Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 244
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 244
54. Preparation (3)
When we arrived on Earth, it was lunchtime with the sun hanging high in the sky.
But we had no leisure to enjoy a relaxed meal.
Since this trip to Earth was a sudden decision, only the key figures, including me and Arcia, had come along.
Normally, we'd split into teams heading to the Bucheon house including Bug plus a sightseeing team and a work team, but today our goal was to confirm the safety of Kang Min-hee and Benjamin, so we planned to move together.
"But how do you plan to find those two? If they're not on Earth, no matter how impressive our roster is, we'll end up wasting a lot of time."
At Blake's question he never misses a trip to Earth I tapped my terminal device.
A holographic window rose up, displaying a single red dot.
"Whew, at least they're on Earth, it seems."
Just in case, I had given Benjamin a tracking device.
It worked perfectly.
"Impressive. So that means she really managed to cross dimensions on her own power?"
With this, everyone came to understand Kang Min-hee's value.
With a thoroughly satisfied expression, I input Earth's map into the terminal's holographic display showing the location.
[139 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, B5]
The address for that location came up, and I had to raise a question about it.
The reason was that the address pointed to the National Museum of Korea.
"Well, it's probably some underground military facility disguised as a museum, right?"
A plausible guess from Blake.
If his words were right, it meant Kang Min-hee and Benjamin were already in the hands of the Korean military.
"Let's just go check it out."
Without delay, I led the group and attempted teleportation.
* * *
"You're back!"
"Finally!"
"Company Captain, nice!"
Benjamin briefly watched Kang Min-hee and her soldiers, busy cheering, then quickly scanned his surroundings.
It was clearly a military facility to anyone's eyes.
There, he could see numerous soldiers and people in gowns moving about busily.
"Where is this?"
At Benjamin's question, Kang Min-hee, who had been expressing joy, answered with a smile.
"A military facility in Seoul. It's where we were researching the Gift I possess."
From the start, they had considered the odds of a successful dimension shift to be about fifty-fifty, and even if the shift succeeded, they hadn't expected to land precisely at their desired location.
But to end up directly inside a military facility like this.
From Benjamin's standpoint, it wasn't a very pleasant situation.
"I take it we can't just walk out?"
"Ah... The military facility must make you uncomfortable."
Perhaps because Benjamin's expression had hardened.
Only then did Kang Min-hee recall that Benjamin had merely helped them he was one of Adrian's people, adapted to Rondel.
If he wanted to return to Rondel, she could go with him.
But she was a body bound by military orders.
Going forward, the likelihood that even dimension shifts would require military approval was very high.
In other words, Benjamin, who had helped them, would inevitably have his presence left hanging in the air.
"Benjamin."
She tried to have a serious conversation with him.
But just then.
"Min-hee!"
"Huh?"
The door beyond the observation area where they stood burst open noisily, and a group of special forces soldiers and a handsome young man in a suit entered.
This cut off the conversation between Benjamin and Kang Min-hee.
"Jin-woo?"
"Yes, I'm Han Jin-woo."
The special forces unit that had suddenly barged in stood not to guard against Kang Min-hee's group, but as if protecting the man in the suit.
Anyone could tell that the man named Han Jin-woo was no ordinary person.
"You have no idea how worried I was, searching for you after hearing you'd disappeared. I'm so glad you've returned safely."
Han Jin-woo reached his hand out toward Kang Min-hee as if performing a play.
It looked less romantic and more like shallow showmanship.
But his expression suddenly shifted, and his gaze turned toward Benjamin, who was standing among the women.
"But it seems there's a stranger mixed in. This is a military secrets facility..."
Cold eyes and a hostile demeanor.
In response, Benjamin stood still and blinked.
He didn't know how great a figure this man was, but he was certain he couldn't be greater than Adrian.
Because of that, Benjamin answered with confidence.
"So what?"
"Ha..."
At Benjamin's reaction, Han Jin-woo narrowed his eyes with a bewildered expression, and Kang Min-hee quickly stepped between the two and spoke.
"This person helped me, which is why I was able to return. Sir Benjamin holds an important position in the Duchy of Lawrence, which governs the Reiers County."
Benjamin's rank couldn't really be called important, but that wasn't what mattered right now.
Preventing an unnecessary quarrel was the priority.
"Reiers County?"
Thanks to that, Han Jin-woo and the special forces members who had followed to protect him stopped in their tracks.
After all, in South Korea, which was currently at war with Japan, there was no one who didn't know the importance of Reiers County.
Benjamin made a demand toward them.
"First, I'd like to go to Reiers County. Could I see the person in charge of this facility?"
He judged that permission from the person in charge was necessary to leave a major military facility.
At the same time, he could see soldiers who had been observing the situation from outside the observation area moving about busily.
But seemingly displeased with this situation, Han Jin-woo pulled Kang Min-hee's arm.
"Wait a moment."
Han Jin-woo led Kang Min-hee out of the observation area, and soon the two could be seen conversing with the soldiers waiting outside.
He was clearly trying to figure out the situation through Kang Min-hee.
"Do you know who that man is?"
Benjamin asked the members of Kang Min-hee's unit who had crossed over from Rondel with him.
Then, a platoon leader who appeared to be the second-in-command answered.
"He's a guy who used to follow our Company Captain around. I heard he's the son of a defense industry company president. The kind of person you'd call a chaebol heir."
It was true that Kang Min-hee had a face that didn't suit the soldier profession though that was only noticeable because Benjamin had been living among people of outstanding beauty in Rondel.
In other words, she was quite pretty.
'Something feels off here.'
Now Han Jin-woo's hostility toward him made sense.
But Benjamin couldn't help but feel an ominous sense from the sight of Han Jin-woo listening to Kang Min-hee's account of what had happened.
Because suddenly, the man turned his gaze toward Benjamin and smiled.
Then came a heated exchange between Kang Min-hee, a soldier who appeared to be her superior, and Han Jin-woo.
"Tsk."
Benjamin was certain from that sight that things had gone wrong.
Then Kang Min-hee with a dark expression, soldiers wearing field officer insignia, and Han Jin-woo re-entered the observation area.
"A dimensional travel ability to and from Rondel impressive, isn't it? A very useful ability in many ways. But the problem is, to travel between the two worlds, your help is needed, correct?"
Benjamin already anticipated what he was going to say.
"So you're going to detain me?"
"I apologize, but we've judged the current situation to be a critical military secret, so we have no choice."
Sure enough, at the sight of the officer with a colonel's insignia spouting sophistry, Benjamin couldn't help but shake his head.
"That's the worst possible move. The price of detaining me will be steep."
At Benjamin's warning, Han Jin-woo let out a scoffing laugh.
"How so? They said even Reiers County doesn't know you came here."
Only then did Benjamin understand why they had made this choice.
It was because they didn't know that Adrian could cross from Rondel to Earth.
In short, they judged that if everyone here simply kept their mouths shut, no one would ever know that Benjamin had been detained.
This was a disaster caused by Adrian not revealing the existence of the dimension shift ruin to Kang Min-hee, and the President of South Korea not disclosing Adrian's existence to anyone except his closest aides.
"Rescue will come from Rondel. Are you really sure about this?"
So Benjamin gave one final warning.
"Empty threats."
No one took his words seriously.
In the end, Benjamin was bound by the special agents standing behind Han Jin-woo, his face full of disbelief.
"We'll treat you appropriately. Please don't worry too much."
"The moment I was bound, any talk of appropriate treatment went out the window."
And so, Benjamin had shown kindness and offered help to Kang Min-hee, but what he got in return was detention.
Naturally, Kang Min-hee strongly protested this and demanded Benjamin's release, but...
"Min-hee, please calm down. Once dimensional travel becomes possible without that man's help, or when a replacement for him is found, we'll release him right away."
He was blocked by Han Jin-woo, who strode around as if the entire facility belonged to him.
It was behavior he could get away with as the head of the defense contractor involved in the Gift research, and given the nature of the defense industry, his connections with the generals were strong.
'This is the first time I've seen Min-hee shield a man like this. I don't like that guy.'
A decision filled with personal feelings.
But Han Jin-woo never dreamed that this decision would come back to choke him.
* * *
News of Kang Min-hee's return reached the President's ears.
It had been a shame when such a precious teleportation-type ability user suddenly vanished one day, but fortunately, he could breathe a sigh of relief that she had returned safely.
"Oh? She went to Rondel?"
"Yes. First Lieutenant Kang Min-hee's ability has been confirmed to even allow dimensional travel, and the facility's researchers are greatly encouraged."
"That's wonderful news!"
And at this unexpected stroke of fortune, the President of South Korea, Kim Min-guk, ordered that Kang Min-hee be supported thoroughly, no matter the cost.
But the President's good mood was about to plummet.
"W-What is this?"
The reason was that the report on Kang Min-hee also included content about Benjamin.
A report filled with Benjamin's detention and phrases rationalizing it.
Anyone would find it understandable, but President Kim Min-guk did not.
"Right now! Contact them and tell them to release this man, Benjamin Theo!"
"Sir?"
Because he could already picture what would happen next.
A situation filled with destruction and chaos.
"Y-Your Excellency!"
And as if proving his judgment correct, the worst-case scenario unfolded.
"The Yongsan facility has been..."
A single photo showing what appeared to be a massive fire.
In the photo were people in unusual attire staring at the camera.
The President's order had come one step too late.
"Damn it. I went and poked the sleeping lion's nose for nothing."
The image of meteors being summoned and then cleaved apart by monsters flashed through the President's mind.
* * *
"W-Who are you people!?"
On the way to find Benjamin.
I confirmed through clairvoyance and x-ray vision which facility he was being held in, then barged in without mercy, destroying South Korea's military installation.
Going through the President might have resolved things peacefully, but I found the current situation far too distasteful.
So I made a show of force and blew things up big.
Naturally, combat broke out in the process, and after one warning to those firing bullets at me, I took an arm or a leg from each of them.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just kill them?"
"We're cooperating with this country for now, so let's see how things go and reattach their limbs or something."
At my words, my companions subdued the soldiers inflicting pain but not killing them.
Every incoming bullet was deflected before it even came close, and whenever I or my companions flicked a finger or gestured with our chins, blood scattered and limbs fell without fail.
Thanks to that, within a minute of entering the facility, every soldier was writhing on the floor, and I grabbed one conspicuous person from among the terrified researchers.
"Hey."
He was a man in a sharp suit, unlike the others.
Whether out of fright, his pants were soaked.
But I didn't care, and I thrust my face toward him and asked.
At my actions, the suited man chattered his teeth and trembled.
"You're someone pretty high up, right?"
"P-Please spare me. I'll do whatever you say."
"Tell me where Benjamin and Kang Min-hee are."
"Yes! I'll guide you!"
Seems I picked the right guide after all.