Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Different Choices, Different Paths, Different Names (2)
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Seti's meal didn't take long. Three minutes was all she needed to mix instant rice into the ramen broth and scrape the pot clean.
It wasn't so much gluttonous as it was thorough. If there'd been a bottle of soju beside her, no one would've batted an eye if she'd claimed ten years on the cleanup crew.
...Anyway, once she'd finished eating, Seti cleared her throat and spoke up.
"Ahem. You've gotta have a ton of questions. Where should I start?"
"...How many days was I out?"
"Five days. I've been waiting here since two days ago."
"Five days?"
Rust Beetle frowned without realizing it. Three days? The time he'd spent in Comet Sword's dream felt like barely five minutes.
"Some secret artifacts do that sometimes. They test the user's mind and body, or force them into a trance... This thing wasn't meant to be used so casually, you know."
"..."
"More importantly, where'd you even get that secret artifact? It's incredibly rare."
Rare item.
Rust Beetle thought of Prea Khan, the one who'd given him the dagger. Had she known this would happen when she handed it over?
'She's not the type to scheme that deeply.'
The advice she'd given him along with the dagger had been genuine.
As Comet Sword had said in the dream, maybe her goal hadn't been to forge a bond with the Comet Sword.
'...Though it all went down the drain because of Mignium anyway.'
Having sorted his thoughts that far, Rust Beetle answered Seti's question.
"I crossed paths with Prea Khan."
"...Prea Khan? You mean the Holy Sword?"
"Yeah, that Holy Sword."
Seti's delicate brows arched long. She tapped her lips as if pondering something, then nodded as she glanced at the dagger.
"...Well, yeah. No ordinary person would just hand over a secret artifact like that."
She didn't ask what sort of connection had led him to the Holy Sword, or why the Holy Sword had given him the artifact.
Instead, she simply dusted off her seat and stood, checking Rust Beetle's body here and there.
"You look fine on the outside. How's your condition right now?"
"Not bad."
Rust Beetle flexed his hands, scanning his body from muscles to mana. Everything felt exactly as it had before entering Comet Sword's dream.
"Honestly, it's hard to believe five days have passed. Feels like a lie."
"That good? What kind of powerful magic was even on that artifact..."
Seti narrowed her eyes.
"What'd you get from the secret artifact? Enlightenment? Martial arts?"
"Swordsmanship."
"...Swordsmanship? What about Wave Yang Art? Learning too many martial arts broadly will make things tough down the line."
Instead of answering, Rust Beetle picked up a pair of chopsticks Seti had missed from the floor.
His breathing thinned, and his mana settled quietly.
In a mind still as a waveless pond, Rust Beetle first recalled Wave Yang Art.
The waves of the mind, the waves of mana, and himself.
Mana rippled from his shoulder, flowing down his arm.
Next, he recalled the swordsmanship Prea Khan had shown him.
Comet Sword. Borrowing its shell, he gripped the chopsticks.
*Light overflows, parting left and right without hindrance.*
He still couldn't grasp the true essence of the sword that Comet Sword had taught him. It was too abstract to call it swordsmanship enlightenment.
But he could at least push waves into the empty space where that essence should be.
'If you infuse intent into a fist, it becomes Wave Yang Fist. So if you infuse intent into a sword...'
The wave crashes. He raised his right hand, and mana filled the chopsticks.
The slowly lifted hand felt heavy. The mana coiling around the chopsticks exuded thick power.
The moment his shoulder and chopsticks aligned in a straight line, he swung.
The wave followed, and mana cleaved the air.
Just once.
The chopsticks traced the path in place of a sword.
Woooong—
A strange resonance echoed in the wake of the chopsticks. Bunker dust recoiled in alarm, and the air was rent long.
Crack!
The next instant, the bunker wall over ten paces away split open.
"Huh...?"
Seti gaped blankly, her eyes flicking between the cracked concrete wall and Rust Beetle.
"What... what was that...?"
"Realizing the essence isn't the end of it. Even just applying it to swordsmanship shows the limits like this."
"...You applied it to swordsmanship? Not an actual sword?"
"Hard to use more than once in real combat. Gotta practice diligently."
As Rust Beetle muttered, Seti covered her face with her palm. One deep breath, two sighs.
"...You know how every time you do this, I just wanna smack you?"
Rust Beetle shrugged instead of replying.
Seti glared at him, then pouted her lips and spoke.
"Fine. No point dwelling on it—it's just gonna burn me up inside."
She gathered the trash and dishes, turned on her heel, and opened the bunker door.
"Let's get outta here first. I'll explain the plan on the way to the elder's."
Rust Beetle watched Seti's back as she strode out without hesitation, then chuckled softly.
"What're you doing? Hurry up."
He tucked the chopsticks and dagger into his bosom and followed her lead.
***
The time when the goddess of dawn was just lifting her head.
Seti, leading the way out into the back alleys, spoke up.
"You remember the plan's outline, right?"
Rust Beetle recalled the conversation they'd had a few days back. Create a fake identity, gain fame, gather government officials in one spot, and take them all out...
It seemed complicated, but it was realistically the simplest plan.
"After leaving Incheon, the first thing I did was prep a fake identity. I was gonna forge residency records to make you look like a completely different person. But... turns out you're already listed as dead?"
Seti shot him a look that said, *You knew?* He nodded.
"So I decided to make a brand-new identity from scratch."
"A brand-new one?"
"Family background, education... everything from one to ten, all fabricated. I brought in the most renowned expert in the field. Made it airtight enough that the government would never suspect a thing. But..."
Seti trailed off for a moment, then stopped walking. She turned her head, gazing past the market alleys toward the horizon blanketed in clouds.
"That person insisted on seeing you in person."
"They're coming to see me themselves?"
"They already have. They're waiting at Elder Jang Man's bar."
Since she'd said she'd been waiting at the bunker for two days, that meant the identity forger had been waiting two days too.
"...Not your average person, then."
"Definitely far from ordinary."
Seti paused, then hesitantly continued.
"By any chance, have you thought of any aliases?"
"Aliases?"
"You can't use 'Rust Beetle' for your new identity."
"What's wrong with my name?"
Seti gave him an incredulous look.
"You're not asking 'cause you don't know, right?"
"...Joking."
"Don't joke with a straight face like that. Can't tell it from the real thing."
She let out a deep sigh, then started walking again.
It wasn't the direction to Jang Man's bar, but Rust Beetle didn't point it out.
"Anyway, I brainstormed a few aliases. John, Bruce, Kefri... you know, stuff like that."
"Kefri?"
"The Egyptian god with a dung beetle head."
"...Ha."
"But to get famous in Korea, a Korean name would be better, right? So Kefri's out. Gang Rang or Toe Hwan feel too hanja-heavy, so out too."
Gang Rang and Toe Hwan.
Both were the hanja readings of Rust Beetle's name. He scratched his cheek, feeling an inexplicable awkwardness.
"Minsu, Cheolsu, Junsik—all politician names, out."
"..."
"Siwoo, Yujin, Jin Yoon—all celeb names, out. Dongpung, Donggyeong, Songgyeong—chaebol family names, out too..."
As Seti rambled on solo, they'd somehow left the alleys and reached the market outskirts overlooking the sea.
The complete opposite direction from the back-alley bar.
"...This isn't the way."
Only then did she realize they'd taken a wrong turn, blinking in surprise. A sea breeze swept her black hair.
An awkward silence flowed between them.
The wind died down once Seti spoke again.
"...Why didn't you tell me we took a wrong turn?"
"Figured you had some reason for leading us here."
Seti clamped her mouth shut and turned her gaze to the sea.
The overcast sky was slowly turning red, though the sun still hid.
"Um... Rust Beetle."
"Yeah."
"Do you trust my plan?"
"What's that out of nowhere?"
Rust Beetle frowned, and Seti fidgeted as she added,
"It's just... now that we're really going through with it, I'm second-guessing. What if the plan fails? What if I lead you down the wrong path..."
"Like now?"
"...Yeah, like now."
Seti nodded. The dawn sky reflected in her blue eyes sparkled.
"What does it matter?"
"...Huh?"
"No plan's perfect. None succeed every time."
Rust Beetle turned to face the same direction as Seti. Behind the clouds encroaching on the horizon, a warm breeze blew in.
"And above all, the choice was mine. I chose to team up with you, I agreed to the plan. So if it goes wrong, the blame's all on me."
Serious tone, sincere words.
It was meant to buck her up, but Seti wore a subtle expression.
"Uh... legally speaking, not quite..."
"..."
"Responsibility varies by law, but since we didn't sign a contract, the legal liability would be on... Ow!"
*Thwack.* Without thinking, Rust Beetle flicked Seti's forehead. She clutched her reddened brow and pouted.
"...Did you have to use mana for that?"
"Yep."
Seti's snort turned into a laugh at his curt reply. Her unsettled mood slipped away.
"Shall we head back now?"
Seti turned lightly. Or tried to.
That moment, Rust Beetle's words halted her.
"Morning's here."
She looked back, and sure enough, the sun peeked through the clouds.
Scattered clouds overhead blocked patches of sunlight, but they couldn't stop the dawn.
Sunlight dyed the sky, and even the sea absorbed the glow. The once-chilly breeze now warmly brushed their cheeks.
"Welcoming the morning while gazing at the sea isn't bad either."
Seti couldn't tear her eyes from the scene of night fading beyond the horizon. Neither could Rust Beetle.
A warm silence lingered between them. A moment later, Rust Beetle spoke first.
"Seti."
"Yes?"
"Is 'Dawn' off the table too?"
"Dawn?"
"Yeah. Yeomyeong."
Seti nearly pointed out there was already a famous superhuman by that name—one with quite the reputation.
But just then, one of the clouds blocking the sun drifted aside, shining on Rust Beetle.
To Seti, standing a bit behind him, it looked as if radiance poured down behind him.
It was a ridiculous thought even to her, but... in that instant, Rust Beetle seemed as holy as a figure from a church mural.
Captivated by the sight for a moment, Seti answered without thinking.
"...It suits you. Dawn."
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