Actually, It's Not Dangerous!

Leaving aside everything else, I was still hiding my face completely because showing my current appearance to other people was embarrassing.

I'd also cast a perception-blocking spell this time, just in case they treated me like some suspicious person again. Even if it doesn't look like it, I can use a ton of magic.

On top of that, I had potions with special effects infused with my mana, and recovery potions that could heal wounds in an instant.

I'd once thought about just using magic to make food, but the ingredients that came out were ultimately made from my mana, so eating it was no different from just consuming my own mana. Setting aside whether it was possible, it was utterly pointless anyway.

More than anything, what good would having these things do in the modern world? I was living in peaceful South Korea, where there were no ability users or monsters.

Still, there was one good thing: life got a lot more comfortable. If I'd used the perception-blocking magic when I first came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out earlier, I wouldn't have been dragged off by those cops.

Well, things had ended up working out pretty well for me in the end, so maybe it was better that I hadn't used it.

If I could just somehow get citizenship, I could live a normal life. I wanted to play games, hole up in my room fiddling with my phone all day. There were so many things I wanted to do.

Things I couldn't do right now, but dreams I'd definitely achieve someday.

"Mm..."

Since I was just planning to wander around a bit before heading back, the police station should be fine, right? Even if I was a kid, they probably wouldn't keep searching for me forever out of worry if I suddenly vanished.

They'd just scold me a little when I casually strolled back in, asking where I'd been, and that'd be it.

By the way...

"It's been so long since I've seen this..."

The cityscape visible amid the crowds was truly grand. Of course, it was grand, but that just made me regret coming out at all.

How good could city air really be? And after holing up in that house for a whole year without talking to anyone, this massive city felt like the scariest place imaginable to me.

Even earlier, when talking to the cops, I'd been so tongue-tied that I'd just nodded instead of speaking properly. Was I really that much of an idiot?

"I wanna go back..."

Above all, the outside breeze wasn't refreshing at all, making a mockery of my excuse for coming out to get some air. If anything, it made my stomach feel queasy.

I'd just head back to the police station like this...

Huh? What? I whipped my head around at the sudden voice, only to see news flowing from the massive TV attached to the building.

It was more like a panel discussion with people seated and talking, but still.

Something felt off, though. Cheoncheon? It sounded straight out of a game.

I'd thought this was the original world, but was it actually some futuristic one with VR games?

The footage was far too realistic for a VR game. There was a woman wielding a sword, dancing beautifully like petals in the wind as she massacred her enemies. Then a muscular man slamming down a huge blade, shattering the ground and sending monsters flying.

What they all had in common was their attire and weapons, straight out of some martial arts novel.

I'd thought the name Cheoncheon was weird from the start, but no way was it actually pulled from a wuxia novel? I'd read a few, so this was ridiculous.

No, even if VR games were huge, news wouldn't cover them like this. So either it wasn't a game but reality, or it was a game with massive real-world impact worth reporting on.

The latter didn't explain my abilities or magic, though.

"No way..."

Was it actually real? If I went with the former, it explained what they were saying.

Gates, S-rank, A-rank, guilds, awakeners—put it all together, and one conclusion emerged.

I hadn't returned to my original world at all.

......

I'd even forgotten my resolve to head back to the police station as I sat blankly on the bench, killing time.

Normally, sitting around at this hour would've drawn comments like "Aren't you going to school?", but with the perception-blocking magic on me, I didn't have to worry.

Was realizing it wasn't my original world such a huge shock? I didn't have any lingering attachments there anyway, but my heart felt strangely empty.

Either way, I didn't know anyone here, and no one would come looking for me.

The world was different, but the sky looked exactly the same. At first, realizing it wasn't my original world terrified me.

But even after grasping that it was different, looking around showed no real changes, making me wonder if I'd gotten it wrong.

It'd be easier if they just told me it was a VR game.

I want to go home. I'd been cooped up there so long that the mountain house felt way more comfortable.

If I'd had food stocked, I might've stayed holed up there even longer.

Haa... I let out a small sigh and stared ahead.

Some random middle-aged guy was staring right at me.

"Ugh..."

This was weird. No, blatantly weird. I definitely had perception-blocking magic on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me right now.

A normal person shouldn't even be able to register me. In fact, earlier when I'd wandered the streets, no one had looked at me or reported me.

At first, I thought it was coincidence. Maybe he was staring at the bench, imagining sitting with someone?

But no matter how much time passed, the guy kept staring at me. Like he knew I was here.

Is he dangerous? He looks pretty dangerous. Should I run?

"Leaving?"

Before I could even get up, the man in front of me spoke to me.

If he was talking to me directly, he definitely recognized my presence.

Should I stay put? If he'd come here targeting me, he'd have grabbed me already, so maybe staying still was safer for now?

I sat back down, wary of the man.

"No need to be so guarded..."

The man gave a wry smile and continued.

"How about it? Will you hear me out?"

Hear you out? What story all of a sudden?

"Well, it'd be best to talk side-by-side, but you can listen from there if you want."

I had no intention of listening. But saying that outright felt awkward, so I just shook my head.

It was true I'd missed human conversation after so long without it, but that didn't mean I wanted to hear some stranger's lament.

I wasn't some cute girl, and it was a weathered old guy's sob story—who'd want to listen?

Seeing that, the man chuckled at me—where'd that come from?—then sighed. Come to think of it, his laugh had a lamenting edge to it. Had something unfair happened to him?

"I've got a daughter about your age. No intentions of harming you, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't worry."

I don't buy it. I eyed him suspiciously, but my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hood probably hid it. Still, him pegging me as a little girl and mentioning a daughter my age gave me chills.

No way he could see inside the hood.

"I won't drag it out, so don't look so reluctant..."

Wait, did he see through it? Creepy.

"Well... lamenting to a kid like you won't help much, but thanks for listening anyway."

I hadn't agreed to listen, though. Before I could complain, the man started talking.

"I've got a daughter your age. She's in the hospital right now—back there."

Hospital? I'd thought this was just some regular park, but it was in front of a hospital?

"Will you keep listening?"

"..."

I nodded silently. I had nothing else to do anyway. I'd listen to this guy's story and head straight back to the station.

Confirming my nod, the man brightened a little and began his tale.