
She single-handedly crushed Korea's guild alliance, but that's not all.
The incident where she wiped out an endless horde of monsters in Australia had been broadcast live, searing the image of her transcendent might into the world's memory.
The soldier himself had seen it on TV—an army of monsters, so vast its end couldn't be seen, eradicated in moments.
"We're entering this Rift," Yu-rin stated coldly.
The soldier snapped to attention. "Y-Yes, ma'am!"
Even in this tense situation, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her beauty.
Her jet-black hair swayed with every movement, her icy eyes contrasting against flawless jade-like skin.
And her aura—regal, untouchable, like an emperor—made it clear why she was called the Empress.
"Your gaze is unpleasant."
The soldier flinched so hard he hiccuped.
"Noona, that's enough."
At that moment, the young man interjected, drawing the soldier's attention.
Huh?
He was strikingly handsome—the kind of face that would make women swoon just by walking down the street.
In stark contrast to Yu-rin's chilling presence, he exuded warmth and gentleness.
"You seem really nervous. It's okay. Noona might seem cold, but she's actually really kind."
The soldier snapped out of his daze at the young man's reassuring smile.
"Ah, are you... Yu Ji-hu, by any chance?"
"That's right."
Up close, the soldier noticed the resemblance between the siblings—though their auras couldn't be more different.
How can siblings have such opposite vibes?
Yu-rin was icy and intimidating, while Ji-hu was gentle and approachable.
The gap was staggering.
But prying deeper felt like risking his life, so the soldier simply said:
"I'll report that the two of you have entered the Rift."
"Thank you. Stay safe."
After Ji-hu's polite reply, he turned to Yu-rin.
"Noona, let's go."
"Alright."
The soft smile Yu-rin gave Ji-hu in that moment stunned not just the soldier, but everyone present.
He'd have bet his entire life savings that no one here had ever seen the Empress look so tender.
Empress Yu Ha-rin really dotes on her brother. Is it because he's such a good guy?
The soldier couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
Ji-hu was good-looking, an Awakened, and had the Empress as his sister.
Life's just unfair.
As the siblings stepped into the Rift, the soldier relayed the report and ordered a swift withdrawal.
With the Empress herself handling it, the Rift's clearance was guaranteed.
Their presence was no longer needed.