[What's life, anyway? You just live as you live]
[What's life, anyway? You just live as you live]
I've thought about this for a long time. In stuff like returnee stories, the protagonist is always an Archmage who's omnipotent, or they have minions they can dump chores on. It's always one or the other.
First off, I don't have the aptitude for magic, so I never learned it. If I had, I might have built up some skill, but there's a limit to what I could do. I'm not stupid, but I'm not exceptionally bright either, so it's obvious I'd never be able to manipulate memories or craft magical tools.
Second, the minions... I have friends who are reincarnators like Sion, but no one I could call a minion. I'm a reincarnator, so I don't know how many more times I'll be reincarnated. If someone had to serve me, that would be excessive tyranny—it's not like they fell into hell.
Sion is enough for me to spend my whole life with. Honestly, I think she's more than I deserve even now.
Anyway, it means that even if an incident happens, I can't clean up the mess with my abilities. Whether I could use magic or had competent minions, there's no way to cover up the incident.
At best, I could just kill everyone to shut them up. If Hibiki hadn't been there, I might have actually killed everyone and silenced them. Besides, this matter is a bit big, so it's only a matter of time before it's found out anyway. I decided not to worry about hiding my identity from now on.
There's a big difference between saving people from a fire and killing an Enemy Species alone that even a Master-class User struggles with. Once this news gets out, they'll start looking for me in earnest in Korea, too.
If I asked Sion, she'd wipe all the records and data, but it would be nice if I didn't have to ask my wife to clean up after I've taken a shit. It's a matter of responsibility before even arguing about pride.
"How far is it from Japan to Busan... If I go in a straight line, it should be pretty short, right?"
I have to go by sea first. Japan is surrounded by the sea, but if I go to the sea closest to Tokyo and swim, I have to go all the way around.
The fastest way is to go straight through the Japanese archipelago to the East Sea, then swim to Korea.
I was walking on thin air, sightseeing while moving from Tokyo toward Nagano, when I got a call from Sion. My phone was rendered useless by the EMP caused by the Enemy Species, but the Iron Raccoon Suit Sion made for me had a built-in communication function.
-This is your super-duper AI assistant, Sion.
"Ah, if you're an assistant, that's a job that should be under the boss's desk."
-Are you asking for that kind of play when we get home? I'll consider it. But I don't have a suit that fits, so you'll have to buy one.
"Anyway, what's up? Ah, did you evacuate properly?"
-I just came out of the shelter. I came to the airport to return home immediately, so you don't have to worry.
"Come to think of it, I could probably just sneak onto a plane and go home..."
-The security here is tight. In particular, there are some people who look like Force Users stationed at the airport, so immigration is strict.
"Even if it's unlikely I'll be found out by someone I haven't met personally... I have to think about the worst-case scenario."
I don't care if I get caught, but if that happens, Sion gets dragged into it. If you asked me to choose between me getting stabbed or Sion getting a small cut, I'd choose the former without a word.
-But why are you heading in the opposite direction, not toward the airport? Are you going to take a boat back to Korea?
"No, I'm going to swim."
-...
"Hey, they check planes like that, so who's to say they won't do the same for boats? Ah... come to think of it, my entry record must still be there."
-I can just delete it.
"I feel bad if you have to use your energy for something I did."
-Why are you like this over something like this? Ah, I just deleted it.
As expected of an alien. She can easily hack 21st-century Earth computers. It's even easier if it's not a computer with other supernatural abilities involved.
With this, I've become a person with no record of leaving Korea. So, according to the computer system, I'm still in Korea and have never been abroad.
If I return to Korea quietly, it's perfect, except for an alibi. No, since I never left in the first place, I don't need to prove an alibi. They won't even suspect me.
-But why specifically swim?
"Huh? Ah, come to think of it, I could just run. I can walk on water, so I don't really have to swim, right?"
-That's not it, you could just tear through space and move.
"..."
I am definitely a blockhead.
I've always thought my brain wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either, but considering I couldn't even think of such a simple method, I'm definitely a blockhead.
-Aren't you an idiot.
"I'm a human, human! Sometimes I can forget and make mistakes! Is there anyone in the world who doesn't make a single mistake!"
-Anyway, please go to Korea first. I'll take a plane or something and go back today.
"But..."
-What is it?
"A real man's specialty) Keeps the words he spits out."
-No, are you really planning to swim back to Korea when there's an easy way?
"There's another reason. If I'm here, at least their surveillance network will thin out."
In short, it's a decoy, a feint. If I make a fuss, it'll be easier for Sion to get out of Japan. If I just spread some eyewitness reports, the attention will be focused on me. Even if they chase me, they won't be able to track me. No matter how good their radar is, it's hard to track someone moving at high speed. Above all, I'll be jamming their radio waves.
It's been a while since I ran away from Akihabara, and I could already feel the presence of pursuers. They're keeping their distance and just following, so they must be in this line of work... Japan, so maybe a ninja? Ooh, if they can use something like a Rasengan, I want to see it once.
It doesn't matter if there are pursuers. They can't follow me in the first place.
Using my ability, I made a foothold so the force could be fully transmitted to the ground, stomped with all my might, and jumped. With my ability added to my physical enhancement, high-rise buildings looked small enough to be under my feet in an instant.
The surrounding scenery was flying by; if you were to talk about speed, you'd have to bring a racing car like the ones in the F1 Grand Prix to run alongside me. Let alone chasing me, who is practically half-flying, you'd need a helicopter or a fighter jet to catch up, not a person.
-I just got my passport checked and boarded the plane.
"But since you're a kid on your own, didn't they say anything?"
-I didn't get a visa anyway, and my appearance is Western, so I didn't get much suspicion. Besides, I grew my appearance a bit and changed it.
"To what extent?"
-A sexy, glamorous silver-haired beauty with great legs. I look like a fresh person in my early 20s.
"Ah, I've seen that before..."
Sion can change her appearance at will, so it's meaningless, but there were still forms she used often. The child's appearance she usually wears is her basic form, and if there's a form she uses often after that, it's the appearance of an adult woman who looks about 10 years older by human standards.
I'd seen it so often that it was imprinted in my memory enough to come to mind immediately.
-There are some people trying to hit on me in English with that unique Japanese pronunciation, so it's embarrassing.
".........Which bastard?"
-This is why I don't like this appearance. Every time I do it, attention is drawn to me, and it's hard to send them away quietly. Sometimes there are people who try to cross the line...
"Are you okay? Should I destroy Japan for you?"
-Thank you, even if it's just empty words.
"They aren't empty words."
There's a saying about burning down the whole house to catch a bedbug, but if Sion wanted it, I'd be willing to burn down the city to catch the bedbug.
Sion in her growth form has long silver hair down to her waist and is a D-cup of the type that looks thin when clothed. Her hips are built for easy childbirth, and she's just a Western beauty who looks expressionless. Furthermore, hidden by her child-like appearance, her original beauty stands out even more, so if she stands in a place like a snowy field, it becomes material for a masterpiece painting.
Honestly, I haven't seen many women prettier than Sion since I've been reincarnating. I can confidently say she's in the top five even if I evaluate her objectively.
To think I married a wife like this, I must have been incredibly blessed. I've wondered if I saved a country in a past life, but I've tried the opposite, and I didn't save one, so it's actually questionable.
Talking about this and that with Sion, the sea started to come into view in front of me.
"I'm hanging up. I have to go into the sea soon, so see you at home."
-Are you really planning to swim there?! At least fly!
"I'll catch a tuna if I see one on the way. You like tuna, right?"
-...The fatty tuna belly is mine.
Sion's characteristics. She's weak to food and lewd things. Ah, she was originally strong with lewd things, but after dating me for a long time, her resistance dropped. Should I say she was trained by that kind of talk? You can see it as changing from a dull constitution to a lewd constitution.
A cute, pretty, shape-shifting, lewd, and rich young wife.
.........What is this? Is she a perfect being? Was it okay for someone like me to marry Sion? I have no regrets, but a deep sense of guilt arises.
Splash!!
I fell into the sea without even needing to land for a moment. A big ripple surged as it splashed.
Let's catch a big fish on the way back.
The speed I can reach while swimming lightly in the water is about 110 kilometers per hour.
I can go faster, but rather than using that much strength in the water, it's more efficient to run on the water. Swimming all the way is purely my stubbornness.
Even if there is water resistance, if I use my ability to reduce resistance and strengthen my body, I can easily reach that speed. It's a speed similar to a vehicle driving on a highway, but this is the sea. Since the water is deep, I can just swim and move forward without obstacles, so I get good speed.
The seabed scenery passing by quickly. Even if the colorful coral reefs or tropical fish commonly seen in famous overseas tourist spots aren't visible, the appearance of the seabed ecosystem is worth seeing in its own way.
I personally prefer scenery that hasn't been touched by human hands. It's because I like the purity of the environment itself that humans haven't touched.
But conversely, I also like scenery purely created by human hands. Because I can understand what human passion is. That's why I look for famous overseas buildings.
"Tuna spotted!"
It's underwater, but thanks to the mask, I can breathe and talk. Even so, it's underwater, so it just rings inside the mask, but I have to talk to myself when there's no one around so I don't get bored.
Just right, the season is summer now. It's the time for tuna to come to the East Sea. To be precise, they go up across the East Sea and come back down when autumn comes. That's the tuna's ecosystem.
The sight of dozens of tuna swimming at high speed was quite a spectacle. Tuna are also in the mackerel family, so they are blue-backed fish, and the surface that sparkles in the sunlight is pretty.
I swam alongside them and estimated them. Among the dozens of tuna, I'm looking for the biggest, fattest, most delicious-looking one.
If you consider the tuna's swimming speed, it's like driving on an open 8-lane road, but if you get hit, it's no joke. Even if I say it's because of my ability, the tuna is swimming at a speed slightly slower than me, even though it weighs 1 ton. Let alone a person, if they collided under those conditions, they could flip over a small boat.
"Ah, this guy is nice and plump."
I picked one out from the middle of the dozens of tuna and swam into it. And I grabbed it and rode on its back.
I've been a dragon rider and a griffin rider in my past life, but this is my first time being a tuna rider!
"Kid, let's go to Haeundae just like this. Keuh, sea car is awesome."
The tuna wouldn't listen to me, but as long as it's a living thing, the survival instinct is unavoidable. I let out a bit of killing intent to guide the direction, and it started swimming that way.
If I eat it after working it to the bone, I feel quite guilty, but in the end, the world runs on the law of the jungle. It's going into my wife's stomach, so die and go to heaven. Actually, there's no such thing as heaven.
I ride the tuna for a few hours, and I swim for a few hours. In the middle, I don't know which side it was, but I saw something like a submarine, but I pretended not to know and passed by. Honestly, if you ride a tuna in this sea, even with radar, you can't distinguish it.
If our country had the technology to distinguish a person riding a tuna with radar, there wouldn't be any place that could beat our country in the sea. It's practically impossible.
It seems like Japan isn't even thinking about chasing me. It's not like there's a submarine or destroyer right on my path to Korea, and once they've missed me, it's hard to track me, and by now, I'll have entered our territorial waters, so they won't be able to come easily.
They invade Dokdo all the time, but that's a disputed area, so that's one thing, but if they come into proper territorial waters, that means they want to fight, so it becomes a problem between nations.
In the old days, Japan wouldn't have cared much about that, but now that Enemy Species have appeared, they don't have time to turn their military power outward. If a large Enemy Species appears in the ocean and they can't handle it properly, it wouldn't be anything for someone's head to fly off... Ah, wasn't Japan a democracy? The Prime Minister and the Cabinet do everything, so I don't know.
"It hasn't been quite a day. I came faster than I thought."
I rode a tuna and swam, and I really swam from Japan to Korea. A real man keeps the words he spits out, no matter how retarded they are. Of course.
I caught the tuna for Sion, too. Let's go up quickly. I could go from the East Sea to the West Sea through the sea and pass through Incheon, but the season is summer. It's the time when many vacationers come. I want to take a peek.
Personally, I want to buy some Busan fish cakes. Hmm... I think they sold whale meat at the market, too. I tried it before and it smelled a bit gamey, but should I buy it for Sion? If I mix it with appropriate seasoning, the gamey smell will disappear completely, and if it's Sion, she eats all kinds of meat.
Ah, did I have a wallet? A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I checked the pocket of my clothes.
.........I could dry the card and use it, but the bills were soaking wet. Once I get to land, I'll have to dry the card and withdraw some cash.
I started to feel the presence of countless people within my detection range. Ah, that's Haeundae. It's so crowded it's about to burst.
"Dong-won, let's go up."
I headed to Haeundae riding the tuna I even named Dong-won. I swam close to the surface, so my upper body came out of the water, so I could breathe. I started to see the beach where countless crowds were gathered in the distance, not by sensing their presence.
If I go like this, I might stand out again, so let's go to a corner, take off the mask, and go. My clothes are wet, but this is the beach, so even if it's not a swimsuit, people won't think it's strange if my clothes are wet.
To get from Busan to Seoul, I'll have to buy a KTX ticket. Ah, I can't take Dong-won with me, so I should freeze him or dismantle him and take the delicious parts...
Crack.
"Ah, shit."
I'm not talking about the Shiba Inu, a Japanese dog breed that was here until a day ago. I'm swearing.
Even though the Dimensional Rift alarm didn't ring, I heard the sound of the dimension twisting. Why is it like this these days? Even just a year ago, the Dimensional Rift alarm would ring without fail 15 minutes... at least 10 minutes before it occurred, so even if the response was late, the evacuation could be done for sure.
But like the highway rest area before, and like in Japan. This is the third time a Dimensional Rift has opened without an alarm.
.........Don't tell me some technology has developed and the opening of the Dimensional Rifts has become faster? In the first place, the Dimensional Rifts that occur on this Earth are not natural, so the possibility is high.
Even if 10 to 15 minutes of evacuation time are given, Enemy Species accidents often cause casualties. But if they just invade without an alarm, I don't know how many casualties there will be.
Usually, I would have ignored it. I ignored it and ran away at the highway rest area before, so would this time be any different?
"I think I should manage my image a bit. Anyway, I'll have to make some friendly people so it'll be comfortable when my face is revealed later."
I didn't think about hiding my identity even before I stepped out in Japan. It's something I stepped out for, thinking I'd be found out someday anyway.
At least not right now, but if there's an opportunity later, my identity will definitely be revealed. Whether I get pissed off and reveal my face, or it's revealed due to unavoidable circumstances.
So, since it's already like this, I'll manage my image.
I have something I can use as a weapon, too.
I tapped the fin of Dong-won (the tuna) and prepared to step out.
Busan Haeundae Beach.
It's a famous beach where tens of thousands of people flock to enjoy swimming every summer. It's safe to say it's the beach with the highest recognition in Korea, as the number of vacationers who visit in one summer alone exceeds 10 million.
Although it's said to be the beginning of summer, the heat wave has already hit Korea. Since there were no typhoons, the crowd that came to cool off the heat that wouldn't cool down was no less than usual.
".......There are countless crowds at the beach to avoid this sweltering heat wave. Due to that, the problem of rip-off prices by seasonal merchants is emerging."
While other people were enjoying swimming and relieving stress, there were people who were working faithfully to their main job.
It's an outfit that looks like she could jump into the sea at any moment, but Reporter Jin Seo-hee, who hadn't been in the sea for 3 hours since arriving at Haeundae, gestured to lower the camera and sighed.
"I can't do it anymore because it's hot!"
"Hang in there a little longer, Seo-hee noona. You can just play for the remaining time after filming everything."
"Why send me to Busan even after catching one scoop. It's a buzzkill. The beach is nice, but what's the point if I can't even go in."
"Let's just film a few things, it's comfortable because we just have to film it similarly to what we filmed the year before last."
".........Yeah, the manager gave us a corporate card to work hard, so let's eat something expensive for dinner."
"If we eat something like a sashimi set that costs tens of thousands of won per serving, they'll say something about that too."
"Ah, I don't know, I don't know. Forget it. More than that, I want to eat cold raw fish soup (mulhoe) right now. If I pour dongchimi broth with shaved ice floating in it and stir it and slurp it up, what does a sashimi set worth tens of thousands of won matter?"
"Keuh, mulhoe is good. Do you want to eat mulhoe for lunch?"
Reporter Jin Seo-hee, who came down from Seoul to Busan for filming, caught her breath while drinking the water the cameraman handed her. Even though it's early summer, the unseasonable heat wave makes sweat flow even if you just stand still.
If you're on asphalt, the effect is doubled. You can understand the feeling of a dumpling in a steamer. I could understand the feeling of people coming to swim to avoid the heat.
Reporter Jin Seo-hee and cameraman Shin Jung-soo, who belong to the MBS broadcasting station, looked for shade to cool down a little in the heat. And to make a little bit of content, they filmed the beach.
..........Of course, as a man, it was unavoidable that the camera zoomed in on an attractive woman in a bikini from time to time. If you film it blatantly, someone might report it, but the broadcasting station mark attached to the camera had the power to turn illegal into legal.
"Huh?"
While filming the beach, Jung-soo discovered something that looked like the sky was torn beyond the horizon. For a moment, he thought he saw it wrong because of the heat haze caused by the heat wave, but the crack that seemed to be half-submerged in the middle of the water surface was emitting an ominous aura.
Because the water is deep, a safety line was installed, so no one went out there, but no one was paying attention to the crack. It was a distance from where people were gathered, and because many people were gathered and chatting loudly, no one noticed.
The crack that opened quietly without a sound soon vomited out monsters. The water surface rippled and surged. White foam rose, but perhaps because of the deep water, the monsters' appearances were not visible.
".........Hey, noona. Have you ever seen a Dimensional Rift crack? I haven't."
"I've seen it about twice while out on coverage?"
"Isn't that this?"
Jung-soo showed Seo-hee the scene he just filmed.
At that moment, a cold chill brushed past Seo-hee's back. It was a cold chill that made her forget even the heat wave.
It is said that Enemy Species often appear in areas with many people, but because the system is established and the rapid evacuation of civilians and the dispatch of Force Users, the number of deaths has become extremely rare compared to 20 years ago.
However, if an Enemy Species appears in a place where tens of thousands of people are gathered without time to evacuate and without time for Force Users to be dispatched, the damage that occurs... will be a disaster comparable to the Great Depression 20 years ago.
Whether the appearing Enemy Species is strong or weak is not the problem. The problem is how many people are gathered in one place.
The current Haeundae is truly the best area for Enemy Species to run wild.
People freeze if they can't adapt to rapid situational changes. Because their brains can't judge what to do or how to do it, or because they can't, they couldn't move even at the moment they had to run away.
Soon, as if a wave was coming, the water surface rippled and the monster revealed its appearance.
It was an appearance that looked like seeing a dinosaur. If I had to find a similar animal, I could mention a Komodo dragon.
It walks on four legs, has a long tail, flicks its long tongue peculiar to reptiles, and shines its vertically slit eyes. The eyes shining in gold were like jewels, but they were also giving off an eerie feeling. Of course, if it were just this much, one might think it was just a very big lizard.
If it weren't for the strange eggs sprouting on its back.
A lump big enough for one person to fit in, or something so disgusting that it could be described as a lump of meat, had purple veins on its surface that were wriggling in time with the monster's heartbeat. Faintly, a monster that looked similar to the monster was reflected inside.
"Kyaaaaaa!!!"
Someone's scream echoed on the beach. It wasn't a scream that came from enjoyment, but a scream that came from fear. Only then could people face the monster swimming toward them.
A hideous monster with purple and black mixed together. With a metallic-textured outer skin and a wriggling lump of eggs on its back, it was rushing blindly to kill the humans in front of it.
"What the fuck is that!!"
"Eek! Aaaaaa!!!"
"Don't push! Don't push!"
"Uaaaaaaa!!!"
The reptile Enemy Species, which was huge enough to easily swallow an adult male just by opening its mouth, soon set foot on the sandy beach. While swimming over, it chewed and killed several people with its rough teeth, turning the sea into a sea of blood.
"Krok, krooorok."
The reptile Enemy Species looked around while making a sound like phlegm was boiling.
Countless people were running away, but even if they evacuated in order along the designated route, it takes a long time. In a situation where they were running away in fear in a disorderly manner, only a very small number of people were actually evacuating to a safe place.
The rest of the people were pushed by the crowd, fell, and were trampled, so more people were dying than the Enemy Species that hadn't killed many people.
The action the Enemy Species took after seeing such people was not 'killing people' but an action 'to kill more people'.
The lumps of eggs on its back burst. Sticky green liquid burst out in all directions, and the baby monsters inside started to come out.
It was hard to call them babies because their size was similar to an adult male. Unlike their mother, they started to stand on two legs and make strange squealing sounds.
Soon, they realized what they had to do. It was to kill the creatures called humans in front of them.
"Noona, shouldn't we run away?"
"Where to?"
Looking around, it was already blocked because the crowd had gathered as much as possible. Even if they tried to escape to the nearby road, the road that was already narrow became even narrower because of the people who abandoned their cars and ran away, and the vehicles that couldn't move because of accidents.
Even if they ran right now, it would be faster for the Enemy Species in front of them to rush in and crush their heads.
Before Force Users appeared, when human 100-meter sprint records were in the 10-second to 9-second range, Enemy Species easily broke those records. It's the same for bipedal Enemy Species under the same conditions as humans.
Soon, small Enemy Species like lizard men began their activities. Revealing sharp claws and teeth, they spread out in all directions, dripping green slime, and rushed.
Thud!!
At that moment, an incongruous sound rang out.
"..........?"
A sound like something like a lump of meat being crushed rang out loudly. It was mixed with the sound of metal colliding, which was too much to be human.
When Reporter Jin Seo-hee looked in the direction the sound came from, she saw something blue shining in the sunlight.
It was too huge to be a fish.
It was so big, thick, and heavy that it was better to call it a club.
It was a tuna.
".........???"
The question wasn't solved, but rather piled up more.
She saw the face of the person who caught and swung the tuna.
It was made of gray metal, but the camouflage pattern and shape drawn on the mask looked familiar from somewhere.
"Raccoon?"
"I'm a Raccoon, you idiot!"
She felt a sense of déjà vu in a situation she had heard of somewhere.