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The Republic of Korea was like a powder keg ready to ignite.

On the surface, everything seemed calm and without a problem, but a closer look revealed it was primed to explode at any moment.

The citizens.

A tangled web of grievances and anxieties mixed together, creating a bizarre balance.

A small shock could send this precarious equilibrium tumbling down — a catastrophic explosion scattering fragments everywhere, resulting in a chaotic scene where people would bleed and scream.

And the hammer ready to shatter that balance was there.

No, it was coming together.

A journalist named Lee Jae-soon.

Though his talent had earned him a place among the newcomers, he was still an insignificant presence compared to the elder journalists or the power holders.

Who would believe that such a journalist held the detonator switch of a bomb?

Moreover, he was so narrow-minded that he couldn’t even conceive the possibility of being caught in that explosion.

For a starving person, food is worth more than gems and silk clothes.

Lee Jae-soon had spent countless days like those who were starved, yearning only to raise his name high. His obsession bordered on fanaticism.

Completely blinded by one single goal.

At the core of it all was the Divine Object.

That precious Divine Object he had ‘obtained’ himself.

As long as he held faith in it, as long as he continued to succeed from the information it brought, his madness would never extinguish.

And that madness would grow in intensity until it became the hammer that would mercilessly shatter the fragile balance, without a care for the aftermath, solely focused on his own benefit.

Such behavior might undoubtedly be considered foolish…

But what can be done? It is human nature and a long-standing history to be blinded by desire, marching towards ruin.

So the Republic of Korea simmered quietly, like a powder keg ready to burst into flames, precariously perched on the brink.

Much like before a typhoon.

Unsettlingly calm indeed.

However, on the flip side, this foreboding state meant that chaos lay just beneath the surface.

Thus, most of the Republic of Korea remained peaceful.

So peaceful that they didn’t even realize the peril surrounding them.

And in this atmosphere of peace, there existed a place where tranquility was enjoyed to the fullest.

That place was, of course, the school.

Seoul Specialization High School for Ability Users was peaceful.

In every corner of it.

In the building housing the warriors, as always, the sounds of moans and training filled the air, complemented by the thick scent of sweat wafting everywhere. In the strength training room, fitness junkies worried about losing muscle were anxious for machines to become available while betting on how many reps they could do in the big three.

There were no foolish bets like taking turns slapping each other while standing opposite like in Russia, nor were they downing shots of vodka each set, convinced that warming up would improve their workout efficiency.

It was a very wholesome study atmosphere.

The place where the wizards gathered was even more serene.

Everyone walked around with dark circles under their eyes, fueled by coffee and energy drinks, moving like zombies. This isn’t just a metaphor; they were truly drowning in such a degree of studying and assignments that they could stack them up to waist height, pulling all-nighters and becoming irritable, having discarded the nostalgic memories of youthful love for the sake of the ‘foundation’ of magic science, working tirelessly and sacrificing sleep.

A truly heartwarming sight, isn’t it?

Other places?

They were ordinary.

In the area for summoners, summon creatures bickered, causing a ruckus, sometimes going berserk as if someone pressed a panic button, while some summon creatures met eyes and put on a show of Animal Kingdom right in front of a bunch of minors — and arguments broke out over whose summon was the cutest and coolest, leading to a tussle among the summoners, only to get scolded by school staff and dragged away.

Just the everyday occurrences that happen in school.

So the school was supremely peaceful.

Really.

And among those enjoying this peace, there were even more peaceful individuals.

They were peacefully and intensely relishing their tranquility, seemingly struggling to indulge in it, the notably peculiar ones.

Anastasia and Ella, Iserin and Iarin.

A group of four.

The quartet had made a cozy corner of the school their hideout and was savoring restful moments like honey.

To be precise, during their free time in gym class, they had moved to a secluded spot to chat.

Their evidence? They were all wearing comfortable gym clothes.

However, they were enjoying their free time with such exuberance that it felt a bit excessive.

First of all, the place they occupied.

They had made a large tree perched in a corner of the playground their hideout, which, thanks to the natural grass spread throughout, created an atmosphere reminiscent of a picnic. To make relaxation even more comfortable, they had even hung a hammock between the trees.

Moreover, that hammock was positioned quite cleverly.

It was almost hanging at the top of the tree.

So high up that students would think, “Do I really need to clamber up there to use that?” or “It’s too high; it’s scary.” And teachers would ponder, “Since it’s so high up that no one seems to use it, is it worth the hassle to climb up and remove it?”

Thanks to this, the hammock had become a personal haven for one girl.

In Russia, she was called Puma, and in Korea, amidst the fierce and instinctual warriors, Iarin was known for her martial arts. She was said to not be a beast, but rather a human who had learned martial arts to become more human-like.

Sway sway.

Iarin lay in the hammock high above in utter comfort.

With the perfect temperature created by the shade, she felt the gentle breeze and listened to the rustling leaves as a lullaby, closing her eyes. The hammock swayed gently as if it were a cradle while she draped a thin blanket over her stomach, ready to drift off.

Below her were the three companions.

And those three were anything but ordinary.

Anastasia perched midway up the tree, not sitting on branches or hammocks, but on top of a bizarre creature. It looked like a long rubber sheet, reaching its tentacles everywhere to wrap around the branches, looking very much like a trampoline.

If it weren’t for dozens of enlarged toy-like eyes sticking to its body that blinked rapidly, you might believe it was just a mat.

Anastasia, with all those eyes, relaxedly stared at her smartphone while claiming in real-time, “I am alive,” as she sat comfortably on this grotesque being.

She leaned against a fluffy, beanbag sofa-like object, resting her smartphone on its tentacles as she enthusiastically watched videos or surfed the internet for something entertaining.

And beneath her.

Iserin and Ella had fashioned chairs out of grass to sit on.

Ella used witchcraft to weave plants into a swing chair and sat on that, cuddling her small creature that sparkled with rainbow RGB colors, swaying back and forth gently in the shade.

Meanwhile, beside her sat Iserin on a chair made of sand, which, despite being made of sand, felt like plush memory foam, enveloping her snugly.

Like a massage chair.

So the four of them were comfortably enjoying their free time to the fullest.

It truly felt like they were on a picnic.

However, there’s a limit to how long one can spend silently enjoying peace.

Perhaps tired of playing with their smartphones, Anastasia atop the tree opened her mouth.

“Speaking of which, do you think our benefactor — Jinseong Park — is filming a broadcast right now?”

 

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