[Google Earth – Loading Open World (.jp)]
In Setagaya District, Tokyo, Japan.
I woke up in a residential area not far from the bustling city center and immediately climbed to the rooftop of a nearby building.
[Hey Haru, do you still have the medicine your mother gave you?]
[No. That’s all Mom had. And the little that was left, my sister threw away.]
Before parting ways with Lee Bo-reum, I had asked her about the medicine Haru had been taking.
“That? Mom got it ages ago on a family trip to Japan.”
Bo-reum explained their situations.
“Our mom got into a cult.”
The fear of death seems to have hit harder on those not naturally strong-willed.
[Haru, you’ll study hard and make sure to treat Mom’s illness someday, right?]
The Japanese cult ‘Aleph’.
It was derived from the infamous Aum Shinrikyo, which disbanded shortly after its emergence but has been reviving in recent years.
Everything about its followers and branches was unclear.
Only one piece of information made it to the media — the location of their regular meetings.
And it seems they have moved after being reported to the police, leaving me without leads again.
“I really don’t know how Mom got involved with them. Anyway, that supplement was a bit weird. I did feel refreshed, just like Mom said, but I ended up feeling extremely anemic the next day, so I threw it all away.”
In any case, the rebellious Bo-reum refused the medicine, and their mother’s attention turned from sister Bo-reum to younger sister Haru.
“Are you okay, sis?”
“Me? Why?”
“Just hold still for a sec.”
“Hey, hey, Na-me! My neck itches, ugh!”
After returning home, I stared down at the paused world in Google Earth’s 3D Open World for quite a while.
“Why did I even open the map?”
Looking up again, I saw that the clouds and birds below were frozen like taxidermy.
Would I have tried to go all the way to Japan with some presence?
In a past life, maybe, but in this body, it’s impossible.
This is certainly reality, not a game world where magic happens on its own with just magic circles and MP.
Especially to wield magic that can harm others properly, the right body is essential.
A sufficient mana capacity to maintain magic continuously.
Mana sensitivity directly linked to casting speed.
Mana resistance to stabilize magic circles and fix the coordinate system amidst the swaying mana stream.
I had none of these set up in my Aura Heart.
Is it really necessary to have physical strength in modern times?
“Well, not necessarily.”
Theoretical magicians may be valued highly, but still, most jobs remain unrelated to magic.
Moreover, no matter how powerful an individual is, it’s hard to make an impact against a well-organized group.
In the end, in this modern society, gaining enough power requires more than just knowledge or physical prowess.
It could be money, a title, or even connections.
It’s true that the world has become more livable, but on the other hand, it has also grown far too complex.
It’s not a simple medieval era where you just cry, “There are bad guys over there,” and the Emperor sweeps in with his knight brigade.
Just look at the situation in the United States.
Every day in Africa, thousands of civilians are being casualties.
It’s not that America lacks the power to end the war.
It’s just that the tangled interests with neighboring countries leave them hesitant to intervene.
“This feels overwhelming.”
“What’s so overwhelming? Hehe.”
I turned my head to see Adella pinching my cheek with a bright smile.
“When did you get here, Adella?”
“When did I say I came? You just left during the party! We looked for you for ages. So, do you have any worries?”
“Just… I’m concerned about how to live moving forward.”
Honestly, having great power can feel burdensome.
When you have power, it feels like you must take action, and if things go haywire, you end up blaming your own insufficiencies.
It became a vicious cycle.
Sometimes I regretted wishing I’d lived like a greenhouse flower from the start.
“You should do what you’re good at!”
“Isn’t it what you like?”
“They say in today’s world, you should do what you’re good at instead of what you like!”
“Did you learn that on V-tube?”
“Yep! You’re good at breaking stuff and hitting people. You could do that!”
“What kind of job is that? You want me to do martial arts? With this body?”
“Cough! That might actually be fun, though.”
“Seriously.”
Asking Adella for advice was a mistake.
Well, I guess I should wait for the government’s announcement.
They said they contacted the UN commander, so hopefully, I can gather info on Valpurgis as a bonus too.
While refreshing the news site, the front page updated with a huge headline.
[Breaking News – President Newsom Confirms US Intervention in Sudan War]
“What’s this? You said you’d never intervene!”
The article I clicked into bore shocking information.
[President Newsom has revealed that the Russian-owned private military company ‘Wernie Group’ is closely collaborating with the terrorist organization ‘Valpurgis.’]
“Why? Is that such a surprising thing?”
“Of course! It’s basically saying they’re about to break the alliance between Russia and the Arab Emirates.”
We already knew America was obsessed with demolishing Valpurgis.
After all, the main stage for their terrorist acts was the United States, ten years ago.
But is it really a reason to risk breaking alliances, even being ready to fight in other countries?
I wasn’t so sure.
“Not noticing is downright characteristic of a major power, huh? Is this a bit like…?”
Adella narrowed her eyes.
“Uh-huh?”
“If there’s something you can’t do with force, maybe it’s because you lack strength! Haha, got it right? So don’t worry too much and just live comfortably! The US has a population of 400 million, right? Even the big boss leading them can throw it all away like this, so what’s there to stress about?”
Adella and I locked eyes.
Though Adella spoke in a cheerful tone, her words surprisingly held deep meaning.
Tiptoeing as if to compliment, I patted her head and closed Google Maps.
The buildings all disappeared, and an endless void of white space unfolded infinitely.
“The war should be ending soon.”
“Huh? Why? You just got involved, why would it end?”
“Just because…”
“But when will you make my body? I want to go outside soon!”
As she stomped her feet and bounced around, Adella soon flopped down to the floor.
I lay beside her, staring at the empty ceiling.
I stretched my fingers as high as they could go so Adella could see them.
“To become that form in reality, three spells are needed.”
“Yup.”
“First is the 5th circle Akashic Records. This spell serves as the base to create your body.”
“5th circle? That’s a cinch, right?”
What nonsense.
The Akashic Records isn’t the simple, convenient spell of just wishing for something to pop up.
You have to pre-write the ‘blueprint’ through molecular modeling into the magic circle to get it to work properly.
And the only ‘human’ blueprint I have is just my former self from my past life.
Who would want to create a blueprint for a human? They’d be immediately ridiculed for it; this involves extreme labor.
But the one who accomplished that was none other than the biophysics hobbyist, Blue Dragon Treadvis Ostantin.
Driven by a single thought to create research material over 100 years, he completed the blueprints in a cave and eventually tried to use me as a sacrifice.
Thanks to that, I got some incredibly valuable data, though.
“The second magic is the 7th circle Persona Fice. This spell transforms your personality, now in data form, into a form suited for your body.”
Adella’s eyes widened, staring at my seven fingers.
“7th circle…? A… no way, 7th circle…”
“And the last one is the 7th circle Dragonia Nascentia, a magic that integrates body and mind. Originally, it’s a spell that optimizes the target for the current environment, you see? Since Adella’s mind is accustomed to Adella’s body, it’ll adjust the body created from the Akashic Records base to Adella’s form. Basically, it eliminates the discrepancy with the virtual reality.”
“Then it’s practically impossible! Heehee…Am I supposed to live here forever?”
“I’ll work harder so that Adella can come outside and live with us.”
“I’m sorry… I feel like I’m whining for no reason…”
Adella said in a drooping voice. Today, her usually pointed ears and tail seemed limp.
“Are you still struggling?”
“Why would I be struggling… Occasionally, I just feel a bit lonely. I want to be with you. Like today’s birthday party…”
“Our Adella felt lonely, huh? How about we stay up all night just the two of us and have some fun?”
“Really? But tomorrow’s Monday, is that okay? Don’t I need to go to the academy?”
“I’m resting from home this week! I’ll only go during finals.”
“Wow, what a rascal!”
Adella flicked her fingers, popping one on my forehead.
“Ouch!”
“I’ve been thinking it for a while, you really are a rascal!”
“Oh, so you don’t like it?”
“No, I like it! Oh, by the way! Why had I forgotten to say this until now?”
Adella slapped her palm like she just remembered.
“I just got verified from Capsule Corp! Now I can play the game too!”
*
Before long, the long rainy season came to an end, and with the blazing sun pouring down, cicadas cried out sorrowfully, signaling the arrival of summer.
Among those feeling monotony and boredom in the same old routine that repeats every year, a girl, leading an extraordinary life, always attracted attention with her various adventures.
In an alley in Gangnam, Seoul, elementary students just getting out of school burst with energy, running everywhere.
In the crazed crowd of children, only a girl with pigtails was slowly walking, sucking on an ice cream.
She narrowed her eyes to protect herself from the scorching sunlight, but that only made her look cute to others.
“Wow, it’s really NoName…!”
“Hey, Uncle, do you know our friend?”
“Na-me! Someone’s calling you again!”
“Yay, I caught you! Now it’s your turn to be ‘it’!”
“Hey, that’s cheating! Time out, it’s time out!”
The friendly kids pulled Na-me’s wrist, bringing her face to face with a young man in the process.
The girl, shading her eyes with her palm, looked up at him and flashed a grin.
“It’s nice to see you again. So, how did the protest go?”
*
The summer break breathed life into students who had suffered throughout the semester.
A hell for housewives—moms or dads—was a paradise for children on some summer day.
A boy who received a capsule as a gift for good grades in his finals excitedly logged into the virtual reality.
He felt like he had seen the following words somewhere before:
[If you want to test your luck, look for a beautiful blonde woman and a refined silver-haired cat beastman in the lobby of Channel 4 at 3:30 PM.]
Thus, he connected to the World of Arseria Channel 4.
Wearing nothing but shabby leather armor, the boy covered his mouth in disbelief.
[NoName]
[Adella]
Two women, known for their fame in the gaming industry, were locked in a deep conversation, arms crossed.
Just as he tried to hurry towards them to strike up a conversation, they magically dissipated into light and vanished into the battlefield.
“Aah, if I’d only arrived five seconds sooner!”
His luck as a boy had reached its limit here.
*
Every encounter has a farewell, and those who depart will meet again.
[Baek Ah-rin – Last login 10 months ago]
But how those meetings unfold,
[Baek Ah-rin – Active]
Even the sky cannot easily reveal the answer.
[Baek Ah-rin: Na-me…]
[Baek Ah-rin: Please help me…]
[Baek Ah-rin: Please… I need you… ]
