TRPM 146

chapter 146

I knocked out Chairman Richard with the blade of the Harmonized Divine Sword.

I didn’t cut him.

There was no need. Cutting was unnecessary; the chairman’s staff was more than enough.

“(That staff… it’s strong enough to smash a dragon’s head….)”
“(What’s it made of that it can even break a dragon’s skull?)”
“(I heard the master himself layered several dragon scales he had captured and compressed them. That’s why it’s so heavy.)”
“(…And the Artist just cut through such a thing in one stroke?)”
“(Exactly.)”

Albatross PMC employees muttered these things among themselves in the outfield.

By the way, that staff… it was made of dragon scales?

‘…Not sure how sturdy it actually was.’

The Harmonized Divine Sword was in my doll’s hand, and even if it weren’t that sword, my skill alone would have been enough to slice through dragon scales effortlessly.

Thinking that, I stored the Harmonized Divine Sword in the pocket dimension and looked at Morris, the leader of Albatross PMC.

“(Do you have business with me?)”
“(…Because of this person, my Aura for returning to Korea is completely depleted. Please take me to Korea.)”

I spoke confidently. As I mentioned earlier, with the remaining inner power in my doll, it was impossible to reach Korea by myself.

Morris nodded at my words and said:

“(Understood. However, we also cannot cross borders freely, so you’ll have to wait a little.)”

He guided me to the lodging on the side of the airfield, saying it wouldn’t be difficult.

“(I’ll call you when preparations to go to Korea are ready in a few days. Oh…! I just realized you’re in a doll form right now. Do you need to eat or…?)”
“(This doll doesn’t have any digestive organs.)”
“(I see. Then please rest comfortably.)”

After saying that, Morris went off toward the other Albatross PMC employees.

I watched his back for a moment, then thought to myself:

‘Going to Korea in a few days…’

That works out well.

Chairman Richard and Albatross PMC seem to trust me, thinking I’m practically on their side. But I’m not.

I may respect Chairman Richard, but that’s one thing; this is another.

‘Before going to Korea, I need to gather as much information on Albatross PMC as possible.’

In other words, until my doll reaches Korea, I’ll have to keep controlling it—and that means staying up all night again. My condition isn’t great as it is, due to lack of sleep.

‘…As usual, I’ll make do with the Energy Cultivation method. Once the school trip is over, I’ll sleep like the dead.’

The next day.

Fortunately, the rain that fell over Jeju Island yesterday had stopped.

Though the sky was still cloudy, the mere fact that it wasn’t raining seemed to lift the spirits of the students on the school trip.

“Even so, it might rain again this afternoon, so make sure you take your raincoats on the bus.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”

Not entirely certain, huh.

I thought that as I boarded the bus. When the bus started moving, a student asked the teacher:

“Teacher! Where are we going now?”
“Check the schedule in the parent letter. We were supposed to go somewhere else if it rained, but since it isn’t raining, we’ll follow today’s schedule.”

Hearing the teacher, I recalled the contents of the schedule in the parent letter.

It said we were going to visit natural attractions in Jeju today.

‘Natural attractions…’

Before the appearance of the Black Mist, there were many natural wonders around the world. But after the Black Mist appeared, many of those sites were destroyed or polluted, leaving only a few intact.

Natural attractions were known for having positive energy, and the Black Mist never passed over such places lightly.

That’s why the remaining natural attractions are considered rare.

‘And popular.’

Rumor has it that if a non-awakened person meditates there, they might awaken, and if an awakened person meditates, their growth accelerates.

The rumor isn’t entirely implausible. Meditating at a natural attraction rich in positive energy could expand one’s capacity to absorb good energy.

‘Just a rumor, though.’

If it were true, people would have flocked to these natural sites globally. Tickets might have even been sold via auction.

“…?”

Yet the bus seemed stuck.

Looking ahead, it was hard to see what was happening because the vehicles in front were also carrying students from our school.

I expanded my Aura to look ahead.

‘…What? Why is the road blocked like this?’

I confirmed that vehicles were packed bumper-to-bumper for dozens of meters in front of our bus. Perhaps there had been an accident.

‘It’ll take a while. I’ll have to focus on the doll investigating Albatross PMC while doing Energy Cultivation.’

Arriving late at a natural site wouldn’t cause major issues for the school. At most, students would have a slightly shorter free time.

So I decided to wait patiently. I wasn’t alone.

“Haam…”
“Zzz…”

Other students, likely tired from staying up late, leaned back yawning. As I continued my Energy Cultivation…

Vroom…

The bus began moving. We must have passed the traffic jam.

I spread my Aura slightly to check the rear.

‘…Was there a battle?’

Awakened individuals, presumably PMC employees, and the cleaners from the guild we met yesterday had occupied one side of the road. They were armed.

Apparently, a monster had descended from a nearby mountain and damaged the road…

‘But there’s no monster corpse.’

Or maybe it wasn’t the monster’s doing. If a monster had damaged the road, there would’ve been warning messages. Perhaps a criminal had clashed with the cleaner guild nearby.

‘…Well, this is Jeju, not Seoul.’

Since my activity as the Artist in Seoul, criminals there have dwindled, but Jeju, disconnected by land, still has remaining criminals. Crime has decreased, but not completely.

‘…I might need to send my doll here to eliminate Jeju’s criminals sometime.’

While thinking this, I continued Energy Cultivation, and the bus arrived at the destination.

“Wait a moment, kids. Stay on the bus for a bit.”

Upon arrival at the parking lot, the head teacher of our grade took a call and got off alone. Like on the road earlier, something seemed wrong here.

‘…It shouldn’t be anything dangerous.’

Perhaps a monster appeared or a criminal is nearby. Considering the traces of battle on the road, it’s possible a fleeing criminal came here. If it were serious, the bus wouldn’t have even reached the parking lot.

“Kids, get off. Line up by groups and move in an orderly manner, okay?”

Soon after the head teacher got off, our homeroom teacher told us we could disembark. Students from nearby buses were also getting off.

“What’s going on?”
“Ah, an Elf is here apparently.”
“Oh… a movie actor?”

The teachers talked as the students exited the bus.

‘Elf…? Oh, that person.’

One of the famous fantasy-type non-human races.

But this “Elf” isn’t a species—it’s a woman called Elf, just as Yeon Mirae is called a Sword Saint.

The reason she’s called Elf? She’s a spirit master and…

‘Like a fantasy elf, her ears are pointed.’

Her ears weren’t born that way; they became pointed when she awakened.

Her skill isn’t extraordinary, but she uses her pointed ears and beauty to work as an actor.

‘And because of her Elf image, her hobby is visiting natural attractions worldwide. So it’s not strange she’s here.’

However, many resent her because of her popularity—other actors think she got lucky, awakeneds think she doesn’t put effort into dungeons, and even powerful people have had interest.

‘Especially those wanting longevity tried to kidnap her to study her body.’

Elves in fantasy live long. Believing she evolved into an Elf upon awakening, they wanted to study her to unlock longevity secrets. Hence, she’s famous for always traveling with guards.

“How many guards came with Elf?”
“Fifty.”
“…What?”
“Fifty. Being abroad, she paid extra attention to security.”

One assassin previously attempted to breach her 20-strong escort, so the number of guards increased. Even moving with that many is enough to alter the surrounding atmosphere.

‘I wonder if we can even get a good look.’

As I thought that…

“Elf?”
“She’s a movie actor. Should we get her autograph?”
“Wouldn’t that be a nuisance? She’s here to enjoy herself…”

Students began to stir. Teachers allowed distant photos but prevented interference up close.

“Understood?”
“Yes!”

Soon, we were allowed into the natural attraction safely.

“Move in groups and return here when time’s up.”

I’ll skip the routine instructions: don’t harm others, don’t wander alone, don’t cross fences, etc.

Our group started exploring the ecological park.

“Shall we go see the waterfall first?”
“No, let’s see the animals first.”
“Are there animals here?”

Our group looked at the pamphlet, deciding where to go. I also thought briefly. Free time is limited.

“…Waterfall and animals are in Seoul too. Let’s see what’s unique here.”
“Unique here?”
“Yes.”

Following my lead, the kids moved along.

We were heading to see the columnar joints formed by hardened magma, something not found in Seoul.