Chapter 113. Cataclysm.
Chapter 113. Cataclysm.
I'd been living each day like a jobless bum. Thanks to my father-in-law, food was plentiful, and both fish farming and livestock were on stable footing now. We'd also stockpiled plenty of other supplies during that last trip to Incheon Port. Every once in a while I'd oversee training, or spend quality time with the girls.
"Maybe staying busy would've been better?"
"Honestly, I think being busy beats being bored, too."
Right now I was lying in bed, holding them in my arms, watching a drama — and we'd started the first episode only a little while ago, yet we were already near the finale.
Sometimes, rather than this dull routine, I even missed the blood-soaked, life-or-death battles back on Titan.
'If the old me from back then heard this, he'd call me a spoiled brat.'
Back then I hadn't even noticed the passage of time — I'd fought bloody battle after battle driven by a single-minded determination to return to Earth.
And then, in an instant, I felt the world shift — like the final puzzle piece clicking into place with a soft snap. I wasn't the only one who sensed it. Terion came looking for me in a hurry.
"You felt it too?"
"Yeah..."
[The mana density of this dimension has reached equilibrium with the fusing dimension. Due to stabilized mana density levels, every human will undergo Awakening.]
"So it's about to begin..."
"..."
[Those who have already Awakened will undergo a Second Awakening. And the dimensional fusion will commence.]
The moment the System message sounded, my cell phone went off like wildfire. Once we got word, we headed to the assembly hall.
"What in the world is going on...!"
"I suspect 'Flowering' here refers to Awakening."
"So does that mean every single person will become an Awakened?"
"That would follow, yes. And it seems those already Awakened are undergoing a Second Awakening."
Frankly, that part wasn't a problem for us. Every member of our group was effectively already Awakened. The real issue was that the fusion would be starting soon.
'Where the hell did the System come from, and what does it want? Was the dimensional fusion its doing, too?'
Just then, Terion cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Do you remember when I said the zombie crisis happened because people couldn't accept mana?"
Most of the party nodded — apparently they remembered him saying it back when we first met.
"At present, Earth has a stable mana circulation. There will be no more naturally occurring zombies. If the System spoke true, then Earth and Titan now possess equal mana, and neither will be absorbed into the other — they will simply fuse, naturally."
"So it's about to begin soon..."
"Indeed... once again, this 'Earth' will undergo a transformation."
"Should we prepare for impact?"
"I suspect — and this is conjecture, mind you — it will mingle the way water mixes with water. I do not know why the System is being so courteous as to inform us, but..."
"All the same, it's a relief that no disasters — earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis — will occur as the two merge."
"A planet developing mana is inevitable. If anything, we're fortunate that the gaps in the dimension — torn open as the 'Calamity' came and went — caused the planet to be slowly steeped in it. The star will not be returning to its primordial state."
"Then... what should we do now?"
Terion propped his chin on his hand, thinking.
"Hm... they don't carry cell phones, and leaflets seem... less than ideal..."
"Wouldn't spreading leaflets actually be easier?"
"How do you propose to spread leaflets across the entire world? And even if you did, not everyone who exists is favorably disposed toward the 'Calamity.'"
"True... that would be about the same as loudly advertising our stronghold's location..."
"Exactly. Natives of Earth who have grown strong are, at best, much of a muchness — but the real powers on Titan operate on an entirely different plane. Frankly, I alone could kill every person in this village in less than five minutes."
At that sobering assessment, the whole party fell silent. I let out a sigh and muttered to myself.
"It'd be nice if I still had the ones who used to gather intel..."
Within the Yong mercenary company, besides the unit in charge of information, there had been squads that took direct combat contracts and squads that carried out assassinations.
Just as we were holding a serious discussion on the matter, other countries seemed to be in much the same state — radio transmissions came in from Japan and the United States almost simultaneously.
We exchanged brief pleasantries, and they said they wished to meet in person and hold a serious conversation. Because of the previous incident, I made a suitable excuse and asked them to come here.
"What did they say?"
"Yes — they say they'll come at the earliest possible date."
"In person, they said?"
"Yes..."
"I suppose we'll have to tell them the truth now."
Of course, once each nation's representatives heard it, they might well think it was the plot of some fantasy novel. Whether they believed it or not was up to them. They would bear the responsibility for what followed, however.
'For that matter, what's going to happen with this Second Awakening...?'
I checked my own System, and when I asked others about theirs, they said it displayed: "Awakening in progress."
* * * * * * * *
That same hour, on Titan.
"Current situation?"
"As you predicted, Advisor, in regions oversaturated with mana, rifts identical to those that appeared when the Commander crossed dimensions are now opening."
"The matter of the visit to the Pantheon?"
"They say that mana likely flowed through the gap the Commander passed through, and only now the concentrations have equalized — so a dimensional fusion may soon occur."
"They don't know for certain either, it seems."
"Yes... after consulting their own records, all they could determine was that this same phenomenon was the dimensional fusion that occurred in antiquity."
The Advisor listened further to his subordinate's report. Whatever the process had been, looking at the outcome alone, thanks to the Commander they had been spared the course of regressing to a primordial star — and thus had been able to preserve everyone's lives.
'Truly... both in the past and in the present, I owe my survival to the Commander.'
"What became of the matter I ordered previously?"
"At present, every member has completed their final missions and commissions and is returning to headquarters one after another."
"Notify those who maintain a friendly disposition toward us in advance. So they may have ample time to prepare."
Knowledge was power. If you knew what the future held, you could not afford to miss the opportunity. And the stupid ones — they would recklessly try to force their way through the rifts to get ahead.
'Hm... didn't you once say, "Even knowing it's shit, you don't need to taste it to be sure"?'
"Advisor, if you'll forgive my impertinence — will they believe it?"
"If they can't bring themselves to believe it, there's nothing to be done. But — Her Majesty the Queen will believe it unconditionally, no matter what."
Even we, who had personally witnessed the Commander breach the dimensional interference and tear open a rift to pass through, found it hard to believe — how hard must it be for them to accept?
"Well, it's news shocking enough to rival extinction itself, but it's not actual extinction, so..."
Once this news spread, nations and organizations would begin salivating — countries seeking to expand their colonies and territory, those scheming to achieve advancement through technical agreements with another dimension.
"Is the Vice-Commander still in that place?"
"Yes... saying that the moment she meets the Commander, she'll demand a sparring match..."
The Advisor waved a hand and cut off the rest of the report without even letting him finish.
"The Vice-Commander has always said, ever since the Commander left, that one day we would meet again."
The Advisor toyed with the coffee cup atop his desk and sank into thought. The subordinate who had come to deliver the report lowered his head slightly and discreetly slipped out of the room.
'I'll meet him again before I die of old age...'
The Yong mercenary company — a half-finished thing with the Commander gone — would at last be made whole once more.
* * * * * * * *
I kept turning the Second Awakening over in my mind.
'If it's an additional Awakening, does that mean a mage would also Awaken swordsman abilities...?'
I couldn't grasp it at all — whether a completely separate ability would be added, the way I had acquired various disciplines over long ages, or if it simply reinforced one's existing abilities.
Days passed after the System's alert had appeared, and nothing happened. That was because every member of the group was already Awakened. Most likely, once the Second Awakening began, we would need to reexamine everyone's training methods accordingly. I had just about managed to sketch out the broad strokes of a revised training approach when my phone went off.
"Representative, as previously mentioned, the representatives of each country are scheduled to arrive this evening."
"Understood. If any changes occur, inform me right away."
Several days ago, we had received word that they would be arriving this evening. It was a gathering that required a conversation of grave importance, so people were busily preparing the meal. The Japanese representative was coming from a nearby country, but the American representative was coming by chartered jet via Gimpo Airport, and so had requested a helicopter from our side.
I tried putting on a suit for formality's sake, but it was a little uncomfortable.
"Are you really not fazed by any of this?"
"Eh, I've slapped an emperor across the face before."
I glanced at my watch and calculated when they would arrive.
"They'll be reaching the airport around now, so they should be here soon."
The sound of helicopter rotors reached us from the sky, and our party began to gather at the airfield. The area had been paved with cement now, enough to call it a proper airfield.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Min Seok-woo, President of the Republic of Korea. This is Mr. Cheon Sihu, the representative of our village. You've had a long journey — please, have a meal, and let's take our time talking."
"A pleasure. I am Bruce Karl, President of the United States."
After the exchange of greetings, the American president looked at me and welcomed me warmly.
"So you are Mister Cheon. I've heard a great deal from Commander David. It's an honor to meet you."
"Yes, I'm Cheon Sihu. Please, feel free to address me casually."
The U.S. President seemed to show consideration for the fact that I occupied the highest position in the group's hierarchy, walking a half-step behind me as we guided everyone to the assembly hall.
'By the way, who is that person...?'
There was someone else who had gotten off the helicopter with the U.S. President, and I couldn't figure out who he was. He didn't seem like a mere attendant. Everyone had taken their seats for the meal, but only the U.S. President stood and spoke.
"I apologize for unavoidably being unable to inform you in advance. This gentleman is..."
Once the president finished speaking, the man straightened his attire, rose from his seat, and introduced himself.
"First, I apologize for appearing suddenly without prior notice. I have come here representing the United Kingdom."