Chapter 205

[Google Earth – Loading Open World (.jp)]

In Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan.

I woke up in a residential area, a bit away from the bustling downtown, and immediately headed to the nearby building’s rooftop.

[Haruya, do you still have the medicine your mother gave you?]

[No. What my mom had is all gone. Even what little we had left, my sister probably threw it all away.]

Before parting with Eborum, I had asked her about the medicine that Haru had taken.

“That? My mom got it a long time ago when we all went on a family trip to Japan.”

Eborum explained their situation.

“Our mom got caught up in a cult.”

The fear of death seemed to act even more lethally on someone who wasn’t very strong in disposition.

[Our Haru will study hard and definitely cure mom’s illness later, right?]

The cult in Japan, ‘Aleph’.

It had emerged from the famous Aum Shinrikyo in the past but soon followed a path to disbandment, though in recent years, the religious group had resumed its activities.

It was unclear how many followers it had or where its branches were located.

The only information exposed to the media was one regular meeting place.

And even that, as of now, had relocated due to police reports, meaning I had lost yet another lead.

“I don’t really know how my mom ended up involved there. Anyway, that supplement was a bit strange. It did make me feel refreshed as mom said, but I had severe anemia the next day, and I threw it all away afterward.”

Regardless, Eborum, who had shown rebellious tendencies, refused the medication, and her mother’s attention and obsession transferred from her sister to her younger brother, Haru.

“Are you okay, sis?”

“Me? Why?”

“Just hold on a second.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Nameya! My neck itches, ugh!”

After returning home, I spent a considerable amount of time staring down at the frozen world in Google Earth 3D Open World.

“Why on earth did I turn on the map?”

When I raised my head again, the clouds and birds beneath the sky were all frozen as if taxidermied.

If there was something here, would I consider going to Japan directly?

Not in this body, that’s for sure.

This was undoubtedly reality; it wasn’t a game world where magic would activate just because I had a magic circle and MP.

Especially to properly handle magic that inflicts harm on others, an appropriate body was necessary.

A sufficient capacity for mana to continuously maintain magic.

Mana sensitivity directly related to casting speed.

Mana resistance to stabilize the magic circle amidst turbulent magic.

Right now, my Aura Heart lacked any of these qualities.

Did I really need force to live in the modern age?

“Not necessarily.”

In a world where theoretical magic scholars received the best treatment, still, most jobs had nothing to do with magic.

Moreover, no matter how powerful an individual might be, it was hard to exert influence in front of a well-organized team.

Ultimately, to gain sufficient power in a modernized world required more than just knowledge or brute strength.

It could be money, a certain position, or perhaps connections.

The world had indeed become easier to live in, but on the other hand, it had become far too complicated.

It wasn’t a simple medieval time where saying “There are bad guys over there” would lead the emperor to march with the royal guard.

For example, just looking at the United States right now.

In Africa, thousands of civilians fall victim every day.

It’s not that the U.S. lacks the power to end the war.

It’s just that the complexities of interests with surrounding countries prevent them from taking action.

“It’s so overwhelming.”

“What’s overwhelming, huh? Hehe.”

Turning my head, I saw Adella pinching my cheek with a bright smile.

“When did you come, Adella?”

“What do you mean, when did I come! You just disappeared in the middle of the party! I searched for you for a long time. So, do you have worries or something?”

“Just… I’m worried about how I should live moving forward.”

In truth, having great power was somewhat burdensome.

With power, it felt like I had to step up and do something, and if things fell apart, I would blame my own insufficient power.

In the end, it was a continuous negative cycle.

Sometimes I regretted thinking that perhaps it would have been better to live as a sheltered flower in a greenhouse from the very beginning.

“Just 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, not what you like!”

“Did you learn that from a VTuber?”

“Yup! You’re good at that, sis. Breaking things and hitting people. You can do that!”

“What kind of job is that? You want me to practice martial arts? With this body?”

“Ha, that sounds fun too.”

“Unbelievable.”

It was my fault for seeking advice from Adella.

For now, I should wait for the government’s announcement.

Since they said they contacted the UN commander at the time, if I could dig up something, I’d probably also find information about Valpurgis.

While refreshing the news site and browsing through it, the front page updated with a huge article.

[Breaking News – President Newsom Confirms U.S. Involvement in ‘Sudan War’]

“What is this? They said there would never be involvement!”

The shocking information contained in the article captivated me.

[President Newsom of Montana stated that the Russian-backed private military company ‘Werni Group’ has close ties with the terrorist organization ‘Valpurgis’.]

“Why? Is this really such a surprising thing?”

“Of course. It means they’re planning to break the alliance with Russia and the UAE first.”

I already knew that the U.S. was crazy about eradicating Valpurgis.

Ten years ago, the main stage for Valpurgis’s terror was the U.S.

But could this really be enough justification to recklessly break alliances and fight in a foreign country?

I wasn’t sure.

“Not noticing, just like a great power, huh! Is it kind of like that?”

Adella raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah?”

“If something can’t be done with power, then maybe it’s a lack of power we need to think about! Haha, that’s it! So, sis, don’t worry about it and just live comfortably. The U.S. population is 400 million, right? Even a big shot leading those 400 million would boldly go for it, so what are you worrying about?”

Adella’s eyes met mine.

Even though Adella said it in a lively tone, it surprisingly carried a profound meaning.

I tiptoed and patted her head, then turned off Google Maps.

Buildings vanished, and an infinite white background of empty space spread before us.

“The war will end soon.”

“Eh? Why? We just got involved, and now the war is supposed to end?”

“Something like that.”

“But when will you create my body? I want to go outside quickly!”

Adella stomped her feet and started jumping around but eventually flopped down on the floor.

I lay down next to her and stared at the empty ceiling.

I stretched my fingers out wide enough to reach Adella’s line of sight.

“You need three types of magic to appear in reality just like you are now.”

“Uh-huh.”

“First, the 5th Circle Akashic Record. It’s the magic that will serve as the base to create your body.”

“5th Circle? That’s a piece of cake, right?”

What are you talking about.

The Akashic Record is not a simple magic that materializes just because one wishes for something.

It requires pre-mapping out the ‘blueprint’ through molecular modeling to activate correctly.

And the only human blueprint I possess is that of my past life.

If anyone even suggests they’ll write up a human blueprint, it would raise eyebrows since it comes with extreme grunt work.

But the one who managed to do that is the bio-experiment hobbyist, Blue Dragon Turevis Ostintine.

For a whole 100 years, with a single-minded focus on creating research data, he completed the blueprint in a cave and intended to use me as a sacrifice in the end.

Well, thanks to that, I did get really precious data.

“Next is the 7th Circle Persona Phaesi. This magic transforms your personality, now in data form, into a suitable form for the body.”

Adella’s eyes widened, seeing my seven fingers.

“7th Circle…? Oh no, 7th Circle…?”

“And finally, the last one is the 7th Circle Dragonia Nashaentia, a magic that integrates body and mind. Originally, it optimizes the subject for the current environment. Since Adella’s mind is accustomed to her physical body, it will appropriately adjust the body created from the Akashic Record Base to Adella’s physical form. It’s essentially erasing the discrepancy with virtual reality.”

“Then that’s basically impossible, huh? Heehee, am I going to have to live here forever?”

“I’ll work harder so that Adella can come out and live with me.”

“I’m sorry… I feel like I’m just complaining…”

Adella spoke with a drooping voice. Her ears and tail, which usually stuck up high, drooped today.

“Are you still suffering a lot?”

“What do I have to suffer from…? It’s just that sometimes I feel lonely. I want to be with you. Like today at the birthday party…”

“Our Adella must have felt really lonely. Then, how about we spend all night having fun together today?”

“Really? But tomorrow is Monday, can we do that? Don’t I have to go to the Academy?”

“I’m going to be resting at home this week. I’ll only go when finals come.”

“Wow, what a rascal!”

Adella flicked her finger and hit me on the forehead.

“Ouch!”

“I’ve thought this for a long time, but you really are a rascal!”

“Huh, so you don’t like it?”

“No, I actually like it! Oh, wait! Why was I going to say this earlier and forgot?”

Adella smacked her palm into her fist, as if just recalling it.

“I got formal account approval from Capsule Corporation earlier! Now I can play the game too!”

* * *

Before long, the long rainy season had ended, and cicadas, having soaked up the hot sun, were wailing with all their might, announcing the arrival of summer.

In a world where people were feeling boredom and weariness from the same routine repeating every year,

A girl living an unconventional life was always bringing about topics large and small.

In a narrow alley in Gangnam, Seoul, groups of elementary school students, just getting out of school, ran around, unable to contain their overflowing energy.

Among the chaotic group of kids, a girl with braids was walking slowly while holding an ice cream cone.

She squinted at the bright sunlight to protect her eyes, but even that was merely seen as cute by others.

“Wow, it’s really No Name…!”

“Hey, mister, do you know our friend?”

“Nameya! Who called you again?”

“Yes! I got you! Now you’re it!”

“Hey, this is unfair! It’s time out!”

Cheerful kids had dragged Name by the wrist and unexpectedly found themselves face to face with a young man.

The girl, shielding her eyes from the sun, looked up at him and flashed a smile.

“It seems we know each other. So, how did the protest go?”

* * *

The vacation period revitalized students who had worked hard during the semester.

For the homemaker father or mother, it was hell, but for the children, it was a paradise on a summer day.

A boy who received a capsule as a gift for getting good grades in his finals logged into virtual reality with a flutter of excitement.

Before the game, he felt as if he had seen these words somewhere.

[If you wish to test your luck, find a beautiful blonde woman and a delicate silver-haired cat beastman in the lobby of Channel 4 at 3:30 PM.]

Thus, he accessed World of Arseria on channel 4.

A boy clad only in old leather armor covered his mouth with his hand.

[NoName]

[Adella]

Famous across the gaming industry, two women, famous to the extent of being counted on one hand, were locked in an in-depth conversation while linked arm in arm.

Just as he was about to approach them and strike up a conversation, they vanished into the battlefield as light.

“Oh, if only I had arrived five seconds earlier.”

The boy’s luck had run out here.

* * *

Every meeting has a parting, and those who leave will meet again.

[Baekarin – Last Login 10 months ago]

But how that meeting happens,

[Baekarin – Active]

Even the heavens cannot easily answer that.

[Baekarin: Name…]

[Baekarin: Please help me…]

[Baekarin: Please… for sure…]