Sky Project (1)
"Waaaah! Oppa, I'm sorry! I didn't recognize you! Hic... hiccup..."
Yeonhee wailed and clung to me, the Monk wept alongside her, and I hovered awkwardly, at a complete loss for how to comfort either of them.
Eventually, the tempest subsided.
Frankly, I hadn't recognized her at first glance either, so there was hardly any need for apologies. In any case, I decided to rent a small room in the village at the foot of Mount Jiri below Muhaksa Temple for the time being. I needed to circulate internal energy through the Monk once a day to treat his eyes. Yeonhee, it turned out, had been scrimping and saving every penny she could for that exact purpose—hoping to buy a spiritual herb.
Such herbs cost hundreds of millions of won at a minimum. Even if she managed to acquire one, absorbing its medicinal efficacy required either an internal arts master like me or a high-ranking healer-type awakened hunter, whose fees were just as astronomical.
I told Yeonhee that I had awakened. I assured her she didn't need to worry about spiritual herbs anymore, telling her to spend her hard-earned savings on herself instead. Knowing her, though, she would probably just donate it to the temple anyway. That was simply the kind of girl she was.
I bought a stuffed frog doll.
Today was Yeonhee's day to visit the temple. Just like when she was little, she threw her arms around me in a warm embrace. Gently peeling her off me, I shoved the stuffed frog into her arms instead.
"Huh? What's this?"
"...Didn't you used to like things like this?"
"Ugh, seriously? Do I look like an elementary schooler to you? ...Well, I guess it is pretty cute. Whatever, let's eat. I'll cook up something delicious!"
Despite her grumbling, she was clearly thrilled. That was all that mattered.
A moment later, while setting the lunch table, Yeonhee let out a shriek.
"Aaaack! Wh-what's with this flavor? O-Oppa!!"
"Yeah. That was me. I told you, I awakened. I can purify ingredients."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah, really."
"For real???"
"Yeah."
A strange, calculating gleam lit up my sister's eyes. Just what was going through that little head of hers?
That afternoon, an unexpected guest arrived.
Well, now. He's surprisingly strong.
By the standards of the Central Plains, he would rank as an Ultra-Peak master—strong enough to hold his own among the higher echelons of the Demonic Cult. His dantian, however, was in dire shape; a single misstep could plunge him straight into qi deviation.
A rugged, sharp-featured man in his mid-to-late forties strode toward the temple. He made no effort to conceal his energy, but there wasn't a shred of hostility in it. Instead, reverence saturated his presence.
...He looks just like a martial artist from the Central Plains. What's he doing here?
Setting aside my curiosity, I watched him approach. He had brought no human entourage. Instead, an unusual entity possessing a small yet remarkably potent force followed close behind him. Invisible to ordinary eyes, it couldn't escape mine.
Oho? The hidden creature is even more impressive than the man. Raw power aside... that thing isn't human. What is it? It looks almost like a homunculus.
Like the man, it harbored no hostility, radiating only intense curiosity and goodwill toward me. I could have exposed it right then, but I let it be for now.
"Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Baek Yucheon, Commissioner of the Hunter Bureau. Are you Mr. Seo Jinhyuk?"
"I am."
At my reply, he hastily bowed his head low.
"Pl-please, speak comfortably with me."
"I am only thirty years of age. I could hardly do that."
"...I-I am well aware that you are no ordinary individual, sir."
"Hmm... Would you care to take a short walk?"
I had no desire to reveal glimpses of my past self in front of Yeonhee and the Monk.
"Yes, sir. I shall follow."
The demeanor and presence of this man named Baek Yucheon were upright and steadfast.
He reminds me of the Murim Alliance Leader. That man was just like this—steadfast in his convictions, putting his own vision of justice into practice. Yet, for the sake of those ideals, a man who would sacrifice the few for the greater good.
He was my polar opposite. Still, I had gotten along reasonably well with the Alliance Leaders over the generations. For one, we rarely crossed blades directly, and whenever a leader's martial prowess lagged too far behind, I would occasionally impart a bit of enlightenment myself. If the Orthodox sects grew too feeble, the zealots in the Demonic Cult would raise a fuss about launching an invasion.
Invading was always a terrible headache anyway. What came next? The Imperial Army? No matter how peerless a martial artist was, facing an imperial host of hundreds of thousands left no good answers—even for a master of the Profound Realm.
Back when I was the Heavenly Demon, the number of troops I could handle on my own was roughly a hundred thousand. Alongside my subordinates, I could manage even more. But what then? How on earth was I supposed to govern all that vast territory? I couldn't even be bothered to manage the Demonic Cult, which was why I had refused the title of Cult Leader in the first place.
Thud.
Baek Yucheon suddenly dropped to his knees.
"...We harbor no deceit nor ulterior motives. Tell us: what would you have us do?"
"Stand up."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
He sprang to his feet instantly.
Wow. He really listens. It seemed he had grasped the general truth of who I was. Even so, there was no need for such subservience. No matter how powerful this incarnate body became, it could never surpass the martial peak I had attained in the Central Plains. Pushing beyond that limit would trigger ascension—propelling me right out of this dimension.
"What I desire... fine. Do not bother me."
"Understood, sir! We shall ensure that to the best of our ability."
"If there is anything I want, I will obtain it myself. Therefore, there is nothing you need to do for me."
"..."
It was the simple truth. If I set my mind to it, overturning a country like South Korea would take mere days. I could strike Seoul first, vaporizing the Blue House and the National Assembly. Then, I would summon the nation's hunters to submit to my banner; those hungry for power would flock to my side in droves. After crushing a single nearby military division as an example, not a soul would dare dream of rebellion.
I had both the means and the capability. Frankly, I wouldn't even need to go to such lengths—decapitating every general in the South Korean military wouldn't take more than a single day.
Baek Yucheon glanced around nervously.
"Th-Then, I shall take my leave. Should you require anything... um..."
"Is this the child you are looking for?"
Flash!
With a flick of my hand, the cloaking peeled away, revealing a girl of about ten years old staring up at me in wide-eyed shock.
"Ahhh!"
The girl trembled from head to toe, her eyes round with alarm.
"Do not fret."
"..."
She tilted her head. Reading my expression, the initial fright vanished, replaced by open curiosity.
"Ahem. That child... that is to say, that humanoid will assist you, Master Jinhyuk. If you ever need anything, you may simply instruct her."
"This child?"
"...Indeed, sir."
Normally, if you assigned someone an aide, wouldn't you pick a hunter or a civil servant? Why assign an inhuman child?
Yet, looking at her, I didn't find the arrangement displeasing.
...She bears an uncanny resemblance to Yeonhee when she was young. Her face, her mannerisms...
Before I was dragged away to another world, little Yeonhee used to love watching me from a distance. She could have easily begged me to play with her, but she never did. She was such a quiet, sweet-natured child back then.
...Well, after weathering ten years of hardship, that was no longer entirely the case.
Beep—!
A transmission arrived carrying the first report from D-07, the humanoid tasked with assisting—and discreetly monitoring—Seo Jinhyuk.
"Incoming transmission from Frog No. 1!"
"What? What does it say?!"
Baek Yucheon whipped his head around, his expression taut with anxiety. What could it be? The first field report concerning a transcendent-class awakened entity!
"The Sky currently wishes to eat fried chicken."
"Fried chicken? Order it immediately!"
Indeed. Even the chairman of a certain massive conglomerate was said to have craved fried chicken the moment he was released from prison. It was only natural that this transcendent awakened being would crave it as well.
His subordinate, however, wore a flustered look.
"Th-That's impossible, sir."
"What do you mean, impossible? Where on earth can you not get chicken delivered?"
"The closest chicken shop is a thirty-minute drive from the Sky's location. It is outside the delivery zone."
Incompetent fools!
Baek Yucheon wanted to roar at the top of his lungs, but bit his tongue. These days, yelling at subordinates invited HR nightmares. Still, his patience snapped.
"Hey! Stop talking nonsense and tell them we'll pay triple! Quadruple!"
"There's another problem, sir. According to Frog No. 1's report, the Sky is a gourmet. Commercial chicken won't do. You know how it is—standard poultry is either synthetic meat substitute or tainted with a gamey, fishy stench."
That was an oversight. Baek Yucheon wasn't an extravagant man by nature, but being human, he had a habit of swiping his corporate card freely when it came to meals. In other words, even though the world had gone to hell, the food he ate was virtually indistinguishable from pre-Gate cuisine.
Organic chickens raised inside mana-shielded barriers cost upwards of a hundred thousand won each. Fried into chicken, the price doubled to over two hundred thousand won.
"Ah..."
A twinge of guilt struck Baek Yucheon. As Commissioner, he could simply expense his gourmet meals to the state, but his subordinates hardly had that luxury. He cleared his throat several times to mask his embarrassment.
"...Ahem. I hadn't considered that. Then what if we fry up proper chicken and send it over?"
"The nearest facility equipped for that is two hours away by car. It will be cold and soggy by the time it arrives."
Couldn't they just use faster transport, then?
"Damn it... R-Right. Scramble a helicopter!"
"Even by chopper, it'll take at least thirty minutes."
"...Damn it all..."
The subordinate turned to him. "Commissioner?"
"Yeah? You got an idea?"
"It's not as though the Sky demands it this very second, correct?"
"I suppose so."
"Then why don't we load the ingredients onto a mobile catering truck and send it down along with the chefs?"
"Oho!"
An exclamation of admiration slipped from Baek Yucheon's lips. Yes, that was the right approach! No matter how swiftly it was delivered, fried chicken was at its absolute best fresh out of the fryer.
"We can organize a fried chicken banquet under the guise of an elderly appreciation festival. Then Frog No. 1 can naturally guide the Sky to the feast."
The subordinate offered a proud grin. Looking at him now, Baek Yucheon thought the man almost looked handsome.
"...Well now. Turns out you're quite the talent, aren't you?"
"Heh. You're only realizing it now, sir?"
"Good. Make it happen!"
Then a strange thought crossed his mind. He had personally coined the name 'Project Sky' regarding Seo Jinhyuk, honoring his status as a being transcendent beyond the heavens. But why was the humanoid—a project that had swallowed trillions of won—designated a frog? And why 'No. 1'?
"By the way... why is our humanoid called Frog No. 1?"
"I don't know that either, sir. She just named herself Frog No. 1. Her ego was synthesized from Seo Yeonhee's childhood online and offline data profiles, so your guess is as good as mine."
Deep furrows carved into Baek Yucheon's brow. To be frank, he had no clue what that meant.
"Put it in simple terms."
"Yes, sir. It means she has the mindset of an elementary school brat."
"..."
He shook his head in resignation. What could he do? The nation's top authority on artificial intelligence had designed her; he had to place his faith in the science. They said the persona most likely to make Seo Jinhyuk lower his guard and accept companionship was someone like a 'young Seo Yeonhee.'
Stroking his chin, he barked out the next order.
"Phew. First, recruit some chefs... Wait, no. Why bother searching? Just dispatch all the Blue House chefs down there! Tell the President to order takeout!"
"Understood, sir. I'll relay the order."
Indeed. If they were doing this, only the finest chefs in the land would do. Besides, it was a petty way to get back at the President, who did nothing but scurry into hiding whenever trouble arose. Baek had urged him to visit Mount Jiri in person, but the President had weaseled out of it and shoved the duty onto him instead. This was his petty revenge.
The following day was Sunday.
The President awoke to a rare morning free of scheduled events. He was the country's first bachelor head of state, having lost his wife during the initial Gate Break and never remarried.
"Ahem. What's for breakfast today?"
He spotted Secretary Seol, who had reported for duty even on a Sunday.
"Yes, Mr. President. Today's breakfast is instant ramen prepared by me, served with cold rice."
"H-Huh?"
The President's face was a portrait of sheer bafflement. Out of nowhere? Where are my chefs? You? Secretary Seol, the woman so icy not a drop of blood would spill if she were pricked with a needle? Making instant ramen?!
Ignoring his distress, Secretary Seol was already busy setting up the pot.
"Commissioner Baek Yucheon took all the executive chefs with him to Mount Jiri."
"Wh-Why?"
"Project Sky, sir."
The President flinched at the words 'Project Sky.' He had deliberately washed his hands of that endeavor. Citing security risks, diplomatic fallout, and every excuse under the sun, he had barely managed to dump the entire headache onto the Hunter Bureau Commissioner.
"Ah... But why take my chefs...?"
"I have no idea, sir."
"R-Right. Well, ramen isn't bad either, I suppose."
He took a seat at the table. Ramen was fine.
Snap!
Secretary Seol broke the brick of instant noodles in half. The President hated broken ramen noodles, but kept his mouth firmly shut. If he dared complain, she was the type to tell him to cook it himself and walk right out the door.
"How many eggs would you like, Mr. President?"
"Yes, two please."
"And green onions?"
"Could you put in yellow onions instead?"
"We're using green onions."
"Why?"
"I don't like onions in my ramen."
"..."
She was preparing three packets of ramen in total. After all, she had to eat breakfast too. And she despised onions in her ramen.