Back in Korea (2)
The newspaper article laid it out in stark black and white.
Jinwoo let out a long sigh as he flipped through the stack of papers. Every outlet sang the same tune.
“They say nobody reads physical newspapers anymore, but this is still impossible to ignore.”
“The media has framed the story that way, so even if the government announces the truth, it doesn’t land. That’s why we needed you, Mr. Park Jinwoo. We want you to show the public what it looks like to log in and return safely every day.”
“It’s definitely the best way to counter the rumor that entering a capsule means certain death.”
The United States, China, Russia, and Britain had people logging in daily, but in Korea it still felt like a story happening across the ocean. Showing a healthy Korean citizen stepping in and stepping out was crucial.
“This would be the perfect time to bring out the potions. Did the Americans say they can’t provide any?”
“They have a few bottles, but if they donate to one country they’ll have to give to everyone else, so they say they can’t spare any.”
In his heart he considered just bringing some himself, but without a proper transmission capsule there was no way to send physical items. Come to think of it, how do they even send potions through those capsules from the other side?
He only knew that Changing had brought potions across; he had no idea about the actual method. All he understood was that it consumed a massive amount of energy. He could only guess that the two hidden testers among the twelve were responsible for ferrying the items.
“Here’s the script. You can follow it exactly or tweak it slightly, but we’d like the interview to go along these lines.”
The script Vice Minister Kim handed over didn’t sit well with him, but it was exactly what the government wanted, so he decided to follow it.
The racing-suit-style outfit the government provided for the capsule entry looked oddly like the cybernetic costumes worn by first-generation pro gamers decades ago. Jinwoo stood in front of the reporters and cameras.
“You’re really coming back safely, right?”
“Yes. I’m not gambling my life on meeting a god and forming a new contract. The contract is already in place. I’ll see you again in eight hours.”
After the brief interview, he stepped into the capsule. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on his bed in New Jamestown.
Because he had been in Korea, he hadn’t been able to contact the others staying at the American condo properly. He made a point of seeking out Lieutenant Polman to ask how potions were sent across.
“Ah, you’ll have to ask the Antarian priest about that. I only know they use divine power to transmit objects.”
Since Polman didn’t know the details either, they went together to see the Antarian priest.
“Offerings dedicated to the gods must be sent to the divine realm through a magic circle.”
The priest drew a magic circle on the floor roughly one square meter in size.
“Place the item in the center and activate the circle. The object will be sent to the divine realm. We mainly send potions. From what I understand, they are then redirected from the divine realm to the transmigrators on Earth.”
According to the Antarian priest, items offered as tribute to the gods were rerouted through the divine realm and delivered to the transmission capsules on Earth. Activating the circle required divine power, and so did the god’s act of sending the items onward. It seemed that contracting with a powerful deity would make transporting goods much easier.
“Then is this magic circle the same for every god?”
“Not exactly. They are similar but all different. Each order has its own version passed down from their deity.”
He had wanted to copy the circle and test it himself, but that was too bad.
“Oh, right. Because your trip to Korea made headlines, Aoyama, Lucas, and Bortas are all throwing tantrums demanding to be sent back to their home countries too.”
“Really? So are they all going back?”
“Only Bortas from Greece decided to go. Aoyama and Lucas said they’re staying.”
“It’s a chance to become a star. Why wouldn’t they go? Well, Aoyama was a hikikomori to begin with, so stepping into the spotlight probably doesn’t appeal to him.”
“Exactly. That’s why Aoyama refused. Lucas apparently just wants to be an American now. Seeing this makes me realize how impressive the patriotism of Greeks and Koreans really is. They have genuine pride in their own culture.”
Polman spent a while praising patriotism before mentioning he had something else to pass along.
“Once the contract succeeds and Koreans begin logging in, the higher-ups want them all brought to New Jamestown. You’ll need to take the lead and guide them here.”
“Using this safe location as a base camp isn’t a bad idea. If the contract succeeds, I’ll bring the Koreans over.”
He had already been planning to head to the Shuzel Kingdom in the south to secure tomatoes if he wanted to run an inn or restaurant here. This gave him the perfect legitimate excuse to travel while inspecting his future territory. No one would suspect a thing.
“Oh! He’s waking up!”
“How long has it been?”
“Over eight hours.”
The reporters who had been stretching in front of the open capsule immediately raised their cameras again when the alarm sounded. They captured Jinwoo sitting up from the capsule without a scratch and thrust their microphones forward.
“As you can see, it is possible to safely access the new world, complete your tasks, and return.”
“But we’ve heard that many people died during the early closed-beta phase of the new world.”
“Yes. That’s because death in the new world means the death of the soul. That’s why the United States created New Jamestown—to reduce those external risk factors.”
“If the risks are so great that you had to build an entire town, shouldn’t people wait until it’s stabilized before going in? Right now, people all over the world are dying just to reach the new world.”
“Mm. I see the current new-world access as similar to the Age of Exploration.”
“The Age of Exploration?”
“Yes. It’s like when Columbus set out to pioneer a new sea route. Enormous resources were invested, the flagship Santa Maria ran aground, and countless sailors lost their lives. But what happened afterward? They gained an entire new continent—America.”
In truth, Columbus had unleashed hell upon the indigenous peoples. Countless native tribes vanished, and their unique cultures were destroyed. Yet, in the end, his voyage created the starting point for the United States, the strongest superpower on Earth.
“Columbus’s new sea route led to the birth of America. South America and Australia were discovered, expanding humanity’s living space. The fruits of those discoveries were harvested by the nations that led the Age of Exploration.”
Countries like Britain, Spain, and France reaped sweet rewards from South America, Africa, and Australia. Those gains fueled the Industrial Revolution and produced countless achievements in human history. Of course, the dark underbelly of imperialism existed, but that was secondary.
“History proves it. To become a great power, you must take risks and push forward. The Joseon dynasty that preceded modern Korea did not participate in the Age of Exploration, and they suffered greatly for it. If we don’t want to repeat that pain, we must step forward now.”
“So you’re saying that logging into the new world is the same as the sailors who boarded ships for colonial exploration during the Age of Exploration?”
“Correct. In uncharted oceans, many ships sank and many sailors died. But the nations that accepted those sacrifices eventually grew stronger and richer.”
At the mention of individual sacrifice, several reporters’ expressions hardened.
“The sacrifice of individuals is tragic, but history proves the point. If we fear today’s sacrifices and abandon the challenge, we will only fall behind. For the sake of future generations, we must challenge and sacrifice now. Only then will we avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.”
It was a perfectly nationalistic interview that placed the sacrifice of individuals for the sake of the country above all else. It felt like a return to the age of rampant imperialism, but Jinwoo also agreed that Korea needed to seize the initiative in the new world, so he delivered the government script exactly as written.
With a small population and limited land, Korea’s only way to expand its territory was through war with its neighbors. Yet none of Japan, China, or Russia were easy opponents. In fact, they all looked at Korea as the weakest prey. To survive in that precarious position, Korea had to secure gains in the new world.
The thought that he himself might become one of the sacrificed crossed his mind, but China was already grinding through people like meat in a grinder, and Japan was doing the same. Falling behind again would mean reliving the sorrows of the past. That future could not be allowed to happen.
“And while participation in the project is being called a death sentence, if the project succeeds through those deaths and we obtain potions, we will be able to save countless lives from other kinds of death.”
“However, there are reports that some places are forcing terminal patients to participate under the justification of these positive outcomes. That sounds like forcing them to die. What do you think about that?”
“There is no clear answer to that issue. However, I believe this: if a situation arises where I must step forward for others, then as someone with a terminal diagnosis, I would volunteer.”
“It must weigh heavily on you, but that was a courageous interview for the sake of our nation and people.”
“Thanks to the interview, the number of people wanting to participate in the transmigration project has increased. Most are terminal patients or people over sixty. The public broadcast of your safe return seems to have calmed public opinion to some extent.”
The words from Vice Minister Kim and the operations manager—that they had overcome the crisis—left a bitter taste in Jinwoo’s mouth. In the end, he had incited people to believe that individuals must sacrifice themselves for the state.
Because his heart felt heavy, he told them he would not do any more scripted interviews for the time being. Instead, he spent his days in the new world helping with village construction.
And then, after fourteen days and forty-one sacrifices, Korea succeeded in contracting with Stra, the God of Pathways.
Every government department erupted in cheers when the success story aired. The constant sight of participants dying had placed enormous stress on everyone; now they no longer had to watch it. Cheers of relief burst out.
Jinwoo, who had just exited the capsule and heard the news, asked the most important question.
“Where is the spawn location? And what about their stats and class?”
The news reported that the person who succeeded in contracting with Stra, God of Pathways, was Han Gil-tae, a 53-year-old former master sergeant from the engineering corps.
“The exact location isn’t confirmed yet, but it appears to be on the frontier of the Orman Kingdom. His stats are 50, and his class is Blacksmith.”
At the words “Blacksmith class,” Jinwoo couldn’t help thinking that the gods really were looking out for Korea.