Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality, Chapter 221
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality, Chapter 221
50. Max Level (4)
"Come to think of it, the South Korean government brought a video of Your Highness the King and asked if I knew you."
"A video of me?"
I tilted my head at Count Reiers' report.
Had I done anything on Earth worth being captured on video?
"Yes, it was footage of you healing an injured soldier."
"Ah."
But soon I realized what video he was talking about.
When we first used the dimensional transport device in the Dragonlands, we dismissed this Earth as an illusion and wandered around before confronting the South Korean military.
At the time, I saw two soldiers wounded and healed them without much thought, and it seems that was caught on video.
"At first I considered denying it, saying we didn't know who the person in the video was, but I judged it better to issue a warning than to let them poke around everywhere and cause trouble for Your Highness the King."
The Count's response was essentially admitting that I, the person in the video, was connected to him, but that wasn't a big problem.
After all, the moment I used magic in that video, I'd already proven my connection to Rondel.
What I was curious about was why the South Korean government was looking for me.
"Ah, don't tell me..."
Then it suddenly occurred to me that it might be related to the faction-building I'd been doing recently.
South Korea, unlike other nations, was a country that had overcome the Great Disaster without much damage, and had finished restoring its social networks to a level nearly indistinguishable from before.
Given that kind of country, it seemed possible they'd gathered information about my recent healing of public figures.
'The intelligence capabilities of South Korea, a former wartime nation, can't be underestimated.'
I clicked my tongue.
If South Korea was tracking my movements, I might be seen as an extremely threatening figure.
Though I had no particular reason to be wary, I wanted to maintain friendly relations with South Korea as it grew stronger.
"I suppose I should have a talk with the President of South Korea."
"Understood. I'll arrange a meeting. He's calculative, but a man you can reason with."
"That's what I'd expect."
If he were a foolish, stubborn man, there'd be no point in talking to him.
I said to Count Reiers.
"Tell them to meet in three days. The location will be Count Reiers' castle, and the meeting must not exceed ten minutes, so tell them to prepare any questions in advance."
That's quite an overbearing attitude toward the President of a rising power like South Korea.
But I don't think I need to grovel on Earth when I don't even do that in Rondel.
'Might as well use this chance to clearly confirm the South Korean President's disposition.'
* * *
[Th-this is baffling, but they say this is what Beijing looks like now.]
When I returned home, the news was broadcasting breaking coverage of the chaos that had erupted in China.
"Is only China like that?"
"There's no news from other countries yet, but who knows. It could happen anywhere."
My parents frowned but weren't particularly flustered.
I suppose the successive anomalies on Earth had built up their immunity to shock.
When giant insect monsters appear from bizarre terrain like the poisoned lands, what's so surprising about humanoid monsters showing up too?
I just hope Korea doesn't suffer any damage.
I looked at my father's internet-connected laptop and searched SNS keywords.
Fortunately, aside from Beijing in China, there was still no major news.
I didn't know if China was unusual or if this was a precursor to what was coming, but I couldn't just leave my parents as they were, so I decided to teach them a contingency manual.
"You're still using the carrier I gave you last time, right?"
The carrier I gave them refers to a mobile shelter created with spatial expansion magic.
It's a mobile shelter stocked with all kinds of living necessities, enough to live inside for years on end.
"It's surprisingly convenient, so we stay in it all the time except when you're coming over."
That's a safe and good way to live.
I handed my parents a new gift for their safety, following the shelter.
"What's this?"
What I handed over was a Mithril bracelet with an antique design.
"That bracelet has three spells built into it. The first is a spell that heals any injury, the second is a barrier that blocks any attack. And the third and last one is teleportation."
They're treasures with two 8th Circle spells and one 7th Circle spell embedded, plus high-capacity Mana gems set into them.
In terms of value alone, you could buy thirty sets of Vanguard equipment with them.
"If you use the teleportation, you'll be moved to the Lord's estate in Reiers County. I've already spoken to them over there, so use it without worry."
"Reiers? You mean that island of Rondelians you belong to?"
"Yes, those people are my subordinates now. So you don't need to hold back."
My parents still don't know my exact identity.
Not even the fact that I'm a king leading a nation, nor how much power I hold.
"Is that so? Alright. We'll do that then."
Even though they must have had questions, my parents didn't dig any deeper.
And I chewed on the apple slice Mother had pushed into my mouth as I crossed over to the house next door.
There, I could see Bug, wearing an intrigued expression, locked in a staring contest with the monitor as if about to dive into the screen.
"How's the AI coming along?"
At my question, Bug flashed a thumbs-up and answered with confidence.
"Going smoothly. No, actually, the growth rate is faster than I expected."
"I'd hate for it to end up like you, feeding on online malice and growing until it turns dark."
"Come on, the environment here is different from Rondel. In Rondel, signal transmission uses Mana, so a variable like me was born out of that. Still, I've put a leash on it just in case, so don't worry."
"Then that's a relief."
Since she was born into Rondel's virtual world and went around attacking everything in sight until Chester caught her and had her modified, she understood exactly what I meant.
"What can it do at its current level?"
At my question, she rested her chin on her hand and pondered.
And then she gave me her answer...
"It can easily hack personal PCs and smartphones, and if things go well, it could even infiltrate corporations and institutions."
"Already?"
I wore a surprised expression, but Bug added a caveat, as if I shouldn't take it too lightly.
"Though it's not at a perfect level yet. Its ability to handle unexpected situations is lacking, so it could get traced if we're not careful."
Still, seeing enough potential for growth is good enough for me.
Satisfied, I patted her shoulder approvingly.
In response, Bug raised her chin and acted all smug...
"My Lord, please refrain from physical contact with other women. And you, lower your eyes."
Suddenly, Arcia cut in between us and said that.
With her cracking down so much harder lately, I had no choice but to give an awkward laugh and apologize.
"Ugh, the madam's glare is deadly."
Bug grumbled like that, but her eyes obediently turned in the other direction.
I casually put my arm around Arcia's shoulder and said,
"If the AI management is done, let's head back to Rondel for now. We'll receive the news from China from Blake in Rondel, and if further investigation is needed, we can log back in."
"Yes."
Time spent on Earth should be minimized.
That way, we can stay longer when it truly matters.
When talking with the people staying on Earth, it can't be helped, but when conversing among ourselves, it's better to return to Rondel to save connection time.
With that, I decided to return to Rondel, and since there was a chance we wouldn't log back in, I didn't forget to say goodbye to my parents.
"You're going back already?"
My parents always regretted how short our stays were, but there was nothing to be done about it right now.
* * *
"Ah! I was grabbing this cool-looking car from Earth, but of all the timing!"
After returning from Earth, Brangish expressed the deepest regret.
Even more so than Benjamin, who was sad about the brief reunion with his family.
But what mattered most to me right now wasn't what Brangish had brought back, but the information about the anomaly in China.
"The number of monsters is enormous."
"From what I can see, new ones appear every five seconds. They seem to be summoned into existence, and along with each monster's appearance, the Mana concentration in that area also rises."
Blake had saved footage on his terminal, so we could hold the meeting while looking at the scene on-site.
"Could it be trying to remodel Earth into a Rondel-style world, centered on the poisoned lands?"
"Well, only the goddess herself would know that."
I think it's a very plausible possibility.
When you move into a new house, it's only natural to redecorate it to your own taste.
"But here's the problem."
Blake gestured with his chin for me to look at the footage.
Thanks to that, I could see the hazy interior of the poisoned lands, and wouldn't you know it, there stood a small Sepia church shrine in Rondel style, completely out of place.
Blake approached the shrine to inspect it, and casually placed his hand on the white wall... and then—
[Your body already possesses a powerful supernatural ability.]
[Failed to acquire Gift.]
A holographic message window like this appeared clearly before us.
I stared at Blake with a stiff expression.
"This... it seems to mean that a person without supernatural ability can touch the shrine and acquire something called a Gift, right?"
"Yes, and given that it specifically mentions supernatural ability, that Gift is likely a supernatural ability itself."
Is it intended to grant supernatural ability as a reward for slaying monsters, or is it telling people to obtain the ability first and then slay monsters?
What's certain is that the goddess intends to bestow supernatural abilities upon Earthlings.
"It's just speculation, so we shouldn't jump to conclusions, but..."
"Still, if the speculation is right, the situation for Earthlings—who currently have zero capability to respond to magic and such—could change. As if the power balance were being evened out."
It's not like it's some game.
As I clicked my tongue, Brangish approached—his whole appearance having completely changed in just over twenty minutes.
"Don't you two think you're treating the goddess too much like a villain? She has a mind of her own, you know."
With expensive watches dangling from both arms like bracelets, large shopping bags hanging from both shoulders, and sunglasses on—there was no trace of dragon charisma about him.
Sensing my subtle gaze, he seemed to realize his own appearance was odd and let out a needless cough.
"We have no intention of treating her as a villain. But it seems the goddess is planning to do something, and she hasn't mentioned a word about it, and the omens resulting from it are unsettling—that's all we're worried about."
"Really? But is there anything to worry about? Even if it's a power given out at random, its limits would be clear."
I'd worried the dragon would unconditionally take the goddess's side and try to lecture us, but Brangish just waved his hand as if he didn't care much, tossed out a passing remark, and stepped away.
"If you can acquire supernatural power that way, why don't you just do the same? You could bring people to Earth directly, and there's already Reiers Island there."
At his words, both Blake and I opened our eyes wide.
He was absolutely right.
If we're curious about what's inside, we just need to bring someone who can acquire a Gift and have them get it.
And if the Gift turns out better than expected, claiming it first as needed is also an option.
Unlike Earthlings who have to layer on gas masks and protective suits, we can simply enter the poisoned lands with a single spell.
"Let's go back and check it out again."
Blake nodded at my suggestion.
Now we'd need someone without supernatural ability right away, and my gaze turned toward Benjamin and Bug.
Setting Benjamin aside, Bug's situation was ambiguous—I wasn't sure if she could obtain a Gift—but aside from her extremely developed brain, she didn't possess any notable supernatural ability either.
"W-wait, you're going to use me as a test subject?!"
"It'd be good for you to gain supernatural ability too."
"That's true, but what if it's something bad?! It's not even confirmed yet, it's too unsettling!"
Bug got scared beforehand and shook her head wildly.
True enough—by her logic, she was too important a talent to use in an unverified experiment.
But unlike Bug, Benjamin stepped forward with what looked like a resolute expression.
"I want to try it."
"O-okay. If it works fine on him, I'll do it too."
I looked at Benjamin with a surprised expression.
He swallowed dryly and spoke.
"I can't just keep leeching off you forever."
Was it because of the reunion with his younger sister?
Or because he'd been living surrounded by talented people?
I'd always thought he had a disposition unsuited for adventure, so Benjamin's action carried weight.
But whether Blake knew of Benjamin's resolve or not, he offered a different opinion, saying there was no need for that.
"Just grab any random person on site and toss them in."
What a demon.
That was Blake's way of being considerate—no need to shove his acquaintances into an unverified threat.
"No, I'll step up myself."
Seeing Benjamin's firm stance, Blake tilted his head, not understanding why he'd go that far, and Benjamin let out an awkward smile.
"Usually, in things like novels, rewards tend to scale up in situations like this."
It was a bit of a gamble, but a reasonable approach in its own way.
After all, even if the goddess was feeling generous, she wouldn't hand out that Gift indefinitely.
I couldn't refuse Benjamin's unwavering resolve.
"If anything happens to your body, I'll heal you as much as needed—don't worry."
He nodded at my words, saying it was reassuring.
"Then let's go right away."
And we connected to Earth again.
But the location wasn't Bucheon, where his parents were—it was the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.