TRPM 118

chapter 118

The plane carrying Korea’s strongest fighters landed in Japan.

As Yeon Mirae stepped off, she immediately sensed the heavy presence filling the airport.

‘…So many powerful people…’

Gathered from around the world were Aura Masters, Grand Magicians, or others with power equal to them.

Of course, not everyone present was of that level. Some were escorts sent by Japan to welcome them, while others were attendants brought along by the powerful individuals themselves.

‘Arthur said he was bringing Rachel along too.’

Since Arthur was Rachel’s puppet, he couldn’t be too far from her. Naturally, he had come to Japan with her.

Rachel’s repeated modifications had expanded his range of movement somewhat, but it was nowhere near enough to cover the distance between England and Japan.

‘Well, Arthur is a special case…’

Still, strong individuals usually had attendants to handle troublesome matters.

Yeon Mirae didn’t need one since Ji Hyungman rarely left her tasks to others, and even if there was work, he handled it himself.

‘Maybe I should bring Alex as my attendant someday…’

Such thoughts lingered as she headed toward immigration.

Of course, immigration here wasn’t like what ordinary travelers went through. Everyone present was clearly identified, and their purpose was also well known.

“(Ms. Yeon Mirae, welcome to Japan.)”

Hearing the English greeting from an airport staff member, she moved toward the concourse filled with Awakened from all over the world.

“(Ah, Mirae!)”

Someone called out warmly.

“(It’s been a while, Rachel. When was the last time we saw each other in person?)”
“(Since last year, when we went to watch Gunwoo and Haeun’s school exchange tournament.)”

It was Rachel, here as Arthur’s companion.

As Yeon Mirae greeted her, she noticed Arthur wasn’t at her side.

“(Where’s Arthur?)”
“(He went out for a smoke with some people who came from England.)”
“(…Arthur smokes?)”

But he’s a puppet?

Yeon Mirae swallowed those words.

“(It’s not that he likes smoking. He said a lot of his acquaintances smoke, so he picked it up. Of course, when he comes near me, he uses that artifact to get rid of the smell.)”

That artifact…?

Mirae had never heard of Arthur having such a thing. Which likely meant he was disguising some other ability as an “artifact.”

‘Probably magic powered by Aether…’

Arthur received Aether through the Awakened system.

Until now, he had always converted it into innate vital energy to extend Rachel’s lifespan. But there was no rule saying it had to be used that way.

Since Aether could transform into almost anything, turning it into mana for spellcasting was theoretically possible. And Arthur was capable of turning theory into reality.

‘Actually, he’s publicly known as an Aura Master, but the energy in his body is really Rachel’s mana…’

Which meant that even without converting Aether, Arthur could wield magic.

Not that it had much to do with Mirae.

“(Cadet Rachel, it’s been a while.)”

While Mirae was chatting with Rachel, the Director of Seoul’s Awakened Academy—who had just finished immigration—joined them.

Mirae was surprised he recognized Rachel.

“(You remember her? Rachel spent most of her academy days hospitalized, so I thought you wouldn’t know her well.)”
“(Hmm? Of course I remember the cadets who attended our academy. Especially Rachel—I taught the magic track myself, so I definitely recall her face.)”

…So he remembered every student who had ever passed through the academy?

As Mirae was quietly impressed, Rachel spoke again.

“(It’s not just that. The Director also knows about Arthur and me… our secret.)”
“(Ah, yes. That too.)”

The Director nodded. Of course, she was referring to the secret that Arthur was not human, but Rachel’s puppet.

Well, even if the British government gave Arthur a legal identity, someone like the Director would see right through it.

Naturally, if Arthur wanted to attend the academy, he would’ve needed the Director’s cooperation. So it wasn’t strange at all that he knew the truth.

“(Come to think of it, Rachel, you married Arthur, didn’t you? Oh, sorry for calling you cadet—it’s been years since you graduated….)”
“(It’s fine. Call me whatever’s comfortable.)”

The Director leaned in slightly and whispered with a faintly odd expression.

“(…I’ll respect your preferences.)”
“(…Excuse me?)”
“(It’s fine. Back in the day, there were people who wanted to marry not only puppets, but also children, familiars… even monsters.)”

Rachel fell silent.

She already knew that marrying a puppet wasn’t something others looked kindly upon.

Meanwhile—

“(Hey, you go talk to them.)”
“(Are you crazy? Two of them are way stronger than us, and one’s married, while the other is much older.)”

Three striking women chatting together made quite the picture, naturally drawing the attention of nearby men.

But none dared approach.

“(Besides, those two—Mirae and the Director—are on another level…)”

“…Way stronger than us,” one man muttered.

Even among Aura Masters and Grand Magicians, there were rankings. Mirae and the Director stood near the top.

No one wanted to risk approaching with ulterior motives only to be seen through instantly.

“(Cowards. Even the tallest trees fall if you keep striking. Little strokes fell great oaks! I’ll try even if I fail—mmpfh!)”
“(Stop. That’s not courage, it’s recklessness.)”
“(Yeah, I don’t want to see my buddy dead—or castrated.)”

Of course, Mirae or the Director wouldn’t literally kill or maim someone for that. But no one wanted to get on their bad side either.

“(By the way, why do you call Mirae by name, but the Director just ‘Director’? He must have a real name, right?)”

One of the men asked.

The reply came quickly:

“(Simple.)”

No one here knew his real name.

Time passed, and Arthur returned from smoking with his acquaintances.

Spotting Mirae, he waved cheerfully, but when he saw the Director, he bowed his head nervously.

“(Ah… H-hello, Director. It’s been a while.)”

His reaction was like someone who had never expected to see that person here. Just as Mirae had, Arthur hadn’t imagined the Director would leave the academy to come overseas.

“(Hello, Cadet Arthur. Long time no see.)”

As with the others, the Director still addressed him as a cadet while asking after his recent life.

Arthur didn’t have much to say—just that he’d been living quietly with Rachel until this request brought him to Japan.

While the group chatted, a loud noise rang out—

Beeeep!
Thunk! Thunk!
“(Ah, apologies.)”

A Japanese man, holding a loudspeaker, began to speak in English. Since not all the gathered Awakened knew Japanese, English was the common ground.

“(First, let me explain why Japan has called you here from around the world.)”

He quickly got to the point—most Awakened hated long-winded speeches.

He gestured, and an assistant set up a projector and laptop, showing video footage to everyone present.

[Dadadadadada!]
[(Fire! Just shoot!)]
[(How many anti-magic rounds left?!)]
[(Almost out!)]

The footage, apparently from a helicopter, showed monsters pouring out of a Gate while Japan’s Self-Defense Force and Awakened tried to hold them back.

But the monsters were too strong, breaking through the defensive line.

“(Is that…a Tyrannosaurus?)”
“(Looks like it. And that’s a Stegosaurus.)”

Dinosaurs—the iconic beasts of the Mesozoic era—were spilling out.

The Awakened exchanged uneasy looks.

Dungeons filled with dinosaurs weren’t unheard of worldwide. They were notorious for being troublesome since multiple species would swarm together.

But with a large enough raid party, they were manageable.

Sure enough, in the video, reinforcements including an Aura Master arrived, and the dinosaurs that broke through were slain.

[(But the Gate isn’t closing?)]
[(Ah… one of those types you can only clear by going inside and conquering it.)]

The footage continued, showing an impromptu raid party—led by the Aura Master—entering the Gate.

‘Did that raid… fail? Even so, why summon so many powerful people here?’

The thought crossed many minds. Even if one Aura Master-led raid had failed, there were others in Japan.

But then—

[(Aaaaargh!)]

The Aura Master stumbled back out of the Gate alone, face pale with terror.

One arm was completely gone, the other mangled and bleeding along with his legs.

No one else came out.

Which meant everyone else in the raid had been killed or left behind.

“(According to Mr. Sakamoto—the Aura Master who barely escaped—he claimed the dinosaurs inside the dungeon were armed. He said small missiles and sharp throwing stars came flying at them.)”

“(Armed…? Missiles? Throwing stars?)”
“(…From dinosaurs?)”

Everyone’s faces hardened.

Goblins and orcs using tools made sense—but dinosaurs?

It sounded absurd. But if true, no wonder even an Aura Master failed.

More importantly—

“(…Which means someone armed them. And most likely….)”

“Humans.”

At the Director’s words, everyone silently agreed.

If the creatures were using equipment capable of launching missiles or shuriken, then clearly human hands had been at work inside the dungeon.

“(That’s why we’ve gathered you here. Even if humans are interfering inside, with this many strong individuals, the dungeon can still be conquered.)”