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The insect heard.

I couldn’t hear Iserin’s inner thoughts, but I definitely caught the whisper from the Grimoire to Iserin.

Too detailed for no reason.

It sounded like the Grimoire was explaining things in detail, as if to a third party rather than Iserin herself.

‘How could a human understand the mindset of a Non-human? Only another Transcendent Being with a similar way of thinking could comprehend it.’

But why such a detailed explanation?

Even knowing that a third party was present, the owner of the insect, Park Jinseong, must have inferred it, so how could she explain?

I don’t know.

I can’t know the details.

How could an ordinary human speculate the thoughts of a Transcendent Being?

Still, if I were to guess… it could be gratitude, and perhaps a type of gift for Iserin’s family.

Transcendent Beings and Contractors complete each other.

The Transcendent Being needs the Contractor, and the Contractor needs the Transcendent Being.

Thus, they come to value their connection above all else, ultimately achieving completeness within themselves.

However, that doesn’t mean they could become completely disconnected.

Humans live intertwined from the moment they are born.

Entangled with others, they sometimes thrash in the whirlwind of emotions created by people, adapting as they go.

That is how humans grow and become part of that web.

And Iserin is no exception.

From the moment she was born, she was tied by the sticky threads of blood relations.

Not only her parents but even her twin born at the same time.

Moreover, the connection with Park Jinseong, who was raised like an adopted child, adds to it.

This connection is something Iserin should cherish, and should it break or become damaged, she would surely mourn.

So the Grimoire must be showing favor toward Iserin’s family and Park Jinseong.

Because this person tied to her, her Contractor, is someone special, the Grimoire might just classify them as ‘more special humans’ on account of liking humans.

‘That’s something we can’t consider good, but nor can we deem it bad. How could there be a hierarchy in ties and love, in ways of life? Evaluating life comes after reflecting on whether one has been happy and satisfied at the last moments; this is precisely why humans are so diverse…’

It’s not a bad thing.

At least, by Iserin’s side are her parents and siblings, and an eternal companion to protect her.

The fact that this powerful being is also kind to those tied to Iserin doesn’t sound like a loss either.

But one must keep in mind.

What’s important to Transcendent Beings who have Contractors is, in fact, the Contractors.

Other humans may seem cute and admirable to them, but if they’re weighed against the many humans, they would certainly choose the Contractor.

Thus, one should not gleefully accept the help of a Transcendent Being without question.

What truly matters is not the one receiving favors but the Contractor.

Ultimately, those favors are for the Contractor’s benefit and will return to the Contractor.

Whether that is intuitive or not is not the core issue.

Causality is immensely profound, yet Transcendent Beings can see it with a broader view than mere humans.

So, one should not take information at face value.

‘Before the return and now… and all the new pieces of information. All of them.’

In the dark room.

Jinseong sat cross-legged, eyes closed, lost in thought.

His spirit sank deep.

He descended to the depths.

Stray thoughts evaporated, and something like a trembling cord pierced through his heart.

It rose and fell, continuously connecting, just like his thoughts also swayed with the movement of that line.

He recalled many elements, erasing, then merging them.

Thus, he was able to form one hypothesis.

‘Iarin and Yesuhwa discovered this Secret Space before the return.’

Not long ago, Iarin had come to Jinseong, sharing an urban legend involving an elevator.

Upon hearing that, Jinseong released a swarm of ants at school to burn the Secret Space, and Iserin stumbled upon another Secret Space in that wreckage and took the Fox Sphere…

But that likely didn’t happen before the return.

At that time, Jinseong was a mercenary, so Iarin probably could not contact him, and no one would have heard the elevator urban legend. Additionally, the tragedy of losing Ella in Russia must have left him in quite a bleak mood. Perhaps he reluctantly began to explore the truth of the legend at Yesuhwa’s suggestion.

And so, they likely discovered this Secret Space.

They could have found it while inspecting the stairs like Jinseong, or perhaps there was a passageway connected to the facility near the elevator… or maybe they found some clue.

Thus, the two must have entered a place filled with servers, and shockingly, they would have uncovered a secret space that refined energy.

There’s a chance they even found the passageway with the Fox Sphere.

But ironically, that would have been a misfortune.

Unlike now, there must have been people present at the school back then.

Currently, the absence of people in the Secret Space is due to Jinseong setting loose the swarm of ants to interfere with them.

Naturally, before the return, there wouldn’t have been swarms of ants, yet researchers and guards would have been present in the Secret Space.

And those two would have been caught.

Either they got caught on the spot, or perhaps they managed to escape but were identified and eventually apprehended.

And,

‘Ah, the Chinese and the secret police… Reporting to the National Intelligence Service. Well, how about that.’

They would have to pay the price for recklessly entering the Secret Space.

No, to be more precise— only ‘Yesuhwa’ would have to pay the price.

The virtue of China is revenge.

Therefore, they wouldn’t have looked kindly upon Iserin, who reported the secret police established undercover by public security in Korea.

But Iserin’s family is hardly an ordinary household.

Being a conglomerate itself is something to avoid meddling with, plus being affiliated with the Hongik Patriotic Group. Attempting revenge so carelessly could easily invite terrible backlash.

Moreover, Iserin herself is a special Ability User known as a ‘Contractor,’ and she even possesses powers related to secrets.

Thus, China had no choice but to refrain from seeking revenge.

If they got entangled further, it would only bring them harm.

Getting involved would lead to backlash.

Even if they killed someone, they would only incur the wrath of the Transcendent Being contracted to Iserin.

Considering how well China was utilizing its Contractors, they must have been vaguely aware of the dangers of getting on the bad side of these individuals… Therefore, they rationally decided to forego revenge.

Well… if the Lee Clan had fallen or if they had certainty that it was okay to touch Iserin, they might have acted.

But what if Iarin infiltrated the Secret Space together with Yesuhwa in the midst of all this?

‘The Grimoire said the Chinese government is unaware, so that’s right. Their intrusion might have caught the attention of either the Korean or Chinese government regarding the existence of this facility. Perhaps both governments might have caught wind of it.’

The Korean government likely wouldn’t have particularly targeted those two.

No, there would have been no reason to.

The people who carelessly operated a secret facility within the Specialization High School for Ability Users, collecting energy from minors for strange experiments in collaboration with Chinese organizations are the troublemakers. The students who inadvertently stumbled upon the facility while recklessly testing their bravery shouldn’t be blamed.

They would have likely received commendations instead of reprimands.

Of course, the involved companies and organizations might not have liked it… well, they probably wouldn’t have expressed that openly.

Iarin’s background is formidable.

But what about the Chinese side?

A strange facility suddenly discovered, and upon realizing that it was related to the bloodline of Iserin, who had just given them a hard time, what would the Chinese government do?

And how would the Chinese organizations react to the sudden appearance of two reckless students who turned everything upside down while they were engaged in their experiments?

‘They likely couldn’t touch Iarin. With her background, there would be no pretext to act against her. But as for Yesuhwa….’

Hadn’t it been mentioned that the Huashan Sect was involved in this experiment?

From what Iarin said to Jinseong, this Yesuhwa is a warrior training in the martial arts of the volcano.

It’s highly probable that the Chinese side would have taken advantage of that as an excuse to play their tricks.

‘I don’t know much about this Yesuhwa… But if there’s a blood-relative national of China, or if her family is involved in businesses related to China… then that pretext would be an inescapable shackle.’

This is a nation that secretly established a secret police station overseas to monitor its own citizens.

Would such a country easily let slip someone having their nationality or linked to their own?

Especially considering that it relates to their virtue of ‘revenge’?

The odds are slim.

Thus, Yesuhwa might have been dragged into China.

And then, alongside Iserin and Iarin, pay back would likely have come.

‘If she were lucky, she might have been released in exchange for her devotion to China. If her abilities were deemed exceptional and useful, she might’ve been assigned as someone’s protector or become a soldier. And if she were unlucky…’

Jinseong recalled the China that regarded people as mere consumables during the Third World War.

‘At the beginning of the Third World War, there were bio-weapons created using Ability Users. It’s likely that she would meet such a fate.’

And Iarin’s mental state would have shattered.

Losing friends one after another is a tragedy.

For a girl who had yet to fully mature, such trials would be unbearable…

‘Well, this is just speculation… To gain certainty, it would be best to gather more information.’

With that thought, Jinseong rose from his seat.

He contacted the agent he had met a few times, ‘Kim Cheolsu,’ sending information about the Secret Space and asking him to share his findings.

Then, he packed his passport and began searching for flight options.

A flight heading to China.

[ Entry denied. ]

[ Park Jinseong, you cannot enter China. ]

 

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